How to build the Virginia Tech Solar Kiln On a Budget

Have you ever wanted to dry your own lumber? Build a Solar Kiln!
--------// Links promised in video \\-------
Virginia Tech Solar Kill Plans
sbio.vt.edu/content/dam/sbio_...
Roll Insulation
www.homedepot.com/p/Owens-Cor...
1" Foam Insulation
www.homedepot.com/p/Owens-Cor...
Vapor Barrier
www.homedepot.com/p/HUSKY-12-...
Thermal Controlled Greenhouse Fan
amzn.to/44p7m51
3 20 in. 3 Speed Box Fans
www.homedepot.com/pep/Lasko-2...
Power Strip Metal Surge Protector
amzn.to/44D78ae
Driveway sealer
www.menards.com/main/paint/co...
Exterior paint
www.menards.com/main/paint/ex...
Door Hinges
www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-...
Door latch
www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-...
Polycarbonate roof panels
www.homedepot.com/p/Suntuf-26...
Horizontal Plastic Roof Closure Strips
www.homedepot.com/p/Suntuf-24...
Vertical Plastic Roof Closure Strips
www.homedepot.com/p/Suntuf-24...
Hex-Head Wood Screw with EPDM washer
www.homedepot.com/p/Woodtite-...
Clear Polycarbonate Ridge Cap Flashing
www.homedepot.com/p/Suntuf-4-...
12' x 16' Reversible Silver/Black Heavy-Duty Tarp
www.menards.com/main/tools/au...
--------// Ideal tools for this project \\-------
Stapler
amzn.to/3XOnRFu
Nail gun
amzn.to/3pNJRUk
Drill and impact drivers set.
amzn.to/3JYloT1
Circular saw
amzn.to/3JZcW65
--------// Where to find me \\-------
TikTok "pst... this one"
/ dylanthecraftsman
Instagram
/ wylde_woodworks
My website
Wyldewoodworks.com
More Ways to find me
aspiringcraftsaman.carrd.co/
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[@T0X1C89]

It would have been better to run the 4x's on the ground perpendicular to the joists of your floor, this would accomplish a couple things, one you would only need 3 of them on that size shed and two it would significantly increase the load bearing of your floor as every joist would be supported instead of having every other one just floating in the air

[@johnc5874]

Take an old circular saw finishing blade and install it backwards for cutting the polycarbonate material.

[@jacobnieding1281]

So glad you got a better hammer. I was stressing watching you nail that together at first. In my head I was thinking, man he needs a framing hammer…. Haha glad to see that and good build!

[@athecal6878]

I would use an angle grinder with an abrasive cutoff wheel to cut those plastic panels, just be aware it may slightly melt the edge if you aren't moving fast enough

[@jeffreyslater1656]

Fyi you installed a double vapor barrier..Take it from me I did in my first home? Moisture will be trapped between paper and plastic. Pull exterior wall remove paper backing reinstall nice build!

[@lexalford358]

Tape the area where you are cutting the polycarbonate to keep it from cracking cutting through tape takes a little longer but you should have a good looking cut without the ugly cracking part

[@WyldeWoodworks]

Thanks! I have a few scraps left so I'll have to try that

[@user-jw1ph4yz5r]

Gotta grab the very end of the handle lol… great job bud!

[@stevek5988]

An update on how it performed would be nice.

[@ThomsShed]

Thanks for sharing this. I just found the VT kiln last week and am planning to build one this fall.

[@WyldeWoodworks]

Nice!!

[@michaeldeighan8294]

Use a circular saw with and old blade put on backward. Clamp a board to panel, cut multiple panels. If you want professional look take small propane torch and melt cut ends 1 at a time starting with top panel melt about 6” off from rest of stack then remove that one and repeat.

[@MCsCreations]

Really great work, Wylde! It turned out fantastic! 😃 Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@WyldeWoodworks]

Thank you! You too!

[@shaundekarske9703]

Grinder and cut off wheel for the poly-carb.

[@georgefeener8682]

Love your tanassity good hack with the bucket of tools

[@ThrivingCountry]

Very well done video. Thanks.

[@landiiie5630]

Dude you just got a sub, that's insane using a hammer ⚒️ good job!

[@paulnandico2370]

Our local Home Depot has a culled cart. There is often T111 siding there. All such wood (or insulation or anything else is on the cart) is 70% off.

