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What kind of stone for my sawmill shed ??

Started by roger 4400, April 10, 2013, 01:59:23 PM

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roger 4400

    Hi everyone. Next summer When the snow will be gone ( still 2 ft in the woods and another 8 inches will fall this friday  >:( ) I will make a sawmill shed. I already have a garage 24 X 40 and I'll add another 24X40 for the mill (so 24X80 ). The floor will be 6 in. of cement. I would like to know if it is better to put 6 to 8 in. of 3/4 clean stones or should I put 0-3/4 ( stone and dirt) under the slab. I want as less movement as possible because the roofs will be "soldered" together. Does the kind of stones is important or any stone will make a solid bed anyway??? Over here we almost have 5 months of frost. The existing garage rest on clean 3/4 stones, but for the mill floor I will have to raise ( off level by ±8 inches) one of the end and stone and dirt (0-3/4) will be easier to work with. Thank you. Roger
Baker 18hd sawmill, massey Ferguson 1643, Farmi winch, mini forwarder, Honda foreman 400, f-250, many wood working tools, 200 acres wooden lots,6 kids and a lovely and a comprehensive wife...and now a Metavic 1150 m14 log loader so my tractor is a forwarder now

sealark37

Considering the frost problem that you must deal with, and the extra fill that is needed, I would bring the existing grade up to near the old building base grade, then fill the rest with 3/4" washed stone.  Be sure to tamp the soil fill to compact it as much as possible before adding the washed stone.  Regards, Clark

bill m

8 inches in 40 feet is not a lot. I would use all 3/4 crushed stone. Compacts a lot better then natural stone.
NH tc55da Metavic 4x4 trailer Stihl and Husky saws

jmouton

I  do concrete  for my day job  and i  usually use  21a  or 21aa   crushed concrete  or equivalent.  I am in  michigan  and we get alot of frost too ,if you dont put a footing under it  I would pour  6 inch  with  rebar  2 ft on center both ways  and  make sure the stone underneath is compacted good  and the it would be considered  a floatin  floor  . I have built many  structures that way  and none of the floors have cracked  they may move a little with the frost  but the rebar holds it togather very well ,  as to the stone  , use some sort of stone  dont use dirt and dont use sand , sand sucks in my opinion ,it will wash out over time  , if your puttin 6-8 inches of stone make sure its crushed  and not natural  (round)  crushed will compact well  and round wont, do it in 2 layers and compact each layer as you go ,by the way 21 a or aa  is  1 and a half and down 

                                                    thats my 2 cents worth                   jim
lt-40 wide ,,bobcat,sterling tandem flatbed log truck,10 ton trailer, stihl 075,041,029,066,and a 2017 f-350,oh and an edger

rimshot

Certain areas are more vulnerable than others when it comes to frost movement.  If you are really concerned about the ground heaving in Winter if might be a bit reassuring to keep in mind ground moisture will always be present but you will be minimizing it when you add a roof.  Make sure the grade is running away from the mill pad.  Elevate it as much as practical and sometimes rigid polystyrene foam (usually pink or blue) can be used beneath the concrete to help insulate the grade below the slab.  If the native soil in the immediate area is granular like sand or gravel you have a better chance to minimize ground movement during the colder SEASON .
AS always take a deep breath and know that once you have taken all the precautions possible it is still concrete and it comes with one guarntee.  It probably will crack someday .

rimshot                                                                                                                                                                               
LT 10 with a 10 h.p. and a converted boat trailer to provide mobility for a once permanent mill.

roger 4400

Baker 18hd sawmill, massey Ferguson 1643, Farmi winch, mini forwarder, Honda foreman 400, f-250, many wood working tools, 200 acres wooden lots,6 kids and a lovely and a comprehensive wife...and now a Metavic 1150 m14 log loader so my tractor is a forwarder now

petefrom bearswamp

I agree with jmouton on the base for the floor.
Here's what I did here in central NY where we get a good deal of frost.
My slab is a modified alaska slab as follows.
good base of #1 crushed stone.
footers around the outside 2 feet wide by 18" deep with 4 runs of 1/2" re-rod. and the main floor 6" thick, 4,000 pound mix concrete with re mesh.
Has been there since 2001 and hasn't moved or cracked.
My mill shed is covered but open all 4 sides.
mho.
Pete
Kubota 8540 tractor, FEL bucket and forks, Farmi winch
Kubota 900 RTV
Polaris 570 Sportsman ATV
3 Huskies 1 gas Echo 1 cordless Echo vintage Homelite super xl12
57 acres of woodland

barbender

Good advice, I would add to the importance of proper grade/drainage. Get the water away from the structure. I wouldn't go through the cost of 6" of crushed stone myself. I don't know what you have available locally, here I use 4-6" of Class 5 gravel, leave it a bit short of grade and finish with sand so you can screed it off. This all depends on what type of soil you have, bearing capacity of soils changes design specs for footings etc. Mesh helps with crack resistance, but it doesn't increase strength. Go with rebar. My .02
Too many irons in the fire

GeorgeK

when I built my barn I drilled 12 inch wholes down in the ground where the posts sit then back filled the floor area with stone. poured the floor and the 12 inch wholes at the same time. 8 years no problems. I was afraid the KY hillside would move. most of the wholes are 3 feet deep.
George Kalbfleisch
Woodmizer LT40, twin blade edger, Bobcat A300, Kubota L48 and yes several logrites!

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