This week’s question comes from Stu. He writes:
Alright, I have another question: I live in South texas and well.. its humid. I hear a lot of people talking about how you should bring lumber into your shop to let it dry and acclimate, but what if you work from your garage and its probably more humid there than anywhere else? Are there any storage options short of keeping it in the house?
And here was my reply:
“Hey Stu. The bottom line with wood storage is that you should store it in conditions that closely match the final destination whenever possible. So if your shop is more humid than outside, you are probably better off storing them outside. Incidentally, why is your shop more humid than outside? You may want to pick up a cheap humidity gauge to confirm this.”
“For that reason, some people do store project wood inside their house for a few weeks just to make sure the moisture content is right where it needs to be. Obviously that doesn’t work for everyone. So the real question becomes, what are your options for storage? Most people have no choice but to store them in the shop. Just plan for shrinkage (or expansion) when you build your pieces. And if you have some space in the house, dont be afraid to take all the wood for a project and store it under the couch for about a month before you start the project. Good luck.”
11 Responses to “Best place to store lumber?”
I think he just didn’t phrase this correctly. Like my garage is more humid than the inside of the house. But if he didn’t maybe he should open the garage door and let the garage acclimate to the out of doors.
I bring my wood inside… (patient husband)… new reason for a new couch… need on that I CAN store wood under… instead of behind doors or in front of closets… but your answer makes me think I can store my wood outside… I live in so calif… mostly nice weather… thanks..
I store lumber in my damp basement, my unheated garage (Southwest Ohio) and at school where it bakes in the summer, about 1200 BdFt. Please don’t tell my wife! Kiln dried, air dried, green, logs for turning, thick stock (up to 4″) exotics, local hardwoods, softwoods, dumpster saved construction lumber, plywood…. well, you get the idea.
I have no problems with checking, cupping or bowing but have occasional problems at school with poplar twisting. It gets used for smaller projects.
Just don’t let it get wet. Stack it FLAT off the floor in a neat manner so it won’t twist. Don’t let it get wet, I would not suggest storing it vertically. Brush off the mouse poo when it starts to get deep or get a good barn cat.
Help How do I store a large supply of wood (tiger, ipei, black walnut, heart of pine, cypress) without the threat of termites?
My studio is under my house and is quite damp.
I just acquired, due to a great price, about a 350 bf mix of walnut, heart pine, poplar, hickory, sassafras, cherry, mohogany, and white oak. I’m planning on storing some of it in a climate controlled storage space, and some of it in the garage where I work.
The guy I bought it from suggested saturating the wood with a Borax and water solution (to keep bugs out of it)followed by a solid week of air drying. This sounds pretty toxic, and maybe not the best idea for wood that I plan on using for furniture, but he claims to do it on a regular basis.
Any comments on this? I currently have the wood stacked in my garage with sticker boards in between each row of lumber.
Sounds like you got a great deal Justin!
Now to be honest, this is a little beyond my expertise. I don’t dry wood so I don’t have much experience in this area. The borax solution sounds interesting. It sounds like it would work and as long as you wear a respirator during initial milling, I am sure you would be fine. Other folks might feel differently about that. But inhalation is probably the biggest risk at that stage. The borax solution won’t absorb too deeply so a few passes over the jointer and planer will get rid of most of it. But definitely do a little more research and possibly ask for opinions in a public forum to see if that step is truly necessary. You might just be able to get away with sealing the end grain, stickering, and calling it a day. I would recommend a product like Anchorseal for the sealing operation. That will help prevent rapid moisture loss that would result in cracks and checks.
Hope that helps.
what is the best way to store oak plywood?
Thanks
The “best” way unfortunately isn’t realistic for most of us. That is, flat with weight on it. So the best most of us can do is to store it up against a wall or in a lumber cart. If you have several sheets, consider clamping them together to help everything stay as flat as possible.
Thank You very much for the info–I’m glad I found your site and will be on it often!
Don
My husband has hardwood in my garage. I am looking for a solution to store it outside but I dont know what kind of shed will work so it wont get ruined we are in PA and my garage is AC. Help please wnat my garage back.
I don’t really know much about sheds, but I would imagine anything large enough to hold a few lumber racks should do the trick. All you need is protection from the rain and good ventilation.