4+ DIY Wood Kiln Plans: How To Dry Your Firewood At Home

Building your own firewood kiln is a great way to dry your wood quickly and efficiently. By using a kiln, you can achieve the desired moisture content for your wood in a shorter amount of time than if you were to air-dry it.

Firewood kilns also help to preserve the quality of your wood by preventing it from drying too quickly, which can cause splitting and cracking. And they can dry out your wood so the firewood isn’t wet and doesn’t crackle and spit.

There are a few things to consider before building your own firewood kiln. First, you’ll need to determine the size of kiln you’ll need. This will depend on the amount of wood you plan to dry at one time.

You’ll also need to choose a location for your kiln that is near a water source, as you’ll need to fill the kiln with water during the drying process.

Once you have all of the necessary materials and equipment, building your own firewood kiln is a relatively simple process.

It’ll take about a few hours from start to finish and cost very cheap if you purchase all materials at a specialized kiln store.

DIY Wood Kiln Plans

1. Solar Kiln

There are solar kilns that you can purchase, but they are quite expensive. If you have access to a woodworking shop and some basic carpentry skills, you can build your own solar kiln for a fraction of the cost.

Solar power is a free and renewable resource, so once you have built your kiln, the only ongoing costs will be for the wood that you use.

Building a solar kiln is a great way to dry firewood quickly and efficiently. The kiln will need to be situated in an area that gets direct sunlight for most of the day.

2. Container Kiln

You can build them out of unused shipping containers that can be bought cheaply online.

3. Shed kiln

You can build them inside of a shed, or out in the open. If you want to, you can even build a firewood kiln right on your deck. They come in all different sizes, so whether you need to dry a lot of wood at once, or just a little bit, you can find the perfect size for your needs.

4. Another solar wood kiln

Solar wood kilns are a great way to dry lumber using the power of the sun. Solar kilns are essentially large solar ovens that can reach temperatures high enough to kill bacteria and insects, while also drawing moisture out of wet wood. If you’re interested in building your own solar kiln, there are a few things you’ll need to keep in mind.

First, you’ll need to choose a location that gets plenty of sunlight.

A south-facing slope is ideal, as it will maximize the amount of sun your kiln receives throughout the day. You’ll also want to make sure that the area around your kiln is clear of any trees or other obstacles that could block the sun.

Why You Need a Kiln for Drying Firewood:

Before beginning the actual process of building a wood drying structure, you should ask yourself why it is vital to you. Below are some unique reasons you need a kiln for drying firewood:

• The higher the moisture content your wood has, the less money you’ll receive for it. Even if you’re selling to a person who only wants it for their use, it will still benefit you because can increase your firewood’s value.
• Dried wood is better than greenwood. Many people may tell you that they prefer to burn the green kindling, but this is not true. “Firewood” is a very general term and has a vast range of values depending on its age, type, size, and whether it was dried.
• Drying woods will allow you to store it for a long time to use it whenever you need it or sell it later on at a higher price than what you paid for.
• You’ll be able to build a healthier home if you have wood-drying furnace. Dried wood is better for your home than greenwood because dried wood has less moisture. It burns more evenly and cleaner, releasing less smoke and other debris into your home.
• You’ll be able to create a healthier workplace environment. Using dried firewood instead of green logs sends less smoke and other toxins into the air at work and in nearby communities.

Building a Kiln for Drying Firewood: An Explanation and Plans:

First off, this section describes the step-by-step process of building a dryer for wood. It also provides you with detailed plans you can print out if you want to copy them. Here is a brief explanation of how exactly to build a wood dyer in simple steps:

1. Think about what your options are

First, you need to consider what you want to do with the wood dryer. Do you want to create firewood only, or will it be used for something else? For example, if you’re going to sell some logs at a higher price, you may want to dry it out in the middle of the day so the sun will be hot enough (so no shade is needed).

If you’re going to use your dried logs for something else (creating furniture or building a house or something), you may need to make sure that the wood has enough moisture absorbency not to be damaged when exposed to heat.

2. Find a good location for drying firewood

In most cases, the location you choose will depend on the place to be there long enough. You should always consider choosing a site in the open air with good sunlight and protection from heavy winds or rain.

3. Decide on a shape for your kiln

To choose a shape that’s best for you, you should ask yourself if you have enough space in the area you plan to build and where your wood will be desiccating. If your dryer is not big enough, you may consider building it somewhere else. Here are some of the standard shapes for structure that you can choose from:

• Modified-L Shape: the modified-L shape is the most popular shape used in dryer fans. It can work fine even if your wood is used for different things.
• Brick/Stone/Plastic Kiln: this type of timber dryer is made of steel, brick or stone. It’s a traditional method of building furnace for logs and is not considered as good as the modified-L shape.
• Flat-Top Kiln: the model has a flat top that’s larger than the bottom and sides, making it more versatile. For example, you can use it as a greenhouse, hot tub or create water gardens.
• A-frame Kiln: this type of kiln has a straightforward design that’s pretty good for beginners. It’s also suitable to dry firewood outdoors because it is not big enough and has a small size, so it does not produce smoke quickly when exposed to the sun.

4. Build your kiln

Once you’ve decided on the shape and size of your dryer fans, you can now start building your own. If you want a simple design, it will probably take around 4 hours to finish it.

This includes finding a good location for the dryer, putting up posts and creating “walls” made of plastic sheets or something similar. You can also build your entire structure from steel (forming a rectangular shape) or brick/stone.

5. Finish your kiln

After putting the entire structure together, it’s time to finish your logs dryer fan. For this, you will need to put some wire mesh (such as chicken wire) across the furnace base and make sure that there is enough space for the wood to dry inside (you can use a smaller area than what you plan).

You should also make sure that your plastic sheets or other material will not be damaged by direct sunlight to last longer.

6. Using your firewood drying kiln

Now that you’ve built a kiln to dry out your firewood, it’s time to use it. While using this fan, there are a few things to consider:

• Make sure the logs too green, or else they’ll not dry out properly. Be sure that they will dry well and can be used to create other things in the future.
• If you want to dry firewood faster, you may consider using a dryer fan (called wood dryer fans). These are very useful in helping your logs dry out quickly. In most cases, they are attached outside the structure opening, so you will have to make sure that they do not cause any problems.
• If the logs are not completely dry, do not put it into a fire or your house to be used as firewood. It can catch on fire easily because they still have moisture usually contained in greenwood.

Conclusion

If you’ve never built a kiln before, consider this your opportunity to learn how easy it could be. Whether you’re a beginning farmer or a seasoned pro, the following article will guide you through the process in simple, easy to understanding steps.

This is all you need to know to dry and get perfectly seasoned firewod. You can now start to dry your firewood and sell them at the end of the cycle- before firewood goes bad. Or use your dried logs to create furniture, heat, or a house. Building a kiln for drying wooden logs is not hard if you follow these steps.

Eugene Duke

Hi, my name’s Eugene Duke and I love sitting by my fireplace reading a book and sipping on an adult beverage. Do you have a fireplace in your house? I’ll help you figure out the best type and style of fireplace for your home.