Lumber and Plywood Storage at WOODWEB's Knowledge Base

Drying lumber - selecting the best method
Is a solar kiln the best choice for this startup sawmill? December 17, 2003

Processing trees to lumber -- for the hobbyist
A primer on sawing and drying lumber for projects at home. March 13, 2001

Is Kiln Drying to 7% Worth It?
Why kiln dry wood to 7% moisture content when it will gain moisture in storage? Here's an informative thread about proper drying targets and storage based on the intended end use of the lumber. December 31, 2013

Dealing with Bowed or Warped Plywood
Warped, bowed, cupped, twisted ?these days, plywood seem to lie every which way but flat. Here's a long and somewhat technical discussion of what makes plywood deform, and what can be done about it. December 28, 2005

Kiln drying for higher profit
Expanding a molding business to include kiln drying poplar. November 18, 2002

Controlling Powderpost Beetles in Stored Lumber
Heat plus good hygeine are the standard recommendations, but this discussion also considers some alternative notions. November 14, 2009

Home DH for drying lumber
Home dehumidifiers versus bought kilns for drying wood. September 2, 2002

Eradicating an Insect Infestation
A load of insect-infested reclaimed wood may have contaminated a whole operation. What to do? April 20, 2011

Calculating moisture content
Using a hygrometer and calculator to determine the MC of kiln samples. September 2, 2002

Twisted timbers
Determining the cause of twisting in Douglas fir construction timbers. August 10, 2000

Air-Drying Big Timbers Over Long Time
If you plan to air-dry posts and beams for a period of years, here's advice on stickering, sawing over-size, end-sealing, et cetera. October 26, 2011

Straightening Thin Dowels
A woodworker struggles with a crooked dowel problem in a mass production setting. October 1, 2010

Conditioning: Relieving those stresses
Try these solutions to a stress-free wood inventory. November 29, 2002

Ash, Pine, Bugs, and Borates
More info on the insects that may infest hardwoods and softwoods, and on the use of borate-based controls. December 6, 2009

Slabbing and Drying Big Logs
Preventing cracks in Monterey cypress. April 18, 2004

Storing and Handling Large Volumes of Sawn Lumber
Advice on how to stack and store 20,000 board feet of roughsawn lumber. September 6, 2010

Regaining MC in overdry wood
Is machinability lost when lumber has been overdried, then had moisture put back in? May 17, 2003

Storing Wood in a Subtropical Climate
Thoughts on how to keep air-dried lumber sawn on site from decaying while stored for a season or two ?in Nicaragua June 22, 2012

Cherry Color After Aging
When cherry shelves are constructed years apart, how dramatic will the color difference be? May 8, 2004

Cleaning and Deodorizing Urine-Contaminated Wood
Advice on how to handle old lumber wood salvaged from storage, which appears to have been "soiled" by raccoons. 16, 2014

Drying Rewetted Kiln-Dried Lumber
How to render kiln-dried lumber, which has been rewetted due to flooding or excessive humidity, useful once again. 1998.

Plywood Cupping and Moisture Content
Check panel moisture content when you receive it, advises the Wood Doctor. April 16, 2009

Humidity, Moisture Content, and Lumber Storage
Lumber moisture content equilibrates to ambient relative humidity. Here are details. December 9, 2010

10,000-Year-Old Mystery Wood
Sawmillers try to guess the species of wood recovered after thousands of years buried in the mud. November 13, 2005

Bacterial Action in Wood
Temperature and the availability of oxygen help determine which sort of bacteria can thrive in wood, and therefore how the infected wood might smell. January 27, 2007

Promoting blue stain
How to promote this visual effect in a stack of red pine. March 21, 2002

Dehumidifiers and Lumber Storage
A dehumidifier in the storage room will keep lumber at the proper moisture content, and will do no harm. December 6, 2012

Is storing cants feasible?
Can large cants be stored until an order for custom-cut lumber is received? February 19, 2002

Reconciling Contradictory Moisture Readings
A pin-type moisture meter and a pinless moisture meter disagree during a quality-control check. What's going on? June 16, 2014

Re-Drying Wood from Outdoor Storage
Advice on how to best restore wood to useability after it has been left partially exposed to weather in a shed. January 18, 2011

Drying wood for musical instruments
A primer on various lumber drying techniques as they relate to musical instrument construction. 1998.

