Shower      06.06.2019

Vacuum dryers for wood. Advantages of vacuum drying wood. Operation of a vacuum dryer

There is not a single woodworking enterprise that can do without the wood drying procedure. To prevent the occurrence of various defects, it is customary to use a special technology for drying wood in a drying chamber. If you want to produce wood products yourself, you will also need a drying chamber for drying wood. Today we will talk about how to do it correctly.

The need to dry wood

How to dry a board efficiently and quickly? This question has interested every carpenter since ancient times. People have long been engaged in storing wood for many years in order to have time to dry it evenly. The grandfather prepared wood for his grandson, using the very material that his grandfather left him.

The importance of properly dried wood is colossal! For example, if wooden furniture, which is in the room, is made of too wet wood that has just been cut down, then it will dry out over time, because wood can dry out and decrease in size, which means it will deteriorate!

If the door to the house is made of excessively dry wood, it will swell over time and will not be able to close! If the door panel is assembled from blanks that are unevenly dried in volume, then it may burst or warp! Therefore, it is recommended to dry all wood blanks. In addition, drying protects the material from damage by wood-destroying fungi, prevents the size and shape of wood, and improves the physical and mechanical properties of wood.

Drying wood is a lengthy, complex and expensive procedure. Using traditional technologies, wood is heated with superheated steam or hot air. Dried wood can be transported and stored longer. In addition, during operation it does not deform. The boards are dried in steam chambers, where the possibility of internal damage is excluded.

Wood moisture concept

To fully understand the essence of the drying process, it’s worth diving a little into the theory. The procedure for removing moisture from wood is not entirely simple, because there are two types of moisture in the material itself. Wood consists of elongated plant cells. Moisture can be found in the cell walls and in their cavities, filling the microcapillary system. The moisture that is present in the spaces between cells and in their cavities is called free intercellular, and moisture in the cell walls is called bound intracellular.

The content of bound moisture in wood is limited. The state when the cell walls are characterized by maximum humidity when in contact with liquid moisture is called their saturation limit. It is generally accepted that the moisture content of the saturation limit does not depend on the rock and is on average 30%. If the wood's humidity is above 30%, then it contains free intercellular moisture. The wood of a freshly cut or growing tree has a moisture content above the saturation limit, that is, it is raw.

Depending on the purpose of wood blanks, wood is usually dried in different ways. The wood is dried to a moisture content of 6 - 8%, when the material is needed for mechanical processing and assembly of products for high-precision critical connections that affect performance (the production of skis, parquet or musical instruments).

Transport humidity is 18 - 22%. It is with this water content that lumber is suitable for transportation to long distances during the warm season. Wood dried to such a moisture content is used mainly in standard house construction, in the production of ordinary containers and when there is no need for interchangeability during assembly.

Carpentry dampness is divided into several subspecies. Molded products ( terrace board, sheathing, floor boards, casing) must have a humidity of 15 ± 2%. Wood products (windows, doors, stairs and interior elements) made from solid or laminated wood can withstand humidity fluctuations from 8 to 15%.

Furniture humidity, depending on the level of the product and the use of solid or laminated wood, is 8 ± 2%, because it is at this humidity that the wood exhibits the most optimal characteristics for processing, gluing and subsequent use. But it is usually customary to reduce the humidity to 7-10%, performing partial sterilization of the wood and taking into account the uniformity of humidity throughout the tree, preserving mechanical properties material, absence of surface and internal cracks.

Wood drying modes

Depending on the requirements for the quality of wood, lumber can be dried in different modes, which differ in temperature level. In the mini drying chamber for wood, during the drying process, the air temperature gradually increases in steps and decreases relative humidity agent. Drying modes are selected taking into account the thickness of the lumber, wood species, final moisture content, quality category of the wood being dried and chamber design.

