Storing Industrial Wood For Your Workshop - What's Best?

When it comes to storage, wood can be a little difficult to store and there are some steps that you need to take to keep it at its best. It is a natural product that reacts with the environment around it. As a woodworker, it is important to understand these reactions so that the wood you store for your woodworking projects is in the best condition possible.

Here are four things that you should consider when storing industrial wood, so that you can get the most out of it for your projects.

1. Keep it flat
Wood is best stored straight and flat, and in piles of several boards rather than as individual pieces. The reason for this is that it will react to the environment, so you need to keep the humidity, temperature and airflow at an equal level on all sides of the board. Leaning boards against a wall will expose the sides to different temperatures and humidity. There is a good chance that this will cause the wood to swell or shrink more on one side.

2. Keep it dry
Water and wood do not get on well. Before it can be used for a finished product, wood needs to be dry. This means that you need to make sure that you store it somewhere where it won’t get wet. Keep it directly off the floor as well, as this will protect it further. You shouldn’t store it outside if it is already dry, but if it is green lumber then this is okay.

3. Store it in your shop
Another way in which you can make sure that your wood is in the best condition possible is to store it in your shop. This will help it acclimatise to the temperatures and conditions in there to prevent it from moving when you make the first cuts. If you store it elsewhere then it can be a good idea to move it to your shop a few days before you first use it, which will mean it is good to go as soon as you want it. A basement can be an alternative place to store your wood, and whilst this isn’t the best solution if you are struggling for space then it can certainly work in the short term.

4. Keep it organised
Finally, organised wood makes it easier for you to find what you need when you need it. You should consider organising it by type of wood and also by thickness and length. If you make sure that you incorporate this level of organisation into your wood storage strategy, when you are ready to start on your project finding what you want will be really easy.

If you are buying top quality wood for your projects, then you want to ensure that you maintain this quality. These four tips should help you to make sure that that happens.