Official Luthiers Forum!

Hi everyone--

Another question from a *brand* newbie here... I've just found out what WAS is, courtesy of our friend Lance. :-)

So, Now I want to start preparing for a year or so from now when I hope to have a house with a workshop. (Hey, I'm 26, so I gotta start planning *sometime*, right?)

Meanwhile, I'm in an apartment. That said, I want to start watching out for great sets for back and sides and tops. When I find a set that I want to hang on to, how should I go about storing this? I guess I'm really asking what I need to do to/for the wood to maintain its integrity? What about temperature/humidity levels? I'll take any and all advice here, be it something I've asked or something I haven't thought of. Especially suggestions for sets/species I should be putting away now, while I can and while the "getting is good."

Thanks to everyone once again!

John C.

When you first get it either lean it separated against the walls for 2 to 3 weeks or sticker it for that long.

Then.... Stack it for storage. This is if the wood is dry. If it's green, sticker it with a fan on it for a few days, then leave it stickered for an extended period, preferably with a weight on top for extra holding power if wood is trying to curl.

RH needs to be held constant around 45%. But get as close as you can and don't worry too much about it. Hopefully you know what stickering is?   

Sorry to be so ignorant here, but when you say "sticker" it, what exactly do you mean?

Dear John, always wanted to say that...

John, here is a set of nice bubinga from a retired acoustic guitarmaker in Kentucky. It was supposedly cut in 1999 and been under his workbench in a basement.

It appears nice and dry. But, it would really need to be acclimated for a few weeks before considering building with it. You mention long term and collecting choice specimens to build with on down the road. This would most likely be stickered in my shop for at least six months, then stacked for longer term.

I have Rosewood which was kiln dried in India then stickered in my shop a year ago and I've yet to unsticker and stack it. So there are no hard and fast rules. Sealing the ends with an appropriate sealer is a must on green wood.

I've used parafin, cyanoacrylate, and just plain old shellac all with success. Some folk use left over latex wall paint. Good luck with your acquisitions. Temptation abounds.

I've used several species, but have gone to using some old sitka doors that came into my possession. I set up my laguna and bandsaw away at three or four door panels and get some great stickers.

Definition: A stick that separates layers of wood for drying. Usually three to five pieces, per layer of wood, then aligned vertically until all is stacked. Some luthiers apply additional weights on top to secure the stack and keep down warpage in the drying wood. The purpose is so that air can circulate on all sides of the wood at once. Forced air is a plus especially for wet wood. A good size for a sticker is 1/4 by 3/4 by 10 inches. The thicker the sticker, the more air may circulate.

Here's a picture of some stickered wood I found in my file.I don't know who's it is.

_________________
Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

Oh no! The dreaded red X... and just when I thought I understood what "stickered" was...   

Here's a pic I found on the net. They've strapped it rather than weighted, but you get the idea.

C'mon, guys with experience! Tell him what material is good for the sticks, and what size they should be!

I use kiln dried 1x1 poplar