Question on sawing board and batten siding?

[derhntr]

Have a couple questions to ask of the pro's. I have a 100 x 200 foot building that I want to replace the T-11 siding that is going bad. I was installed back in 1986 by a contractor who placed it on 2 x 6 on 2 foot centers. (I know that was wrong way) but was not my building at that time and owner did not know any different. The T-11 is bowed and rotting out.

Building spec's. 2 40' x 100' pole barns then tied together for a over all
100' x 200' length and width
4 gables ends 16' to peak 160'
100' of 14' walls
100' of 8 walls
240' of 12' walls

This will be a couple year project as I get the wood and get it sawed an hung.
I have limited access to EWP and Red Pine.

My plan is to use the EWP as the board and use Red Pine as the pearling's and the battens
I have 12 EWP from 28" to 14" that will yield 4-6, 8' 6" logs each. Will be using Z strips for end joints.

Boards will be 4/4 10" wide 8 foot in length when finished. Plan on using 4/4 3" for pearling's.

My big question is what width and thickness to cut the battens?
Should I strive for full length battens or 45 the end joints and make due with 8-12 footers?
With space for storage at a premium should I only cut pearling's and battens as needed?

I know there is not enough EWP to sheet whole building at this time, But have enough 10-12 inch Red Pine to cut all the pearling's and battens.

Was planing on letting EWP air dry for 60 days.

Just started the sawing have 49 10" cut and 19 8" and 29 3" of EWP. Have to knock down the 12 EWP to continue sawing to boards and same with Red Pine. I do have option of using 8" on back of building or can re-saw 8 inch boards for trim.

I should also mention the joint area where the boards and Z strip meet will be a 6' wide pearling.

Any helpful input would be greatly appreciated and any flaws in plan pointed out.   

[SCSawyer]

I always cut my batten strips as I go out of left over , if we are talking about the same as we use here in the south, boards of said width then a 3/4 -1 inch thick x say 2 inch strip over the seem between boards,

[Hilltop366]

Is it worth cutting your siding random width to get the most out of every log or would the extra labour make it too much trouble?

[derhntr]

More for cosmetic appearance. Spacing should be the same.

[Ron Wenrich]

My house has board and batten, which I replaced like the original.  I used all white pine.  It's 10" and wider for the boards, and 2½" battens.  I like the random width better as it isn't as rigid looking.  The boards were full 1", and the battens are planed down to ¾".  You might be able to go a bit thinner.

 

[thecfarm]

I used 10 boards and 4 inch battens. All sawed one inch. looks good. I saw a shed that I use to drive by and I liked the looks of it.

[drobertson]

It varies for folks around these parts,, not much white pine, lots of SYP, 8" to 10" with some requesting 12"
also the board and batten, as well as board and board, the look you want determines everything. Bats go from 2" to 4".  One thing for sure,, that's a good order,,  hope all goes well, oh, maximize your lumber allowing some wane, just knife it off, keeping it covered by the bats,,

[Magicman]

I just got an email today requesting information on sawing ~1600bf of 1X12 SYP for B&B.   Must be popular because that is mostly what I am sawing on this job.

[Cazzhrdwd]

I cut them 3" wide and one inch thick. I try to get 6" on the first 4 boards of a log, since battens need to be as knot free as possible.

[drobertson]

all I can say is I would love to saw out some poplar,, only stuff I've seen has been at the shoot out at the Paul Bunyan show,  pretty sure with some slower times this stuff would work up pretty nicely,  flipping seems   to me to be a critical factor, much like reactive pine at times.

[derhntr]

MM, I see $$$$ homes now being done with B&B. At $32.19 a sheet for T-11 and high steel price for sheeting. The cost of me sawing my own B&B is the most economical for me. The pine is free.

[ncsawyer]

I put board and batten poplar up on the gable ends of my mill shed.  I used 3/4x12 boards and 3/4X4 battens.  Some of the 12 inch boards split on me after I got them up (I put it up green).  I've put up board and batten with 8 and 10 inch boards with no splitting.  From my experience, the wider the board, the more likely it is to possibly split. 

You might also consider reverse board and batten.  I actually like that look better than normal board and batten.

