Lodgepole Pine Paneling

[Reeder]

Hey guys; Long time lurker (yearss) but just registered. I'm taking the plunge.

I'm headed up to get some lodgepole pine (not beetlekill) here in Colorado.

I'm going to be milling it to 1" x 6-12"ish. These trees are freshly cut live trees. My question is; should I sticker and dry the slabs (like for woodworking), or can I simply screw them to the walls. I have a pole barn with horizontal purlins at 2 ft. on center. I'm going to leave them rough (*not planed) and simply butt them together. If I screw them to the walls now, will I get too much shrinkage or twisting, or will the screws hold them flat? Will they shrink too much and leave large gaps?

Thanks! You guys are incredible knowledgeable. I'm off to scan the net/ebay for an old saw I can mill with.

Reeder

 

[redprospector]

If you screw them up green you will have some problems with shrinkage.
I know with Ponderosa Pine a 1x12 can shrink over 1/4", it can break off the screws, or split at the screw. Let em dry out a while and you'll be ok.

Andy

 

[Reeder]

Thanks for the opinion. I'll be sure to dry them first.

 

[carvinmark]

If you screw them up green you will have some problems with shrinkage.
I know with Ponderosa Pine a 1x12 can shrink over 1/4", it can break off the screws, or split at the screw. Let em dry out a while and you'll be ok.

Andy

+1

 

[spencerhenry]

why not use dry beetle kill? the green lodgepole will definitely shrink. you will probably end up with gaps over a 1/4". all i mill is standing dead, mostly lodgepole but some spruce as well. green lodgepole can be pretty pitchy. contrary to what alot of people think, the beetles that kill the trees do NOT hurt the wood, the only think you find is blue stain, which after milled and left out in the sun (like the side of a building) becomes faint. i am siding my barn with nothing but beetle kill lodgepole, cut dry, then stickered and then made into lap. i still ocassionally get some shrinkage. every one that has seen it says my barn is beautiful.
i am in western colorado, and have alot of logs.

 

[MJR]

I do not have any experience with your pine. I have done a bunch of Norway Spruce. I think you would be surprised how fast your pine air dries when sticker and stacked in just a month and a half. If you put baton on you do not have to worry about the cracks. I have also used board on board siding on a pole barn. This also looks very nice and goes up fast (and you do not have to worry about perfect board edges). I will try to find pictures. It may be pre digital… Good luck.

 

[redprospector]

Yep, my 1/4" shrinkage figure was pretty conservative.
I don't know much about lodgepole, but depending on the time of year it was cut I've had ponderosa 1x12 shrink to 11 3/8'. I've nailed it up green before too, and wound up with 1 1/4" to 1 1/2" gap's depending on how tight the boards were nailed up.
I do like the beetle killed pine for the fact you can use it a lot quicker, and you don't have the shrinkage of green.

Andy

 

[Reeder]

Well. You guys are convincing me. I think I'm going to hang on to the green for furniture work. I'll head up and get some of the beetle kill for the shop.

Spencerhenry: As you are in Colorado as well; How long do you dry your beetle kill prior to nailing it up? I'm between Longmont and Denver. Pretty dry. How long would you suggest I dry prior to using the beetle kill as siding?

Thanks for steering me in the right direction.

 

[spencerhenry]

how long to dry is a function of what you started with. some of the beetle kill that i mill is ready to put up immediately, some i let dry for a week or so. i almost never mill and put up right away. i mill when i am milling, and build when i am building, usually thats not in the same week. some of the stuff i use was milled over a year ago, just havent had the time to use it.

 

[smokechase II]

Lodgepole trivia

"Contrary to what a lot of people think, the beetles that kill the trees do NOT hurt the wood, "

That is not totally true, although it isn't important to you.

The beetles carry spores for rot on their bodies.
The blue stain is the first stage of the rotting process in the wood.
The Mtn Pine beetle attacks the cambium, then the rot moves inward.

However; the blue stain, reasonable early on is still just fine for strength.
I would suggest that used in mud rooms, rough cut blue stain for open ceilings etc. is very attractive.

One thing about milling dry wood. For the most part, immediately after sawn you'll see the warp of any particular cut happen. This is as good news for you as the shrinkage aspect.

 

[Reeder]

Thanks for the great info. Looks like I'll be loading my trailer and heading to the mountians...

Anyone here build furniture with lodgepole pine? I'm looking for feedback on whether I need to kiln it to set the pitch, etc.

Thanks,

Wayne

 

[Reeder]

Hey Spencerhenry:

I got a load of the beetlekill last weekend. Wow. It's much lighter than the green stuff I had been pulling. Seems pretty dry.

For siding the inside of my shop, I was considering actually milling this at 3/4", instead of the usual 1". I could squeeze a few more boards out of each log that way. What do you think?

I'd finish drying it in the shop (to acclimate) then screw it up.

 

[spencerhenry]

i mill all of my 1x at 7/8. never had any complaints, or problems so far. in the last few days i have been milling up all of my small logs to make 1x for siding on a barn i am building. i am going to let this new material sit sticker stacked for as long as possible. it takes a long time for lumber to dry when the high temp of the day is in the 20's.

in a previous post it was stated that the beetles and the subsequent blue stain causes the logs to rot, or at least starts them on their way. i actually think this is untrue. while the blue stain is a fungus carried by the beetles, it doesnt hurt the wood. there is a high production stud mill near here, and they buy all the lodgepole they can get. almost all of it is beetle kill with blue stain. in fact the trusses that just went up on this barn have blue stain pine members. the material that the trusses are made of is machine stress rated 'MSR'. also the blue stain pine that i have on the outside of my shop, is not blue anymore, the sun has bleached it. i have logs in a pile that i cut and skid over 2 years ago, the trees had been dead on the stump for at least 3 years, and there are still no signs of rot.
around here, beetle kill spruce if left on the stump can still be good for more than 10 to 20 years after it dies. and spruce rots way faster than pine.

 

[Reeder]

Yeah. You guys are getting a little chilly over there. Our lack of snow is helping to keep me in the shop, instead of on the slopes, so I'll take it.

Spencerhenry, do you have any pics of your siding?

Thanks,