And yet, another Solar Kiln thread ...

[50 Acre Jim]

It depends on the species, and the maximum allowable moisture removal rate.  Oak, hickories, etc require a lower airflow, maybe 150 to 200 fpm is good, or they will crack, whereas pine, poplar and similar need much higher airflows, maybe as high as 600 fpm to prevent sticker stain.  It's not as complicated as it sounds, depending, basically all you want in a solar kiln is a light breeze for most wood.  Solar kilns should be short loaded for sticker stain prone wood anyway, as the collector is generally sized more for oaks.   If the fans are too strong, turn one off, or reduce the baffling.  Of course, it also depends on how much air is being vented.

Good to know, thank you YellowHammer!    If I only need 150 - 200 FPM, I should be fine with mounting these up in the heating chamber and get plenty of air flow.

[50 Acre Jim]

 

 

[50 Acre Jim]

It started to rain on Wednesday and didn't stop until this morning.  Pretty much ended any construction on the kiln.  Just before the deluge started, I managed to wrap one of the walls with 30 lb felt, cut a bunch of lap siding, and install it on the left wall.    Also took some time to move all the (already cut) lumber over to the build site so it'll be there when I get started again.

A couple of hours into the start of this build I was asking myself WHY am I using such large lumber?  Back in November and December, I was cutting true 2x6x12 lumber, and it was all quite exciting.  I was finally using my sawmill for something constructive, and I was beaming with pride when I brought people over to see my pile of lumber.   Everyone was impressed.   Good Job Jim, such massive boards!  Can't buy stuff like that at Lowe's, that's for sure!

But when it came time to build walls and stand them up, well it stopped being fun really quick.  I went back and read through the posts and I see where I mentioned using true 2x6 boards for construction.  What I don't see is where anyone (especially you seasoned sawyers) tried to save me from this exercise in poor judgment and mention how *DanG heavy these buggers would be.   :D  Especially when they are wet.  

Thank goodness for Mr. Kubota, without whom I would be in quite the pickle....  But every job is a learning experience, and I won't make the "true 2x6" mistake again.  

Nothing happening tomorrow as I'm picking up a jointer, dust/chip extraction system and some other woodworking tools from a cabinet maker that retired.  Also got a bite on my boat so I need to pull it out of the barn, clean it up and get it ready to show.   Need the extra room in the barn FAR more than I need a boat.  

Cheers!  




 

[YellowHammer]

Oh yeah, forgot to mention, using green true 2x6x12's will be a little heavy.  
:D :D

Also, don't nail roofing to green rafters, as they dry and move, they will rip holes in the roofing.   

[btulloh]

Jim, I think we were in that same weather pattern here.  6 or 7 inches of rain.  It really shut down the outdoor work, but I got some work done in the shop for a change.

When people start admiring that "real, actual, full-size, manly lumber" thing it always cracks me up.  It's a trap that's easy to fall into though, but hopefully only once.  It also means you need a framing gun that will shoot 4" nails, which I've never seen.  I do like to saw rafters in odd sizes sometimes to fit a certain situation. 

Looking forward to watching your progress now the rain has gone.  

[btulloh]

Are you doin' OK down there, Jim?  You guys have had more than your share of water.  Looks like the pattern is going to change next week.  8)  
I hope you are well and your kiln site hasn't washed away.

BT

[50 Acre Jim]

Are you doin' OK down there, Jim?  You guys have had more than your share of water.  

Still here, but we sure have gotten a lot of rain!   Something like 16" in the last couple of weeks.  Haven't done anything outside but I've spent some good quality time working on my shop down at the barn.

A couple of weeks ago I bought a jointer, shaper, power feeder, and a monster dust/chip extracting system with all the duct work included.  Can't go outside much so I've been wiring the area of the barn where it's all going to go and setting up work benches, etc.    Kind of exciting but man, what a bunch of work.  

And all this while trying to do the other day-to-day stuff that comes along.  Nobody can say I'm not keeping myself busy!  

Thanks for checking on me!  

[btulloh]

I know you've had a lot of rain down there, Jim.  Are you keeping your head above water?

[50 Acre Jim]

Had a quick remodel to do so I had to move my tools away from the solar kiln build.  The remodel took longer than expected, so the SK build fell behind.  

