what do I use hemlock for?

[Night Raider]

I've got a few hemlocks around that look like they're a good size to come down and I'd like some more light for the maples.  They're all straight, lots of branches, I've heard of them being used for barn boards and for horse stalls, I'm a little short on barns and horses so I'm trying to decide what to cut them into, I think I might cut a couple beams for a new sugar shack, but I need ideas of what to cut the rest into?  Also how can I tell if they have "shake"?

Thanks

[shinnlinger]

I have cut two timber frames out of it, sided my barn and chicken coop with it and have used many a 2x.  I even let my students mess around with it in woodshop for a bit, but that was a mistake (splinters)

I would wait until you knew right what you wanted to do with it and had the time to finish the job.   I like to work it green, before it becomes "Hemrock"  IN my experience, the pluses are It has good structural strength for beams and such and its boards weather well.  Its grain is rather pleasing to look at to boot
The downside is it smells like cat pith when you work it it up wet and you will get splinters and more splinters.  THe checking is an issue, and it cracks easily, but I have never been too bothered by it.   You can try to cut around it I suppose but it happens.  If you don't like cracks, don't use it

Most folks around here consider it a low grade wood and don't like it, but as you can see, I have managed  some decent use out of it.  It does have it's place.

[StorminN]

I've got a fair amount of hemlock on my place and I've used it for studs and beams on a couple of buildings and it works just fine. The stuff here doesn't stink, I'm not sure if it's a different (western) variety or what (it's been a long time since I took dendrology).

The consensus out here seems to be that hemlock is fine for anything not directly exposed to the weather... the preferred species for exterior stuff are Western Red Cedar or Douglas Fir. We do get a fair bit of shake in the hemlocks that grow above about 1,500ft (I was told it's due to freezing in the winter, then winds??) and on my place many of the hemlock have root rot... they are all 60-80 year old second growth.

That all being said, I drop them and buck the butt off and take a look, if it's got root rot I work my way up the butt and make firewood bolts until I get rot-free wood... then mill them and make 2x6's or whatever. I've also been told that the "hem-fir" studs that we see in the box stores out here is most times hemlock and sometimes white fir...

-N.

[Night Raider]

thanks for the responses, I had once had hemlock described as 'the softwood that thinks it hardwood".  I had been planning to cut it in the next month and it would dry for 6 months or so, maybe it needs to be cut in 6 months then.  I came across the janka hardness scale which makes it seem not so bad, but I've never had any experience using this scale of hardness.  I couldn't find the hardness number for spruce for comparison.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janka_Wood_Hardness_Rating

[woodmills1]

don't let logs dry, cut them as soon as you can.

hemlock shake will be evident on the butt as soon as you cut.  If it has it there will be a huge seperation on the butt at a certain growth ring.  As said cut fire wood pieces till it is gone

[Mike_Barcaskey]

we use it for barn siding.
the Amish cut alot of it for the barns

[Dave Shepard]

I've used some for timber framing. If it isn't too knotty, it works very nicely, green. It is very splintery, as was mentioned. I sawed out about 4mbf of full dimension framing lumber last summer. We've been using it for various projects around work, as well as in the renovation of an 1830 timber framed house. We are also looking into using it in a new construction project.

[DouginUtah]

I would never have guessed that cedar is 900 compared to 500 for hemlock. My opinion of cedar being soft is apparently wrong. 

Is cedar 'well behaved' when drying, i.e., it doesn't tend to warp and twist much?

I love to use hemlock studs. Light and usually pretty straight.

[thecfarm]

I would and do use hemlock for everything that I build with.I would rather use hemlock than anything else I have.Hemlock is good for outside use,but not as good as cedar.Hemlock is an old timer wood.Most people don't like to work with it.I have used it green and have some that has been kicking around for 2-3 years and have no problems with it.Don't be afraid of the shake scare,I have cut quite a bit of hemlock,to sell for logs,and a little for my own use.I have found very little shake in it,compared to the trees I have cut.I have only found it on the butts.No way to tell.Just cut it down and look at it.It does burn well by the way.Will coal down pretty good for a soft wood.

[Chuck White]

As long as you have a project lined up for it, cut it and use it!

Hemlock is good framing material.

[MrMoo]

I used hemlock to frame my barn. I used it dry with no problems. Good strong wood.

[4genlgr]

hemlock lets see.... beams, 2x's, 5/4, 4/4 decking just about everything but finish work

working with it semi green is nice doesn't thend to split as easy when nailed

dry can be alittle tougher just need to leave some more space at the end of boards or 2x's
had a 2x3 with curved end grain, pounded in a 10pbox nail started on the 2inch side and followed the grain and came out on the 3inch side  extreme example got quite a chuckle

you can get shake, grain (seperation) in the butts usually shows as small gaps after the tree is cut

ants like henlock to and if their in a swampy area they are prone to butt rot just cut firewood until its got to the point you want to saw

some can twist when it drys but any wood with the wrong grain can do that

have fun   my nickles  worth

[beav39]

here in maine we have alot of hemlock ,it is a good wood to work with great framing and beam wood,as cfarm said use it for most anything

[4genlgr]

looking through some photos in the forums gallery i came across this pic of hemlock shake ............

I tried to load it but had no luck   Its album name is   the cfarm/george logging 3-07

real nice pic hoope you can find it

have fun with your hemlock

[thecfarm]

That would of been this one,the straight line was done by a chainsaw to split it for pulp.It was bigger than 28 inches.





This is the worst log I've ever seen on my land.I had George come in and cut some of my white pine.Some hemlock was in the way and was cut too.When I was cutting the most I ever lost due to shake was no more than 8 feet.My father and me cut more hemlock than George did.Don't let the shake scare you from using hemlock.You will notice it real quick.If you saw it into lumber it will separate where the growth rings are.If I did found any shake,it was not all that bad.

[Dave Shepard]

I want to extend the roof lines on a couple of sheds here on the farm. I was thinking of sawing some hemlock full 2x12s for rafters. How does hemlock compare, strength ise, to store bought spruce 2x material? Can I use it dry, or must it be used green? Thanks.

[SwampDonkey]

It's hard to drive a nail into the stuff without splitting it when dry. Once in there, the roof nails won't be popping out.  ;D

[shinnlinger]

Dave,

I have 2x12 Hemlock rafters in my barn and they have been there for 5 years, no problems.  It is easier to deal with wet, you may want to predrill if it is dried lumber....

[MotorSeven]

My vote is for rafters too. If I can find some when my log house is ready I will be cutting them 5x10x24'. They are harder to find here, since a lot of barns were built with it over the years.

RD

[Ironwood]

Used it alot around here. I like the smell, not cat pith here.


Ironwood