Sticker Thickness and Sources

For good air circulation, stickers need to be at least 3/4 inches thick. Here are ideas on where to get them. October 25, 2006

Question
I am just getting started in this sawmilling endeavor. I was cutting 1" red oak boards for stickers, and a gawker suggested that lath would work well for stickers. Seems to me they are too thin, and maybe not uniform enough. Any thoughts?

Forum Responses
(Sawing and Drying Forum)
From contributor S:
For our one time custom sawing customers, we recommend that they buy bundles of s4s 1 x 2 (3/4" x 1 1/2").

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From contributor F:
I've been sawing for 10 years using a Wood-Mizer LT40HDG24 in west central Georgia, and find that by trimming (edging) the bark of those initial first cuts, I've been able to accumulate all the 1" inch stickers I'll ever need. The obvious recommendation would be to ensure that sticker thickness is the same for all used - I've found that white oak works best for me.

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From Professor Gene Wengert, forum technical advisor:
Stickers are 3/4" thick and dry. Lathe is too thin indeed.

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From contributor G:
When I first started sawing, I needed stickers and tried lathe. It didn't work well. What has worked for me is to find a house being torn down (there are a lot of houses being torn down here). I go in and tear out boards and cut them into stickers.

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From contributor R:
I have been buying what I call 'surveying stakes'. They are about 3/4" x 1", and come in bundles that are not expensive. You can buy a bundle anywhere from 18" long to 36" at most of the big lumber yards. They are dry, cheap, and don't have to be cut.

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From contributor F:
I guess some of you don't need as many stickers as I do. I stacked a job a few days back that took 1500 4ft stickers. It would have cost me a lot to buy this amount. I just stack about 8 dry boards side by side on edge on the sawmill and cut them into 1" strips slowly. When cut, I put several bungee cords around them to hold them tight - then I cut them to length by cutting through them all at one time with the chainsaw. If the boards are 12ft long and 8 to 9" wide, I get 192 4ft stickers using 8 boards. Works for me, but I only saw pine.

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From contributor D:
I've cut stickers from firring strips (3/4 X 2 1/2"). They are 8' and I slice 'em on the table saw into three, then cut bunches into 4' lengths. Each yields 6 pieces of dry, consistently 3/4" thick.