iDRY Vacuum Kilns

Sponsors:

Getting Started

Started by brianbrooke, May 25, 2013, 10:36:58 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

brianbrooke

Hi Guys, my husband and I have been dreaming of building our own timberframe.  We live in North Central Nebraska. We are basically planning a 24x48' two story house with a basement overlooking our cattle pasture (we are on a small 400 acre ranch).   I have found this forum quite informative and have been enjoying reading the varied posts.  We have started learning sketchup and reading all we can on timberframing.  My question is this:  we have only western red cedar and cottonwood on our property so we pretty much have to source our lumber from away.  Is there anyone who can point us to finding a sawyer for sourcing our lumber?  We can go to the Black hills, up into Minnesota or down to Missiouri... at least those are about as close as we can figure to reduce trucking.  Any suggestions are appreciated.  Thank you  :)

jander3

A couple thoughts are bellow:

Contact Timberking, Woodmizer, etc. ask about owners in your area. 

Or, contact your local forester or DNR, generally, they know who is logging, cutting in the area.

Jim_Rogers

Did you check out the "find a database" at the top of this page?

Jim Rogers
Whatever you do, have fun doing it!
Woodmizer 1994 LT30HDG24 with 6' Bed Extension

Rooster

Welcome to the forum...have you considered relocating an existing antique barn frame?

Rooster
"We talk about creating millions of "shovel ready" jobs, for a society that doesn't really encourage anybody to pick up a shovel." 
Mike Rowe

"Old barns are a reminder of when I was young,
       and new barns are a reminder that I am not so young."
                          Rooster

brianbrooke

Thanks guys.... I will check out those possibilities... and as far as relocating a barn frame...   most of the local ones are too far gone/rotten, but we do have access to two small outbuildings that might work for some flooring,etc....  I know that most of the sawyers around here use cottonwood to make pallets, but they might have some knowledge of others who might fit the bill.  Thank you guys, and we look forward to learning more and sharing what we are doing.
Brooke

giant splinter

You might take a look at the cottonwood, if its the correct type this may be ok for framing.
The most common where I am is not very sound for beams but is used in stick framing projects at times, the lumber is highest in demand for trailer decking on heavy equipment transporters.
roll with it

oklalogdog

I helped tear down an old grocery store once that contained a lot of cotton wood planks.  That was some of the hardest/toughest/most stubborn danged stuff I ever saw.  It was probably at least a hundred years old and was still going strong.
Amateurs built the Ark - Professionals built the Titanic

TK 2000, TK 1220, Belsaw M14, John Deere 7610 with loader, Ford 9N.

VictorH

Welcome Brian Brooke - I'm located in Southeastern Neb.  In Falls City.  I am in the process of cutting the timbers for my frame and plan to use Cottonwood in it.  I had Jim Rogers put together my plans and he was able to find the specs on cottonwood to use it in my frame.  He does a great job and works with an engineer which you might find useful should you decide to have someone help you out in that way.  I Have an LT40 and if there is anything I can help you with let me know.

Victor

Chilterns

Hi Brian,

I would be very interested to see some photos of your cottonwoods both standing and felled / converted.

I planted a cutting taken from one of these trees in my back yard some 20 years ago and this is now about 60 feet high, 40 inches around at breast height and is dead straight and I regularly eye this up with it in mind to turn it into a beam or wall plate.

Chilterns

brianbrooke

Hi,
Thank you Victor.  I've never been to Falls City.  We are north of O'Neill.   You are using cottonwood?  I would love to see photos. I appreciate the offer, and will keep that in mind as we proceed along this venture or adventure more like it!    Chilterns, we have two really awesome and old Cottonwoods... I believe they date to over 100 and still going strong.  We don't have enough cottonwoods on our place to build a house, but had considered trying to get to some of these shelterbelts that farmers are tearing out every summer.  A lot of great lumber that gets torn up, out and burnt for some corn.  If you are interested in know some of the sizes of what we do have I can get some measurements.  One I know was under a few feet of water for a brief flood in 1916 and was good sized then, the other I am sure dates that or older as well.  They are huge in diameter.  I will try to get Brian on here.  It's calving time and other ranch duties that keeps him out and me doing the initial legwork.  I've been struggling over sketchup in the meantime.  I keep trying to use photoshop shortcuts on it... LOL  I have one bent designed just for practice, although I doubt we'll use it until we know what wood we are using.  Thank you all.

Leigh Family Farm

Welcome Brooke!

In Pennsylvania, the DNR is very helpful and gave me a list of logging companies that serve/deliver to my area. I would contact them first  and they should have a list of reputable log suppliers. SketchUp is fairly simple to use once you get the hang of it. There are numerous YouTube videos and instructional videos online that I would watch as well.
There are no problems; only solutions we haven't found yet.

Carpenter

Hi Brooke,

  I just happen to live in north central Nebraska and have a sawmill and do some timberframing.  Please check out my websight.  www.niobraratimber.com  Cottonwood and Eastern red cedar are our most predominate species of course, But along the niobrara valley there is a good supply of ponderosa pine as well as several other native softwood and hardwoods both.  Nebraska does have some forests.  Give me a call.

