Lumber questions

[034avsuper]

I started working at a sawmill about two months ago, I can get rough sawn lumber for dirt cheap. I plan on building a shed this summer sometime. The wood is spruce, I'm not sure what kind of spruce or if there even is different kinds? They don't plane lumber there, so I plan to just buy it rough sawn and plane it myself to save some cash. My questions are, how long should it be air dryed before building with it? I have a smaller shed right now that I could dry it in, but it is uninsulated, if that makes a difference. Should I plane it before drying or after? The wood will be 2 inch and 1 inch, I'm guessing different drying times? Thanks in advance.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

For a shed, use the lumber right off the mill, BUT any lumber in, or within 12" of the ground needs to be PT (pressure treated) lumber.

The lumber will dry just fine nailed into place.

Rob

 

[jimdad07]

For a shed, use the lumber right off the mill, BUT any lumber in, or within 12" of the ground needs to be PT (pressure treated) lumber.

The lumber will dry just fine nailed into place.

Rob

Plus one, either put it all up green, or put it all up dry. I prefer using rough cut green myself as it will all shrink together and it won't warp and twist as much as letting it air dry. The extra width and thickness on the rough cut also makes it a little beefier.

 

[Talltom]

Two reasons to plane lumber - make it look nice and make it uniform thickness. I doubt that either applies to your application.

Using green or partially dried wood depends on how green it is and how fast you build the shed. The most warping will occur a the beginning of the drying process. While it is true that the structure will minimize warping, that only happens when the structure is fully tied together (including sheathing/siding.) Green lumber can warp plenty in a couple weeks in the summer heat. I experienced this last month when I built a deck for a shed with pressure treated (i.e. wet) lumber. It started out pretty straight and square but didn't stay that way. You may be better off stacking and stickering the wood to get it through the initial stages of drying. Weight or strap the pile to minimize warp.

 

[gemniii]

And remember it's usually a LOT easier to drive a nail thru it when it's slightly green then when dried hard.

 

[dancan]

Friends of mine have built many sheds (board and batten) out of bandsaw cut green lumber with no ill effects .
The unplanned wood takes the stain the best .
We built a cabin for the kids and sheathed it with spruce clapboard and did have a couple clapboards crack but overall it was no worse than store bought lumber . We did end up with a little air gap on the floor when it dried out during the summer .
The cabin was built on hemlock skids but since your in NB I'd look for some cedar if you have any direct ground contact .

 

[034avsuper]

Thanks for the help everyone. Talltom has a point, I may be better off drying for awhile? How long should the lumber be dried? I don't think I'll bother to plane it. The shed will be fully insulated, vapor barrier, siding, drywall, etc, like a house. If I used wet lumber, wouldn't mold occur?

 

[Talltom]

The quality of the framing lumber is much more important when you're building an insulated structure with a finished interior. The dryer, the better, but you can still use air dried lumber if you provide a way for the moisture to migrate out. Since your in a heating climate, you'll want to use a vapor barrier behind the drywall, so don't use one on the outside (no tar paper.) I recommend that you dry the wood for a couple of months before building the structure but delay installation of the insulation & drywall for several months so it can dry in both directions. If you use lumber with some moisture in it (air dried EMC=15-20%, kiln dried= 8-10%), you will probably get condensation on the inside of the sheathing during the first winter if you insulate and heat it and that can cause mold problems. The siding will also dry more evenly if exposed on both sides. If it dries on one side only, it will cup.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I would put the bld up with green lumber but not close the walls in, and then let it sit a month or so, softwood dries very fast and just fine right in place. The lumber only has to get down to 20% or so, and if you had bought the lumber at the lumberyard, it still would be at, AT LEAST 20%. Yeaaa they kiln dry it, then it sits around and picks moisture back up, many times getting rained on!

Lots of houses are still built this way, but if moisture content bothers you that much, just get a moisture meter and check it for yourself...

Rob