I’m in central Texas with an insulated, but not climate controlled, garage shop. Occasionally I find good deals on wood on facebook marketplace or Craigslist. I’m normally buying kiln dried wood. I can’t pass up a good deal, so I bring it home and wait for inspiration to strike.
My question concerns storing the wood. I have several wall racks for horizontal storage. Do I need to sticker the boards? It is likely that I won’t use them for a year or more. Putting a 1/2″ sticker between each layer will greatly reduce my storage capacity. I’ve also considered cutting strips of thin plywood for stickers.
Thanks for any help.
Replies
For KD boards or dead dry boards stickers are not necessary. For unseasoned lumber or lumber that needs additional seasoning you need stickers.
KD wood will age well just piled up, I still have some going back 40 + years. Thinking you are saving money however is another matter, all you are doing is taking money from the bank and stacking it up on a shelve for years. It is unlikely that it will be the right quantity , size and wood type that will match your project. After many years of piling wood and wasting useful space, I now let the inspiration come first and then buy exactly what I need, there will be enough leftovers to remove the anxiety of not having a piece of wood for the odd job.
I'm in East Texas and never sticker KD wood (mostly hard maple from Pa.) with no problem as long as it is stacked nice. I do sticker unseasoned wood. As far as "taking up room" some wood is just too good to pass up. Example....4/4 24 inch x 17 1/2 foot beautiful ponderosa pine that has been stickered and waiting and waiting for my inspiration. My brother and I bought an entire tree from a sawmill in New Mexico and they cut it to our specs. 14 boards total and has dried to about 22 1/2 inches now.
If your garage/shop is about the same humidity as where your work will go, or if, as you say, it will be in storage for quite a while, stickers are not necessary. The small amount of water going in and out will gain access thru narrow cracks between boards. Be aware that, depending on your average humidity, the wood may take on some moisture over time. Kiln dried does not mean permanent low moisture content.