# How much would you pay for Stickers? And drying questions



## Drew Pavlak (Aug 21, 2010)

Hello again,

If making your own stickers isn't an option, what would be a reasonable price to pay for stickers? I really want to use 1" stickers if at all possible. I may settle on 3/4" depending on quantity needed, which is another question, how do you figure out how many you will need for the amount of lumber you have?

I think we will have somewhere in the neighborhood of 2000 - 2500 bf of red oak, walnut, cherry and maple. I was planning on placing stickers at the end and 16" apart for the stack. I called a local guy who has a band saw and he said that he would sell me 4' stickers at $0.40 each. Or I can go to HD and get 1x4x8' cut to 4' and rip in half for about $0.30 each.

That sounds like a lot of work to me and I will be reducing my stickers to 3/4" instead of 1". Not sure how much this will matter, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

Lastly, how many of you dry inside a barn? My dad's place has an older barn which is far from air tight, but it definitely doesn't have a cross wind. Would this benefit the drying process? Or Hinder it? Is it more important to have air movement across the boards or just not to trap moisture in an enclosed area? 

I know lots of questions, unfortunately once I start down this slippery path I can't turn back.

Thanks and sorry for so many questions in one post.
Drew


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

Drew Pavlak said:


> . . . what would be a reasonable price to pay for stickers? . . . I called a local guy who has a band saw and he said that he would sell me 4' stickers at $0.40 each.


There's your answer. But ask the northerners about the Maple. It's prone to sticker stain and I don't know what to tell you on that. 





Drew Pavlak said:


> I really want to use 1" stickers if at all possible. I may settle on 3/4" depending on quantity needed, . .


It's not a do-or-die issue. In your case take what you can get. I would prefer 4/4 no more wood than you'll be stacking. 





Drew Pavlak said:


> . . which is another question, how do you figure out how many you will need for the amount of lumber you have? I think we will have somewhere in the neighborhood of 2000 - 2500 bf of red oak, walnut, cherry and maple. I was planning on placing stickers at the end and 16" apart for the stack.


If it's all 4/4 for example and your logs average 9' long and the boards average 12" wide, 2500 BF will mean approximately 275 boards. That's just a starting point to figure your sticker needs. 




Drew Pavlak said:


> Lastly, how many of you dry inside a barn? My dad's place has an older barn which is far from air tight, but it definitely doesn't have a cross wind. Would this benefit the drying process? Or Hinder it? Is it more important to have air movement across the boards or just not to trap moisture in an enclosed area?


You do need adequate air movement or you'll get microbes aka mildew/fungi/stain. 



Drew Pavlak said:


> . . . unfortunately once I start down this slippery path I can't turn back.


Unfortunately that's not true. The path has many surprising ways of turning many a traveler back. Ready or not, willing or not. :turned:






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## woodduck99 (Jan 5, 2010)

I've always got stickers free from the sawyer - he sawed them out of the outer slabs. Of course , it was an Amish sawmill, maybe they do things differently. I just thought it was part of the job.


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

TexasTimbers said:


> But ask the northerners about the Maple. It's prone to sticker stain and I don't know what to tell you on that.


Yeah, for sure don't bury the maple in your stacks. Stack it seperate if possible and where it would get the most fresh air. I dry in a barn and the maple gets stacked near the overhead doors they leak some breeze even when closed, but they are often open since I work out there too.





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## jeffreythree (Jan 9, 2008)

If you have to go the HD route, most of the ones I have been in have a bargain bin. They cut it all in half, so 4' already. Usually $.25-.50 each for KD 2x6 or 2x8, which will get you 5 to 7 1.5"x1" stickers for pennies and a bit of labor ripping them. Only trick is I only find enough for 30 or so stickers per trip or store. I cut them on the mill, easier to cut a bunch that way.


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## Drew Pavlak (Aug 21, 2010)

Thanks guys for all the info. I am on info overload with all this lumber stuff. Isn't it funny how a simple hobby like woodworking can turn into an obsession. I am certain that none of you know what I am talking about.

I will have to check HD and see what they have. That would work just fine and probably be a lot cheaper.

The maple is my uncles. He will be storing it seperatly and I think he has already purchased some 1x2 furring strips (#2 pine I believe) from hd for his stuff.

The oak I was planning on stacking seperately, but the walnut and cherry may be in the same stack. I only have 1 cherry log to mill. I guess in the loft of my fathers barn isn't going to work too well. Could someone post some pics of there stacks if they get a chance. Just would like to take a look at some stacks to get some ideas on how I would like to procede.

I will keep reading and thanks for the help again.
Drew


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## Logger (Nov 26, 2009)

*stickers*

I got all my stickers from a shop i worked at, we ripped all our own stile a rail and fram stock, any thing under 1 1/2" was scrap and i was the foreman so had the guys cut them at 48" and load um in my truck:laughing: so if you have a shop close by it may be worth checking out. Our stock came in surfaced at 13/16ths, so most were pretty uniform, and I would only keep the 7/8ths to 1 1/2" wide the rest went in my furnace. Hope this is helpful. Mike


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## Drew Pavlak (Aug 21, 2010)

*Darn!*

Went to HD last night looking for a bargin bin. They don't have one. bummer. Looks like I might be getting them from the first guy I mentioned.

Oh well.
Thanks,
Drew


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## Drew Pavlak (Aug 21, 2010)

TexasTimbers said:


> If it's all 4/4 for example and your logs average 9' long and the boards average 12" wide, 2500 BF will mean approximately 275 boards. That's just a starting point to figure your sticker needs.
> 
> 
> 
> .


TT,

By 275 baords, did you mean stickers or lumber?

Thanks,
Drew


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

Boards, but just giving you a rough idea. You obviously aren't going to mill the logs all in 4/4, and all your logs are not 9' long I assume, if any. But if you did, and they are, you would decide how far apart you want the stickers and calculate how many stickers it will take per board, and multiply that by the number of boards. If you'll get two stacks of lumber on each sticker then divide that number by 2. 

I wouldn't try to figure the number of stickers you'll need to "just" cover your immediate needs. Decide now what thicknesses you want from each log. You can change as you mill a little here and there taking what the log gives will do that for you, but you'll still be in the ball park. Then calculate the number of stickers you think you'll need and then increase it by another 30% or more. You never have too many stickers, and you never have enough if try to just cut (or buy) just enough for the job. 

And remember what's already been said. Make as many as you can from the cull flitches. The ones right below the slabs. I often even cut the first grade flitches off 2 or more sides per log in order to make mine. I also mill entire ERC logs to make stickers when I need them bad enough. ERC makes great stickers especially the clearer logs. I don't like clear ERC anyway so I usually mill them for stickers, since the really knotty logs don't make good stickers but they make beautiful lumber.






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