Hey all, I'm brand new to the sawmill world and I have a ton of questions. Just bought a 1996 b20. I've never ran a mill but before I get her going here a a few questions.
1. On soft and hard woods if I was wanting 2x6's do I cut to exact dimensions or allow for wood to shrink?
2. How long do I let wood dry in barn before I can use it?
3. On pine trees that are dead or dying standing how's the best way to find out if wood is still good before cutting it down? When it is cut down how long will it stay good on ground?
Thank you and please forgive me for my very lack of knowledge. I been wanting a mill for years and I just accidentally fell on a great deal on this B20
Welcome to the Forestry Forum, Kowboy.
Welcome to the Forestry Forum Kowboy.
There is really no exact "one size fits all" answer your questions, but there are general answers.
Quote1. On soft and hard woods if I was wanting 2x6's do I cut to exact dimensions or allow for wood to shrink?
Soft and hardwoods shrink at different rates and also it depends upon if the tree was dead standing, dying, or live and healthy. Also, tighter grained logs will shrink less. Obviously you can expect more shrinkage with lumber sawn from live trees. As a general rule for 2X6's I oversize 1/16 in thickness and 1/8 in width.
Quote2. How long do I let wood dry in barn before I can use it?
That depends upon what you will be using it for. I have seen customers nail it up the next day, but 6 months is a good rule of thumb.
Quote3. On pine trees that are dead or dying standing how's the best way to find out if wood is still good before cutting it down?
If there are still needles hanging on, you should be OK. Limbs breaking off and the bark off it is probably too far gone. Stick your knife blade into the trunk and you will get an idea how solid it is. Sometimes there is good lumber inside, but you may have to slab a few inches off to get down to solid wood. If it breaks when it hits the ground, it was too far gone.
QuoteWhen it is cut down how long will it stay good on ground?
This is easy, get it off of the ground. Use sacrificial logs such as Sweetgum, etc. and stage the logs on them.
Welcome to the Forestry Forum. :)
Kowboy,welcome to the forum. I have built just hours from falling the tree.But that is just a shed.
Thank y'all for the input
Welcome to the board
soft wood and hard wood will shrink in differing amounts. It depends on will it be planed down? or used as is after it drys some? If no planeing, then allow around 1/4" for soft wood, a hair less for hard wood. if planing then 1/4" + whatever you feel like taking off. Sawing techniques will change the amount needed to straighten out some of the lumber,
A couple of questions... Does your lumber need to match up with store-bought lumber? If not, then just cut consistently, and you'll be fine. At the top of the screen, just under the Forestry Forum banner, click on the "extras" button, then "Knowledge Base", then scroll down & select "Wood & Lumber", then select "A Study of Lumber Shrinkage". Lots of good info there. As far as building green (which I often do), the key is, if width & thickness shrinkage don't matter, put it up green (wood does not shrink significantly in length). For example, I use green lumber for posts & beams, and for board & batton siding, but would dry it to build furniture. Hope this helps.
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