Kiln drying pen blanks?

[Dutra]

I may have access to a kiln later this year and was wondering if anyone has experience with a kiln and pen blanks.
Does much shrinkage occur from a kiln? Was thinking that if i left the blanks a little heavy they would come out OK.

Anyone have any ideas?

 

[SDB777]

Typically a kiln will 'pull color' from the piece.


I air dry all the blanks I have for sale, and maybe it's just me....but they look better(just can't push them out the door with the speed that the kiln-dryer can, sometime things just can't be rushed).





Scott (YMMV) B

 

[76winger]

And when you're talking about a 1 x 1 piece of wood, it doesn't take that long to air dry anyway. Give it a few months and it should be ready.

 

[low_48]

I cut all my blanks a full 1" square and 6" long. In the winter, I cover the top of my square main furnace with wet blanks. If I cut wet burl, I put them further from the furnace for a more gentle dry. The furnace heats them up, then cools off. It's a great way to dry. Less than a month to dry, less in Jan or Feb. It doesn't feel so bad in the dead of winter hearing the furnace running all the time. You are making great dry blanks at the same time. In the summer, I put them up in the attic. Depending on where it was cut from in the log, the blank may dry a little diamond shape, some will twist, but I hardly ever get a cracked one.

 

[MesquiteMan]

I kiln dry almost all of my blanks in a small kiln I built myself. I also have a sawmill and have milled many thousands of BF of lumber. Most I have just air dried since it was for my own use but I have had about 3,000 bf of pecan kiln dried. I have to disagree with the color aspect, at least on most wood. Yes, walnut and eastern red cedar looks better when air dried but others woods look just as good air vs. kiln.

In pen blank sizes, I do as others above have said and cut to 1" square and longer than necessary. I do get some warpage and twisting but seldom any cracks.

 

[Polarys425]

I have a dehydrator that I use to dry blanks. I modified it by making a riser from aluminum flashing to go between the trays so I could fit larger pieces in it.

 

[PTsideshow]

Being new to turning and pen turning, I have a questions on how you would prep some evergreen limbs and trunks for turning? I have been offered some yew type and the wife is planning on me removing some 35 year old evergreens that are along the fence line :biggrin:

What lengths should the sections be cut to?

Should they be left as a bark covered or rough sized, 1x1", 2x2", 6" or 8",12" long?

Inside, outside heated or not storage? I have a covered lean to style storage area.

And should the ends or sides be covered in paraffin to slow the evaporation rates?

Any other hints, thanks in advance.
:clown:

 

[SDB777]

Curtis is correct, Pecan/Hickory(unless it's been laying on the ground for awhile-started to decay/spalt) won't lose that much color....it just doesn't have it to start with around here(just a typical creamy color board, just like pine). ERC/Black Walnut and any other wood with 'color' in it will look absolutely horrid after being loaded into a kiln(all washed out and blah).



Limbs can have problems during drying, remember they have been 'hanging' and stress has built up in them. When cut, the stress is somewhat relieved and can cause warping or cracking.

Bark tends to invite unwanted guests(beetle, worms, ants, anything that likes dark moist places to eat), and I generally get rid of the bark(moisture wicks from end grain far faster anyway).
Cut to whatever size(+ an inch or so-to combat the checking that may happen), and then seal the endgrain(Anchorseal is great, but latex paint works well also). Stack the stuff evenly with spacer, and let dry...



Scott (kiln dried lumber is for houses) B

 

[Robert111]

Typically a kiln will 'pull color' from the piece.


I air dry all the blanks I have for sale, and maybe it's just me....but they look better(just can't push them out the door with the speed that the kiln-dryer can, sometime things just can't be rushed).




Scott (YMMV) B

+1
I've seen first hand the effect of kiln drying on claro walnut. Air dried it's gorgeous, but the kiln robs the piece of its color.

 

[MesquiteMan]

Curtis is correct, Pecan/Hickory(unless it's been laying on the ground for awhile-started to decay/spalt) won't lose that much color....it just doesn't have it to start with around here(just a typical creamy color board, just like pine). ERC/Black Walnut and any other wood with 'color' in it will look absolutely horrid after being loaded into a kiln(all washed out and blah).

Again, I have to disagree with you! Generalizations are hard to substantiate! For example...mesquite, which has lots of color, looks the same air dried or kiln dried.

 

[PTsideshow]

and then seal the endgrain(Anchorseal is great, but latex paint works well also)

Along those lines Has anybody used the acrylic latex additives for end coating of the rough cut wood.

Or a thinned down mix of a general all purpose use adhesive/sealer called Weldbond.
Weldbond is more than an adhesive. It's also a powerful universal primer for porous surfaces. It's a weatherproofer, dustproofer, hardener, and bonding agent. Just mix Weldbond with sawdust, grout, cement or plaster and be amazed at the tremendous strength it offers your repair work.

