Thread: commercial solar kiln

Cudgy I have built 90% of our 500sqm home and everywhere along the way I have used timber right off my Lucas. As for movement, the first building was sheeted with plaster board around 2 years ago and we don't have any cracks, no repairs done to it since day 1. The other buildings have timber VJ lining internally so a bit harder to see if any shrinkage has caused problems, but the posts where green off the saw, bearers, joists, framing (slash pine though) rafters, roof battens, ceiling battens, decking etc.

Cudgy
Have you ever heard of water seasoning? I never had until quite recently. As I understand the theory itworks like this. You know how timber cracks & warps when it is dried too quickly, well that cracking & warping is caused by the sap drying out too quickly.
You know how you were planning to put in an inground swimming pool (goood idea to have a large water reservoir in bushfire prone areas such as Oberon), well what you do dig a pool size hole where you want your swimming pool to be, fill it with water, cut your trees down, mill your flitches & throw them in water. In 6 or 12 months the water will have turned black from the sap dissolving out of the timber, take the timber out of the pool, stack it so the water can dry out (in a matter of weeks), build your house, tile your pool & swim laps while you think about the ULTIMATE SHED you're going to build.
Gerard

Thanks Richie. Good advice, cheers Cudgy.

Thanks, Travis, sigidy and sheetmetal as well. I didn't see your messages until just now. I will be in too much of a huurry for the swimming pool solution, but that sure does sound interesting.

Sigidy are you going to the Maleny wood expo by any chance? It would be good to have a talk to you or even come and have a look at what you have done at your place.

Travis, I may go down that path later. I'm thinking I should get all the lining and floor boards out drying first so that by the time i'm ready to use them they will be dry. My main concern with a post and beam construction is with the post and beams moving too much. Still getting an education at the moment and will be cutting in a couple of months.

allan was going to try and get permision to come along one day of teh show. havent heard teh outcome of that yet but im not hoding my breath.

i am going to build a kiln from a shipping container with watter element heating inside. still have to decide on heat source for it, solar during the day and sawdust overnight i was thinking. with gass backup

Originally Posted by SHEETMETAL

Cudgy
Have you ever heard of water seasoning? I never had until quite recently. As I understand the theory itworks like this. You know how timber cracks & warps when it is dried too quickly, well that cracking & warping is caused by the sap drying out too quickly.
You know how you were planning to put in an inground swimming pool (goood idea to have a large water reservoir in bushfire prone areas such as Oberon), well what you do dig a pool size hole where you want your swimming pool to be, fill it with water, cut your trees down, mill your flitches & throw them in water. In 6 or 12 months the water will have turned black from the sap dissolving out of the timber, take the timber out of the pool, stack it so the water can dry out (in a matter of weeks), build your house, tile your pool & swim laps while you think about the ULTIMATE SHED you're going to build.
Gerard

Dunno about the pool solution but I do know a few millers who run sprinklers over the logs until they are ready to cut - seen it quite a bit. Soaker hoses etc.
Hey...Maybe the missus could re-dye the blue singlets in the old pool water before you pumped it out.
Keep smilin', and
keep rearrangin' the deck chairs....

richie

sprinklers are used on pine logs to stop sap stain from starting.

Originally Posted by weisyboy

sprinklers are used on pine logs to stop sap stain from starting.

Really?
What, you mean the blue stain?

I was talking about keeping hardwood from too much cracking.

rich

yes if you keep it above a certain moisture content the fungas cant grow. this was also the reason for storing logs in creeks and rivers.

Originally Posted by weisyboy

yes if you keep it above a certain moisture content the fungas cant grow. this was also the reason for storing logs in creeks and rivers.

Thanks for that Carl.
r

what happened to the solar kiln weisy

I do this all year round, especially on jarrah and blackbutt logs. it helps stop bug invasion and is also said to help take stress out of the log as well.

it got put on the long list of things to do. i still havent got a shed built for teh mill or timber so thats gotta happen first.

i dont seam to get enough time to do anything at home.