Packing Hardwood for a Move

[Julie Moriarty]

As we get down to the nitty gritty of what we're taking with when we move, I realized I've got to figure out a way to pack up the remainder of the hardwood I have so it won't get damaged in the moving van. Any secrets out there?

Also, would you stock up if you're moving to a hardwood desert?

[Scott Brandstetter]

I used 6 inch stretch wrap that had its own handle to bundle some of the wood I moved. Depending on the size and weight I would put 3 or 4 boards together. I didn't have a huge amount though

[Jamie Buxton]

Is the wood roughsawn, or do you want to protect the surfaces? If rough, you could band it together with steel strapping bands in bundles small enough to be handled by whatever moving crew you have. If you have a lot of wood, you might want to band it, and band it to a pallet so you can handle it with a forklift.

Surely the wood scene in Florida can't be all that bad. Here in California the lumber yards have lots of domestic hardwoods -- all of which were shipped in from Appalachia. Those truck loads could just have easily gone to Florida.

[Al Weber]

In my move 5 years ago I didn't bundle anything except some short pieces that might be left or lost somehow. The movers simply put the hardwood on the deck and stacked on top. No damage to the wood or the other stuff. I think leaving them loose allows the mover to rearrange things to the best advantage.

[Randy Red Bemont]

I would talk to your movers and see what they say. I like the idea of loose boards that can be placed on the floor or elsewhere instead of bundles. Good luck with the move. It's always exciting.

Red

[Julie Moriarty]

For the larger pieces I was thinking of leaving them loose but then I wondered how much banging around they could get. I have some boards that cost me over $200 and I don't want to lose some of that in dings and dents. The smaller pieces I planned on securing them together with stretch wrap but the larger ones make that impractical. I was thinking of wrapping them in bubble wrap but then wondered if I was going too far.

As for stocking up before we move or hoping the new place has a decent hardwood store, I've done some Internet searches in the West Palm Beach area and found nothing. Next week we're going to check out the Gulf side. When we get there, I'll ask around.

[Pete Staehling]

Surely the wood scene in Florida can't be all that bad.

I hope you are right, but so far I have not found much here in or near Tallahassee. I did stock up at some Amish country mills in PA before I moved south and am glad that I did. I was kind of spoiled before the move because I had some wonderful sources within and hour or so drive in addition to a nice place 15 minutes from home. I hope that it is mostly a matter of finding some good sources near here. I don't mind lumber shopping being an all day road trip so that helps. I guess that worst case I can head north to visit family once or twice a year and haul home a batch each trip.

I build mostly mountain dulcimers so most of my lumber is shorter pieces for re-sawing. I packed the majority of it standing vertically in 4 gallon buckets and just laid the longer pieces flat under furniture where they were not going to take any abuse. I did have the advantage of being the one who loaded and unloaded the truck (with help from my wife and other family members), so I was able to handle it with more respect than movers might have.

[Julie Moriarty]

Pete, from what I've seen and heard, Florida isn't the place to go for hardwoods. Cypress is about the only wood I ever see mentioned. I do know in the WPB/ Ft. Lauderdale area there were some hardwood stores that stocked woods commonly found in boats. But trying to find anything like you had in the NE, I don't see happening.

[Robert LaPlaca]

Julie, for smaller lengths of rough lumber I banded them together with stretch wrap to make it easier for the movers to handle (been through this drill twice)..The longer, wider rough cut stuff just left it for the movers to handle, if it is a long haul move, the movers will more than likely store the stuff under the trailer, at least they had to for our first move.

I still buy most of my lumber from the same sources in Pennsylvania, find the freight cost difference between Pa to NC not that different than what I paid when I lived in the north east, YMMV..

[Bill Ryall]

I just did this. 1400 miles, Southern Maine to central Florida. I used 6" shrink wrap as strapping to fasten boards together. The "really good" stuff was then wrapped in a packing blanket. (I have a couple dozen of my own) "Lesser" boards were just shrink wrapped with sacrificial pieces as the outer layer. Ex: birdseye maple sandwiched between some #2 pine boards. The truly irreplaceable stuff- 12" wide 5/4 mahogany, 14" wide 5/4 x 8' heart pine, etc that were offcuts from when my 1890 Victorian was built were wrapped in shipping blankets and I transported that stuff myself.

[Brian Henderson]

I just called a friend who had moved recently and he says he didn't take a lot of wood with him (all solid wood, no sheet goods), but what he took, he bundled boards the same size together with stretch wrap in short stacks so it wasn't so heavy and let the moving guys decide how to pack it. For most of it, he says they put it at the very front of the truck across the front, stacked on top of each other, then they started loading boxes in front of it so nothing moved. I didn't ask but I assume they strapped it all down across the truck. He says it came through without any damage at all.