Wood storage question

[1930artdeco]

Hello,

Priorities are changing as to cars. Soo, to that end I may start buying resto supplies for the Town Sedan. I have to replace a huge chunk of the wood in the car. I am not planning on restoring the car for a several years, but....what if I buy the wood now while I can afford it before retirement. How should I store the wood? Will it shrink over time as it dries out and am I going to have a hard time fitting it?

Thanks,

Mike

[mark180]

Are you buying parts already cut out, or are you getting wood stock to make them yourself? I would think that parts already cutout would be made of dried lumber and shouldn’t shrink. Just keep the wood dry and flat.

[JayJay]

Deco - Most hardwood that you will be able to get, whether plank stock or already machined, should be kiln dried. Therefore, what you need to do is to store it so that it does not re-absorb moisture and warp. That will mean that it should be stored (as mark180 states) clean, flat, dry and well aerated. No real need to move it inside the house, that in fact may work against you as you want the wood to be stored in an environment that is similar to what it will be in use. I store my hardwood planks on the plywood sheets that are on top of the rafter ties in my unheated garage (along with the kids' toys and baby books), and I store sheet stock on edge in a rack. Don't store your wood directly on concrete, it will absorb moisture from the concrete. OK to put a sheet or blanket over it to keep it clean, but don't put plastic because any moisture won't be able to evaporate and may lead to mold/rot.

One thing to be aware of - if you decide to put some dunnage under the wood to enhance air circulation or to get it off concrete, be sure to put enough so that the wood is well supported and doesn't sag under its own weight. Most of the wood in a Briggs body frame (except for the roof rails) is on the order of 2" thick. For dunnage you could use 1x1 or 2x2 framing wood spaced about 12-18" apart for wood that thick. If you buy pre-cut roof rails I'd lay them on their sides flat; if you are storing on concrete put a layer of plywood or chipboard between the rails and the concrete.

Good luck. I got real lucky with my '30 TS and don't have to replace any wood. Some epoxy repair necessary but that's it.

[Gene F]

Before I put my wood kit in I treated it several times with a rag, and linseed oil. I do believe Ford did it that way.

I bought one kit from a dealer in my state...it was not a fitted unit. Which was a surprise to them too. So, I ended up getting one through Snyders, and it worked perfectly. BTW; the top opens up a bit when you take all the wood out, so a helper to assist in "pulling it to" helps.

[1930artdeco]

Thank you all for the input. I will be buying a pre-cut/pre-fit kit from the vendors. I don't have a heated garage in the Pacific Northwest and it can get down right freezing in there. So when I do get one I will just stack them so they don't bend and air can move around the pieces. And I will ask ahead of time to make sure it is kiln dried, just to be safe.

Mike

[Brentwood Bob]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Wonder if treating with a wood preservative would be okay.

[Gene F]

Originally Posted by 1930artdeco

Thank you all for the input. I will be buying a pre-cut/pre-fit kit from the vendors. I don't have a heated garage in the Pacific Northwest and it can get down right freezing in there. So when I do get one I will just stack them so they don't bend and air can move around the pieces. And I will ask ahead of time to make sure it is kiln dried, just to be safe.

Mike

That car in your avatar looks pretty decent. Renewing the wood is within the body. You obviously will put a new vinyl top on too. Are you sure you want to tear that car down? I mean I don't know what your goals, finances, and time frame looks like.

[Oldbluoval]

1930..
Under the bed, inside, is a great hiding place!
I’m fairly familiar with wood sold retail. I substantially make most of my wood these days. Ask your vendor if it’s made by
Classic Wood, Greensboro NC…I’ve experienced far less problems out of their products than others.

[1930artdeco]

Gene-yes that is the car I will be restoring at some point. Dad restored her in 67/8 and left most of the original wood but some of it was cut incorrectly and some is decaying/twisting/leaking. It is one of those start one project that will lead to another etc., etc. I kind of am looking forward to the project but also not really.

