what type of tree for this project?

[foursaps]

i am going to be cutting down some trees to mill into dimensional lumber for building a sugaring house for our maple syrup. i am still doing a little research on whether it will be post and beam or traditional framing, either way i will be milling all the lumber for the project.

the question: What type of wood should i use for this lumber? we have 20 acres of trees to choose from, and the species on the land are as follows;

Red oak
White oak
red maple
sugar maple (that won't be used for lumber, it's where we get our sap!)
Norway maple
Red pine
Elm
hickory
gray birch

i have heard that red pine, when dry, is hard as a rock and will last. but i am looking for others input here, so what do you think??

thanks!

 

[jdrum]

sugar maple = TLC
red pine = demision lumber
birch = cabnets
elm = fire wood
make the rest into furniture and firewood

i used to live in ny and boiled more than a feeeeewwwwww buckets of sap. some times i wish i was still there sure do miss it. have you ever taped any birch and boiled a small batch. not as sweet but tasty.

jim

 

[Mike Van]

White oak is the most rot resistant of what you have listed, use that for sills. The rest of the building, frame it & side it with softwood. Red or white pine, spruce, whatever you have. Woods as hard as hickory do not make good lumber.

 

[foursaps]

thanks guys, i wasn't sure if the oak would be better suited for the framing than the red pine. we have a few pines here that are 36" + in diameter, so one of those should take care of a lot of the lumber for the sugar house. now i have to figure out if i can do a post and beam. i have never built one and would love to learn, but this may not be the project for that!!

jdrum- never tapped any birch, we don't have many here, but our maples are everywhere! i have always wondered what the birch syrup tastes like... we will be tapping 100+ trees this year, it is a time of year that never comes around fast enough!!

 

[jdrum]

I ENVEY YOU
im stuck here in alabama now.

jim

 

[logging22]

I ENVEY YOU
im stuck here in alabama now.

jim

Is there any trees left in bama? Thought it all went for paper and pulp.

 

[Brmorgan]

sugar maple = TLC
red pine = demision lumber
birch = cabnets
elm = fire wood
make the rest into furniture and firewood

i used to live in ny and boiled more than a feeeeewwwwww buckets of sap. some times i wish i was still there sure do miss it. have you ever taped any birch and boiled a small batch. not as sweet but tasty.

jim

Oak, maple, and hickory for firewood? Heresy!!! Assuming they'd make good saw logs anyway. I agree with using the pine for framing. Keep it dry and it'll last for generations. No need to wear yourself (or tools) out pounding nails into hardwoods.

 

[jdrum]

your right logger there an't much real timber left in bama. but here and there you can find a few patches of some nice stuff. i know where there are some long leaf pine that will go 45 to 60 " on the butt but few and far between. mostly lob-lolly pine. hardwoods are real patchy, to many generations of clear cutting. if you can get in the right place a the right time, in front of the developers you can get some good stuff. a few years back i saw about 25,000 bbl of cherry veneer quality logs and as much in 16 to 28" saw logs go up in smoke.

jim

 

[discounthunter]

soft woods for structural purposes,hardwoods you'll regret it.

 

[foursaps]

sounds like i have to fell a red pine!! still not sure if i should take 2 20" diameter or the one big 36"+ diameter one down. i kinda feel bad taking the big one, it's probably been there for a while!!

most of the trees here are pretty straight and good mill logs. i just got done building an alaskan mill for myself, so this is going to be my first milling poject. well, not really, i am going to be practicing on some cherry logs first to be used for interior trim.
i'll take some pics of the mill for some constructive criticism.

 

[stipes]

soft woods for structural purposes,hardwoods you'll regret it.

:agree2:

 

[Brmorgan]

Yeah it's no fun to have to pre-drill your nail holes!

 

[chuckwood]

nailing hardwoods

Yeah it's no fun to have to pre-drill your nail holes!

I've done ok nailing oak barnboards and lumber by using a big, powerful nailgun with the pressure turned up to the limit. Another option is self-drilling screws using a screwgun. Cracking will be a problem unless the lumber is green.

I've been doing repair/maintenance at an old farm. They apparently built everything, including the farmhouse itself, out of oak, maybe it was milled right there on the site during construction in the 30's. Working on the house is a challenge, walls are sheathed inside and out with 3/4 oak boards. The roof decking is all oak. Try nailing shingles onto that. I'm at a loss to imagine how they built the barn. Massive oak timbers with giant nails. They had to have built it all with green lumber.

 

[Brmorgan]

Yeah I know they did it a lot in the old days, which is part of why those buildings are still standing. I just wouldn't do it if I didn't have to!

 

[striperswaper]

for a sugar shack I would make post and beam or even a modified pole barn construction, stick framing doesn't go with sugaring
when you start milling practice on some junk logs first you will be glad you did
don't forget the pics, this will be for next year, right?

 

[foursaps]

for a sugar shack I would make post and beam or even a modified pole barn construction, stick framing doesn't go with sugaring
when you start milling practice on some junk logs first you will be glad you did
don't forget the pics, this will be for next year, right?

yes this is for next year, got to let the wood dry for a little while at least!! when you say modified pole barn, what do you mean? i have no experience building a pole barn, however i am a carpenter by trade, so it is something i would like to learn.

anyone have any good links to pole barn construction methods??

 

[striperswaper]

site location is really important for a sugarhouse. gravity is your friend and a foe. locating your tanks, taps trail/road access above the sugarhouse if possible will help make a slick operation. visit as many operations as you can to help you plan yours. milling the wood is fun, a bonus, but site design is far more important
windows on the south side, clearstory windows/vents are all things you should try to incorporate into your design
how much rock/ledge do you have? what kind of foundation have you considered?

 

[trax]

I agree soft woods for the framing and siding. Hardwood for trim, cabinets and floors.


No Hemlock ? Hemlock is my favorite softwood to mill for demensional lumber and siding no sap to speak of

 

[foursaps]

thats a nice shed! i'm guessing you milled the siding?? came out great!

after doing more research i believe a pole barn is more suited for our needs and my building knowledge. traditional framing would be fine, but because it is a sugar shack i want an older type of construction that kind of goes with the purpose of the shack.

seems like a pole barn is easier to build as well. gonna have to figure out the dimensions of the lumber needed to i can pick the trees to cut. when drying the lumber, what is the best way to keep the posts (probably 4x6) from warping? (I.E. a preferred stacking method? 1000#'s on top to keep them straight?)