Kiln made from Semi-trailer

hydeoutman · April 23, 2003, 11:24:18 AM

I am in the process of moving and at this time it is cheaper for me to buy a used semi-trailer or reefer for storing and hauling my goods.
I thought I could use the trailer at a later date for a kiln. Has anyone turned one of these into a kiln? Any success or failures doing this? I noticed Frank_Pender's post in an earlier thread saying he used a reefer for this, please tell me more.

Frank_Pender · April 23, 2003, 09:48:13 PM

I got it for a shoe string price and was able to recycle the string. It is a 24' unit. It all began as experimental to see if it was economically worth the effort to use such a unit. I am here to tell you that it is more tha paid for itself over the last three years. I reinsolated just the walls but not until I rewired for electric plugs and such. I have a twenty four inch heat exchanger hanging in the middle at ceiling height. I use a Taylor hotwater unit for heat and as I mention before an Ebac 800 to remove the moisture very slowly to as to creat a steam typoe set up to help the wood dry slowly. I do not allow any lumber inthe kil until at least a 30 day wait from sawing. I prefer to have more if at all parctical. I also use 6 24" box type fans to keep the aid moving in the kil. I charge $.50 a board foot. Running Western Wild Cherry at this time. It will be finished this week end.

Fla._Deadheader · April 24, 2003, 05:05:59 AM

Hey Frank. Ya GOTTA work on the pitcher postin thingy !! Ya got too much goin on to keep the windows all fogged up !! :

;D :D :D

Frank_Pender · April 24, 2003, 07:47:37 AM

Ya know, Fla, retired teachers are the slowest learners in the world. I guess. I just have not been able to get some of the steps down right to get the pictures sent. I must have 25 disks of digital taken. I will get there soon I hope. the wife has given up on trying to learn me the process.

Oregon_Rob · April 24, 2003, 08:34:23 AM

Frank,
How many board feet do you get an an average load using the 24' trailer?

hydeoutman · April 24, 2003, 05:16:04 PM

That definitly sounds like something I need to look more into. You mentioned you have a 24' I was looking at a 45'-48' trailer. How do you calculate what size equipment that is needed? Does a half a load take just as long as a full load?

Frank_Pender · April 25, 2003, 06:40:48 PM

Rob I can put as much as 2,000 board feet for a real full load. Yes it takes just as long for a half load as a full load; 30 days.
I am preparying to remove about a 1000 feet on Sunday. Half is mine and half is some that a fella brought in from about 65 miles away.

johncinquo · April 28, 2003, 01:20:38 PM

In our sunday paper was an article about how in our ports, specificly around NJ and the eastern seaboard we have a huge stockpile of shipping containers. Literally hundreds of acres of containers stacked as high as they can go. This is from the massive imbalance of trade into the US,,, regardless I was thinking man those would make great drying kilns. They are already using them for temporary storage, job site offices, and one group of greenies has come up with a plan to make them into housing for the homeless. Hmmm, wonder how much to have one of those delivered....

Furby · April 29, 2003, 04:37:02 PM

Johncinquo,
If you find anything out for real, will you let us know? ???
I might take a couple.

Neil_B · April 29, 2003, 06:41:20 PM

Johncinquo,
There is a guy up here in Ontario doing just that. He strips and repairs then lines them with insulation and all that jazz. Outfits with the controls and fans and sells them for a fortune. Price I got was 40000 to 80000 delivered. Yikes

Oregon_Sawyer · April 29, 2003, 07:30:47 PM

In Oregon 40 ft containers sell for about $2000 delivered. So if someone repaired, insulated and put controls in it $4000 would probably be an excellent price.

Kevin_H. · April 29, 2003, 08:10:56 PM

I was thinking that the 20 footers are around $900 to $1000 del. here.

you could build a 16 foot chamber on the inside and have room for the controls or something.

hydeoutman · April 30, 2003, 10:50:22 AM

Here is a website I have been looking at for different containers, storage and kiln ideas. Makes it easier you can search by state and kind of unit your looking for.

http://www.truckpaper.com/listings/search.asp?guid=qdif0cs0&etid=1&catid=22&bcatid=28

Furby · April 30, 2003, 01:48:21 PM

I just want some place to put my stuff so I can get into my garage. :

:D :D :D

Frank_Pender · May 02, 2003, 08:22:24 AM

Furby, do they make containers that large? 8) 8) 8) 8) ;D ;D ;D

Furby · May 02, 2003, 05:58:21 PM

Maybe not thAAAt big.

