Thread: A new way to dry timber????

Originally Posted by Grumpy John

I'll answer this by asking another question, how many stubbies can YOU drink in 2 1/2 hours with nothing to do but watch wax boil?
.

Slab

When wood dries, to stop it cracking, it needs time to allow the cellular structure to shrink in proportion the volume of water lost. If the volume of water is removed at a faster rate than the cellular structure can shrink this is what causes cracking. If this could be done in two hours you can bet kiln operators would have done this by now. The difference with your method is that (at least some of) the molten wax is replacing (some of) the water so the cells don't need to shrink as much. The fact that you got some cracks suggests the volume of water removed was greater than the volume of wax that went into the wood. Organic materials like Waxes penetrate wood very slowly unless a high pressure is used. This is illustrated by the dewatering process used for the Mary Rose which will be held in a mist of ethylene glycol for some 20 years before they deem enough of the water to have been replaced by the EG.

My guess is the wax penetrates inverse exponentially for a certain distance and eventually builds up such a barrier that it prevents any more water escaping and any more wax from entering. Heat cycling may improve the extent of the penetration but I doubt it will make a big differentce. Once the outside of a really big piece of wood is impregnated with wax, the wood inside will probably remain wet for many many years. This is the same as coating logs with endcheck (A waxy like material) - if you coat the whole of the outside it stays wet for years. The real question is then how big a piece of wood can be done using your method?

BTW the moisture content meters that rely on conductivity may not work correctly if the wood has been impregnated with wax - you can probably only get the true moisture content of the wax impregnated wood with an EM moisture meter.

if your wax has a low vapor pressure (ie low evaporation) at around 100ºC you could cut the wood up into cubes and place it in an oven at 100 and measure the weight down to constant weight before and after the process - this will be far more accurate that any meter.

This would be a very useful experiment to undertake!

Originally Posted by Grumpy John

I'll answer this by asking another question, how many stubbies can YOU drink in 2 1/2 hours with nothing to do but watch wax boil?

Going by my recent foray back into drinking, A slab or 2 as watson says of VB stubbies or JB cans but then that is subjected on how warm or cold it is

Originally Posted by DJ's Timber

Going by my recent foray back into drinking, A slab or 2 as watson says of VB stubbies or JB cans but then that is subjected on how warm or cold it is

good to hear from you DJ, hope all is well.

Cheers
GJ

Ever thought of throwing a bit of battered fish in with the wood? - Give you something to eat with those stubbies

Yeah, I will follow this thread with some hope, I hope...!

I have a few blanks that need the wax treatment, instead of paint, so that the timber can be seen.

Where do you source your wax from? I need a fair quantity for a good price, off-course! My old electric fry-pan (now replaced) has been working for about 15 years, doing plenty of food cooking, last year I decided to retire it to the timber work shed for a change of career...! Wood cooking.

Now, what about those that don't drink? looking at a fry-pan frying for 2 1/2, would be like watch grass grow, huh?

One day, just one day, we will find an easy and inexpensive way to dry timber, safely and quickly, and any tests/experimentations will help but, ain't thing that is it, sorry...!

Cheers
RBTCO

wax impregnated blanks , cool , self polishing

...probably should have started with the stubbies before-hand, GJ

Originally Posted by SawDustSniffer

wax impregnated blanks , cool , self polishing

That's what I was thinking!

Also "there ain't going to be any hair left on those blocks once he pulls all that wax off".

Then I realised I was just being silly.

Not so silly Eliza. Might have been Hairy Oak!

Originally Posted by artme

Not so silly Eliza. Might have been Hairy Oak!

Or a Maidenhair Tree

Hi GJ,

If your aim is to dry your timber, you could build a small kiln (25x50x50 inches) very cheaply from plywood with foil faced insulation heated with a 100-150Watt light globe. It would not be high-tec but it does the job. Musical instrument makers and some furniture makers have done so and use them successfully.

Regards
Andy

Originally Posted by Grumpy John

..........................
O.K. boys & girls, question time,
1. will the timber be dry/drier?
2. will the wax have impregnated the timber?
3. will the timber have checked/cracked?
4. was I wasting my time and electricity?

Would have to agree with BobL on this one (even if he doesn't know what makes a good cuppa! ). From my experiments on Aussie Ebony, I reckon you'll find the wax has only gone in a short way and the blank will take about 4 times longer to dry fully.

Originally Posted by robutacion

....Where do you source your wax from? I need a fair quantity for a good price, off-course! My old electric fry-pan (now replaced) has been working for about 15 years, doing plenty of food cooking, last year I decided to retire it to the timber work shed for a change of career...! Wood cooking.

I buy big blocks of wax from the cut price shops such as Priceline from the hair removal section. They have some at what I call "beauty product prices" but they also have fairly cheap blocks as well.