# Stickers



## djg (Jan 9, 2020)

I did a search for 'Stickers' in title only and found a good one:
https://woodbarter.com/threads/sticker-questions.6506/
The advice was diverse and some of the responders aren't around any more.

So what I have is a little over 100 BF of Cherry to AD. In the past, I had access to pallets and I would make stickers out of them. But in the cited thread above, some have reservations about using Oak. I would think hardwoods would be better than softwoods because of porosity. 
My stack is going to be under 24" wide so I was going to mill the sticker out of White Pine, but being a softwood, I worry about staining. And I do have some 5' Walnut stickers, that I was saving for any Walnut I ran across, but I hate to cut them in half.

Will pine work, and if not, what would be better (not ERC)?

Thanks


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## Nature Man (Jan 9, 2020)

I've heard that the best stickers are made of the same wood you are stacking, which makes perfect logical sense, although I have not verified. I personally am just not that picky as it is rough cut lumber and will be planed, etc. Chuck


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## djg (Jan 9, 2020)

Agreed, but the logs just weren't big enough without wasting lumber.


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## woodtickgreg (Jan 9, 2020)

I use whatever I have on hand as long as they are dry. I've used pine, maple, ash, even plywood. I generally avoid oak only because of the tannic acid in it, unless I'm stickering oak.

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 1


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## FranklinWorkshops (Jan 9, 2020)

I've air dried thousands of boards over the last 30 years and I use dry poplar for stickers. Rick Hearne uses a spiral cut sticker that reduces the surface contact area and allows rain to drain away easier. Since I dry lumber under a large shed, rain is not an issue for me.

Reactions: Like 3 | Informative 2


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## woodtickgreg (Jan 9, 2020)

FranklinWorkshops said:


> I've air dried thousands of boards over the last 30 years and I use dry poplar for stickers.
> 
> View attachment 176996


Poplar is about the most neutral sticker there is, lol. If I could choose that is what I would use. But I seem to always just use what I have on hand

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## rob3232 (Jan 9, 2020)

Three things to consider.

1. Make sure sticks are dry. (at least air dried)

2. Make sure they are at least 3/4" thick and are properly aligned.

3. Keep stack dry. Either inside or atleast have a roof on it with extra overhang.

As far as species of sticker material I don't think it will matter if all is kept dry. If you want to keep the sapwood white then some fan(s) on the stack for the first week or so??
Cherry is pretty forgiving as far as air drying if kept dry. Sealing end grain helps but with minimal exposure to elements or direct sunlight you should be alright.

OK, Maybe more than three things to consider

Reactions: Like 1


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## djg (Jan 9, 2020)

rob3232 said:


> Three things to consider.
> 
> 1. Make sure sticks are dry. (at least air dried)
> 
> ...



Since I don't have poplar on hand, I was going to mill 1" square stickers out of scrap pine 2x4s that I have on hand. I was going to throw a sheet of sheet metal over it since the stack will be small, but the pile may get a little wet. The logs were sawn on Tuesday and the boards were trimmed and sealed with wax on Wednesday. Under a tarp right now with the bad weather on the way.


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## rob3232 (Jan 9, 2020)

Tarp on top is fine. Leave sides open after storm if possible. Unless it’s corrugated sheeting I would stay away from a steel roof. It’s hard to say without seeing what your set up is but I think you will be fine. Wood naturally acclimates to your climate. You just need some patience.

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 1


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## djg (Jan 9, 2020)

The question now is, is pine ok even though it may get a little wet? What about Soft Maple? Plenty of SM on burn pile. I could mill stickers with chain saw and band saw (a lot of work) if pine won't work.


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## woodtickgreg (Jan 9, 2020)

The pine will be fine, lol. I've used it.

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 1


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## rob3232 (Jan 9, 2020)

Try not to over think this. It will work out fine!

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 3


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## FranklinWorkshops (Jan 9, 2020)

Cherry is very forgiving. Pine will be fine.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## phinds (Jan 10, 2020)

FranklinWorkshops said:


> ... Rick Hearne uses a spiral cut sticker ...
> View attachment 176996


Although they are, obviously spiral cut, the formal name for these is fluted stickers, not spiral stickers, in case anyone wants to look them up to buy in bulk.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## Maverick (Jan 10, 2020)

Plagiarized from WoodCraft.....An alternate solution is to use ¾" SCH40 electrical conduit, about $2 for a 10' section at a local home supply store. It can easily be cut into required lengths. Its advantages are: small contact area with the stacked lumber; very rigid; bugs and mold don’t find it tasty; sliding boards onto the conduit is very easy because they tend to act as rollers and are much easier than other types of stickers.

However, if the wood is going to be stacked on anything but level ground or the whole stack is going to be moved with a forklift, the roundness of the conduit will result in a pile of lumber that rolls onto the ground (usually into the only mud puddle within 100 yards).

To solve this problem, purchase 1½" conduit and cut it down the middle, making two stickers shaped like half circles. Make a jig using a scrap piece of 4" x 4" x 10". Bore a 1½" hole through the center of the 4" x 4" (unless you have a long bit, you’ll probably have to drill from each end). Raise the blade on your table saw to about 3" and cut a slot down the middle, bisecting the center of the bored hole. Next, attach the jig to the fence of the saw over the blade (make sure you cover the exposed blade completely). To use the jig, simply turn on the saw and feed the conduit through the hole bored in the jig. This will give you two stickers for the price of one.

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Creative 1


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## Mr. Peet (Jan 10, 2020)

djg said:


> The question now is, is pine ok even though it may get a little wet? What about Soft Maple? Plenty of SM on burn pile. I could mill stickers with chain saw and band saw (a lot of work) if pine won't work.



