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• Stacking 'en boule'
  It is often desirable to leave sawn timber unedged and stacked in log form ('en boule') until it is air dried and ready for conversion into shaped pieces. Advantage can then be taken during the sawing process of any natural curves in the log. There is also a demand for wood cut from the same log as this can be readily matched for figure or colour. Stacking 'en boule' reduces handling to a minimum since the boards can be stacked straight off the saw and each 'boule' transported as a unit. The drying of wood 'en boule' tends to be rapid because the pile of boards is narrow. Hence to avoid drying degrade only small, 13-19 mm thick, stickers are used and the end grain of the boards should be sealed.
  
  
• Self Crossing
  When drying dimension stock of convenient sizes such as squares and rails, self crossing or cross racking is often used (see figure below). Piling sticks are not needed and the quantity of timber that can be stacked per unit area is increased.
  
  

Box or cross piling should only be used when timber is fairly dry, ie., 10% or 12%, and only in covered storage. Points of contact between boards encourages the development of staining fungi.(UCNW 1977)

• End Racking
  In the drying of wood species that undergo colour changes when exposed to light or water it is preferable to air dry the surfaces rapidly. One simple method of achieving this is to pile the pieces vertically against a wall or rack which keeps them at least 25 mm apart.
  
  

  

  Air drying (end racking) of teak (Tectona grandis), Chiang Mai, Thailand, prior to furniture manufacture. (Courtesy of Dr Phil Evans)

• Bristol Piling
  Prior to the extensive use of kilns for drying permeable soft and hardwoods these timbers were often air dried by piling without the use of stickers (see figure below). This method of stacking termed Bristol piling is relatively simple and allows reasonable air circulation without the use of stickers. A further advantage of this method is that it can be used to create a self roofing structure simply by reducing the number of boards on the top of the pile to produce an apex.
  
  

Bristol piling of timber during air drying. (UCNW 1977)

• Cross Piling of Rounds
  Drying of round products such as power poles may be undertaken prior to and after preservative treatment by cross piling the poles. Drying of poles is slow and may take up to two years in temperate climates. Care has to be taken to avoid end grain checking in the poles and therefore the end grain is usually prevented from checking by the application of metal cleats or sealers.
  
  

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