Then it started to rain, and rain, and rain.   We sacrificed a chicken to the rain Gods, asked them to please make it stop.  It didn't work, in fact, I think it rained harder.  :(

I have a couple of rentals that are coming up empty in a week, so I'll have to deal with getting those ready for new renters.   When all this ends I hope to get back on the solar kiln.   It'll probably be fall by the time I get it operational.
 
Thanks for checking on me. 

[50 Acre Jim]

I've been gone for a while but there's a good reason.    Funny how this happened but while working on the solar kiln I needed some tools that were back in the barn.  It was threatening to rain so I threw a tarp over the generator and headed on over to the barn. 

Turned out the tool I needed was way in the back and buried behind a mountain of stuff that hasn't been moved in literally years.  So, I got busy moving stuff, including my 28' bowrider boat.  My wife asked me WHY I insist in keeping this thing as it hasn't even been to the lake in the last few years.  And she was right.  It was a major pain in the rear.  Every year I pull it out, clean it, get it ready for the water, but then after it sits in the field for a month, I end up putting it back in the barn. 

Next year, repeat.  Etc., etc...  

So I pulled out my cleaning stuff and washed, waxed and detailed the boat.  It takes some time as this is a large boat but when it was finished it looked really good.  I ran an ad and went through the whole process of selling a boat whose market is in Florida while I'm living in North Carolina.

But it sold and about that same time, a friend told me about a Jeep that was for sale (in Florida) and as I had been looking for a good Jeep, I hopped a plane and flew down to look at it.  It was beautiful!  So, I bought it and drove the 11 hours from Ontario Fl to Franklin, NC.  

Next day, I went to Tractor Supply for a winch and got it installed.   Next came a lift, wheels and tires, ham radio, decals, etc., etc.  And of course, we started hanging out with the local Jeep club and going on outings.  As I'm getting better with the 4-wheel drive hobby, I learned about Moab Utah, where the wheeling is outstanding.  Beauty abounding and a wonderful place to visit and play with the Jeep.

But my wife said no way would she be away from her dogs for that long and booking a series of motels with 2 German Shepherds is not something that I wanted to try and schedule.  So I started looking for a motor home. 

And I found one in, yes you guessed it, Ontario Florida.  😊

We drove to Ontario, purchased the motorhome and over the next few days we drove it home.  Mind you, I had never even driven a motorhome until that day, so the trip was indeed interesting.  But we made it, and all was good.

About that same time, a realtor in Alabama called and made me an offer on a piece of vacant land that I've owned for about 35 years.  It was one of the worst land investments I've ever made, so when he offered me a few dollars more than I had paid for it, I jumped. 

Glad to see it gone!  

And as my motorhome needed new furniture, carpet, and other stuff, the land sale money came in quite handy.  So, over the last month I took the motorhome apart and then reassembled it with all the new stuff that my land money would allow.

As luck would have it, the power went out while I was working on the motorhome and I needed my portable generator.  The generator was over at the solar kiln and when I got there, I remembered...  Oh yeah, that's right.  I went over to the barn for some tools...

So, yes, I'm back.  Just got sidetracked a bit. 
 

[tacks Y]

Jim nice story, what year is the jeep? 94? We went to Moab a couple years ago jeeping. Will go back well worth the trip, been there hiking and camping to.

[thecfarm]

I had a friend help me put up some full size hemlock 2x8x12,hot off the sawmill. I did not see him for a month after that. :D  Than when he did come back we put up the rest of them,but they have been drying for a month. He's my friend again. :D Much lighter. He was surprised and happy.

[Crusarius]

I miss moab. spent alot of time there when I lived in AZ. great place to wheel.

[50 Acre Jim]

I had a friend help me put up some full size hemlock 2x8x12,hot off the sawmill. I did not see him for a month after that. :D  Than when he did come back we put up the rest of them,but they have been drying for a month. He's my friend again. :D Much lighter. He was surprised and happy.

At least yours came back!   Mine generally slip out and I never see them again.  lol

Jim nice story, what year is the jeep? 94? We went to Moab a couple years ago jeeping. Will go back well worth the trip, been there hiking and camping to.

