Drying wood is a mandatory step in the preparation of building material before processing. To prevent the logs from deforming in the sun during operation, they are thoroughly dried in special chambers. You can make such equipment at home, if you know the principle of its operation and the list of necessary materials. In our article, you will learn everything about how to make a wood dryer with your own hands, as well as a lot of other useful information that will come in handy for the home.
Why is it important to dry wood?
This question is asked by many novice builders when faced with the need to process building material before use. If you decide to make a mini wood dryer at home with your own hands, then yoube sure to familiarize yourself with the following theoretical information, which will not make you give up in case of the slightest failure.
So, furniture made from damp wood will soon deform, dry out and crack. If during the construction process a material is used that has not been dried in advance, then raw beams will eventually lead the structure to the side, and cracks will appear on the walls of wood, about a palm wide. We should not forget that damp wood can grow mold: this is why it is important to dry the wood before using it for construction.
How does wood dry?
Have you ever made your own clothes dryer out of wood? If yes, then you most likely know very well how it works. Drying of linen happens by means of hot steam or air which moves in a wooden box. This process is considered quite lengthy, as one stream of hot air replaces another, but as a result, you get not only clean, but also dried clothes.
Almost exactly the same drying phase occurs with wood. In order for lumber to be stored longer and not lose its properties as a result of operation, it must be treated with hot air. The heat source in this case can be very different, but in most cases the principle is the same. Hot air from the combustible fuel penetrates into the compartment with wood and dries it, and excess moisture leaves the container with the help ofhoods.
What to consider when building a dryer?
To make it easier to understand how to make a wood dryer with your own hands, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the main wood drying modes that are used in modern dryers. There are quite a lot of them, since wood of various species needs special processing. When choosing a material, the following factors must be considered:
- Indicator of starting and final humidity;
- quality category of raw materials used;
- wood dryer features;
- dimensions of lumber;
- wood species.
If we classify wood dryers by type of processing, they can be low temperature or high temperature. In the first case, the primary operation is carried out at an air temperature that does not exceed 100 degrees Celsius.
Low or high temperature for drying?
It should be understood that the answer will directly depend on the type of wood that you want to use for drying. Some building materials are best treated gradually at low temperatures, while others are treated as quickly as possible. Also, do not forget that low-temperature regimes can be divided into the following categories:
- forced - the material becomes brittle, the color darkens significantly;
- normal - the strength of the wood is slightly reduced, the color changes;
- soft - the tree fully retains itsproperties and does not change color.
Each of these categories fits a specific occasion. For example, for decorating walls it is not at all necessary to use wood with good strength, but its color is of great importance. But for load-bearing beams, it is best to use wood that has passed the stage of soft processing, otherwise the whole structure will simply collapse.
But high-temperature processing is characterized by two stages of drying. The first stage is characterized by a decrease in the moisture content of the feedstock to 20%, after which the wood cools down properly and undergoes heat treatment again, but already to an indicator from zero to five percent. This technology is most often used in the construction of secondary structures that are not of particular importance in the economy.
Two types of dryers
DIY wood dryer for home can be made with various prefabricated metal or high quality building materials. In the first case, you will be able to produce the structure in the shortest possible time without spending most of the budget on the purchase of expensive materials.
However, if you decide to build a brick dryer, then its service life will be measured in years, and in addition, such equipment forgives the beginner for all the mistakes that he will make in the learning process. That is, if you overdo it with the temperature, then the wood inside, of course, will burn, but the refractory brick will withstand such heat without problems. However, thin sheets of metal can quickly become hot and deform. Onlyimagine how much more time it will take to fix the dryer.
Which heat source to choose?
Decided to make infrared wood dryers with your own hands? Are you sure that this is the best option for this design? It might be a good idea to start by looking at the main heat sources used in wood dryers:
- hot steam - next to the dryer is a container of water that heats up;
- hot smoke - there is a wood-burning stove near the structure;
- electric current - electric charges pass well through wet wood;
- radiant heat - supplied by special heating devices;
- heated pipes - heat is lost from hot water pipes.
Today, it has also become quite common to use a high-frequency electromagnetic field as a power source for a dryer, however, it will be extremely difficult to implement such a method at home, so we did not mention it in the main list, but keep it in mind.
Main and optional equipment
Decided to build a vacuum wood dryer at home with your own hands? Do you know what elements this device consists of? Any wood dryer should be equipped with the following items to make it work:
- supply and exhaust type ventilation;
- heat source;
- moisture source.
But for the vacuum dryer, special equipment is also used, which pumps out all the oxygen from the chamber. In addition, many machines of this type can also be equipped with the following items: stacking carts, electric drive, psychometric equipment, door and wall insulation, and so on.
Drawings for wood dryer
To make a do-it-yourself wood dryer from a container, it is recommended that you first draw up competent drawings that will take into account all the elements of the future design, as well as the features of the site. The list below shows the four most important points to pay special attention to when drawing up drawings.
- Camera room - in our case, a container will be used.
- Heat source - it is best to give preference to a conventional wood-burning stove.
- Exhaust - a pipe with a fan will do, which sucks air in.
- Insulation - Styrofoam or glass wool is ideal.
Remember that the drawing is a very important step in the manufacture of any design. If you make even the slightest mistake, then you will have to redo the entire camera from scratch. Therefore, be extremely careful and write down all the calculations on paper, even if it seems to you that they will not be forgotten.
Aluminum wood dryer
If you decide to build a separate room for the dryer, we strongly recommend that you take a closer look at the aluminum option,since such a design will last a really long time, and it will not be difficult to build it. The frame is made of aluminum profile, after which sheets of metal are screwed on the outside. Also outside, the structure must be insulated so that the cold walls of aluminum do not lower the air temperature inside the dryer - this will save a significant amount on fuel. The thickness of the insulation must be at least 15 centimeters. Well, the floor must be covered with roofing felt, especially if you have a dryer on cold ground. As an additional insulation, a thick layer of wood shavings is sometimes poured under the roofing material and it is well compacted.
Mini thick metal dryer
Ideal for drying small boards or firewood for sale. The undoubted advantage is that the design practically does not take up space, however, very expensive materials will have to be used for its manufacture. The frame must be made of thick steel, as it will have to withstand loads of several tons.
Outside, sheets of metal with a thickness of at least 0.5 millimeters are attached. It is not necessary to insulate such a structure, and this can be very dangerous. It is best to place it in a garage or shed so that it does not fall under the influence of precipitation and winds. As for the heat source, in this case, you can use almost any option. For example, since we decided to make a compact design, we can putseveral steam generators inside. In this case, the equipment can also be used to dry clothes. In general, if you decide to make a dryer for wood or clothes with your own hands, then you should definitely take a closer look at this option.
Video and conclusion
We hope our article helped you figure out how to make a wood dryer with your own hands. If you still have some questions or the information provided seemed not enough for you, then we recommend that you watch a short video that tells how to make a dryer for boards in the attic for thirty dollars. The entire manufacturing process is described in great detail and clearly, so you can certainly learn a lot of useful information from the video.
As you can see, in order to make a wood dryer at home, it is not at all necessary to have any special skills. It will be enough to take a responsible approach to this process and draw up competent drawings so that you do not have to correct your own mistakes during the construction process. And what do you think about what else you can make a wood dryer at home? Perhaps you have already done similar work or have your own interesting thoughts about this? Share them with our readers.
