Knuckleheads Wooden Box Kiln Build

[Knucklehead]

I've been meaning to build a kiln for the past two seasons but have just gotten off my sorry ass and decided to do something about it. (Bob's thread kicked off my thinking seriously about it) First, let me say that the cheapest kiln build is one from a free freezer, as the box itself is the most expensive part of the build. I can't move a freezer around by myself and lining up help is difficult, so I built my own box on site with casters so I can roll it from shop to basement, depending on where I'm going to run it. I hope to do it in the basement as long as the smell isn't too bad since it maintains a stable temperature which should make controlling temps inside the box more consistent.

I'm still waiting on a temperature control unit I ordered from ebay for $15.00 with free shipping. It reads in fahrenheit, runs off 110V, has digital readout, can be set from 1-25F variance in on/off operation, ships from the US with US tech support. Only the probe will be inside the box, the unit itself will mount to the outside. It seemed like the cat's meow for what I plan to do with it. I hope it will be here in about a week so I can do my break in high temp run to burn off any smells or off gassing that may occur with the rigid foam board.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281294885235?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

I built it with an external 1x4" frame to make door weatherstrip, hinge and latch attachment easier. It is glued with Titebond III water resistant glue and screwed together with pocket screws every where two pieces of wood make contact.




Inside the 1x4" frame I attached 1/8" MDF with 1/2" staples to further sturdy up the frame, hide the ugly pink foam board, and to provide a small measure of safety as a firewall.



I then attached the 2" rigid foam board on the inside of the MDF with 2-/12" deck screws with washers. The foam screws into the 1x4" framing. Then I attached the face frame to the door opening side of the box and used 2" Tyvek tape to seal the corners.



I then attached the door with 4 butt hinges on the hinge side, and 2 spring loaded chest type latches on the handle side, plus one latch on top and one on bottom of the door. I used 3/8" weatherstrip around the door to seal to the face frame. I plan to go back later and add another weatherstrip just inside this one because I have room to do it.



Completed box.



Inside kiln showing shelves to pile tobacco on, and to hang hands of tobacco from. Crock pot and bathroom exhaust fan sitting inside. The fan speed will be controlled with a ceiling fan speed control switch and the crock pot will be controlled with the temperature control on order.



Thanks to DGBAMA, Bob, Lakota, and Smokin Harley for the one on one advice and help.

 

[Knucklehead]

I'm still getting my material prices together and will post a material list with costs later.

 

[DGBAMA]

Don't worry about the smell...... It is wonderful when things are going right. Even to non smokers. You could probably kiln in the kitchen with no complaints.

 

[Jitterbugdude]

Sa-weeeeet!

I never needed a fan for mine. I installed a little muffin fan but only used it once and then decided it wasn't adding anything to the process.

 

[bonehead]

that looks good and i like the wheels. did you use an angle hole drill jig like i see advertised on tv for the frame holes? some day i might build one. every year i procrastinate for a year, then my tobacco is a year older and say to myself maybe next year.

 

[grgfinney]

I only foresee one problem, when your tobacco comes out and smells soo good you will smoke it up,

 

[leverhead]

Looks nice!

 

[deluxestogie]

Fortune Cookie: There will be happiness in your future. Learn Chinese 真棒 (Zhēn bàng) awesome

Bob

 

[Knucklehead]

that looks good and i like the wheels. did you use an angle hole drill jig like i see advertised on tv for the frame holes? some day i might build one. every year i procrastinate for a year, then my tobacco is a year older and say to myself maybe next year.

Yes, I used the Kreg pocket hole jig. It doesn't split the wood.

 

[deluxestogie]

Unlike using an old refrigerator or freezer for a kiln, a home-build box allows you to look at your available space, and build a kiln that fits it. Its final weight isn't encumbered by refrigeration components and a steel shell. And your own casters can't help but work better than those that come on refrigerators.

Although I believe that a fan may not be necessary within a kiln, since convection from the Crockpot at the bottom does a pretty good job of maintaining circulation, a fan will certainly improve flue-curing, if that is in your planning.

Bob

 

[Brown Thumb]

So is One Sweet Hot Box you Got There Knucks.

 

[Swedroller]

Hi Knucklehead
Very impressive construction you´v made, i will have it in mind when it´s time for me to try. I have a question about the crock pot. I can see how it works whit controlling the temperature but how do you controll and adjust the humidity?

Ville

 

[Smokin Harley]

I've been meaning to build a kiln for the past two seasons but have just gotten off my sorry ass and decided to do something about it. (Bob's thread kicked off my thinking seriously about it) First, let me say that the cheapest kiln build is one from a free freezer, as the box itself is the most expensive part of the build. I can't move a freezer around by myself and lining up help is difficult, so I built my own box on site with casters so I can roll it from shop to basement, depending on where I'm going to run it. I hope to do it in the basement as long as the smell isn't too bad since it maintains a stable temperature which should make controlling temps inside the box more consistent.