Rob has covered a good bit, as have others. Neutral stickers are good, poplar, aspen, cottonwood, willow basswood are all great. *Dry* stickers is a must. Maple are fine, just heavier. Oaks can run risks as mentioned (tannic acids and condensation). If using metal roofing, assure it is angled to allow good run off of rain and water. Have it long enough to avoid splash and drip from spraying onto the stacked wood. Have it high enough to minimize condensation. I often use 4" x 4" stickers on the top row of lumber, if using metal roofing sheets.

*EDIT:* Forgot to say and it is important, the soft pines are good for stickers as long as they are knot free. Hard pines, not as good, as they often have more turpines in the wood and higher resin pocket possibilities.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Mr. Peet (Jan 10, 2020)

phinds said:


> Although they are, obviously spiral cut, the formal name for these is fluted stickers, not spiral stickers, in case anyone wants to look them up to buy in bulk.



Guys at the mills tell me that traditional stickers can't carry a tune compared to those fluted ones....

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 6


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## djg (Jan 28, 2020)

Sorry to bring this subject up again. And I don't mean to over think this either. I've always used 1" wide (by 1" tall) stickers. But when cutting the pine stickers, some are getting a little weak because of the knots.

No problem leaving the 1-1/2" wide is there? The extra 1/2" won't hold that much more moisture?

Some of you used wide stickers?


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## Mr. Peet (Jan 28, 2020)

djg said:


> Sorry to bring this subject up again. And I don't mean to over think this either. I've always used 1" wide (by 1" tall) stickers. But when cutting the pine stickers, some are getting a little weak because of the knots.
> 
> No problem leaving the 1-1/2" wide is there? The extra 1/2" won't hold that much more moisture?
> 
> Some of you used wide stickers?



Dan, knot free wood is typically used for stickers to limit sticker distortion and to limit bleeding as many knots can ooze, staining the drying wood.

Reactions: Like 1


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## sprucegum (Jan 28, 2020)

I agree with most of what others have said.
Cherry is easy to dry
dry stickers are best
I always try to put my poorest boards on top, make sure to leave the ends and sides open and make sure your cover is raised up off the stack and sloped. I often use progressively thicker stickers to support my cover and get a good slope. Maybe start with a 1" then a 2", 4", 6"

Reactions: Agree 1 | Informative 1


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## djg (Jan 28, 2020)

Not many knots in my stickers so far. I was more interested in the width used. I'm anal and have always used 1" wide stickers but now wonder if I could leave them 1-1/2" wide without any problems.

Sprucegum, as far as the stack, it's going to be small. Approximately 40 boards. At two board wide stack that will put the stack at only 40" or so. I will have 2x4s (stickers) on top to support a layer of 4x6s for weight and the tin roof (or tarp) will be on top of that.

Reactions: Like 1


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## sprucegum (Jan 28, 2020)

djg said:


> Not many knots in my stickers so far. I was more interested in the width used. I'm anal and have always used 1" wide stickers but now wonder if I could leave them 1-1/2" wide without any problems.
> 
> Sprucegum, as far as the stack, it's going to be small. Approximately 40 boards. At two board wide stack that will put the stack at only 40" or so. I will have 2x4s (stickers) on top to support a layer of 4x6s for weight and the tin roof (or tarp) will be on top of that.



I doubt wide stickers will cause any serious problems. If you are worried about it take the pile apart after it is partly dried and restack it with the stickers in a different location won't be a big job with a small stack. I have done this with white pine, it likes to sticker stain and moving the stickers after a little drying time really helps.

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 1


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## rob3232 (Jan 28, 2020)

Dan, 
Sounds like you have this down! How about a picture of your setup. Not necessary but maybe others will share some tips? 
Rob


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## djg (Jan 28, 2020)

I have probably stickered hundreds maybe a thousand BF of lumber when I worked at the mill. So I do know a little about the process even though it may not sound like from this thread. There, stickers were cut from anything and not always ended up the same thickness. They were recycled over and over until they became doughty. Now I'm dealing with my own lumber and I want it done right, if there is a right way to do it. I'm sure others have photos of more impressive stacks than my little pile, but if you're really interested, I could take a few photos.


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## Mr. Peet (Jan 28, 2020)

djg said:


> Sorry to bring this subject up again. And I don't mean to over think this either. I've always used 1" wide (by 1" tall) stickers. But when cutting the pine stickers, some are getting a little weak because of the knots.
> 
> No problem leaving the 1-1/2" wide is there? The extra 1/2" won't hold that much more moisture?
> 
> Some of you used wide stickers?



I noticed when using 3/4" by 3/4" stickers that I more often rolled them when stacking by myself. At the local mills, low grade got 3/4" by 1 & 1/4" stickers, high grade got fluted or breeze style. On the farm we always used 3/4" by 1 & 1/2", just a bit wider but stronger and obvious to a kid which side went down. Plus being a bit wider, a lot less likely to roll when stacking by one's self.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## rob3232 (Jan 28, 2020)

djg said:


> if there is a right way to do it. I'm sure others have photos of more impressive stacks than my little pile, but if you're really interested, I could take a few photos.



I thought you were asking for advice? I have seen many piles of perfectly stickered lumber.

Sooo lets see your pile...


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## rob3232 (Jan 29, 2020)

@djg Here are a couple of pictures of what I currently have on sticks. Not perfect but it works. This pile is mostly walnut and didn’t have enough air flaw to keep the sapwood white so it stained to a purple color. I have added cherry and ash to the stack and organize when doing so. 



 



 




Just trying to help. 
Rob

Reactions: Like 1 | Thank You! 1


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