L2 Sawmill
LDE Company, LLC dba: L2 Sawmill
Portable Sawmill Service
in East Texas
Kiln Drying Service
General Kiln Information
Our Nyle L200-PRO Dehumidification Lumber Kiln will hold approximately 3500 board feet. The kiln length is roughly 27ft inside and we prefer one to three stacks of lumber 8’4”, 10’4” or 12’4”. We do limit “green” (fresh off the mill) Pine loads to 1500bf.
Cost to dry your lumber generally ranges from $1 to $2 a board foot +/-.
1” Pine and Cedar are generally closer to 50-Cents a board foot +/-. Note, these are rough cost and several factors will impact your final cost. Thicker lumber and/or lumber with a Higher Moisture Content will cost more to dry (they will be in the kiln longer). Minimum size loads and cost do apply.
Ultimately, the Size of the load, Species, Thickness, current Moisture Content, and Desired ending Moisture Content, all determine how long it will take in the kiln and your cost to dry your lumber.
We manually sticker-stack the packs very precisely and we do charge for this. We will give you an “estimate range” for your drying cost once we know all the details such as species, thickness, current “CORE” Moisture Content (MC) of your lumber and desired ending MC, total board feet and more. MC must be read internal in the middle of the board (not just the surface) with a professional quality moisture meter. A $40 meter from Lowes ain’t going to cut it!
We strongly recommend that you air-dry your lumber down to 25% of less before bringing to the kiln (particularly all hardwoods). Most damage, or any degrade, to the lumber will already be done once the lumber is below the Fiber Saturation Point (generally around 25%). It will also be much more economical to air-dry and get the moisture out naturally, then go into the kiln. The lower the MC, the less time in the kiln. That being said, we can dry “green” oak, but it makes it more costly to stay in the kiln longer.
Pine – A one inch (4/4) “Green” load of pine lumber can be dried down to 8%, sterilized and have the pitch set in approximately 8 days. Again, I limit the kiln to 1500bf on "green" pine. If it’s well air-dried pine, I can fit a good deal more board feet. Most people have us dry pine down to about 10-12%.
Oak – A one inch (4/4) load of oak that’s been “Air-dried down to 25% MC”, or less, prior to going into the kiln will typically take 12-14 days and be dried down to 6-8% and sterilized. I pull the moisture out slow and gently…especially in White Oak species. It cannot be rushed!
Species such as White Oak and Walnut can be more challenging and at times will “stall” around 12-14% and may take a little more heat and a few days longer to get down to the desired 6-8%.
We generally do not dry multiple species at the same time, and I try to limit mixing thicknesses of lumber. It can be done but it is trickier and will add time in the kiln.
We typically do not dry anything over 8/4 (two inches) thickness. However, let me know what you have, and I’ll see what I can do. I dry a lot of 4/4 to 5/4 Pine, Cedar and Oaks.
Nothing dries more efficiently and gently as a NYLE Dehumidification Kiln. It’s not only about speed, but also about quality of dried lumber. Some kilns sale you “SPEED”…which is fine, just make sure the drying is uniform and watch out for the notorious “Wet Spots” or uneven drying that’s common with some kilns. Some of these kiln operators that push speed may have issues with “Honeycombing”, “Case-Hardening”, and inconsistent drying / wet spots).
Although our NYLE kiln is state of the art, computer controlled and we have drying experience, drying lumber is as much an art as it is science and skill. Please understand that wood is/was a living, dynamic product and will change with the level of moisture in the fibers. Drying will cause shrinking and the drying process can and will cause the lumber to bow, twist, cup, split or crack, or other degrades and defects, to some extent..….some species, some loads more than others. L2 Sawmill informs you of this upfront and we do not accept responsibility for any presumed loss or degrade in the quality or value of the lumber that may be declared by the customer.
In order words, Dry At You Own Risk!
Once the lumber is dried down to your desired MC, lumber can begin to regain some moisture based on where you store it. Keep that in mind. Example, if we dry your oak down to 6-8% and you store it in your non-climate controlled shop for 2 months. Guess what, it will no longer be at 6-8%. You must “Acclimate” your lumber to whatever environment it will be in so that it will ultimately achieve your desired MC.
What we need to know in order to get you a Price Estimate: Let us know how you air-dried your lumber, how it was sticker-stacked, what was the spacing of your stickers, was it exposed to weather and excess wind, who milled the lumber, where it was stored and how long it has been air drying. I’ll need to know the species, thickness, width, lengths, how many board feet you have, and what you think the moisture content is. Send us pictures of the stacks of lumber. Ultimately you can bring us 1-2 pieces, and we will put my probed Moisture Meter in the lumber to get an accurate, internal moisture reading….then we can get a more accurate estimated price range to dry your lumber!
Example of information needed:
Current Desired
Board Feet Species Thickness Width Length MC End MC
3000 white oak 4/4 6” and 8” 9ft 24% 6%
And, how long have you been air-drying?