# Sticker Question



## kenkrizan (Jan 25, 2013)

This may seen to be a silly question, but I'll ask anyway...

Is there any rule-of-thumb regarding the species of sticker used vs. the species of lumber being sawn and stacked- or do you just use what's handy?

Also, does anyone use or consider using plastic stickers (i.e. polyproplyene)? Where I work, we have a plastic fabrication shop and we buy polypro in 4' x 10' x 1/2" thick sheets. There are a lot of cut-offs and other scrap that normally go into the dumpster, but it seems that I can cut up several hundred stickers in an hour or so.

Ken


----------



## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*might work*

I use the species I'm milling, Oak or Maple and cut them into 1 x 1 x what ever lengths I need. 
You 1/2" plastic may not allow enough air flow, I donno? I would be nice to get the free ones for sure. Maybe double them up?


----------



## jjboozel (Mar 11, 2013)

KenK said:


> This may seen to be a silly question, but I'll ask anyway... Is there any rule-of-thumb regarding the species of sticker used vs. the species of lumber being sawn and stacked- or do you just use what's handy? Also, does anyone use or consider using plastic stickers (i.e. polyproplyene)? Where I work, we have a plastic fabrication shop and we buy polypro in 4' x 10' x 1/2" thick sheets. There are a lot of cut-offs and other scrap that normally go into the dumpster, but it seems that I can cut up several hundred stickers in an hour or so. Ken


Everything I've ever been told is that stickers just give the wood clearance so the air can circulate throughout the entire board. I wouldn't see any problem with using plastic stickers. As for wood species I see nothing wrong with that either. My guess would be as long as it has space underneath each board you should be golden


----------



## djg (Dec 24, 2009)

I remember seeing somewhere (can't find it) they actually sell plastic stickers. From what I remember, though, they had shallow kerfs cut diagogonally (45 deg?) on the top and bottom sides. I guess this was either for preventing mositure being trapped the whole width of the board by the sticker or to provide some traction so the pile doesn't move around on you.


----------



## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

I actually like this idea:
http://americanwoodworker.com/blogs/tips/archive/2009/09/09/plastic-stickers-don-t-stain.aspx


----------



## Rob Brown (Jul 7, 2009)

*stickers*

Two key factors. 1st is airflow. About an inch square is good. consistent sizing, to keep the pile flat. 2nd is the material used for the stickers has to be dry wood- not wet stuff. The species of wood is not relevant, but don't use trimmings from the material you are drying. I harvest my own logs and save a couple of the junky boards from each year to use as stickers for the next year. That plastic pipe looks like a great idea.


----------



## ETWW (Mar 27, 2011)

3/4" is the minimum thickness for sufficient air flow but like was said, you could double stack the plastic for a 1" thickness. Also, keep the stack 4' wide or less, again for sufficient air flow.

Species doesn't matter as long as the stickers are dry, although something like Oak will last longer if you process a lot of wood. The bulk of my several-hundred stickers are SYP but I also have some Oak, Walnut, Cedar, Elm...all cut from the outside slabs. The Pine came from some ~10" diameter logs. I'll saw an entire log into stickers occasionally.

Some commercially made stickers have a "U" channel groove on each side to minimize the wood-to-wood contact. That allows more air circulation for drying and helps prevent sticker stain.


----------



## ironman123 (Jan 21, 2013)

*ref: Sticker Question*

Mr Ken K, if you would be interested in disposing of some of those scraps, I would be interested in a little. PM me if you want.

Ray


----------



## Post Oakie (Aug 20, 2013)

Doubling up on the plastic to get 1" thickness sounds like a great plan, especially if you can glue them together in a couple of places to keep them from sliding. All advice in this thread is spot-on. :thumbsup:


----------



## kenkrizan (Jan 25, 2013)

*Thanks for your input*

I want to thank everyone for their input to my question. I've given up on the polypro sticker idea. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but it really is not. Polypro is a very "slippery" material- it cannot be glued. and if you stack it, it moves a lot.

Not only that, but my company went belly-up (two weeks ago)and I am no longer employed nd I cannot get the stuff any more. Anyway- I've done small scale milling with a chainsaw mill and used scrap 1X wood for stickers. But with time on my hands and a mountain of logs (probably 20k board feet of assorted species) I bought a bandsaw mill and will scale up my milling activity and cut stickers from the cut-offs.

Ken


----------



## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

Just be sure that you don't pick crap wood for stickers with a lot of tannins = sticker shadows staining the wood.


----------



## Post Oakie (Aug 20, 2013)

Sorry the company went under. It takes a real leap of faith to buy a band mill under those circumstances, and I hope all goes well for you. What kind of band sawmill did you get? Keep us posted on how it works out for you.


----------



## qbilder (Dec 19, 2010)

I use furring strips. They're cheap, kiln dried, and readily available. Not very durable as they're usually made of white pine, but they're cheap.


----------

