Blog

Kiln drying plays a pivotal role in enhancing the quality and durability of wood slabs used in various woodworking projects. Today, we'll delve into five important reasons why kiln drying is essential for wood slabs, highlighting the benefits it brings to craftsmen and distributors. 

Improved Stability and Reduced Defects

Kiln drying significantly minimizes moisture content within wood slabs, resulting in improved dimensional stability. This reduction in moisture helps to prevent common issues like warping, splitting, and cracking. By ensuring uniform moisture levels, kiln drying provides a solid foundation for creating structurally sound wood slabs that maintain their original shape over time.

Faster Drying Time

Traditional air drying methods can be time-consuming, subjecting wood slabs to variable weather conditions. Kiln drying expedites the process by utilizing controlled temperature and humidity settings. This accelerated drying time enables woodworkers to access ready-to-use slabs more quickly, boosting overall production efficiency.

Pest and Microbial Control

Kiln drying not only removes excess moisture but also eliminates harmful pests, insects, and microbes that may reside within the wood. The controlled drying environment reaches temperatures that effectively eradicate these potential threats, ensuring the final wood slabs are safe, clean, and hygienic for indoor use.

Enhanced Workability and Finish

Properly kiln-dried wood slabs boast a consistent moisture content, making them easier to work with using tools like saws, chisels, and routers. Additionally, kiln-dried wood provides an ideal surface for applying finishes, stains, and coatings. The reduced moisture content prevents blotching, ensuring a smooth and even finish, ultimately enhancing the aesthetic appeal of your projects.

Longevity and Quality Assurance

Wood slabs that undergo kiln drying are inherently more durable and less susceptible to decay. By removing excess moisture, the growth of fungi and bacteria is inhibited, extending the lifespan of the wood. This longevity contributes to the creation of high-quality furniture, flooring, and other wood-based items that withstand the test of time.

In conclusion, incorporating kiln drying into your woodworking process is a smart choice that brings numerous benefits to the table. From increased stability and minimized defects to expedited drying times and enhanced workability, kiln drying ensures your wood slabs meet the highest standards of quality and durability. Embrace this advanced technique to create exceptional wood products that stand out in craftsmanship and performance.

See us talk more about it from Outdoors with the Morgan's Youtube Video 

Below are several audible books that I have listened to while either sanding, flattening, or just cutting my grass.

1. Boss Life - Paul Downs - https://amzn.to/3Ai0vwd
It was refreshing to hear the story of someone that struggled to find their niche, but once found, hit the ground running. Not everything we do is fun, but you're not alone and not the first to go through something. Listen to Paul describe day to day life and report his earnings through various deals he makes while maintaining a family life at home.

 

2. The Pumpkin Plan - Mike Michalowicz - https://amzn.to/3rCYw1F
This book gave me inspiration to continue to grow and convinced us to niche down. We have since opened a custom kiln drying service and are expanding to slab flattening at a more efficient level than your traditional hobbyist.

 

3. Superfans - Pat Flynn - https://amzn.to/3AkPASo
Kiln drying, sawmilling, wood sales, and flab flattening are all great businesses that require repeat customers. Bringing on new customers is always nice, but there is a lot of education that goes into it. Having superfans to pave the way to onboard new clients is always a great thing to have in this industry.

 

4. Your Next Five Moves - Patrick Bet-David - https://amzn.to/3KyBqlq
Being an entrepreneur is a chess game; not checkers. You should always be planning your next several moves to stay ahead of the competition and provide beneficial services to your clients. Patrick Bet-David does a fantastic job laying strategies to help you figure out your roadmap for your business model.

 

5. Rich Dad Poor Dad - Robert Kyosaki - https://amzn.to/3AoBuj4
If you're like me, you had heard of this book, but never read it. I've now listened to this book 3 times and have moved onto his other books to have a better understanding of our finances and where we want to be with our investments. This book will change your views on money, investing, and business in general if you're just starting out. 

 

Milling lumber is basically taking a piece of a tree and making it into something beautiful. The process does take a bit of time and finesse. I buy almost all of my lumber in the rough from a local farmer.

 

Buying local is a great way to save some money and help stimulate the local economy! My friend is also a veteran, so that increases my eagerness to support him and his business.

Once the lumber has had the proper amount of time to acclimate to my shop, I then will start to break it down for a project. If the board is really long, or just too large for the miter saw, my tool of choice is the jig saw.

Next up is the work on the jointer and planer. I found my jointer on craigslist and all it really needed was new blades. Before we fire up the tool and start using it, let’s understand a little bit more about how it works.

There are many videos on YouTube explaining this topic, so I won’t reinvent the wheel here. I’ll let Matt Cremona explain it for us.

 

Now, on to the planer. The goal here is to make the opposite face of the board we jointed, flat and parallel to the first face.

Once complete, I’ll finish squaring the board at the table saw.

Now it’s ready to either be finished as the picture above, or it’s ready to be added into the project. Either way, this is how I do it and I hope you enjoyed my guide to milling lumber.

This post contains amazon affiliate links.

We use the Oramask 813 for any work where we'll be painting the carves we do, but don't want the hassle of all that sanding after the carving has completed. This product has eliminated 30-45 minutes out of our production times. This is enormous for a smaller shop like ours. 

We've included an amazon affiliate link to the product below. Make sure to order from Swing Design as we have had zero issues with bubbling from their product. All of the reviews referencing application issues were bought from other suppliers, it seems.

Oracal ORAMASK 813 Stencil Film 12 Inch x 6 Foot Roll

We apply our with this roller:

 

Rubber Brayer Roller

--------------------------------------------------------

Here's how we use it:

First, cut the sheet to rough size. If you have leftovers, save them for another project to conserve material. Like my whiskey, I tend to apply/pour with a heavy hand!

If you peel the grid back like I did above, it'll make for a much smoother application. This is especially true when using a roller.

Next, I've trimmed the excess off for a cleaner application. This makes it easier to align on the XCarve.

The next few pictures are going to take you through pre-carve, rough pass, and then detailed pass.

For the finishing pass, we use the Amana Tool RC-1148:

After the detailed pass, we hit it with this Rustoleum spray shellac.

It's best to let this dry. We typically wait 2 hours, but your mileage may vary.

Now is the fun part! We'll decide what color to paint which parts:

The next steps are to peel the Oramask away, sand to 220 and then apply finish. We prefer Sam Maloof Poly/Oil mix.

Make sure to wipe it on thoroughly to both sides and then wipe the excess off. 

Here are some shots of the final product:

Happy DIYing!!