air drying platforms

[GeneWengert-WoodDoc]

A simple firewood kiln will have a heater separate from the kiln, with the kiln being a simple, insulated box.  The fan is the same one that blows the hot air into the kiln.  There is an exhaust vent opposite from the input.

A key feature is that you have a positive, tight closure for both the input and the exhaust, so that you can remove all oxygen sources if you have a fire.  In case of fire, open the main door only when the fires hoses are running with water.  Due to the dust associated with firewood, the wood is more flammable at lower temperatures.  Certainly sweep out the kiln after each use and remove all dust.

[mredden]

Sinkholes in Florida and here in South Georgia.

[Marshall7199]

caveman: you commented on shadecloth. Would you have the details on the type you will use and how you will attach it?

By the way, looks very secure. What diameter were your posts you set?

[caveman]

I did not measure the posts but they have probably 10-12" tops, just some I had after we re-did some corners and braces on the fence around my yard/pasture.  Shade cloth is generally sold by the percentage of light it filters, similar to window tint.  I have a bunch of it left over from when I used to help with Christmas tree lots.  We used it to keep the sun off of the trees that we were selling.  The less light it lets through, the more wind resistance it has.  We have some hung on the south side of our mill shed that is retractable.  Since Irma knocked over 80 trees at my place, we need some shade to the west too- we may extend the roof or add shade cloth. 

I have checked on the 2x10's I stacked on the platform the other day and they seem to be flat and staying out of the rain and splash zone.  Hopefully we can add some more tomorrow.  

[Don P]

Footings under a post are a good idea to prevent settlement under load. For "average" soil we usually use 2,000lbs per square foot bearing capacity as a safe number to prevent uneven compression of the soil. A 10" diameter post has about 1/2 a square foot of area, so 1,000 lbs capacity. If you put a square foot of concrete or even a flat rock of that size the capacity doubles, if you put an 18" square footing under a post the capacity goes up to 4500 lbs per post. Just make sure it is thick enough that you don't "punch through" the footing.  Sort of like putting on snowshoes to keep from sinking in the snow.

[caveman]

I have zero experience with snow shoes but adding pads under the poles is a good idea.  I considered it with this project but did not.  Next time we probably will.  If it starts to settle, we will jack and shim as needed.
The day we did this, it was hot, humid and we had already cut through enough 4" oak roots with my homemade implement of torture/tamping tool (ax head welded to 5' of 1 1/4" solid rod) to do too much extra.

[WDH]

Hard to do much extra with this heat in Georgia. 

[caveman]

Danny, my house AC decided to give up the ghost a couple of days ago.  The two AC techs I have on speed dial are out until next Wednesday.  It is hotter than blue blazes here and the humidity (never understood what our Yankee friends said about humidity until I left this place and went to Alaska for a couple of weeks in 1989).  I have my shop fan in the living room and a couple of window shakers doing their best.  Reminds me of my youth staying with my grandparents, they did not have AC.  The news readers said the heat index was supposed to be 110° today, whatever, it only got to the mid 90's in real degrees.  It is too wet to mow so John and I sawed a little pine this afternoon.



 The cant on top did not behave well so I did not waste any more time on it.  someone may want a beam or something.  We have enough 2x10's cut.  Now we need to get busy on some 1x8's and 1x6's.  John's uncle only needs 14' 2x10's but since we only have 16' logs he is getting bonus.

[WDH]

Oh my!  I know that it is awful in this stifling heat and humidity.  Yesterday, my wife gave me a lecture about changing my clothes once I get sweaty.  The problem is that EACH time one ventures outside for more than 5 minutes your clothes get sweaty . 

The only problem with air drying platforms is that they fill up too quickly. 

[caveman]

John (JMoore) had an idea today that we may implement tomorrow, depending on what Dorian has in store for us.  He wants to build a platform like the first one we built but not bury the posts, but rather, put them on pavers or something solid so that the platform would be portable.  That seems like a plan to me.  We could build it in the shade in the driveway, level a spot and start stacking wood.  It would probably require a couple of more bolts per attachment point to keep everything in alignment.

We still need to make several trips to Tampa to get pond cypress logs and get our gooseneck trailer squared away (we have broken brakes) but we currently have more logs to saw than we have places to stack lumber.  This idea appealed to me because of the exertion I expended cutting roots with our implement of torture to make it possible to dig post holes on the first platform. The implement of torture is an axe head welded to about five feet of 1 1/4" solid rod-it does do a good job on roots but younger, more enthusiastic men operate it better than I.

[btulloh]

Probably easier to make it like a deck frame and use solid blocks to get the height you want instead of using the posts bolted on. You could still sit the blocks on pavers to provide a larger bearing area. 

I've done a couple that way and they work well. I haven't had to re-level from settling but that's the nature of the ground here. I use asphalt shingles to fine tune. 

I think I'm gonna make a couple like your first one though, because my ground is hard to level unless I put down some crusher run. 

[caveman]

The shingle shims are a good idea.  Thanks for sharing.

[moodnacreek]

That base is the way to go. Don't waste your time putting cants on top for weight. Stickered bundles of 1x is what goes on top because it will dry faster and lay flatter than any thing thicker. You need to pile as high as possible always putting older 1x on top and then a tin roof pallet that overhangs on 4 sides and will not blow off. Handling lumber is where the work is.

[caveman]

We got around to finishing the portable platform yesterday.  It is the same size as the first on but it sits on top of the ground.  We spent 10 minutes or so getting it leveled.


For those of you who are looking for a good way to torment your chainsaw, cut some heavily creosoted poles lengthwise.  


 

 

We need to build several more.