High-frequency and microwave heating as a pretreatment to kiln drying of hollowed-out timber

To dry hollowed-out timber without V-shaped drying checks, its inner part should be dried faster than the outer part. The feasibility of high frequency heating and microwave heating as a pretreatment of kiln drying of hollow timber was examined. During high frequency heating, the top and bottom parts of the timber were dried faster than the right and left parts because the central hollow acts as an air-gap. The outer part dried faster than the inner part during microwave heating, probably because of insufficient penetration of microwave energy into the inner part. The uneven heating of hollowed timber was improved by turning the specimen around its axis during high frequency heating and by setting the specimen upright in the microwave oven.