Board and Batten- let edge float or not?

[nativewolf]

What say all the old wise folk?  Lots of conflicting info, should we just nail one edge of the (vertical) board and let the other float under the edge of the batten or should we fix the board with 2 nails.  It is not wide board, just 8" and a 4" batten.  

We are doing a charred wood board and batten, similar to the charred cypress (yaki sugi), brushed, then coated with linseed oil as a final preservative.  The board and batten is a mix of yellow poplar and ERC.  Just what we had milled and it has been so windy the tin has blown off too many times wetting the wood in the stacks.  Need some windproof lumber storage for sure.  

The siding is going on our new sheep palace for the yard sheep, tame free rangers that get locked up at night but otherwise wander and mow the yard, they rarely go 200 yards from the home.  Basically a big 2 bay lean to with 1 bay closed up for hay storage.  The post are 6x6 and 6x8, high side is 10 and the low side around 8.  The posts are set and headers going up, most are done (recycled roof truss 2x10 DF from old Arlington VA homes).  We'll use 2x4s for nailing strips for the siding.  The low side will feature a sliding barn door giving access to the sheeps 12x12 shelter so that I can put a bucket on the skidsteer and just push straight on through for cleanup.  3 passes and I should have a nice collection of sheep manure, good stuff for the garden.  

The 12' gap on the open side and barn side is supported by 2 2x10 bands,  I need to determine my roof truss spacing, all I have our the 2x10s so that what I have to use.  24" would sure save a few hours and some boards, hard to get these board anymore.  

[Don P]

Let em float.

[doc henderson]

I am old, but not that wise, so I will follow along.   ;D

[WV Sawmiller]

I would think if the lumber is fully dry to nail it down. If it is still drying let it float. JMHO.

[btulloh]

General practice is one nail in the center and the edges are held by the battens. Could use two nails in the center about 1.5 or 2" apart, battens still hold the edges. Orient grain so the smile is up (toward the outside). 

That's kinda been the consensus, although it's been done different ways and sorta worked out anyway. 

Sounds like a nice all 'round sheep and lumber shed. Don't forget the pics. 

[nativewolf]

General practice is one nail in the center and the edges are held by the battens. Could use two nails in the center about 1.5 or 2" apart, battens still hold the edges. Orient grain so the smile is up (toward the outside).

That's kinda been the consensus, although it's been done different ways and sorta worked out anyway.

Sounds like a nice all 'round sheep and lumber shed. Don't forget the pics.

We'll get a few pics but this charred wood is ..messy so I leave the phone inside.  Usually getting 30 mins done as evening moves to full dark.  

[alan gage]

What say all the old wise folk?

I'm neither but I would have thought the answer would be nail the board in the center and let both edges float under the battens.

So now I'm curious why not?

Alan

[davch00]

I'm not old and definitely not wise, but I'm the nail in the center and let the edges float camp.

[ellmoe]

With green lumber I usually nail one side down , install battens , nailed on the same side. After drying , I come back and nail the unsecured side down through the batt into the board.

[Don P]

You'll do better if the boards can always float. Pinning one edge of the board and covering that nail with a batten is fine but allow the other edge to move under the batten. When the wood is dry you can of course get away with more but siding rarely stays dry, it goes through many cycles of wetting and drying. There is really no benefit to pinning both edges so I just allow for movement.

A rule of thumb that works pretty well when nailing or bolting wood is to not spread fasteners wider than 5" across the face of a board to reduce the chances of splitting. These are wider boards and I generally put a pair of fasteners about 4" apart near the center then apply the batts but there is nothing wrong with hiding the board fasteners under the batten, in fact one less exposed fastener to the weather.

[moodnacreek]

The big problem is the cupping. Putting a finish on the weather side might reverse this [so it doesn't lift the battens]. The best thing , as you know, would be to stick the boards until mid march.