"spaco" wrote in message
.. .
I don't know the exact temp, but a commercial sawmill near me dries
basswood in about 7 days and oak in about 32. I used to test-dry small
pieces of wood ( 5 pounds) in our kitchen oven which had a standing pilot.
I was about 100 degrees in there. I would dry the piece, checking daily
until the weight didn't change anymore to get the actual weight of wood
with no moisture. For a 2 inch thick piece of white oak, it took a couple
of weeks to reach that point, so I don't think commercial kilns get too
much hotter than that. I have a friend who uses the upper 2 feet of his
shop walls for drying wood. He has shelves all the way around and stacks
and stickers his fresh wood there. He says in 6 weeks his wood is down to
the 8 to 11 percent moisture area. I'd guess that the temp up there isn't
even 100 degrees (10 foot ceiling) and he does turn the heat down at night.


It's not the heat, but the humidity. All you ever wanted to learn, should
you care to, at http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/ where you'll find, among other
things, The Wood Handbook,
http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fp.../fplgtr113.htm where
chapters 3 and seven will be a great help.