[@jacquestuber628]

That's amazing I can never find anything

[@CesarADiaz1]

Happy for that new hammer lol great video

[@throngcleaver]

Great build, but I've gotta say that the flaps on fiberglass insulation are meant to overlap the face of the studs, since it's tar paper and is the vapor barrier. Not really important since you added the plastic, but it is if you insulate living space or work space. Can't wait to watch more of your vids! 😁

[@maryseiler5788]

Love it!

[@LangeloScuro]

Well I guess I won't be getting you a framing hammer for Christmas. LOL! Final result looks awesome, but you knew that already. Looking forward to hearing the results of the wood you run through it.

[@WyldeWoodworks]

Thanks! I am too! There's a lot of variables up in the air right now with that oak so I'm hoping I didn't ruin it😬

[@LangeloScuro]

That oak has had a tall tale with many 'branches' since it began. LOL!

[@WyldeWoodworks]

@@LangeloScuro 😂😂right?

[@frankjohnson6676]

I'd try an oscillating saw on the polycarbonate

[@pamtnman1515]

fascinating, thank you. And yes, it would look better barn red. But we won't tell anyone else that

[@paulnovak833]

Screws would have saved some labor if you dont have a nail gun. I own 3 air nailers and still often use screws when framing because i can manipulate the wood

[@dawnoneil9763]

I don’t know if anyone suggested this to you or not, but nail guns are really nice and expensive, but a palm nailer would be great and they run anywhere for 60 bucks on up.

[@nickbrutanna9973]

OR just use deck screws -- almost certainly you have a power or impact driver. Yeah, you'll almost certainly want to pre-drill holes and such, which is a little more effort, but it's a lot less work traded for a bit more time. But it also makes it easier to make adjustments if you want to arrange things differently later... For the screws, if you have a Rural King near you, they are *awesome* for buying _bulk fasteners cheap._

[@TheMonkdad]

Thanks for this. I've been planning to build one of these for a couple years. One question though. Do you really talk this fast or did you speed up the audio?

[@ZaheerAllam]

Thanks for sharing. How long did the wood need to be kept inside until it reached its desired moisture content?

[@WyldeWoodworks]

Every species and thickness is different but a very ballparked figure is 3 months ish.

[@SteinbergImagery]

How much wood have you dried since completion?

[@beakey3484]

What kind of temperatures do you get with this?

[@jamesthomson4771]

Although you say the door diagonals are purely aesthetic I would disagree. If you reverse them IE high ends towards the centre of the building you should find this will provide some extra stiffness and help prevent sagging and binding along the lower edges.

[@user-my9yn4yn6y]

Great build, those hinges are way too small that’s why the door is sagging. Normally you can get away with 2 hinges 1/3 the width of the door, but in your case for such a heavy door I’d recommend at least 3 hinges 1/2 the width of the door.

[@OstrichWrestler]

You should probably plan to move this onto a foundation if this works well for you. Just a bunch of concrete pier blocks on gravel and a skirt of some kind to minimize air exchange would greatly extend it's life time. Don't underestimate wood smeared with Ivory soap bars if you ever need to slide this around. It would let you level things out if you wanted too.

[@timothykeller1290]

What temperature did it reach inside?

[@pearlrival3124]

15:00 hilarious writing. i hope she read the script

[@SomeSkillStudio]

Awesome build! I picked up a Banks framing nailer from harbor freight last year for $100 and haven't had any issues with it. It's not the best, but it beats the hell out of nailing by hand.

[@WyldeWoodworks]

I couldn't even find a used one for that. Pneumatic?

[@MrMEmEmEmEMEMEeeeeee]

Yup​@@WyldeWoodworks

[@rickfetz469]

How long does it take to dry 1000 bd ft of lumber?

[@andrewmadasz7748]

I'm trying to figure out the auto fan control. I like that better than the vents. I'm assuming all turns off at night to allow humidity to relieve stress, but during the day is the fan set to relieve high heat or humidity? What setting did you put it at? Thanks!

[@WyldeWoodworks]

It is set to go off at 110° and the humidity doesn't need to be controlled in a solar kiln. The heat expells the moisture just like an oven does to food

[@andrewmadasz7748]

@@WyldeWoodworks thanks! When you mean "goes off" does that mean the fan turns on? Sorry for my ignorance... just trying to understand. I'll be working through the night to get this closed in so I think I'm going with your auto fan. It works for my chickens. Missouri is getting snow so I'm trying to finish. Lol. Thanks again!!

