microwave drying question

Re: microwave drying question

Carole in VA

>Go to the BP Articles and Reviews. Check out Dave Smith's article on alcohol drying. That's what I (and many others) sometimes use and so far I have had very good results. Of course if you are too impatient even for that, nuke 'em or buy dry wood. :)

Re: microwave drying question *LINK*

Rubberhook

>I think you ment WC Articals Carol! Here it is.


http://www.woodcentral.com/cgi-bin/readarticle.pl?dir=turning&file=articles_473.shtml

Re: microwave drying question

Carole in VA

>My bad! It is the WC section. Was thinking it was in the same one as "From log to lathe" Thanks!

Re: microwave drying question

Jim Rutten

>Here's an article by Rex Haslip on Microwave drying:

http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~rhaslip/Rex/workshop/microwave/microwav.htm

Re: microwave drying question

Ric Taylor

>Here's how I do it, a method that is the result of lessons learned. This is not an instant drying method, like other good things in life it does take time.

Keep in mind that you must use the microwave in short bursts or the wood almost certainly will crack, and it might catch on fire. You need a microwave that has a defrost mode. The defrost mode works in cycles...... it nukes for about 10 seconds then pauses for about 30 seconds, then repeats the cycle over and over(the numbers on your microwave may vary, but you get the idea).

Place your wood in a paper grocery bag then put the bag in the microwave. Run the defrost cycle for about 5 minutes, or maybe 6 (no more or you might get a fire). Take the bag out (you may feel dampness in the bag and the wood might be too hot to hold..... if it is hot, reduce the cycle time) and let it cool for an hour. Do it again and let it cool again. Do this about 5 times a day for a couple of weeks and your wood should be dry and hopefully without cracks. Apologize to your significant other.

Note: I haven't tried this on large pieces, they will require some experimentation. You can put several small pieces in the bag at the same time.

Ric

Re: microwave drying question

bill Crommett in seneca

>Another tip: Cover up most of the vent holes in the microwave to prevent too much moisture frome leaving too soon. This is the basic function of a comercial dry kiln -- CONTROLLED MOISTURE RELEASE !