Storing lumber?

[GinnytooU]

I ran across a place were I can buy basswood by the board foot. Cheap. Real nice stuff. So how do you store it? Laying flat on the floor are standing up next to a wall. Each piece is only 4 1/2 feet long. Thanks for your help. GinnytooU

[Robson Valley]

Outdoors, under cover, flat with skinny sticks between the boards. Maybe a piece of tarp or plastic tossed over the stash to repel the bird ka-ka.

[Sharon of the Dell]

Hi Ginny! I've been storing my boards-walnut, oak, cherry, no basswood, on the back porch/laundry room. I have some of those big chrome shelves, like what you can get at Costco. I put a single layer of boards then stickers-skinny sticks running the opposite way and went up with them.
It stays pretty cool and dark in there and they have done really well the last year.
All the ones that I leaned up against the wall warped a little. Still usable though.

[GinnytooU]

Thanks Sharon. If I understand you right I think you are saying you run a couple of small thin stripes sideways under each board. So air can circulate.Is that right? Would that be the best way? Indoors. Thanks for the info. Ginny

[Robson Valley]

Yes. The skinny sticks are called "stickers" to make airflow between one layer of boards and the next. Without them, you're just asking for mold. Plus the weight of the pile helps the boards to dry down to their end moisture content without much warping,
Live wood can be 35% moisture content or even more.
Outdoors, under shelter, most woods dry down to a MC of 12-14%
Indoors, like where I live, the MC in midwinter can be as low as 4%.
I can add a gallon of water per day to this house and even the windows don't begin to fog up.

What I do notice in the excess cedar that I stash in the basement workshop corner is that the wood is VERY dry, splinters far more easily and has really toughened up when it comes to carving. I know that sounds really subjective but the cedar from the pile outside on top of the dog houses really does carve more easily.

[Sharon of the Dell]

Originally Posted by GinnytooU

Thanks Sharon. If I understand you right I think you are saying you run a couple of small thin stripes sideways under each board. So air can circulate.Is that right? Would that be the best way? Indoors. Thanks for the info. Ginny

Hi Ginny, Yes on the small sticks between the boards!
Inside worked for me. My laundry room is pretty drafty, so the temperature stays on the cool side. Now I have them in a shed.
Outside would probably work, but you would want them well off the ground and covered like Robson Valley said.
The only thing about covering with a tarp or plastic is moisture will still get to the wood, as in condensation. Then if there are termites or wood ants, they will ruin wood pretty quick. If you have small critters around like rats, mice, squirrels,chipmunks, they like to make nests in places like that and will bring in their own bedding material which harbors moisture and bugs.
All this from personal experience!
So I think inside is best!