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After testing to verify
the desired moisture content (average 15%), the cants are removed from the
kiln, ready for milling to the finished log profile. This process of
drying a green 6"x 8" timber generally requires a 4 to 6 week period
(on average) in the kiln, to achieve the 15% moisture content.
Kiln-drying provides
several very important benefits; primarily, it produces logs that are uniform
and stabilized to match the actual home environment. Wood must be conditioned
to the moisture content it will assume during it's service life.
Otherwise, it will have a tendency to shrink and twist to some degree.
Since the exterior wall normally will range 10%-30% moisture content throughout
their yearly cycles, kiln-dried logs, at 15% moisture content are as
dimensionally stable as possible for most areas. Companies that kiln-dry
their material down to an average 15% have the advantage of removing logs that
exhibit severe stress changes such as splitting and warping, prior to the final
milling and grading processes. The customer can see the final beauty and
integrity of each log before it is placed in the wall, and not have to worry
about what the home is going to look like after the logs have finally dried-out. |
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