Hi Tacks Y.   This one's a 2016 Rubicon Hard Rock edition.  I've installed a MetalCloak Gamechanger lift, swapped the 4:10 gears with 4:88, added 35's (soon to be 37's) and some other miscellaneous stuff.  I still need armor underneath, air compressor, etc.  

I miss moab. spent alot of time there when I lived in AZ. great place to wheel.

Is there a book or trail guide that you could refer me to?  I've heard several people mention different books but I've not gotten serious about getting one yet.    BTW, nice Jeep in your avatar!   That bad boy looks like it could handle just about anything!  

[btulloh]

Good to see you back Jim. I'm glad to know it was fun and games interrupting your progress. Maybe you'll get some good weather to work with.

[Crusarius]

That is a sweet looking jeep. 

Best thing to do for Moab trails is hook up with a group of ppl and go wheel with them. The book may tell you about the trails but some of them are quite tricky to get to. It has been a very long time since I have been there. The trails have changed so much I probably couldn't even find half of them anymore. 

Whats tough is that some trails are on private land or you have to cross private land to get to the public trail on the other side. The landowners have become greedy and charge everyone to cross their property. I am not completely opposed to that but at $12 per person it gets pricey. Keep in mind this was probably 10 years ago now.

[tacks Y]

That 2016 looks nice, I am towing a 2005 with the rv. We were on the Rubicon trail a few years back, also worth a visit. Now back to your kiln, I am looking for more ideas.

[barbender]

Jim, that totally sounds like the kind of sidetrack story I could get into. It's why I never get anything done!😂

[50 Acre Jim]

It does appear I tend to get sidetracked.  :D  It's been 3 years, almost to the day, since I've posted on the forum.  And a lot has happened in those 3 years.

Covid killed the Moab trip but we still played locally with our motor home.  Ended up selling it and buying a 40' Tiffin Phaeton (motor home) and traveled back and forth through Florida to visit with our kids and grandkids.

We enjoyed the lifestyle and the people we met.  And in the process, decided to use 8 acres of our lower 50 acres to build a small RV Park.  Which we did.  We designed and built our RV Park to eliminate the shortcomings we found in many of the parks we visited, and to adapt ideas we found in parks that we enjoyed.  

So, at the end of 2021, we had a small RV Park of 8 sites.  Each site has water, power, sewer hookups, and a large parking area.  We also put a private gazebo with countertop, sink, running water, refrigerator, and ceiling fan with light at each site.

We did most of the work ourselves.  The building department insisted we hire a commercial contractor for the septic and electric, but we used our own equipment to dig the trenches for the sewer pipes, power, and water lines.  And with the exception of the smaller dimension lumber, our sawmill cut a big majority of the lumber we used to build the gazebos.

And we turned the unfinished solar kiln into an office/laundry room.  Lol, talk about repurposing.

April 1st will begin our second year of operation, and I have hired a campsite host to keep an eye on most of it.  And soon, I hope to be able to clean up the barn and get back to the woodworking plan that got this whole thing started.

In the meantime, here are a couple pictures of the park and the gazebos we built.

[scsmith42]

That looks outstanding!  What's the name of the facility?  I'd like to refer some relative to you.

Scott

[50 Acre Jim]

That looks outstanding!  What's the name of the facility?  I'd like to refer some relative to you.

Scott

Thank you, Scott!  I think I better get permission from Admin first as I don't want to violate any rules against advertising.  :-)

On a side note, I cut wood for hours every day.  Hauled logs up to the mill with my trackhoe, milled it, stacked it, hauled it down to the sites where we were building, and then did it all over again.  I did this for months.  I cut 6x6's, 4x4's, 4X6's,  2x8's, lap siding for the office, and all the 1" siding that we used around the refrigerators.  

Lord, I was a maniac on the mill.  It was fun, but it was a lot of work.  Put some miles on this old body.  

[Andries]

"Distracted"?
I think not. You've been darned focused, I'd say!
Well done, that looks really nice.

[barbender]

That's an incredible venture, congratulations! 

[Crusarius]

That looks incredible. Great job.

[50 Acre Jim]

Thanks Guys, I appreciate that!

Here is a link to the site, for those who might be interested in other pictures.