Carpenter

Quote from: Jim_Rogers on May 25, 2013, 05:33:18 PM
Did you check out the "find a database" at the top of this page?

Jim Rogers

Hey Jim,

How do you get on the data base?  Evidently I'm not on it, and Jeff does know about me.

beenthere

I suspect you put yourself on it. Maybe from in your profile?
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Jim_Rogers

Quote from: Carpenter on June 01, 2013, 12:59:19 PM
Hey Jim,

How do you get on the data base?  Evidently I'm not on it, and Jeff does know about me.
Click on the "find a database" and go to the bottom. There is a link there to sign up.

Jim Rogers
Whatever you do, have fun doing it!
Woodmizer 1994 LT30HDG24 with 6' Bed Extension

Carpenter

Thanks Jim,
I'm on it now.  Had to scroll down.

Troy Schon

Hello!
I've used McGannon sawmill in Chadron, Sawle sawmill in Springview, and a couple in SD. Ponderosa pine and cedar. I wouldn't waste my time with cottonwood. i built a timber frame house up near Verdigree a few years ago from salvaged bridge timbers. Good luck with your project!
Troy Schon
402-580-0404

Jay C. White Cloud

Haven't checked in for a while, sorry about that.  Cottonwood is not the optimum species but if the logs are of good quality and fresh they can make an excellent frame.  I have moved several vintage barns with cotton would members, and they present as more than serviceable.  The member size just may need to be increased in some cases, that is about the only difference, and you don't want to use them near grade level, (no sills.)

Regards,

jay
"To posses an open mind, is to hold a key to many doors, and the ability to created doors where there were none before."

"When it is all said and done, they will have said they did it themselves."-teams response under a good leader.

brianbrooke

Wow there are some great replies since I was last on.  Thank you all for replying.  I was hoping to use more local wood, if not then some oak.... I did contact someone in Missouri, and we keep missing each other. I was just up in Valentine to a wedding and was noticing the beautiful timber up there near the Niobrara river.  I will try to get in touch with the local guys who posted here in the next week.  I caught a cold and can't talk too well!  Brian's been working on Sketchup to design the house.  I have learned it pretty quickly and have enjoyed playing on it.  I hope that we can get a design completed and get the ball rolling as soon as possible.  My 7 year old daughter's feet will be hanging out of the crib none too soon! LOL!  I really appreciate the knowledge and helpfulness of all the guys here.....
Thanks Gilgrosh for the DNR reference... I'll have to check that out too.

brianbrooke

 

 

Someone had asked about seeing some of our cottonwoods.  Here is one that is behind our current house.  It is easily 300 feet tall and 4.5-5 feet in diameter.  We don't plan to use this tree in our timberframe... but we like it's shade..... it is at least 100 years old if not older. 

Also, I have found some sawyers who do oak and native shortleaf southern yellow pine in Missouri and a more local sawyer in Nebraska who does lodge pole pine and cedar.  Now to get the specs on these species.  Any suggestions on what is the better to work with?  The prices on all of them are comparable, except for the shipping, which I still have to get prices for.  Thanks....

beenthere

Brooke
It would be helpful to get some pics of the cottonwood trees that you think you might be able to get for your project. The big one shown is not a good candidate for getting some straight logs for timbers for a frame, IMO.
If there are reasonably straight cottonwood, pics of them would be great. There are high quality logs and low quality logs, and they will beget high and low quality timbers.  Quality will be based on the straightness of the grain in the tree, and the size and frequency of knots and other defects such as holes and decay.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Jay C. White Cloud

Hi Brainbrooke,

Depending on your chosen style of timber frame, like you find in most old barns and houses, Beenthere is correct, you want to find and use the straitest logs possible.

If you are going for a more folk style, such as a "Cruck frame" or "live edge frame" then you can take any log you wish as long as the wood is sound.  Crooked logs have the benefit of being very strong, often stronger that straight logs, as they have grown under some form of duress.  They are more of a challenge to work with, but the outcome is seldom disappointing.

Look Forward to the pictures of the logs you select.

Regards,

jay
"To posses an open mind, is to hold a key to many doors, and the ability to created doors where there were none before."

"When it is all said and done, they will have said they did it themselves."-teams response under a good leader.

Chilterns

Hi Brainbrooke,

Your cottonwood is 100 years old, 300ft high (?) with a flat top ~ 3 ft growth per year

My cottonwood is 20 years old, 60 feet high and dead straight ~ 3ft growth per year.

It would appear that cottonwood is growing about 50% faster than Douglas Fir.

Chilterns


brianbrooke

I think we are going to leave our cottonwoods for shade trees....  so our only local native options are eastern red cedar and lodgepole pine, or we can get in some oak or southern shortleaf yellow pine.  So which would be better..... oak, the shortleaf pine, or  would cedar/lodgepole be even a remote possibility?  I love the look of oak,but I know it is a little harder to work with and I don't know too much about the shortleaf pine, but we can get oak or shortleaf for $1 per boardfoot plus the shipping.... 

and by any chance has anyone ever heard of or tried a SIP basements with a timberframe?

brianbrooke

Chilterns...I could be wrong on the heighth of the tree....  300 could be too high...  but those trees are fast growing... I think they average about 100 or so years.... and grow pretty big pretty fast....

Thank You Sponsors!