Author Topic: New container for drying (Read 36045 times)

Frank Pender - AKA "Tail Gunner" · « **on:** January 24, 2009, 09:38:01 PM »

I just made a deal for a new container for drying lumber. The unit is a 41' stainless steel refer container. Some of the items I am needing are another hot water heat exchanger, some 5' or 6' rollers that are 3" to 4" in diameter.

Stephen Wiley · « **Reply #1 on:** January 25, 2009, 02:07:54 AM »

Where you going to put it..........next to the other?

Your just having to much fun...

Frank Pender - AKA "Tail Gunner" · « **Reply #2 on:** January 25, 2009, 09:20:44 AM »

Very close to the other. I will be moving the chopsaw system and setting it in that spot.

Stevem · « **Reply #3 on:** January 25, 2009, 10:38:45 AM »

Is that a New van or new to you Frank?

Frank Pender - AKA "Tail Gunner" · « **Reply #4 on:** January 25, 2009, 11:30:11 AM »

New to me, Steve. It will be a couple months before I have it delivered.

JP Sinclair · « **Reply #5 on:** February 10, 2009, 03:38:40 PM »

A local guy here uses a similar setup for kiln drying 1/2 cord baskets of firewood. Guy does very well in the last 1/3 of winter when everyone runs out of seasoned wood!

Frank Pender - AKA "Tail Gunner" · « **Reply #6 on:** February 10, 2009, 05:37:40 PM »

Good idea, JP. If lumber drying gets slow, I can start drying firewood. Right now, I am at I am at least 6 months out on getting everything dryed for folks. Do you know what the baskets look like and all?

mike p · « **Reply #7 on:** July 09, 2009, 04:49:49 PM »

so frank how do you load the insulated (truck boxes) kiln units, ?
dont they only have an 8' door.
sounds like a lot of hand work or have you got RR iron tracks for carts ?

Frank Pender - AKA "Tail Gunner" · « **Reply #8 on:** July 09, 2009, 09:39:13 PM »

MIke, I have to dollies that I pull and push into the unit. I load with 8' extensions onto my loader forks. I have refrained from cutting anymore lumber for the kiln, that is over 10' long, tomake loading easier. I place the load on the dollie, to the desired height and pull the first one into the trailer. The process for the second dollie, only I push it in to meet the first load. Each dollie is 54" wide and 9' long; while the units of lumber stay at 4' and up to 10' long.

My intent is to do the same for the second drying unit, when I get it delivered. It will be a 41' sea going refer container. I will need 4 9' dollies for the second dryer.

Carl Middleton · « **Reply #9 on:** July 15, 2009, 07:37:00 PM »

Frank Are you using any fans in the comtainers? Or just heat

mike p · « **Reply #10 on:** July 16, 2009, 03:04:48 PM »

SO YOUR SET UP MUST BE SIMALAR TO THE WOODMIZER CONTAUINER (OPS SORRY) kit kiln they have in R&D, i talked to scott at woodmizer in new york in R&D about it. un fortuntly its not going to production at this time.
im thinking real seresous about getting a refer insulated truck box to make a kiln to get up & running
wood appreacite any info on yours frank
buy the way what size water heat exchanger do you need
as i might have what you need i need to go & look at them & measure.
pictures are a problem as im on the libary computer as our satlite dish appears to be hit by lighting
the comp still works so were on a waiting list for hughes net repair

Frank Pender - AKA "Tail Gunner" · « **Reply #11 on:** July 18, 2009, 04:11:42 PM »

I have six 24" box fans, moving the air around. Plus there is a fan for the exchanger. thanks on the offer for exchasngers. I believe I just got 4 large units from the husband of one of my students form 35 years ago. They came by looking for some lumber and I gave them asbout 500 board feet of Douglas Fir for form material. My heating unit is a Taylor how water furnace. The jacket around the firebox hold 475 gallons of water. This unit could easily heat 10 40' refer containers, without any problem.

mike p · « **Reply #12 on:** July 19, 2009, 03:34:31 PM »

im thinking about useing a semi truck's insulated trailer as the container & useing hot water for the heat so how do you know what the right amount of exchanger is as i have 6 small ones with no btu rating. they all have there own explosion proof (sealed) fans mounted on them .

they were orignaly used with steam & have what looks like 1 1/4" pipe conectors, the large one says if used with hot water its rating is 68,000 btu's

Frank Pender - AKA "Tail Gunner" · « **Reply #13 on:** July 19, 2009, 10:37:07 PM »

How large of a unit are you considering? I would think that two would be more than enough to do the job. Split the difference from each end should do the trick, with plenty of fans to move the air through the wood.

mike p · « **Reply #14 on:** July 20, 2009, 05:28:03 AM »

im thinking 24' or longer but it will depend on what deal i can find on box
was concedering haveing loading tracks close to mill & run them in to shop for un loading , havent decided yet

Frank Pender - AKA "Tail Gunner" · « **Reply #15 on:** August 07, 2009, 08:34:34 AM »

Container should be delivered in about two weeks. I also found three hot water heat eschangers, from a food processing plant in Salem (about 15 miles away). From the same place I got 350 cross arms for pallet racks and about 50 upright supports for same. I will be using them for dollies to roll the lumber in and out of the additonal kiln unit. I am still looking for some kind of rollers or wheels for the dollies. Any ideas?

mike p · « **Reply #16 on:** August 08, 2009, 11:43:49 AM »

www.surpluscenter.com
they got lots of neat stuff & wheels too

Frank Pender - AKA "Tail Gunner" · « **Reply #17 on:** August 08, 2009, 10:28:10 PM »

Thank you Mike for the reference. I am awful cheap. I may just get some for nothing, if I am patient.

