JD
I just take the "more is better" approach to the issue, which is another way
of saying I prefer to rough a bowl rather than finish turn. So I have a
stack of stuff that is every where from a couple of months to a few years
old on the drying stacks. By the time I get around to finish turning a bowl
blank, I has been on the shelf for at least a year so I figure it is as dry
as it will get. For a hobby turner like me, a hundred bowls or so ahead will
make sure I have a dry blank or three just waiting.
--
God bless and safe turning
Darrell Feltmate
Truro, NS Canada
www.aroundthewoods.com
"Kevin Miller" wrote in message
...
JD wrote:
First, I don't own a moisture meter (haven't justified the purchase
yet). I was wandering, if my house is mainatained at 40% humidity, and
my garage is at from 50-60% humidity, how do I know when my bowls are
dry enough to finish? If I finish the bowls that have reached
equilibrium in my garage, they warp when I take them into the house. I
recently converted a refrigerator into a kiln and I'm measuring the
humidity in the refrigerator to try to establish a point at which I
think the bowls are dry. If I dry them to 40% humidity, shouldn't that
stop most of the movement I get when I take them into the house?
The kiln appears to be working well. No cracks. Humidity has dropped
from 85% to 70% since March 10 (this might be a little fast). I'm
using light bulbs on a thermostat to control the heat. Humidity is
being controlled via vents in the refrigerator (still learning how to
adjust these). I've tried to search the web for some information about
how long, how hot, how much ventilation, etc. I'm finding a mixed bag
of information (most are dealing with large commercial type kilns).
Any information you might provide would be appreciated.
See http://www.alaska.net/~atftb/moisture.htm, and download the Excel
spreadsheet on that page. It'll help you determine the target temp and
humidity level to get your wood to a given EMC point.
HTH...
...Kevin
--
Kevin Miller
http://www.alaska.net/~atftb
Juneau, Alaska
Registered Linux User No: 307357