Flat stacking, temperature and mold

[Brad_bb]

So as I'm sawing Ash 2x8's the last 3.5 weeks, I've been flat stacking the jacket boards because I don't want to take the time to deal with them now.  I need to get the 2x8's sawed out and sticker stacked.  

Well the first three weeks the temps were freezing and below.  Now I'm seeing highs in the lower 50's. At what temperature will the flat stacking be a problem for mold growth?

I want to edge or finish edging and sticker stack the jacket boards after I've cut all the logs preferably.

[Nebraska]

I would guess it's getting pretty close to being an issue with as warm as the temps have gotten lately around here. I have a little stack of  boards waiting to become stickers I was wondering about  it as well. I am  hopeful the time to do it will line up today. I know mold can grow in a refridgerator. I would think that since you mill in a shed and the sun likely isn't hitting your stack of lumber directly (just guessing you kept it close to the mill) you still have some time to finish the project before it gets to be a big issue as the lumber should be staying pretty cool.

[Southside]

Think of it as the 50/50 rule.  Hit 50 degrees F or 50% humidity and you are in the trouble zone with flat stacked, green, lumber.  

[moodnacreek]

Even in cool weather end splits will run in because that's drying even in a dead pack. 8' 6" hardwood boards fast become less than 8'. I stick beyond the ends of boards and within a day or 2 after sawing and that's not soon enough.

[WDH]

They longer that they sit, the more that they will stick together making stickering a real pain.

[btulloh]

Sometimes I just quick-stick the lumber for a day or two if I can't do it right away.  Three stickers, not being too neat with it.  I think (??) it's ok for a couple days and better than dead-stacking.

[slider]

I sticker right off the mill. Why handle the boards twice.

[Tin Horse]

I sticker right off the mill. Why handle the boards twice.

Same here. It's slower but done. If the lumber is leaving that day in customers pickup or trailer then its theirs to deal with.

[brianJ]

I sticker right off the mill. Why handle the boards twice.

Same here. It's slower but done. If the lumber is leaving that day in customers pickup or trailer then its theirs to deal with.

You guys got something against exercise?     You guys got something better to do with your time? 

[btulloh]

My guess is Brad's out sawing and being productive right now so I'm going to take the liberty of nudging this back on track.  

From reading his original question, he's talking about flitches he wants to accumulate and edge later, so stickering right off the mill would be double work.  I usually edge as I go, but sometimes I find it better to accumulate and edge later, like he's talking about.  I'm sawing SYP a lot of times, in warmer weather, and it won't do well for even a few hours if dead stacked, so that's why I just sticker it sort of quick and dirty with a minimum of stickers without careful alignment.  It doesn't suffer from waiting a day or two done this way, but it would be a stack of mold if I dead-stacked it.     

[jeepcj779]

I thought moldy SYP was worth more. Just have to re-name it "Blue-Denim Pine".

[Brad_bb]

Yes, I'm on my building site outside.  Yes they are jacket boards.  They are boards I get before I get to the cant I can saw for 2x8's.  Unfortunately I'm working through a bunch of 10-14 inch logs.  I can get 4-6  2x8's from each. All standing dead ash logs off my property/build site.  Using everything I can.  The jacket boards will become stickers, pallet boards, and some good boards for other uses.  I don't have enough dry stickers on hand for both my 2x8's and the jacket boards.  I could cut some stickers from the same wood and that may be better than dead stacking?  My problem is that I really need to work through the logs to get 2x8's as we need to get them done and sent out for drying and processing ASAP.  My GC is really on me.  These mini barns that they are going in need to be done by the end of summer and these boards need to be ready to install before then(T&G).  It's tough because any extra work I do for the jacket boards takes time from 2x8's.  Maybe I just need to suck it up and make a bunch more stickers from what I'm cutting?  They aren't totally green. I mean, they were standing dead ash, and they've been in the log pile since last summer. So as far as "green" goes, they are the least green of woods you cut.

Please give me your vote on what to do.

[btulloh]

Green stickers are way better than no stickers. 

