My Lumber storage story

Ironwood · February 11, 2011, 02:09:30 PM

Here are a few others, not mine just ones I have seen. Worth mentioning, some Lowes stores sre configuring their stores and some of the cantilever racks may be scrapped. Seems like there was a sub contractor in our store locally. He was trashing all kinds of steel racking. I know the dumpster co. owner but never went to his yard to actually see what they got rid of.

PS , dont just dumpster dive there are cameras and they may consider it stealing (from someone, either store, sub , or dumpster co.)

Ironwood

Slabs · February 11, 2011, 07:38:51 PM

I have a little "personal-sized" drying shed/rack.

It holds about 2500 bd. ft. of one-by. Just makins for the "retirement toys" woodshop.

bandmiller2 · February 12, 2011, 08:15:02 PM

Why is it everyone always wants the lumber on the bottom of the pile.Good idea Jim, and the tallish stacks seem to dry better.Handling and storing lumber is hard work anything that makes it easier is welcome. Frank C.

Meadows Miller · February 13, 2011, 05:27:02 AM

Gday

Great thread and pics/drawings Jim ;) ;D ;D ;D 8) Ironwood your gonna be sawing for a fair while to fill those racks of yours Mate

;) :D :D

With Me Im only selling stuff that sells easy and is on order these days Im trying not to hold anything in stock apart from what I will be using myself ;)

Regards Chris

Banjo picker · February 13, 2011, 07:31:48 AM

Very nice looking systems you guys have there....but I am with Chris...I don't cut it till someone wants to pay for it...I have a few logs that I will loose because of that ,but if I cut 1 bys they wanted 2 bys ....If I got 10's they want 12's ....I don't even cut the trees untill I get an order...When I retire from the state job I may do things different...and store some lumber...Tim

Ironwood · February 13, 2011, 08:23:08 AM

I could fill those racks with what is palletized and tarped here, NO kidding.

Cant wait.

Ironwood

Meadows Miller · February 13, 2011, 08:28:55 AM

You have been a busy bloke then Mate

;) :D ;D 8) 8) I burnt about 5000bft of stuff that was too far gone when we shifted in October :( :'( that I had been saying for years Ill do something with that one of these days ;) i just went through it picked out the good ones and made another pile of stuff that is Ill keep that and use it packs

;) :D :D

Regards Chris

Jim_Rogers · February 13, 2011, 09:05:37 AM

When I cut stock I usually cut to fill an order.

It happens that you also make other stuff on the way to filling that order and you need to have some place to store it so it stays flat and true.

And yes they always want to buy the stuff on the bottom. I do put stuff down there on purpose so that some one will come along and buy it.... :D

Banjo picker · February 13, 2011, 12:01:56 PM

Thats a good idea about putting what you need to move on the bottom.. ;)...I just recently moved the last bundle of side lumber from when I was cutting ties full time..I had a bundle of mixed stuff I am drying for myself...walnut, maple, some persimmon that Fish farmer gave me down on the bottom of the stacks and I believe every body that came to look at it asked about that bundle....Tim

Brucer · February 13, 2011, 03:11:26 PM

Quote from: bandmiller2 on February 12, 2011, 08:15:02 PM
Why is it everyone always wants the lumber on the bottom of the pile.

Frank, I'm really surprised you haven't figured it out. The customer wants the driest wood, which is the oldest off the mill. Most people build their piles by putting the oldest stuff on the bottom.

Now if you were smart, you'd pile the oldest wood on top of the pile and put the newer stuff underneath it. :D :D :D

Quote from: Banjo picker on February 13, 2011, 07:31:48 AM
... I am with Chris...I don't cut it till someone wants to pay for it.

Unfortunately people want to buy timbers from me without taking the side lumber as well. Actually, I suppose they would take the side lumber if I gave it away. I prefer to stack it and wait until someone wants to build a fence or side a house --- or put a "funky" floor in the pub at the local ski hill.

Banjo picker · February 13, 2011, 07:41:29 PM

I guess I was in the same boat when I was selling cross ties...and didn't know it... ;) Tim

tyb525 · February 13, 2011, 08:07:26 PM

Case in point: yesterday a father and son came by and got all excited seeing all the lumber I had. They lived just a couple miles away and just found me. They want 4/4 walnut to make a coffee table.....I had two boards I could get to...the rest of my walnut is at the bottom of a 6' stack :

. They could've asked for any other species and it would've been fine :D Luckily they only needed those two boards at that time.

OlJarhead · February 15, 2011, 10:21:58 AM

Quote from: Slabs on February 11, 2011, 07:38:51 PM
I have a little "personal-sized" drying shed/rack.

It holds about 2500 bd. ft. of one-by. Just makins for the "retirement toys" woodshop.

Wouldn't mind seeing a bigger pic of this

and some specs...seems just want I was trying to conceive for my own needs

Ironwood · February 15, 2011, 08:00:42 PM

That personal sized one would be nice as a steel frame, so it could be moved by a forklift.