Treating Burls With Pentacryl
Is pentracryl a proper treatment for burl wood, or are other sealers more suitable? January 6, 2005

Long-Term Storage of Air-Dried Lumber
Air-dried lumber left in drying stacks for long periods without kiln-drying is at high risk for insect damage and spoilage. June 18, 2010

Wax to Seal Turning Blocks
Thoughts on selecting and applying wax to preserve turning blocks during storage. February 8, 2008

Lumber Storage After Kiln Drying
Advice on storing kiln-dried wood in the proper humidity conditions. November 14, 2009

Will Stacked Lumber Gain or Lose Moisture?
Lumber in storage may gain or lose moisture, but very slowly. Wrapping the pile in plastic will slow or stop the moisture change. March 29, 2006

Stickers for green lumber
Where do sawyers get their stickers? November 7, 2001

Lumber Storage Area Advice
Warm and dry are the desired characteristics. Here are some tips. May 21, 2009

Managing Fungus on Cedar
Advice on handling and cleaning a Cedar slab that wasn't properly dried and now harbors fungus. October 19, 2014

Minimum Sticker Thickness
How thin can stickers be in order to maximize kiln capacity without creating drying problems? May 11, 2005

Bugs in air-dried ash
Can a stack of ash be saved from an infestation of powderpost beetles? June 20, 2000

Glue failures
Adhesive failure can usually be traced to one of two causes: overly moist wood or defective glue. December 6, 2000

Basement drying basics
The Wood Doctor prescribes proper drying procedures for a small batch in a basement. June 21, 2000

Protecting Fresh Wood from Bugs
Chemical means have drawbacks and are not very effective. So good drying and careful hygeine in the the yard are your best methods for keeping wood bug-free. April 20, 2011

Ridding one's house of powderpost beetles
What to do upon discovering an infestatoin of powderpost beetles. 1998.

Storing Kiln-Dried Wood Outside
Wrap tightly in plastic and protect from rain. January 17, 2011

Stored Lumber, Ambient Moisture, and Lumber Moisture Content Changes
Kiln-dried lumber stored in a non-conditioned space will equilibrate with the natural relative humidity conditions of the ambient air. April 21, 2011

Shipping Dry Wood in a Green-Lumber Crate
If the dry stock is wrapped in plastic, it should be fine. February 8, 2008

Equilibrium Moisture Content and Geographic Location
Here's info on how to estimate the expected moisture content of wood in the outdoor environment in different regions of the country. July 18, 2013

Cupping of resawn lumber
The two reasons wood cups when resawn. 1998.

Is Cedar an Insect Repellent?
Including Cedar in a stack of sawn wood will not keep bugs away, the Wood Doctor explains. July 11, 2013

Moisture Absorbers for Protecting Wood?
In an unsealed space, a moisture absorber won't help keep wood dry. December 11, 2007

Moisture Regain in Dried Lumber
Should lumber be end-painted after it's been dried? May 11, 2005

Storing Wood in an Unheated Building
Is kiln-dried lumber that has been sitting in an unheated shed still dry enough to use? November 27, 2006

Kiln dried: Better than air dried?
Why kiln-dried lumber is the best option for wood that will eventually 'live' indoors. 1998.

Drying black walnut, bug free
Practices for preventing infestations while air-drying lumber. November 29, 2000

Shipping Green Lumber
Pros discuss the risks involved in shipping green lumber, including uneven drying and moisture damage. December 1, 2005

Storing Wood in a Closed Container
Keeping the wood dry and controlling pests. February 26, 2005

Positioning an Edger and Sawmill
Situating your two-man sawmill setup for optimum efficiency. May 11, 2005

Water Damage to Glued Cherry
Glued-up wide Cherry boards got rained on. What's the best hope for salvage? January 18, 2011

Raised glue lines after curing
A glue line that is raised days after parts are assembled and the glue has cured is a sure sign of wet lumber. 1998.

After-the-kiln powderpost beetle infestation
Who's responsible for a powderpost beetle infestation, two years after the wood was kiln-dried? June 27, 2000

Storing kiln-dried lumber
Controlling the humidity in the atmosphere around stored lumber. January 16, 2002

Controlling color in air-dried alder
Ideas for achieving color uniformity when air-drying alder. July 26, 2000

Air-dried oak for casework?
Air-dried lumber needs to live in the environment it will inhabit prior to fabrication. 1998.

