Box Elder any good for buildings?

[LKasdorf]

I have a bunch of box elders on some property where I want to build a barn.

I wonder if this wood is strong enough to be of any use in a timberframe, or a stick-built barn? I'm pretty sure it is not good for it to be exposed to water, hence no good for siding, but if it was internal, would it be as strong as pine, f'rinstance?

I know that it is a nice wood for bowl turning, and maybe for furniture, but I wonder about construction uses. It is a rather soft wood, and a member of the maple family (called the "lowliest" maple).

Lynn Kasdorf
Leesburg, VA

[IndyIan]

Hi Lynn,
I think you should be able to find out everything you want to know about box elder and other woods here:
http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/FPLGTR/fplgtr113/fplgtr113.htm

I guess even if it is weaker than white pine you could upsize your beams to make up for it.
Keep us posted on what you decide,
Ian

[ohsoloco]

LKas...you mentioned that there is a bunch of box elder where you want to build.  I'm just curious, do you have a problem with box elder bugs?  I got so sick of looking at those bugs (inside the house in the winter, and all over the exterior in the spring) that I cut the tree in the backyard down.  I just hope that helps with the problem.

I didn't check that link that Indylan posted, but I've read that box elder isn't good for much besides pulpwood.  Personally, box elder (and all the maples for that matter) is one of the only kinds of wood that I don't like the smell of when it is being worked green.  

[LKasdorf]

The bugs cover a big box elder that is in the sun, but they are really no problem at all- I kind of like them actually. They will sometimes cover the side of my barn on a warm day.

They are a truly harmless bug. Occasionally I see one in the house, but it is not a problem. The house is pretty far from the grove where most of the trees are.

[ohsoloco]

For a while they didn't bother me, because they don't eat anything in your house, or your house itself....although I have seen quite a few of them drinking water or juice off the counter.  Two winters of looking at them everywhere I went in the house was enough for me.  Their excrement leaves little red stains on the window sills and curtains  >:(  

I think they smell like rhubarb when ya smash em  ;D

[IndyIan]

Hey Lynn,  I got bored and checked the numbers on box elder

ASSUMING that Box Elder is very similar in its properties to Silver Maple, Box Elder has Eastern White Pine beat in every strength measure except for elasiticity.  EWP is slightly stiffer.  

Maybe one of the foresters could give us an idea if this assumption is correct.

Ohsoloco, I can't say I've done any wood working with green maple but I love the smell of sugar maple and chainsaw that sticks to my coat after a day of cutting firewood ;D

[LKasdorf]

ASSUMING that Box Elder is very similar in its properties to Silver Maple, Box Elder has Eastern White Pine beat in every strength measure except for elasiticity.  EWP is slightly stiffer.  

That's what I was thinking. Apparently "silver maple" is another name for box elder. Numbers aside, judging from the feel of the stuff, it seems like it would be at least as good as white pine for joists and such. The branches just feel stronger and it is heavier, although a lot of that is likely to be water.

And it sure does smell nice! I turned a bowl out of a hunk this weekend and it came out beautifully and smelled like french toast (sorry, "Freedom Toast") the whole time...It works really well on the lathe when green. Cuts like wet clay almost.

I'm thinking that while I probably could use it structurally if I oversized a bit, I'll probably mill most of it for furniture instead. From what I've seen of it, the grain is beautiful. And it sometimes has these very striking blood-red streaks running through it. I think this would make for some very nice pieces, assuming I can get it to dry without warping too badly.

[ohsoloco]

LK...I don't think that silver maple and box elder are the same thing.  Box elder is the only "maple" with a compound leaf.  I thought the silver maples were the ones that are really light colored on the underside that look silver when the wind blows them  ???

Indylan, guess it takes all kinds...I just don't like the smell of green maple for some reason.   A guy I take trees down with doesn't like the smell of green cherry  :-/  We were digging out the cherry chips from a stump grinding today, and I swear it smelled like chocolate covered cherries    ;D

Has anyone ever heard of "Tangy Taffy"?  I used to eat it all the time when I was little...I think that air drying cherry smells just like the cherry Tangy Taffy I used to eat  

I love the smell of most wood...just sumptin' about maple that doesn't sit right with me...

[chet]

They are definately two different species, although they both prefer the same lowland sites. Silver Maple is (Acer saccharinum L.),  where as Boxelder is ( Acer negundo L.)

[Frickman]

Lynn,

I'd look into swapping some of that box elder for some yellow/tulip poplar. As long as you don't let it contact the ground, there is no finer wood for building barns. In our area we use only poplar and oak in farm buildings, occasionally sugar maple for flooring. Poplar is excellent for beams, framing, and exterior sheathing. We use pressure treated SYP against the foundation, sill plates, etc., and poplar for the rest.

The only thing to watch for with poplar is the black and green knots weaken the wood considerably, even if they are tight. This is a problem when you saw 2" X 4" stock for roof purlins. Every place with a black or green knot will break eventually. We saw roof purlins out of smaller logs, as most of the big knots occur in larger diameter trees. The knots, if tight, do not seem to affect beams and sheathing.