Do You sticker your kiln dried lumber?

[George Bokros]

Do you sticker your kiln dried lumber when you bring it home from the saw mill?

I do but an wondering if it is necessary?

Thanks

[Bradley Gray]

George, your post is a little confusing - in my mind sawmill lumber is green lumber

[Matt Day]

I think it's pretty clear he's asking about kiln dried lumber.

I don't sticker it, but maybe I should? I'll be interested to hear what others have to say.

[George Bokros]

George, your post is a little confusing - in my mind sawmill lumber is green lumber

What do you call the place that cuts the lumber and kiln dries it? Baird Bros Sawmill in Canfield Ohio sells S4S lumber, moldings, plywood and still calls itself a sawmill. Yoder Lumber cuts logs, kiln dries it and calls itself a lumber place. To make it more confusing Yoder has started selling S4S lumber, moldings, and custom mill work but was primarily a sawmill selling kiln dried and green lumber until a few months ago.

Terms can be confusing. As a hobbiest woodworker I would have no use for green lumber.

[Max Neu]

I only sticker wood I am air drying,if it's kiln dried,I don't bother with stickers.

[Alan Lilly]

I only sticker the bottom board from the floor in my basement. My basement is very dry (no dampness at all).. the floor is still bare concrete and could still impart more moisture to the bottom of the board. My boards are very much the same as the day I bought them from my sawmill guy, so this works for me.

[Jeff Duncan]

Nope, no reason to sticker dried lumber.

JeffD

[Danny Hamsley]

No, don't sticker kiln dried lumber. Flat stack it tight and tidy. This prevents moisture absorption from the air unless your stacking environment is climate controlled. If it is climate controlled, stickering the boards adds no value. If your storage area is not climate controlled, and if you sticker, your "kiln dried" lumber will become "air dried" lumber as it will pick up moisture from the air.

[Anthony Whitesell]

I sticker lumber when I bring it home, but I use 1/2" square dry pine stickers. I ran into two issues in the past. The first was mildew/mold forming on the boards. The second was severe checking. I (and we, here at SMC) attributed the problem to high surface moisture picked up while waiting in the stacks at the yard after being kiln dried. To ensure the extra moisture is not trapped and to allow the lumber to acclimatize in the shop I sticker it with the pine stickers. It stays stickered until I use some or any of the lumber, or otherwise mess with the stack.

[Clay Fails]

Why wouldn't you sticker the wood? Even if kiln dried to whatever moisture content it was at the mill, the atmosphere in your shop is almost certainly at a different MC. The wood will gain or lose moisture upon entry to its new environment. Wouldn't you want it to take on the moisture equally from both faces? What am I missing here?

[Max Neu]

Why wouldn't you sticker the wood? Even if kiln dried to whatever moisture content it was at the mill, the atmosphere in your shop is almost certainly at a different MC. The wood will gain or lose moisture upon entry to its new environment. Wouldn't you want it to take on the moisture equally from both faces? What am I missing here?
I don't think it will make any difference whether you sticker kiln dried lumber,because it's already thouroughly dry,unlike green/air dried lumber that needs sufficient air flow to dry.

[Andrew Hughes]

I don't sticker lumber I bring home for my wood monger.Its too much work for little insurance.But i do sticker parts after I start working with them.Esp parts for table tops,Drawer sides,Door parts that I need to behave I might joint and plane twice before I use.

[Bill Orbine]

A "weak" yes to sticker kiln dried lumber. Lumber is brought in for a new project and is cut oversized 1/4" width and thickness. Stickered and allowed to acclimated in shop for at least a few days before machined to actual dimensions.

[Allan Speers]

I dunno about kiln-dried.

However, a while back I stacked some Cherry that had been air-dried for over a year. I didn't sticker it, and it overhang the end-supports by maybe 3' on each side. To my surprise & regret, it curved downward a little (maybe 1" total) over the next few years, without my noticing until it was too late.

[Brian Tymchak]

To ensure the extra moisture is not trapped and to allow the lumber to acclimatize in the shop I sticker it with the pine stickers. It stays stickered until I use some or any of the lumber, or otherwise mess with the stack.

+1. Me too. I will sticker the stack to acclimatize. But since I'm at best lately just an occasional hobbyist, it may be on stickers for a long time. I have a stack of wide cherry that has been sitting on stickers for 3+ years... But it's time is coming..

[Randy Red Bemont]

I don't sticker my kiln dried lumber but I let it sit in the workshop on my lumber rack for a week or two before I use it. This way it gets acclimated to my shop conditions before I do any cutting. My shop is also heated/ac during the year so it is like house conditions at all times.

Red

[Yonak Hawkins]

Here's a follow-up question : Do you acclimate your lumber to your shop conditions or the conditions of the space where it will eventually reside ?

[George Bokros]

I do let the material acclimate for several weeks. I just brought home some wood to wide for the jointer so I plan to rip it then let acclimate.

[John TenEyck]

Wood needs to be at EMC with your shop when you work it to prevent unwanted cup, bow, etc., so I sticker any wood I buy. I design for the space where it will eventually reside.

John

[Mike Hollingsworth]

If I had to sticker my lumber stash, I'd have to find more storage space.