WHAT IS KILN DRIED LAMINATION?
As wood dries it naturally cracks, these cracks can add beautiful character to the piece, but they can sometimes show up in undesired locations. I always try my best to read the log and place the more vulnerable cracking locations towards the back of the piece, but wood is an unpredictable medium and cracks will simply appear where they want. If cracks are something that you don't want to worry about or don't want showing up in your piece, kiln dried lamination is your best answer.
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To put simply, kiln dried wood is wood that has essentially been slowly baked in a massive oven, removing up to 90% of the moisture content. This process leaves you with a piece of wood that has been evenly dried throughout. Since the drying process is now over, the likelihood of cracks forming is significantly reduced to almost nothing. Remember, wood is also a living medium, so kiln drying also kills any remaining mold, mildew, or insects still living in the wood. These slabs of kiln dried wood are them laminated together using premium adhesives to form a carving block which your project will be created from.
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The only down side to kiln dried lamination is the extra cost for materials and labor. I get my kiln dried wood from a professional source that only dries the highest quality wood. These slabs can be upwards of $120+ per slab depending on width and thickness and some projects multiple slabs. The slabs then have to be planed and meticulously sanded which can take a full day or more.
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Read through this page to learn more about the process!
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STEP 1:
I buy my slabs strait from the kiln to be able to guarantee that I'm working with the driest wood possible. The dry slab is then cut to equal sized sections and diligently planed and sanded to create the tightest joints possible.
STEP 2:
Once I am happy with how the pieces fit together the lamination process begins. I use premium adhesives to permanently adhere the slabs together creating a very strong carving base. The slabs stay clamped for a minimum of 24 hours and can be carved after a full 48 hours.
STEP 3:
The blocking process begins. From this point on the piece is treated the same as a whole log carving. The piece is blocked out, detailed, and then the desired finish is applied.
I recommend kiln dried lamination on smaller high detailed projects that you intend to keep indoors. Working with drier wood also allows me to achieve greater detail as dry wood holds detail better than green wood. You can typically expect a kiln dried lamination project to have a premium of $450-600+ depending on the size of the project. Most of the lamination projects I do are 24", but I can easily laminate projects up to 36". Larger projects can also be laminated but the premium for materials and labor drastically increases with the size of the project. I hope this page helped you understand the pros and cons of lamination and helps you make a more informed decision on weather lamination is right for your project or not.