Ryan Willock
Addicted to ArboristSite
besides ceder and cypress, what would ya'll use for barn posts? some thing that has a LONG life expectancy with out being treated.
Barn posts
- Thread starter Ryan Willock
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Striker
ArboristSite Operative
Here in central ohio, a lot of old barns were constructed with beech posts and beams. I know of some that are at least 70 years old.
John Paul Sanborn
Above average climber
Alder is used for pier pileings, many old barns up north here are made with tamerack.
ksu_chainsaw
ArboristSite Lurker
around here people have used lots of different wood for barn posts. #1 is hedge or osage orange- we have some as fence posts and they have been in the ground longer than grandma can remember and they are so hard that you can't drive anything into it. #2 is locust- it gets very hard and is also used for many fence posts around here. #3- anything that the builder could find- lots of blackjack oak, mulberry, and other hard woods that the farmers could find. I have several sheds that have hedge 6x6's for main posts and now 5 years later i can't pound a nail into them without predrilling a hole-
i guess that's a good thing because the neighbor slid into it last winter and didn't hurt the shed at all- he needed a new bumber on his truck though Hope i've help you out
Charles
i guess that's a good thing because the neighbor slid into it last winter and didn't hurt the shed at all- he needed a new bumber on his truck though Hope i've help you outCharles
treeguy347
ArboristSite Operative
I just saw a barn made from hemlock beams that is over 100 years old. Still sound, but in desperate need of a roof.
treetopper
ArboristSite Lurker
Barns in Maine such as my fathers dated 1838 still stand straight and solid. The barns were built on rock posts and stone foundations using hemlock, white pine some with bark left on, tamarack aka eastern larch, and what ever was available. Secret to the success is dryness. If a roof fails in new england these old barns will fail in a little as three years when the water hits the old dry wood and rot starts. If you're putting posts in the ground, use PT, if you have termites take local recommended precautions, and put on a good roof structure with high grade steel roofing that sheds water well away from the wood work. Aught to last as long as you need the barn. Keep the roof tight, the foundation area dry and post a picture in 165 years and show us how you made out.
Tim Gardner
ArboristSite Guru
We always used quartered treated telephone poles. Or just have a ground mill square two sides.