Ironwood

Randy88 · February 16, 2011, 07:52:54 AM

Jim great idea, maybe as a suggestion, nail tin to the top of the cover rack that way it'll last for decades, we've always used loose tin sheets and put cement blocks on them to hold down the tin for piles stacked outdoors. Yours is a much better design for handling lumber, I've gone to piling them only about 2-3 feet high and then put in 3x3's so we can pick the top layer off to get access to the bottom layers but your is a lot better yet. I've thought for years of sorting by species, thickness and also length but it gets to be a lot of piles, with your system that would be a lot simplier.

One final qustion, what do you do when you end up with one or two odd boards, that you don't have enough to make a row out of? Nobody ever needs an exact amount of lumber to take up enough for even rows, thats the biggest problem we have is we end up with a dozen boards of multiple lengths and they match nothing for a lumber pile and what to do with them, just curious how others handle this problem.

Jim_Rogers · February 16, 2011, 09:42:02 AM

Quote from: Randy88 on February 16, 2011, 07:52:54 AM
One final question, what do you do when you end up with one or two odd boards, that you don't have enough to make a row out of? Nobody ever needs an exact amount of lumber to take up enough for even rows, thats the biggest problem we have is we end up with a dozen boards of multiple lengths and they match nothing for a lumber pile and what to do with them, just curious how others handle this problem.

When I don't have enough boards to fill a row, I put in one or more spacer boards. Usually I use some 1x4's as they are the most likely to be not sold, and I usually have some of them available all the time.

So if I had only one 1x12 left over, I'd put a 1x4 on one edge of the row, one in the middle of the row, and have the one 1x12 on the other edge of that top row. That way when I set the 1x10 pallet down on top of the 1x12 pallet I have a good flat base that will support the 1x10's and all pallets above correctly.

Piston · February 19, 2011, 11:46:42 AM

Thanks for another great write up Jim, I'm also going to copy your design, I just need to find enough level area to stack it all now!

Jim_Rogers · February 19, 2011, 12:31:27 PM

Some of my yard is not level, and this can be a problem for a forklift set up such as mine.
That is I have no way to tilt the forks left or right, which most forklifts don't have.

When I have a frame set up and I drive up to it with a pallet or regular bundle of lumber, and the machine is off so that one end of the bundle or pallet touches before the other end does, I usually adjust the frame. I do this by adding whatever is needed to make it match the pallet/bundle I'm holding. Such as adding another 1x4, 2x4, 3x4 or 4x4 to one end and something in the middle as well. So that when the pallet/bundle is set down by the forklift the forks won't get catch up and not slide out easy.

This can make for some sloping piles in your yard, but that just helps them shed the rainwater, easier.

Basically, you have to do what you have to do to make setting down the pallet and picking it up again easier.

With these types of forks, that hang from the top edge of the bucket, and rest against your bucket's cutting edge, as the cutting edge wears away the fork tips get out of alignment.

This can also cause problems trying to lift a pallet or bundle.

What I've had to do is to put spacer blocks of hardwood between the fork and the cutting edge on one side. These spacer blocks are held on by a bungee strap and they can be slid up or down. Up when you don't need them, down when you do.

Just something more to consider and how to deal with it.

Jim Rogers

Brucer · February 20, 2011, 02:44:13 AM

Quote from: Jim_Rogers on February 19, 2011, 12:31:27 PM
Some of my yard is not level, and this can be a problem for a forklift set up such as mine.
That is I have no way to tilt the forks left or right, which most forklifts don't have.

I build and store my piles on "permanent" bunks made from 6x6's. These are positioned so they will always fall directly under stickers.

When we're setting up a new set of bunks, we use a 12' length of 4x4 which has the standard sticker positions marked on it. We pick the 4x4 up with the loader (centered on the forks) and position it at the front of the new bunk location. We slip a 6x6 under the lowest end, then lower the forks until the 4x4 just rests on that bunk. The other 6x6 bunks are shimmed to touch the bottom of the 4x4. That way every lumber bundle we add to the pile is parallel to the forks.

Glen Stutz · February 24, 2016, 12:20:34 PM

Still a good write up. Nice drawings, what software did you use?.

Glen Stutz · February 24, 2016, 12:34:44 PM

Never mind the question, I see where you answered that before.

Sixacresand · February 24, 2016, 12:53:18 PM

Quote from: Glen Stutz on February 24, 2016, 12:20:34 PM
Still a good write up. Nice drawings, what software did you use?.

Yep, I read it again, too. Good thread. I sticker mine on movable pallets or racks also.

YellowHammer · February 24, 2016, 09:19:59 PM

I'm also a big fan of skids or pallets for moving and storing lumber. With the addition of a forklift (or two), and moving lots of wood, its just the only way to play. However, the higher the stack of wood, and faster you drive the forklift, and if you don't take the time to strap the load, then sometimes things can happen....like this spilled load of mine last week... :D It was actually pretty cool watching it go, but I'd just as soon not have it happen again.

Andries · February 24, 2016, 09:37:37 PM

Ouch, that'll take a while to sort out.
On the other hand . . . C'mon YellowHammer - do the Las Vegas card dealer trick and push the forks under there to stack'em back up!
Extra points - if the stickers make it into the pile too . . . . ;D