Replies

1. 
   bones | Jan 15, 2010 11:45am | #1

   I had a supplier back in IL who was a retired guy that did this + made a good living selling. He collected his logs and then paid a sawyer to come on site a couple times a year. I asked him why he'd did not just buy his own, and he indicated that its cheaper to pay someone else than buy the machine materials maint, etc. He sells a good bit on the side so I'll take him at his word. He would cut and stack stickered on the lot open and covered with Corregated roofing and cinderblocks for a year (he had a lot of stacks). He used a little dremel tool on metal tags to note date cut. He let mother nature take the moisture out for about 9 months minimum then would load it into the kiln to dry for a week then store in his building for sale. He bought a used Nyle kiln and built the building for that. He felt that was a better investment. This way he minimized the building costs(only store dried lumber). Since his wood was dried his barn consisted of a regular building with soffet vents and fans to move air more for the kiln than the wood. He only kept about 2-3k kiln dried at a time and as he needed more he would load the kiln (about 1k bf at a time and I helped on a couple ocasions to learn).

   I plan on this as a retirement gig as well (if I ever get to) Take care.

1. 
   jhonbaker | Jan 16, 2010 10:24am | #4

   who was your supplier in illinois, is he still in the biz?

2. 
   JeffHeath | Jan 15, 2010 12:00pm | #2

   Bones has said it for you already. You definately want to control the environment in your storage building, too, if you're going to store kiln dried lumber in it. If you store kiln dried lumber in a building with no climate control, i.e. dehumidification.....you will simply allow the wood to absorb moisture back beyond where the MC would be safe to work the wood.

   Nyle makes terrific kiln packages. At http://www.forestryforum.com, there is an entire section of the website dedicated to processing and drying lumber, and there are a few hundred guys who participate in the forum who are already doing exactly what you want to do. I suggest you check it out, as that site is the best on the internet, in my opinion.

   Jeff

3. 
   DonStephan | Jan 15, 2010 09:11pm | #3

   My understanding is that green wood best dries outside with some sort of rain roof. I'm not sure green wood would do well in a four walled building.