A Quick way to get seasoned wood <video>

[iCreek]

We had a nice weekend so decided to tear down an old barn with the backhoe. Looks like good seasoned wood, keeping the 4"x4" and larger wood for burning in the OWB. Solid oak pieces that should burn well, staying away from the lengths with nails. Here is a video I posted on You Tube from two videos I combined from mid-class point and shoot digital cameras, not the best quality, but was able to capture the fall. Hope you enjoy....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3adD1R_YgYI


A pile after cutting into 24" - 28" lengths

 

[TJ-Bill]

Looks like a perfectly good barn to me..

Looks like your car could use a wash too.

 

[iCreek]

Looks like a perfectly good barn to me..

Looks like your car could use a wash too.

The barn was getting to be a hazard, and a sister in law wants to build a new horse barn in the same spot. The barn was built in the early 1900s from what we can tell, and what family remembers... Some of the beams had roman numbers on them, I guess to mark them as they built it.

It does need a good washing, the 1950 Plymouth car was parked inside the barn in 1971, heck three of the tires held air after we removed the hub caps and filled em up. We then pulled it out Saturday before the Sunday falling.

Going to put it on Craigslist and see if I can get $400 - $500 for it.

 

[Wood Scrounge]

It may be too late or may not apply to your barn but I know 2 people in upstate PA who used this site (or one similar) and made big $$$ http://www.oldbarnwoodsite.com/index.htm

 

[avalancher]

There is a woman that has a business of making picture frame mouldings out of old barn wood, and she pays top dollars for any that is made of Oak. I will dig up her URL if you are interested. She buys wood only in 4-6 ft lengths, and prefers oak above anything else. She was on tv awhile back and mentioned her website, along with what she usually pays for raw wood. it was staggering what a few boards can cost.

 

[Coldfront]

I also tore down an old barn one time. The big oak wood beams where put together with wooden dowel pegs and the nails were squared off steel. the siding and beams sold for big bucks$$$ don't waste money burning it. They wanted it for mantel's for fireplace's and the siding for frames of all kinds, some even wanted it for siding/paneling inside there kitchen. People came from far and wide for old barn wood. Chaaa Chinggg$$$

 

[epicklein22]

Sad to see an old barn go, but that one was too far removed for a possible restoration. I have seen/heard a lot about people paying good money for old barn wood. It has a great look and it is hard these days to get really long wood beams like they use in those old barns.

 

[gink595]

Around here amish will buy them old hand hewn post and beam barns and either make stuff out of them or re erect them into usable order somewhere else, I'd like to make a cabin out of them using the original mortise and tenion joints. A buddy did that last year to his barn and burned most of the winter with what he cut out of it.

 

[iCreek]

Thanks for all the good information, we sold an old log house years ago, that guy came out and did not think this barn structure would be worth $$$ so we decided to just pull it down and salvage the beams and siding for future use or resale, and the other misc. large pieces for burning.

Here is an inside shot (second floor or loft) a few minutes before we pulled her down, we did save the oak ladder that went up to the loft, boy it was solid.

 

[mga]

man...all those nice beams and you save the ladder??

 

[iCreek]

man...all those nice beams and you save the ladder??

The pictures really don't show the bowing and lack of straighness on the beams. We are saving the straight beams and siding also, just not getting the full length of the beams salvaged after the fall. Think about it, how would you 'save a beam' without taking it apart, starting with the roof and spending weeks or months piece by piece? Figured that it was not worth risking our lives over, much safer going through it with a backhoe and on foot

ps. It is a nice ladder !!!!

 

[George G]

Heres a place that buys old beams.

Not sure if this is going too work, But, we'll try it



http://www.pioneermillworks.com/

 

[CharlieG]

That was a waste of a timberframed structure....for firewood. Well, it's that I love timberframed buildings. Like a previous poster mentioned, salvaged barns like yours are valuable. Or should I put that in a past tense .

 

[mga]

That was a waste of a timberframed structure....for firewood. Well, it's that I love timberframed buildings. Like a previous poster mentioned, salvaged barns like yours are valuable. Or should I put that in a past tense .

i guess it's like black walnut trees.....to some, they're worth money, to others they're just more firewood.

there might be a market for old barn wood, but sometimes it's just not worth the hassle.

 

[Rookie1]

I know to each his own and you have your reasons as stated but where I live I know 2 people that spent alot of money to have barns like that fixed by the Amish so they would be safe and useful again. I couldnt finish watching video.

 

[coog]

The barn was getting to be a hazard, and a sister in law wants to build a new horse barn in the same spot. The barn was built in the early 1900s from what we can tell, and what family remembers... Some of the beams had roman numbers on them, I guess to mark them as they built it.

It does need a good washing, the 1950 Plymouth car was parked inside the barn in 1971, heck three of the tires held air after we removed the hub caps and filled em up. We then pulled it out Saturday before the Sunday falling.

Going to put it on Craigslist and see if I can get $400 - $500 for it.

The Roman numerals mark the number of the bent;you will see that they go up or down as you walk the aisle.I am sorry for your loss, I understand the scope of restoration

 

[NDtreehugger]

Man O man

I have boxes of old rusty nails I have pulled from old barns to save the wood.

This summer I priced fence boards 6x8x3/4 something like 8 bucks a board..

Found an old barn the farmer want gone told him I would do it for free If I could keep the wood yupppppppppppppp please go for it the old guy said

All of it, beams, studs, siding, all western red cedar

yep got my woodshed, fence, and siding on the tool shed,

Next year I will be using the cedar to rebuild the roof in the 3 car garage.

I hate to see all that good wood go to waste.

another one for you..

guy around the corner, his garage is built from the wood from an old church
western red cedar if kept off the ground is for ever

burn if you must but first count the change in your pocket!!!!

 

[SAW]

Man that was a nice barn

 

[mtfallsmikey]

It looked nice

But...a lot of old barns are really unsafe now...when they were built, people didn't expect them to last 100 years. I've been involved in a few tear downs myself, and recycle old lumber. a friend had a Pa. company tear down his barn, left the frames on the ends (chestnut!)...he burned the rest...talk about making you sick!