how to store wood properly?

[jonnyfontaine]

i have a small amount of wood adding up and i'm not sure the best way to store it... all of it is already dry, but is stacking it like when air drying it (is that stickering?) the best way to store dry wood also? or is it better to lay wood on it's edge, flat on it's face, or to try to keep it vertical? i know with vinyl records you want to keep them straight vertical, is it the same with wood? also a lot of the wood i have is thin, between 1/4" and 5/8", that is around 22" long, by 7 inches wide... i figure that this wood would be the most vunerable or likely to deform due to how it's stored? how would these pieces best be stored? and does figured wood have to been stored any different from straight grained? sorry for all the "novice" questions i tried looking this up, but couldn't find an answer... thanks so much

[scsmith42]

Johnny, I'm sure that you'll receive lots of great response to your question; here's my recommendation.

1 - any wood that is "green" or has more than 25% MC should be stacked flat and stickered on 16" centers (or less). It is very important to line your stickers up one right on top of the other.

Any wood that has less than 18% MC (and if you're talking about furniture or instrument grade wood it needs to be less than 10% MC) can be dead stacked flat, or stood up along one wall. The most important thing for dry wood is to keep it dry. The second most important thing is to store it in a way to minimize warping, bending, bowing, etc. Thus, a location with a low relative humidity (such as an attic) or climate controlled location (such as inside an air conditioned building) usually works best.

Scott

[walnutjerry]

Originally Posted by jonnyfontaine

i have a small amount of wood adding up and i'm not sure the best way to store it... all of it is already dry, but is stacking it like when air drying it (is that stickering?) the best way to store dry wood also? or is it better to lay wood on it's edge, flat on it's face, or to try to keep it vertical? i know with vinyl records you want to keep them straight vertical, is it the same with wood? also a lot of the wood i have is thin, between 1/4" and 5/8", that is around 22" long, by 7 inches wide... i figure that this wood would be the most vunerable or likely to deform due to how it's stored? how would these pieces best be stored? and does figured wood have to been stored any different from straight grained? sorry for all the "novice" questions i tried looking this up, but couldn't find an answer... thanks so much

Are we talking about air dried or kiln dried wood? If it is air dried I would sticker the stack. Put a good support under the stack that is level the length of the stack (or at least on the same plane) with cross supports at least every 24" so the stack will be straight.

Kiln dried lumber is best kept "dead stacked" (no stickers) but it should still have enought support under the stack to keep the boards flat.

A few boards stored vertical is ok but likely to bow if left there very long. A large volume (500' or more ) would be a little harder to store vertically in my opinion--------plus the fact when stored vertically you can not see the widths easily unless you have enough room to sort them according to width. We all lean a board against the wall though. I just prefer most lumber storage to be horizontal.

Jerry

[DaveO]

IMO, if the wood is kiln dried then it can be stored unstickered stacked face to face. Storing it vertically does make it easier to sort through the stack and should make no difference in maintaining the condition of the wood.
A lot depends on where the wood is stored. Wood is dynamic and it will transfer moisture to be at a equilibrium with its surroundings. I would guess that if the wood was kiln dried (6-8% MC) and then stored in an environment with 80% relative humidity it would start to increase in MC and it might be a good idea to sticker it so the increase in MC would be uniform. But if it is stored in a relatively climate controlled place with around 40-60% RH it shouldn't suffer that great or rapid of a change in MC and wouldn't benefit from the increased air circulation. Storing figured wood or thin stock is no different than storing plain grained or thick stock.
MYCW,
Dave

[skysharks]

At my shop......... especially if it's RO, WO, BW, WBC, Maple, etc.




sorry couldn't let it pass up

[JimmyC]

I agree with all of the others and the biggest question that you have to answer is 'where' do you store your wood, then it's easier to figure out how to store it.

Jimmy

[NCPete]

Originally Posted by skysharks

At my shop......... especially if it's RO, WO, BW, WBC, Maple, etc.




sorry couldn't let it pass up

was thinking the same thing

[Bob Buchholz]

How to store wood properly??? That ranks right up there with 'Ford or Chevy' and 'What region has the best barbque.

IMHO, If you have high celings and the board is thick enough and dry enough to support itself go vertical and take advantage of the overhead space and the ease of leafing through the stock. Otherwise go horizontal.

[JackLeg]

IMHO, if your wood is truly "dry" (use Scott's rules) then you can safely "dead stack" it, board on board.

BUT, if it's not dry (use Scott's rules) then you'd better sticker it for a while. Make your stack's neat and use plenty of stickers. Keep it it the shade, or the end result WILL be ugly!

Good luck!