I can't imagine anyone ever trying to Kiln dry Ziricote! (aka Mexican crack wood!) If you induced any heat to it and it didn't crack, it's likely dry.
Shy of kiln drying, mild educed heat won't hurt the wood. Microwaving works well when done right, but is very tedious. Boiling also works great, but still requires months of drying afterwards.
When the moisture level stops moving, it has hit it's equilibrium and to change that any, you will have to change it's environment. Most woods that will take stabilizing also aren't bad about cracking.. this is why you can bake them in an oven for days without destroying them.
No moisture meter that I'm aware of will read accurately below 5%. unless stabilizing, I would never attempt to reduce my wood below 8%... if it gets lower, so be it, but it's probably an inaccurate reading.
10 years ago, I moved my bow shop from an un insulated or climate controlled horse barn to my current shop. I keep the temp in here at or below 68 degrees year round. My checking and cracking issues have nearly ceased to exist in completed bows. .. having said that, I also buy 20 times more wood than I did back then so letting it sit for years doesn't hurt either.
I just built a new building 50 x 60 and well insulated... half of this is earmarked for our new office/showroom and the other half for climate controlled wood storage. It's the way to go! if you don't have climate controlled space to store your wood, move it in to your house..
BigJim
Topic: Drying Wood In Oven (Read 3078 times)
