Wood is a very popular material that is used in the construction of houses and as decorative elements. But in order to use wood, it must be properly prepared. To do this, dry the wood. Home conditions allow you to do this. But you should know certain rules. How to quickly dry wood at home? Consider in our today's article.
Features
Only dry wood can be used in construction. The main problem is that this material not only contains a lot of moisture initially, but also absorbs it well further. If you take wet wood for construction, then over time it will dry out. Structural shrinkage will occur. Wet boards are significantly deformed, and cracks appear on the surface. The structure becomes less durable. The larger the trunk, the slower thedrying wood at home. For example, an oak plank dries out in seven years.
You need to understand that during this period, moisture evaporates from the surface, but the inner parts dry much more slowly. Therefore, the use of means to accelerate drying becomes relevant.
Steps
This operation is performed in several stages:
- First, the wood is brought to the moisture level required for atmospheric drying.
- Followed by final drying. If the tree is to be used outdoors, the moisture content of the material should be between 12 and 18%. It is usually sufficient to carry out drying under atmospheric conditions. When using finishing material inside the house, the humidity level should not exceed 10%.
How to determine the exact moisture level of the material when drying wood at home? For this, a special moisture meter is used.
The cost of such a device is from 2.5 thousand rubles. This device allows you to accurately determine the percentage of drying. Some determine this by eye, but experts do not recommend doing this. We also note that wet wood shavings are compressed when squeezed in the hand, and dry wood chips break.
Dry under atmospheric conditions
How to dry wood at home? To do this, you first need to free the site, clean the soil and make good drainage around the perimeter. All chips are removed from the siteand debris to eliminate the possibility of rotting material. Next, the workpiece is laid on a special flooring of poles. The first row is formed with a slight slope, after which it is covered with dry boards. Then the second row is formed, the third and so on. From above, the material is also protected by boards so that after rain the material does not absorb moisture again.
If these are logs for the house, you need to dry the wood without removing the bark. The latter will be an excellent protection against cracking. When dried, such material retains its integrity and does not lose quality. Experts recommend treating the ends of the logs with liquid glue or a solution of table s alt. Alternatively, a s alt solution can be used. This will prevent the wood from rotting. But the upper edges are still sure to protect from precipitation.
Is it effective? Thanks to atmospheric drying of wood at home, up to 75% of moisture can be removed. This is a very good result. But the duration of the process will depend on weather conditions and the type of wood itself. If it is deciduous and coniferous, it takes up to two years to dry. Hard varieties of larch dry twice as long. But on average, a tree dries up by one centimeter per year. Since wood drying is a lengthy process, it must be started long before construction begins. But if you need to dry a couple of boards, everything is much simpler. It is not necessary to prepare the site. It is enough to put the material on the balcony or attic. The main thing is that the room is well lit by the sun. Well, if it's very smallproducts, you can use a microwave oven.
Self-drying methods
Methods can be very different. For example, some use drying with newspapers. But this method is only suitable for small volumes. So, the material is wrapped with a dry newspaper, and then in a plastic bag. After 8 hours, the film is unrolled and the newspaper is changed to a new one. To dry the material, you need to repeat this procedure about five times. But it all depends on the type of wood. Too many newspapers should not be used. Boards may crack. It is also recommended to wrap the film tightly so that air does not penetrate inside.
Straw
Another option is to dry wood at home with straw. So, the boards are laid with dry straw and laid under a canopy. In the absence of such material, dry sawdust can be used. There is no need to replace straw or sawdust daily.
Digestion
Drying wood at home in this way is one of the most effective methods. But it is suitable for relatively small pieces of wood. What is its essence? The material is placed in a large container with water. Next, the container is placed on the stove and the boards are boiled for three hours. Then they are laid out in an open space, where they are dried. This method allows you to remove natural moisture. You also need to make sure that the room in which the drying is performed is not too damp.
Expert Tips
It must be understood that the drying timematerial will depend on which breed is used. For example, oak is processed for a very long time. Some rocks may crack when dried. This only worsens the quality of the surface. Therefore, if you are not confident in your abilities, it is better to immediately purchase ready-made, dry wood.
Experts recommend using two methods:
- The log is skinned along the middle part, but the bark is left at the ends. The width of the tape is about 10 centimeters.
- The bark is not removed, but cuts are made across the trunk (in order to provide oxygen access). The bark is not cut lengthwise. In this case, it serves as a tightening collar.
You also need to know which breeds respond to the drying process and which do not:
- Birch, poplar, alder, linden and aspen are not deformed during this process. For the entire period of processing, the surface remains high-quality and even.
- Larch, fir, cedar, pine and spruce crack to a small extent. At the same time, these materials are often used for construction, as they have all the necessary characteristics. These are durable woods with a pleasant aroma and are able to withstand heavy loads.
- Maple, beech, hornbeam and ash crack significantly during drying. Therefore, when buying, it is worth giving preference to ready-made, dried boards. They have been processed at the factory according to technology. Drying wood at home will not work quickly. In addition, the material can be easily damaged.
Drying wood inmicrowave at home
Consider another method of drying the material. If you need to process a product of a small volume in a short time, a microwave oven is quite suitable. Almost everyone in the house has such equipment. In addition, it does not need additional preparation. Drying is pretty fast. How it's done:
- The workpiece is pre-weighed.
- They take the product and put it in the microwave.
- Set the defrost mode for one minute. The larger the diameter of the product, the longer it must be processed.
- After a minute, you need to remove the workpiece from the microwave.
- The product is wrapped in a newspaper or a plastic bag with a hole.
- After the blank has cooled down (it takes about 30 minutes), it is removed from the newspaper or bag.
Then the workpiece is weighed again. If the result is insufficient, you can repeat this procedure again. By the way, in the last drying cycles, little moisture evaporates in the material, so it is not necessary to wrap it in a newspaper or in a bag. The number of cycles can be different - from two to twenty. It all depends on the type of wood and its original condition. If the plate does not rotate in the microwave, it is recommended to rotate the workpiece 90 degrees with each cycle. This contributes to a more uniform heating of the product. This completes the procedure for drying wood in the microwave. This method is perfect for those who do not want to spend a lot of time and who need to process a small product.
How is drying done in this oven? When the workpiece is in the microwave, moisture absorbs the energy of microwave electromagnetic oscillations. This releases heat. The wood itself begins to warm up from the inside. Thus, only the wettest parts of the material are heated. This contributes to uniform and high-quality drying. By the way, the less moisture in the material, the lower its temperature after processing. This protects the workpiece from the risk of cracking.
Conclusion
So we figured out how wood is dried. As you can see, the methods can be different, including the result. You need to know which breeds are not afraid of drying, and which crack. It should also be remembered that during this process the material not only loses weight, but also volume. When it comes to drying in a microwave oven, it is not recommended to process an already finished product here. This should be a blank.
