What wood to use for slickers?

[Brian Hale]

Does it matter what i use for stacking wood? Pine? Plywood? What about sizes?

Thanks

Brian

[Donnie Raines]

I always use cut offs....be it matching the lumber I am stacking or not. I have never encountered any issues doing it this way. The two mills near me do the same.


Donnie Raines

[Jim Becker]

Stickers should be dry wood and it's best to avoid species that have a lot of tanins or sap/resin to avoid marking. The ideal situation is dry wood of the same species, but that's not always reasonable. Frankly, I use poplar since I have a ton of it. When I move stuff into the shop to "finish" it off, I'll often use plywood scraps, especially if I'm only doing thin stickers to allow for airflow without taking up too much space. Dry wood doesn't need to be stickered, although I tend to use 1/4" stickers anyway just to allow air in between material in storage.

The latest "technology" in stickers is using a man-made material similar to Trex, but they are way too expensive for casual users. For the pro, they might make sense in that they are virtually indestructable and reusable for a very long time.

[Tim Sproul]

size of stickers......drying green wood - 3/4 thick at least. stacking dry lumber - Jim's suggestion is fine. You might want a fan on the dried lumber if trying to acclimate it to the shop.

I use MCP cutoffs.....the plastic coating makes any issues with staining and such moot. Other thing about MCP is that I know all my stickers are uniform thickness......you want to be sure to use same thickness stickers in a single layer

[Todd Burch]

I've stacked a lot of wet wood. The wood for the stickers needs to be dry at the get-go. you can use 3/4" x 3/4", or larger. I prefer nominal 1X2's, as you can lay them out faster without having to guess what is 3/4" and what is over or under sized. (wooden stickers usually vary quite a bit). Also, with a 1X2, there is a little bit extra support to help keep the stack flat, and, aligning them vertically as you go is quicker too.