How to stop drying slabs from warping?!

[edrrt]

I just checked on one of my stacks of slabs and the slabs cut from a crotch are warping very badly. In fact the whole stack almost tipped over because of how badly those few cut from the crotch are warping.

Is this something unique to crotch pieces?

Somebody advised me to put heavy weights on top of the stack?

Should I make smaller stacks and put things like excavator buckets on top of them to keep them from warping?

Is it doing this because I have too many slabs of too many different shapes stacked up?

Should you try to only stack from One log?

 

[820wards]

I go down to Harbor Freight and buy six packs of ratchet straps. Depending how long your slabs are you may need more. Once the slabs are stickered and located for drying I’ll go check how tight the straps are every few days. Eventually you’ll see less and less shrinkage. The straps really reduces any warping. jerry-

 

[TRTermite]

Your stickers should be directly over the one under it. Most mills will place the end ones very close to the end then another 8" to 12 " from the end one, then evenly spaced. weight helps, put the best lumber to the center of the stack for checking and cracking. Keep the sun off if possible so the lumber doesn't dry to fast on the outer edges.Air movement does help a lot .. Good luck.

 

[TRTermite]

I go down to Harbor Freight and buy six packs of ratchet straps. Depending how long your slabs are you may need more. Once the slabs are stickered and located for drying I’ll go check how tight the straps are every few days. Eventually you’ll see less and less shrinkage. The straps really reduces any warping. jerry-

AND keep the straps Over a the stickers ..

 

[TRTermite]

When you have level ground (Concrete helps control bugs) the forklift will stack 2 or 3 or 4 bundles high. And the 4x4 blocking should be over a line of stickers and more than 2 blocks, how many depends on the length.

 

[Mad Professor]

I go down to Harbor Freight and buy six packs of ratchet straps. Depending how long your slabs are you may need more. Once the slabs are stickered and located for drying I’ll go check how tight the straps are every few days. Eventually you’ll see less and less shrinkage. The straps really reduces any warping. jerry-

When I worked at a mill we had banders. Sort of like ratchets but metal bands we'd cut to length, then a ratchet that would crank the packs down really tight.

OP is working with a hard problem. Glad I learned on milled wood that was properly, milled, edged and stacked. Stuff with crooks or bad grain is going to want to warp/twist/check....

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Your stack looks terrible, TRT nailed it!

Also, use stickers that are dry and close to 3/4" by 3/4" instead of any old junk you have around.

SR

 

[Mad Professor]

Your stack looks terrible, TRT nailed it!

Also, use stickers that are dry and close to 3/4" by 3/4" instead of any old junk you have around.

SR

You can use "junk" a stickers as long as they match and are placed properly. Not rot bugs or mismatched widths. I've run edgings through to take bark off and used those.

 

[BobL]

Amen to the comment on stickers etc.
Maybe it's Aussie timbers but I've had limited success with ratchet straps, cheap ones stretch and they as the timber shrinks the straps have to be tightened even every few days in warmer weather..
We have a great bander at the timber yard and it pulls significantly more pressure than any of our ratchet strap, but they too can eventually become loose. Hopefully ny teh time they loosen most of the extent of the twist has gone from the wood but that is not always the case.
Iv'e experimented with hardwood wedges driven under loosening bands to maintain pressure but again this has to be done on a regular basis.
Any weight on top of a stack provides more pressure than loose straps/bands.

In practice unless a heap of something like concrete pavers are used the amount of weight needed on stacks to minimise warpage etc is beyond the weight lifting capacity of most of us.
At a pro sawmill not far from where I cut stuff they place at least two but sometimes 3 or 4. 500/600lb concrete blocks onto their bigger stacks.and they still end up with some losses. Just storing all those concrete blocks is a serious business.

Now to answer your questions
1) Is this something unique to crotch pieces?
No but crotch pieces are usually under a lot of tension so there more likely to warp
2)Somebody advised me to put heavy weights on top of the stack?
See above
3) Should I make smaller stacks and put things like excavator buckets on top of them to keep them from warping?
Better than nothing
4) Should you try to only stack from One log?
You can stack shorter/narrower logs on top of longer/wider ones but make sure the stickers line up vertically right thru the stack.

 

[TRTermite]

Your stack looks terrible, TRT nailed it!

Also, use stickers that are dry and close to 3/4" by 3/4" instead of any old junk you have around.

SR

You can use "junk" a stickers as long as they match and are placed properly. Not rot bugs or mismatched widths. I've run edgings through to take bark off and used those.

Some around here tried to use used lathe from old houses the lime stains the lumber deeper than the planer wants to remove. My neighbor mill used dried white oak stickers cut from Odds and ends oak and he (The Help) ran them through the planer ( double surfacer 36: wide) to 3/4" then through the inline rip to 1" wide, rectangular so error on the inline didn't create thick and thin on the sticker. White Oak dried seldom leaves stains on the lumber around here.

 

[TRTermite]

If you use a Hoe bucket for weight, place some sacrificial lumber under it as Iron will stain many kinds of lumber. It is a good practice to put a layer of scrap(Sacrificial) lumber as a top layer to protect your "GOOT STUFF"

 

[unclemoustache]

Different woods are more prone to warping. So far I'm astounded by how awesome honeylocust is. Dried almost perfectly flat and is easy to work with. Another log I milled is going to be used for firewood - I forgot to mark what kind it was, but it's pretty badly warped now.

 

[windblown]

Watching with interest. I'm a noob when it comes to stacking/drying wood. All past projects have been just rough cut and used green. This year I milled up some red oak that I hope to use for some projects in the house. (Kitchen table, end tables, fireplace mantle, etc.

Here's my stash from this years efforts. It's in the garage for now but plan to move it into my dry basement and re-stack in the next month or so. I'm hoping I don't end up with a bunch of "dimensional firewood" as I've heard it called. Any tips or advice welcome.

 

[BobL]

Throw an oil proof cover and put the saws on top as well

 

[ru55wood5]

so i assume, you could make your own 3/4" stickers from straight stock lumber, if you aren't using junk wood?

 

[Sawyer Rob]

so i assume, you could make your own 3/4" stickers from straight stock lumber, if you aren't using junk wood?

That's what I do, mine end up 7/8" x 7/8",

SR

 

[ru55wood5]

that is good way to use up some of the offcuts from my kitchen remodel. boards that are too short to do anything else with, but that i hoard due to lumber prices.