You think maybe I should throw out some stuff? ??? NOT! Day after you throw it out, you find a use for it. Every time. 8) 8) 8)

Does anyone know who to talk to to get a container?

ElectricAl · May 02, 2003, 07:14:00 PM

Hydeoutman,

We have a 48' semi trailer kiln.
The kiln holds 4000' and has trucks that roll on tracks.
There are 8 - 3500 cfm fans and 2 hot water heat exchangers.
Heat is provided by a Heatmor Outdoor Wood Burner.
Water temp is set at 180 and the chamber we limit to 145.
A Nyle Wet/Dry bulb controler keeps the chamber at the correct depression according to standard kiln operating schedules. Venting is by a 500cfm blower triggered by the Nyle.

In the photo below you'll see the one heat exchanger and the vent blower (black) on the far wall. Each heat exchanger has a 24" x 30" core plus 4" tanks on the top and bottom. Both were hand built by a local shop the does custom one off Hot Rod and Race Car radiators. Big BTU's for only $200 each.

Next photo is some of the fans. Each fan has sheet metal between them for baffles.

We build each pack 48" wide and 30" tall.
(16 rows with 3/4" stick)
Two packs high with a 3" skid.

We also use a gram scale and a toaster oven. These two things are just as important when drying wood. ;)

ElectricAl

BBTom · May 03, 2003, 05:44:23 AM

Great pics, thanks. What did you do for insulation in that puppy?

johncinquo · May 05, 2003, 09:17:00 AM

Oregon, that read $40,000 not $4,000! No, I have not come across anything as far as how to get one. Looks like a couple good threads there, will go check them out. Al, that is monster and looks too professional for a wannabe sawyer like me. I just want one to hold one load of wood for my own use at a time. Those 16-20 footers look great.

johncinquo · May 05, 2003, 10:52:11 AM

Well heres the deal that I found. I can buy a container for $1,000. 20ft'r. Delivery is $850 -900 depending on exact mileage. Near me they will come from detroit or chicago, but they have places in every major city that has shipping. Two will fit on a truck, so if two people want one and are near each other they could split the price of delivery somehow. The 40ft'r are more, but I did not get the exact price. If anybody wants to find out more you can try emailing gregg_schoenborn@hotmail.com at on site storage solutions. I have to wonder how much to just build an outbuilding yourself.... So much the desire to recycle. JB

hydeoutman · May 05, 2003, 01:09:33 PM

ElectricAl,
Thanks for the info, great looking pics. That seem to be exactly what I am looking to do. I'll keep your info in the back of my mind and get back with you when and if I decide to do something with a kiln.

Thanks

ElectricAl · May 05, 2003, 07:06:59 PM

BBTom,

Sorry for the delay :-/

Our trailer is an insulated trailer, but it is a 1987. When I called the manufacture about the "R" value he laughed. He said semi trailers loose 1R per year because the product brakes down in time. The trailer had R8 in the sides and R12 in the roof. Well, it's 16 years old now.
So, it's R -8 and R -4 now :D

We did glue some 2" pink foam board to the walls and top.

We can maintain 145 degrees even in Jan and Feb.

I'll try to get a few pic of the track and trucks posted soon.

