adithep Posted October 11, 2016 Report Share Posted October 11, 2016 I just don't know what to do with all this wood lol.its in my moms basement and I need to know if this should be left alone just like I stacked heaped hehe it there.Should I put it in the garage keep it here should it be stickered?Its dry its been in a barn for over forty years got all this at the auction for about a buck a board its walnut and some oak.Im worried about mold and whatever else any advice? thx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post BeautysBeast Posted October 11, 2016 Popular Post Report Share Posted October 11, 2016 You should let me come get it, so you don't have to worry anymore. LOL 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted October 11, 2016 Report Share Posted October 11, 2016 I would at least stack it neat and straight. Even if moisture isn't a worry, boards tend to warp in a loose pile. Hope your mom doesn't mind spiders! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted October 11, 2016 Report Share Posted October 11, 2016 What Ross said ^^^. Pull the stack apart, re-stack and sticker it neatly. Then build. If you don't make things with it you're just wasting space. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted October 11, 2016 Report Share Posted October 11, 2016 If if it's forty years old, I wouldn't bother with stickers. I would stack it neat and flat and supported then strap it down.. Stickers will at least double the height of that stack. With that said, I live in a kiln so.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronn W Posted October 12, 2016 Report Share Posted October 12, 2016 That will last you awhile, sort it so you know what you have and start making sawdust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adithep Posted October 12, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2016 Well if I sticker it il need some good gloves and a 12!! this wont be a fun project.Is there a cheaper option than poplar.Menards has 1x2x4 for 3.48 im not sure what is usable for stickers but I can search that.I don't know of a mill nearby because that's a bit pricey I think we got around 550 boards sure is pretty wood tho.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcK Posted October 12, 2016 Report Share Posted October 12, 2016 Use a cheap (imported maybe) sheet of 3/4" plywood (or a few). Cut up into strips about 1" wide and length to suit your widest boards. Sticker them on the faces and your mega pile will be stable. Then make some sawdust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adithep Posted October 12, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2016 Quote im all ready working on the sawdust im obsessing all the time lol.Shelves for the kids lego projects thx guys if I can go with ply that's much cheaper il grab the radial and get it done. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted October 12, 2016 Report Share Posted October 12, 2016 If nothing else, pick out some of the worst looking boards, and make stickers from them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradseubert Posted October 12, 2016 Report Share Posted October 12, 2016 If it's dry no need to sticker it. None of the lumber at the local hardwood dealer is stickered. None of the stacks of lumber in my basement are stickered either. Just keep it up off the floor and stack it neatly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted October 12, 2016 Report Share Posted October 12, 2016 13 minutes ago, bradseubert said: None of the lumber at the local hardwood dealer is stickered. That's because it's kiln dried. OP lives in IL, which has an environment much like mine in St. Louis. You can air dry lumber for a hundred years here and it's never gonna reach 8%. Sticker it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradseubert Posted October 12, 2016 Report Share Posted October 12, 2016 That's because it's kiln dried. OP lives in IL, which has an environment much like mine in St. Louis. You can air dry lumber for a hundred years here and it's never gonna reach 8%. Sticker it. I agree it's never going to reach 8% unless it's kiln dried but what is the point of stickers if it's never going to reach 8%? Once it gets to equilibrium all it's going to do is move a few percentage points with the seasons and it will do that regardless of being stickered or not. Move it to your shop a few weeks before you plan to use it and sticker it then and you will have no issues at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted October 12, 2016 Report Share Posted October 12, 2016 Just now, bradseubert said: I agree it's never going to reach 8% unless it's kiln dried but what is the point of stickers if it's never going to reach 8%? When you put it in the basement it will continue to dry...if it's on stickers. It's drier in the basement than it is in Cletus's barn or in your garage shop. If you're not gonna kiln dry your material then you need to take it indoors and allow it to acclimate as much as possible before you build with it. Otherwise, if you just take it out of the barn, build something, and then put it in the house, it has a much better chance of warping and checking. A very good chance if you live in the midwest. It's standard operating procedure. I'm not speculating. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llama Posted October 12, 2016 Report Share Posted October 12, 2016 Is this really debatable? Get these, put them on your wood... you'll be happy. https://www.amazon.com/Emojistickers-Most-Popular-Emojis-Pack/dp/B00VS4MU8M/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1476283438&sr=8-5&keywords=stickers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradseubert Posted October 12, 2016 Report Share Posted October 12, 2016 When you put it in the basement it will continue to dry...if it's on stickers. It's drier in the basement than it is in Cletus's barn or in your garage shop. If you're not gonna kiln dry your material then you need to take it indoors and allow it to acclimate as much as possible before you build with it. Otherwise, if you just take it out of the barn, build something, and then put it in the house, it has a much better chance of warping and checking. A very good chance if you live in the midwest. It's standard operating procedure. I'm not speculating. This is what I said. Take it out of storage and move it to your shop a few weeks before you plan to use it and sticker it then. No reason to sticker it in long term storage if it's at equilibrium moisture content. Of course it doesn't hurt anything to sticker it either. If you have the room and the stickers go ahead and sticker it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted October 12, 2016 Report Share Posted October 12, 2016 Just now, bradseubert said: Take it out of storage and move it to your shop a few weeks before you plan to use Not your shop, your basement...somewhere indoors. (Assuming your shop is not in your basement.) The point is that air dried lumber (at least in humid areas...which is most of the US except the southwest) will never reach the ideal MC of between 6-10% appropriate for building furniture. You can probably get close if you sticker your boards for six months or so in the house. Your garage is not adequate. And if you stack a big pile of air dried lumber in your basement without stickering it, only the boards on the outside of the stack will continue to dry, which means it was a total waste of your time to bring all that wood inside. Remember, this whole side-debate started with your comment... 