Drying/stickering logs for cabin

[gt4889]

Sawing some Tulip Poplar, White Pine and Oak into cabin logs (6" x 12"-16").  Was going to dry them under galvanized metal sheets.  

Should they be stickered like would be done for boards, e.g., 1"x1" stickers?  Would it matter the orientation - the long sides facing up/down or facing sideways?

Any other tips much appreciated.

thx

[Don P]

I use at least 2x stickers with heavy timber, air on all sides. 4' sticker spacing is fine at those dimensions, just keep them in line vertically. It sounds like 6" is the fixed dimension, that is your layer thickness. I'd turn the poplar into 2x framing and boards either sheathing or finish. It tends to check heavily as a large timber. 

[GeneWengert-WoodDoc]

A lot of,people use 2x4 stickers, with 1-1/2" being the vertical space.

[gt4889]

...I'd turn the poplar into 2x framing and boards either sheathing or finish. It tends to check heavily as a large timber.

Thanks for the insight.  Does checking hurt the structural integrity, invite insects, water intrusion etc?  I don't mind looking at the checks if it's only the aesthetics that change.

[Don P]

Dolly, or was it Loretta, sings about the old poplar cabin in the hills, there were plenty. The checking isn't a structural concern, depending on detailing it can invite water in but that is true of any of them. It is mainly aesthetics and distortion during drying, they can be "slide your hand into them" size. Very often around here I'll see poplar logs in an otherwise mixed oak log house at the second floor joist level and at the rafter plate level. It is easier to notch and nail to, they were working by hand. So, certainly your call but I've seen dissapointment before when the poplar started popping.

This is a pic of a poplar 6x8 I had in the gallery from when when this came up before. This check was polite and followed the rules, it runs the shortest (weakest) path from heart to bark.