Thread: Storing timber - correctly

For me, lying flat and stickered between layers is best. That allows breathing and less chance of bowing.

Standing lengths against a wall is a noo no. The timber can easily bow and is too easy to knock over.

Standing on edge is OK too.

I find it on edge the best! As it seems to work better for any boards or sqaure sections ,but slabs is best done flat and like artme said stickered out correctly

Do you only put sticks through the timber thats been freshly resawn or dressed up? Or all your timber?

I dressed some timber yesterday and came back to it this morning - warped! I'm trying to avoid this happended again in the future.

Lying flat with breathing space is the best option as said before.

Originally Posted by erinra

Lying flat with breathing space is the best option as said before.

Yes but do you do this for all your timber that's seasoned or just the timber that's been freshly dressed/resawn?

If timber isnt going to be used for 2 months or more, then flat and stickered is the best.

But when moved into the workshop to be used, then store it upright againsed a wall and spin it around and upside down on every alternative day. That way its moisture content will stabilise to the workshops environment, and reduce timber movement issues when dressing, cutting and joining.

Originally Posted by groeneaj

Do you only put sticks through the timber thats been freshly resawn or dressed up? Or all your timber?

I dressed some timber yesterday and came back to it this morning - warped! I'm trying to avoid this happended again in the future.

The moment that you saw timber you open a side (or sides) to the elements. Warping occures when the oposing sides differ in their state of dryness. A freshly sawn side is likely to be more moist. Therefore it is important that both sides of a board are planed.

The moment I resaw a board I for immediate use I clamp cawls across the ends. This is even more important if you only plan to use the board in the next day or two.

For long term storage I stack boards on the horizontal. I only feel the need to sticker timber than is not very dry.

Some Jarrah ..



Regards from Perth

Derek

Originally Posted by groeneaj

Yes but do you do this for all your timber that's seasoned or just the timber that's been freshly dressed/resawn?

Any timber. If you lie it flat against a surface, regardless of whether it's seasoned or not, the side facing air will gather, or lose, moisture, and the side lying flat won't. Learnt that the hard way. It comes back again, fully or mostly, when both sides are exposed to air again, but it takes a long long time. And you normally find out it's cupped or bowed the day you want to use it.

That's why all these people say sticker it.

Edit, because Derek posted the same time as me. I'll defer to his knowledge as he's been doing this much longer than me. The only comment I might add though is that Derek is in Perth and you are in Sydney, so look up the humidity charts for both cities and be aware of your times of the year.

Thanks Lignum.
So the other night when I finished dressing some timber, I should have layed it flat with a weight and stickered it overnight to avoid it warping overnight (which happended). This would be the same for freshly resawn timber - even if I was going to use it the next day?
However if I resawed some timber and wanted to use it in a few months, i'd do as you suggested and sticker it flat so it can climatise - then i'd be ok to have it against a wall when needed down the track as it's climatised to my workshop etc?
Sorry - just confused

Originally Posted by Rookie

Any timber. If you lie it flat against a surface, regardless of whether it's seasoned or not, the side facing air will gather, or lose, moisture, and the side lying flat won't.

Thats why its very common in so many workshops where timber comes in from a different source, and you need to stabilise the moisture content to that of the environment where you are going to dress, cut, glue and join etc, you lean, turn and flip every day. That way you get very stable and flat stock. Just need to check out the pics of prominent woodworkers on the net over the years and you will see heaps of timber stacked againsed walls.

Originally Posted by groeneaj

Thanks Lignum.
So the other night when I finished dressing some timber, I should have layed it flat with a weight and stickered it overnight to avoid it warping overnight (which happended). This would be the same for freshly resawn timber - even if I was going to use it the next day?
However if I resawed some timber and wanted to use it in a few months, i'd do as you suggested and sticker it flat so it can climatise - then i'd be ok to have it against a wall when needed down the track as it's climatised to my workshop etc?
Sorry - just confused

Storing timber flat and stickered is how its been done for hundreds of years. Now days, most people buy timber as needed from a timber yard that has the timber stored that way.

When you get it into your workshop, just stacking it on the floor isnt the best even with a sticker if you are going to use the timber in the near future. When you dress a stable board you should take off equal amounts all round so their isnt one side that the loss of moisture favors. If thats not possible, the side that has been dressed the most should be leaning "againsed" the wall (or floor if you want to do it that way)

Originally Posted by Rookie

Any timber. If you lie it flat against a surface, regardless of whether it's seasoned or not, the side facing air will gather, or lose, moisture, and the side lying flat won't. Learnt that the hard way. It comes back again, fully or mostly, when both sides are exposed to air again, but it takes a long long time. And you normally find out it's cupped or bowed the day you want to use it.

That's why all these people say sticker it.

Edit, because Derek posted the same time as me. I'll defer to his knowledge as he's been doing this much longer than me. The only comment I might add though is that Derek is in Perth and you are in Sydney, so look up the humidity charts for both cities and be aware of your times of the year.

Hi John

I should have made a note that Perth has very low humidity, which is why dry timber generally stays flat. Sticker to be safe.

Regards from Perth

Derek

No problem there Derek. The reason I know is that I lived in god's country for 20 years before moving back to Melbourne. Reasons and more reasons, family being foremost, but still my favourite place in Oz by a loooong way.

Thanks Handyman!

No, i haven't actually started purchasing any timber as yet - i am still learning about the timber and its stability before i do. Im fed up with paying crazy prices for dressed timber, so working out a Planer/Thicknesser and Jointer at the moment.

Once i get all that worked out, and understand what i have to do with the timber - then comes to storing of it all )

Thanks again for the video!

T