Did you just chop your own lumber and found a stack of greenwood? That might not have been what you were expecting. However, if you’ve run into this problem – there are many ways to solve it. In the dry wood tips and tricks, this guide has will make you super confident to whip out that benchtop band saw for wood and use it while working on your next project! Wet wood is full of moisture and can’t be worked with. Even if you end up working on wet wood, you will not quite get the outcome that you expected. Instead of working hard on a project and not getting the results you desire, it is a great idea to take some time to dry the wood.
Learn how to dry wood fast for woodworking at home! If you’re a beginner in woodworking, you might have a lot of questions. How exactly can I dry the wood? Will I have to wait for a long time? How can I get great results even if I start off by using green wood? Etc. It’s totally fine to have these questions. This dry wood guide is here to answer all of them! You will feel a lot more confident by the end of it and know exactly what steps to take for drying your wood fast.
Is it important to dry the wood before starting a project?
Yes, it’s quite important to carry out a process to dry the wood. This will give you flawless results – even if the project is just something small like a bench or huge like constructing your whole porch. However, the technical part is always about finding an effective method – this will depend on the size and thickness of your lumber. There are so many different options out there – you need to pick one which will prevent too much shrinkage and work out perfectly.
Furthermore, it is totally possible to work on a project without drying the wood. However, the results are not very promising or excellent in the slightest. It might even damage your other tools.
What is the traditional method of drying wood, and is it fast?
The traditional method of during mood is known as the “kilns method.” It is recommended to allow around a year of drying time per inch thickness of the wood. This method is mostly used for very thick lumber, which is full of moisture. A kiln is a huge room that is used to control the humidity, temperature, and airflow while drying the wood. It can be very useful to maintain and control the moisture of the wood.
So, what are the most effective ways of drying the wood fast?
Using a kiln might be a traditional method, but it is definitely not a fast method. If you need to start working on your project right away, you can follow these methods to get rid of the greenwood faster.
a) Do it indoors
Do you have an extra room with a heating system in your house? Maybe your garage has a heating system and is free most of the time. You just need to find a warm and dry place to store your woods until they’re dry. This can work really well for houses that are not humid or wet. Alright, if you don’t own a garage heating system, investing in a garage heater is going to change your life when it comes to woodworking! It will dry your woods super-fast and will be a very effective method. This will also protect your wood from extreme weather.
b) Dry, Windy, and Sunny Area
If there is no possible way for you to dry the wood indoors, choose an outdoor area that is dry. After all, you don’t want your wood to absorb moisture from any wet or humid areas. Take advantage of the most sun – a natural resource – by using the sunniest area on your patio for drying. Su light is definitely a huge bonus and will work very well for this. Moreover, a windy area would be ideal, as well. Why is that? The condensed moisture droplets due to the heat from the sun will fly away – thanks to the wind! What do you learn from this? Windy and sunny weather would be perfect for drying! So, check your forecast and choose a week that will work well for this plan.
c) Use a fan/ dehumidifier
Alright, so you don’t have any area indoors, and the sun doesn’t shine on your patio? No problem! Here’s another method that works really well. In comparison to all other techniques, this will definitely help speed up the process the most! Everyone is not blessed with windy weather in their area – that is why it’s super helpful to invest in a high volume air drying fan!
You can also choose to use a fan and dehumidifier at the same time. A dehumidifier will take away the moisture from the wood and speed up the drying process. Moreover, a fast fan will take away any moisture droplets still in the air. Isn’t this just an ideal combination? Well, wait until you try it for yourself!
d) Kiln Dry and Microwave method
It had already been mentioned above that kiln drying is not the fastest method. However, when it comes to small wood pieces, both of these methods are going to be super-fast and effective. If you’re working on a tiny project with small pieces of wood, this is a good option. However, most people use thicker pieces of lumber – which will take a long time to dry lumber using these two methods.
Conclusion
Does your mind feel at ease now? You will be able to use all of your favorite tools on the dried wood without having a fear of potentially damaging your precious tools. After all, who would want their expensive tools to be destroyed, right? These drying wood tips are going to help you out a lot – just make sure to not overdo the drying as it can lead to dehydration. Best of luck!
