Spacers for timber stacking

[Tristan Croll]

Probably a solution to a non-existent problem, but...
I was stacking up a large pile of newly cut timber to dry today (thanks again for the help, Peter) and I found what seemed to be perfect for the job. They're those black plastic stands used to hold up the reinforcing mesh while pouring cement. They're light, strong, and best of all, cheap. The surface area actually in contact with the wood is very small, so drying should be even. The only problem is that they're about 10cm tall, which is a bit more than the spacing needs to be.
Just thought I'd post it... I'm just hoping that nobody gives me a reason why they're no good, and I'll have to pull the whole pile apart again. http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/eek.gif

Tristan Croll

[Iain]

The black plastic attacts white ants http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/tongue.gif

[John Saxton]

G,day Tristan,I hope that I'm not putting a spoke in your wheel here so to speak and I'm sure someone will correct me if I am wrong....but I was under the impression that when putting timber in stick, the spacing stick traversed the width of the board and at varying intervals along the board to distribute the weight evenly.
I would imagine that failure to do this could perhaps give you problems ...i.e. as in cupping or uneven shrinkage due to the stress's involved.
I wonder if using your spacers that you are currently employing may be detrimental in their usage.
But hey, check with a sawmill perhaps out of the phone book to ensure what you're doing is OK.
Cheers http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/smile.gif

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Johnno

[Roger Peine]

Your about spot on there johnno

[Tristan Croll]

I guess I should have mentioned that only the thicker slabs are supported on the plastic thingies, and I've done my best to line them up one above the other. All the thinner (and hence more prone to warping) slabs are supported by 1-1/2" square long spacers.

[RETIRED]

Gooday.

Thought this article may answer a lot of questions.
http://online.anu.edu.au/Forestry/wood/drying/air.drying.html

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Ian () Robertson
"We do good turns every day"

[RETIRED]

and another one. http://bh.kyungpook.ac.kr/~sjpark/st3-2-1.htm


Would suggest that you have to pull it apart and it again Tristan. Bummer http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/biggrin.gif

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Ian () Robertson
"We do good turns every day"

[Tristan Croll]

Thanks for the links . I had a look at them, and I think I may be safe, because:

1. Most of the slabs are hardwood and greater than 50mm thick, which the second site states are generally safe from warping.

2. The minimum spacing distance for stickers is generally quoted as at least 600mm. The spacing I used is quite a bit closer than this.

3. I made sure that the spacers were as close as possible to being in vertical alignment, so there should not be too much distortion due to bad weight distribution.

4. I took special care to make sure the thickest slabs were at the bottom, and thinnest at the top, so that the most likely to distort carried the least weight.

5. The thinnest slabs are supported by stickers, so that there is even support right across the grain.

6. While the spacing between layers is higher than normal, which could normally lead to surface checking, the stack is in a relatively sheltered position, so that moisture loss should not be too fast.

That's about all I have to say. If you still feel that it's inadequate, then I guess I'll have to gracefully admit defeat, bite the bullet and http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/frown.gif restack the timber.

[knuckles]

Tristan, Tristan, Tristan...... my young, impetuous, friend. Listen carefully to what Uncle Knuckles is gonna tell yous.

If yez is gonna seek advice and wizdom from others, yous should make sure that yous is prepared to take the advice they offer. http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/mad.gif

Yous should not be looking for excuses to as to why your mistakes aren't really mistakes. Listen to the wise guys, you will find they really do know about that which they talk.

A friendly word of advice from a 2 fingered wiseguy. Had I listened to the advice of others den I would have more dan the two fingers I am left wif.

Knuckles

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Don't mess with me! I know where yez live and I might just pay yez a visit. Capish?

[RETIRED]

Gooday.

Tristan, I think you missed the point in both articles.

"THE BOTTOM LAYER MUST BE FIRMLY SUPPORTED BY BEARERS

If you support the thicker slabs on their corners or their edges with "point contact" such as reo stand offs, it will twist and buckle and the whole stack will have to be restacked any way because it will be on the ground.

If a quicker, simpler method could be used, then saw mills and timber yards would have used it eons ago.

Do it right, do it once.

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Ian () Robertson
"We do good turns every day"

[Tristan Croll]

Okee dokee then. Just wanted to make sure... I guess I'm going to have to bite the bullet and get busy. http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/frown.gif
Thanks for your advice. I'll make sure next time I get it right first time.

[Wild Dingo]

Im bringin this one to life again as tis a pretty important thing is stickin the wood stack! ...I know havin just stacked and stickered a falmin monster pile of Tuart in the front yard...

First Tristan a quick question... when you were milling the logs why didnt you cut your sticks from the log? Our sawyer did this took him next to no time and ended up with exactly the same sized sticks both times he did it

2 points with doing it this way is...

1) there are no differencials in thickness between layers in the stack

2) the sticks are precisely the same material as the stack itself thus no chance of anything untoward happening due to different materials.

The other thing you havent mentioned is covering the timber?

Now this should give you nightmares as it has me! and if it hasnt Im jealous!! I started with a heep of that black builders plastic strung over the stacks like a tent affair... nope got told flat out lift that plastic up of the timber {IT WAS!} so hoisted it up into the air and slashed away the sides... nope told again not good enough get a better set up that black plastic will produce rot in the stacks through humidity... okay what next? so with rain threatening I race out and buy 2 of those stand alone pergolas and whack them over the stacks... that worked everyone likes it great I relax

Lets talk about the weather and how fickle it can be shall we?... I thought this covering pergala was a beauty and would stand up to most things our weather could throw at it pretty strong sorta thing I thought... well... We had a storm last night didnt we?... and now Im chargin around like a demented bungarra hunting up a proper steel carport to stick over these stacks!!

As was said do it right the first time then yer dont feel like a drongo when it goes leg up cause yer didnt do it right the first time!