There are low- and high-temperature process modes. The first modes involve the use of moist air as a drying agent, the temperature of which in the initial stage is less than 100 degrees. There are three categories of these modes:

  • The soft mode is capable of ensuring defect-free drying of the material while maintaining the natural physical and mechanical properties of the wood, including color and strength, which is important for drying wood to the transport moisture content of export lumber.
  • The normal mode guarantees defect-free drying of wood with almost complete preservation of the strength of the material with minor color changes, which is suitable for drying lumber to its final moisture content.
  • The forced mode maintains strength for static bending, compression and tension, but there may be a slight decrease in splitting or spalling strength with darkening of the wood, which is intended for drying wood to operational humidity.

For low-temperature modes, a three-stage change in the parameters of the drying agent is assumed, and from each stage to the next one the transition can be made only after the material reaches a certain level of humidity, which is provided for by the mode.

High-temperature modes provide for a two-stage change in the parameters of the drying agent, and you can move from the first stage to the second after the wood reaches a transitional moisture content of 20%. The high temperature regime is determined depending on the thickness and type of lumber. High temperature conditions can be used to dry wood, which is not used for manufacturing. load-bearing elements buildings and structures in which wood darkening and strength reduction are allowed.

Drying chamber concept

Chamber drying is the main method of drying wood. Drying chambers are required for drying coniferous and hardwood wood to different quality categories. One of the most popular and economical methods of artificial dehydration of lumber is drying, when bound and free moisture is removed from the tree by applying heat to the wet wood with hot air and carrying away the evaporated excess moisture humidified and partially cooled air.

The drying chamber is completely ready installation, which is equipped with all the equipment necessary for drying wood. According to their design, wood drying chambers are divided into prefabricated metal and made of building materials. The latter are constructed directly in workshops or as separate buildings from materials that are widely used in industry. The chamber can be made entirely of monolithic reinforced concrete. Its walls can be made of solid red brick, and the ceiling can be made of monolithic reinforced concrete.

If several dryers are used, they are often combined into a single block, constructing a common control corridor where the heating distribution and system are located automatic control all cameras. Depending on the volume of wood loaded into the chamber, there may be horizontal or vertical transverse air circulation.

Loading of lumber into the chamber can be carried out in the following ways: on trolleys in the form of stacks along a rail track, like packages with a forklift. Heat transfer to wood can be carried out: by air, combustion products or superheated steam; radiant heat that comes from special emitters; a solid body, if you organize contact with a heated surface; current that passes through wet wood; high-frequency electromagnetic field that penetrates wet wood.

Equipment for a wood drying chamber is divided into basic and additional. The main ones include a fan system, a heat supply system, supply and exhaust ventilation and humidification; additional ones include an insulated door and psychrometric unit, stacking trolleys, and an electric motor for the fan drive.

The process of controlling wood drying in a chamber can be automated. Automation is capable of maintaining the humidity and temperature of the environment in the dryer at a given level. The temperature is regulated by supplying coolant to heaters or by turning an electric heater on and off, and humidity by using supply and exhaust ventilation and a humidification system.

The wood drying control system may have the ability to remote control humidity and temperature in the chamber. When drying lumber in a drying chamber, it becomes necessary to control the moisture content of the wood, for which a remote moisture meter is used, which allows you to check the moisture content of the wood at several points without entering the chamber. With absence external sources Heat supply for the dryer can use autonomous heating modules and use gas, coal, wood waste, electricity and diesel fuel.

Types of drying chambers

IN real life It is customary to use the following types of drying chambers. Required energy in convective drying chambers it is transported into the material using the air cycle, and heat transfer to the wood occurs through convection. Convection chambers There are two types - tunnel and chamber.

Tunnel convection dryers are deep chambers where stacks of stacks are pushed from the wet end to the drier end. These chambers must be filled at one end and emptied at the other. Pushing the stacks (the process of filling the chambers and emptying them) is done one stack at a time with an interval of 4 - 12 hours. These chambers are designed for large sawmills and allow exclusively transport drying of wood.

