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plywood storage question

PostPosted: Thu Sep 30, 2010 6:16 am
by LDK
What would be the best way to store plywood to keep it from warping. I am going to get several sheets and was planning on clamping them together and leaning them on the wall.

Any suggestions :thinking:

PostPosted: Thu Sep 30, 2010 7:05 am
by GPW
LDK, Probably best store it flat if you have the space... if you have a concrete floor , you might throw a few boards under it to keep it flat and allow air to circulate ..

PostPosted: Thu Sep 30, 2010 7:11 am
by Hikerjohnd
Ditto on keeping it flat. Climate controlled area is also a plus but who has that kind of space?

PostPosted: Thu Sep 30, 2010 7:12 am
by LDK
GPW wrote:LDK, Probably best store it flat if you have the space... if you have a concrete floor , you might throw a few boards under it to keep it flat and allow air to circulate ..


The problem is my garage floor isn't very level.

PostPosted: Thu Sep 30, 2010 8:28 am
by aggie79
Larry,

I hope this isn't going to confuse things, but I stored my plywood on edge in a cart I built. Some of it sat there for 6-7 months before I got around to needing it.

The cart is about 4 feet wide. In the picture below, the square sheets are 5' x 5' baltic birch. Behind them are some 4' x 10' sheet goods. The longest item is a pallet I made to hold my 4' x 10' aluminum.

Image

Tom

PostPosted: Thu Sep 30, 2010 8:36 am
by GPW
Whose is ???? :lol: that's what the boards are for ... if you really want it dead level , get a cheap pack of wood shims ...shim it up, make it Flat ..
If you do stand it up , best stand it as vertical as possible , the thinner stuff directly against the wall , thicker towards the outside ... Hopefully the wall is flat huh??? :o

PostPosted: Thu Sep 30, 2010 11:07 am
by aggie79
GPW wrote:If you do stand it up , best stand it as vertical as possible , the thinner stuff directly against the wall , thicker towards the outside ... Hopefully the wall is flat huh??? :o


Another reason I stored my plywood on edge is that my work area is 1/2 of a two-car garage. With my tools, workbench and assembly table, I didn't have 32 square feet (or 40 square feet in my case for 4' x 10' sheet goods) that I could use for material storage.

PostPosted: Thu Sep 30, 2010 11:41 am
by Alleged User
Perhaps hang it from the ceiling. Rig a cheesy platform on which to lay the plywood flat and suspend it with chains at the corners? We have a small garage, and we'd have room to do that.

PostPosted: Thu Sep 30, 2010 5:58 pm
by LDK
GPW wrote:Whose is ???? :lol: that's what the boards are for ... if you really want it dead level , get a cheap pack of wood shims ...shim it up, make it Flat ..
If you do stand it up , best stand it as vertical as possible , the thinner stuff directly against the wall , thicker towards the outside ... Hopefully the wall is flat huh??? :o


My floor is very unlevel. The previous owner built it that way. Its higher in the center of the floor and it tapers off towards the front and back. He had a shop in the garage and he hosed the floor out with water at times.

PostPosted: Thu Sep 30, 2010 6:25 pm
by Larry C
LDK wrote:
GPW wrote:Whose is ???? :lol: that's what the boards are for ... if you really want it dead level , get a cheap pack of wood shims ...shim it up, make it Flat ..
If you do stand it up , best stand it as vertical as possible , the thinner stuff directly against the wall , thicker towards the outside ... Hopefully the wall is flat huh??? :o


My floor is very unlevel. The previous owner built it that way. Its higher in the center of the floor and it tapers off towards the front and back. He had a shop in the garage and he hosed the floor out with water at times.


I tried the standing up method with clamps holding several sheets. it started to warp. I layed it all flat on a couple of HD saw horses with 2x4 strung between. It solved the warping issue after a month or so.

I use it like a bench, taking what I need from the pile. I got that idea from someone here that said they used their pile as their actual building table and kept working their way down the pile during the build. If you planned well, that might work. :thinking:

PostPosted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 9:28 pm
by MKE_Tear
GPW wrote:LDK, Probably best store it flat if you have the space... if you have a concrete floor , you might throw a few boards under it to keep it flat and allow air to circulate ..


I'm a little late to this party but...

Might I suggest that you put concrete pavers underneath them (or something that won't absorb water). We had an unexpected 8 inches of rain in two hours, flooded the heck out of stuff. I was fortunate enough to come home to find a dry house but as I pulled into the driveway I could see water rushing underneath the garage door. Frightening feeling. Fortunately, the pavers kept the wood dry (stuff I had already stretched & cut to size).

All the best!

PostPosted: Wed Oct 13, 2010 5:04 pm
by bravebluemice
MKE_Tear wrote:
GPW wrote:LDK, Probably best store it flat if you have the space... if you have a concrete floor , you might throw a few boards under it to keep it flat and allow air to circulate ..


I'm a little late to this party but...

Might I suggest that you put concrete pavers underneath them (or something that won't absorb water). We had an unexpected 8 inches of rain in two hours, flooded the heck out of stuff. I was fortunate enough to come home to find a dry house but as I pulled into the driveway I could see water rushing underneath the garage door. Frightening feeling. Fortunately, the pavers kept the wood dry (stuff I had already stretched & cut to size).

All the best!


I used a 24 pack of Coke in my old basement, quick jammed four cans under everything.

Came in handy the next week when I was cleaning up, I never had to go far for a refreshing drink.