Finally got to start my solar kiln

[Coffee_Creek]

checked the first load today, MC was at 7.3, removed the lumber and put in the shop ready to mill into T&G flooring,
second load loaded in the kiln, I'm very pleased with how well this kiln is performing.....

[GeneWengert-WoodDoc]

What sort of air flow do you get in your kiln with that gas-powered :D two blade fan?

[Coffee_Creek]

 I don't an instrument to check air flow but, I have a heavy baffle and it has a big bellow in it and you can feel the air coming out of the bottom vents.....
I don't have two bladed fans, they're all three bladed....

[btulloh]

What sort of air flow do you get in your kiln with that gas-powered  two blade fan?

I think he's talking about the red and white one with the wings.

That's an good looking plane you have.  I'm not sure if it's the angle of the photo or what, but it looks like a lot of wing area on that.  What kind of performance do you get out of it?  Looks fun.  You've got a lot of bad habits to keep up with.  :D

Congrats on getting your first load done.  Sounds like your kiln is doing its job.

[Coffee_Creek]

haha, I didn't read the "gas powered" part, the red and white gas powered has a 145 knot air flow with a fuel burn rate of 5.5 gallons an hour when set on 75% power economy cruise.

[btulloh]

That sounds pretty sporty.  Is it configured for inverted flight?

[Coffee_Creek]

not really, no flop tube in the fuel tanks, it can perform most aerobatic maneuvers just no sub stained inverted flight.
There's other RV models that are much more capable performing aerobatics than my RV-9A, 

[WDH]

Put some flat sawn sweetgum in your kiln if you want to see some aerobatics.  :D :D :D. 

[PA_Walnut]

Put some flat sawn sweetgum in your kiln if you want to see some aerobatics.  . 

..or some flat sawn sycamore!

[Weekend_Sawyer]

I have enjoyed this post.

I have a couple of questions. I may have missed this information in the thread.

How are you monitoring the temp and humidity in the kiln?
What did you use for the clear "window" in the kiln?
What is the angle of the window?

Thanks
Jon

[Coffee_Creek]

I'm not monitoring the temp or humidity. I've checked them a few times with a gadget I use for long range shooting, the mid day temp was around 130-140, I can make it a little hotter by adjusting the vents and fans,
I just fill it up with lumber, set the fans and vents and leave it along for a week, come back a week later and the lumber is around 7.5-8 MC
I'm starting to mill the wood into T&G flooring and molding, here's a couple of pic's, any suggestions would be welcomed, and a pic of a yellow jackets nest that was between two boards with stickers, I've never seen a nest like this, it looks like a beautiful piece of art,
I'll start a new thread on milling the T&G/molding,
rough lumber going in.......


 
smooth lumber coming out.....

 
I built a cantilevered metal rack to help separate the lumber, I bring a load from the kiln and put on the lower level, as I plane it I put on a separate level...

 

yellow jacket nest........


 

 

[Coffee_Creek]

I forgot to mention the reason it only takes a week drying time is I harvested my trees two years ago and had them sawed into 4/4, so it's been air drying for two years.

[GeneWengert-WoodDoc]

Do you have any snipe at the ends?  Considering the outfeed side, gravity will be trying to pull the front part of the lumber down, which can push the end of the lumber into the cutter when the chip breaker can no longer hold the lumber against the bed plate; this gives you snipe at the end.  Same effect in the front when feeding.  What is suggested to eliminate all snipe is infeed and outfeed tables that slope upward a few 100s of an inches per foot as you go away from the machine and is long enough to support the lumber the entire time it is in the machine.

The solar kiln, VA Tech design, is suppose to work well without any effort or measurements, except MC, for 4/4 and 5/4 of most species, especially when air-dried first.

Congrats on this load.

[btulloh]

Nice rack Coffee Creek.  I could use about 20 of those.  

Congrats on getting the first load from the kiln.  It'll be interesting to watch your progress on the t&g.

That yellow jacket nest is a piece of art.  Never got to see one that wasn't spewing yellow jackets while I was running as fast as I could.  That's a whole nother perspective.  Glad you didn't find it the hard way.

[Coffee_Creek]

very little snipe, The Woodmaster has fairly large infeed and outfeed tables with a slight tilt to them to help with snipe,  I set up infeed and outfeed roller tables originally but the bending forward to place and remove the boards was tough on my back so, I went with just a single roller stand on each side spaced about eight feet from planner, this allows me to be right next to the boards and not require bending over just reaching down, much easier on my back this way........

[caveman]

The solar kiln, VA Tech design, is suppose to work well without any effort or measurements, except MC, for 4/4 and 5/4 of most species, especially when air-dried first.

Doc and any others who use their solar kilns to dry thick slabs -  Would you expect to get flatter slabs by air drying them down to below 20% MC and then putting in the solar kiln or just going from the mill to the kiln?  We have been air drying first which has worked okay but sometimes one really has to be patient waiting for thick live oak and others to get down below 20%.

I would worry much less about bugs (PPB specifically) if we were to go straight into the solar kiln.  We can sterilize in our hot box but it does not accommodate much more than 8.5'.