We are often asked what makes the vacuum kilns different from the conventional kilns that people may be more familiar with. A brief explanation is that a conventional kiln generally requires air drying wood to a certain moisture content before being put in the kiln. This exposure to air can result in the beginning of drying degrade, and even if you do not see open cracks, they may have started within days depending on the species. A vacuum kiln can handle wood that is freshly sawn before air degrade can begin.

The conventional kiln process skims water molecules off the surface of wood by moving warm and dry air across the wood. This drying style must be done very slowly to allow time for water molecules to migrate from the wetter core to the dryer shell, causing different temperatures in the core of the wood versus the surface, which is termed moisture gradient. This can often cause over-drying of the surface and lead to surface checking, end cracks, and internal case hardening.

The unique advantage of vacuum kilns is that they use a property of water called vapor pressure. Being able to manage the vapor pressure of the water molecules within the wood, via the precise control of pressure in the vacuum chamber and the temperature within the wood, alleviates the different moisture gradients between the core and shell of the wood. And the vacuum chamber allows us to activate the water molecules within the wood fibers at a much lower temperature. This careful and deliberate schedule of drying and conditioning the wood relieves internal and external stress in the wood throughout the drying process. The consistent, high-quality results from the vacuum kiln method provides flat, stress-free wood and clear, bright material.

The smaller vacuum kiln has a 50" material width and a capacity of approximately 2600 board feet, while the two larger kilns have a 40" material width and a capacity of approximately 3200 board feet for each kiln. The material length for all three kilns is 25'-5".

The beginning of Custom Kiln Drying LLC dates to 2020, originally established as Kloes Specialty Hardwoods LLC to leverage Bob Kloes' name and contacts within the lumber industry, especially with small and mid-sized mills across northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. As a custom furniture builder for over 35 years, Bob Kloes saw the need for a higher quality kiln drying service, and this is when Bob Engels made the decision to build such an operation.

During the past three years, a more accommodating new building has been built, updates have been made to the operating systems and processes of all three kilns, and a growing customer base continues to keep the kiln calendars full of material to dry. The recent name change to Custom Kiln Drying LLC better reflects the growth of the vacuum kiln operation over the five years of operations.

For questions about the kiln drying operation, contact Bob Engels at 920-450-4111.

The vacuum kiln operation has always been a separate entity and operation from the specialty lumber business. Matt Schmitz continues to provide high quality specialty figured hardwoods to folks who appreciate their uniqueness as much as he does! You can contact Matt at 920-833-1745 to inquire about specialty hardwoods for your projects.