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Stickering top wood
http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=42457		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  JSDenvir [ Sun Jan 12, 2014 6:00 pm ]
Post subject:  Stickering top wood
I've got a bunch of tops that are simply stacked and I wanted to sticker them to promote better drying. I've got a bunch of white oak I could use, but I'm concerned about tannins. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

As always, thanks in advance.

Steve
Author:  Clay S. [ Sun Jan 12, 2014 6:05 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Stickering top wood
Buy some 1/4 inch melamine and cut it into 1/4 wide strips. Pretty cheap.
Author:  Otterhound [ Sun Jan 12, 2014 6:09 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Stickering top wood
If this is spruce and it is properly quartered , my understanding is that it should dry very quickly . Take clothes hangers and simply hang them up with a fan simply moving air around them if they are green .
Soft woods do not have the warping and twisting issues that hard woods do . By stickering them , you could promote mold and staining .
This info came from John Arnold who has vastly more experience than I when it comes to drying spruce .
Author:  JSDenvir [ Sun Jan 12, 2014 8:33 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Stickering top wood
Sorry, I explained poorly. This is reasonably dry spruce, and I'm looking at long term storage.

Steve
Author:  cphanna [ Sun Jan 12, 2014 9:24 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Stickering top wood
IF it were mine, I'd do what Filippo said. When I was sure it wasn't losing any more weight (moisture), I'd move the whole lot to a high shelf in the shop somewhere. I'd go so far as to sticker on a top layer of plywood or whatever, and keep a weight on top of that (couple of bricks....whatever). Even then, I would check it periodically and re-stack it, with the stickers in slightly different places. Just what I would do.
Author:  the Padma [ Mon Jan 13, 2014 9:01 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Stickering top wood
Spruce will air dry at 1 inch per year...so you got flat tops at approx 1/4 inch thick then
if racked properly, it will be dry in 3 months ...usually less.
At that point you can stack it all up like a pile of paper or on edge like a book shelf...no matter cuz its dry. Me prefer flat,with some weight although it really ain't needed.
Once dry, racking it up and moving air around it don't do nuffin for the wood.
Author:  Shane Neifer [ Mon Jan 13, 2014 10:13 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Stickering top wood
Steve,

Once I dry the top sets, about 10 days with fans on them, I just stack them up. No stickers, no weight just stack them. When you are getting ready to build just pull a set and leave it in the shop for a week or two and it will quickly acclimate. If you prefer to sticker them then just saw up some spruce from the lumber yard into 1/4 x 5/8 strips, that is the safest.

Shane
Author:  MetalOne72 [ Mon Jan 13, 2014 10:22 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Stickering top wood
Would 1/4" plywood stickers be a bad choice?
Author:  Jim Kirby [ Tue Jan 14, 2014 8:45 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Stickering top wood
MetalOne72 wrote:
Would 1/4" plywood stickers be a bad choice?


That's what I use, I just saw up my plywood scraps as needed.
Author:  SteveSmith [ Tue Jan 14, 2014 9:06 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Stickering top wood
I kept my tops stickered for about 5 years but it was a pain and took up a lot of space. About 4 years ago I rearranged my shop and just stacked em up. I can't see any difference as long as the wood is dry.
Author:  nyazzip [ Wed Jan 15, 2014 1:17 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Stickering top wood
Filippo that top shelf with the mother lode of mahogany looks maxed out; better keep an eye that one :)
Author:  John Arnold [ Wed Jan 15, 2014 5:02 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Stickering top wood
My sticks are 1/4" square white fir, cut from 2 X 4's. Once the wood is dry, there is no concern about sticker staining. Equalization of thin spruce taskes much less than three months, and for that reason (and to save space), I do not sticker guitar tops for longer periods. Another reason not to sticker for a long tims is that light infiltration will darken the edges, and with sticks, it may travel in from the edge far enough that it cannot be trimmed off.
Author:  MetalOne72 [ Wed Jan 15, 2014 12:16 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Stickering top wood
John Arnold wrote:
My sticks are 1/4" square white fir, cut from 2 X 4's. Once the wood is dry, there is no concern about sticker staining. Equalization of thin spruce taskes much less than three months, and for that reason (and to save space), I do not sticker guitar tops for longer periods. Another reason not to sticker for a long tims is that light infiltration will darken the edges, and with sticks, it may travel in from the edge far enough that it cannot be trimmed off.



So would the same be true for back and side sets?
Author:  Michael Lloyd [ Wed Jan 15, 2014 12:25 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Stickering top wood
SteveSmith wrote:
I kept my tops stickered for about 5 years but it was a pain and took up a lot of space. About 4 years ago I rearranged my shop and just stacked em up. I can't see any difference as long as the wood is dry.

I came to the same conclusion 2 years ago. I keep the bundles bound until needed. Then lay them stacked un-stickered.
Author:  Colin North [ Wed Jan 15, 2014 12:29 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Stickering top wood
Good news, I can take out my stickers -
That means I have space for at least twice as many tops now. bliss
Good news for me, not so good for my other half.... [headinwall]
Author:  John Arnold [ Wed Jan 15, 2014 2:19 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Stickering top wood
Quote:
So would the same be true for back and side sets?

Denser woods do take longer, but it is highly variable. The best way to determine whether thin wood is in equilibrium with the air is to lay it flat, exposing the top side. If it curls concave up, it is losing moisture to the air. If it stays flat, it is in equilibrium. If it bows convex up, it is gaining moisture from the air. If you flip the wood over until it stops bowing, you have gained equilibrium.
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