I'm looking for course that I can take in northern WI on lumber grading
for my own use. First post here been looking for awhile. I just bought a
woodland mills 126 soon to take delivery. I want to make a timber frame
saw mill shed to start with. So I believe I will have to take this course
to do so if I look at things on here about WI permits and inspections.
These are a couple of links, it looks like the law applies to dimensional lumber which technically is lumber 2-4" thick. Hopefully your building official would extend the exemption to heavy timber, (5x5 and larger) as well but worth checking. I was licensed and built there at least a half dozen times some years ago, before this law. A lot of places were using independent third party inspectors back then, some were unique and dynamic personalities, well for that matter the gov officials in Madison were a trip too :D.
Training and Events Calendar | Wisconsin DNR (https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/forestbusinesses/events)
lmbr_grdg_hndbk_email.indd (wisconsin.gov) (https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/sites/default/files/topic/ForestBusinesses/LmbrGrdngHndbk.pdf)
Howdy neighbor! In the past the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point has offered a lumber grading course, I would check there.
Collin Buntrock, a fantastic DNR forester/forest products specialist out of the Rhinelander office, leads a one day dimensional lumber grading course. It's free, and it allows small operators to grade stamp their own dimensional lumber for personal use, or to sell to either a homeowner or directly to a builder for residential structures from outbuildings to duplexes. Sawing dimensional lumber is not a part of my business, so I took it purely for the sake of learning something for fun. It was a great day and well worth my time. -Josh
Just get a book. I have one called Lumber. Look at the charts and saw some logs and try to grade them. Knots too close together and slope of grain are a big deal in structural lumber and clear cuttings and obvious defects in hardwoods. 99.9 percent of us will never be real lumber graders because you have to have all the rules in your head and grade at a glance. Here in N.Y. we have to know what is worse than No. 2 structural if we sell it for small buildings.
i took collin buntrock's coarse. well worth it. as i remember it is up to your local zoning to decide if you can use ruf cut in 'inspected' buildings. taking a grading coarse and having a certificate could go a long way in swaying the local zoning department. jg
collin.buntrock@wisconsin.gov
Unless your part of Wisconsin is different to the part I'm in accesssory buildings don't have much for inspections. He they require a simple plot drawing to show setbacks and a couple elevation drawings. I have literally done these with a crayon. They want to know how much it will cost, so they can raise your taxes. Send them check, they mail permit and that's the last you hear from them. You could use balsa wood 16 feet OC. Build. House and that's a whole different headache.