Wood Storage: Vertical or horizontal?
Truly dry wood stored under the proper conditions will not warp, no matter how you position it. September 26, 2000

Redrying 4/4 Hard Maple
Tips for re-drying a load of wood that got wetted by rain, without incurring damage. December 31, 2013

Pith Centering in Cabin "D" Logs
A sawyer wonders how best to avoid distortion as he produces wall logs for a cabin project. February 26, 2005

Sterilizing Lumber
Definition and methods of sterilizing lumber

Keeping Wood Dry in Storage
How much heat is needed to keep stored lumber dry indoors? December 6, 2011

Advice on a forklift purchase
Is a 3000-pound capacity forklift enough? Not in the eyes of these forum visitors. January 31, 2001

Making stickers
Finding an appropriate material for lumber stickers used in air-drying. August 10, 2000

Ratios: Relative humidity to moisture content
Common conversions and instruments used in measuring wood moisture content. October 31, 2000

Ideal relative humidity in woodworking plants
Determining the best relative humidity level for your operation. 1998.

Smelly lauan
The Wood Doctor is quizzed about bad-smelling lauan in a commercial bar. Diagnosis: anaerobic bacteria. Prognosis: terminal. Prescription: replacement. 1998.

Moisture transfer in humid climes
Do tropical and sub-tropical species re-absorb moisture when left in their humid, native lands? September 6, 2000

Stained oak from supplier
There are solutions for stained, milled, not-yet-dried oak lumber, but first , one must determine the cause of the staining. 1998.

Causes for warpage after planing
Why boards may warp after surfacing. January 16, 2001

Using a moisture meter
How and where to use a moisture meter. November 14, 2001

Bowing in kiln-dried pine
What causes warpage of kiln-dried pine boards? August 23, 2000

Ants, and getting rid of them
How to prevent ants from invading your lumber pile. August 10, 2000

Stains on wood
remove. June 27, 2000

Removing blue stain
Ideas for removing and preventing blue stains in newly processed pine. August 1, 2000

Temperature Versus Relative Humidity
Links to curves that plot the relationship. February 26, 2005

Equilibrium Moisture Content of Wood -- in Outdoor Locations in the United States and Worldwide
An FPL article in PDF format

Estimates of Air Drying Times -- for Several Hardwoods and Softwoods
An FPL article in PDF format

Preventing discoloration in rubber wood
The two causes of discoloration in rubber wood, and how to avoid them. August 10, 2000

Air drying sycamore
What steps to take, from stickering to weighting. October 31, 2000

Determining Wood EMC -- (Equilibrium Moisture Content)
How to calculate and establish EMC. From the Forest Products Laboratory. February 16, 2004

Design of air drying sheds
General info on the design of sheds used for air-drying lumber. 1998.

Alder color
The effects of age on the coloration of lumber cut from alder logs. August 10, 2000

Crack Prevention and Repair for a Large Wood Turning
Here's a long, thoughtful technical discussion of humidity conditions, wood cracking, prevention, and fixes, focused around the case of a very large wood turning that has developed hairline cracks. January 20, 2011

Why Does Plywood Warp?
An extended technical and practical discussion of dimensional instability in plywood panels. January 20, 2010

Setting up a milling business
How much land, what equipment is needed, and in what order, for a startup sawmill. April 24, 2002

Static charge on wood
Troubleshooting and resolving static problems on freshly planed boards. October 9, 2002

Keeping Plywood Flat
Pros discuss causes, cures, and prevention of warping in plywood. July 9, 2005

Powder Post Beetles in Plywood
Amazingly, the bugs are not killed by plywood manufacturing methods, and can lurk inside plywood for years. October 27, 2011

Rate of Wood Moisture Gain from Ambient Humidity
How long will it take for furniture stored in an unconditioned warehouse to equilibrate with the ambient moisture conditions? April 18, 2010

-- Architectural Woodworking Forum -- Moisture Effects on Wood (Video)
Wood Doctor Gene Wengert explains in detail about the ways moisture affects wood, in a seven-part YouTube video series. December 31, 2012

Getting a charge from melamine
How to mitigate the creation and transmission of static electricity during the handling thermofused melamine. April 2, 2002

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