Hardwood Lumber Drying Short Course

Operating a lumber drying facility, especially one drying hardwood lumber, requires special skills.  A significant amount of lumber can be degraded or damaged during drying when proper techniques are not used.  This course is for beginning operators and supervisors drying hardwood lumber in steam or dehumidification dry kilns and in predryers.  The program will cover practical techniques for the efficient and effective operation of predryers and dry kilns.  The program will include moisture measuring and the use of sample boards; kiln and predryer operational techniques; drying schedules; causes and cures for drying defects, and quality control procedures.

Instructor

Dr. Bond has extensive experience in working closely with the wood industry as an extension specialist and consultant in the areas of lumber drying, wood and moisture relations, and sawmill efficiency. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Wood Science and Forest Products at Virginia Tech. He provides extension programming for the hardwood industry, conducts drying research, and teaches a lumber manufacturing class to undergraduate students. For more information www.woodscience.vt.edu

Course Information

Day 1

• Importance of quality lumber drying
• Forest to mill – where drying quality begins
• Green lumber handling and storage
• Measuring moisture content correctly
• Use and limitation of moisture meters – includes hands on exercise
• Temperature, relative humidity and EMC relationships in drying     
• How wood dries, shrinkage, drying stresses, and degrade in drying
• Proper selection and use of sample boards – includes hands on exercise
• Stacking and stickering lumber
• Air-drying practices
• Discussion
• Homework assignment

Day 2            

• Homework review
• Drying Systems
• Kiln schedules & their modification
• Equalizing and conditioning
• Dry kiln operational techniques & quality control     
• Drying for color 
• Drying thick stock
• Proper dry storage
• Causes and cures for drying defects
• Classroom assignment
• Discussion

The 2010 class schedule has not be determined at this time.