Hydeoutman,

You let us know when your ready, we'll help you spend your money ;D

ElectricAl

hydeoutman · May 06, 2003, 01:25:07 PM

That's precisely what I was afraid of :D :D

Come out of hiding and everybody want's to spend your money ;D ;D

Grappletractor · January 24, 2006, 10:36:55 AM

Updates please . Pics of the tracks and trucks, also of the fans vents and outdoor heater . What does it cost to run it for 30 days ?
Thanks

Wyatt · January 24, 2006, 11:19:48 AM

you might check out a trailer place in town. I found a wrecked refer trailer which they were going to scrap. I bought last 14' with doors for $300 delivered. I added insulation (1" alum both faces, $400). I use ebac 800 and two house fans and have added 1 1500w heat strip as it will not get up to 125 in winter. I too, AD 30 days and then it takes about 30 days for 1000'. You can't go wrong. I only wish I had some kind of rail system, as loading/unloading gets to be a pain.

DoubleD · January 25, 2006, 03:45:05 AM

ElectricAl How do you load the Kiln? Any pictures? Thank you for the info

ElectricAl · January 25, 2006, 10:29:01 PM

Well looks like I forgot to post photos a while back :

This is a 5' piece of track we drop in after the doors are opened.

Here are some of the carts. They are 48" x 72". Two have flat top for pallets or we use skids for odd lenght lumber.

Track is made from 3" C channel and 2x2 sq tube.

We can normally push the carts in and out with two people. However some times we'll use 3 carts for two long bunks. Those have to be cabled. There is a pulley mounted in the front of the chamber. We can cable in and out with a forklift, tractor, skidsteer or yamaha ATV :D

It is hard to figure the real drying cost. We have one power meter for the whole business. Heat comes from a $5000 outdoor wood burner. So what is my time worth to cut firewood and feed the fire and clean the ash and pull maintaince?

Wyatt,

You need some track ;)

I have seen 2" angle iron used with the point up and some V rollers

WH_Conley · January 26, 2006, 01:34:00 AM

Check out sawmill exchange, they have two listed already set up for kiln.

Ironwood · January 26, 2006, 09:58:49 AM

I used a rented hanging beef reefer trailer, It worked excellent. Reid

nccherokee · February 20, 2016, 10:18:06 AM

I just purchased a 40' trailer and am wondering about a solar dying kiln to cut down on cost. Does anyone have any ideas about how practical solar heating vs. wood burning setup would be. Thanks, Fred Moretz

paul case · February 20, 2016, 06:08:46 PM

Welcome to the FF Fred.

I cant answer your question but you sure did bring up an old thread to start.

PC

Magicman · February 21, 2016, 08:02:04 AM

I have no answers on drying but Welcome to the Forestry Forum, nccherokee.

GeneWengert-WoodDoc · February 22, 2016, 07:07:39 AM

Solar collector of one square foot will trap an average of about 1000 BTU per day, which will evaporate about 1 pound of water per day, assuming very few heat losses. As a rule of thumb, the collector, whether it is separate or part of the roof system for the kiln, should be 1 square foot per 10 BF of lumber in the kiln. So, a 1000 BF kiln needs a 100 square foot collector. This will dry 1000 BF of oak about 3% maximum per sunny summer day, which is perfect for 4/4.

In a month's time, a 100 sq ft collector will collect 100 x 30 x 1000 BTU = 3 million BTU, which is three therms of natural gas or under 1/5 cord of wood.

LumberDan · March 14, 2016, 05:04:52 PM

Can anyone tell me what would happem if i stained and put polyurethane on my floor boards I recently milled?. I'm building a house Barn and I desperately need my floor in so I can put my bathroom in, I don't have time to wait 6-8 months nor the money to send my number out to a kiln so I'm throwing caution to the wind and laying it anyways

I figure the stain is okay but I'm not sure about the polyurethane once the for drinks? Has anyone had that experience? I know the boards are shrinking and it will have a gap between them and that's okay I'm going to fill it with black silicone. With The Rustic look in the dark stain with a shiny finish on it I think it's going to look pretty cool I'm just not sure if the urethane wall crack?

LumberDan · March 14, 2016, 05:07:16 PM

Once the floor dries dang spell checker

ScottCC · April 10, 2016, 07:00:21 AM

This is the best idea. Instead of small sawers bringing would to the kiln you bring the kiln to them. They provide the labor and electricity and in addition you provide the drying schedule and moisture meter. For some extra bucks on the way to the next site you make a delivery to their customer.