wood storage question-help

[ed4copies]

Well, came home last night to find the power off, therefore my sump pump not working, therefore about a half foot of water in my shop (also known as basement).

Do any of you cold weather guys store exotics (bocote, bloodwood, cocobolo, rosewoods) in an area that does NOT have heat. Can I put them in a storage building for the winter, or will they all crack??

Wisconsin will get as low as about 10 below, but it can stay at 0 for a couple weeks at a time. Of course, the humidity is also VERY low at these times.

I need ideas, please.[8][8]

 

[Dario]

Not in anyway familiar with cold weather but have you considered wrapping the wood in burlap then plastic? I imagine the burlap will even out the moisture and the plastic will slow the drying enough. Maybe a few really tiny holes on the plastic will help it breath.

Just a thought.

 

[wdcav1952]

Originally posted by ed4copies
<br />Well, came home last night to find the power off, therefore my sump pump not working, therefore about a half foot of water in my shop (also known as basement).

Do any of you cold weather guys store exotics (bocote, bloodwood, cocobolo, rosewoods) in an area that does NOT have heat. Can I put them in a storage building for the winter, or will they all crack??

Wisconsin will get as low as about 10 below, but it can stay at 0 for a couple weeks at a time. Of course, the humidity is also VERY low at these times.

I need ideas, please.[8][8]

Store them under the bed. I'm sure Dawn won't mind! Just in case, don't tell her about this post until she pours my blanks! [][}]

 

[Dario]

Another option...buy a generator [][][}]

There are other stuff (i.e. lathe, etc.) to protect in your shop...not just wood []

 

[jthompson1995]

Maybe even cheaper than a generator would be a sump pump with a battery backup, so even if the rest of the power goes out, the basement (workshop) will still stay dry. That makes me think I should look into it for my own basement workshop, thanks for bringing it up.

 

[Doghouse]

A couple of 8D Rolls or Trojan batteries and an inverter can maintain a pump for more that 24 hours. The only problem with storing the wood outdoors where you are is when you bring it back in, you will need to let the wood acclimate to the shop humidity before using it. This can take weeks, you just have to be patient. I store my wood outdoors, it is only about controlling the humidity.

 

[wood-of-1kind]

I store all of my blanks in my unheated workshop and have not experienced any negative results. Canada can get some cold winter months.[]

-Peter-

 

[airrat]

Being from AZ I only know dry and hot. A sump pump in your basement, is it needed all the time?

 

[alamocdc]

Sorry, Ed, I can't help you. My shop is heated.

 

[ed4copies]

Busy day, been gone.

Yes, a sump pump is a necessity-so much so that I am afraid of the battery back-up, since it says it will pump about 7 hours intermittently. (When I got the sump pump on generator power, it took about 2.5 hours of continuous running. I figure it pumped out about 4500 gallons, based on the gph rating of my pump)

And, the real reason for moving the wood is it is between me and the walls, which I expect to have to replace drywall and batten insulation. There is no room to MOVE it in the basement, so I would like to put it into a storage "garage" for the winter.

Doghouse, tell me more about Trojan batteries??? 24 hours??
I will avoid the obvious references to my past experiences with that brand name.[}][}][}]

 

[Dario]

Originally posted by ed4copies
<br />
Doghouse, tell me more about Trojan batteries??? 24 hours??
I will avoid the obvious references to my past experiences with that brand name.[}][}][}]

LOL.

I can attest...they are leak proof ... and make the pumps running longer too LOL [}][}][}]

 

[ed4copies]

[}][}][}] I knew this was going to go down a questionable path!![V][V][V][V][V]

 

[Gary Max]

Lets try this-----yes you can store the wood outside.
Here are a couple of things to look for.
You want air flow----it needs to be on sticks.
When wood is moved like this --it needs time to adjust to a new climat before being used---so you can't just run out and bring some in and use it. This might help you get started I am sure there will be folks with other thoughts.

 

[Doghouse]

Take if from a sailor, batteries are your friend.

Many well pumps have a backup Marine bilge pump that will kick in if the water gets high enough.
I am going to make up an example to show you the difference between a regular deep cycle (walmar) vs an 8D

Rule 3700 gph pump requires 15.5 amps to run.
A group 24 deep cycle battery has a power capacity of 80 amp hours. So you would get about 4 hours of constant pumping.
A Trojan 8D battery provides 230 amp hours. So you would get 12.5 hours of pumping.

Now I am considering a 20% reserve in my estimates, and constant pumping. Now if you consider that it would cycle on and off, you should get almost 2x that amount.

If you have more questions, drop me a b-mail.

 

[Ron in Drums PA]

You will have no problems storing exotics in an unheated storage building.

 

[Draken]

Many self-storage places are climate controlled now, so you could store stuff there. The climate control isn't set for human comfort, but does limit how hot or cold the space is allowed to get.

Cheers,
Draken

 

[hilltopper46]

Ed - email sent.

 

[GBusardo]

I am not sure about the wood question, but I feel you pain with the water problem. Same thing happened to me twice. []

 

[Dario]

People here are getting slow on the up take....no one offered to take care of the wood yet!!! [:0][:0][}]

It usually is the first suggestion! [][]

 

[ed4copies]

Dario,

That is the answer I was expecting, too. However, the responses HAVE been helpful.

