Hey everyone! I'm curious if there's a reliable way to prevent wood from shrinking while torrefying it. I've heard that using tung oil might help, but I'm looking for more solid methods to keep that shrinkage at bay. Thanks for any tips! Just to clarify, this is a hypothetical question I'm exploring.
3 Answers
Unfortunately, once you heat the wood beyond 100 degrees Celsius, it’s pretty much game over for any chance of stopping shrinkage completely. You could try to heat it under a bit of pressure, but that could lead to some dangerous situations with exploding wood in your heating chamber! The best bet is to minimize shrinkage by vacuum drying it first before any heat treatment. But again, it's more about reducing than eliminating shrinkage.
From what I understand, the key is starting with wood that's already kiln-dried. That way, the extra shrinkage during torrefaction is minimal. You might also want to check out some forums focused on lutherie, as they often discuss similar processes used in making instruments.
While I'm no expert on torrefaction, here are a few ideas that might be worth testing. Some suggest that using compressed wood could reduce shrinkage, and there’s a thought that drying the wood beforehand might help too. You could also experiment with replacing any water content in the wood with anhydrous alcohols. Some folks think that using impregnating salts or treating it with sodium silicate may increase stability during the process. Just be ready for some trial and error!
Awesome, thanks!