Storing 4 x 8 plywood

[Chris Yarish]

What's the jury say on the storage of 4 x 8 sheets of plywood?
I'm reorganizing my shop and I want to know whether or not to store it laying flat, or upright on it's side.

I know there are pro's and cons for both, but my main concern is long term storage of pieces with minimal to no warping. I would prefer to have them laying on the edge due to ease of access, but I'm worried this may lead to sheet warpage.

[Paul Canaris]

If I had the space I would store horizontally, held off the floor 12 inches to allow circulation and weighted down on top.
But I never have had the room, so it has always been vertical.:(

[Chris Yarish]

I have tons of space, so that's not really an issue.

[Todd Burch]

This is how I store my 4X8 sheet goods. I leave them at my supplier until I am ready for them. When I'm ready, I call them and they deliver (or I go get them if I want to pick through the stack). They store them flat in a somewhat controlled environment and they take no space up in my shop. They always help me load and unload too. Gotta love it!

[Jesse Cloud]

I agree with Todd. Long term storage of sheet goods is asking for trouble, plus its tying up $$ that you could buy tools with ;) .

[Jim Becker]

If you have the space, then flat is always going to be best, IMHO. Off the floor, however.

[Chris Yarish]

I teach junior high shop and am not afforded the luxury of buying sheet material on an as needed basis. I am able to order my materials 2-3 times per year and have, on occasion, over-ordered (or under-used, depends on your perspective).

I just ran into an issue last year where the vertically stored sheets that I had left over acquired some wicked curvage over the summer.
I am again faced with having 3 sheets of 3/4" ply left over that I hope will remain flat until September.

[glenn bradley]

If you're storing at the shop and need to go vertical, use a piece of full length scrap to raise the edges off the floor and stack the 'extra' material tight against the wall. Use 2x4's to secure them 3 or 4 places along their length, flat against the wall. If you can get away with stickers between, that would be much better. If the volume of material is such that this configuration starts to eat up floor space, just go horizontal with weight or clamps to keep things flat.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

If you must store the stuff and have oodles of room laying it flat, stickering it, and weighting it is likely the best. Absent space you can still sticker and compress it in a verticle rig, which you could make just for that purpose. Sounds like a lot of work either way compared to simply purchasing it as you need it.

[Rob Russell]

I teach junior high shop and am not afforded the luxury of buying sheet material on an as needed basis. I am able to order my materials 2-3 times per year and have, on occasion, over-ordered (or under-used, depends on your perspective).

I just ran into an issue last year where the vertically stored sheets that I had left over acquired some wicked curvage over the summer.
I am again faced with having 3 sheets of 3/4" ply left over that I hope will remain flat until September.

Chris,

What is the largest amount of plywood you'd need to store at one time? Is all the plywood the same size/material, or do you need the ability to store and get at different types (1/2" vs. 3/4", MDF vs. ply, etc.)?

Rob

[Matt Meiser]

I store mine vertically. I basically have a giant vertical box and slide the sheets in on end. I push the bottoms tight against one wall and use a cutoff to hold the top the same.

[Julio Navarro]

When I tought shop we had a "second floor" loft. All the wood was stored flat.

[Chris Yarish]

Looks like both methods has its supporters.
I'll likely stick with laying it flat, since I am afforded the space.

[Jerry Olexa]

Flat is best and off the floor but in my shop, you'lll see it vertical due to space