Solar Kiln Build

A time lapse build and cost breakdown from building my solar kiln for lumber. I will use the wood from the kiln in my shop for woodworking. The plans for the kiln are based on the Virginia Tech Kiln.
Here is a link to the solar fans used in the build. amzn.to/3WuSMUM

[@TheRobertralph]

8:03 Maybe you could have switched + and - cables to get the motors in the fans to run the opposite way? Anyhow, the build looks great. I hope to build one at some point and this video was fun to watch and also educational. Nice job!

[@hillbillychic3933]

Thanks for watching! I didn't have the crimps so it was easier just to undo a few screws for each fan and mount it on the other side of the baffle.

[@joannesigafoos9620]

Enjoyed your video, looking forward to seeing more.

[@hillbillychic3933]

Thanks Joanne, glad you enjoyed it

[@forrestheaney9059]

Thank you for posting this video, excellent work

[@hillbillychic3933]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@debroberts5018]

I love the size and hope to get my own built…thanks for sharing

[@hillbillychic3933]

No problem 👍.

[@alanhayes9104]

Great looking project!!!

[@hillbillychic3933]

Thanks Alan!

[@peternuttall5426]

Great video Paul, looking forward to the next one

[@hillbillychic3933]

Thanks chief!

[@keithscabin]

great looking kiln!!

[@hillbillychic3933]

Thanks 👍

[@mrfisha]

Amazing!!! I`m building my own kiln now and love videos like these for ideas... Thank you!!!

[@hillbillychic3933]

No Problem, glad you enjoyed it. I will put out one in next month or so with a "what I have learned my first year" type theme. Thanks for watching.

[@mrfisha]

Perfect! I can’t wait…. Thanks man!!!

[@davidblakesley4801]

Nice video and good to see that you're getting new subscribers. Looking forward to watching your videos into the future.

[@hillbillychic3933]

Thanks!

[@steverobinson8123]

Paul, I enjoyed meeting you and your wife today and getting the lumber from you. I also really enjoyed the "tour" of the kiln and now the video!! Subscribed to your channel and will look forward to following your escapades! Best of luck!! Steve

[@hillbillychic3933]

Thanks for coming and for watching. Let me know if you need anything else in the future.

[@ryszardchajecki999]

Well done Paul. Looks wonderful !!!

[@hillbillychic3933]

Thank you Ryszard, it's my retirement plan..

[@amtraksolar9893]

Hi Paul, Glad you were able to get your fans working thank you for the video and adding a link to our product. wishing you and yours well. -Sarah from Amtrak Solar

[@hillbillychic3933]

Still spinning away after 1 year of use.. Still work great.

[@coldspring624]

Nice looking build

[@hillbillychic3933]

Thanks!

[@TripleTRanchAndSawmill]

Glad KZbin inserted you in my feed. Its good when they do it for an upstart. Usually I see the same ole channels and I have to stick something in the search box to find interesting stuff. Look forward to the videos!

[@hillbillychic]

Thanks for following.. Plenty of videos to come!

[@hillbillychic3933]

Thanks 👍

[@billydamnit]

I had the pleasure of meeting Bert, Ernie, and Paul yesterday. If you like the solar kiln, you should see his workshop! Absolutely next level. I hope to see you guys again soon. ☮️ Subbed

[@hillbillychic3933]

Good to meet you too.. Thanks for watching and subscribing.

[@Takarunga01]

Good to see you started YouTubing from your shop, great video. Look forward to see more of you and your goat in the shop….. and yes your wife were right choosing color for you! Oh by the way…if your fan motors are DC you could just have switched polarity 🧐

[@hillbillychic3933]

Hey Claus, Thanks for subscribing. Yeah, I didn't have the crimps though so it was easier to just unscrew it and mount it on the other side. You know I'm pretty lazy...

[@KerryCorney]

Thanks heaps Paul. Great video

[@hillbillychic3933]

Thanks!

[@Icecream_Unicorns]

Right on dude, very inspirational and keep up the great work man 👍👍🍺🍺

[@hillbillychic3933]

Thanks Reuben!

[@marilynvalentino1950]

I like your Kiln build.

[@hillbillychic3933]

Thank you!

[@stephenhillenberg2627]

The wife is allways right! Nice job, working on a longer tech version myself.

