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I'm putting a roof over my head!

Started by WoodChucker, May 16, 2003, 05:02:27 PM

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WoodChucker

All this rain we've been having has helped me make up my mind to build a shed for my saw mill.  It will be 24'x40' with a shed type roof. I'm not sure how high to make the ceiling from front to back, any suggestion on that?

I plan on putting two doorways on the front, one 18' wide and one 12' wide, but this could change with any good suggestions from the people here that already have sheds/buildings for there mills and have a better idea?

I could also add a doorway on the left side of the entry doors if theres a good enough reason to?

Part of it will be used to air dry lumber, so I guess I shouldn't have any solid walls, hey?  I was going to have three just for a wind break, but would that be stupid if I'm trying to dry wood?

As you can tell, I'm pretty much asking you guys to help me lay this out and make as few mistakes as possible. So I would really appreciate any and all advice. Thanks! :)

Here is a link to a pic of the site:

http://www.thewoodchucker.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/futureshed3.jpg
If a Husband & Wife are alone in the forrest fighting and no one is around to hear them, is he still wrong anyway?

Furby

Hey WoodChucker,
 Why don't you make it 24' x 40' with four walls, and add an overhang of 6'-10' on a couple of sides? Good place to store wood, just keep it away from the walls.
 Also, I would think about having just your 18' door on the front. Split it down the middle (top to bottom) so it will slide off to either side. Then if you can, put your 12' door around the corner. That way you have flexability, and also can get some good air flow when YOU need it. ;)
 If you can afford it go for 10' or 12' walls. I only have 8' and I can't do what I wan't to with the space I have. Also with the taller walls you could add a overhead hoist on trolleys to move stuff with.

 Note: Sounds like you want the 40' side as a front? OK, but your trusses will run from front to back so you will have a lot of roof to look at. I have a 32' x 40' with the 32' as a front wall. I don't think I could live with the roof facing the front, but that's just me.
        Furby

WoodChucker

Furby,

Some good ideas ya got there, I like the idea of an overhang on the side, I think I could work that out ok, but I might have to cut down an apple tree thats in the way, (no apples anyway). :)

The roof that I'll be using is a shed roof, I want the water to run off to the back where it's a little lower and slopes downhill, so the front will be a few feet higher then the back. Plus it will save me a few bucks.

Never thought to much about hoist, is that something I'd get a lot of use out of?  I'm new so I'm not sure what it would even be used for.

I was thinking about just having some lime stone for a floor and then down the road having cement poured, anyone see a problem with that?

Thanks for all the input, it's nice to hear other peoples ideas that have already been there. :)

R.T.
If a Husband & Wife are alone in the forrest fighting and no one is around to hear them, is he still wrong anyway?

Frank_Pender

WC I made my walls 18' high.  The building is 50' long.  I did make the mistake of only making the building 18' wide. :'(
 95% of our weather comes from the South, Southwest, so I made the main opening facing North. It is 30' wide and 18' high.  the heade is a solid pice of Doug Fir, 8"thick and 28" wide.   ;D  Each end of the building has a accordial door unit that is easily opened or closed, depending on the velocity of the wind. :-/  the East end is used for removing the lumber from one of my mills and places on a platform for banding and removal.  Make sure you are as wide as you can go.  You will surely use the room.
Frank Pender

WoodChucker

Frank_Pender,

Wow, 18' high? Was you planing on a vertical mill? lol j/k

Yeah I made it as large as I could with the space that I had, if it were any bigger then I'd have to make the road in front of it wider and I didn't want to go that far.

The wind for me comes from the NE and I have the front facing south, so that should be pretty good.

I'm sure I could use a lot more room, but I can't do it right now. Seems like everything I've ever built has ended up being to small. Even if I figure out to the inch, the size I need and then double it, it still ends up being to small. lol

I think I just keep getting bigger toys!  ;D

Thanks for your input!

R.T.
If a Husband & Wife are alone in the forrest fighting and no one is around to hear them, is he still wrong anyway?

OneWithWood

WC,
The building I am starting (if it ever quits raining and dries up a bit) for my milling operation will be 28 x 72 with 12' walls and a trussed roof.  The building will have two 9' doors on the west end (short wall) and a 9' door on the east end.  Halfway down the length between the two doors on the inside will be my Nyles 2000 kiln.  I plan on pouring a concrete slab with imbedded angle iron rails running the length of the building through the kiln which will have doors on each end.  The south wall (long wall) will have a 20' door about 5' in from the west side to load logs onto my WM LT40HDG25.  I hope to put a major dust collection system in so I can blow the sawdust outside to a bin or truck.  The idea is to mill the lumber, stack it on carts with V groove casters, roll them into the kiln, dry the lumber, roll the carts out the east end of the kiln to unload.  I may put in a winch system to pull the carts through the kiln.
I decided on this plan after getting a lot of info from members of this forum and visiting a few sawyers and listening to what they would do differently.
Feel free to borrow any ideas that might work for you.  
One With Wood
LT40HDG25, Woodmizer DH4000 Kiln

WoodChucker

OneWithWood,

I could put my building inside of yours, lol.

