decided to build a shed out of hard maple.

[woodjunky]

I need to build a small 8x8 shed for my wife to store her upholstry projects. So I went to the lumber yard for a material quote........ 675$$$!!! Thats is skimping out on material quality too!

Sooooo. Time to put my woodmizer to work I guess. I should have went this route to begin with, but I dont have any pine to make lumber. Also the shed would be in town, where "normal" building materials would blend in better...

What I did have is a chunk of about 1 acre of hardwoods that I plan to clear for work space this spring. The area was partially cleared for a camp. I plan to be swinging my 10k lb crane around and will be clear cutting the space. Hard maple, cherry up front. There are 2 small white ash i see too. Back of the property, red maple, white ash, and basswood enter the mix. I dont have log moving equipment yet...So bringing the cheaper wood from the back to build with isnt a option. Plus 3 ft of packed snow doesnt help....So my adventure begins.

There was 8 hard maples 8-12" diameter at base, dangerously close to the mill..... Dangerous if you were a tree, and i need logs... So i dropped 5 of them parallel with the mill. 8'6" lengths were small enough for me to wrestle logs onto the mill. Had to use a come along on the biggest... ANyways. Im having very mixed feelings about this shed. On one hand. Im cutting my own trees. Trees that will be cut anyway. Free in a way. Using the material i have to make a structure. All seems logical.... Then these beautiful white boards start coming off the mill....... A shed?   

I decided to make it a timber frame structure. 5x5 corners. 5x5 gable rafters. 2.5x4 rafters.   1.5x2.5 studs flush to inside of corners. 3/4" wall and roof covering. The 5x5s have enough reveal where i will make some lap siding to go in between the timbers. It will be clean looking. Not just a rustic "shed"....

Almost done making the lumber... Im just torn. Hard maple lumber, this shed would cost a small fortune to build. And even more to have me build it. lol. And Im supposed to just put it out side??? crazy........... dang crazy stuff going on.

[terrifictimbersllc]

Use what you've got.  But beware maple has no rot resistance, bottom of siding, sills, anything that gets wetted with every rain is going to be powder in 3-4 years.  Paint, stain etc won't protect it.   Also the timbers may get powder post beetles but that will take a long time to damage the structure if ever.

[thecfarm]

If you can save money using what you have,than use it!!!

[AfraidChocker]

I built a deck out of White Ash one year because it is what I had. It only lasted a few years, but I got to enjoy what normally I would not have had at all, so I considered worthwhile.

My goal is to always do for myself as much as I can. I believe that is sound advice. Get pictures when you are done!!

[Kbeitz]

My buddy just made a dresser. He was short one 8" x 8' maple board.
He paid $35.00 for that one board to finish his project.

[woodjunky]

yea, after I made most the lumber... Today I decided to google maple rot resistance...yeaaaaa, not good. So i might need to rethink this. i Have some scraggly cherry. maybe some stone down low? Dang.

No wonder why there arent any maple sheds out there?  lol

[bkaimwood]

I can't help but wonder if it would stand the test of time with a disciplined regimine of annual, or bi annual quality stain? I would think so...input please from experience?...