Using the microwave as a kiln?

Greatblzofire

Greatblzofire

Neil Olsen Custom Cues
Silver Member
I was at woodcraft the other day and bought a couple of bowl blanks to turn. One blank was kiln dried wood. The other blank was wax sealed and still wet. The cashier asked me if I had ever tried to use my microwave as a kiln to dry out wet wood. He said he gets good results. So, i did a little internet research. It seems like a plausible answer to speeding up the drying process.

Has anyone tried this?

If so, what results did you get?

Which woods work well or do not?

Any tips?

I am not sure if I want to try this or not on wood going into a pool cue, but it is interesting. I might try it on a bowl turning.

Here is a web page with instructions if you have never heard of this.

http://www3.sympatico.ca/3jdw8/microwavedrying.htm
 
My Dad is an old school wood turner and he has used his microwave at times. The key is to use the lowest setting to start with, as all microwave ovens vary in power. You can practice on some pieces from like a chunk of wood from the forest. Something that is wet that if it cracks, it's no big deal. I was just talking to a wood supplier in my area on Thursday and she was telling me about a kiln that uses RF to dry the wood. RF and microwaves heat from the inside out, therefore should be less likely to crack and check. I thought it was interesting.
Dave
 
a 1 1/2 by 18 blank will get warm after 20 seconds in the microwave. Over a few days I have brought a piece of wood from 12% to 8%. Warm it and let it sit for an hour and then warm it again.

Works better if you bore it first.

Even after it's dry, let it sit for a couple weeks to stabilize before you use it.

Kim
 
I happen to know purpleheart burns from the inside outside whe it is placed in a microwave for 2 minutes.
As for the original post IMO nothing beats a slow air dry for wood.
 
Hierovision said:
Microwaves heat from the outside in, not the inside out. It's just not physically possible even with RF.

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2118/do-microwave-ovens-cook-from-the-inside-out

It agitates water molecules mostly, so wherever the water content is will get hot fastest (from the outside in).
Click to expand...

[Quote, said articule]
"On the other hand, if the surface of the food is drier than the center, as with bread or a baked potato,
the center will heat up faster.
You can see this clearly if you microwave foods with a dry outer crust and a moist filling, like a McDonald's apple pie.
If you cook it for about 20 seconds in a typical oven, you'll find that the crust is fairly cool to warm,
while the filling can be quite hot."

The majority of wood's moisture content is concentrated in it's interior.

HTHs KJ
 
interesting

KJ Cues said:
[Quote, said articule]
"On the other hand, if the surface of the food is drier than the center, as with bread or a baked potato,
the center will heat up faster.
You can see this clearly if you microwave foods with a dry outer crust and a moist filling, like a McDonald's apple pie.
If you cook it for about 20 seconds in a typical oven, you'll find that the crust is fairly cool to warm,
while the filling can be quite hot."

The majority of wood's moisture content is concentrated in it's interior.

HTHs KJ
Click to expand...

this is kinda interesting. anybody tried this?
also, if your wood is covered with wax, could you remove all of it just by scraping? any better method, would like to try this out with a less expensive wood.
thanks
 
jeprox said:
this is kinda interesting. anybody tried this?
also, if your wood is covered with wax, could you remove all of it just by scraping? any better method, would like to try this out with a less expensive wood.
thanks
Click to expand...

you would want to get rid of the wax before you try this. Turn down the product once before you start.
 
I've always tried to slow down the drying process, not speed it up. Maybe it is different with bowls and other working niches, but for cues, I'm not taking any chances like that.
 
ratcues said:
I've always tried to slow down the drying process, not speed it up. Maybe it is different with bowls and other working niches, but for cues, I'm not taking any chances like that.
Click to expand...

I agree. It is not worth it for an instrument that must remain stable and straight.

It is just an interesting theory. Kiln dried wood is supposed to be very stable. If this effectively does the same thing? It might have application value in certain instances.

I am going to try it on a Red Gum bowl blank. The blank was only $4. Curiosity is killing the cat!
 
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