Chamber convection drying chambers are shorter than tunnel and vacuum drying chambers for wood; during operation, the same parameters are maintained throughout the chamber. When the blowing depth is more than 2 meters, the technique of reversing the direction of ventilation is used to equalize the drying conditions for the wood. The emptying and filling of the chamber occurs on one side if it has one door. Other loading systems are also known that are similar to the procedure for loading tunnel chambers. Any lumber can be dried to any final moisture content, which is why 90% of wood in Europe and Russia is dried in chamber dryers.

The condensation drying chamber differs from the previous ones in that the humidity that arises in the air condenses on special coolers and water comes out of the drying process. Coefficient useful action This process is large, but the cycle is long, because the devices do not operate at high temperatures, and the total heat losses are also significant. The condensation chamber is primarily suitable for drying small volumes of wood, or for drying dense wood species - oak, beech or ash. Big advantage The advantage of such chambers is that a boiler room is not needed, the price of a drying chamber for wood and the cost of drying are lower.

Drying chambers are also classified according to the method of circulation and the nature of the drying agent used, the type of enclosure and the principle of operation. Batch drying chambers are characterized by the fact that they can be fully loaded to simultaneously dry all the material, and the wood drying mode changes over time, depending this moment remaining the same for the entire camera.

According to the method of circulation, there are chambers with incentive and natural circulation. Dryers with natural circulation are outdated, low-performance, the drying mode in them is almost uncontrollable, and the uniformity of wood drying is unsatisfactory. For modern construction such devices are not recommended, and existing ones must be modernized. Depending on the nature of the drying agent, the chambers are divided into gas, air and high-temperature chambers that operate in a superheated steam environment.

Wood drying procedure

Before drying according to the selected mode, the wood is heated with steam, which is supplied through humidifying pipes, with fans running, heating devices turned on and closed. exhaust ducts. First you need to calculate the drying chamber for wood. The temperature of the agent at the beginning of heating the wood should be 5 degrees higher than the first stage of the regime, but not more than 100 degrees Celsius. The level of saturation of the environment should be 0.98 - 1 for material with an initial humidity of more than 25%, and 0.9 - 0.92 for wood with a humidity of less than 25%.

The duration of the initial heating depends on the type of wood and for coniferous species (pine, spruce, fir and cedar) is 1 - 1.5 hours for each centimeter of thickness. The duration of heating of soft deciduous trees (aspen, birch, linden, poplar and alder) increases by 25%, and for hard deciduous species (maple, oak, ash, hornbeam, beech) - by 50% compared to the duration of heating of coniferous species.

After preheating, it is customary to bring the parameters of the drying agent to the first stage of the mode. Then you can begin drying the lumber, subject to the established regime. Humidity and temperature are regulated by valves on the steam lines and gates of the sugar-exhaust channels.

During the operation of an infrared drying chamber for wood, residual stresses arise in the wood, which can be eliminated by intermediate and final moisture-heat treatment in an environment of increased temperature and humidity. It is customary to subject lumber to processing, which is dried to operational humidity and is subject to further mechanical processing.

Intermediate moisture-heat treatment is carried out during the transition from the second stage to the third or from the first to the second at high temperature conditions. Subjected to moisture and heat treatment conifers from 60 millimeters thick and deciduous from 30 millimeters thick. The temperature of the environment during the heat and moisture treatment process should be 8 degrees higher than the temperature of the second stage, but not higher than 100 degrees, with a saturation level of 0.95 - 0.97.

When the wood reaches its final average moisture content, final moisture-heat treatment can be carried out. In this process, the temperature of the medium is maintained 8 degrees above the last stage, but not higher than 100 degrees. At the end of the final moisture-heat treatment, the wood that has undergone drying must be kept in the chambers for 2 - 3 hours at the parameters provided for in the last stage of the regime. Then the drying chamber is stopped.

Making a drying chamber

If you decide to make wood products yourself, then you simply need a wood drying chamber. However, when constructing a dryer, comply with all required standards. You will need a chamber, a fan, insulation and a heating device.

