Storing wood vertical vs horizontal

[seebee]

I'd appreciate the pros and cons of storing dried wood vertically (like Home Depot) or horizontally on a wood rack with supports on 2' centers.

Thanks,

Charles

 

[FredP]

space saver. a 4/4 x 12 x 8' is 8 board feet. no matter how you store it [laying down standing up throwing it out the window....ect] its still 8 BF BUTstanding it up it only occupies 12 SQ inches of floor space. :gar-La;

 

[JackLeg]

Dang, Fred. For a "designed idiot" that was pretty profound. And factual, too!

 

[FredP]

Dang, Fred. For a "designed idiot" that was pretty profound. And factual, too!

even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and then.:rotflm:

 

[DaveO]

If you have the head clearance vertical is going to be more efficient for space and sorting. But if you're like me with less than 8' clearance, horizontal is your only option. I can't count how many times I've bought some more wood because what I was neeeding was at the bottom of a 200 BF stack :BangHead::BangHead:


Dave

 

[Douglas Robinson]

I prefer verical too. Easier access, less floor space taken up.

Doug

 

[Splinter]

I vote for vertical also....eventhough I don't have the ceiling height to do that YET:eusa_danc. As DaveO said horizontal is a pain when the board you need is on the bottom.

 

[redhawknc1]

Does the wood have to be completely dry before storing vertical. I have several hundred bd ft in the less than 12% range stickered. Is there any way to store some of this vertical and it still dry without too much movement? If not, what range would it have to be in to store vertical?

 

[Travis Porter]

Unlike DaveO, I have not gone out to buy more wood just because it is at the bottom of the stack. I forget that I have it and don't know it is at the bottom of the stack and then buy more wood. Then I go digging for something else and find it.I have also been known to do this with tools, hardware, and fasteners.:embaresse

Vertical is nice and easier to get through, but ceilings are never tall enough (unless you have 20 ft ceilings).

Wayne, if you leave some space between them I would think the wood would be ok if it is 4/4.

 

[rickc]

If the wood is not totally dry, is there any risk of it bowing?

I have about 100 bd feet of walnut, with some white oak mixed in. This weekend I spent about 20 minutes just moving stuff around to get to it!

 

[DaveO]

Does the wood have to be completely dry before storing vertical. I have several hundred bd ft in the less than 12% range stickered. Is there any way to store some of this vertical and it still dry without too much movement? If not, what range would it have to be in to store vertical?

I would think (not a professional opinion by any chance) that once you are dried to an air dried level (12%) that you would be OK. Unless your shop is very dry, the rest of the drying will be just acclimating to the shop environment and shouldn't cause radical movement.
Most of your warpage, shinkage, cupping and bowing is going to occur in drying from green to around 20%.
Wood movement, expansion and contraction, is going to occur forever as long as the wood is exposed to changing humidity levels. Drying degradation (warping, cupping, bowing, twisting) will only occur as the wood looses moisture rapidly going from green to a EMC with it's environment.

Dave

 

[JimmyC]

I store vertically because I can (12' ceilings), I also have a horizontal rack for shorter (6' and under boards). Store vertically if you have headroom. I haven't had any problems with wood that has been air dryed to under 20%.

 

[Alan in Little Washington]

Vertical if you have the headroom. Simple, inexpensive rack. Easier to examine both sides of all boards in the stack and select the one you want. It is in one of the Forest Service books, but believe DaveO is correct once below 20% it shouldn't warp.

I didn't like this:

So switched to this:

 

[TracyP]

This is a very interesting thread to me as I am extremely limited in storage space. I have contemplated building a vertical storage room off of my little shop. This would provide more storage and an easier access to my stock, I could actually find something with vertical storage.:help:

 

[Rod]

This is a very interesting thread to me as I am extremely limited in storage space. I have contemplated building a vertical storage room off of my little shop. This would provide more storage and an easier access to my stock, I could actually find something with vertical storage.:help:

Make sure to leave room for the coffee pot!

 

[JimmyC]

If you are limited for space, Doug Robinson made a great rack, using some angle iron, that sits in the dead area above his garage door. Overall, Doug had one of the neatest shops in the crawls that I have done because of vertical use of space, and Doug does not have a big shop (probably 12' x 22' ?)

 

[rickc]

Vertical if you have the headroom. Simple, inexpensive rack. Easier to examine both sides of all boards in the stack and select the one you want. It is in one of the Forest Service books, but believe DaveO is correct once below 20% it shouldn't warp.

That is good news. I can reclaim some much needed floor space... this weekend!

 

[jeff...]

space saver. a 4/4 x 12 x 8' is 8 board feet. no matter how you store it [laying down standing up throwing it out the window....ect] its still 8 BF BUT standing it up it only occupies 12 SQ inches of floor space. :gar-La;

Fred does make a good point, doesn't he?

 

[ptt49er]

I'm really liking the idea of vertical storage!

But one question, which comes first, the storage space for the lumber or the lumber that needs to be stored?

 

[CarvedTones]

Ah, but if you have an overhead rack, it takes zero square feet of floor space. In my very small shop area, wall space is as precious as floor space. I have a small overhead rack attached to a beam. There is a picture of it in this thread:

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/f81/zero-foot-print-workbench-scaffold-14444/