Shipping Container Drying Kiln? Claims 6 day seasoning!

I did similar by my fire with a piece of maple recently and saw about the same loss over the first 24 hours, but it started at 9.88 lb (4482 grams). It amounted to about 1/5 of the loss the first day, followed by 2/3 of the loss after 10 days. That was heating only one side of my split no where near as hot. http://firewoodhoardersclub.com/forums/threads/amount-of-water-in-green-wood.1175/page-4#post-261627 If you maintain that loss for 24 hours you are looking at squeezing at nearly a pound out of it. The rate of evaporation/weight loss is a rapidly diminishing curve.

I'm not sure what birch usually runs moisture wise but assuming that your piece was at 70% when you started baking, it will weigh 4.25 lb at 20% and be bone dry at 3.54 lb

 

I've got a 12'x30' wood shed. I was thinking about putting the kiln behind the shed. Its convenient because the splitter sits at the end of the shed. As I split, I can load the container. Once full, pour the coals to it. A week later, I could take the wood out of the kiln, stack it in the shed and be done with it. Heck, I could even use the OWB to supply the heat to the kiln (maybe that's what you are referring to). Now you have me thinking...

 

OWB for the heat source, exactly what I meant.

 

Sawdog, are you heating more than your home with the OWB? That's a huge amount of wood to burn each season. Do you have a reforestation plan for the area where you are cutting, and a large area you are cutting from?

 

I heat a 2200 sq ft log home of which 1100 sq ft have 25ft ceilings. I also heat my shop which is 1100 sq ft with 15' ceiling. My hot water is provided by my OWB during burning season.

I live and have access to about 600 acres of timber. I've never cut a live tree off that timber. I look for fallen or standing dead for half of my wood supply. 4"-12" rounds of fallen / standing dead is prime material...and it doesn't have to be split (even better), all I have to do is cut it, haul it out and stack it.

The other half of my wood comes from 3 large fence lines in a 500 acre farm field. The farmer wants the fence lines down and the wood is free, as long as I cut it for myself. The three fence lines are loaded with Hackberry, mulberry and hedge and cherry.

Do you own an OWB?

 

Bet a small box made of flat black metal roofing would give you a good idea as to how well it would work. We worked with black aluminum a lot in the sign trade. It's crazy how hot it gets in the sun.

 

No, Sawdog, I don't. For some people, an OWB is a wonderful thing.

I wondered if you were heating accessory buildings, a huge home, using that much wood. You clearly have tremendous heating demands.

Sounds like you have the perfect setup for providing your fuel.

 

Ok figured out how to get the numbers on the digital scale to show turned it around so the light was behind me. These pictures were taken this morning at 9:30a.m. The smaller piece that was placed in front of the fan that was kept running started at 4.25lbs. was at 4.14lbs a loss of .11lbs or 2.58%. The larger piece that was 6.02lbs. was left in the oven overnight after turning the oven off that I ran for one hour at 200 degrees and is now 5.79lbs a loss of .23lbs. or 3.82%

 

Sweet. A dryer would be nice.

 

5:00p.m.

 

Nice.

 

I am about 18 miles west of Albany in a town called Glenville. I am trying to season wood faster as I can't keep up with the demand for firewood for the last two years. Just this month I have already turned down at least 15 cord I could have sold. I won't sell wood that isn't seasoned as it will only comes back to bite the seller. I want to go to kiln dried firewood within the next 3 years and there is a premium price for it. Kiln dried is now going for $350.00 a cord here not counting delivery so around $400.00 a cord delivered.

 

I find these kiln dried firewood posts very interesting. We have an almost constant 20 mph wind and many 70 degree days during the winter, tomorrow is going to be 75 degrees.

 

I am a true believer in stacking wood north to south as it gets sunlight from sun up till sunset. I only average a 7 to 8 mile an hour wind so this year I am going to try wrapping the firewood in black plastic..

 

These pictures taken at 11:00 a.m. this morning. I guess you can see that the heated wood is drying much faster.

 

Eric nothing is crazy I have finally figured out that people enjoy taking advantage of others. There are people on Craigslist Albany NY that are asking $300 a cord for seasoned firewood. I believe they are gouging as right now there seems to be a major shortage of firewood here.
Schoharie is God's country, very nice down that way. Twice a year we head down to the Carrot Barn for lunch one time and take in all of nature's beauty and then onto the Yearly Garage sale in Schoharie. Then if the fall to see the changing of the leaves stopping in Middleburg so the wife can hit the Antique shops.

 

Chopy, have I seen you on the Family Guy, coming to see the leaf change?