Need Some Advice On Temporary Lumber Storage

[Alan Gan]

Hello All!

I picked up the workings for my 1st Woodworking project, Laundry room Built-in Cabinets.

Got 3 sheets of 3/4 White Birch Plywood and 3 boards of Hard Country Maple for the Faces.

I am very limited on space and need to get started on this as soon as I can, next few days. It is going to be dry here and not to hot for awhile.

You can see I just put the wood on some Saw Horses, clamped the corners and then covered it with a blanket.

Kinda lousy Pic's I was in a hurry...

Will the wood be okay, no warp age etc... Thanks!

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k66/photolinks/WoodWorking/Lumber/DSCN0338_zps6d46b137.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k66/photolinks/WoodWorking/Lumber/DSCN0337_zps8083ab23.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k66/photolinks/WoodWorking/Lumber/DSCN0336_zpsc657247c.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k66/photolinks/WoodWorking/Lumber/DSCN0339_zpsa7c91118.jpg

[Ty Williams]

Outside and dry isn't a big deal. However, the way you stacked it is a big problem. The maple boards you have laying on top of the plywood are exposed to air on one side and plywood on the other side. This means the maple has unequal drying potential to either side. This will cause one side of the board to become wetter/drier than the other, which will cause the board to change shape (bad). You always want to store boards with airflow to all sides, even just for overnight. If you have some other wood, try making sticks around 3/4" square (exact dimensions are not important) and laying those sticks across the plywood, then laying the maple on top of these sticks, which are called stickers. This allows air to get around the maple on all sides and reduces, but typically doesn't eliminate, problems with the wood changing shape as it changes moisture content.

[Alan Gan]

Outside and dry isn't a big deal.

Okay Thanks! I will put a few spacers (Stickers) between the boards right away. I should have known that as I have seen it before (Wood Stacked Like That), Thanks for the help,,,

[Andy Pratt]

+1 on the stickers idea, anytime i leaved a milled board with a flat against something and the other edge to the open air it is always slightly to greatly warped the next day. This applies even to lumber that has been sitting in my humidity controlled shop. Anytime I have to mill one day and do joinery the next I always make sure all four faces/edges of the boards are open to the air.

[Brian Tymchak]

I'm not certain this will be an issue but I wonder if in bright sun, those maple boards will leave "tan lines" on your birch ply.

[Jim Andrew]

When I was building homes, found that lumber left out in the sunshine just went nuts! It helped to keep it stacked neatly, rather than just in a pile, but still would degrade. Once we got the roof sheeted, tried to keep the lumber under the roof.