Mike

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Just my 2 cents worth.... Use stacking sticks if you are wanting to air dry it, and then use cheap latex mis-tinted paint from your big box store to paint the ends to keep from cracking/splitting. Just store it where convenient, and make sure it is a bug-free area. In the end when you are ready to use it, then it will all need to be planed and squared prior to making each piece so a tiny amount of warpage is going to happen no matter how careful you are with it.

Below is how I store our wood. It is in a non climate controlled area of my warehouse right behind my wood shop just for convenience.

[1930artdeco]

Thanks Brent...does this mean that I have to get a Planer? Whoooo new tool time!!!!

[Big hammer]

Bug free………My grandpa had his barn taken down and moved to town in his pasture, stick stack and covered. When it was time to sell it was full of termites, he set it on fire. He also bought bricks from a old building in town paid to have them cleaned and stored in the same pasture, when it was time to sell he made .02 per brick ! No termites !

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by 1930artdeco

Thanks Brent...does this mean that I have to get a Planer? Whoooo new tool time!!!!

Actually, you likely will need two new tools. You first need a Jointer to square-up the board and to flatten it. Then you need a Planer to dimension it. So WooHoo twice as loud now!!

[Brentwood Bob]

Nice looking wood Brent. Nothing like that here. Macbeths in Berkeley can order it, but pricey, and hardwood trees take a long time to grow.

[Terry, NJ]

If your'e dealing with Ash, which I strongly advise you to do. Although I have no idea what the availability of Ash is on the west coast. It is the prefered wood of car builders going back to to the earliest mod. T s, up to the most modern of the small builders, Morgan, of the UK.
Why is that? You ask. Well, Ash doesnt' swell with moisture. It's fairly light next to it's closest competitor, Oak. It breaks fairly sharp. in an accident, Oak will splinter into a lot of tiny little spears to impale you. Henry used mainly Ash and AFAIK the wood was never much of a problem. Get your Ash now before the Chinese donated, Emerald Ash Borer eats them all up. Ash trees are going the way of the American Chestnut!
Terry

[Oldbluoval]

Agreed on ash
I use a lot of hard maple.Little more plentiful in my area

[CarlG]

Originally Posted by 1930artdeco

Thanks Brent...does this mean that I have to get a Planer? Whoooo new tool time!!!!

Owning a Model A is really just an excuse to buy more tools!

[ronn]

for the amount of wood you'll be using, just buy it when you need it.
not worth storing.........my 2 cents.


recently bought some ash out of PA and dirt cheap.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by Terry, NJ

If your'e dealing with Ash, which I strongly advise you to do. Although I have no idea what the availability of Ash is on the west coast. It is the prefered wood of car builders going back to to the earliest mod. T s, up to the most modern of the small builders, Morgan, of the UK.
Why is that? You ask. Well, Ash doesnt' swell with moisture. It's fairly light next to it's closest competitor, Oak. It breaks fairly sharp. in an accident, Oak will splinter into a lot of tiny little spears to impale you. Henry used mainly Ash and AFAIK the wood was never much of a problem. Get your Ash now before the Chinese donated, Emerald Ash Borer eats them all up. Ash trees are going the way of the American Chestnut!
Terry

Actually, I think that has been an ongoing myth. I own many Ford Engineering prints of wood pieces for Model-As, and I do not recall ever seeing Ash mentioned. Maybe it was used without the engineering department's approval, but they always specified other species of wood.

.
.

[springerpete]

Agree that Ash is good stuff to use. But lets remember that Henry tended to use what was available from his Michigan U P property. I store my oak, ash, pine and southern hard pine in my unheated garage loft on stickers, straight and covered and I check it often. Guy down the street who makes mega,mega buck spiral stairs stores his very fancy lumber in his cool shop against the north wall uncovered. A Ford is very nice but it is not a Bosendorfer piano. (sic)