acceptable types of timber

[fjkid]

Hello to All,


This is my first time asking a question with im sure many more to follow.  Im stuck in Colorado right now and as soon as my house sells we are moving home to the great northwoods of MN.  I know next to nothing about timber framing (all I asked for from santa is timber framing books), but I have a fantasy of getting a portable sawmill and cutting and drying all my own wood to build my house.  My question is this,  can I cut pine from my property to build with or will I have to order fir or hemlock to make my timbers?  I think most of what I have seen on the net is mostly fir or hemlock construction but im not sure.  Maybe I dont even want to use pine.  But anyhow if youre from the area and could let me know more or even to let me know what the regulations are where youre timber frame is at  it would be greatly appreciated.  Take care.

[ARKANSAWYER]

  Welcome to the FF and ask away.   Up north you will find white pine and there are many frames made from it.  Also there is northern white cedar and I have seen some frame work with it.  There are many types of trees there that can be used if you buy land that have trees large enough to saw into timbers.  It's a fine dream and a man needs a dream.
ARKANSAWYER

[Deadwood]

I don't think your dream is really a dream. Years ago that's how most homes were built, using wood they had on hand, sawing their own lumber, using the skills they had.

Here in the Northeast anyway there are a slew of old houses and barns that are still standing despite being built out of plumb, not square or unlevel. They built them the best they could with the skills they had.

Myself I built my own home just as you describe, though it was not a timber frame. At 18 years old, I did not have the skills for that unfortunately. Still when I put on a new addition next year I might give Timber Framing a try. When I do, I plan on keeping the frame simple and will plan for expansion. It was how the first part of my house was built, and while it really is not my dream home, to be able to show someone the flooring, the cabinets the stairs and say "I can even show you the stumps" is the part of my home that makes it a dream.

Myself, I don't think you need motivation, you need confidence, and in that respect you came to the right place.

[Ianab]

Best person to talk to is your local building inspector. He's the one that will have final say about the design. Generally if you approach these guys right and ask for advice they will help you out and tell you what WILL conform to your local standards.

Having said that most wooden houses are build from whatever grows locally... you just got to convince the inspectors of that ;)

Ian

[PeterHH]

What kind of pine do you have, white or red?  White is preferable for timber framing.  It is fairly dimensionaly stable as it dries.  I have worked with folks on projects where joinery was cut over a number of years and everything still fit well at raising.  I also know of some frames from Red pine, though it shrinks more and tends to twist as it dries.  You also have to watch out for whorls of knots, especially in unpruned plantation trees.

There are a fair number of mills, big and small, in northern MN that cut white pine if you don't have it.

Many northern MN counties have no building inspectors and thus no code enforcement.  This is nice in many ways, but it does mean you have be comfortable grading your own timbers or hire someone who can do it for you.  If you do have code enforcement, tell your building inspector what you are doing and ask what he/she will need to sign off on your frame.  You may need an engineered frame plan and/or grade stamped timbers.

If you are interested in courses to help you on your way, check out: http://www.northhousefolkschool.com/classes/Timberframe.htm
www.northhouse.org

Peter