[@hillbillychic3933]

You got that right!

[@nicksnextproject535]

Nice build.

[@hillbillychic3933]

Thanks!

[@can3825]

This is super nice kiln! I am interested in how you did the hinge work with the fans.

[@hillbillychic3933]

The hinge works great for getting the fans up out of the way when I'm loading the kiln. I just attached them to a 2x4 framework for the clear panels on the front.

[@ironsales5669]

That was a great build. I really liked being able to pull steps for the build as I am going to be building mine very soon. I had been wondering about how to build the platform to keep it off the ground and I like how you sank posts for the structure but I might just use lag bolts to attach a rim board to make it easier to level and then trim the posts to desired height at the top to set the top mean to hold the trusses. Great build I really enjoyed watching that come together. How deep is your kiln? Thank you again.

[@hillbillychic3933]

It's about 5' deep. I didn't have level ground so I had to build my kiln there. It's a little awkward to load and unload because the tractor forks are uneven because of the uneven ground. If you have level ground build it there!

[@TRINITY-ks6nw]

Well done sir

[@hillbillychic3933]

Thanks!

[@jw05450]

Good job

[@hillbillychic3933]

Thanks

[@dorindabrezina9758]

Excellent educational share

[@hillbillychic3933]

Glad you liked it

[@niallwilliams3627]

Very nice kiln. I would like to hear if you have a problem with bugs in the wood. Or does your solar kiln effectively take care of them? Thanks for you time to make this video.

[@hillbillychic3933]

So far my kiln has not gotten hot enough for long enough to do an effective bug kill. However, I have never seen a bug in any of the wood I have used after it has been air dried or through my kiln. I don't know if it's the area (Chattanooga) or the wood I primarily use which is Black Walnut, Pecan and Hickory and Red and White Oaks. I've seen plenty while cutting them with the sawmill but as the wood dries it becomes uninhabitable for the ones when the moisture content was high. I'm not saying it's not possible.. I've just never seen anything.

[@braddoesitall]

Are the fans that you used putting out good airflow? Have you added batteries to your fans yet? If so, that would be a great video to make showing the battery and charging setup.

[@hillbillychic3933]

I have pretty good airflow and the kiln is working well at drying especially now that the temperatures are coming up a bit. I'm pretty happy with the way it's running so I may just leave it as is and not add the complication or the expense of going to batteries.

[@BradyHommel]

Great kiln man! Looking forward to more of your content. What sawmill do you use? I just bought a house on 12 acres of mostly mature hardwoods and my next project or should say projects is to get a sawmill and build a kiln. I recently got a chain sawmill and that isn't going to cut it lol. just doing research now. Thanks for the video and any tips you have!

[@hillbillychic3933]

I have a Cooks sawmill. Mostly manually driven except for raising and lowering the head and that is electric. It's a good choice if you're doing it for yourself and are the weekend warrior. Hydraulic systems are pricey. I'm pretty lazy so the chainsaw mill was never an option. That's a lot of work. I'm not sure how my kiln will work out during spring and summer. I'm pretty sure I don't have enough wood in my barn to keep up with it. Not a bad problem to have though. Thanks for watching!

[@BradyHommel]

@@hillbillychic3933 Thanks! Yes chainsaw mill is way to slow for me. I'm looking at the woodland 130 max. I'm not a weekend warrior I'm a full time wood worker photographer and youtuber. Just really like the process of milling and drying my own lumber and possibly selling some dried lumber for another source of income. Thanks for the reply!

[@shaneharvey1026]

Great work and documentation of the process! When you say you would have changed the dimensions of the kiln it wasn’t clear to me to what size you would change it. How wide would you make it? Some multiple of sheet good sizes? Thank you.

[@hillbillychic3933]

Yes, I would have made it 12' to make it more economical to build with sheet goods. I cut my lumber down to 10' for material handling purposes so I don't need it to be as long as it is. It does make it easier for loading and unloading though. Thanks for watching!

[@Dancing_Alone_wRentals]

8:29 great pictures

[@hillbillychic3933]

Thanks!

[@capowell430]

Hi Paul-Great video. I’m interested to know how you insulated the floor. As you’re building it, you are standing in it as you put in the cross bracing. Then the footage of Hurricane Ida comes. Then you say you insulate it with waterproof insulation, but how exactly do you do that? The clip before shows it with no bottom to hold the insulation.

