Solar Kiln Firewood Drying

You wouldn't want to use anything that isn't clear. You want as much solar energy as possible to get directly to the wood. You don't want to give it to a piece of black paper which would then need to transfer the heat to the other side to get to the wood.

 

I agree... even if a cover is a little "milky" instead of clear, it might also reflect off some of the sun's energy instead of letting it heat the wood.

 

I use the cheapest plastic I can find. It is not 100% transparent, more translucent, milky is a good description. Transparent would be better, but I'm guessing that the difference would be minimal. Remember, we aren't looking for the absolute quickest seasoning, just something under 8 months, or one spring/summer / fall.

 

Yup, I was just thinkin about how you can feel the difference on your hand under a semi opaque plastic vs clear. This clear tarp stuff I use has a reinforcement mesh in it... maybe 1/2"... but it seems to let most of the heat through OK. From a distance tho, the material looks milky but it's just the mesh.

 

Ahh...but there is some science to it. No definitely not worth publication quality work, it is after all just firewood, but if someone takes your ideas and work and adds to it and then all the better, that's how much of the knowledge on this forum has been generated and then shared amongst the members.

 

Pretending at being a scientist is bad form. It leads to people thinking the know more than real experts, real scientists. When people believe they know more they, don't vaccinate their children, believe gmo's will hurt you, among others.

Let's get it straight, we are using scientific principles, we are not scientists.

 

I think at some point, this discussion turned away from science and has entered the realm of elitism....

Anyone who uses the scientific method to make changes is a scientist. One can dabble at science. The person who studies wood burning (or wood drying), makes deliberate changes and notes the results of those changes is engaging in science. I believe many people who participate on forums like this and discuss ideas are indeed scientists, perhaps of the purest form.

But if we do take your suggested approach, all be quiet a listen to the 'real experts', we are going to need a list of them or could end up following a [not real expert]. By the way, who is in charge of qualifying the 'real experts' anyway? We're gonna' need another wink at this point.... Maybe two.

Brian

 

Whom do you believe knows more than you, and you also trust? They are your experts.

I don't think I know more than my family physician, I might get a second one opinion, but I won't personally second guess his diagnosis. He knows more than me, I won't play at doctor and walk in telling him what my ailments should be diagnosed as,I trust his expert opinion. The moment I question his expert opinion, is the moment I think I know more than him and I believe I am now the expert. I am intelligent enough that I could have gone to med school, but I'm also intelligent enough to know I didn't, so I'm not a medical expert.

I am a expert in commercial and residential financing. When my family physician needed a commercial loan to expand his practice he came to me, his expert regarding commercial financing. He doesn't ask me to do his taxes because that is not my area of expertise. He is more than intelligent enough that given time he could become an expert, but he has other priorities. So find your area you want to be the expert in, make it you passion to become the expert you should be in that area, for all others that you are not expert in, find one you trust.


So no we are not scientists, just using scientific principles. I would say based on my experience, within this forum I am the expert in solar kilns for drying firewood IMHO , but you may think you know more than me, and as such not view me as the expert, that is your call.

 

I think we all get what you're saying. I think we're all just wishing you would lighten up a bit? I'm guessing you took a lot of harassment at Another Site over something like this. I kinda get it - you see some firewood wrapped in saran wrap, you're gonna get a few skeptics. I was at first too, to be honest.
We're all just here for a little friendly banter with other firewood addicts. A lot of us are quite interested in this technique and what other people are seeing for results. I don't think anyone *here* is questioning your intelligence or expertise on this topic.
Then the thread got kinda long, and nobody really reads a 6 page thread. But it keeps coming up, because it's an interesting topic. You might have to fill in again from time to time. Is what it is.

 

Great information here, thanks for sharing. Uncle Augie, do you think if I layed plastic under a row of 15 pallets, stacked some green oak 4' high and wrapped the whole thing down to the pallets, would it work? or do you think you have to have those little slices cut in the bottom as you have done?

 

Gotta add the weep holes in the bottom, before I figured that out I wrapped a stack and ignored it for a month, when I looked again the bottom row of splits were underwater. You HAVE TO HAVE THE WEEP HOLES.

