Drying FAQ
- What is Shrinkage?
Shrinkage is when the wood actually shrink in size as the moisture content decreases closing in on the EMC of the climate surroundings. - What is Moisture Content?
Moisture content is forumlated by taking the mass of the green wood, subtracting the mass of the oven dried wood and then dividing by the mass of the oven dried wood. This percentage is known as the current moisture content. - What is Equilibrium moisture content?
Equilibrium moisture content is a stage that wood reaches when its water vapour pressure is equaled to that of the surrounding temperature and humidity levels. - What are drying defects?
Drying defects are caused when wood is tried too fast or too slow. Defects can range from staining on the wood, cracks in the surface, distortion and case hardening. - What is the difference between Kiln drying and Air drying?
Air drying is basically just exposing green lumber to the outside air and allow it to reach an EMC on it’s own. Kiln drying consists of introducing heat the the lumber to increase the rate of which water is removed from the wood either by evaporation or dehumidification.
