Develop better kiln drying schedules.

Dear Kiln Operator.

As a kiln operator your primary job is to maximize the efficiency of the kilns under your supervision in order to allow your company to provide better drying quality to your customers plus help reduce the drying costs and waste (degrade).

As raw material/lumber has become increasingly costly and sometimes hard to get, we have seen an attitude change in the amount of waste/degrade your kilns can be allowed to produce. In addition, increased competition in the lumber industry is also putting more pressure on the kiln operators to maximize production, reduce costs, and minimize degrade. In the early days of kiln drying it used to be said that you were drying it too slow if you had less than 10% degrade, whereas today a company can barely accept 2-3% degrade in order to remain profitable.

This procedure for improving a drying schedule has been compiled in a rather simple format and we hope it explains the general approach a kiln operator should take in optimizing the kiln performance. First and foremost it is important to understand that: