Well last fall I bought 10 kiln trucks for $100 and leaned them up on the kiln. This weekend I rolled 2 into the kiln, Mark and I unloaded the stack of 20+ inch pine boards onto the trucks and rolled them out. A job that used to take over and hour took 15 minutes.
Then we took a couple of hours to weld up spacers and connectors making a 12' cart outside the kiln on the apron. For the next hour we picked up the poplar I cut last week and had stacked w/o sticks next to the mill and transfered the lumber off the tractor forks onto the kiln cart w/sticks and rolled it into the kiln. A Job I used to hate. hand carring lumber into and out of the kiln.
WHAT a labor savor! I should have done it years ago... Like other things its worth the money to set up to minimize handling.
At a recent auction they had lumber carts for stacking lumber that had about4 inch wide steel wheels without a track groove. They were smooth for rolling on concrete. Who sells them and for how much. They dont need guide tracks.
My wheels are about 4 inches wide with a outer rim for riding a 2-3 inch rail.
Eric
Sounds good, Eric! Tell ya what. I'll give ya fifteen bucks apiece fer them carts, if ya will meet me halfway with them. ;D
I, too, am finding material handling to be a very large part of what I do. :-/ I'm working toward streamlining things any way I can.
Dan, I'll think about it.... Can't think of a better reason to crive across alabama. but kinda busy this milennia (SP) .
Have you cleaned out that shed for lumber yet? Sheeeesh! 90 feet of dry storage without lumber under it.... :o
Eric
Dan, didja ever get a price on them carts that Mr. Hootie has??? I may be interested in a few myself, pretty soon.
You could deliver 'em when ya show up at the Swamp Shenanigan ::) ::) ;D ;D ;D
A bunch of steel wheel steel frame stacking carts went for about $150 each at the last auction. I thought that was high but I guess at $30 per wheel plus steel and assembly it's probably a fair price.
Always looking though.
Eric
Got a couple of those bays cleared, Eric, and have a little bit of pine stacked in there. :)
FDH, I'm afraid Mr. Hootie is a little bit proud of those carts. He wants $200 apiece for them. Funny thing is, he's done sold most of'em at that price. ??? I think I'll just build my own. I can build them outta wood, which I have. ;D
Got an idea for wheels on kiln carts. Why not use an old car wheel with no tire on it? Just use a 2x6 for a rail. Sure would be cheaper than those commercial wheels and rails.
:o :o oh ::) ::)
Dan G, darn I like that idea of old car rims, I bet some old lawn mower rims would work good too, just make sure to find some with the ball bearing hubs.
Hey Eric, do you by chance have any pics of your setup, sounds like what I need to do around hear eventually and I'm just looking for ideas, which always seem to be in good supply on the forum.
Thanks,
Mike
Mike,
I'll make sure I take some pics this comming weekend, I have about 1mbf of pine 1 inch boards in there now. I've cracked the code on drying the easy stuff. ... put it in and turn it on warp.... well not warp per say but set at 120 and 100% It's taking about 6 days to dry 1 mbf from green off the mill to under 10% of pine or poplar or mix.
If I forget send me a note
Eric
(https://forestryforum.com/images/03_21_04/MVC-104E.JPG)
The plastic roll will unroll to baffle the top of the load. I use some insulation board to baffle the ends as necessary, and use some lumber to baffle the bottom along the cart.
(https://forestryforum.com/images/03_21_04/MVC-100E.JPG)
The controls are located inside the other half of the bulding.
(https://forestryforum.com/images/03_21_04/MVC-105E.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/images/03_21_04/MVC-106E.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/images/03_21_04/MVC-108E.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/images/03_21_04/MVC-107E.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/images/03_21_04/MVC-101E.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/images/03_21_04/MVC-102E.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/images/03_21_04/MVC-089E.JPG)
Good Oak can predry in the shed
(https://forestryforum.com/images/03_21_04/MVC-092E.JPG)
KD lumber for use and sale is sorted and kept in a 40 ft container.
(https://forestryforum.com/images/03_21_04/MVC-093E.JPG)
FeltzE, I like your kiln pictures. Gave me some ideas when I get around to building my kiln. But I had a hard time seeing the controls in the second picture. Could you take a picture below the shelf. ;D
Bob not to old to look
Things that I would do differently...
I converted the end of the building into a kiln. I insulated with fiberglass insulation then a sheet of plastic as a vapor barrier, then 1 inch of blue foam board, then an interior pine board wall.
First I'd use a 4x8 sheet interior wall. It would be less prone to expansion and contraction than my 12 inch pine boards. which I cant seem to seal up.
Second If you notice in the first pic the blue walk in door, It's in the middle of the span, right in front of the lumber which makes getting in and out a problem. So I'd put that near a corner or along a better area to get in to inspect.
Third, I think I should have dimensionally shaped the interior differently. The interior is half of a 16x32 building and minus the insulation the interior is about 14x14 to dry in. A better dimension might have been 8x18 considering rolling the lumber in and out on a cart. This would also minimize the amount of floor space and cu ft of air to displace and heat. It may also improve flow thru the stack.
Last I think would be the main door. A door on tracks may have been better. And considering a smaller entry width would make it easier to handle and seal. This would work well with my 3rd point.
I still need to find some steel strips to put down on the floor for the rollers to roll on or they are going to tear up the concrete.
Eric