Suggestions on storage and prep of rough sawn lumber

[wh500special]

I'm between projects for the moment while my wife decides what my next build is going to be, so I've been tidying up my basement shop and sorting my materials.

A few years ago at an auction I bought a sizeable pile of rough-sawn black walnut and poplar.  The walnut is generally in excellent shape and is quite flat and straight, the poplar on the other hand has a lot of twist but - as poplar goes - is nice stuff.  The bulk of the poplar is 2" thick and 8" wide.  Up to 8' long.  As I've been using it, I cut it a little long and flatten it on the jointer then go about my merry way.

The problem is that a good bit of the pile is largely unstackable due to the twist.  The worst pieces are twisted probably 45 degrees over their 8' length.  I want to consolidate it.

So, here's my question...

Should I expect this poplar lumber to remain reasonably flat if I cut it into smaller lengths and flatten it on the jointer?  I expect to store and use the finished product for a long time right where it has been in the basement.

I'd sticker and stack it flat of course after doing so.  It's already been in my basement for a few years and prior to that it air-dried in a barn for probably 6 years, so it is likely as dry as it is going to get.  Cutting it shorter and flattening it obviously allows better stacking which is my primary goal.

I don't have a lot invested in this lumber (I paid $11 for approximately 120 BF) so I'm not particularly worried about the value of it, but I'd rather not invest the time to flatten it now if there is a lot of probability that the twist will return.  I'll just pile it up the best I can and watch it teeter as I pull material for projects as I do now.  The material I have used in projects has stayed true so far, but of course when it gets "tied down" into an assembly it really isn't as free to move about like it would be in open air.

Just looking for suggestions over what I should expect if I start making lots of chips with the jointer and planer.

Thanks,
Steve

 

[w802h]

The wood has had time to go through a natural drying process, although basements can be higher humidity environments.  It sounds like it's firewood unless you use short, thinner pieces.  The resawing and milling process can release tension in the boards and cause them to move again.  For that reason I like to sneak up on my final sizing over a period of days. 

The better idea of your final dimensions the easier this process will be since you'll know what to shoot for.  Narrower, shorter pieces can be thicker in dimension than wider, longer ones that need more passes to flatten.  Without a plan I'd do nothing, but if you have some ideas of the final product then I'd absolutely start flattening and squaring things after cross-cutting and ripping to get pieces with more reasonable amounts of twist. 

 

[wh500special]

Thanks!

You hit on my concerns about relieving the stress and setting the material up for further movement.  That's my unknown.

I squared up a few pieces this weekend and will let them sit a while to see if anything happens.  If they weren't so hard to stack it would be a non-issue for me, but as it is the twist and cupping makes things difficult.

Thanks, Steve