Storing Oak

[transatlantic]

I've recently purchased some rough sawn (Dried) North American White Oak boards (32x140mm) @£12 meter (is that a good price?)

Now I am considering where best to store them. I have 3 options

1. Stone garage. Very gappy, not insulated, cold in winter, hot in summer.
2. Wooden storage shed. Again not insulated
3. Outside, under shelter

Which would be better? (I only plan on use some of it now, the rest probably won't be used for months)

 

[AJB Temple]

This depends! On what you want to use it for and how long you are prepared to wait for further drying when you do want to use it.

I had 36 oak trees milled and stored in a farm barn some years ago. Air dried over a long time it'e been fine. I sold most of it as it fetched silly money for large dimension English oak.

In the past year or two I have bought three big lorry loads of top quality French green oak. Quite a lot was used within a year but all of it was stored sticked up (plenty of 50mm sticks) and covered with a good tarpaulin in my "yard" which is to all intents and purposes pretty much a piece of very sheltered field underneath an enormous willow tree. I've just brought about 4 or 5 cubic metres into my framing barn to dry a bit more. Surface moisture disappears rapidly and the oak has been very stable. I don't bother painting the ends unless I have got planks less than 50mm thick.

I think the golden rule for me is keep plenty of airflow and keep the rain off.

 

[LancsRick]

I've recently purchased some rough sawn (Dried) North American White Oak boards (32x140mm) @£12 meter (is that a good price?)

Well it's £20 for planed on British Hardwoods so I'd say that's a good price for it even if it is sawn .

 

[woodbloke66]

I've recently purchased some rough sawn (Dried) North American White Oak boards
Now I am considering where best to store them. I have 3 options

1. Stone garage. Very gappy, not insulated, cold in winter, hot in summer.
2. Wooden storage shed. Again not insulated
3. Outside, under shelter

Which would be better? (I only plan on use some of it now, the rest probably won't be used for months)

'Dried' in this case will mean that it's been kilned prior to shipping so the moisture content ought to be already quite low. Wherever you store it the %MC may, not guaranteed, increase depending on how it's kept. I'd opt for No.3 with the caveat that it's also sticked correctly to allow fee air movement and out of strong sunlight - Rob

 

[transatlantic]

This depends! On what you want to use it for and how long you are prepared to wait for further drying when you do want to use it.

I had 36 oak trees milled and stored in a farm barn some years ago. Air dried over a long time it'e been fine. I sold most of it as it fetched silly money for large dimension English oak.

In the past year or two I have bought three big lorry loads of top quality French green oak. Quite a lot was used within a year but all of it was stored sticked up (plenty of 50mm sticks) and covered with a good tarpaulin in my "yard" which is to all intents and purposes pretty much a piece of very sheltered field underneath an enormous willow tree. I've just brought about 4 or 5 cubic metres into my framing barn to dry a bit more. Surface moisture disappears rapidly and the oak has been very stable. I don't bother painting the ends unless I have got planks less than 50mm thick.

I think the golden rule for me is keep plenty of airflow and keep the rain off.

Not sure if you missed it, but this is dried oak