Good point Inor, I'll add that if you're gonna keep some dimensional lumber on hand, store Pressure Treated Lumber and keep it inside. I've posted this before and I'll post it again...Keep Wood Inside where it belongs!
Good point Inor, I'll add that if you're gonna keep some dimensional lumber on hand, store Pressure Treated Lumber and keep it inside. I've posted this before and I'll post it again...Keep Wood Inside where it belongs!
Inor (09-04-2014)
Inor, can you hook me up with some plans for a can storage system i'm thinking of? i can build it but i lack the experience of making the plans...if that makes sense
Wood is made of cellulose and lignin and thus takes in and expels moisture. Even if it is kiln dried and stored properly, wood will take in moisture. Maybe having some metal framing studs is a good idea? I do not...YET. Metal Studs alleviate the whole wood rot, warp, cup thing. You might have to protect the metal by priming it but why not? I've done "crazier" things!
Inor (09-06-2014)
What I would do (and presently do), is to lay some scrap pieces (inside as Slippy mentioned) perpendicular to the direction I intend to lay the boards. Space them about 18 inches apart. Lay the lumber, wide side down, on the scrap pieces and make sure they are touching each other. Stack them in layers, minimizing the amount of surface area exposed to fresh air.
The idea is to minimize the surface area of the lumber exposed directly to fresh air because we are trying to get the board to dry out (or absorb moisture) consistently along the whole length of the board as possible. In other words, if one part of the board dries out quickly, and another part dries out slowly, the board will ABSOLUTELY warp or split every time.
Be careful how you stack the lumber to make sure that the surface area exposed to direct air is consistent along the whole length of the board. If you have enough lumber to keep them flat while binding them all flat with ratcheting tie downs, do so. Also, paint the ends with a good quality latex paint. End grain releases water much more quickly than side grain, even on rift sawn lumber.
The problem with rift sawn boards is that the lumber mill saws the log to maximize the number of boards they can cut from it. In doing so, end grain is exposed along the whole length of the board, usually on the widest face. (Grain usually does not run exactly straight through the log.) That means some parts of the board dry out faster than others and cause warping and checking. Quarter sawn wood usually does not have that problem, but it is crazy expensive and probably is not even available for construction grade materials.
Also, covering the whole pile loosely with a blue plastic tarp seems to help a great deal. I think it keeps the moisture in and prevents the edge piece from drying too quickly.
Just as a general rule of thumb, a 6 1/2 inch wide board will change width by about an 1/8 inch (wider or narrower) through the course of the year just by humidity. The width changing inconsistently along the length of the board is what causes it to warp and check.
Last edited by Inor; 09-06-2014 at 03:08 AM.
omegabrock (09-08-2014),Slippy (09-06-2014)
Inor (09-06-2014)
Right now, I'm just trying to keep all the tanks full, propane, and vehicles. I need more water, but my storage room is a mess. Probably grab six four three packs at the dollar tree.
I don't expect anything crazy to happen this week or next, but I also don't expect a kitchen fire, but I do have an extenquisher close.
My next big decision is to go with the Ar platform, or just a nice rifle. I like the price of ammo for the Ar.
Inor (09-06-2014)