LOG HOME and LOG CABIN EDUCATION INFORMATION
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LOG HOME and LOG CABIN EDUCATION INFORMATION
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Kiln drying vs. Air drying logs Kiln drying is a very ambiguous term used in the log home industry as well as in the dimensional lumber industry. Kiln dried means “Surface Dried”. In the log home industry kiln dried standards are only 1 inch in to the log at 19% moisture content or less. Moisture is not regulated past the 1 inch mark. This limitation is due to the moisture meter used where the pins can only penetrate into the log 1 inch. So when any manufacturer states that their logs comply to the standards for the industry you now know that their logs are dried to 1 inch and they do not know what the bound cell water is past that point, your logs will shrink excessively and you will have to chink your home at $6,000 per 1,000 square foot of home every 5-6 years as the bound cell water comes out. I can count on one have the log home manufacturers that can kiln dry to the core and can prove it. These manufacturers us a cut in the top of the logs allowing the hot kiln air to go to the center of the logs and dry from the inside out as well as the out side in taking out the bound cell water so the logs will not shrink like other manufacturers. Log home manufacturers that air dry their logs will tell you that kiln drying cost too much money so they let their logs sit out and dry naturally. Some manufacturers that kiln dry use a wood stove to burn up bi-products from their mill and utilize solar panels to heat their kilns making kiln drying very affordable and cost effective for the consumer who will not have to chink their home. Air drying is just what it is saying. Manufacturers let their logs lay out and naturally dry down to the industry standard of 19% at 1 inch. What puzzles me is if a log home manufacturer has the logs sitting out air drying in a geographic location that the year round relative humidity is over 80% and they claim they dry to 19%... the math doesn’t come out right. You can easily see what I am saying. Log home manufacturers can give you an average moisture content and this sounds good to any uneducated consumer, but do you really know what they are saying? No. A manufacturer takes a log that has died in the forest. Now when the tree dies gravity pulls the moisture down towards the stump. When the tree is laid down one end that was on the stump could be 50% moisture and the top could be 30% and all variations in-between. The log home manufacturer weighs the log and put in the kilns to dry to only 1 inch in at 19% moisture to comply to industry standards. They pull the logs out, weigh them again, use a mathematical formula and derive at an average moisture content. Well the truth is they do not know actually how much bound cell water is at the core of the logs and one end will shrink more than the other end. You have an average from one end to the other. You need to find a manufacturer that can give you a constant moisture content and put in writing that you will never have to chink your home. You will see many manufacturers not wanting to do business with you. Only log home manufacturers using a drying Kerf can give you a constant moisture content because they have access to the core to test core moisture and the others do not. Give any log home manufacturer this example and see how they answer. Say you have a log 10’0” in length and 10” in diameter. At 5’ and 5” in what is the moisture content. ((% can not tell you unless they pull a plug out of the log of cut it in half to be able to test with a moisture meter. Only a couple can tell you straight forward. Again, do you home work and know what you are buying. ***note see section on Timber Products Standards (TPI Standards)
Consulting firms that help you through the building process are well worth your time and money. Not knowing the in and out's of building a log home or timber frame home can become very frustrating. Custom Woodcraft Builders out of Indianapolis, Indiana serve the Mid-Western States. If anyone has seen it all...it is Custom Woodcraft Builders.
Sources of expert timber frame and log home building advice: www.customwoodcraftbuilders.com For log and timber trusses and entryways - please visit timbertrusses.net and timbertruss.net. To learn about building options with authentic reclaimed lumber, beams, logs & timbers for true historical 'green' building, please visit reclaimedwood.biz and reclaimedtimber.org. If you are interested in more information about timbers, timber framing and log and timber frame construction in general, please visit the following sites: Be sure not to miss a wide array of log home and log cabin suppliers, builders and accessories at the Outdoor Sport Lake & Cabin Show in Fort Wayne Indiana March 12-14, 2010. This event is produced by Coliseum Productions Inc.
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