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Custom Kiln Services
Custom Kiln Drying - Simply "the Best"
For Industrial / Wholesale Customers :
CWL's principal owner/manger earned a PhD in Wood Science and has many years of extensive experience in all phases of kiln drying almost every species of wood over many years. He is a nationally recognized expert in kiln drying.
Importance of Kiln Drying : Lumber that is kiln dried ( KD)is more stable, which is why we sell KD Cypress that is dried down to a moisture content of 12 % to 14%. Fresh cut cypress can have a moisture content of 65 % or even higher. As lumber dries, the moisture content drops and shrinkage occurs. We kiln dry Cypress under controlled conditions in professionally engineered and constructed dry kilns, so the shrinkage occurs before the wood is processed into a finished product. The result is wood that does not give problems after installation.
Basics of Kiln Drying : Above 25 % m.c. wood has what is known as free water in the cell cavities, and in drying, that is the first water to be removed. When all the free water has been removed the wood is then at the "fiber saturation point", meaning the only water left in the wood is water that is bound up between the cellulose fibers of the wood. This water is called bound water, with the fibers still fully saturated. When you begin removing bound water and the m.c. drops below 25 %, the wood begins shrinking. This applies to all species of wood, not just cypress. Wood will shrink during drying until the wood reaches about 10 % to 12 %, which is our target for kiln drying Cypress. Be assured, kiln dried Cypress we sell is pre-shrunk and ready for service.
Potential Problems with Air Dried Cypress : There is no true definition of the moisture content of air dried lumber. Some producers state that their cypress is air-dried down to 16 % moisture content, but because air drying is not done under controlled conditions in a kiln, the moisture content varies considerably from board to board. This high moisture level and the inconsistent variation inherent in air-dried lumber often results in stability problems such as warping and movement of joints after such lumber is installed. Beware : Cypress that is not kiln dried will probably continue to lose moisture and shrink when installed in a home or business.
Kiln Drying Cypress Beams : We get regular requests for Cypress Beams that have been kiln dried, and we offer this service in truck load quantities. We have this capability, plus the expertise and experience in kiln drying beams. Because so few firms have the capability to kiln dry beams, the industry practice is to sell Cypress beams rough green.
Theory of Kiln Drying : For every species of wood there exists a level of moisture that can be safely removed every day without damaging the wood and its cell structure. We understand this rule of nature and apply it to the practice of kiln drying to achieve excellent results. Factually, kiln schedules vary :
- According to species and density of wood
- According to inbound moisture content
- According to thickness of the wood
- According to the type of kiln and fuel
Kiln drying lumber is a complex operation, the success of which depends on knowledge and expertise gained by years of experience.
- We manage our kilns the "old fashioned" way.
- We place moisture samples in each kiln and take daily readings.
- We equalize and condition as long as necessary.
Three Hardwood Dry Kilns with 190,000 BF of capacity on a 4/4 basis.
We specialize in :
- Drying " Hard to Dry" hardwoods such as dense imports
- Correcting drying mistakes of others. For example, if you have lumber that has been kiln dried but still has a wide range of moisture, we may be able to equalize the moisture so that most of the lumber will be usable. An example of our success is demonstrated by ten container loads of a dense 8/4 imported wood that arrived from overseas to a California port with moisture content varying from 8% to 35 %. The loads were shipped to CWL and after we "fixed" the lumber it was 90 % usable.
Contact us for Rates for Kiln Drying and Other Services.
For Retail Customers
We will kiln dry small volumes of wood ( such as 1,000 BF) for retail customers when we can accommodate them. Due to our large size kilns and the cost of heating them, we only accept small volumes of lumber for custom kiln drying when we can fit such wood in with larger commercial kiln charges. Contact us with your needs and we will attempt to assist you.
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