[thecfarm]

As I posted I used 10 inch boards. I did cheat and used a bunch of 9½ inch ones. Only way to tell is on the inside. That 4 inch batten hides it all very well.

[tmbrcruiser]

I cut cypress 4/4 by 12" dried it then dressed one side, leaving the board 7/8". Battens were cut 2 1/4" and dressed to 3/4". Here is a pic of the mill building. Also treated with Thompson water seal with uv protection.

  

 

[carykong]

B&B does not need to be dried before installation

[Clean Image]

Far from a Pro like these guys but I can tell you how I did mine...10" boards on the garage/shop and 12" boards on the house, all WRC. Both have 3" battens that covered up the gaps and screws real well and all cut to 4/4 thick, much of it was stained and hung sometimes the same day.
I screwed all the boards on one side only and let the batten hold down the other side so it has some room to move and haven't seen a single crack yet.
Good luck to you and try not to get discouraged in the time it takes to do this size project...what a feeling putting those last few boards up!


  

  

[Engineer]

I put random width EWP board and batten siding on my 16x20 shed a few years ago, I simply bought a full lift of rough-sawn random-width 1x stock from a local mill that was closing.  The boards ranged from 5" to 13" wide.  Battens are 3/4" x 2".  All the boards were air-dried for a few months, the battens were green.  I nailed the center of each board and left a 1/4" gap between boards.  For lengths I couldn't get with a single board (like gable ends) Instead of putting in a horizontal board at eave height, I simply miter-cut the ends of the boards at 45 degrees and overlapped the top board on the bottom board.

I am getting ready to do the same thing on my new garage/shop and I think I will go with same-width boards, probably 10", or I might mix up some 8's and 10's.  Depends on what I can get easily.  I won't be milling it myself.  I would like thinner and more consistent siding this time, so I will probably plane all the boards to 7/8" or even 3/4" and put the smooth side in.  The purlins will probably be off-the-shelf 3/4" x 2-1/2" strapping from the local big orange box.  Battens will be the same as I used on the shed.

[redbeard]

A couple of tricks on layout, start in the center of wall and work your way too corners. Check to see where your bats land on door and window headers try too keep them from landing too close too trim. You will have 5-6" adjustment starting in center of wall.

[Ron Wenrich]

Nice thing about random width is you can start at a corner and find or make a board that fits around doors and windows.

[Chuck White]

Most times, I saw the boards 10" and the battens 3".

I just like the way it looks!

I sawed out (at the customers request) some 2" battens and the customer stopped me by the time I had 15-20 of them done, and switched to 3".

[derhntr]

Thanks for all the advise I like the idea of 3 inch battens, I could use the culls for pearling.

[thechknhwk]

I would not use 1" thick boards for purlins.  If you use an 8d nail to put up your siding it's going to be poking out the back of the purlin by almost 3/4".  Plus it doesn't seem very sturdy to me; in a pole building the purlins are part of the structure.

[derhntr]

I would not use 1" thick boards for purlins.  If you use an 8d nail to put up your siding it's going to be poking out the back of the purlin by almost 3/4".  Plus it doesn't seem very sturdy to me; in a pole building the purlins are part of the structure.

In this case the purling's are only used for attaching the boards. Walls are 2 x 6 studs on 24" centers.

[Chuck White]

I would not use 1" thick boards for purlins.  If you use an 8d nail to put up your siding it's going to be poking out the back of the purlin by almost 3/4".  Plus it doesn't seem very sturdy to me; in a pole building the purlins are part of the structure.

So, what's it going to hurt?

The only thing the nail should hit would be insulation!

[petefrom bearswamp]

I saw lots of Hemlock B&B all at full inch 10 and 12 inch boards mostly 3" battens.
I tell folks who put it up green to nail one side only for a few months the secure the other side..
12" boards shrink about 1/16 to 3/32"
I get the battens from the edged boards.

[thechknhwk]

[/quote]

In this case the purling's are only used for attaching the boards. Walls are 2 x 6 studs on 24" centers.
[/quote]

Nevermind then :D :D :D

[woodmills1]

I have been cutting battens 1/2" by 2 or 2 1/2" and the customers like them, they don't look so clunky.