Steaming lumber is common on certain spieces where a darkening effect can change the color, thereby increasing the value of the lumber. In addition, steaming has found new uses as part of the drying process, where shock steaming helps prevent color change in the later kiln drying process and it seems the lumber will have an initial and fast reduction in average moisture content even on species like red and white oak.
In Europe one of the most common steamed species is beech. The color of beech can be manipulated from a very light (nearly white) to a dark brown, depending on the steam time, and the later drying schedule. Whereas in North America one of the most common steamed species is walnut, where the lumber company tries to darken the sapwood to the same color as the heartwood.
Steaming lumber for color is not a difficult or complicated process; however, most lumber companies do not have adequate control over the process to insure a constant result throughout all four seasons of the year. It does matter if the lumber is warm or frozen when the steaming process is initiated. Kiln-direct's steam controller has been designed to cover all aspects of steaming lumber from shock steaming to color steaming and how it has been designed to eliminate the seasonal steaming variation found on traditional steaming installation.
More detailed information can be found under these links:
How much steam and pressure will you need.
Without steam there is no steam chamber and it is essential to have adequate steam to insure that the final steaming temperature is reached in a timely period.
How to load a steam chamber.
The main question is whether to load it with deadpacked bundles or sticked bundles.
How to build a steam chamber.
Building a steam chamber seems simple, but building one that will last a long time is much harder. The climate inside a steam chamber is much tougher than a kiln and this must be taken into account.
Can I use my kiln for steaming lumber.
This can be done, but it will not give you the best result.
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