maple log

[xlogger]

Thanks for the advise, so I'll just leave the maple where its at and cut the ash up next week and put it in the kiln. Ash is like a white wood, do you think that would be the correct thing to do? I think Gene said it should go straight to the kiln. Also I cut some red oak slabs and put them in the kiln yesterday, I hope that was the correct thing to do? We cut some nice size walnut yesterday and another one to cut today. I plan on just for now putting under the shed for kiln drying later.

[GeneWengert-WoodDoc]

The faster we can dry maple and other white woods (more air flow and lower humidity), the whiter the color.

[YellowHammer]

Also I cut some red oak slabs and put them in the kiln yesterday, I hope that was the correct thing to do? We cut some nice size walnut yesterday and another one to cut today.

Red and white oak, especially 4/4, is in the sweet spot of a standard solar kiln, it will do a great job.  Walnut will also dry very well in a solar.  However, thicker wood takes longer to dry and also generally will develop more defects.

[xlogger]

YH, what do you get your moisture down to in a week with the fans on the maple? I put my moisture meter on the edge of the maple and got a little over 16% does that sound right?

[YellowHammer]

YH, what do you get your moisture down to in a week with the fans on the maple? I put my moisture meter on the edge of the maple and got a little over 16% does that sound right?

It depends what moisture level you started at, but yes, fans remove moisture very quickly, which is why I like to use them.  Main thing is that if the reading is even close, you're getting well out of the sticker stain danger zone.  Time to look under a few stickers, see what you can see.  Any zebra stripes?  If not, then things are going very well. Is the surface of the wood cool and moist or is it kind of dry?  Is the air coming out of the back of the stack moist and cool, or just windy?  Lift up a few boards, are they still heavy or have they gotten noticeably lighter?  Use the moisture meter to probe around the stack (edge readings are fine for this) to see if you have any wet spots.  If so move the fans.  After awhile you will be able to develop a feel from all these clues as to how things are going. 
I like to keep the fans blowing on the stack as long as it is still dropping moisture.  Remember the whole trick of drying white wood is to get the moisture out of it as a fast as possible while keeping the surface of the wood relatively cool.  So no reason to pull the fans unless you are at a point where the kiln will dry them quicker. 
Also, have an EMC table handy, it's invaluable for determining what the current air drying conditions are, and where you can expect to end up. 

[xlogger]

It will be 2 weeks Monday and I've keep the fans on all the time. They are still in the 16% range and the fan feels like just air blowing. I've checked a few stickers and they look good. So do you think I should put them in solar kiln next week or air dry some more?

[YellowHammer]

If the stickers are looking good, you're not seeing stain on the boards, and dry air is coming out of the back of the stacks, then pat yourself on the back because you have passed through the the most critical stage successfully, especially considering its August.   In Bahama, NC right now, it's 67°F and 80% RH with an EMC of almost 16%. Tomorrow, Sunday, at noon, the weather should be 82°, 45% RH and have approximately 8% EMC.  So your wood is going to stall out somewhere between 8% and 16% if left in the open air.  Since it's at 16%, and you are not feeling any appreciable moisture coming off the wood, then it's not going to go down much further without some help.  So I'd put it in the kiln, but I'd run for a awhile with the vents pretty open and get lots of air exchange and airflow.  Basically, you are trying to make sure you do the same thing you're doing now, outside, but in the kiln utilizing it's extra heat to drive moisture out of the wood.  However, you don't want to stagnate or trap the moisture and have it turn the kiln into a sauna.  So it's important to get the moist air out if the kiln. 
When you get the vents adjusted right for optimum air exchange, and when you open the door in the daytime to check how things are progressing at these relatively low wood moisture levels, you should feel a nice comfortable dry heat, not a steam bath. 
Also, since you've checked the stickers, you'll know if you get stain, it happened in the kiln.  Since it's a solar kiln, it doesn't dry real fast, so now patience is required. 

[xlogger]

I have a closed kiln like Pineywoods built so I don't have vents. The doors are not that air tight so there is some air there. I do have a DH I can run also if you think that would help? Or I could just leave them outside under a shelter for a few weeks more. I've got some walnut and ash I could put in the kiln now. Thanks for all the help with me on this learning process. Ricky

[WDH]

Without vents, on the maple, I would run the kiln with the doors cracked open to get good air exchange like Yellowhammer advises for a week or so.

[GeneWengert-WoodDoc]

Outside area runs about 12% EMC or a percent higher, on the average,  in most of the USA, so it is impossible, without artificial heating to get lumber much under 15% MC.  You need a heated room to evaporate water under 15% MC.  If the room is really tight, then the evaporated moisture will increase the humidity, so then the wood will stop drying.  So, you need vents, leaks or a DH.  But DH often will not run above 100 F and drying at low MCs at 100 F or cooler takes a lot of time.  As DH doesn't like over 100 F (some units do like hotter), you can heat and vent during the day and then run the DH at night when the kiln is cooler.

[xlogger]

sounds like a good plan, might leave them outside for another week with fan blowing. going out of town for a couple days and will not be able to cut DH on and off.

[Tree Dan]

That is some nice looking Maple...It Is Soft Maple right?

[YellowHammer]

What size DH do you have? 

[xlogger]

It's a small room DH. Only use it a couple times and it didn't pull much water out of the kiln. But the wood had been air dry for months. Yh, today is the second week of sawing and fans on all the time. If I put the maple in the kiln and do like Gene said I'm going to wait till next week. I'll be out of town for a couple days and will not be able to cut DH on and off. So I'm thinking about just leaving fans on this week also.
The walnut in the kiln now is around 12%, sure is slow. This makes me think more about building the other kiln that I was thinking about and running it off my OWB to heat it up and finish off the wood after air drying or solar kiln drying.

[YellowHammer]

Leaving the soft maple on the fans won't hurt anything, that's for sure.  I occasionally use a 40 pint DH in my solar kiln, depending on the wood species and the time of the year.  For this maple, fast finishing is desirable, as the hot kiln will drive the moisture out of the wood.  All you have to do is figure how to get the moist air out if the kiln as fast as possible.  ;D.