Drying lumber - we determine the moisture content of wood
Before drying the lumber, you need to check its moisture, because dehydration may not be needed. The most common methods for determining the moisture content of wood are electrical and weight. The electric method will require the use of a special device - a moisture meter. By passing an electric current through the wood, it determines its ohmic resistance, which depends on its own humidity.
With weighing moisture determination, a small part of the board is sawed off, weighed and placed in a drying cabinet, where it is at a temperature of 105 ° C.After a full cycle, the trial portion is weighed and the results of the measurements are compared.
Excess humidity of lumber is the cause of early deterioration of wooden structures, fungus and mold formation. Such wood is poorly processed, and shrinks and shrinks during shrinkage. Too dry wood will absorb moisture and swell, which will also lead to its deformation.
Lumber drying technology - how to perform the operation
There are various ways of processing wood, but the most accessible and common are the atmospheric and chamber technology for drying lumber. Below we briefly describe the features of each approach. During the , the atmospheric drying tree is outdoors or under a canopy. This type of treatment is very slow, since at low temperatures, moisture release does not occur, and in winter this process practically ceases.
Atmospheric drying is sometimes used in front of a chamber. Special rooms for wood processing, where heated air or steam is used for dehydration, are called drying chambers. Such technology does not depend on weather conditions, and also allows to obtain lumber of chamber drying with a specified humidity.
Dryer for boards - we build by our own hands
Dryer for saw-timbers by own hands is rather troublesome in the construction of a thing, therefore it is necessary to prepare carefully for the erection. The wood species and the thickness of the dried board are of great importance. Homemade camera will quickly pay for all costs, because dried lumber costs more than raw.
Dryer for boards, like any other building, begins to be built from the foundation. By area, it can be any, but the structure of a small size will be more cost-effective, that is, to build several small cameras will be much more economical than one large.
The frame is assembled from an aluminum profile, since this metal is not corroded. Then the frame is sewed with aluminum sheets, to which the insulation is insulated with a thickness of at least 10 cm. A fireproof and elastic insulation is necessary.
The lumber dryer must be airtight and allow monitoring of humidity, temperature and air circulation. The floor is covered with ruberoid, and the top is covered with sawdust. Next, dry the boards with a narrow( 1-1.5 m) stacks. The height of the stack can be anything, depending on the height of the room. Between the rows of sawn timber it is necessary to lay cushioning bars.
The most economical and easy to use are drying chambers for sawn timber with forced air circulation. With the help of fans, warm air is run through a pile laid across the movement of air flows.