Kirk Allen · « **Reply #18 on:** August 09, 2009, 09:18:53 AM »

Frank, Cheap?

mike p · « **Reply #19 on:** August 10, 2009, 05:49:22 AM »

we are young we were in a hurry
when we are middle aged we have experence
when we are older were in a hurry again for fear of lack of time
when we are old its to late so we slow down again
life cycles

mike p · « **Reply #20 on:** August 11, 2009, 05:08:07 AM »

so frank how long does it take to dry a load of oak to 6% in the container kiln?
have you figgered what electric cost per load is?

mike p · « **Reply #21 on:** August 11, 2009, 07:41:53 PM »

so when you say box fans do you mean like 1/3 hp comercial fan in a box ?
when i say box fan im thinking of the 4" thick cheap walmart fans, that wood probly melt in a kiln

Quote from: Frank Pender - AKA "Tail Gunner" on July 18, 2009, 04:11:42 PM

I have six 24" box fans, moving the air around. Plus there is a fan for the exchanger.

Frank Pender - AKA "Tail Gunner" · « **Reply #22 on:** August 12, 2009, 09:46:59 PM »

MikeP. The cost per load is about $15.00 for all of the electricity. As to the fans, you are right, the chep ones from Wally world. They last about 4 months and they do not melt. The temp gets up to 165 degrees for the last four days on 30 day or 15 day cycle; depending upon the species in the kiln.

Oak drying time is just at 30 days, after it has air dried for 90 to 120 days in a stand of timber with no lid on the lumber.

mike p · « **Reply #23 on:** August 13, 2009, 05:30:15 PM »

so have you tryed oak right of the saw & into the kiln?
we mostly have oak around here & i am wanting to set up to dry other peoples lumber, as the nearest quality kiln is 90 miles away

Frank Pender - AKA "Tail Gunner" · « **Reply #24 on:** August 13, 2009, 10:59:53 PM »

Yes, Mike, on the Oregon Oak. I have found that the wood honeycombs, badly. I did a load for someone, upon their insistance, and every board was ruined.

mike p · « **Reply #25 on:** August 14, 2009, 05:56:41 PM »

oh wow so it dryed to quickly i guess
well air drying sounds like a must on oak then

Frank Pender - AKA "Tail Gunner" · « **Reply #26 on:** August 16, 2009, 11:22:35 AM »

Our Oak out here is distinctly different that your Oak. I have had the same experience with Pin Oak that is used out here for an ornamental type tree.

mike p · « **Reply #27 on:** August 16, 2009, 02:30:28 PM »

we have red oak with tight growth rings
white oak with realy tight growth rings
post oak with realy tight growth rings
black jack oak with lots of ants
& theres one kind of oak i dont know the term for it that i only have one tree on hole place like it& it needs to come down as it is blocking my soalar kiln's sun . has narrow pointed leaves.
course lots of hickory 3 different ones that i know of
the hackberry doesent get very big here.
the conservation guys tell me that pine is natural tree here but theres not one on our place at all
our neiabor doesent have any eather , she cant rember ever seeing any around here & shes lived here science 1951
so i dont know if them conservation boys are on top of it or not

Stephen Wiley · « **Reply #28 on:** August 18, 2009, 06:28:18 AM »

Mike, can you get a pic of the 'unknown Oak' for ID?

Kirk Allen · « **Reply #29 on:** August 18, 2009, 07:05:02 AM »

My guess will be Shingle Oak. Do the leaves stay on it during the winter? It will be the only oak with brown leaves on it during the winter.

Great tree for tree stands as they offer supurb natural cover

mike p · « **Reply #30 on:** August 21, 2009, 07:14:14 AM »

i think it is shingle oak will get pictures this weekend

Frank Pender - AKA "Tail Gunner" · « **Reply #31 on:** October 13, 2009, 09:57:19 PM »

Well, the rains hit hard today and guess what? The new container arrived about one,this afternoon. Now the work begins, installing the heat exchangers and all the piping from the Taylor furnace.

mike p · « **Reply #32 on:** October 14, 2009, 08:27:33 PM »

Quoit
Now the work begins

pics, pics, pics

Frank Pender - AKA "Tail Gunner" · « **Reply #33 on:** October 15, 2009, 06:04:22 AM »

I pick the lumber up from the end with extensions on my forks and set the units on dollies. With the new 40' unit delivered day before yesterday, I will most likely do the same thing and use 4 9' dollies. 90 percent of my lumber for the kiln is 10' or less in length. The new unit has a floor designed for a waling floor, so I will have to have some sort of non metal tire that will not ruin the aluminum tracking. Not sure what I will be using for dolly tires. Got a lead on some used lift truck solid rubber tires. I will need 16 of them for four dollies, 9' long and 54" wide.

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Author Topic: New container for drying (Read 36045 times)