[Southside]

I thought moldy SYP was worth more. Just have to re-name it "Blue-Denim Pine".

Drying mold and blue stain don't give you the same results.  

[jeepcj779]

SS,
Just kidding.

[YellowHammer]

How much more time will you need to finish the 2X order?  

How much side wood do you have already?  

Do you care if the ash jacket boards you are using yourself turns gray?

Ash has a tendency to enzyme stain, which means the sugars in the wood will cause the wood to turn gray in warmer weather, whether they get moldy or not.  Surface mold will plane off ash, enzyme stain will go pretty deep but doesn't cause any harm, except devalue the wood for sale because it's not white anymore, depending on the customer.

If you want the ash boards to stay white, they needs to be stickered pretty quick in warmer weather.  

I never liked using green stickers.  

Do you have one guy you can detail to just sticker the backlog of the side wood, while you keep sawing the 2X's until he catches up? One guy can sticker about 1,000 bdft per hour, from my experience.  

[Brad_bb]

I'm by myself.  No help.  I've got one stack about 34" high x 48" wide, and another started that's about 10 inches high.  
Sounds like I'll be cutting stickers in the morning and re stacking.  

It's going to be about 3-4weeks before my new pole barn will be ready to use for storage to put wood stacks into.  Everything is out in the open until then.

[moodnacreek]

Sounds like no edger, I remember those days. 

[YellowHammer]

For temporary covering, because I sometimes out saw my covered storage space, I'll use a couple layers of common roof felt or tar paper, let it hang off the edge a few inches, tacked to an open bottomed pallets or skid, and placed on the top of the stacks to keep the rain from landing in the top and percolating through the stacks.  The felt paper works ok, but won't last forever, and the open bottom pallet will let airflow to the top layers of the stack.  

I've also metal roofing too, but's it's a total pain.  I also used the mobile home roll on shingle looking stuff at Home Depot and attached it to a pallet, and it worked fine too.  

The best I've found is to actually build a special purpose pallet, wider and longer than the stack, and cover it with roofing material.  Making it heavy is a plus, so it won't blow off in a wind. When I'm not using them, I just store them in the woods until I need them.  


These guys have about 2 million bdft stacked in the yard and always talk about not having enough covered storage.  So I cover some of mine like they do.  It works OK.



 

[Beavertooth]

Brad ,   Come to Southwest Ms. and you will never have to wonder about the answer to your question again.  The answer will always be   Mold showing up between the boards the very next day no matter the time of year.   :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

[Brad_bb]

So I finished edging and re-stacking them today.  I probably spent 8-10 hours doing it, but I was also cutting up the edgings and bundling them for kindling so some of the guys on site would take the bundles, making stickers as I went from edgings and some 4 ft boards, etc. Here's a pic from yesterday a couple hours in.


 

I had half a dozen to a dozen boards that were sticking together from white mold like this:


 

I edged probably 80 percent of the boards, but I did leave some live edge.  I also keep the short cathedral grain pieces 2-5 feet long.  It's all my own project or pallet wood for later.


 

If I were at home, I'd separate the edged wood by length and add them to the appropriate lumber pallet.  For now I just have to stack it like this and hopefully in 3 weeks the building you see in the first photo will be finished inside and I can then move this stack and many others inside that ventilated pole barn.

[moodnacreek]

I think that ash is to far gone. At any rate you need to sticker to the ends of your boards as they will all cup and split done that way.

[Brad_bb]

No, it's not.  You're seeing some dampness, etc.  It's all solid.  No rot or spalting. Project wood and utility wood.  There is a little white surface mold on half a dozen to a dozen boards.  It will dry and plane off.  I'm not worried about it.  SOME of the jacket boards may not be the prettiest, not furniture boards, but are good and solid for lumber pallets etc.  As far as stickering, it is what it is.  I took more time than I wanted to, to do this much.  The Ash I've cut the last few years, dead standing, and then in the pile for a year, has tended to behave pretty well.  

[moodnacreek]

Well, your there, I'm here. Ash is funny [and gone]. I have sawn ash that looked much better than that that would shatter if you hit it with a hammer.