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Sticker options/Drying Time/Staining

Started by hazazil, July 18, 2018, 08:26:01 AM

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hazazil

So I'm new to milling. I had a pine log that was green that I made some stickers out of so I could start milling some oak logs I had. Stickers were 1" x 3/4".
 
I cut them, stacked them, left them outside a couple weeks to air dry. I had read that they would dry in a few days and be usable once cut.
 
I noticed on the oak slabs , wherever the stickers were, is a lighter color than the rest of the oak slab. Is this okay? Is that considered stained? How deep would that go?
 
I'm trying to find out what other options are for stickers if I do end up having to let the stickers dry longer because now I'm at a standstill as far as milling till I get this figured out.
 
I read some people have used pvc or some sort of plastic pipe for stickers. Seems though has to be schedule 80 and schedule 40 can't withstand all the weight.

Crusarius

I have toyed with the idea of getting some composite decking material and cutting that into stickers. Unfortunately that material is expensive So that is slowing me down a little.

Wish I had more information but I am in the same boat you are and like to hear from other ppl regarding this topic.

YellowHammer

What is the moisture content of the oak slabs?  You didn't mention how long they have been air drying or if they were under cover.  

There are a few reasons stickers can leave a light stripe. A photo would help but generally if a sticker leaves a white streak it is a little too dry relative to the wood it has contact with. It absorbs moisture out of the donor boards and dries at a different rate.

Another reason is oxidation due to exposure and ultraviolet light. The stickers block this. This usually happens on the top boards and is seen more readily in some species more than others, such as cherry.

Sometimes if a stack of wood, especially oak, is subjected to rain, then the wood under the stickers will be a different color.  

The good news is that generally, at least in oak, sticker stain, dark or light, planes out pretty easily and doesn't go too deep.  It will also be less prevalent and less deep and noticeable in the heartwood.  

Lots of variables, a picture or two would help diagnose the issue.  Or just take a board and run it through the planer.
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

IMERC

Quote from: Crusarius on July 18, 2018, 10:05:36 AMgetting some composite decking material and cutting that into stickers.


raid a decking company's dumpster...
raiding flooring company's dumpster pays dividends...
Who ever invented work didn't know how to fish.... Here fishy fishy....

WDH

I get the lighter sticker streaks on oak too. Like Yellowhammer, I believe that it is caused by the wood under the sticker not being exposed to sunlight and UV radiation.  It has never presented a problem for me.  I believe that you are good to go. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

GeneWengert-WoodDoc

An ideal sticker material are 1x2 strips from a lumber supply place like Home Depot.  Their actual size is 3/4" x 1-1/2".

The white streaks under the sticker results because the wood under the sticker dried faster than the wood between the stickers.  Faster drying is whiter.  This defect, called reverse sticker shadow or reverse sticker stain, is usually quite shallow.  Note that slow drying between the stickers can be because of rainy weather or high humidity.  This reverse sticker stain is more likely in logs that have been stored rather than from freshly cut logs and lumber.

For future reference, we usually like the width to be obviously wider than the thickness, so that the sticker is placed with 3/4" is vertical.  So, 1" is a bit too close to 3/4".  A wider sticker is also a bit stronger, so breakage is reduced.  Always keep unused stickers out of the rain.

Gene - Author of articles in Sawmill & Woodlot and books: Drying Hardwood Lumber; VA Tech Solar Kiln; Sawing Edging & Trimming Hardwood Lumber. And more

alan gage

Quote from: GeneWengert-WoodDoc on July 19, 2018, 01:59:35 AM
An ideal sticker material are 1x2 strips from a lumber supply place like Home Depot.  Their actual size is 3/4" x 1-1/2".
I'm glad to hear this. I've been thinking about that option lately. They're cheap and I couldn't think of a good reason it wouldn't work.
Alan
Timberking B-16, a few chainsaws from small to large, and a Bobcat 873 Skidloader.

Crusarius

anybody ever think of using this stuff to make stickers?

AZEK Traditional PVC Board (Actual: 0.75-in x 3.5-in x 12-ft)
https://www.lowes.com/pd/AZEK-Traditional-PVC-Board-Actual-0-75-in-x-3-5-in-x-12-ft/50414698


Greyhound

Quote from: GeneWengert-WoodDoc on July 19, 2018, 01:59:35 AMAn ideal sticker material are 1x2 strips from a lumber supply place like Home Depot.  Their actual size is 3/4" x 1-1/2".

Actually, I prefer to buy 1x3 plastering lathe.  Ripped down the middle it winds up 3/4 x 1 1/4.  I buy them in 8 ft pieces for $1.59 each at my local lumber dealer and I get four, four-ft stickers per board.  It winds up costing me $0.40 / stick.  My local portable sawmiller charges $1.00 for 1x1x4 stickers.  It's not perfect, but it's a good way to get started or if you are drying smaller batches like me.

GeneWengert-WoodDoc

The plastic composite material used for stickers that I have tested is not rigid enough and tends to soften when hot.

Any time you can get dry, flat, usable stickers under 10 cents per foot of length, you are doing very well.  For white woods, using a groove down the length can help reduce the risk of staining.thick and 1-14 to 1-1/2" wide sticker are most common.  Oak is a common species as this gives a really strong stick.  A good stick will last ten cycles or more.  

Most sticker loss is due to warp during the first cycle due to slope of grain being too large, or due to breakage of the end of a sticker due to poor forklift procedures; an adjacent pack is lowered down and the protruding sticker ends catch on the edge of the adjacent (edge to edge) pack...keep a 3-1/2" gap between packs edge to edge when lifting or lowering, and when in the kiln during drying too.
Gene - Author of articles in Sawmill & Woodlot and books: Drying Hardwood Lumber; VA Tech Solar Kiln; Sawing Edging & Trimming Hardwood Lumber. And more

Crusarius

Thanks Gene. never though about how flexible the composite decking is. Good thing mine are not going in a kiln. They are also very well supported on the skid.

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