MDF "stickers"

[Fred Voorhees]

I have a need for a number of wood stacking "stickers". I have a bunch of them, but to be honest, they are just a box of random sized sticks that I have used here and there and I always have to search through them to find coordinating sizes for stacking properly. I was wondering, I have a bunch of scrap pieces of 3/4" MDF laying around the shop from various projects that is really beginning to take up precious room. Could MDF be used for stickers? I don't see why not, but I might be overlooking something very obvious. Thought that I would throw it out there. I was thinking that if I cut them 3/4" by 3/4" I could never set them wrong since all four sides would be equal. What does everyone think? Can the MDF be used? I don't think staining would be a problem.

[Howie French]

Fred, I am sorry I don't know the answer, but I am glad you asked this,I would like to know the answer myself.


Howie

[Ted Christiansen]

Fred,

I think you could use MDF for wood that is already fairly dry. Since MDF absorbs water easily, I'm not sure it would be a good idea to use it to sticker green (wet) lumber. I've never tried it, so I dont know if it has other issues.

I cut my own lumber and stack it in my basement. I make my stickers out of hardwood cutoffs (anything, just not oak), making them 1 foot long. They have worked fine.

Ted

[Jim Becker]

Fred, for in-shop use they will be fine as long as the lumber you're stacking isn't dripping wet. I actually have a whole pile of them made from 1/2" and 1/4" MDF scraps in my own shop.