 

Gotcha'. So Albert Einstein and Neils Bohr would both be experts given your view..... and both may be but one MUST be wrong.

We will have to agree to disagree. I believe anyone / everyone can use sound reasoning and careful observation to not only understand but improve a process. In fact, I have seen this many times in industry when 'line workers', relatively uneducated in a particular field, absolutely out- run the experts (generally engineers in charge of such production) simply because of observation, much more exposure (Easy Boys!) and a logical, reasoned approach to solving a problem or situation. And I say this from the point of view very much not of the line- worker

This is an interesting topic and discussion to me and I will follow along as well as participating next year. I look forward to everyone's contributions to the understanding of how and why this process works, as well as any and all potential improvements as well as possible changes that may make the system easier and or better.

Brian

 

We can always write up a paper on this and use it for kindling.

 

The maths were done. Please reference post #35, if infact you still dont understand, find someone who you trust who does, call them your expert and allow their opinion to stand as your own.

The truth is that only a handful of Scientists in the whole world are capable of understanding Quantum Physics correctly, and I am not one of the handful.
So I use Neil deGrasse Tyson as my expert in things relating to High end Physics, quantum theory. His opinion is that Bohr was right, and In 1975 at the Institut d’Optique at Orsay, Alain Aspect proved Bohr was right. So I trust Neil deGrasse Tyson for better or worse until I am shown there is a better expert out there regarding Quantum Physics

I did, and most here are from the old site including many that hassled me. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

So if you are Skeptical you do not believe that validity of the facts that I stated. If you believe the fact I have stated are false you believe that I am fabricating data, lying in effect.

If we are playing at being Scientists until you can prove my data incorrect you must accept it as truth.

So now you have seen the data, the Maths, and yet you still choose to be Skeptical?



it is what it is gentelman

 

Ah, a pet subject of mine that I will address only because it amuses me: 'The Old One does not play dice with the universe.' Sorry but I follow Big Al on this one (I like to think of his as Big Al as that too amuses me also).

And for whatever it is worth, I relinquish my opinions and control of anything regarding my life to no one; if your method of finding someone you trust and then just getting into lock- step with him / her were correct, we would (I am in the US) have a king or queen. But we do not and I rather like that arrangement. I consider all opinions, data, input and make my own decisions and form my own opinions (always subject to change given new input of course).

I think I understand now what is going on here: you are sensitized and being defensive due to previous interaction(s) on another forum about this issue. That explains all regarding your projected attitude. Just as proverbial 'food for thought', I believe you are carrying old wounds forward and alienating other people absolutely brand new to this subject. I personally have no history or knowledge about the 'other' forum or any past exchange(s) about this issue. From my point of view, this being an entirely new thread and interaction, I only see one person being aggressive. Please take this in the spirit it is intended: continuing an old argument with new people not only perpetuates that argument but it gives the new circle an extremely obvious antagonist and clearly outlines who started than antagonism. I believe if you think of this more as a discussion among equals rather than an argument between persons of different intellectual stature, it will proceed quite a bit smoother. All in my personal opinion of course.

Brian

 

So you question every one in life you have hired to preform a service for you? Do you stand over the shoulder of your mechanic while they work on your car? what about your doctor? Do you second guess the meds he prescribes?

 

Yes. In all cases. I never, ever, blindly do what someone suggests (and I take every direction as a 'suggestion') simply because that person is well educated in a particular field. To do that would imply that once a certain level of education were reached, the person holding said education could not make a mistake.

If you want to check out where blindly following 'the superior' person's decisions lead to, check out FAA accident reports. Start with the disaster at Tenerife where the pilot of the 747 that caused the accident was TWICE challanged by the co- pilot in that they DID NOT have clearance to take off. Well, they actually did not have that clearance but the PIC (pilot in command) claimed they did and they nearly made it..... but not quite.

And that is not the same as standing over the shoulder of someone who is performing a task although I really knew you were just adding sarcasm to your condescending post.

Now I am starting to form an opinion about your previous conflict on a different forum without ever having seen the conflict. But I am getting a much clearer picture of at least part of the cause of that conflict....

Brian

 

This is like watching a Train wreck in slow mo.