While purchasing wood products, many people make the mistake of overlooking the presence of the “kiln dried” tag on the products. However, Kiln drying has an immense effect on the quality and longevity of the wood products you choose. It refers to an important step in the manufacturing and processing of wood products, where the log’s moisture content is reduced to ensure its longevity. When done correctly, Kiln dried wood products are not only free from moisture but also fungi and mold free. It has also been seen that kiln dried wood products attract a lesser number of insects like termites. (Information Credit – Countrywoods)
The Steps of Kiln Drying in Brief
To understand the importance and effectiveness of Kiln drying, we first must look at the whole procedure.
a. All wood based materials used for manufacturing are processed for about thirty days in the “Kiln” or furnace.
b. After the temperature has reached 180 °C, samples of the wood are cut and weighed.
c. The samples are then checked for moisture content, using a moisture meter.
d. The logs are placed in a dry storage unit when the correct moisture level is achieved.
e. During the milling process, the wood is again re-checked for moisture content.
f. Quality checks are then made to ensure whether any sub-standard wood is left out before distribution.
Questions to Ask to Ensure You’re getting a Kiln Dried Product
Customers are often skeptical about whether their chosen wood products are kiln dried or not. It is very difficult to tell whether a product is kiln dried or not, just by looking at the surface. Many products do not have the kiln dried label but have gone through the process anyway. Hence it is important for the customers to ask some questions in the absence of such a tag or label.
a. The period of time the wood is kept in the kiln
b. The type of Kiln used and the kiln-drying schedule
c. The starting and ending temperatures of the Kiln, which should be between 120 to 180 degrees
d. Quality checking criteria
e. Storage spaces before purchase Asking questions related to the above five aspects will clear out any doubt in the customer’s mind about Kiln drying and Kiln-dried products.
The Advantages
In the market, both kiln-dried and non-kiln dried wood are available. Quite naturally Kiln dried products have some pronounced advantages over their non-kilndried counterparts.
Wood which has gone through kiln-drying is more stable when compared to other wood.
1. Kiln drying performed before the milling of the logs retains the quality of logs.
2. Kiln-drying involves multiple levels of quality checking which can eliminate any structural defects or sub-quality wood.
3. Several wood boring insects like beetles and fungi which are predominately found in pre-seasonal logs are eliminated effectively by kiln-drying.
4. Kiln-drying sets the pitch, thereby preventing pitch-bleed.
5. Kiln dried logs generally are lightweight.
Thus for any customer, the presence of the “kiln-dried” tag is crucial for ensuring the quality and longevity of the purchased products.