Build a drying room or select a separate room, one wall and ceiling of which will be made of concrete, and the other walls will be made of wood, which need to be insulated. To do this, it is customary to create several layers: the first of them is polystyrene foam, the second is wooden boards, which are usually wrapped in foil in advance.

After this, you should install a heating element, which can be made in the form of batteries. Water must be supplied to the batteries from the stove, in which it will be heated to 60-95 degrees Celsius. It is advisable to continuously circulate water using water pumps in the heating element. Also, a fan should be placed in a homemade wood drying chamber, which helps distribute warm air throughout the room.

Consider how the wood will be loaded into the drying chamber. One loading option could be a rail cart. To regulate the humidity and temperature in the drying chamber, you need to use work area corresponding thermometers - wet and dry. Provide shelves inside the dryer to increase work space.

During the drying process of lumber, sudden changes in temperature in the working room are not allowed, otherwise this will cause the wood to warp or cracks to appear in it. When constructing a drying chamber, it is extremely important to comply with fire safety requirements. Therefore, be sure to install fire extinguishers in the immediate vicinity of the dryer.

And finally, remember that instead of a heating element at home, you can use a two-burner electric stove. You can insulate the walls of the drying chamber yourself using wood shavings. Instead of foil in the chamber, you can use penofol, which can provide good reflection of heat from the surface. In such a dryer, the wood is pre-dried 1-2 weeks in advance.

Vacuum drying is a treatment various materials, which has now become very popular in many directions. This type of processing is used in food, industrial and similar industries that require equipment to carry out such processes.

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If we talk about the industry where vacuum drying has become an integral part, then, of course, this is the furniture industry, where without carrying out such a process, creation cannot take place. quality furniture. This type of processing is used in the furniture industry during primary wood processing. After going through the vacuum drying process, the wood acquires its characteristic properties. Firstly, it becomes of higher quality, secondly, more practical, and most importantly, furniture made from such wood looks simply incredibly beautiful. In other industries, vacuum drying has a completely different operating principle. Apart from the furniture industry, this process is also very popular in Food Industry, but the operating principle there is completely different. Vacuum drying is a labor-intensive process that has a huge number of nuances that should never be forgotten:

  1. The first point is the presence large quantity quality equipment, which is an integral part of such a process.
  2. The second point is high equipment performance, without which achieving high efficiency results will be quite problematic.
  3. The third point is the place where the vacuum drying process will take place. In order for everything to happen efficiently, you need to have a place that will meet the standards of humidity, air, light and similar criteria that play a huge role in this matter.

The cost of vacuum drying is a rather controversial issue, and giving an exact answer to it is very problematic. The price of such a process directly depends on many factors, ranging from the material that will be processed and ending with the vacuum equipment in which this process will take place. No less important aspect also the time it takes you to complete the vacuum drying process. All this plays a certain role, which is why the price of such a process can be completely different. All these aspects play a big role, which means that they must be taken into account in any case if you want to get a specific answer to what the result of vacuum drying will subsequently be.

Vacuum drying technology

Vacuum drying technology also boasts a lot of interesting aspects. Now we will try to analyze the principle of operation of vacuum drying, taking wood processing as an example, since it is this material that most often lends itself to vacuum drying.

We have already said earlier that before creating furniture, the wood must undergo a vacuum drying process, which will allow all excess liquid to be extracted from it and the wood to be significantly reduced in size. Main processes of vacuum drying:

  • Removing excess liquid from wood using evaporation
  • Circulation of water through wood

First, circulation occurs in the system, since this process takes much longer. The speed of processing wood using the vacuum drying method directly depends on the speed of water circulation in the wood. The main part of the vacuum drying process is the complete drying of the wood, and this is done so that the wood loses its extra dimensions and has only its own mass, which will later be used in the creation of furniture. It's no secret that in this industry there is a rule that states that before creating wood products, its surface must be completely free of wood. Since only in this case will it be possible to extract moisture from the core of the tree, which will come out through circulation. But it is worth noting that in addition to vacuum drying of wood, this technology is also actively used in other areas, which we will now tell you about:

  • Vacuum drying of meat
  • Vacuum drying of cheese
  • Vacuum drying of powders
  • Vacuum drying of liquid-viscous products
  • Vacuum drying of milk

This is only part of the list of areas where the vacuum drying process is actively used. This technology has already gained enormous popularity, which is only growing every day. This technology is truly unique, which is why it began to be used in many enterprises that now simply cannot function fully without this process. This means that there is a possibility further dissemination vacuum drying. It is possible that this process will soon be applied in all areas without exception, giving the opportunity to increase productivity for many enterprises.

