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working with green hemlock

Started by hemlock man, July 28, 2014, 06:48:58 PM

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hemlock man

Hi folks, new member here, and first time shed builder with limited carpentry experience. I plan on using rough cut full dimension hemlock for the framing. My question is does it need to be air dried. I've been getting mixed input on air drying vs. putting it up green. The framing will be 4x4 post and beam with half lapped corners. The rafters and floor joists will all be full dimension 2x6 hemlock.

I'm having the hemlock milled on my property and would like to get the shed up sooner than later. so working it green (off the mill) would be preferred.

thanks!


thecfarm

hemlock man,welcome to the forum.
I would say no. I built this,



 

from all green lumber. Mostly hemlock. Most was cut down,brought to my sawmill,lumber sawed and I was building with it within a few hours of the tree hitting the ground. Than I would get another tree and start pounding nails again.This has no interior walls at this time. Just like a shed. Hemlock might split when dry.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

GAB

hemlock man:
First things first - WelcomE to the forum.
Personally I would let it air dry Time wise would depend on the weather, and where you are located.  If it air dries some the boards will be lighter to handle and the gap between boards will be less.
Gerald
W-M LT40HDD34, SLR, JD 420, JD 950w/loader and Woods backhoe, V3507 Fransguard winch, Cordwood Saw, 18' flat bed trailer, and other toys.

hemlock man

thanks for the suggestions.
GAB -  is the heavy weight of the green boards a structural concern? As far as the gap between boards, I would expect this to be minimal considering the length of green wood does not shrink significantly after drying (right?). I will be using a kiln dried ridge pole (pine) so this should prevent any separation from the rafters.

Again, rookie here, please chime in if this doesn't make sense.


GAB

Quote from: hemlock man on July 28, 2014, 10:06:21 PM
thanks for the suggestions.
GAB -  is the heavy weight of the green boards a structural concern? As far as the gap between boards, I would expect this to be minimal considering the length of green wood does not shrink significantly after drying (right?). I will be using a kiln dried ridge pole (pine) so this should prevent any separation from the rafters.

Again, rookie here, please chime in if this doesn't make sense.

Shrinkage in the length dimension is usually minimal.
If you are sawing 1" thickness I would not worry about that dimension.
The width shrinkage will vary depending on where in the log the board was sawn.
They say quarter sawn lumber shrinks less than other sawing styles.  I have not experimented with this stuff and therefor can't speak from experience.
Hemlock, I believe would lose a lot of moisture Stack and stickered for just a few months.  This I believe would make the wood lighter to handle, and the gaps after further drying narrower.
Gerald

W-M LT40HDD34, SLR, JD 420, JD 950w/loader and Woods backhoe, V3507 Fransguard winch, Cordwood Saw, 18' flat bed trailer, and other toys.

Peter Drouin

Go ahead and build it right off the mill. :D I do ;D
A&P saw Mill LLC.
45' of Wood Mizer, cutting since 1987.
License NH softwood grader.

Southside

I have built two barns out of hemlock. The beams and structural timbers were all green, heavy stuff but it worked fine, never twisted, never split, nailed like a dream.  We did a 1" tongue and groove ceiling / floor for the hay loft with dried wood.  A lot lighter, I honestly don't remember if we had any nailing issues or not, and we did not have any splitting issues to speak of.  Now the dry tamarack flooring I tried to lay down.... had to pre-drill about every nail hole. 
Franklin buncher and skidder
JD Processor
Woodmizer LT Super 70 and LT35 sawmill, KD250 kiln, BMS 250 sharpener and setter
Riehl Edger
Woodmaster 725 and 4000 planner and moulder
Enough cows to ensure there is no spare time.
White Oak Meadows

hemlock man

thanks for advice folks. We're definitely going to start throwing up the frame fast and green. Had the mill over today and zipped through enough lumber in 7 hours  to frame out two 12x16 sheds.

next question, what about siding? I still have ~800 bf of log length. Is hemlock any good for siding? should this be air dried or okay to put up against green framing?

thecfarm

Something else I built,a horse run in.I used 4 inch batten and 10 inch boards. I used for hat for sizing,but still hard to tell size. No air drying for that either.



 
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

isawlogs

Put it up green, off the mill. It will be much easier to put a nail through it. Dry hemlock is hard, and harder to nail.

  Nice job there Ray, now let me post.  :D
A man does not always grow wise as he grows old , but he always grows old as he grows wise .

   Marcel

thecfarm

Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

hemlock man

how about Adirondack style siding with the green hemlock? or would it be best to stick with board and batten to hide any shrinkage

Chuck White

Welcome to the Forestry Forum, hemlock man

The Adirondack Siding should work fine.

As Marcel stated, it nails up easier green, splits when dry if you drive a nail to close to the end of a board.
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

hemlock man

I'm not sure how to trim the corners if i were to go with the adirondack style siding.  I was thinking of putting a 2x4 on the face of the corner beams to give me something to set the siding into. does this make sense? other suggestions?

Chuck White

Exactly right Hemlock Man!

One 2x4, mated up with one 2x6, then it would be like having 2 2x6's on the corners, and your siding would have them to butt up against!
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

hemlock man

thanks for the advice Chuck. Do you happen to have a picture showing what you're talking about? is the 2x6 going across the top beam horizontal, and the 2x4 going vertical on the corner post?

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