December 10, 1917 



Dry Kilns for Government Service 



The r^ent ilevolopiiient of the 

 war situation has made it appar- 

 ent that we are Jestined to take 

 a substantial part in the fight for 

 freedom. Manufacturing plants 

 are, therefore, shaping their fac- 

 tory output along such lines as to 

 contribute directly to the equip- 

 ment needed for the war, or to 

 help equip the American farmer, 

 who is to feed the world during 

 the next few years. 



Woodworking plants which 

 make wagons, auto trucks, freight 

 cars, airplanes, ships and the like, 

 find an unprecedented demand for 

 their product, entirely beyond 

 their normal capacity. Usually 

 the above have been accustomed 

 to maintain their yard stock of 

 lumber in sufficient quantity to 

 provide normally six months and, 

 preferably, twelve to eighteen 

 months of thorough air drying. 



The government 's unprecedent- 

 ed demand is rapidly depleting 

 these lumber stocks, and the wood- 

 working plants are faced with the absolute necessity, temporarily at 

 least, of drying all kinds of lumber practically green from the saw. 



In ease of the soft woods (conifers), this problem has been solved 

 on a commercially economical basis. In so far as green hardwoods 

 are concerned, considerable progress has been made toward satisfac- 

 torily drying one inch lumber and thinner. This is practically true of 

 the so callecl "soft" hardwoods, such as poplar, cottonwood, gum, 



some kinds of mahogany and the 

 like. 



In the case of oak, ash, hickory, 

 etc., in the two, three and four- 

 inch thicknesses, the problem of 

 drying green lumber is decidedly 

 diiTicult and far from a satisfac- 

 tory solution. 



The Forest Products Labora- 

 tory at Madison, Wisconsin, main- 

 tained jointly by the United 

 States Government and the Uni- 

 versity of Wisconsin, has been 

 conducting a series of experi- 

 ments and demonstrations and 

 has brought out and developed 

 the humidity regulated kiln un- 

 der patents taken out in the name 

 of H. D. Tiemann, chief physi- 

 cist, which patents are dedicated 

 to the public. 



This kiln has been in use at the 

 Madison Laboratory for several 

 years, and typical installations 

 have been made, or are in process 

 of construction for Moline Plow 

 Company, Moline, 111. ; Interna- 

 tional Harvester Company, Chicago; Redwood Manufacturers' Com- 

 pany, Pittsburg, Cal. ; N. & W. E. R., Roanoke, Va.; Mandt Wagon 

 Works, Stoughton, Wis.; SchoetUer Wagon Works, Chicago, etc. 



The claims set forth for this kiln are the ability to dry, without 

 substantial loss through degrade, any kind and any thickness of 

 hardwood; those whose installations are far enough progressed 

 report excellent success. 



-ORIGINAL TYPE OF THE TI7MANN KILN 



FIG. 1— GRAND RAPIDS VAPOR KILN 



FIG. 3— COMPOSITE TYPE OE KILN 



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