Vacuum drying chambers

Vacuum drying chambers are mechanisms that are designed to carry out a huge number of labor-intensive tasks. We have previously talked about how beneficial the vacuum drying process is. As for chambers for vacuum drying, this is something without which such a process simply cannot be carried out. Vacuum drying chambers play a huge role in this regard, and without them, you can completely forget about some performance indicators.

The price segment of vacuum drying chambers is currently far from the lowest. If you wish, you can find already supported installations that will be quite average in terms of price. But it is best to buy new installations, since only they can provide you with all possible quality guarantees. On the modern market you can see a huge number of types of vacuum drying chambers, which can have completely different purposes. All these cameras have their own functional features, since they are used in a certain industry. Now we will look at the main types of drying chambers:

  • Vacuum drying cabinet
  • Vacuum chamber for drying fruits
  • Drying chamber for drying food
  • Drying chamber for wood

The operating principle of each camera is individual, as it is designed to work in a specific industry. But in any case, we can say that such equipment at the moment is really very effective.

Vacuum freeze drying

Freeze drying is a process based on the constant sublimation of ice crystals from frozen products. Such a process, in a short period of time, produces high-quality dehydration of products, and it does it really well.

The important point is that dehydration does not in any way affect Chemical properties products that remain just as useful in the future. In addition, vitamin activity also remains in the same form, chemical composition and anatomical structure. Vacuum freeze drying consists of three key steps:

  • Primary freezing of the product
  • Sublimation of ice without heat inside the system
  • Final drying in special heated chamber

Based on this, we can conclude that the efficiency of freeze drying is at high level and the process is truly worth the investment.

Vacuum drying of wood

In previous sections we took this type of drying as an example. As a result, we came to the conclusion that this type of processing is very effective, but also has a certain number of nuances that are also worth paying attention to.

The vacuum drying process can only be effective if the environment in which it occurs fully complies with all standards of humidity, temperature, light and similar aspects. The cost of vacuum drying currently fluctuates within the middle price segment. If you wish, you can find a place where such a process will cost you just a few pennies, but in this case, you will not receive any guarantees of quality. It is best to overpay a little, but in the end get a high-quality result of work, which can be used in the future in the production of reliable and beautiful furniture.

High-quality dried lumber has always been the key to quality, durability and reliability of any structure in which wood occupies a significant share. But it is difficult to obtain it under natural conditions without it spoiling. Drying time under normal atmospheric conditions can range from 6 to 12 months, depending on temperature and humidity environment. During natural heat treatment, the material is subject to unwanted deformation, warping and cracking.

To improve the quality of drying lumber, many equipment options have been invented; people often try to make a vacuum drying chamber for wood with their own hands - because this technology is considered one of the most effective. But the problem is that it is quite difficult to make such a unit yourself. Still, there are craftsmen who make them from old tank bodies or thickened sheet steel. These are mainly mini cameras with a loading volume of 5-10 cubic meters.

What is vacuum drying of wood with your own hands?

Vacuum drying of wood with your own hands is quite possible if you have a shell from a rocket, tank, or any other similar type of product from which you can make a shell for the equipment.

Main design elements:

  • frame
  • Vacuum pump
  • heating elements (heaters, plates, steam generator, microwave emitters, etc.)
  • trolley for loading lumber
  • automation

You will need a pump to pump out air and create a vacuum. You can heat lumber using any known method, which can be the contact method, air-gas or water steam.

