Anyone heard of using a sauna as a wood kiln?

[poleframer]

Title says it all. I'm getting to the window trim on a log home, and have some old growth fir I cut a few years ago to use. A good portion of the 2" stuff has been seasoned for a few years inside, but there's some 3" and thicker stock thats just been tarped. I have a wood fired sauna here, big enough to put the stock I'm using in, and the thought crossed my mind of using it to dry wood in, I could probably get it to over 160 for a while, would have to keep the externally fed stove going...maybe add vents and a fan.
Anybody that does kiln drying have any input for my idea?
Thanks

 

[betterbuilt]

I saw logosol was selling a sauna kiln of some sort. They say you can dry wood in a week. There are some specs on their site on temps and the process they use.

 

[betterbuilt]

I also remember coming across a kiln design that involved a rocket stove. A rocket stove would cut down on the need for lots of wood. The problem with wood would be the temp fluxuations. The rocket stove that heats a mass design would be more even heating. My thoughts are a turkish bath. I remember watching a video of the recreation of one on Pbs I think. The heat would be placed below the lumber and in the middle. The heat flows under and around and up. Some sort of a reclaimer would need to be used.

Another thing I read about was a wood fired kiln in the Fox Fire books. It was a brick dome design. kinda cool story.

 

[BobL]

A heat supply only solves half the problem. You will still need fans to mix the air inside the chamber and moist air has to be exhausted and replaced with fresher drier air.

 

[Jim Timber]

Necro-bump here, but I've had the same idea.

Wouldn't a fire daily be the same as a solar kiln that's not run on electricity? Heat the wood in the day, open the vents at night, repeat?

Granted the top is going to be hotter than the bottom, but the moisture content of the air should be pretty stable.

 

[john taliaferro]

Betterbuilt , i think the heat reclamer idea is a good idea , but what is a rocket stove ? . Is 160 f to hot for a plastic fan , at what temperature will it deform and overheat .

 

[Jim Timber]

"Rocket Stove" is the new trendy name for the old masonry stoves.

http://www.theresilientfamily.com/2012/04/rocket-stove/

 

[betterbuilt]

Betterbuilt , i think the heat reclamer idea is a good idea , but what is a rocket stove ? . Is 160 f to hot for a plastic fan , at what temperature will it deform and overheat .

Jim posted a link for what a rocket stove is. Kirkeg has a rocket stove in his house . That thing is pretty impressive. He can start it and in a few hours you have to open the doors. I'm going to have him over this summer to put one in my shop. I'm using entirely too much wood to heat it. Watching him carry in a small arm full of wood to heat his house for the day just makes me sick. I probably burn 20 times the wood he does. My house is bigger, but you get the point.

As for the fan the only way to find out would be to try. It seems like it would be okay if it was running.