[@hillbillychic3933]

I nailed strips to the bottom of the joists so the rigid foam insulation would not fall out however i'm a little worried something might make a nest in there.

[@stephencooney6509]

@@hillbillychic3933 Regarding a critter making a nest, I suggest adding 1/2" hardware cloth that runs from your floor framing to a couple inches under the current level of the gravel and then out parallel to the grade 12 to 18" away from the kiln and cover that up with gravel. Critters will be stymied by the hardware cloth and look for an easier target

[@waynehanson3764]

Nice looking build. Those fans are DC powered so you could have just switched the polarity to get them spinning the opposite direction, instead of switching the housing direction. Unless I'm missing something.

[@hillbillychic3933]

No, you are correct but I didn't have the crimps so and it was easier to just take out a few screws. Thanks for watching

[@no1treman]

Hello from east Texas.Because of the situation in America now, some of us are having to consider new ways to survive. I have a healthy stand of mixed timber on my place. The pine stand from 18 to btween 3 and 4 ft is probably somewhere around 60 trees. With the price of frame lumber being what it is I have to consider this. How much will your kiln hold per full run. Thanks, and great job. Reggie

[@hillbillychic3933]

The plans are from Virginia Tech and they say it can do 800 board feet at a time. I have less in there now because it's winter and the temperatures aren't getting as hot. In the summer you would probably want it full so that the boards in there don't dry too quickly with the summer temps even with all the vents open.

[@mikkat50]

Great job Paul, did you use Renogy solar panels ? A lot of people I know that live in their vehicles use renogy .

[@hillbillychic3933]

I'm not sure what brand they were but it was a package deal from Amazon for the panel and fan. I installed some Renogy panels on a friends cabin and they are still going strong after a good few years. They seem great for the price point.

[@smackdaddy12]

Well done Pops! Can you build my hunting cabin for me?

[@hillbillychic3933]

Maybe build some furniture for it but construction is too much like hard work.

[@jamesacuff5176]

Paul, I live about 30 miles north east of Knoxville and I was wondering what your thoughts are on efficiency of the solar kiln after use this winter and fall? On average, how quickly can you dry lumber? What’s your total cost in the structure if you don’t mind me asking? I’ve got a sawmill too and am considering building a solar kiln to increase the value of my efforts. Thank you for sharing this video as I feel it’s one of the best out there on the subject. Respectfully, James

[@hillbillychic3933]

Hi James... Total cost and reasoning for it was in the video so I don't mind sharing. It was $4,600 but that was when lumber prices were pretty high. I had to use stamped lumber but if you use your own you can save quite a bit. I air dry lumber in my barn down in the 20ish percent before putting it into the kiln and the last load of hickory 4/4 only took about 10 days but the 8/4 is still in there but drying pretty quickly and should be out by the end of the month and that is with leaving the vents open because I don't have much room in my shop at the moment and I am in no hurry for it to dry. I'm very happy with it and surprised that I was able to dry quite a bit of 4/4 stock over the winter. It won't get hot enough for a bug kill until later this spring and summer but I'm not too concerned about that.

[@smd3697]

Great video. Could you elaborate on your comment concerning width… did you mean you would rather it be wider? Thanks

[@hillbillychic3933]

I would have made it narrower or 12' to use the plywood more efficiently. having it 13' just makes you buy that extra sheet of plywood to cover that small gap. It's like Virginia Tech said we need to build a kiln that will dry 800 board feet and designed it accordingly. Rather than building the largest kiln they could being efficient with materials. Hopefully that makes sense? Also, cutting my logs a bit shorter will make them a lot lighter and be easier on my back. I want to be in this for the long run.

[@smd3697]

@@hillbillychic3933 That makes perfect sense and gives me a few more things to consider. Thanks for the reply.

[@hakamabugharbieh9411]

That was great ...... does it get up to 140 f ? Also did you use a dehumidifier?

[@hillbillychic3933]

We recently had some nice days that got up to the low 70's. The kiln got up to 140 F. A dehumidifier is unnecessary because when it gets to that temperature the humidity drops into the teens even though it's 50-60% outside. I also have a couple leaks to take care of and it should get hotter but going into summer it should be fine.