A do-it-yourself vacuum chamber is quite technically complicated, because it will be quite difficult to find many parts for its manufacture. And ordering them specifically is tantamount to ordering the camera itself. Therefore, before you start constructing vacuum drying chambers for wood with your own hands, you should consider whether it is advisable or whether it would be better to order it from a specialized company.

Do-it-yourself thermal chamber for wood - production of thermal wood

Thermal vacuum chamber technology has been around since the last century. The thermal dryer has much in common with a vacuum chamber for drying lumber.

To do vacuum chamber For thermowood, you need to take into account the technical features:

  • Wood processing occurs at high temperatures
  • The chamber body must withstand high pressure

These 2 points are important to consider for the safety of personnel.

An important task is the choice of agent: oil or steam. Also technical modes. If the conditions are incorrect, thermal drying takes place only on the surface of the wood, and the lumber may not acquire the desired properties:

  • full color change
  • fire resistance
  • increased resistance to rotting

Making a homemade chamber for thermowood, like thermowood itself, at home is a difficult task. It is unlikely that you will be able to find competent specialists ready to share their experience on forums, videos, or somewhere on the Internet. If you have any questions, you can contact the manufacturers.

Vacuum dryers for wood: do it yourself or from professionals?

Our company produces high-quality and highly efficient drying chambers vacuum type not the first year, so I’m ready to offer a truly reliable and practical option.

But if you need a vacuum dryer for wood, don't large sizes for heat treatment small parts and you want to make it yourself, then you need a drawing. Drawings on this topic are quite a rare occurrence; of those that occur, it is unlikely that a camera capable of working in production conditions will be produced.

If you are still going to purchase ready-made equipment, then the most effective option is chambers with contact technology for heating lumber along the entire length, the percentage of defects is less than 1, and the drying time is up to 6-8% humidity pine boards 30mm thick will only take about 60 hours.

See also:


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Contents Vacuum drying as an alternative to a DIY microwave chamber Today there are many known methods for drying lumber, each with advantages and disadvantages. As an example, do-it-yourself microwave drying of wood. The technology is no longer new and quite productive. Microwave chambers are used for drying hardwood, large-section lumber, veneer, timber, and logs. Basically, after drying the material […]


Maintenance problem optimal humidity in lumber is relevant both among builders and among those who like to make something in their own carpentry workshop. Drying wood at home allows you to save a lot on its purchase, because dry raw materials are always more expensive than wet ones.

By the way, if you don’t have time for construction works, then you can dry wood at home or in the country even under atmospheric conditions.

Some owners adapt ready-made haylofts, sheds or other suitable buildings for these purposes. This is the way out of the situation that one of our forum members found.

Timakval member FORUMHOUSE

I used the yard attic (former hayloft) size 10*5 m for drying. I laid it out, as it should, through spacers in each row. Total 3.5 cubes of boards of different categories. The advantages of this drying place are always shade, a finished roof and good ventilation. Took it last May different sizes boards, bars and beams - blanks for small construction. The boards were too heavy to lift due to moisture. During the time they were lying in the hayloft (1.5-2 months) they dried to fluff, they did not curl or bend.

Drying under atmospheric conditions is a rather lengthy process, and since we have decided to take a comprehensive approach to this issue, let’s look at the sequence of building a home dryer with our own hands, which allows us to more effectively achieve the required humidity levels. As suitable premises We suggest you choose a building of the required size, and after that you can start working. The room can have dimensions of 2*3 m or 4*3 m (more is possible). It all depends on your needs and the scope of your activity. But when choosing a building, you should remember that there should not be much free space left in the dryer. After all, drafts and chaotic air movement negatively affect the quality of wood.

DIY wood dryer

The room chosen for arranging a homemade dryer must be heated by a stove or specially installed fireplace. It is good if a heater is pre-installed in the room. If there is none, then be sure to leave room for it.

This is the project for making a home dryer suggested by a member of our forum.

