Woodshed Floor

[jmaine]

Good morning gentlemen,   

Looking for some advice. I'm currently cutting some timbers for a 14 x 16 woodshed. It will be a timber frame with many of the members being 7" x 7".  I'm using Eastern Hemlock I'm cutting from my own land and sawing on my LT15. We burn 5 to 6 cords per year and I'm hoping the shed will be able to hold 10-12 cords. The sills are all 7 x 7, the joists will be 6" x 6", roughly 24" on center.  The flooring will be 2" hemlock.  Given the amount of wood and the weight per cord, I'm a bit concerned the flooring (joists and flooring) won't be beefy enough to support the weight?  I've looked at various online calculators but they all seem to be geared towards dimension lumber.   

The shed will be on 12" concrete piers with a 18"x18" footing. For the front and back, the piers will be 8' on center, 7' on center for the sides.  I'm thinking maybe I should have a pier in the center of the building with a timber spanning the full 16'. So, a 16' beam in the front, one in the middle and one in the back with the 6" x 6" joists spanning between them. 

Any thoughts/advice?  I'll gladly posts pics and the plans once it's done (hopefully in November). My wife is looking at my pile of wood and the mess I'm making and starting to wonder if I know what I'm doing.... :

[Don P]

If it was a snake it would have bit ya  :D
Untitled (forestryforum.com)
Click on the heavy timber simple beam calc.

[doc henderson]

how about a concrete floor with a vapor barrier under, and a sleeper boards to keep the wood up off the surface.  maybe even up a bit to blow air under the stacks.

[jmaine]

Good thought on the concrete floor, but the location is on a bit of a slope and would require a lot of fill to make it level. The piers on the back will be about two feet above ground level. I'm going to put down some landscape fabric and crused stone under the shed. There might be enough room under the shed to store a few items (kayaks, ladders, etc).  

[Don P]

Coon hounds, whatever 

Ours formed a section of heavy retaining wall, we are blessed with rocks. the fill is rocks and concrete slurry capped by a slab and the woodshed, mine is tiny compared to yours though.


 

[jmaine]

Finally got around to working on my shed.  Mutha wanted the upstairs bathroom redone so I had to put my woodshed project on the back burner. Finally got around to working on it back in August.  I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out, it should hold ten cords of wood with space up above for kayaks, canoes, etc.  Cut all the wood on my Woodmizer LT15. Most of the wood is hemlock but used pine for a few of the timbers. Now I just need to close it in and fill it full of wood!   8)





 

[beenthere]

Why close it in? If putting in green split firewood, then it will need to dry. Would be leaving it open on the sides if mine. 

Nice looking shed. The dimensions are 14 x 16. What is the height? 

[doc henderson]

or boards for support with 2" gaps between.

[thecfarm]

I would want sides. Once in a while the wind will blow hard when it is snowing. It will drive that snow into every crack it can find.

[doc henderson]

good looking frame

[Wlmedley]

Looks really good.Nice when you can saw anything you need.

[Ljohnsaw]

or boards for support with 2" gaps between.

And then you could have some roll up tarps or shade cloth to block and direct rain or snow during bad weather.

[jmaine]

Thanks guys, good suggestions.  On the back, I plan to put 4" boards horizontally with a gap in between. The sides will be completely closed in to support the ends of the piles of wood.  I plan to have two sliding barn doors on the front, maybe 5' or so wide.  

[jmaine]

Forgot to respond to beenthere's questions. From the floor, the distance to the top of the top plate is 10' 13/16" in the front, 6'10" in the back.  

[Old Greenhorn]

I am currently cutting orders for 3 woodshed builds. 1 each at 4x10, 6x10, and 8x10'. They way we do sides around here is we alternate inside and outside boards (1x4 or 1x6) so the bottom board lays on the floor on the inside for instance, the next board up is edge to edge with the 1st board, but on the outside. you can do this either vertically or horizontally and either way you place interim nailers spaced along the way to provide support. We space the boards with 2x4's in between, about 24" OC. This allows for airflow but knocks down almost all the blown precipitation (snow and wind) before it lands on the wood. Kind of like a heavy duty snow fence. It's a tried and true design around here for many decades. Just another option.

[doc henderson]

I see in my mind what you are describing.  can you add pics at some point.  I love looking at woodsheds.

[Old Greenhorn]

We make kits (for ourselves) then build them on site. One of the builds will be at a neighbors and she is #3 on the list but I'll get some pics when we build them up. These are not fancy, just quick builds.