Making Shingles

Mark M · October 29, 2003, 12:47:44 PM

So then - here's the problem: da turdy room house is going to need a new roof sometime in da not too distant future. Right now it's got wooden shingles so me thinks "why don't ya saw yourself some shingles wid da sawmill". "Good idea" me also thinks" but what kind of trees can I make shingles out of? If I was still in MN I would go down to the nearest cedar swamp and cut down some white cedar, problem is we don't have any white cedar around here. I might be able to get some phone poles from the power company (is that the same as power poles from the phone company?) that I think are red cedar, any reason they wouldn't work? How about other species? We are somewhat limited out here so I am not too optimistic but I would sure appreciate your input.

Thanks

Mark

Buzz-sawyer · October 29, 2003, 03:10:52 PM

Mark my pal uses phone polls for decks...but they smell like creosote...might be a problem for ya....sure do last long though
Don

Larry · October 29, 2003, 03:51:18 PM

Mark,
Phone and power poles are all the same. I have made a bunch of shingles out of them in the traditional manner by using a froe. You need pretty good size poles about 20" or more in diameter as the heart and outer edges are waste. Put the shingles on stuff like picnic houses, gazebos, and etc. Looked good and worked great. For a house I wouldn't even consider it. One spark from a bottle rocket on a shingle treated with creosote and poof your house is toast. Insurance company might not think too highly of the idea either.

IndyIan · October 29, 2003, 04:42:42 PM

Norwood makes some shingle jigs, I believe you can have two on your mill at once to make 4 shingles at a pass.

I imagine a turdy room house needs quite a few though... On the plus side you can easily justify the shingle jigs! ;)

Tamarack is supposed to be rot resistant as well if that's available, white oak too but not red oak. I think even white pine is acceptable on an unshaded roof.

I bought a shingle froe since we have lots of white cedar. Of course when we really had a good look at our trees, looking for a shingle tree, we found that none of them are clear of knots... ;D

Ian

Minnesota_boy · October 29, 2003, 05:32:39 PM

I was told by an old timer (my dad) that cedar shingles were the best, but they couldn't afford them when they built the barn, so they used white pine shingles, which were quite a bit cheaper at that time, but they don't last as long as the cedar ones. We had to put a new roof on after only 60 years.

Captain · October 31, 2003, 04:34:46 AM

This concept interests me, especially for building my small outbuildings for sale. I found a shingle froe for sale at Leevalley. Does anybody know of some publications about hand spltting shingles? What about storing them before use? I have a hard time storing tapered siding without degrade (tough to stack and maintain air circulation)

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.asp?SID=&ccurrency=2&page=20116&category=1,41131,41140

Also, thinking of speed, has anyone seen a "hydraulic" froe, I was thinking of a woodsplitter modification..... ;)

Captain

IndyIan · October 31, 2003, 08:15:44 AM

Captain,
I bought the same froe, if you can find the right size hammer/club and you have clear wood I'd think the froe would be much faster.

From what I've read, you want to split your shigles from wet wood (easier to split) and use them quickly, dry shingles split when you put nails into them. If you have dry shingles, soak them over night before putting them on.

Also some species of wood needs to be split radially(like quarter sawing) some needs to be split tangentially(like flat sawing) I forget which species though.

Good luck,
Ian

C_Miller · October 31, 2003, 05:15:50 PM

I milled some cedar poles for a power company guy. From what he was saying the cedar is not treated with creosote but a saline solution of some type cause the cedar is so rot resistant anyway.

C

Minnesota_boy · October 31, 2003, 05:24:23 PM

I milled a few cedar poles for a customer. They had creosote on the bottoms and the rest had a metal tag that said Osmose. I won't mill any more of them. >:(

SawInIt CA · October 31, 2003, 05:37:00 PM

I wonder if sawn vs split makes a difference in longevity??

Kevin · October 31, 2003, 05:38:34 PM

It does for strength but not for rot.

dail_h · November 01, 2003, 06:22:45 AM

Mark, check out the" Foxfire " series of books,they had an article abour splitting shingles. May be out of print,came out late 70's

fencerowphil (Phil L.) · November 01, 2003, 11:43:48 AM

Another advantage of splitting versus cutting would be the stability of the wood: Splitting out quarters can give you perfect 90 deg. grain for non-cupping. Also, since your splits will follow any spiral in these short log sections, you will have the least possible twist, after they are on the roof.
Phil L.
:D ( 'course, you may get a splittin' headache
arm ache, back ache, etc. doin' this)

Mark M · November 03, 2003, 06:45:27 AM

Phil

I see you are a piano tuner. Whenever I see or hear piano tuner it reminds me of this stupid saying: "You can tune a piano but you can't tuna fish" :D

Mark

pappy · November 03, 2003, 05:49:11 PM

Not real expensive and will last much longer.

When ever I build something around here now I use steel.

The new looks they are coming up with are great. I can make everything else out of wood except good ruffin'

( I did not build this-it's a pic I found on the web)

http://www.metalroofing.com/