Ready to Saw Logs & Need Some Advice on Air Gap in the Stack & Other Quesition's

H60 Hawk Pilot · January 08, 2011, 01:51:21 AM

I did a Search on Stickers and found a good post and got the information I was looking for i.e. stickers size, spacing and pile width. Most of the lumber will be (SYP) 1 1/2" T. X 7 1/2" W. siding boards and the remainder will be a blend of-- 4x4, 6x6 , 8x8 's and some 2x6 & 8's. I plan on sending the siding out for treatment at Arnold Lumber (as recommened by FF Folk's) but the SYP will be staked for a period of time. I was told to spray it to keep the bugs from getting into it.

I did not find in my search if it's important to keep the lumber edges from touching, say a 1/4" inch air gap between them. Also, if a air gap is made.... will this enhance the drying process. Most of the lumber will be SYP, some Oak, etc. as I buy up logs in the area. I'm wondering about the transfer of stain from the stickers... what type of wood is recommended for the SYP. The last question is mold or fungus developing in the stack in the North FL (Bonifay). Is it as (air gap) simple as this ... just flop the boards down next to each other and don't kiss them (edge wise) close together in the stack ? Here in Bonifay the humidity is quite high and the sun will cook these SYP stacks.. what about that ? Yes, the stacks willl be covered, constructed per FF guidelines but should they be out of direct sun light too ?

Some of you know that this lumber is for the log faced siding home that I'm building his fall. I'd appreciate any advice that you can offer. Also, I've been told that I can buy SYP siding cheaper than I can process it myself. I'm probability going to process my own because... I want to do this. Buying the Woodmaster 725 because it come's with (5) knife sets anyway. It's the last wood working machine I need to complete my shop tooling & need the 725 for all my trim work inside. If it don't work out on the 1st run of the siding that I process, then, I'll be the 1st to say, Yep, you guys told me so. Also, I'll have a set of 7 1/2" facing knives for sale {little jok'ee on me).

This house will be built by two people (mostly) and will take about two years to finish competely. It's like a family tradition to build this way and my Dad built his last house all by himself. I'll have help from my Son and retired now with all the time in the world. The building site is 200 + yards from home. I bought this place to live in the 24 x 52 manuf. house and build my new home in the wooded corner of my 5 acre lot.. my plan from day one. I have enough money (I hope) saved to build my home and include's everything inside and appliances. However, I'm really looking to save as much as I can when it comes to buying all the finished wood items (trim, moulding, flooring, etc.) and it's open beam constuction inside.

If it take's 3 years years to complete... that's ok too... my present home is decent enough to live in but not the dream home I've been planning for over 4 years. I added-in the home building (above) information to this post so you could kick some other idea's my way.

Thank You in Advance,

Avery

Tom · January 08, 2011, 02:09:03 PM

It's not necessary to have a gap between the edges of syp lumber. It develops a gap as it dries anyway. I would place a decent gap between timbers, like 4/4 or 6x6, to insure that the wet air in the stack doesn't find a dead space.

While it isn't needed to place a gap in between boards, it doesn't hurt. I've stacked many by using my finger as a measurement to keep it all straight.

You will notice that a stack will draw like a chimney if properly stacked and if the gaps between boards line up. Blow some cigarette smoke under a stack and you can see it come from the top.

The important thing is that the air moves through the stack. Face it such that the sides get the flow of air. If it is in a building, don't put them close together, leave walking room around the stack.

Woods that release their water with difficulty can be dried too quickly. You can control it by using smaller stickers, but don't be tempted to use wider stacks. 4-6 feet wide is wide enough.

SYP makes good stickers for anything. It has always been recommended to make the stickers out of the same wood you are drying, but that isn't always possible. SYP does a good job and is available economically. I don't think I would use cca treated for stickers, it might stain.

Mold only grows on wet surfaces. If you have a good flow of air, the surface of the wood will remain dry and mold should not be a problem. Dry surfaces doesn't mean that the wood is dry though. You will need a meter to be sure, but you can get a pretty good idea by the old rule of thumb of "a year to the inch". You should also consider drying twice. Once in a drying shed and once in the place where the wood will live, especially flooring or furniture wood.

H60 Hawk Pilot · January 08, 2011, 08:21:39 PM

Thank You Tom.. Well Covered and I Got the Picture Now

Avery

limbrat · January 09, 2011, 12:11:01 AM

I like to stack framing lumber on edge about a fingers width apart and lay the 1 bys flat seem to get more straight edges that way. If you are stacking on the ground and not a slab i like to put something under the stack to keep the weeds and ant beds from growing up into the stacks they can be a conduit for termites. My stacks are on cinder blocks but i like to lay down some tin or felt paper under the blocks and whole stack. Its easy enough to put a temp tin roof 6" or so over the stack. Before i got my little mill i hired a sawyer to come in and cut some logs for me he kept real square edges but he used a lot of water on his blade so the dust tended to stick. After it dried in the stack for a couple of months it cemented its self to the wood and just made for dirty nasty boards that were not plesant to work with and a bugger to clean, if i would have rinsed them off before stacking there would not have been a problem. Try not to slam on the brakes and back up when you see a dying tree or some potental free wood your wife will start making noises and the grand kids will think your nuts.

scsmith42 · January 09, 2011, 01:10:47 AM

Use stikers made from wood that is already dried. If you use green stickers, odds are that you will get sticker stain. The species is not as important.

Typical sticker thickness is either 3/4" or 1".

Lumber is best dried on the face of the board, not the ends or the edges. Thus, it is a good think to butt your boards together on each layer.

WDH · January 09, 2011, 08:58:16 PM

Butting the boards together like Scott mentions is good when you have species that need to dry slowly to prevent surface checking and honeycombing like the oaks, especially white oak. Nice and slow is the way to go with oak..

Pine, however, can be dried very fast with little degrade. Spacing between the boards using Tom's finger can certainly speed up the drying.

ljmathias · January 15, 2011, 11:20:18 AM

Where can a person get one of Tom's fingers for measurement purposes? Seems kinda cruel to take all his, if the demand heats up. Maybe we can come up with a better unit of measure, like maybe a stick with marks on it or something...

Lj