question on drying wood

[Robert Cahill]

We don't make jerky anymore and I wondering if the dehydrator would work for drying wood. I put some mesquite in the microwave a few years back and it caught fire. It did not smell near as nice as on a barbeque and my wife's beutiful disposition went missing for a few moments.
Anyone try a dehydrator?

[Magicman]

Hi Robert
I googled your question and came up with quite a few responces. Most of these did not recommend drying in a Dehydrator because it would remove the moisture too fast, some said if you do try it to set your Dehydrator no higher than 100 degrees.
Larry

[Robson Valley]

Outdoors, under cover and the patience to wait 1" thickness per year.
The moisture content should settle down maybe 12-14%.
Number them. Weigh them. Constant weight = you're done.
Get the bark off, it slips most easily in the spring.
Painting the ends will slow the end-grain water loss to something closer to the water loss rate of the surface.
In a log, maybe cutting a 1/4 V-chunk out of the "ugly side" will stop internal stress/splitting.

OK so you do _all_ that. More than a dozen 24" + pieces, 4-8" diameters, Alder logs.
Within 12 months, all with multiple splits, end-to-end. Soon to be overhauled (hauled out of the shed and over the fence for my neighbor to burn in his firepit).

[Hugh-P]

Good advice, I might add, putting the wood up over head in rafters of an out building. Overhead in an attic, use stickers, never in a basement. Leaned up against a wall, will usually give fair results. My favourite way to seal the ends is to melt wax in an old slow cooker, so the wax doesn't overheat and blow up. I've used a dehumidifier in my shop, irregularly, on one night or day, and then wait a few days and run it again. Not trying to dry it too fast. Small blocks, had an old micro wave, short sessions,let the wood cool in between , Some woods, are more co operative than others, Pine , basswood dry about 80 % without cracking, Cedar, about 50%, Drying sticks, aspen, willow, poplar, maple, all seen to dry about 95% without cracking. Leave the sticks longer than needed, then if a little end cracking does occur, you have room to cut the cracked ends off. Not saying other woods do not dry as good as the ones mention, these are basically all the types of wood, I've tried. Hope this helps.

[Claude]

Robert:
I'd say give it a try! Seal the ends of the wood with paint, wax or whatever to slow down the moisture loss through the ends, then put it in the dehydrator and give it a try. Worst case finish is you have a nice piece of cracked firewood. Best case is you might have found a new way to speed up the process.

Claude