Store the timbers in stacks upon well treated and even surfaced beams sleepers or brick pillars so as to be above the ground level by at least 150 mm.
Store members of different length and material separately.
Materials of equal length are piled together in layers with wooden batters, called crossers, separating one layer from another.
If crossers are not available, smaller section of the available structural timber can be used in their place.
Provide an air space of about 25 mm between adjacent members.
Place the longer pieces in bottom layer and shorter pieces in the top layer, but keep one end of the stack in true vertical alignment.
Suitable width and height of a stack are recommended to be about 1.5 m to 2.0 m.
Distance between adjacent stacks is recommended to be at least 450 mm. (see figure shown below).
Timber Stack
Protect the stacks from hot dry winds, direct sun and rain.
It is recommended to place heavy weight, such as metal rails or large section of wood, on top of the stack to prevent distortion or warping of the timber in the stack.
If it is required to store the timber for about an year or more, then coat the ends of all members with coal tar, aluminum leaf paints, micro crystalline wax; to prevent end cracking in the material.