2 hours ago, bradseubert said: If it's dry no need to sticker it. None of the lumber at the local hardwood dealer is stickered. None of the stacks of lumber in my basement are stickered either. Just keep it up off the floor and stack it neatly. It's not dry. Therefore you need to sticker it after bringing it in the house. This is about air dried material. Kiln drying makes the whole conversation moot. If the material you have in your basement was kiln dried, then no you do not need it stickered. If it was only air dried, then you do need it stickered. I don't know how many different ways I can say the same thing. I'm exhausted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradseubert Posted October 12, 2016 Report Share Posted October 12, 2016 There is no way to know it is at EMC, unless you take a moisture reading on a good portion of the boards in the stack, which will take way longer than stickering it. Also, if you sticker it in long term storage, you will know the entire stack has a similar MC. When you actually go to use the boards, they will acclimate to your shop's conditions at a more uniform rate. Just because the wood is 40 years old doesn't mean it is at EMC, or has stopped moving. It could have been outside in 80 degree heat and 80% humidity, or in a barn with similar conditions. IT WILL MOVE when you put it in a 70 degree house with 40% humidity. Stickering it will help control the movement and make sure it acclimates together. Is it necessary? Maybe not, maybe you will get lucky. But why risk it? Ok so the lumber is air dried and let's say it's at 10%. I move it to my basement sticker it and it sits there for a year and dries to 7%. I then take it out to my garage shop a few weeks before I start building the project and it picks up moisture and it's now at 12% what did I gain by having it in my basement stickered? Then I build a piece of furniture and bring it into my house. Equilibrium moisture content in my house in the summer is close to 13% and in the winter closer to 6% so the wood is going to continue to move and pickup moisture and then loose moisture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Tpt life Posted October 12, 2016 Popular Post Report Share Posted October 12, 2016 Dont chase MC. Think practically. Humidity moves slowly thorough a whole system even if it does not penetrate the board. A thunderstorm saturates a whole system if it is open. If you condition the whole house, maybe this is not a big deal. I have to run a dehumidifier in my Dry basement in the summer to keep mold/mildew away. The center of a tight stack will trap moisture. All you are after is air flow. Regardless of the MC of the board. You don't want any trapped moisture. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted October 12, 2016 Report Share Posted October 12, 2016 Just now, bradseubert said: Ok so the lumber is air dried and let's say it's at 10%. Your air dried lumber is not 10%. Maybe after it sits stickered in your basement for six months, but left outside I bet it never gets lower than 18% even after many years. If you live in the desert, nevermind. Otherwise don't expect to stack boards out in the barn and get them down to a MC appropriate for furniture building. This is why we have kilns and kiln dried lumber. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mat60 Posted October 12, 2016 Report Share Posted October 12, 2016 I agree. I have some beautiful red oak that was stickered air dried. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradseubert Posted October 12, 2016 Report Share Posted October 12, 2016 Your air dried lumber is not 10%. Maybe after it sits stickered in your basement for six months, but left outside I bet it never gets lower than 18% even after many years. If you live in the desert, nevermind. Otherwise don't expect to stack boards out in the barn and get them down to a MC appropriate for furniture building. This is why we have kilns and kiln dried lumber. I have plenty of air dried lumber that is 10%-12% which is equilibrium for around here this time of year. Common thinking is that it takes lumber about a year per inch of thickness to reach equilibrium so unless you're in the rainforest air dried lumber will certainly be lower than 18%. Especially if it has been sitting in a barn for 40 years. At this point it's not worth arguing about more so we can just agree to disagree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradseubert Posted October 12, 2016 Report Share Posted October 12, 2016 This is a piece of Air dried maple. It's been dead stacked in my garage for two years now and at 11%. That's a freshly cut end from the middle of the board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted October 12, 2016 Report Share Posted October 12, 2016 Just now, bradseubert said: Common thinking is that it takes lumber about a year per inch of thickness to reach equilibrium so unless you're in the rainforest air dried lumber will certainly be lower than 18%. Especially if it has been sitting in a barn for 40 years. Well my part time boss who's been in the lumber industry for about 35 years disagrees with you. I think I'll agree to agree with him. He also says moisture meters aren't worth the plastic they're made of. FWIW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elroy Skimms Posted October 12, 2016 Report Share Posted October 12, 2016 7 hours ago, wtnhighlander said: If nothing else, pick out some of the worst looking boards, and make stickers from them. This is my kind of solution. Punish the worst boards and use their torn up bodies as a warning to the other boards to remain straight and true. -E 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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