Workshops to demonstrate design, operation of solar lumber drying kilns

Workshops to demonstrate design, operation of solar lumber drying kilns

Daylong workshops in Fairbanks and Palmer will give participants hands-on experience of the design and use of solar kilns to dry lumber.

The workshops will be led by Brian Bond, professor and associate dean of Extension at Virginia Tech, in collaboration with the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service.

The Fairbanks workshop is from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Wednesday, May 20, at the National Laboratory of the Rockies, Alaska Campus, 955 Draanjik Drive. The cost is $25.

Register using the online form or visit https://bit.ly/SolarDryingFairbanks.

The Palmer workshop is from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Friday, May 22, at the Matanuska Experiment Farm and Extension Center, 1509 S. Georgeson Drive. The cost is $25.

Register using the online form or visit https://bit.ly/SolarDryingPalmer.

Solar lumber drying kilns use passive solar heat to dry lumber in an insulated, ventilated chamber. Participants will discuss kiln design elements, including the correct roof slope for optimum solar gain and how to size the chamber for the typical species and volume of lumber being dried.

Participants will learn the key concepts of the wood-moisture relationship and how to dry lumber with minimal loss to defects like splitting and warp.

For more information, contact Matt Labrenz at [email protected] or 907-474-7192.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made five business days in advance to Alda Norris at [email protected] or 907-474-7120. Language access services, such as interpretation or translation of vital information, will be provided free of charge to individuals with limited English proficiency upon request to [email protected].

This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

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