pariah223 Posted April 26, 2009 Report Share Posted April 26, 2009 (edited) I have been watching some wood on colonialtonewoods.com and have been thinking of ordering some wood. However, i live in upstate NY and the humidity is all over the place. I am trying to come up with somewhere to store my wood and just wanted to see what everyone else did as far as storage is concerned. I probably wont be living here too much longer, maybe getting out in the next few months.. but i dont like putting woodworking on hold because then i have trouble getting back into the swing of things. So, does anyone have any clever solutions to wood storage? Also, i found a decent dehumidifier on amazon.. the Soleus Air CFM-40 E 40-Pint Dehumidifier with Humidistat... It says it gets humidity down to 50%. Is that low enough to store, and build guitars? I have heard 40 is where you want to be. Edited April 26, 2009 by pariah223 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenspoke Posted April 26, 2009 Report Share Posted April 26, 2009 I have been watching some wood on colonialtonewoods.com and have been thinking of ordering some wood. However, i live in upstate NY and the humidity is all over the place. I am trying to come up with somewhere to store my wood and just wanted to see what everyone else did as far as storage is concerned. I probably wont be living here too much longer, maybe getting out in the next few months.. but i dont like putting woodworking on hold because then i have trouble getting back into the swing of things. So, does anyone have any clever solutions to wood storage? Also, i found a decent dehumidifier on amazon.. the Soleus Air CFM-40 E 40-Pint Dehumidifier with Humidistat... It says it gets humidity down to 50%. Is that low enough to store, and build guitars? I have heard 40 is where you want to be. To just store it it can be anywhere were the conditions do not swing excessively. A basement is a good choice. Once you want to use the wood it has to acclimate to your shop conditions, 2 weeks to a month. Ideally the two places should be the same and dry at all times. Dry is relative to your location. Build in a dry place as has been mentioned before. If you plan on moving to the desert 40% humidity may be a bit high, LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pariah223 Posted April 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 26, 2009 wouldnt a basement be a bad choice due to them generally having higher humidity levels? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaycee Posted April 26, 2009 Report Share Posted April 26, 2009 Woodenspoke has said it really. If there is a big difference between the storage conditions and the working conditions then you will see a lot of movement. Wood will adapt to it's environment. If you go to saw mills or building centres all the timber is stored outside under cover. As long as it is dry and given enough time to acclimatise to your working conditions as 'Spoke said it should be ok. Saying that mind I like to keep mine in the area where the build will take place, and make sure that I have air gaps all around the timber. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 Yep, Spoke said it well. Actually, the process of seasoning could be better if the wood is allowed to go through natural seasonal cycles. Not sure I put much into the theory behind seasoning wood, but it is a theory. The important thing is to aclimate the wood to the environment you will build in. Then control the humidity during the build. It is always safer to build a bit dryer than it will be in service. The greatest chance for damage will be if it becomes dryer than when it was assembled(much more stressful). If the moisture is higher than when assembled it will swell and you will likely get a little extra doming. If it becomes dryer you will lose doming, you may start really stressing soundboards and backs if it shrinks much more(sides do not like to yeild to a soundboard or back). Just the way I have always looked at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pariah223 Posted May 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 hm its amazing how often what i think i know gets turned upside down.. thank god for you guys and this forum. So If i store the woood in an outdoor wood shed with no climate control or anything? That isnt the end of the world as long as i le the wood sit in the climate controlled shop for a while before i build? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 hm its amazing how often what i think i know gets turned upside down.. thank god for you guys and this forum. So If i store the woood in an outdoor wood shed with no climate control or anything? That isnt the end of the world as long as i le the wood sit in the climate controlled shop for a while before i build? Pretty much. Watch out for bugs though. Remember though to consider the amount of time it takes to aclimate wood, not really fast thicker wood. Thin wood can aclimate much quicker of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pariah223 Posted May 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 yeah i dont really build electric anymore, so most of my wood is like, 1/8 or so. Thanks for the info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenspoke Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 yeah i don't really build electric anymore, so most of my wood is like, 1/8 or so. Thanks for the info I was going to say as long as the wood is rough and you will be milling it for your project then it can be outdoors in a shed, free of rain and bugs. But if you are storing backs and sides this is another situation entirely it should be keep in dry controlled conditions. If you are resawing billets than we are back to the original discussion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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