Large Scale Central

Kiln drying

Prototypes
#1

The question was posed in chat by Fred M and it struck my fancy. A short quick search lead me to the following:
What Did People Do Before There Was Kiln-Drying?
A historical discussion about lumber drying in the olden days. June 30, 2007

Question
What did woodworkers do before kiln drying? How did they get wood seasoned for indoor furniture?

Forum Responses
(Sawing and Drying Forum)
From contributor I:
Two things…

One: They were patient, they air dried the wood properly, then brought it inside and completed the drying. This took a couple of years, but it worked fine.

Two: Houses were not centrally heated or air conditioned, therefore wood didn’t need to be as dry as it does in many modern homes.

You can still make fine furniture without a kiln, you just need to dry the wood properly to an inside level. All that’s needed to do this is to sticker your air dried wood in an inside environment, and wait a while. This was taken from the following site
https://woodweb.com/knowledge_base/What_Did_People_Do_Before.html

It is interesting to note that although it wasn’t the norm, kiln drying of lumber reaches way back to the early 1800s, maybe even earlier.

And of course more then you really wanted to know …
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Popular_Science_Monthly/Volume_45/July_1894/Kiln-Drying_Hard_Wood

2 Likes
#2

Excellent find Dave, bookmarked both sites

#3

On a side note if you want to put your non kiln dried old growth redwood models in a controlled museum environment for a display allow for some kind of acclimation first!
Also if you want “Scale Coat” spray paint to dry properly when inside room temp is 80 degrees and ambient air temp is 20 degrees outside. Just shut off the heat inside and allow room temp to get to ambient temp outside.
:grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

#4

what i did…
i stacked fresh cut timber in the attik of a building in dry hot climate.
now, some years later, the boards respond with a nice, bonedry sound when i knock on them.

lumber01
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1 Like
#5

Korm, I have to ask, What is that brick contraption next to that fine stack of lumber

#6

Looks like carved foam to me.

#7

I think you need to push your wattle out of the way so you can see. And yes I reported my self to the moderator for saying ‘push your wattle’
:smirk:

#8

that makes me smile.
your question woke a weak memory, about when i first posted this pic some years ago.
one or some of you guys, even then, were more interested in the right side of the pic than in the lumber.

that is Camelot, Schwanstein, Tortuga, Gondor - a real shape… err nameshifter.
a castle made about a quarter of a century ago for the playmobil-empire of my daughters.
it was roughly based on the memory i had of my own Ivanhoe-castle, i had some decades before.

made of 2" insulation styropor and plywood mainly.
a small soldering iron and a knife were the main tools used.
housepaint and white glue in abundance.
the drawbridge was made with tongue depressers and old jewellery chains.

now that thing lies patiently for one of two things to happen.
either to be restored for future grandkids
or to be thrown away by my widow. :innocent:

ps: blessed are those who have enough space to guard each and every precious junk!

2 Likes
#9

And Korm your response kicked back a memory of you posting it

#10

Told you it was carved foam now say your sorry!!
:laughing:

#11

second answer:

when you asked that question for the first time, i gave you this for an answer:

burg-alt1
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(just found it while looking for something else)