I have a lot of dreams, and a lot of projects in my "to do" cue... all of them require time, and most of them require building materials, which are increasingly expensive.  A little over a year ago, I purchased a small Woodmizer LT15 bandsaw mill in order to have a source of lumber for these projects.  Of course, without the ability to dry the lumber appropriately, the mill is of limited use. Air drying can require as much as a year per inch of thickness, and the resulting wood is not dry enough for stable indoor use.

Back in the spring, I began construction of a small solar lumber kiln.  It is more-or-less based on the following design: (http://www.homepower.com/view/?file=HP63_pg50_Scanlin)--with a few modifications, including that my kiln is smaller (appx. 900 board feet capacity).

Rather than a permanent foundation posted into the ground below the frost line (almost 3 meters down this past winter!!!), I opted instead to have a tubular steel frame welded up, which could function as a skid in the event that I ever want to re-locate the kiln. I got within probably 2 days of completing the project when life struck (in the form of having to earn some paycheques!)...and the summer's business pushed the kiln to the back burner.  Now with fall approaching, I'm keen to cross a few things off of my list before the snow flies--and the kiln is near the top of this list!

My favorite part of this kiln is that the fans are powered directly off of a set of solar panels--no batteries required: when the sun is shining, the fans are blowing.  This works out nicely, since it permits the moisture level to equalize in the lumber during the cool nights, while maximizing drying during the hot days.

In addition to drying lumber, I plan on stacking some functions with this structure--it's a ready-made food dehydrator with an enormous capacity, PLUS, I'm intending to duct the kiln's warm exhaust under the ground below an adjacent "earth-sheltered greenhouse."--although I likely won't tackle that project for another year-or-two.

Currently, the kiln is an enclosed shell, without the heat-exchanger (black aluminum window screen).  The fans and air path/plenum are not yet complete, and the building has been covered in white tarps to keep the glass clean until I can cover it with a layer of polycarbonate (mainly to reduce the chance of hail damage).  Even covered and without the heat exchanger, I've seen temperatures in excess of 60 degrees Celsius at the FLOOR level of the kiln (I can only imagine what it is higher up!)

I'll see whether I have some pictures to give a general idea, and will try to keep you posted on my progress!

-Tim