You guys are really starting to make me re-think my plans. It would be nice to have the setup you guys are talking about. But I'm not in the business as of yet, just milling for myself right now.  

I'm curious as to how you guys deal with the exhaust fumes from your mills when working inside an in-closed building? Is just leaving the doors open enough, or do you have another way of dealing with it?

My biggest concern right now is what type of floor to have, to save money I was thinking about limestone, but I'm not sure if thats a good idea or not. Might be a problem with the saw dust?  

Anyway, thanks for sharing your ideas and good luck with your project. :)

R.T.
If a Husband & Wife are alone in the forrest fighting and no one is around to hear them, is he still wrong anyway?

Ed_K

Here's why I'm putting a roof over mine too.

Ed K
Ed K

OneWithWood

WC,
The largest expense for my building will be the slab.  All the lumber I am going to mill out of a couple of stands of Aspen a few poplars and sassafrass for the siding.  I am doing all the work myself after getting a quote for the concete work that was three times my budget :o
I am planning on exhausting the fumes from the mill along with the sawdust.
If you go with a limestone floor ( I assume you mean crushed limestone ) the organic matter will build up from the sawdust and may cause you some problems when you do pour a slab. Just something to think about.
One With Wood
LT40HDG25, Woodmizer DH4000 Kiln

Larry

OWW,
I am thinking about building my sawmill shed about the same as yours.  I am thinking 18' wide and around a 100' long.  The tracks for the kiln carts would be right behind the mill so I would have an offset in the building to center the tracks through the Nyle 200.  The reason I am thinking about longer is so I have enough room to build a couple of stacks that can air dry while a load is drying in the kiln.  I also want enough room after I pull a dry load out of the kiln to run it through the planer. :P

I am thinking timber frame over the mill and where I am going to air-dry with no walls.  Rest will be trusses and walls.

That concrete gets to be expensive.  I poured the slab for my live in shop a little over a year ago.  Saved a lot by doing all the grunt work myself so I only had to pay the concrete guys to pour and finish.  Never want to see one of those wire rebar ties again!  Worked out to be about $2.00 S/F.

For dust collection I built a blower much like the Suffolk blower.  Only used it so far on the planer but it has a heavy enough fan to take hits from big chunks of wood and blows the chips about 20' into a stock trailer.  Plan on using it on the mill also when I get the shed built.

Your way ahead of me so keep us posted of your progress.
Larry, making useful and beautiful things out of the most environmental friendly material on the planet.

We need to insure our customers understand the importance of our craft.

Frank_Pender

WC, I do not have any problems with exhaust and the big door I spoke of earlier.  The main reason for the high ceiling and doorway for log entry, was that I had planned on locating a log loader on a very large slabe of concrete at the opposite end from where the lumber leaves the building.  ::) It was a dream that never came to  pass. :'(  
Frank Pender

Furby

 WC - If you can find the cash, pour a slab now. You won't regret it. I have a dirt floor in my building, and have been trying to pour a slab for 1 1/2 years now. I just keep getting more and more stuff in there and now it is almost impossible. :-/

 It sounds to me the reason to you'll use a shed roof is because you'll mill the rafters yourself? Trusses aren't that costly so if you aren't going to have a big cost difference, I'd go with trusses. Also think about running the roof in a direction so that you can add on down the road (when you run out of room). ;)

Note: You can use the hoist to move logs, flip cants, and even pick up that stray log that rolls off the other side of the mill. ;D :D :D

WoodChucker

Ed K, not a pretty picture for sure.

OneWithWood, yeah that cement is not cheap but it sure would be nice to have. Oh and yes, I was talking about crushed limestone, good point about the saw dust.

Frank_Pender, yeah i know about dreams, if I could just stay asleep I'd have it made in the shade.  ;D

Furby, I sure wish I could find the cash flow, but it's just not there right now. I just bought a new Delta table saw and some other woodworking tools so I'm pretty much tapped out.

The main reason I was going with a shed roof was to have the water run off behind the building. Also, I thought it would be cheaper, but your saying not by much, hey?  Well I'll have to see what I can come up with then. Do they make a 40' truss? I wouldn't want it to go the other way because then the water would dump right in my doorway. Thanks again for all the good info, I really appreciate it.

R.T.

BTW, what happen to my picture? Did I make it to big or something? I don't care that it was changed to a link, just wanted to know if I did something wrong so I don't do it again. :)
If a Husband & Wife are alone in the forrest fighting and no one is around to hear them, is he still wrong anyway?

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