Advice on Eastern Red Cedar use for building small barn/workshop

Ozarkian · January 21, 2012, 01:47:55 PM

Hello, I am purchasing small sawmill in the next week or two to begin cutting my ERC logs into lumber. My intention is to build a post and beam or timber frame building with cedar board siding to store lumber, house some animals, and do some wood working.

My question is, how big a building can I build using JUST Eastern Red Cedar. I am hoping to build Max of 20x40. Also what foundation methods are recommended, I do not want to pour a slab, yet will have gravel flooring. My section for my workshop I would like to make wood floor.

I plan also to use metal roofing.
Thanks in advance.

Jim_Rogers · January 21, 2012, 06:53:48 PM

Welcome to the timber framing section.

It's hard to say what the span can be without getting into loads and sizes of timbers.

You really need to come up with a floor plan so we know where the posts are going to be. With a 20' wide shop you could have a post in the middle to cut down on the span.
With a 40' length then again it would seem to be good to have 10' bent spacing.

Your posts can sit on sono tubes to have some good support. And you can have an area where there is a wooden floor. Most likely it would be at least one or two steps up from the gravel floor. Unless you build a ramp.

Keep working on your design and keep asking questions.

Jim Rogers

Rooster · January 21, 2012, 08:05:23 PM

Hey there,

Your situation is one of those, "What came first...the chicken or the egg?" kind of things.

You're asking, if you were to build a building out of ERC, could this species be used to make beams to hold loads, so that you can determine the size of structural members, and if you can build it out of the trees that you have access to. And Jim is asking for size of strucural members and spans to figure the loads. ;)

I don't have any experience with framing with ERC. My question to you would be...(good starting point)
Could you produce?:

16- 7x7x14ft (outside bent posts and top-plates)
5- 7x7x20ft (tie-beams)
5- 7x7x10ft (center bent posts)

This list alone might give you an idea of what you might need, if you need to find larger logs, or if you would need to switch to a different species for the larger structural members.

Here is a similar thread:
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,55038.0.html

Good luck, and I hope it works out for you.

Rooster

Ozarkian · January 21, 2012, 10:57:03 PM

Hey guys, thanks for the feedback. Sonotube's actually may be a great idea! I was imagining in my head possibly using pier blocks as the foundation, or something similar. I may build smaller.

losttheplot · January 22, 2012, 02:38:44 AM

Sounds like you may be better off with a pole barn ?

http://www.cps.gov.on.ca/english/ss8000/ss8163.htm

free plans are out there, may need changing for regional snow load or seismic activity

Ozarkian · January 22, 2012, 11:22:13 AM

Losttheplot - Thanks for that link, you may be right about needing a pole barn!

I am starting to get a bit excited 8) I found a way to search for 3d designs other people had made using Google Sketchup... I really want to do the timber frame design still though, but I may need to try and do some trading of my cedar with some more structurally stable wood for certain loads.

I have never constructed timber frame before, but I am eager to learn and try. Those of you that do this type of work are true artists, and I would love to join your ranks!

Any suggestions on how to obtain the tools needed (chisels, books, and etc.) for a very low price or even free ????

When I begin the build, I most certainly will provide LOTS and LOTS of pictures!!!