[@grunto666]

Nice job! As the fans are DC couldn't you have just swapped the cables over to run them in the reverse direction?

[@hillbillychic3933]

Yes but the connectors were set up to only connect the one way. I could have dug around for mine and redo them but it was easier just to remove the 4 screws and put the fan on the other side of the baffle.

[@grunto666]

@@hillbillychic3933 Yep - easiest is always the best!

[@jadenedwards6159]

nice job! Whats the brand of roofing rubberized paint you bought at lowes?

[@hillbillychic3933]

I used a rubberized coating called Rubr-Coat #57. I think I got it at Lowes or Home Depot but it has held up pretty well over the last year.

[@chriscynefin966]

I keep wondering if you could make it able to rotate, so you can track the sun and get more light. Hmmm..

[@hillbillychic3933]

you could but it's working pretty well in a fixed direction. Adding that complication might not be worth the hassle. But, if I were to do it I would use the slew ring from a crane. It can take the weight no problem.

[@itsTHEFIREDOG]

Can you dry hand hewn logs in a solar kiln and if so how long would it take for them to dry for interior use?

[@hillbillychic3933]

Sure, there is a lot to that question but let me just give you an example of what I have done so far. I left 1" wood in my barn for about 8 months until the moisture content got down to around 20%. I chucked them into the kiln and got the moisture content down to 8% and that was just for a few weeks in November when the kiln was only hitting about 100 degrees on good days. During the summer you could take a fresh cut lumber and throw it into the kiln and it would dry in about 6 weeks. There are lots of factors though, species, thickness, time of year, where you live (heating and cooling in your home).

[@richeiseman5767]

Do you happen to have a material list for the kiln build? I have been looking at the Virginia Tech build and spec sheet but, I will also need to go the 6x6 route.

[@hillbillychic3933]

Sorry I do not.. I looked at my excel sheet and it only had the costs. I went with the cut list off the Virginia Tech plans and just modified the number from there. I still don't know why the thing is 13' long.

[@richeiseman5767]

@@hillbillychic3933 Thanks for the follow up. I was thinking about shrinking it down a bit in both length and height. I would like to still be able to get a 10'6" board into it if I had to. Did you use OSB T&G for the sub floor or pressure treated like it call out in the prints?

[@dinhnam16]

Great. But how long to make its dry?

[@hillbillychic3933]

Depends on time of year, how dry the wood is when you put it in the kiln. But in the summer a fresh cut tree can take up to 6 weeks. If it has been cut a stacked already and is partially dry it will take 1-2 weeks.

[@AdventurousWay]

We are planning on building a solar kiln soon, so this was a great video to watch. What was the black material you used under the siding? Did you put any insulation in the walls?

[@hillbillychic3933]

The black material was tar paper for roofs. It worked pretty well although I would use staples instead of the nails with the washer. on them. If you use any flashing, it can get caught up on the washers. I also used fiberglass insulation in the walls.

[@aCycloneSteve]

If you're using sheet goods, what's a better width for the kiln?

[@hillbillychic3933]

If it works for you and the length you cut wood I think 12' is a more efficient use of materials.

[@SFCSMOKER]

Any issues with the fans? I’m looking and either find cheap or expensive. Will go expensive if I must.

[@hillbillychic3933]

Nope.. still running really well.

[@WideCutSawmill]

You could wire a thermostat between the panels and the fan?

[@hillbillychic3933]

Sure, but after a year of having it wired directly I'm happy with the results..

[@WideCutSawmill]

@@hillbillychic3933 good to know.

[@hardway_Wayne]

Do you have to have the tarp to keep direct sunlight off the wood

[@hillbillychic3933]

Yes, for two reasons actually. To keep the sunlight directly off the wood but to also direct the airflow from the fans through the front of the stack of wood.

[@hardway_Wayne]

Thank you for your response good info .

[@ibangor]

Hi, can you please tell me what black paint that you used to paint the walls. Thank you

[@hillbillychic3933]

I used a rubberized coating called Rubr-Coat #57. I think I got it at Lowes or Home Depot but it has held up pretty well over the last year.

[@TheTgranber]

Hey there! Is there an update on the kiln? Thinking about building my own.

[@hillbillychic3933]

Hey.. I'm going to do "one year with my solar kiln" or something like that.. Is there something you would like to know specifically? I do like it.. it's good! I will even give you the spoiler of the video.. I need more space to air dry before putting wood in the kiln and I'm working on that.

