Twisting Timbers From Scotch Pine?

[secureland]

Hi,
Please advise me if I will end up with bad timbers. I do not want to end up with twisted timber
The info:
I'm considering having some larger (6"x6", 8"x8") timbers milled from Scotch Pine(pinus sylvestris) There are some straight logs but there are branches. Some twists.
Will the timbers twist out of control after cut and stored? I would like to use them for posts and beams in building projects and don't want them to be twisted.

Thanks for any replys!

 

[BIG JAKE]

I believe I'd cut the logs, peel em, stack em. Mill after they are dry.

 

[deeker]

I believe I'd cut the logs, peel em, stack em. Mill after they are dry.

:agree2:

 

[Mad Professor]

The most stable wood will be from straight growth milled with the pith centered (beams).

Crap shoot if twisted wood can be used now or later.

 

[striperswaper]

those must be big scotch pines
they don't grow that big around here in CT
if you have a beam machine or similar you might want to take a few skim cuts off them to help them dry more uniformly, then when dry make your posts, I think scotch pine is a weak and knotty wood that would not make a good beam, it rots pretty quick so you need to keep it dry with air circulating
around it

 

[secureland]

The time is there for me to allow them to dry as logs. Is this significantly better than having them milled green into the biggest beam the log will allow?

Thanks for any replies!

 

[BIG JAKE]

I believe so. The problem with corkscrews is just that, the twist. When you square up the sides when green it changes the tension in the beam and thus is a crapshoot to judge. If you dry the log prior to milling, most of the movement will already have occurred. You'll change the equilibrium of said beam again when you mill it dry because you'll remove sections of fibers. Then it'll move again but I believe less. What you're left with is milled lumber that will be much less prone to movement than if milled green. If I was going to build with twisted logs whether green or dry I'd do a lot of blocking and lagging to help control movement of the timbers. I did say help control. If a big beam wants to move it will move(twist), but blocking, lagging, and support brackets help minimize this. Smaller beams are less of a problem to control. Again, I would dry the logs first, then mill. Bummer to have to wait though I understand. In the final analysis you just have to decide how much it matters in the structure you're building. You could try green milling some timbers and build a small structure like an 8X12 storage shed first and see how it does. Then adjust your milling schedule and building techniques based on what you observe when you build your next project. You might also find twisted lumber is more prone to sag than same dimension straight lumber. Again maybe not. Hope some of these ideas help(opinion). Good luck