20 BULLETIN 552, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
RULES FOR PILING LUMBER. 
1. Foundations (Endwise or Side wise Piling). 
(a) The foundations should be strong, solid, and durable. 
(b) The top of each foundation should be level, and from front to back the top 
surface of the parallel skids should be in alignment, so that the lumber to be piled 
will bear equally upon each one. 
(c) The front foundation should be raised above the second, and the second above 
the third, to allow a slant in the stack of 1 inch to every foot. 
(d) The foundations should be spaced not over 4 feet apart, except for heavy planks 
and timbers. 
(e) The front foundation should be of sufficient height to provide space for free 
circulation of air under all parts of the pile. 
2. Lumber (Endwise Piling). 
(a) Skids, preferably 2 by 4 inches, should be laid on top of the foundations. 
(6) Boards of equal length should be piled together. 
(c) The ends of the boards should rest upon the front and rear skids. 
(d) A space of approximately three-fourths inch should be left between boards in 
the same layer. 
(e) Lumber piled in the open should have the front ends of boards in each layer 
slightly protruding beyond the end of the layer beneath, to give a forward pitch to 
the stack. 
3. Lumber (Sidewise Piling). 
(a) Skids, preferably 4 by 6 inches, should be placed across the foundations at 
about 4-foot intervals. The number of skids depends upon the thickness of the 
lumber. 
(b) Boards of equal length should be piled together. 
(c) The boards should be placed on the skids, with about three-fourths inch between 
boards in the same layer. 
(d) Lumber piled in the open should have the front board in each layer project 
slightly beyond the board in the layer beneath, to provide a forward pitch to the stack. 
4. Stickers (Endwise or Sidewise Piling). 
(a) Stickers should be of uniform thickness, preferably seven-eighths inch for 
1-inch lumber and 1^ inches for 2-inch lumber. Their length should be a few inches 
in excess of the width of the pile. 
(b) Stickers should be placed upon. the layer of boards immediately over the skids 
and kept in alignment parallel to the front of the piles. 
(c) The front and rear stickers should be flush with, or protrude beyond, the ends 
of the boards. 
5. Roof Protection (Endwise or Sidewise Piling). 
Cover boards, as a roof protection, should be laid on the top of the pile, extending 
a few inches beyond the front and rear ends of the stack. 
6. Spacing Stacks (Endwise or Sidewise Piling). 
Space between the piles should not be less than 2 feet; 4 or 5 feet is preferred if 
yardage conditions permit. 
