it just keeps getting better. i actually have a dimmer box i just plug into. thaks again. + rep.

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i'm the guy i've always wanted to be

...and for my next trick... free beer from plant trimmings!

Happy to be of service.

I like it, i have plenty of fan's, and plenty of tub's i think im going to make a quick dryer.

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Very nice. I've been thinking of a very similar design for a drying box using a wood box and chicken wire baskets. The drying process would be even faster due to the porus nature of wood and depending on the wood used it could leave a great scent behind.

The one I was going to make would be built out of mosquite wood that has been charred slightly over a fire on the inside. This will produce a peppery taste as well as significantly reduce the odor.

Why not? All the bits in this are fairly cheap and available if you don't have most of them already. When you've gotten some buds out of your new dryer, drop back in and tell us what you find about any difference between hang-dried and that done in your dryer. If you keep the air temperature at or below 29C/84F, there really should be no difference, except that there won't be any mould in the stuff you do in the dryer.

The porosity of the box will be insignificant in removing moisture from buds compared to the slightly warm airflow through the box. A plastic box will not only do fine but is probably preferable for this application, if only for the ease of building the thing.

I wouldn't count on any scent reduction or adding of the mesquite scent to the buds. If you use fans like mine, there's so much air moving through the box that the scent of the mesquite will be dissipated, as is the scent from the buds themselves. I'm also not sure I would want any foreign flavours in my buds, but that's just personal preference.

If anyone is actually going to build a copy of this, I probably ought to make some notes on usage.

One thing that I found out early on is that buds can be 'false dry,' meaning the outside of the buds can feel very firm, almost crisp, but the inside may yet still be fairly wet. If the buds are taken out and bagged at this stage, the moisture will migrate to the outer layers and the buds may in several hours be too soft and damp. Buds can appear to be 'false dry' in this manner after about 40-50 hours in the dryer (depending on ambient temp & RH). I test the moisture content by how readily the stems in the buds snap.

With practice, you will learn the exact time to remove and bag your buds to get the moisture balance spot on for storage and smoking. Overdry buds store well but are harsh to smoke. Overdamp buds smoke smoothly (way too wet means it's hard to light), but can develop mould in storage.

I tend to err on the side of overdry because it's easy to reverse the process and add a little moisture back in by putting the buds in a plastic Tupperware type container for a couple of hours with a slightly dampened paper towel.

If/when I ever get around to rebuilding this thing, I don't think I'd hang the wire racks from the lid. This arrangement means you have to hold the lid/racks up in the air with one hand while loading or emptying the racks with the other.

I have seen some ultra-cheap stackable plastic storage racks in the dollar shops, with their own plastic tube legs which press-fit into the 4 corners of the racks. One could get racks which closely fit inside a tub. The thing would be much easier to load and unload with racks which stand up on their own instead of hanging from the lid.

im sure of the smell and flavor changes. Anything in a charred smokey box smells and even tastes like the wood it is stored in (provided that wood has a transferrable taste) regardless of relative airflow

OK, make one out of wood and let us know how you go. I have a feeling the large amount of ventilation will blow the wood scent out, but I haven't tried it.

Al B. Whats up. We built a dryer in a a container about the same size. with 2 fans, 125 cfm total, on each end sucking air out. and 13 total holes to bring air in . Do you think that there are enough holes? then we put 3 wire clothes hangers about 8 inches apart to lay the stalks on. everything is spaced out evenly to dry. how long do you think it will take to dry?

If you are not warming the air and don't have a cross-flow, it should take only somewhat less time than it takes to hang-dry. However, any air motion will reduce the possibility of mould getting a foothold.

I find that a cross-flow through the box, in one end, out the other, is more effective than trying to either just blow air in or out.

Pass #1 on my dryer only had 1 fan, pumping warm air in, with unaided exhaust. Adding the exhaust fan speeds it up dramatically.