shrinkage

[fuzzybear]

  I know this has been covered before but here goes.....  I milled some aspen logs that have been down for 2 years and the bark was starting to slip.  I milled them all a little heavy (1/8), how much shrinkage can I expect from these? They are all 2x6 live edge.
  Would it be ok to plane these to uniform thickness and use them if I keep the joints as tight as possible? They are not "dry" but not soaking wet. I am using them for floor joists in the loft.
  Thanks ahead of time.
FB

[beenthere]

Can probably figure 2-3%.

In place, they may crook some if under a load and holding up a floor.
The longer you can let them air dry, the better you will be able to put their crowns up before using them as joists.
If some go to hanging down, then it may not present a problem. If too bad, you might want to knock the bad ones out and replace or flip over.
A tough call to predict just what might happen when installing green.

Being down a couple years will likely ease any problems.

[Red Clay Hound]

I'm trying to figure out how you are going to use live edge 2x6's for joists.  I assume you plan to edge them first.  If so, they will end up being something less than 2x6.  I hope you don't have to span very far!

[fuzzybear]

I'm trying to figure out how you are going to use live edge 2x6's for joists.  I assume you plan to edge them first.  If so, they will end up being something less than 2x6.  I hope you don't have to span very far!

They are milled as you would a standard 2x6 except the "bottom" edge is live edge.  The loft is 8'x16' and the largest span is only 8'  I'm building a freestanding structure for the loft that is along the lines of a pergola.
FB

[beenthere]

Sorry, I missed the "live" part of the OP. Guess I wouldn't call 'em 2x6 if they were not edged to 6".

Got me wondering just how they will work now. Being you said they would be joists, then I assumed placed on edge, not flat. Being a Pergola type structure in a loft, I'm curious why the live edge would be down and how you figure a bearing surface on the live edge.

Maybe a pic when you are finished... would help. But I trust you know what you are planning to do.  ;D

[SwampDonkey]

Maybe the ends will be squared and nailing floor to the top edge with bottom unfinished? So really there isn't 6" of holding wood.

[Jay C. White Cloud]

FuzzyBear,

I love the idea! 8)  Did it in my first ever solo timber frame at 19 for the loft.  The connecting girt of the frame became the ledger beam, the live edge joists I used were 75 mm x 150 mm (~3"x6") on 500 mm centers (~20"), and the spanned a little under 3 m (~10').  It worked great.  The live edge joist got cut to length, plus a little on both ends so they would be housed 30 mm (~1.25")on each side.  I measured done from the top of each live edge joist 75 mm (~3") and made a tic mark on each side-both ends. I then  took a peace of paper and traced the profile of the live edge end and transferred that to the ledger registering off a snapped line where my 75 mm tic mark was down the length of the ledger.  Then using a small square chisel, and small gouge, chiseled  the housings. That took one full day and part of a morning.  By Sunday evening, all was in place and a slab floor laid down, jointed slab to slab but floating on the joist so they could move and dry out.

I think you will love the effect, if you are doing something similar.

Best of luck,

jay