• Non-flammable, non-toxic & dries clear
• Unmatched as a primer for porous surfaces
• Highly water-resistant & impervious to petroleum, oil, grease, salt, moulds and fungi, alkali's & weak acids.
• Withstands all climatic conditions after curing
• Non-staining and will not become brittle with age
• Highly concentrated, can be mixed with water and used a a sealer for many surfaces.

Or even the acrylic latex cement additive sealer?

I have used weldbond for a large number of things and will be trying it out on the green wood I picked up today Don't thing it was an evergreen tree as was told looks more like some type of fruit tree from the bark. No matter as it is all practice wood, whether it is in drying and or turning.
Since I have bottles of both the Weld bond and two brands of concrete latex additive, I will try them both.
:clown:

 

[mdburn_em]

and then seal the endgrain(Anchorseal is great, but latex paint works well also)

Along those lines Has anybody used the acrylic latex additives for end coating of the rough cut wood.

Or a thinned down mix of a general all purpose use adhesive/sealer called Weldbond.
Weldbond is more than an adhesive. It's also a powerful universal primer for porous surfaces. It's a weatherproofer, dustproofer, hardener, and bonding agent. Just mix Weldbond with sawdust, grout, cement or plaster and be amazed at the tremendous strength it offers your repair work.

• Non-flammable, non-toxic & dries clear
• Unmatched as a primer for porous surfaces
• Highly water-resistant & impervious to petroleum, oil, grease, salt, moulds and fungi, alkali's & weak acids.
• Withstands all climatic conditions after curing
• Non-staining and will not become brittle with age
• Highly concentrated, can be mixed with water and used a a sealer for many surfaces.

Or even the acrylic latex cement additive sealer?

I have used weldbond for a large number of things and will be trying it out on the green wood I picked up today Don't thing it was an evergreen tree as was told looks more like some type of fruit tree from the bark. No matter as it is all practice wood, whether it is in drying and or turning.
Since I have bottles of both the Weld bond and two brands of concrete latex additive, I will try them both.
:clown:

Glen,
Your questions are welcome but you should start your own post rather than hijacking someone else's.

I have not used a kiln for pen blanks.

I have cut, stacked and stickered quite a few pen blank. If I need some dried quickly, I use the microwave.

Left to dry on their own they do dry quickly. If you have weight on them and are stickered, there is very little movement as well.

 

[MesquiteMan]

Glen,
Your questions are welcome but you should start your own post rather than hijacking someone else's.

Moderator's Note: IAP does not have a rule or policy against "hijacking" a thread. Remember, once a thread is submitted to IAP, it becomes the property of IAP and thus the community. Therefore, members are allowed to post whatever they want as long as it follows the AUP and TOS.

Curtis O. Seebeck
IAP Head Moderator

 

[bastallard]

"if you have weight on them and are stickered" I don't understand this.

 

[Polarys425]

Glen,
Your questions are welcome but you should start your own post rather than hijacking someone else's.

I have not used a kiln for pen blanks.

I have cut, stacked and stickered quite a few pen blank. If I need some dried quickly, I use the microwave.

Left to dry on their own they do dry quickly. If you have weight on them and are stickered, there is very little movement as well.

I for one don't see it as hijack, but rather continued discussion on drying pen blanks.

 

[PenMan1]

Generally, I can't really tell any difference between air dried blanks and kiln dried blanks. With every rule there are always exceptions. But, if you laid out 10 blanks from the same board and ask me to seperate the air dried ones from the kiln dried ones, I'm sure I could not.

 

[mdburn_em]

It is evident that I stepped over the line and I sincerely apologize.

Wood moves when it dries. It twists, warps, bends, etc.

Stickers are dried pieces of wood used to place the wet wood on. They need to be relatively uniform in thickness and you don't want them to be a species of wood that that will leach into the wet and drying pieces. Discoloration can definitely occur.

So, you will have a couple rows of stickers maybe 3 depending on how long the pieces are you want to dry. You will lay the stickers out parallel to each other. Then you place the drying wood on top of the stickers with space in between them. Maybe 1/2 to 1 inch between each blank. You need air to move between them. Above, below and through.

Once you have the stack built, then put more stickers on top and a piece of plywood. I place a cinder block on top of the whole stack to add weight. Weight is to retard the bending and twisting of the wood when it dries. Place enough weight that the wood is Forced to dry straight.

For air drying boards, the rule of thumb is it takes one year to dry one inch of board. Since the maximum size of your pen blank will be 1 inch square, that rule will be significantly reduced. Mine dry in about a month. If I want to help them along, I drill them so they dry from the inside and outside.

As I mentioned before, you can boil the moisture out by placing them in the microwave. 30 seconds at a time until they stop losing weight. (Don't want to over-cook your blanks.)