Quck answer
To dry wood using a kitchen oven, follow these steps:
1. Choose a small piece of wood that fits in your oven.
2. Preheat the oven to a low temperature, around 200-250°F (93-121°C).
3. Place the wood on a baking sheet or a wire rack inside the oven.
4. Keep the oven door slightly open to allow moisture to escape.
5. Leave the wood in the oven for several hours, checking regularly for any signs of overheating or charring.
6. Once the wood feels dry to the touch and has a low moisture content, remove it from the oven and let it cool.
Remember to always use caution when using an oven for drying wood, as wood can catch fire if the temperature is too high or if it’s left unattended.
It is possible to use a regular kitchen oven to dry pieces of wood. Drying wood helps it burn more efficiently and with less smoke compared to fresh-cut wood. Additionally, drying wood increases its durability and strength by hardening its cellular structure. While air-drying wood outdoors can take months, using a kitchen oven can speed up the process to just a couple of hours. By reducing the moisture level in fresh wood, you can make the most out of it.
Step 1
Start by rearranging the oven racks so that one is placed at the bottom and another in the center. Put an oven thermometer in the top-right corner of the center rack. Then, place a large sheet pan on the bottom rack of the oven.
Step 2
Set the oven temperature as close to 218 degrees F as possible. Most digital kitchen ovens offer this exact setting or 215 degrees F. For analog ovens, set the controls between 200 and 225 degrees F.
Step 3
If your kitchen oven has a convection fan, turn it on. After 15 minutes, check the oven thermometer. Adjust the oven settings until the internal temperature reads between 210 and 225 degrees F.
Step 4
Place the wood pieces on the centered oven rack, making sure they do not touch each other. For smaller wood pieces, position them perpendicular to the oven rack rungs to prevent them from falling through. Allow the wood to dry for one hour.
Step 5
Using protected hands, remove a few different sizes of wood pieces from the oven. Press the two metal contact points at the end of a moisture meter onto the wood surface to obtain a reading. If the desired moisture level has not been reached, return the wood to the oven.
Step 6
Repeat the drying process for 15 minutes and retest the wood. Once you are satisfied with the moisture content, place the wood on a wire cooling rack in a dry location.