[@TheTgranber]

@@hillbillychic3933The length is surely something to consider. Im thinking of a different roof material since we get a lot of snow. So an update on how your roof is holding would be nice.

[@jeffreyharrington5057]

Do u live in South western VA? I live right next to VT in Christiansburg, Va. Where do I find the VT plans?

[@hillbillychic3933]

I'm in Southeastern Tennessee and I got the plans here. vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/bitstream/handle/10919/98866/420-030_pdf.pdf?sequence=1

[@eliharris121]

How long does it take to dry the wood

[@hillbillychic3933]

Depends on the thickness.. But, I will let it dry in my barn until it get's down to the 20%ish moisture content down from 70-80% when first cut which takes 4 or 5 months and then will throw it in the kiln and right now in the winter it will take a 1" thick piece about 5 weeks to get from the 20% range down to the 8% to 10% range.. This summer I would expect it to take a lot less time in the kiln but will probably need to slow down the process so the wood doesn't dry too quickly.

[@whineysnowflake8072]

what direction did you face the poly side? South like a greenhouse?

[@hillbillychic3933]

Yes, it needs to face directly south. It disturbs my ocd that it's not parallel with my shop.

[@whineysnowflake8072]

@@hillbillychic3933 LOL...yeah it bothered me to watch the video because of that. Glad I'm not alone

[@mustangtonto5862]

@@hillbillychic3933 . Mine too. :)

[@slackoutdoors]

New Sub here. Nice video and details on the build. Good luck on all you do. #slackoutdoors

[@hillbillychic3933]

Thanks, and thanks for subscribing.

[@melissatuason2395]

what would be the disadvantage for making it say 25'feet wide as opposed to 13'3" ?

[@hillbillychic3933]

Nothing really, just managing that much lumber in the kiln might be a bit more awkward. I'm assuming you don't have really long lumber because making doors that long would be impractical and having more than two doors means you would need a support somewhere in the middle which would make loading longer logs very difficult. Air flow through the logs is also important so you wouldn't want a gap in the middle anywhere. I shove a tarp on each side of my stack to direct the air flow through and not around. Hope that answers your question. Thanks for watching.

[@mustangtonto5862]

@@hillbillychic3933 . I’d not thought of blocking off the ends to prohibit air flow there. You are a good “thinker”. I just subscribed.

[@Goonabasec7]

Nice kiln. Too bad you have to get Gov't permission to build your building on your property. Could you tell us the where you got your solar panel and fans from?

[@hillbillychic3933]

I don't mind the regulations so much.. Keeps silly people from doing silly things sometimes. I bought the fans through Amazon and here is a link to them. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01D1RYQ8K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[@michaelneville2915]

I thought about painting the outside black to encourage heat, silly me.

[@hillbillychic3933]

It probably would work.. I was going to paint mine black but that idea was vetoed by my wife.

[@timothybelton2273]

Pretty level and pretty square Lol Good enough for the girls we go with

[@hillbillychic3933]

Exactly!

[@Anthony_Harper]

If those are 12 v dc fans instead of turning them around you probably could have reversed the leads.

[@hillbillychic3933]

They were, but the leads only plugged in the one way so I would have to replace all of them. It was quicker just to take out the few screws and reverse them.

[@michaelleinen1949]

Algorithm

[@hillbillychic3933]

Not sure it that's a question or a statement but thanks for the comment.

[@michaelleinen1949]

That’s a comment for the KZbin algorithm. For the videos that I enjoy, I always like them and leave the word algorithm to help out the channel.

[@hillbillychic3933]

@@michaelleinen1949 ah.. thanks!

[@motisonam747]

Sheep

[@hillbillychic3933]

Goats

[@braddoesitall]

Did you use the wooden closure strips under the polycarbonate panels? Like the ones here: www.lowes.com/pd/Tuftex-Wood-Solid-Roof-Panel-Closure-Strip/3012462 If yes, did you use them on every rafter?

[@hillbillychic3933]

Only on the top and bottom. There is enough flex in the panels that I screwed them to the supports in the middle of the panels. On the sides I used a tacky sealant that comes in rolls for weather sealing those same panels. Please let me know if you have any other questions.