How to store hardwood boards?

[Donn]

I just got 2 nice figured Hickory boards, 7" x 60" x 13/16, kiln dried:



I don't know what I want to do with them yet, so I need to know the proper way to store them.

In the house, shop, carport or boathouse? The boathouse is cool and out of the light, but damp. The carport is warm with good air movement. The shop is hot with good air movement. The house is the coolest (no AC), and probably the most dry, but has the least air movement.

Flat horizontal? Flat vertical? Stickered?

[David G]

What are you LIKLY to use them for? Some interior application? Furniture/Cabinetry? Tool handles? Skids under your tablesaw? Some boat use? What sort of boat? Might it become bending stock? Will it live immersed?

It makes a difference as to what is optimum.

[Jim Ledger]

If it was five hundred board feet you might have a problem, but two boards? Cut 'em up and make something with them.

[Vince Brennan]

Make top and bottom bracket clamps of 1" x 1" pine and screw the back of the bracket to a wall: hang vertically from one end and screw other end into wall. Should keep 'em straight while allowing them to age gracefully (unlike me).

[Jim Ledger]

Just throw them under the bench.

[Jim Ledger]

It's two planks, not the Gutenburg f**kin' Bible ya got there, yanno.

[Donn]

What are you LIKLY to use them for? Some interior application? Furniture/Cabinetry? Tool handles? Skids under your tablesaw? Some boat use? What sort of boat? Might it become bending stock? Will it live immersed?

It makes a difference as to what is optimum.

Something decorative and probably interior, although possible tool handles as well.

No bending, steaming or immersion and likely not aboard.

[Donn]

Make top and bottom bracket clamps of 1" x 1" pine and screw the back of the bracket to a wall: hang vertically from one end and screw other end into wall. Should keep 'em straight while allowing them to age gracefully (unlike me).

Thanks for adding the illustration. That may be the solution.

[Donn]

If it was five hundred board feet you might have a problem, but two boards? Cut 'em up and make something with them.

Just throw them under the bench.

It's two planks, not the Gutenburg f**kin' Bible ya got there, yanno.

Luckily, you're better at woodworking than advising.

[Jim Ledger]

Luckily, you're better at woodworking than advising.

You sure need a lotta hand-holding, Dawn.

Don't listen to these other guys. Lay it flat and keep it dry. It's not complicated.

[Gib Etheridge]

If they're going to wind up in the house store them in the house. How about under the bed on 1 x 1 stickers?

[Jim Ledger]

Just make sure your stickers line up if you stack the boards two high...and space them no more than 16" apart.

[Jim Ledger]

There is a special UV-resistant, acid-free paper you can get to cover them...

[Donn]

They are worth about $5.00 for the 2 here, how about where you are?
The value would determine how much effort I put into storing them.

I don't know where "here" is, but if you can find Hickory as nicely figured as these two pieces, for $5, you should grab them.

[Jim Ledger]

Don't forget to paint the ends.

[Donn]

I have some mixed in with a pile of black ash, red and white oak and maple. If you are in hardwood country and buy your lumber rough sawn from a mill and not a big box store nice hardwood pieces are not too expensive. A $1.00 or so a board foot, less in quantity.

If you don't have some photos to prove your Hickory is as nice as these, it isn't.

I lived for years in Hickory country, NE Ohio. I had dozens of trees milled in place on my property, and hand-hewed dozens more. I never saw anything like these.

[Jim Ledger]

A $1.00 or so a board foot, less in quantity.

Art's right, hate to say it, but here's five hundred dollars worth up near Albany. Probably some figured in there that will most likely get sawn up with the rest.

[Peter Malcolm Jardine]

If it was five hundred board feet you might have a problem, but two boards? Cut 'em up and make something with them.

A nice thread, and Jim jumps in with the crazy talk. Sheesh.

[L.W. Baxter]

Nice boards. You could carve a couple nice cricket bats and send them to Syed and ACB. Send the offcuts to Pless for the smoker.

[Donn]

Probably some figured in there...

If you find it, let us know.

[B_B]

You sure need a lotta hand-holding, Dawn.

Don't listen to these other guys. Lay it flat and keep it dry. It's not complicated.

Just make sure your stickers line up if you stack the boards two high...and space them no more than 16" apart.

There is a special UV-resistant, acid-free paper you can get to cover them...

Don't forget to paint the ends.

Someone got out the wrong side of the bed this morning, or maybe was at the receiving end of one too many spelling corrections.

[Donn]

I'm surprised to know that if I don't take a picture of a board it cannot be as nice as yours.

Since you " lived for years in Hickory country, NE Ohio and had dozens of trees milled in place on my property, and hand-hewed dozens more.", I'm further surprised that you don't know how to store less than 10 board feet of lumber.

As I said, if you can buy curly Hickory planks for $5...grab them. It isn't a common item.

I sold the trees which were milled in place, and used the hewn logs green. I sold a bunch of nice trees.

[George Jung]

What a haul - a plethora of O & O - though not particularly well-figured!

As cranky as most of you are, hanging you, as demonstrated in post #4, is an excellent idea. Only need a few mm gap, the way I'd recommend it! (again, )

Those are nicely figured boards. Enjoy - and let us know what you end up doing with them.

[Peter Malcolm Jardine]

Perhaps you could laminate them up with the ebony for your drill press fence.

[Donn]

Perhaps you could laminate them up with the ebony for your drill press fence.

My drill press fence is aluminum extrusion, and I'm about to finish a couple of nice hold-downs for it, in Rosewood trimmed with White Oak.

[Jim Ledger]

If you find it, let us know.

Here's some better sh*t than you've got...

[George Jung]

But Jim - that's only the size of a big tomato!

What'cha gonna do with that?

[Fitz]

Just lay them flat on the concrete garage floor under the other stock, strong backs, canoes, recyclables, trash and other junk, like I do.

[Jim Ledger]

But Jim - that's only the size of a big tomato!

What'cha gonna do with that?

Gonna make a nice handle for a plane...one 'a these days.

[Jim Ledger]

Just lay them flat on the concrete garage floor under the other stock, strong backs, canoes, recyclables, trash and other junk, like I do.

Egg-zackly

[David G]

There is a special UV-resistant, acid-free paper you can get to cover them...

Yes... but be sure to use the 'organic' version of this! <G>

Jim's right... they're not like to move much, no matter where you put them. Ideally, you want them acclimating in the same/similar environment as where they'll end up. And stacked & stickered is ideal, but not critical with two sticks. Here's one example of long-term lumber storage in my shop - on brackets above the plywood bins:




And here's a view of the same stack - viewed from the end. And beyond... you can see some bins for vertical lumber storage:

[Mrleft8]

The reason you don't commonly find figured Hickory, is that it's more valuable as firewood.
It's pretty much pallet wood, and it's quite often figured, which only makes it less desirable.

[Keith Wilson]

Oh lordy, just stand 'em up against the wall out of the way and have done with it. They'll be OK.

[Canoeyawl]

You better "test" them.
The government test involves putting the board on two cleats one foot apart and dropping a 50 pound weight on it until it breaks.
Hickory always wins that test

[purri]

Less than 2 cubic metres of at least 2 species (sawn flitches to boards) hardly constitutes a stash. Big sticks for the flitches, smaller and closer spaced sticks for the boards. Cool (temperate) and especially low humidity works for me.