I'm still waiting on a temperature control unit I ordered from ebay for $15.00 with free shipping. It reads in fahrenheit, runs off 110V, has digital readout, can be set from 1-25F variance in on/off operation, ships from the US with US tech support. Only the probe will be inside the box, the unit itself will mount to the outside. It seemed like the cat's meow for what I plan to do with it. I hope it will be here in about a week so I can do my break in high temp run to burn off any smells or off gassing that may occur with the rigid foam board.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281294885235?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

I built it with an external 1x4" frame to make door weatherstrip, hinge and latch attachment easier. It is glued with Titebond III water resistant glue and screwed together with pocket screws every where two pieces of wood make contact.

View attachment 14983View attachment 14984


Inside the 1x4" frame I attached 1/8" MDF with 1/2" staples to further sturdy up the frame, hide the ugly pink foam board, and to provide a small measure of safety as a firewall.

View attachment 14985

I then attached the 2" rigid foam board on the inside of the MDF with 2-/12" deck screws with washers. The foam screws into the 1x4" framing. Then I attached the face frame to the door opening side of the box and used 2" Tyvek tape to seal the corners.

View attachment 14986 View attachment 14987

I then attached the door with 4 butt hinges on the hinge side, and 2 spring loaded chest type latches on the handle side, plus one latch on top and one on bottom of the door. I used 3/8" weatherstrip around the door to seal to the face frame. I plan to go back later and add another weatherstrip just inside this one because I have room to do it.

View attachment 14988

Completed box.

View attachment 14989

Inside kiln showing shelves to pile tobacco on, and to hang hands of tobacco from. Crock pot and bathroom exhaust fan sitting inside. The fan speed will be controlled with a light dimmer switch and the crock pot will be controlled with the temperature control on order.

View attachment 14990 View attachment 14991

Thanks to DGBAMA, Bob, and Smokin Harley for the one on one advice and help.

awwww geez, you're welcome...Looks awesome .

 

[Jitterbugdude]

Hi Knucklehead
. I can see how it works whit controlling the temperature but how do you controll and adjust the humidity?

Ville

You control the humidty by the lid. Keeping the lid off will give you maximum humidity. Keeping the lid all the way on will give you minimum humidity. Some people replace the lid with a board with a hole in it. Trial and error will get you there.

 

[deluxestogie]

The heat/humidity regulation is a truly tricky process, when a Crockpot is the sole source of both.

• poor box insulation --> Crockpot is on too much of the time --> humidity gets high enough to cause puddles
• leakage of box seals --> Crockpot cycles too frequently --> low or unstable humidity
• too much water added to Crockpot at each filling --> Crockpot frequently overshoots temp setting --> humidity gets too high
• too little water added to Crockpot at each filling --> Crockpot runs dry before being refilled --> leaf dries between refills

I suggest starting off with a remote hygrometer inside the kiln, and following it for the first few runs--just for peace of mind. With my own kilns, I eventually determined how much water to add each time, so that the Crockpot has just run dry when it's time to add water. After a few months of kiln use, the hygrometer is not all that useful. [Small kiln gets 1-1/2 cups of water every 4 days; the Cozy Can got 2 cups of water every 3 days.] Eventually, the Crockpot lids for both kilns were permanently removed.

In one of my kilns, I kept a cup of fresh rock salt inside, with the aim of stabilizing the humidity near 75%. After years of use, and comparison to the Cozy Can (with no cup of salt), I can say that there is no noticeable difference. So I would say that neither the hygrometer nor the cup of salt are needed.

About the dry periods: When the Crockpot runs dry, the leaf also becomes dry. This doesn't hurt the leaf, but there is no change occurring in the leaf (no chemical aging) so long as the leaf is dry. If it's totally dry for all of 1 day out of every 4, then you get only 3 weeks of kilning for 4 weeks of time.

The bottom line: trial and error.

Bob

EDIT: One other point. If you unplug the Crockpot 10 minutes prior to each refill, it eliminates the small risk of thermally fracturing the dry crockery with the addition of water.

 

[Swedroller]

Thanks for the advise, if my kiln plans come true i´m probably make it whit a hygrometer. Sounds like a easy way for a rookie.

Ville

 

[rainmax]

Bravoooo. And welcome to the club "forced aging tobacco".
I miss window because I have it and I can tell you it is nice to see what is happening inside. You will open the doors frequently from the beginning and loosing much appreciated heat and steam. If you ask me I will edit transparent poly on the front of chamber before you close the main door. So, when you open the front door heat and steam stays behind poly in the chamber and you can see the progress(poly fromWLT). When need the refill just lift the poly so much that you can reach crockpot. That way you can save energy.

BTW, this is device it should work for both temperature and humidity and is cheap but you will need to wait another month from China:

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Fact...ter-hygrometer-wood-moisture/32219306512.html

 

[ArizonaDave]

That is a very very nice DYI box Knucklehead! You did a fantastic job!

 

[Jitterbugdude]

All this talk about crockpots. If you are worried about filling them, just mount a water jug outside the box, higher than the crockpot. Run some tubing between the two and let the miracle of siphoning work to automatically fill the crockpot.

 

[Chicken]

You can tell when growing bacca turns serious....

You'll build a kiln when your serious...

I gotta get me one of those digital devices for my kiln...especially for this upcoming grow...the kiln is gonna be packed...and I got a huge kiln.