How to Build a Solar Kiln

The Process

• 1

  Make use of a good glazing for the roof. You may use corrugated polycarbonate from a green house supply company; however even the plastic sheeting should work well for a short time. Anything transparent enough to let the UV rays to permeate into the kiln should be good enough. Pitch the roof at the same angle as the latitude of your house.

• 2

  To construct the floor of the solar kiln, you can choose a regular joist kind of floor or a concrete pad. Lay two white oak beams 4"x6"x8"on the ground and level them. Build you kiln on skids, so that you can move them when you want to.

• 3

  Lay a painted sheet of 3/4" plywood above the skids and then put 2"x6" floor joists below, and insulate them in between. On top of the joists, lay another piece of plywood measuring 3/4". Paint it with roofing paint or any other material to seal it well, and keep the moisture out.

• 4

  Start constructing the walls. Use 2"x4"s for the studs and insulate them well. Paint all the exposed areas inside the kiln and leave two openings for ventilation at the top of the back wall and two at the bottom.

• 5

  Install circulation fans on the top of the kiln. Use fans of durable materials because temperatures in the kiln can become quite high during the day, and you have to ensure that the fans do not melt. The fans are used to blow air from the top vents down the slope of the roof. They blow it through the lumber pile and let it move out of the bottom vents. Most of the times the vents are closed though, and the fans are just used to move the air through the lumber pile.