Question about using big leaf Maple for timbers

[John Sheppard]

I have access to a lot of Big Leaf Maple that is going to be dropped just down the street from me.  Some of these things are monsters at over 5' in diameter.  Does anyone have any experience using Big Leaf Maple for timbers, either good or bad.  Thinking about using them in a timber framed shed and wanted to learn about any pros or cons with using them.

Thanks,

John

[beenthere]

Should work for timbers if the lengths of the logs are sufficient for your needs, and if the grain in the wood is satisfactory (and I suspect that it would be).
Getting timbers that will dry straight may be the kicker, as will be getting someone to saw them being that diameter.

[Brad_bb]

I just looked up Big Leaf Maple on Google as I was not familiar with it.  I appears to be a hard maple comparable to other hard maples.   As long as you're sure what it is, or you check to verify that it is a hard maple...  Silver maples, which are common here in the midwest, grow relatively fast and to large sizes, but are not suitable as timbers or much of anything else.  The wood is weak.  Wind commonly breaks branches, even large ones.