Sticker Sizing and what is the best for the conditions

pine · April 05, 2018, 06:22:04 PM

It seems that most folks use a 1" sticker as the standard go to sticker size. Was reading another post where Dr Gene was recommending a larger sticker for some larger beams.

Got me to thinking about stickers and sizing for lumber stacking.
Is there a guide anywhere that suggests what size stickers to use for the thickness of the material being dried?
Some of my stickers are right at 7/8" (actually just a little bit bigger but 7/8" is close enough).
When is a sticker smaller than 1" acceptable, if ever? Thinner material?
Would there be any significant degradation in drying and lumber quality if the 1" stickers got mixed in with the 7/8"+ stickers or are they close enough that it would not really matter?

Dr Gene's posting on the larger beams made me think there must be percentage of flowing air to size ratio that is optimum. That might also effect thinner material that would be better off with thinner stickers than the standard 1" ones.

Brian_Rhoad · April 05, 2018, 06:47:48 PM

I use 3/4" x 1 1/2 for everything. They should all be the same thickness to keep your lumber flat and straight. Width doesn't matter as much as thickness. If you are drying soft woods the stickers should be wide enough to keep the weight of the lumber stack from crushing the wood.

Bandmill Bandit · April 05, 2018, 06:55:09 PM

I set my simple set to 5/8ths for thickness and I cut 1.5 inch wide for everything. I make sure to leave a space between the boards vertically as well. WITHOUT the vertical space you should probably add at least a 1/4 inch thickness.

On 1" material I sticker every other tier.

POSTON WIDEHEAD · April 05, 2018, 07:00:33 PM

Actually when I have large beams, I generally use 2x4's for stickers. I need the room for my forks to go in between the beams to pick them up.

moodnacreek · April 05, 2018, 07:14:56 PM

One of the reasons for 1" sticks is that you can get the from edging 1" boards. Big sticks like 2" of course give more air but can be for the fork lift. All stickers should be dry and rough. On thin stock sticks should be close, say 12" apart and also on 1x knotty hard wood [ 1"] because the knot areas will drop or raise. When sticking at 12" I do it buy eye. The first and last sticks should be all the way out even though not vertically aliened. This is seldom seen.

moodnacreek · April 05, 2018, 07:16:00 PM

One of the reasons for 1" sticks is that you can get the from edging 1" boards. Big sticks like 2" of course give more air but can be for the fork lift. All stickers should be dry and rough. On thin stock sticks should be close, say 12" apart and also on 1x knotty hard wood [ 1"] because the knot areas will drop or raise. When sticking at 12" I do it buy eye. The first and last sticks should be all the way out even though not vertically aliened. This is seldom seen.