[@WyldeWoodworks]

@@andrewmadasz7748 lol nice! The fan turns on any time it's above 110°

[@ppBizU]

How does it hold after some time? Did you do the spacing right, so that the wood movement doesn't prevent doors to close?

[@WyldeWoodworks]

It's working out great so far! I pulled the first 2 loads out of it already and it's working very well. Honestly, the spacing on the doors could have been better. They do stick.

[@peterfreeman3317]

Where does the moisture drain?

[@WyldeWoodworks]

@@peterfreeman3317 it doesn't need one since the fan kicks out the excess humidity

[@Morpha-Ahprom]

💖

[@alexanderrad3458]

I think it would be easier to buy a shipping container and transform that, what do you think?

[@davewood406]

The variable is the price of them and transporting it where you are but cutting some ventilation holes and painting it black couldn't get much easier.

[@noahtittle1233]

Hoe much air movement should you have inside it? Im converting an old metal building into a solar kiln and really can't figure out how big of a fan I need. I'd like to go solar with them but I'm not sure how big of a fan I need.

[@WyldeWoodworks]

In my opinion it's better to have multiple fans rather than one big fan. A good way to test it is just set up the stack, put the fan where you want it and just feel behind the stack with your hand to see if there's air flow and where your low spots are. If you can feel good air flow then you're good.

[@noahtittle1233]

@@WyldeWoodworks thanks

[@unhippy1]

These work boss for drying firewood with the a solar powered humidity controlling system to run the fans.....2 years to dry oak?...naa, load it with green wood in spring and your good to burn in mid autumn.

[@paulnandico2370]

Thanks. I was wondering about that. Having to burn mostly wet wood this year.🙄

[@unhippy1]

@@paulnandico2370 Wet wood is hard work.....i used a kiln like this to dry wood for 7 years before moving house.....i had 6 140mm computer fans pulling air out at the bottom powered by solar panel

[@paulnandico2370]

​@@unhippy1thanks for the encouragement. May have to build one. May need more than 1... as we need 12 or so cord per our 7 burning month season.

[@unhippy1]

@@paulnandico2370 it may be cheaper with that volume of wood to dry to get a kit tunnel house/greenhouse and set it up as a drying house.....that simply being to seal it from the ground so no moisture can get from the ground to inside the hothouse and to set up the ventilation system to draw air in at the top and pull it out by solar fans evenly at the bottom with the fans sized to exchange the hothouse air volume every 10 or so minutes when running in full sun....it works unbelievably well as long as you have halfway decent sun and can stop the ground moisture....doors at both ends are helpful as well as you can load it in from one end and then start using it from the other end so your always using the stuff thats been in there the longest

[@paulnandico2370]

@@unhippy1 that requires something we don't have: much flat land. Our house and gardens sit on the only flat land we have. We live in the White Mountains. However, we are normally pretty dry, so simply making pallet woodsheds works decently.

[@jamesmelton6103]

Try a framing hammer

[@Werdna12345]

Anyone know how long it takes to dry and what the tarp is for?

[@WyldeWoodworks]

The tarp is to help control air flow and it being black on one side helps increase the heat inside the kiln. The time frame depends on what time of the year it is, the type of wood and how thick it is. If you're drying 2" expect it to take 3+ months. If it's 1" it might take as little as 1 month.

[@MidtownSun]

“I’m glad I used white so that this wouldn’t look super awesome”…. LOL

[@timelessroyalestudio]

Try to cut it with circular saw backwards

[@cerberus2881]

Now you're a Framer!

[@highplainshollarhomestead3188]

I spy with my little eye...a nice old Ford truck hiding in the background.

[@dc102dc102]

BAD ASS

[@mohdbaragas2020]

Cut 2grove then... Put your foot at edge you cut and yank it

[@vandalorian8777]

You could have used an aluminum ridge cap it would not have made any difference

[@JR-kf5op]

8:58 just tip it from the back, then tip it back🤷🏼‍♂️

[@Anonymous-ny8is]

please speak louder when the loud music is playing

[@stephendaniel168]

Nailguns are for the weak.

[@Vein1986]

Your voice does not match appearance :>

[@elfuturomio]

👎