Building with green lumber

[panhandle]

I am planning to build a small workshop. I have access to plenty of spruce, pine, and fir and it would be much cheaper to mill my own lumber for the project than to purchase it. The only issue is that I have no way to dry the lumber other than air drying, which would take longer than I have the patience for.

So my question is whether I could use green lumber (2x4s and 2x8s, mostly) for structural parts of my new shop. I'm not worried about conforming to code (it's very lax in my area) but I am worried about building a safe and long-lasted shop.

Thanks in advance!

[Corley5]

It'll work fine.  I built my house with green lumber.  Some of the lumber was three days from the stump to being nailed up.  Let it dry down before you do any finish work 

[customsawyer]

In long spans you might want to put in some extra braces but it will work fine. I recommend using some screws also  not just nails.

[Chuck White]

Most of the building around here is done with green lumber, dried less than a couple of weeks.

Most of that building is for camps, sheds, barns, etc.

It'll hold up.

[Cutting Edge]

Growing up, all the ol' farmers swore by building with green lumber.  They claimed as the barn, building, etc. dried it actually "tightened up" from the lumber shrinking.  I dunno about fact or fiction, but it does kinda make sense.  Please correct me if this is wrong ???

Decking nails (screw nails) are an excellent choice for a fastener.  Excellent holding power!!! and galvanized!!!

[MHineman]

  Here in Indiana we don't have much Pine, Spruce, or Fir.  Just HARDwoods.  If you expect to drive a nail in instead of drilling first then nailing, it NEEDS to be green lumber.

[beenthere]

Growing up, all the ol' farmers swore by building with green lumber.  They claimed as the barn, building, etc. dried it actually "tightened up" from the lumber shrinking.  I dunno about fact or fiction, but it does kinda make sense.  Please correct me if this is wrong

Consider that during drying, wood shrinks in only two of its three dimensions (does not shrink along its grain). So boards nailed or screwed to studs (for example) would get narrower and thinner from shrinkage. But the studs would not shrink in length so the boards would have gaps between them and seems the wall would be looser rather than tighter.
Now if the studs would shrink in length, then tighter might be the result.

[park ranger]

The douglas fir that I cut is fine to build with green for a shop. But I just looked at a sheet rocked wall in my kitchen that had somewhat greenish wood in it that shows thru the sheet rock.  My 60' garage and my 48' shop were all put up green and they are fine.  I just put up a fire wood shed, from the mill to the truck, to the shed in a few days.

[losttheplot]

Ring shank or spiral shank nails may be a good choice.

[Chuck White]

Growing up, all the ol' farmers swore by building with green lumber.  They claimed as the barn, building, etc. dried it actually "tightened up" from the lumber shrinking.  I dunno about fact or fiction, but it does kinda make sense.  Please correct me if this is wrong

Consider that during drying, wood shrinks in only two of its three dimensions (does not shrink along its grain). So boards nailed or screwed to studs (for example) would get narrower and thinner from shrinkage. But the studs would not shrink in length so the boards would have gaps between them and seems the wall would be looser rather than tighter.
Now if the studs would shrink in length, then tighter might be the result.

Good point Beenthere!
If you were considering putting up board and batten siding, you could put up the boards and let the battens dry good before putting them on.
That way, they shouldn't shrink, or at least the shrinkage would be minimal.  ;)
The same applies if you were going to double-board a wall.

[MotorSeven]

 

 

As mentioned for green wood, think about board 'n batten, or board on board. Even less work is live edge board on board....this is Hemlock on my log house. There will be lots of green wood inside my house on all interior walls and the inside of the gables.

[Magicman]

I have had builders pick up the lumber that I sawed one day and give me a cut list for the next day.  Yup, it all went up green and that was for two homes, not outside buildings or sheds.   

[flyboy16101]

If you go with board and batten siding you can put the batten up the same day but only nail it to one board but not to both. Then after a year or so nail it to the other board after they have dried and shrunk to seal it up. I have done this on several sheds and buildings it works great and the half nailed batten strips keep the wind, snow and rain out while the siding dries, no gaps between the boards while they are drying

[Sixacresand]

I just used some green undried lumber on my the top of my barn and workshop.  I think it Looks good.