Food Dehydrator.

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Ken, I've used a microwave to dry pen blanks, but I just bought 200 pieces of Hickory 1.75x1.75x20 and I need to dry them FAST I'm cutting them in half and going to steal the old lady's dehydrator and see if I can get some handle blanks in them, I know it works with penblank size pieces, just took a few weeks, and a microwave does it in under an hour at nuking them for 30 intervals then cooling off for 5 minutes. our dehydrator is one from a TV infomercial it's about 5 or 6 years old, and still works,
 
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I use my dehydrator to dry blanks all the time. It is a 14" NESCO gardenmaster that I have had and used for 30 years. I like it because it has a temperature control, and I can turn the heat very low or even off to keep the paraffin on the ends of the blanks from melting. In a pinch, I can turn up the heat and dry fresh cut 3/4" blanks in about 2 days. Without heat it takes about a week, but I don't get the twisting and cracking I can get with the speed drying.
 
The microwave works well. One word of caution, if you use reclaimed wood, make sure that you pass the metal detector over the wood before popping it in the microwave. DAMHIKT:)
 
bitshird said:
Ken, I've used a microwave to dry pen blanks, but I just bought 200 pieces of Hickory 1.75x1.75x20 and I need to dry them FAST I'm cutting them in half and going to steal the old lady's dehydrator and see if I can get some handle blanks in them, I know it works with penblank size pieces, just took a few weeks, and a microwave does it in under an hour at nuking them for 30 intervals then cooling off for 5 minutes. our dehydrator is one from a TV infomercial it's about 5 or 6 years old, and still works,
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I cut lots of camphor, cedar and citrus woods. They all are highly aromatic. Does drying them in the microwave leave a residue odor that would affect food placed in the microwave after using it for wood I want to avoid World War 3 with SWMBO.
 
I cannot find proof of this but I think that I read on here where someone stated that you should not use a microwave for food once you have dried wood in it. I could be wrong, I wish that I could find that post.
 
I have used a food dehydrator to dry a couple hundred or more blanks. Just be sure it has a blower and you rotate the trays from top to bottom every 8 hrs or so.
Cant really remember the name Probably Ronco We had it for 25 years or more.
 
Longfellow said:
bitshird said:
Ken, I've used a microwave to dry pen blanks, but I just bought 200 pieces of Hickory 1.75x1.75x20 and I need to dry them FAST I'm cutting them in half and going to steal the old lady's dehydrator and see if I can get some handle blanks in them, I know it works with penblank size pieces, just took a few weeks, and a microwave does it in under an hour at nuking them for 30 intervals then cooling off for 5 minutes. our dehydrator is one from a TV infomercial it's about 5 or 6 years old, and still works,
Click to expand...

I cut lots of camphor, cedar and citrus woods. They all are highly aromatic. Does drying them in the microwave leave a residue odor that would affect food placed in the microwave after using it for wood I want to avoid World War 3 with SWMBO.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't recommend using the household microwave for wood - especially if you're trying to avoid a nuclear conflict with SWMBO... if you do burn wood... (see my last post) the smoke smell stays in the MW for a looooong time... I bought an older model Montgomery Wards from a local goodwill type store for about $20... exclusively for my shop.
 
nava1uni said:
I got my microwave off of Craigs List for free. Works well, it is an older and thus bigger one. Holds a lot.
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My wife manages the Thrift store for her church. I told her I want the next dehydrator and microwave that are donated to the store, She is the one who prices the items for sale. I get a family discount. Thanks for all the great reapnses.
 
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