Drying hickory in a heat box?

[Don Armstrong]

The thread about drying lumber in a heat box got me thinking. This is VERY dangerous for me  :D . I know that some keep their bow in a box with one bulb while building them ( saw this at the Tennessee clasic). I have heard that hickory likes to soak up moisture. If I put my hickory boards in a box or maybe my car, for a few days and while building it, do you think it would lose to much moisture. Every hickory bow I've made out of board lumber has taked a couple of inches of set. I'm sure part of the reason is my ability to build bows but think some of it could be moisture. What do you think. Don

[walkabout]

actually in one of the volumes of the bowyers bible series theres a section on quick drying staves that suggests doing this very thing, although not the same purpose it might work. one thought though, putting it in a car might be a bad idea unless you can keep fresh air moving to give the moisture somewhere to escape. ive read of people putting them in heat boxes during construction too.

[Pat B]

You can't get hickory too dry in Virginia!  Hickory can get to 6% or a little less and not be in danger of being too dry. Actually it preforms best at about 6%. Most other bow woods shouldn't get lower than 9% and 11% is probably safer.

[Don Armstrong]

walkabout, that's a good point. Would probably have some steamey windows. The hickory lumber I buy is about 10 percent, I think.  

Pat, that's a good point also. The humidity has been about 90 percent for the last 2 months. I think I'm going to build my heat box. I've been putting it off for to long. Don

[walkabout]

easy alternative would be a section of a basement that was closed off with plastic hanging from the rafters with a dehumidifier in it, i think i saw this in TBB also but im not sure what volume. read about one fella who uses a linen closet with a dehumidifier, but my signifigant other would have no part of me taking over a whole closet.lol. also you could just use the foil backed foam insulation for a heatbox if thats what youre set to build, sam harper has details of one on his site.

[JamesV]

Don. if you are building a heat box for curing epoxy and also drying lumber I have a suggestion. I built mine with 6 bulbs and a dimmer switch to control the temp. I also installed a small exaust fan (4x4) to circulate the air. I was getting moisture in my box, tried some charcoal in the bottom but was not enough. With 6- 100 watt bulbs my range is 0-160 degrees with the fan running, 0-220 with the fan off. You would want to dry your wood at about 100 degrees with the fan running................James

[walkabout]

yep, you definitly need to have a way to get rid of the moisture which accumulates, and a fan is a good way of doing it.condensation would only keep the situation the same, if not make it worse.

[b.glass]

I can't seem to get the humidity below 60% in my heatbow with two bulbs on, the temp around 100 degrees and a small fan running. Got any suggestions?

[Pat B]

Bona, is your hot box vented?  I drilled one 1" hole at the bottom of one end and another at the top of the other end on my hot box. This gives the moisture an escape route from the box. If I'm wanting max temps for curing glues I plug the holes.

[b.glass]

Pat I have several smaller holes running along both sides of the box. And the doors aren't exactly a tight fit. Could there be too much ventilation?

[John Scifres]

Bona,

You probably can't in the summer in Indiana (especially this past couple weeks!) unless it's inside an air conditioned space.  There is just too much ambient humidity.  Take it inside and you should be able to get it 40%.  Do you know the RH in the space it's stored?

[b.glass]

John, it is between 60% and 70% according to the humidity meter in the hot box. And the temp. is running about 100 degrees.

[Pat B]

Bona, like John said...you are probably better keeping your stave inside the house with A/C than in your hot box. The A/C also dehumidifies and that removes the moisture from the air. Your hot box just heats up the moisture but doesn't remove it from the air.

[b.glass]

Thanks guys. That gives me some options. I hate to put the brakes on building because of the humidity. I did work on a hickory stave a couple of weeks ago dispite the high RH and it took a horrible set.

I guess I thought that the heat had a drying effect. Like making jerky. But it evidently it's not enough to keep up when the air is like soup.