Nikolay Valen member of FORUMHOUSE

There is a large garage with water heating; a potbelly stove using wood and waste is installed as a boiler. There is a pipe with a diameter of 800 mm and a length of 2.2 meters (a former ventilation duct with industrial enterprise). The idea is as follows: install sealed covers on both ends of the pipe, leave fittings with a diameter of 150-200 mm for the supply and removal of hot air. The air is heated by a radiator (this can be a car heater). Air supply – table fan. 0.3-0.5 cubic meters of lumber are loaded into the pipe, the stove is heated (the coolant temperature reaches 90 degrees, I think that the supplied air can actually be heated to 50-60 degrees).

If you have chosen a room that is too large, then the space you plan to use homemade dryer, should be made insulated and sealed. For these purposes they are made wooden partitions, you can use insulation, brick and other materials that allow you to create your own microclimate in the dryer. Do not forget that it is necessary to leave a window in the chamber for ventilation and front door. After all, we shouldn’t end up with a hut without windows and doors.

Fans installed in the drying chamber will help create forced air flow and make the drying process more efficient.

mfcn FORUMHOUSE member,
Moscow.

It is advisable to place fans on the floor to the side of the stack so that the blowing is parallel to the spacers. Remember that when drying wood, you need to evaporate about several hundred liters of water from each cubic meter of wood.

To place lumber in the dryer, special shelves or flooring should be installed. These products can be made of metal so that the structure can withstand relatively large loads. Wood should be dried to levels corresponding to 8–12% humidity. Its measurements are carried out using a special moisture meter.

Drying wood is necessary following certain rules. Otherwise, the material will be hopelessly damaged and cannot be used in construction. To do this, the wood must be stacked. And between each new layer, spacers made of boards of the same thickness should be placed. Wood of any species, stacked in neat stacks, will never suffer from fungal infections and will retain its integrity and excellent consumer qualities.

Lao Czy member FORUMHOUSE

The spacers need to be made higher for better air ventilation between the boards. They will dry out better. You can place your cut 25*30 or 25*40 cubes on edge. The reason for limiting the height of the stack is to prevent the boards from being driven by a “helicopter blade”, secure the topmost layers of boards in the stack with self-tapping screws. I have been storing my boards using this method for the 3rd year at my dacha in the Moscow region. They are in excellent condition!

Gaps should also be left between boards located in the same row. This will ensure unhindered air movement inside the stack and improve drying quality.

Wood drying chamber project

Wood can be dried quickly and efficiently in well-equipped and free-standing drying chambers. Construction of such a chamber on the scale of a dacha or suburban area is not always advisable. After all, this type of construction will be very expensive, and its construction will take a lot of time.

The construction of such a premises can well be called the implementation of a full-scale construction project. You cannot avoid labor-intensive operations associated with pouring the foundation, erecting walls and installing complex equipment.

How to make drying for wood can be understood from the diagram.

DIY chamber drying

Such a mini-wood dryer requires the placement of not only basic equipment (heating and ventilation), but also additional systems automatic control.

Operating modes of the drying chamber

A chamber dryer does not require high heat during normal operation. A full cycle Work associated with drying one batch of wood can be divided into several stages.

    The first stage lasts from 15 to 20 hours. During this period, the air in the chamber warms up to 45Co. The ventilation does not turn on, and condensation forms on the walls of the room.

    The second stage lasts about 48 hours. It involves connecting ventilation and heating the air in the chamber dryer to 50°C.

    The third stage lasts until the required final moisture level is reached in the internal structure of the wood (8...12%). At this time, the air temperature rises to 55 C, the exhaust dampers open completely, and the fans operate at full power.

Once the humidity reaches the required levels, the heat supply should be stopped. The fans must remain on for another 24 hours. As a result of this heat treatment, you will receive dry wood, completely ready for use during carpentry or construction work.

You can get acquainted with the practical developments of our members of the forum regarding the correct construction of a stack in the "" section. Those who wish to learn more about the lumber drying technology can visit the "" section. For those who want to see a master class on wood aging technology, we recommend watching the corresponding video.