Wood versus steel

[WildDog]

A while back a mate of mine called wanting some rails milled for new cattle yards, he runs 600 cows and 2000 sheep with the help of his wife so the idea of building timber yards to me was a major labor drain, in the end I thought I talked him into shop bought steel yards...... Anyway he called tonight after costing the job and wants to go with wood, a couple of hundred 6x2's x 17ft hardwood, 8) the last job I did for him was to mill enough hardwood to build a new shearing shed and the logs he supplied were great up to 3 cubic yards per stick, the problem is the biguns are getting harder to find, mine is the 4th lucas mill he's had on the place in the last 10 years. We used his 160hp Deutz to load logs last time, my 90hp JD would die in the butt I I asked it to lift these logs.

The price of steel down under is getting ridiculous, not sure how it is for you guys up on top but down here  it seems each month the steel merchants in town are advertising "Get in quick before the next price rise". I just finnished a twin parrot aviary for my wife out of 1inch RHS cost $1000 for frame alone :(

[Haytrader]

They are raising it here monthly.
I am rebuilding my shed and bought 120' of 12" I beam @ $12.73/ft.

[Ironwood]

I have TONS and TONS of I-beams squirreled away here. I priced some the other day, and it is running 80-90 cent a pound. Like I told my wife recently, "if you have stuff, it is increasing in value if you take care of it" This goes for anything of "capital expenditure" quality.


Ironwood

[fencerowphil (Phil L.)]

I talked with a deacon of a church a few weeks ago.
During the time span which the church had taken to plan for a new
educational building, the cost of steel went up enough to make
wood the more financially practical way to go.  That happened
in a matter of 6-8 months.

[Woodchuck53]

Hey guys have you thought about 12" or 10" junior I-beam that trailer houses are framed on. I usally get them for a dollar a foot some with the axles and some with out. Framed my shop trusses and made several trailers out of them. Just a thought. Chuck

[Larry]

Rebar has been going up daily.  I checked Home Depot and #4 was $6.97 a stick while wholesale it was close to $9.00.  The reason for the big difference was Home Depot had some stock a couple of months old that had not been repriced, while the wholesale place was changing price daily....just like fuel. >:(

[Ironwood]

Wood Chuck,

I keep a couple hundred feet of those around for various things, if you keep in mind there limitations you are fine. They tend to be fairly whippy. We had one old FF member who tried to build  really long trailer for hauling logs on using a mobile home trailer I-beam frame. He proudly displayed his handy work after welding enough supplimental steel to get the darn thing rigid. He could have save TONS of time and STEEL if he would have just used REAL I-beams, so, like I said know there limitations and you're fine.

              Ironwood

[smoothED]

I just scrapped 25 tons of w-14s. Killed me to do it,but, cost too much to move them all the way to missouri.

[Woodchuck53]

ironwood, yep your right about whippy. 40' trusses worked out great and the 20' 3 axle open frame trailers sale as fast as I can build them. Built 1 26' dual tandem goose neck with a 5' dove tail that is still hauling around a guys JD tractor and round bailer. Like anything else got to know your limitations. Have a good one Chuck

[Ironwood]

Woodchuck, sounds like you have a handle on the things.

Ironwood