Storing wood standing on end

[petertay15]

I have 4/4 walnut boards, 16 inches wide, 12 feet long. They have been stickered and stored in an open shed for 8 years, so completely dry. Some are figured, some not, and sorting through the pile to find the right board is difficult. If I move them into the barn, stand them on end, leaning against the wall, will they stay flat, or will they eventually warp?

[Stwood_]

They should be straight up as far as possible

[jteneyck]

I have 4/4 walnut boards, 16 inches wide, 12 feet long.  They have been stickered and stored in an open shed for 8 years, so completely dry. Some are figured, some not, and sorting through the pile to find the right board is difficult.  If I move them into the barn, stand them on end, leaning against the wall, will they stay flat, or will they eventually warp?

As said, if you keep them as vertical as possible they will be fine.  I store my wood horizontally on edge, so that I can pull out any board of interest w/o issue.  



John

[WaterlooMarc]

That’s and interesting setup John. Ive never seen that before. Unfortunately I’ve also never had a shop with enough floor space to make they work.

[jteneyck]

That’s and interesting setup John. Ive never seen that before. Unfortunately I’ve also never had a shop with enough floor space to make they work.

Neither did I but these rolling carts helped a lot.  



Eventually though, I had to go in a new direction:



I keep most of my wood in this 14 x 18' shed.  I keep maybe 200 BF of lumber in my shop as well as sheet goods.  Now I have plenty of room to move around and assemble projects in my shop.  So much better.  

John

[Big Dave]

I use vertical storage for quite of the wood I keep in the shop, and I've never really had any trouble keeping them straight. I think the key is, as Steve mentioned, to keep them as vertical as possible. 

The taller ones shown here are a little over 10'...



Dave

[KC]

I have 4/4 walnut boards, 16 inches wide, 12 feet long.  They have been stickered and stored in an open shed for 8 years, so completely dry. Some are figured, some not, and sorting through the pile to find the right board is difficult.  If I move them into the barn, stand them on end, leaning against the wall, will they stay flat, or will they eventually warp?

Put up some horizontal furring so they can lean 'flat' up the wall.

[bargrove]

   

   

petertay15 pid='7791718' dateline='1572217504']I have 4/4 walnut boards, 16 inches wide, 12 feet long.  They have been stickered and stored in an open shed for 8 years, so completely dry. Some are figured, some not, and sorting through the pile to find the right board is difficult.  If I move them into the barn, stand them on end, leaning against the wall, will they stay flat, or will they eventually warp?

I store the bulk of my wood this way, along one wall of my shop that is 10.5 feet tall.  It is not clear from the photos, but there are horizontal black pipe separators bolted to the wall.  I I.D. the boards on their edges with a sharpie, indicating width and species.  I have never had a problem with warping.
johnbarfielddesign.com

[Handplanesandmore]

Almost all lumber stores here keep their boards on their ends because of space issue, except one or two that I know have shelves for their lumber. Gravity will be an issue for vertical storage, especially for the long narrow and thinner pieces , but in practice when we thickness plane the regular stock, the cup or bow will be taken care of. How often do we really have straight and flat rough boards to use without preparation? None for me.

I personally store stock horizontally but I am talking about a few hundred board feet at a time, and that is not a lot.

Simon

[WoodworkerTom]

You could always build a platform with an 8 ft back that it tipped back 5 degrees. Keep the base 90 degrees to the back and the boards wont warp.

I just lean mine against the wall almost perfectly vertical. If you do that have some type of restraint to keep them from falling on you or your car.