After wood is sawn into lumber and before it it's manufactured into furniture like the Mission glider, it goes through a process known as drying. Drying refers to reducing the moisture content of the wood. Softwoods are a lot easier to dry than hardwoods, but unfortunately, most outdoor furniture is made from hardwood because it's a lot more durable. The process of drying is important though to prevent the wood from changing shape or size later on.
Air Drying
The act of air drying is as simple as it sounds: you simply leave furniture out to dry naturally in or outdoors. Typically, sawn wood is stacked in rows separated by stickers on raised foundations so that air circulated evenly all around. One consideration for air drying wood is looking for a space that is relatively clean, cool, dry and away from direct sunlight.
Air drying a Mission glider is not an exact science when it comes to how long it will take because that depends entirely on the condition of the air, i.e. temperature, wind, humidity, etc. One method lumber companies often employ is to coat the ends of logs with a thick oil or paint. This allows the log to still dry, but protects the inner heartwood from drying out too much or losing its natural oils.
Kiln Drying
Kiln drying is not a much more advanced way to dry lumber; the difference is the introduction of heat to even and speed up the process. This heat is usually administered directly, through sources like natural gas or electricity, although indirect heat from solar energy and steam heat is also
possible. Kiln drying a Mission glider provides a much higher level of control, however, because of the controlled environment. Temperature, humidity and air circulation are all controllable factors.
So which method is more effective?
If you are looking to purchase a Mission glider, or any other patio furniture for that matter, look for furniture that has been kiln-dried. One problem with air-drying is that the average humidity throughout the US is 65% so there will still be a good amount of moisture content left in wood that is left to sit. When the moisture content changes this can cause the wood to crack badly or become warped or discolored.
Kiln drying a mission glider gets out significantly more moisture than does air drying. This is owed in large part to the humidity left in regular conditions. Getting furniture with a moisture content less than 18% is difficult to do in natural air. By that same token, it also takes significantly less time to kiln dry than air dry.
Kiln drying not only gets out more moisture from your Mission glider, but it also heats wood to 130 degrees Fahrenheit, a temperature high enough to kill any insects, eggs or fungi left inside. Also, heat helps in eliminating any excess resin on the wood that would remain liquid and runny when at room temperature.
The controlled environment of kiln drying is also more beneficial for even dry time. With air drying, there can be a risk of wood cracking and splitting, because of overly rapid drying in summer or too slow a drying time in the cooler winter months.
Author Resource:-
Todd Arend is a freelance writing professional whose expertise covers a variety of areas, including patio and backyard furniture, landscaping and design. He regularly writes about Mission Glider and Mission Glider Chair.
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