Now that the stink is settling, a bit, there seems not to have been a lot of damage done. I have always assembled shelving units with the lowest shelf about 10 inches off the floor. The water did not get that high. So, the only real "fatalities" were things laying on the floor. Also, I am "big on" Rubbermaid tubs. So, even things that are not on the shelves are usually stuffed in a tub (with no top), so the ends of the boards were, mostly, protected from the water, as well.

Some of my 8/4 and 12/4 boards will lose a few inches from the ends, but first they will be "stickered" and stacked to see if they might dry out-that was the purpose of the storage shed question. I am already renting 2 storage garages, so all I have to do is put a couple shelving units in them and move a bunch of lumber.

In short, the "clean up" phase is under way. Show this Saturday, so production MUST continue, then I am off for a while (Dawn keeps on going, but I don't do any more until indoor season). Timing was about as good as we could have hoped for. Seems 4 inches of rain fell in less than 2 hours-first time in 30 years my basement has really flooded, but I would rather avoid a recurrence. So, evaluating all possibilities.

Thanks to everyone who responded here and those who sent private e-mails. I appreciate your concern!!!

Ed[][][][]

 

[penhead]

Don't think this is to far off topic, but I have been seriously considering rebuilding a storage shed that I have to hold and keep dry the wood that I have collected and want to protect (just flat out running out of room in the shop).

I was wondering if there is some way of connecting a 'de-humidifier' and a 'humidifier' to monitor and keep a constant level..??

Any easy way to do this or just totally off the wall?

 

[low_48]

I heard a story about a business that is shipping wet exotics from Peru. They put all the bowl blanks in bags and pull a vacuum and seal. Foodsaver kind of stuff. I guess it won't mold when there is no oxygen? Does that seem right? They say the cheese will keep longer on the infomercial. Might be a great way to keep them in storage. No more avalanches[] Commercial furniture factories use systems to add humidity. They put out a really, really fine mist. I think the best way to control the atmosphere would be to make it as air tight as possible. Then a pan of water would bring up the humidty, a light bulb would be enough to keep it warm. Sounds like a couple of old chest freezers might be the way to go?

 

[53Jim]

If it would help, I just live a couple hours north. I have heat in the basement. I'd be happy to store some wood for you.

 

[Pipes]

I store mine in MICHIGAN in my garage and have ZERO problems !!! and it do get COLD in there in winter when Iam not working and have my heat going !!





http://affordablepipes.com/

 

[Woodbutcher68]

Ed, I store all my wood thicker than 3/8" in my garage without a problem. My scrolling wood takes a different "twist" in the garage, so it stays on a ventilated shelving unit in the spare bedroom. We got 5" of that rain and flooded the plant so bad that I had to send my workers home after 4 hours.

 

[GBusardo]

Ed, I am feeling your pain even more than ever now [] Friday morning we got 8 inches or rain in a few hours. The weather report called for showers, hahaha showers huh. I get a call at work from my wife about 2:30 saying my daughter just got home and she says the basement has a foot of water in it. After the firemen show up to turn off my electicty and Fox 5 news show up following the firemen around, I get home from work. Seems the breaker tripped on the line that has the pump on it. My front yard is now full of things that used to be stored in my basement. Didnt lose much wood. Mostly plywood (some nice birch). Biggest loss (so far) is my hot water heater. Just as I was bitching and complaining, someone came up to me and told me that two houses on the next block have water up the the rafers in the basement and one of them lost two pets. Things could be worse. As it turns out, today is the one day a month the town comes out and hauls away most of whatever the garbage truck won't take. I got a feeling they got their hands full, literally.
Gary

 

[penhead]

Look on the bright side,
you got to meet lots of firemen and reporters to sell your pens too []

Originally posted by GBusardo
<br />Ed, I am feeling your pain even more than ever now [] Friday morning we got 8 inches or rain in a few hours. The weather report called for showers, hahaha showers huh. I get a call at work from my wife about 2:30 saying my daughter just got home and she says the basement has a foot of water in it. After the firemen show up to turn off my electicty and Fox 5 news show up following the firemen around, I get home from work. Seems the breaker tripped on the line that has the pump on it. My front yard is now full of things that used to be stored in my basement. Didnt lose much wood. Mostly plywood (some nice birch). Biggest loss (so far) is my hot water heater. Just as I was bitching and complaining, someone came up to me and told me that two houses on the next block have water up the the rafers in the basement and one of them lost two pets. Things could be worse. As it turns out, today is the one day a month the town comes out and hauls away most of whatever the garbage truck won't take. I got a feeling they got their hands full, literally.
Gary

 

[Thumbs]

Evidently, you guys have forgotten all about the storage facility I own and operate here in beautiful central Pennsylvania. It is non-profit, I might add. At least, I've never made any money from it. Actually, I seem to have lost a great deal of money, but it's just one of those things you have to do, I guess.

You may find out more here: http://www.penturners.org/forum/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=5334&SearchTerms=BWSS