simple barn type flooring question

[Old Greenhorn]

Disclaimer: I am not a woodworker. I have made a LOT of things out of wood, but I am not a woodworker. 

 Some may have seen my other thread in the sawmill section where I am milling and building a loft in my shop. This is done with all my own lumber and I am doing the deck in 5/4 board (yet to be planed on at least one side). The material is soft maple. The framing is getting close to done and not going too badly. I am beginning to think about the floor and I have no idea what fasteners to use or how big. I will be setting the floor boards at a 45° angle to the walls. The framing is conventional 16" spacing with full size 2x's. The lumber is not fully air dried (I know, mistake). I am handling this as a learning project and trying some new stuff (to me) to remind myself how bad I am at this, I guess. I don't have a jointer (I am borrowing the planer) so the edges will be the best I can do with a hand power planer. The flooring will be in random 4,6,8 inch wide mix to see what the effect and appearance is.
 Should I use headed nails? 
Should I use finishing nails? 
Should I use screws? if so, what type that I can find locally?
Should I put glue down?

What don't I know that I should (besides mostly everything)?
 This will be my first non-plywood floor. It is in a shop so I am not too picky about appearance but would like it to look nice if it can. I also need sturdy. If I find it is not as sturdy as I thought, I will add another layer in the other direction. I will be putting some light machines up there (drill presses, bench grinders, belt sanders, maybe a vertical band-saw.
 Thanks for any tips.
Tom

[Don P]

As dry as possible before planing and straight lining. This will minimize gapping and cupping. Then plane, both sides if possible. Then straightline, the other day with nothing else handy I just snapped lines and used a circular saw, much faster and straighter than a power planer. That tool is probably the best machine for making a crooked board out of a straight one in the wrong hands :D. Screws have the best holding power in withdrawal and are often removable if a board needs to be replaced later, I'd go with coated deck screws #8x 2-1/2". Next is ring or screw shanked nails which is what we are using for subfloor and sheathing on a house we are building now, much cheaper and adequate but they will all be covered by finished material. Glue helps with squeaks but is about pointless if the material is green.

With the thread on track saws, these evolved from the carpenters shooting board;
https://www.finehomebuilding.com/2010/11/11/make-a-saw-guide-for-faster-cleaner-cuts

[doc henderson]

I would use nails as screws may shear and break.  I do not think the head will matter, but try to get some length and weight.  My finish nailer is 18g and goes to 2.5 inches.  I love glue but with green wood maybe better to allow a little movement.  see what others think.  If later you get a board lifting, you could tack it down with a screw.  a ship lap would add some strength and keep dirt from falling through, but would be more work.  tongue and groove even better, but for what you are using it for, I think this is fine.  I know you want to keep it simple if you can.  Are you sure you are not a woodworker.  

[doc henderson]

Just a thought, and prob. not consistent with your goals, but you could fasten the center diagonal board.  then just set the rest up there, side to side.  Let them dry and shrink.  you could still put stuff up there.  then you could fasten them in a year or so.  but prob. not worth leaving it "undone".  the dry wood will be harder to nail so some advantage to nail it now.
I would also consider rolling finish on the floor (before installed).  If you do it in place, you may get 20 drip lines where if goes between the boards.  I have used a roller with a 8 foot handle and it goes fast and creates a nice finish.  
I also agree with finishing both sides with a planer.  this loft will be beautiful from the underneath side, which will be seen most often.  If you have some uneven edges after it dries and settles down,  you could get a floor sander up there to knock down the edges, so you can slide stuff, and not trip. 8)

[barbender]

I would run them perpindicular to the joists myself. It will make it a lot easier to fasten any butt joints. I would use screwsn I like GRK torx screws. If it's not dry all the way, you'll have to allow it to move a bit I think, I'd probably just put 1 screw in the middle if the board over each joist. My .02.

[Don P]

Perp is easier, more material efficient and results in shorter spans for the flooring, so stronger. Diagonal braces the structure from racking, so a different kind of stronger.

[doc henderson]

I also agree that perpendicular will be stronger if only one layer is used and esp. if not tongue and grooved.  I do not think this will twist back and forth as well as you have the frame built.  will it rack now?  it will only get better with flooring.  fastened to two walls should make this really solid.  less waste as you are not cutting all the ends off at 45°.  perp. will be the least span on boards that must be strong independent of the boards they are next to.

