suggestions for Sycamore and popular

[Coffee_Creek]

My wfe and plan to build a new house next summer, we live in central Alabama.
We have 45 acres with lots pines, oaks, ash, elms, populars and sycamores.We plan to use a lot of our timber through out the house. We plan to hire a builder and supply him with much of the lumber for overhead wood beams, all the moulding for doors, windows and all trim, T&G flooring. I'll be purchasing a planer/moulder in the near future. I just got started cutting some trees, four sycamores 24"-36" butt cuts and plan to start cutting populars with 23" butt cuts today and hope to haul to a local guy with a bandsaw mill by the end og the week.
My question is with me not having work with sycamore or yellow popular much what would be the best way to incoporate these two types of wood into the new house and best sizes to have the have them sawn?
Thanks for any suggestions,

[Kbeitz]

Does your building codes let you build with home cut lumber ?

[Coffee_Creek]

yes, We're lucky. I can cut today mill tomorrow and build with the next day if I wanted to, But, I wasn't planning to use the sycamore or the popular for anything structural. Just needed ideas and suggestions for these two types of lumber and best way the mill.

[Coffee_Creek]

Should have 8 like this one ready for the mill today, that's a 24" bar and chain.

[sealark37]

Poplar is stable when dry, and takes paint very well.  It's grain can be a little disappointing when using stain or clear finish.  Sycamore has a beautiful grain, especially when quarter sawn.  For trim, shelves, and interior cabinets, 4/4 is what you want.  Non-structural interior beams can be boxed from 4/4.  The longer you give the lumber to dry, the better the results will be.    Regards, Clark

[Coffee_Creek]

Would 4/4 sawn stored in a metal pole barn within the next few weeks with air/ventilation be dry enough to use by next May?

[ChugiakTinkerer]

Would 4/4 sawn stored in a metal pole barn within the next few weeks with air/ventilation be dry enough to use by next May?

No opinion on the sufficiency of the drying time, just asking the question what is the proposed use in May?  I suspect that for at least some of the boards there would still be drying and shrinkage to occur.  If you are using it in a way that doesn't require flush edges and tight joints you would be good to go.  If on the other hand you're thinking about using it for t&g paneling then more time might be required.

I recall, perhaps in error, that poplar and related like balsam and cottonwood dry faster than oak and other hard hardwoods.  Can anyone comment?

[Coffee_Creek]

Proposed uses could include tight fits such as t&g, door/window trim, baseboard. just wondering how long it would need to air dry for this type of use?

[customsawyer]

Get a moisture meter to check the lumber before you put it in your house. A few hundred now will be money well spent later.
On the popular you can flat saw it and you will be fine but on the sycamore you will have to quartersaw it to get usable lumber. If you are quarter sawing less than 25" (at the top) diameter logs you are going to have a high volume of narrow boards. I prefer 30" and larger for the quarter sawed sycamore but sometimes you have to take what you can get.

[kelLOGg]

and quarter sawing sycamore will give beautiful lumber, highly desirable for paneling and tabletops.

[Coffee_Creek]

What type /brand of moisture meter do you guys recommend? I don't mind spending a few hundred bucks, would like to get the best bang for thr buck.

[Raym]

Would 4/4 sawn stored in a metal pole barn within the next few weeks with air/ventilation be dry enough to use by next May?

Possibly....however a bigger concern would be to make sure the lumber is sterilized to make sure critters don't show up years later. I would suggest trying to find a drying service nearby to kiln dry and sterilize and time it in such a way so it's ready when you need it. Nothing worse than seeing sawdust piles showing up in your floors and trim after you've been in your house a year or two.

[YellowHammer]

What type /brand of moisture meter do you guys recommend? I don't mind spending a few hundred bucks, would like to get the best bang for thr buck.

Delhmorst pin type J2000
Sawing poplar is easy, no problem.
Sawing sycamore is kind of the opposite end of the spectrum, flat sawn is very ill behaved, quarter sawn is beautiful and will stay flat. 

[slider]

Be aware that popular after several years gets dark.I would also be looking for someone with a kiln.

[Brad_bb]

You can use the poplar in certain structural uses.  I've seen sycamore rafters in a barn we took down. 

Depending on your use, 4/4 may be too thin, not allowing you enough extra material if you are planing it and trying to get 3/4 boards.  You might want to mill it 5/4.  Check before you go cutting it.  Easier to take more off than to add on.
Quarter sawing sycamore is preferred for looks and is more stable.

You need at least a year to dry, maybe longer where you are.  Kiln would speed things up considerably but would add cost.  Time vs. cost.

Fog your fresh cut lumber with Timbor.  I use a leaf blower sprayer that will practically make fog and therefore consume much less material to cover the wood.  If you don't, you'll have Ambrosia beetle larvae and Powder post beetle larvae chewing holes in your wood.  Some holes may be attractive for looks sometimes, but too much might compromise the integrity. 

[Coffee_Creek]

I was told that these insects would not harm popular, is that not true?

[WDH]

PPB's will get into poplar, but they prefer coarser grained woods (ring porous hardwoods) like the oaks, ash, hickory, pecan, elm, etc. 

[Seaman]

Brad, fogging is a great idea !Do you fog the stickered stack or do each layer, flip and do backside of each board.
Thanks

[WDH]

I thought that you had to coat the wood to saturation. 

[scully]

Just my 2cents here . The only way to saw sycamore is 1/4 saw .  It will be beautiful and stable . Flat sawing won't . Poplar is awesome for trim etc .  If you plan to do flooring with the sycamore I would saw it 1 1/8 " and find someone to kiln dry it . Then have it run through a flooring mill .  Your log diameters seem to be prety good . And your chain saw is real nice I have one like it !

[Coffee_Creek]

Brad, would have a photo of your fog machine?