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I have heard that hardwood imported from S.America's and other tropical nations can crack if it is not Heated properly in the Kiln? What is the temp that woods should be cured at for the best resilience in N.America? I realize that there will be many temps and variations of wood, but if anyone has some information to point me to that would be great. Cheers!!!

fcconsult,
Kiln drying is a process where the moisture from the wood is removed by means of dry heat in a kiln or oven of sorts. This removes the moisture to a safer level (usually between 8-10%) that would otherwise make the wood much more unstable and potentially crack, twist or warp. There are times like if you were turning where Green wood or wood that has not been dried is preferred, but if you're looking to make furniture or most other woodworking projects for indoor use, kiln dried wood is preferred. I'm not positive how the exact process is done, but you can read more about drying wood in this link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_drying. There are also several other links on that page that will go further into the process. You may also want to check out Woodweb http://www.woodweb.com/index.html it's probably one of the best resources for wood & woodworking related questions and when I just did a fast search I found plenty of articles related to drying wood, kiln drying and moisture in wood.

Sorry I couldn't be more exact, but I usually buy my wood from local suppliers with about an 8% moisture content and I always check it with my moisture meter just to be sure. If I do order stock from an on line supplier I always ask what the moisture content of the wood is that they'll be shipping and again I check it with a meter as soon as it arrives. The reason I ask about the moisture content is I prefer to work with a 6-8% moisture content. I found that for projects I make for homes in my area since most of them have forced hot air this is ideal. If they have hot water or steam I can safely stay in the 8-10% range but if they have in floor radiant heating and I'm doing an inlay in the floor I want it between 4-6%. So I would suggest calling a few woodworking, furniture or cabinet shops in your area to see what they would recommend for your area.

But this is just my opinion, I hope it helps.

Awesome, thank you.