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Temporary slab storage

Started by D6c, June 19, 2021, 12:12:27 PM

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D6c

I have several large oak slabs that are kiln dried that I need to store for a little while until I can get them flattened and sanded.
Would it work to wrap each slab in plastic and tabe the edges to prevent them gaining moisture?
I have a roll of 6 mil 12 x 100 sheet.  I could fold it over the slap and tape up thee sides.
I have a shipping container I was going to use with a dehumidifier but my woman stole it and I'm having trouble getting it back.

metalspinner

I wouldn't wrap and seal them with plastic. 
Do you have a garage to store them? A shed?
Where will you be working with them once you get a chance?
That is where I would store them. On stickers in the space they will be worked. This will let them acclimate so there is less chance they move when you plane them. 

We have a local wood supplier. They buy slabs (12/4) from an out of state supplier. This supplier planes and sands the slab then seals them with shellac. The supplier is in a huge metal building with ambient air temp and humidity. The slabs will change their MC just like all wood. We just need to deal with it. 
I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

D6c

Quote from: metalspinner on June 19, 2021, 05:25:07 PM
I wouldn't wrap and seal them with plastic.
Do you have a garage to store them? A shed?
Where will you be working with them once you get a chance?
That is where I would store them. On stickers in the space they will be worked. This will let them acclimate so there is less chance they move when you plane them.

We have a local wood supplier. They buy slabs (12/4) from an out of state supplier. This supplier planes and sands the slab then seals them with shellac. The supplier is in a huge metal building with ambient air temp and humidity. The slabs will change their MC just like all wood. We just need to deal with it.
Storage in my shop is very limited right now and these are large slabs.  My thinking was that if they're down to 6-7% right now they would keep well sealed up and wouldn't regain a bunch of moisture.  We're very humid from this time of year through August.  
If I had room, and I added air conditioning to the shop, that's where I'd store them.  (A small mini split would keep the humidity down)
I have plans to add a mezanine to the shop for more storage but it'll be a while getting that done....or I could go get another shipping contaiiner.

alan gage

Quote from: D6c on June 19, 2021, 05:39:22 PM
If I had room, and I added air conditioning to the shop, that's where I'd store them.  (A small mini split would keep the humidity down)
I know this doesn't help with adding room to your shop but I've had good luck keeping the humidity down with a regular household dehumidifier in my shop (1300 sq ft with 10' sidewalls and 15' ceiling at the peak). The shop is pretty well sealed and insulated and only a couple years old. The dehumidifier causes to temp to go up but at least it's dry in there. I keep it around 60%. Drier would be better but below that it can't keep up.
Alan
Timberking B-16, a few chainsaws from small to large, and a Bobcat 873 Skidloader.

D6c

Quote from: alan gage on June 20, 2021, 12:54:36 PM
Quote from: D6c on June 19, 2021, 05:39:22 PM
If I had room, and I added air conditioning to the shop, that's where I'd store them.  (A small mini split would keep the humidity down)
I know this doesn't help with adding room to your shop but I've had good luck keeping the humidity down with a regular household dehumidifier in my shop (1300 sq ft with 10' sidewalls and 15' ceiling at the peak). The shop is pretty well sealed and insulated and only a couple years old. The dehumidifier causes to temp to go up but at least it's dry in there. I keep it around 60%. Drier would be better but below that it can't keep up.
Alan
My shop is 3000 sf with 16' ceiling.  Well insulated and heated but no A/C.  With that much room I should be able to have some storage space, but sadly, no.  Probably the solution will be to get one or two shipping containers.  Side opening containers would be ideal but last time I priced one it scared me off. I've got 4 or 5 stacks of lumber waiting for the kiln so I'll need quite a bit of space as I get them dry.  

alan gage

I find the cost of the side opening containers prohibitive as well. I almost bought a 40' single end container this spring for more lumber storage but decided to add a 10' wide lean-to to my drying shed instead (I'll enclose the 3 exterior sides of the addition). If I got the container I would have added a roll up door to the other end and a walk through, or perhaps narrow roll up door, in the center. Then I would have built 2 sets of lumber bunks (one 14' long and the other 16' long). These would be placed to leave an opening in the center of the container. In this scenario the bunks are accessible from either end as well as from the center, allowing you to use the outside doors to access the longest lumber and the shorter stuff could be accessed from the inside. Most of my lumber is 6' and 8' hardwoods so the 14' bunk would have the 8' lumber access from the outside and the 6' lumber from the inside. The 16' bunk could do 8' lumber from either side, 10' from the outside and 6' from the inside, or long 16' boards.

I have a similar setup in a reefer trailer and it's worked out great. Having direct access with the skidloader would be best but I find it pretty fast and easy to load/unload by hand. I just have the forks setup outside the door so I can just slide the lumber in/out. Makes access very easy.

A post from when I made the bunks for the trailer:

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=111143.0

Alan
Timberking B-16, a few chainsaws from small to large, and a Bobcat 873 Skidloader.

farmfromkansas

My shop is about 1700 square feet, and the humidity went crazy earlier this spring when it just stayed wet for a few weeks, the humidity in the shop went up to about 65, and the panels I had glued up bowed.  Had 2 dehumidifiers going for a few weeks, and it is finally down to 40.  Have to dump the things 2 times a day.
Most everything I enjoy doing turns out to be work

D6c

A practical suggestion I saw in another thread was to put down plastic under the stack a then make a plastic tent over it and place a small dehumidifier inside.  Close it up the best you can and it should keep it dry.

doc henderson

If they are truly down to 6 or 7%,  I do think you could wrap them in plastic and tape seal the edges.  It would take a lot of plastic if done individually.  to save on plastic and be easier to move, (if you have a pallet jack or a fork set on a tractor or skid steer) put plastic down on a pallet and dead stack several of them then wrap up the bundle. cover with a silver tarp to keep out uv rays and heat.  @GeneWengert-WoodDoc 
Timber king 2000, 277c track loader, PJ 32 foot gooseneck, 1976 F700 state dump truck, JD 850 tractor.  2007 Chevy 3500HD dually, home built log splitter 18 horse 28 gpm with 5 inch cylinder and 32 inch split range with conveyor powered by a 12 volt tarp motor

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