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Loblollys found, can I use?

Started by MbfVA, December 02, 2017, 05:58:05 PM

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MbfVA

How good is loblolly pine wood for TF and or log construction?  I recently found a bunch on our land I did not really recall we had.  In VA, in case that is relevant.  We also have some other species but I'll need help to figure out which they are.

Edit
I just found some 2016 threads, which I will read. They were way down in the list when I searched loblolly.
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Don P

Yes, it is one of the species of southern yellow pine. If you are speaking of having other pines look up Virginia pine, quite likely there. If so it would fall under mixed southern pine, a different species combination with lower strength values in each of its grades but otherwise it can be a good wood.

Ianab

Loblolly is a common construction wood, so you can certainly use it for building. It's not considered durable, so better not to use it where it's going to be exposed to the weather, unless you can get it pressure treated.

But there is no reason you couldn't build a timber frame with it. The design just need to be sized with the lower strength pine, compared to a hardwood design.
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MbfVA

Thank you, I can always count on you 2 to help.  I was suffering from knowledge deficit there, didn't really know how SYP and related terminology related to wood species.  This is where I wish my dad was still living as he knew so much about wood from owning the lumber company.  I will never forget his reaction when visiting my first house, that I had just put under contract.  He walked in the door and looked at the floor.  When he realized it was quartersawn oak, circa 1924, he asked me if I had a firm contract.   I bought it for $57,500 in 1978, and it sold maybe 15 years ago for over $400,000. Not by me unfortunately.  A 1600 square-foot house plus a wonderful basement, on Monument Avenue in Richmond Virginia.  I can only hope what we are about to build will last like that one.

By the way, Ian, a then young student working for Phillip Morris on an exchange program spent three months as a room tenant and good friend in that house, back in 1980.   Mark Ford, and he now practices law in his home country of NZ.  A great young man, but like me, not as young as he used to be  >:(.  He emailed me a few months ago but I have been remiss in replying.

I find myself kind of wishing I could talk my wife into a square log structure instead of timber frame.  I kind of like the look which has advantages unique to log cabins while not the Lincoln log look of round logs, but she wants something more conventional.   That's if we don't decide on big time stone.   Or maybe we could just put a nice square log/timber frame structure on top of a nice stone foundation...too many choices, just have to match to resources.
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MbfVA

The loblollies are in about a 3 acre group, part of a plantation that they are now been separated from.  There's another 9 acre pine patch that appears (?) sound and averaging around 14-17 inches DBH, deeper into the woods we have.  The lobs are about 20-25 years old and not thinned as were their sister trees.  Our recently hired forester (the former guy went into service with the state after 2008) was impressed at their apparent quality and commented that they would make great poles.

According to our 2006 cruise as roughly updated to 2017 by the new guy, we have many many thousands of board feet of pine, various species, just in our original acreage, not counting those beautifully straight & uniform diameter loblollies on the parcel that we bought since the cruise.

I would love to be able to use them before the Beatles get them.  Hmmm, I guess Siri is a Music fan.
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btulloh

I don't have any loblolly - just Va Pine.  I keep an eye out for beetles and take a pine before it dies.  It makes better lumber and helps keep the beetles down. I've gotten some really good lumber out of the Va Pine, but a 14-17 dbh tree is usually 60-70 years old in my stand.  A 25 year old pine of that size is not going to have the same strength, but it will make studs.  It can also be used for paneling.  I wouldn't just let the bugs get them.
HM126

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