Drying wood in a microwave ?'ss

[Don C Davis]

I've seen a few guys mention drying wood in a microwave--I actually have a few peppermill size blanks that need drying and I really don't want to wait 8-18 months for then to dry--so....is drying wood in a microwave a real thing. If so how does one go about it--I think the pieces I'm talking about will fit OK in the microwave we have

Any info/feedback is welcome!

 

[robo hippy]

It does work, but..... Don't use your house hold microwave because the wood can flavor the inside of the microwave which would cause all sorts of major 'domestic' problems.... Use short sessions of one minute or so, and let it cool a bit in between sessions. If you try to do long sessions, the wood will catch fire. Not sure how long it would take to dry 2 or 3 inch blocks though.

robo hippy

 

[Don C Davis]

Thanks much Robo, I'm a big fan and follower of you on YouTube--so cool to get a reply from you here! I have a microwave that is not in the 'domestic' rotation but it is old and small, but I can see if the pieces I'm thinking of would fit--the fact that it works, makes me think I may need to purchase a large cavity MW for the woodshop.....

 

[hockenbery]

We have a microwave in the shop. Micro wave drying is a time consuming process.
It does work. I often microwave air dried blanks if stability is important - boxes or ball in a ball
Don’t leave it unattended.

 

[Dennis J Gooding]

I've seen a few guys mention drying wood in a microwave--I actually have a few peppermill size blanks that need drying and I really don't want to wait 8-18 months for then to dry--so....is drying wood in a microwave a real thing. If so how does one go about it--I think the pieces I'm talking about will fit OK in the microwave we have

Any info/feedback is welcome!

Don, you might want to consider an alcohol soak as an alternative to or an adjunct to microwave drying. Soaking the blanks for a couple of days in DNA (the full-strength hardware store variety, not the drug store variety) will replace most of the water in the blank with alcohol and vastly reduce the drying time. Also, regardless of the method you chose, you might consider boring an undersized hole in the mill body portion of the blank. This will provide another route for moisture to escape and should reduce the likelihood of cracking caused by radial shrinkage.

 

[Don C Davis]

Thanks for the input folks, Dennis, I attempted drying some olive wood blanks with the DNA method, and although from a turning standpoint the wood seemed dry, the fellow I made the Peppermills for called me after about 3 months and they had developed so much warp that they looked horrible-although still functional--I ended up making him another set from Olive Wood I had laminated together from 1x stock to build the blank before I turned them. So I appreciate that recommendation, but I have to proceed cautiously based on my 1 and only experience...

 

[Dennis J Gooding]

Thanks for the input folks, Dennis, I attempted drying some olive wood blanks with the DNA method, and although from a turning standpoint the wood seemed dry, the fellow I made the Peppermills for called me after about 3 months and they had developed so much warp that they looked horrible-although still functional--I ended up making him another set from Olive Wood I had laminated together from 1x stock to build the blank before I turned them. So I appreciate that recommendation, but I have to proceed cautiously based on my 1 and only experience...

Don, with any drying method it is a good idea to weigh and record the weight of the piece periodically until the weight stabilizes. At that point it should be in equilibrium with the local environment.

 

[Derek Lane]

To help reduce the drying time I tend to rough turn and drill out material from the inside so the wood is not a solid lump. I have also once they are roug turned placed them in an airing cupboard. weighing at regular intervals. This does speed things up but will not get them dried straight away. Yes there is a chance that they may split but touch wood not had any that have so far now watch as the next lot I do this too will now I have said that.