[barbender]

Something that I would like to experiment with, being that I lack an effecient way to make T&G or shiplap, is making some spline and groove with the table saw. It would require the least material removal.

[Don P]

A router with a wing cutter and bearing riding down the board would be easier to control.

[Old Greenhorn]

Well thanks very much Doc, Barbender, and Don for the replies. I was at it all day and just got back in to read these. I know square is likely stronger in some ways, and very crertainly easier, but as my BIL used to say "that is not open for debate"  :D. I am not doing the 45° thing for design purposes, I am doing it to see how it goes. I have never done it, and I would rather do it in my own shop that on finely finished flooring in the house. If it comes out ugly, I can put plywood over it to match the other loft floor. If I used plywood, it would be completed tomorrow, less the railing. ;D
 My question is more about the fasteners and although you have given me other things to think about, I believe the torx drive 2 to 2-1/2 screws would be the best choice. Coated, of course. I also think I will drag my feet a bit on getting the floor down and screwed in. I have to borrow a planer, which means a trailer run 15 miles away and putting in another 220v outlet for it. Then do all the planing, etc. Re-edge what I need to so I may plane and cut it all before I screw anything down. This wood is not THAT wet, but I have to wait for the recent rain and ice to evaporate off of it before I can check. Just a week or two in the shop might make a huge difference. The trees were down at least 5 years before I milled them.  I moved everything into the shop and it is sitting on the joists now drying and melting.
 Thanks for all the good advice, I think you have me on the right path. 8)

[Southside]

Regarding the planer. Sounds like it's a decent sized one. Do you have a method to extract the chips coming off of it? Greenish wood and no chip extraction is a good way to booger up a planer in a hurry. 

[Old Greenhorn]

Yeah SS, I am aware of that and it is on my mind. I have a few shop vacs I am hoping will help me out. I may have to empty them often. But yeah, I am thinking on that and ready for it to happen. I will just have to try some things to get it to work. It happens with my power planer too, but I have found if I slow down the speed, it can clear chips pretty well. 
 It's just a one shot borrow type of thing, so I will figure something out. I always do. ;D :D It's part of the learning curve and I always learn the hard way it seems.

[Don P]

Dull knives and heavy cuts exacerbate the problem :D

[Old Greenhorn]

Well I won't know about the knives till I see the planer (just a 12"), but I don't plan on heavy cuts, want to keep the stock as thick as possible. Had I needed to take a lot off, I could have loaded the truck and brought my stock up to a buddy's cabinet shop. His 32" planer is not happy unless it is ripping off 1/4" or more at a a pass. ;D

[WDH]

I am surprised with all that you do with wood, and having a sawmill and all, that you don't have a planer.

[Old Greenhorn]

I am surprised with all that you do with wood, and having a sawmill and all, that you don't have a planer.

...YET.  :D
 Really, I am not a woodworker. All my machines are for cutting metals except the radial arm saw, sawmill.
 But a planer in on my list hen perhaps a jointer. I am actively watching C/L for the right deal on some older iron.

[WDH]

A man needs a planer and a jointer . 

[kantuckid]

Here's what I did when I redid my porches in red cedar. I'll stick to the floor part- I sawed cedar towards 5/4x 6" boards. Cedar is easy to airdry for a porch that gets fresh air.  The old floor was mixed oak 1x6's face nailed, done in 1980.
I ran my boards best side down through my planer to equalize all my cedar flooring boards. I then jointed one edge (with the most heartwood) and ran them through the table saw in groups to get true boards that were nearly 100% heartwood on the unplaned face, which is my good face. They vary ~ 5" to 6 1/2" wide , mostly 6". I then lightly sanded the good face with a DA sander using 180 grit discs, trying for a relatively smooth surface with no splinters for bare feet, easy sweeping, etc.. I broke each upper edge with a block plane to ~ 1/8"edge for a nice joint effect.
I used SS screws due to cedar being acidic and clamped them at times as needed to have a gap free finish floor. All wood got a coat of Cabot's Australian Timber oil.