Sorting by use: what goes to the bench, what waits
A board stack grows quietly. Within a year it holds more than anyone can remember. A simple sort keeps it useful.
Four piles
- Ready: dry, flat and straight. These go to the bench.
- Drying: stickered and dated, with a note on the expected date.
- Short stock: pieces under a metre. Good for small boxes and jigs.
- Firewood: anything cracked through or split along the heart.
Mark each board on its face with chalk: species, thickness, and the date it was cut. A board that has lost its label becomes a guess, and guesses cost money.
Once a season, walk the yard and move one board from each pile to the next. It takes an afternoon, and it changes what you can build in the winter.