clapboard siding?

[squirrel hunter]

How important is it to dry boards you are going to use as siding? Do people ever nail these up green?

[Mr Mom]

     i was going toi sak the same question.




     Thanks Mr Mom

[scsmith42]

Depends on several factors.  A friend of mine with a mill nailed up some 3/4, with a southern exposure, and about 10% of it curled up pretty badly.  This was on the side of a 20' wall, and it was exposed to rain which may have contributed.

[Jeff]

I did. So far, no problemo. Red pine. Tree one week, lumber the next and siding the same day it became lumber. I did not chauk the corners or windows. I'll do that in the spring that will have given it 8 months to dry, should have very little shrink to length.  These were cut 5/8 thick, no taper. Just used the 3/4 scale on the bandsaw. boards are 7.25 inches wide with a 5 inch reveal.

This is the trhead where this project was documented.
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=14094.0

[Dale Hatfield]

Great looking building.
Ill have to take some pics of one my class built last winter.  They went full  circle. from standing trees to sawn lumber to finished  building.
It was a great project for them ,most had never built anything . Let alone  take a tree cut  it down , saw out an order and then build it.
We too built same method green white pine. Lapped. I dont recall sawn size.  Nailed on 2 foot centers. Only trouble has been where they nailed too close too the end of board we have some splits.
8x8's poplar runners/skids  2x8 poplar floor.  2x4 poplar .
Dale Hatfield

[Jeff]

Thats what we did. Here is a picture of Tammy hooking up a chain to one of the trees we skidded out with a pickup.

[Duncan]

      I have made a lot (over 40K Linear Feet) of this style of siding over the past year.  I have had no issues with putting it up green.  Living in the Pacific NW It ALWAYS rains within 10-15 minutes of starting the sawmill and so usually the stuff is completely soaked by the time the milling operation is completed.  We move it inside and dry it enough to take an oil based stain (about a week) and stain both sides of the siding.  It is then put up with the cut ends also being stained and there seems has been no visible warping or cupping on the material that has been put up on the home.  However if you let it sit out on the ground in the sun you will get some cupping in the flat sawn pieces.

FYI the species is Western Red Cedar.

[Dana]

Very nice looking building Jeff!  8) 8) 8)