For very small, very wet pieces, it can be helpful to put it in a nearly sealed bag first. Also, counter intuitively, sealing the ends with wax or linseed oil seems to help with checking.
I also use a microwave, but for 1 minute only (800W) and allow to cool and steam. Then another minute and same cooling. Repeat 6-7 times for >10% water. Far less cracking.
I can only speak about oak since that is what I usually work with in small pieces. Eight minutes in the microwave is way too long. Even 4 minutes can be too long depending on the size of the wood. I just got done microwaving about 28 small boards from about 10 to 18 inches long and 5 inches wide and about 3/8 to 5/8 inch thick. If you microwave for more than 1-2 minutes at a time you risk checking on the ends of the boards and splitting along the long sides. Moisture before treating was about 20+25% using a stick meter. Microwaving for 30 seconds to one minute is the best for one board and test for moisture. Repeat if necessary for a total of about 5-6 minutes. You will find that along the sides of the boards, the moisture will decrease greater than the ends of the boards to almost nothing while the ends of the boards will probably read 8-12%. When microwaving 4 short boards about 12 inches long I used 2 minutes and microwaved then for 3-4 times waiting for them to cool between microwaving. I had very few checks on the ends and no splits anywhere on the boards. If steam comes out of the microwave after treatment and pieces are too hot to handle with the naked hand, you are microwaving too long. Crop back down to 30 seconds or one minute using multiple times.
of course, for a good result, you need to adjust the process based on experience. And depending on the material and equipment, this experience will be different. The video shows the basic possibility of using this method of drying
There is no way to set the exact temperature in this microwave, you can only select the mode. It is better to set the maximum power, but it is time to select experimentally. The larger the workpiece, the more time is needed. For high-quality drying, you need to do few approaches.
For very small, very wet pieces, it can be helpful to put it in a nearly sealed bag first. Also, counter intuitively, sealing the ends with wax or linseed oil seems to help with checking.
I also use a microwave, but for 1 minute only (800W) and allow to cool and steam. Then another minute and same cooling. Repeat 6-7 times for >10% water. Far less cracking.
Yes, it's right. The size and weight of the workpiece also matters
I can only speak about oak since that is what I usually work with in small pieces. Eight minutes in the microwave is way too long. Even 4 minutes can be too long depending on the size of the wood. I just got done microwaving about 28 small boards from about 10 to 18 inches long and 5 inches wide and about 3/8 to 5/8 inch thick. If you microwave for more than 1-2 minutes at a time you risk checking on the ends of the boards and splitting along the long sides. Moisture before treating was about 20+25% using a stick meter. Microwaving for 30 seconds to one minute is the best for one board and test for moisture. Repeat if necessary for a total of about 5-6 minutes. You will find that along the sides of the boards, the moisture will decrease greater than the ends of the boards to almost nothing while the ends of the boards will probably read 8-12%. When microwaving 4 short boards about 12 inches long I used 2 minutes and microwaved then for 3-4 times waiting for them to cool between microwaving. I had very few checks on the ends and no splits anywhere on the boards. If steam comes out of the microwave after treatment and pieces are too hot to handle with the naked hand, you are microwaving too long. Crop back down to 30 seconds or one minute using multiple times.
of course, for a good result, you need to adjust the process based on experience. And depending on the material and equipment, this experience will be different. The video shows the basic possibility of using this method of drying
hı there ıs somethıng I was wonderıng. What degree do you use to warm the wood
There is no way to set the exact temperature in this microwave, you can only select the mode. It is better to set the maximum power, but it is time to select experimentally. The larger the workpiece, the more time is needed. For high-quality drying, you need to do few approaches.
Do you think it effects the structure of the wood? To where it’s not as strong?
if you do not overheat, but dry in several stages, then the effect on the structure will not differ from standard industrial drying
You might of caused some case hardening to those pieces of wood. By microwaving them for several minutes at full power.
if you overdo it with power and time, the wood will catch fire
Ну це ж воно сире?