Official Luthiers Forum!

So I spent yesterday reshuffling and re-stacking all the backs/sides/tops I've got so far (in preparation for the more-than-I've-already-got-stacked-again that will be coming in the not too distant future..I need more shelving) and as usual ran out of stickers. I've got melamine strips for some of the backs (thanks to Mario for that tip), but they're a mite too tall for making optimum use of the space (3/4", and I'd prefer 1/2").

The main question I've got regards topwoods, and how necessary stickering is in an environment with relatively stable humidity. It's still not controlled, and I'm keeping an eye out for a small, affordable dehumidifier (I'd need to take about 10-15% out of the air for it to be 'perfect') but it's not top of my list. The reason I ask is I'm coming across a lot of pictures of topwoods simply stacked up; Rivolta's are just stacked (but then so's everything else), Ryan Guitars shop tour shows stickered everthing else, and stacked Spruce tops, a local guy who runs a small tonewood business has stickered backs/sides, but only stacks his topwood, so...what's the deal?

I have noted that my tops don't tend to move around quite as much as the hardwoods do when they first arrive, but is it 'safe' or even advisable to leave them unstickered with a light weight (old bracing stock, im my case) on top?

Mattia, You've discovered the one of the problems of owning major zoot. Storage. The other is the investment.

I like Bob Cefalu's storage rack, but I am thinking of devising a horizontal unit with stickers built in. By releasing the pressure on the unit, any individual set becomes accessible, without undoing the entire set.

Now to your question. Top wood dries much more quickly than the exotic hardwoods for backs and sides. I stand my topwood all around the shop, so air can get to both sides of the wood for a period of 2 to 3 days.

Then I sticker my topwood for a period of 2 to 3 weeks, after that I feel pretty safe to stack it. I do pretty much the same with hardwoods, but longer is better. The sets of kiln dried rosewood from late last summer is still stickered, but I'd feel very comfortable just stacking it.

As far as continuing to age, stickered is better. Along those lines, I have an observation: Wood held in a constant RH environment, is really not accomplishing the seasoning that wood in a variable environment, where the humidity is allowed to go to very low, then very high levels, each time there is a freeze, then with each passing rain cloud. That wood is seasoning.

Recently I took wood outside the 45 percent RH, it was stacked on a table, when the air hit the top piece it went crazy, curling up almost instantly. That wood was in a struggle, coming from a tropical environment, being kiln died, resawn, then kept in a stable 45Percent rH. But by standing each piece along the building where air could get to each side of each piece, it was doing well again.

There is a lot to this wood storage, I'm still thinking along the lines too of what is best. Maybe wood would season better in my uncontrolled garage, rather than my controlled shop.