Timber Frame Tractor Home

[khd]

What great documentation on a sharp looking project.

One question: Why did you lift the really heavy stuff by hand (2 guys at 250 each) instead of using the tractor or the Dodge pickup in the first pictures to do the heavy lifting? It appears you did use the tractor for some of the later lighter stuff.

Thanks Joe:

The manual work was done as an experience thing, i.e. the old way of doing it and the experience of rigging everything up. Plus there was no good way of changing the pull direction on the gin pole and still be able to keep the pole upright under load. It was really not that bad and was quite enjoyable as an experience.

Kevin

 

[khd]

Great looking structure. Mine will look a lot like yours but with "wings" on both sides, one closed and one open (south side.) I'm in south central Oklahoma and we are short on Amish around here so my buddy and I are logging our own timber and milling it for lumber to produce his and my pole barns.

Any ideas regarding painting green milled oak? I haven't found much info on that. I will use board and batten siding and it will be pretty fresh from the mill (as will be all the wood in the two barns.) I found some Behr brand post preservative that you can soak a post in or spray or roll it. It stains the wood very green. Have never used it before and don't knonw if you can pait over it with good results. I'm just trusting to Behr as they usually make good stuff and Home Depot was closing it out at 1/4 regular price.

Pat

What kind of oak are you milling, red or white? I know red doesn't take well to weather. I've also not seen or heard of oak being used as siding in a contemporary structure. If you are siding with oak I know you are going to have to have it quite dry before installing. Not from being able to take paint but from not having it twist and shrink too much. I'd get it cut and stickerd as far in advance of install as possible.

For the poles (frame) portion you want to do all your work on green wood before it dries hard as a rock and you can't work it without a struggle.

Kevin

 

[EddieWalker]

Thanks for the new pictures and update. It's nice to be able to follow along with you on this project. Especially since it's so unique!!!!

Eddie

 

[patrick_g]

What kind of oak are you milling, red or white? I'd get it cut and stickerd as far in advance of install as possible.

For the poles (frame) portion you want to do all your work on green wood before it dries hard as a rock and you can't work it without a struggle.

Kevin

Kevin, We are cutting several species of oak, some in the red family and some white. We are using star and square drive screws because nailing doesn't go well. White is for the siding and red is stringers and other internal structure (more or less) and were not sure what to do with the hickory. I'm trying to get a lot of wood stickered in advance to partially cure but my friend is building while the oak is practically dripping wet. Several folks back in Kentucky and around there use green milled oak and get good results.

I'm going to use board and batten so the battens may have to be a bit wider to cover the shrinkage. I also will fasten the siding only on the midline so shrinkage will not pull it apart like if it were edge fastened. If the siding is a disaster I can cover the bld with painted steel. My friend is going to wait and see whether or not he really needs battens (I think he will.)

We have lots of post oak in smaller sizes, not large enough to cut many boards from but large enough to square up and use for a timber. Supposedly the post oak lasts well with earth contact so I may treat some with Behr post preservative and use it as poles where it is long enough.

We have been told that the red wood of the eastern red cedar lasts well in the dirt but that the white part rots off fairly quickly. We were advised that if there is at least a 6 in diameter red part that the white could rot off and the pole would still be OK. I'm still inclined toward some preservative.

Pat

 

[Egon]

square drive screws

Robertson ehhh!

 

[silverdollar6]

That will be a great tractor barn, I could not bring myself to call it a shed. I think you should let the local media in on a great build. Please don`t get a bigger tractor.

 

[khd]

I'm not a wood miser but one thing I do know is that you are probably going to want to use 3" or better battens. Battens are notorious for twisting in soft wood let alone hard. Especially when you take into consideration cutting the tension out of a timber when you start milling little pieces of wood like that.

Good luck with the projects, I would be interested in seeing pics when you get going.

Regards,
Kevin

Kevin, We are cutting several species of oak, some in the red family and some white. We are using star and square drive screws because nailing doesn't go well. White is for the siding and red is stringers and other internal structure (more or less) and were not sure what to do with the hickory. I'm trying to get a lot of wood stickered in advance to partially cure but my friend is building while the oak is practically dripping wet. Several folks back in Kentucky and around there use green milled oak and get good results.

I'm going to use board and batten so the battens may have to be a bit wider to cover the shrinkage. I also will fasten the siding only on the midline so shrinkage will not pull it apart like if it were edge fastened. If the siding is a disaster I can cover the bld with painted steel. My friend is going to wait and see whether or not he really needs battens (I think he will.)

We have lots of post oak in smaller sizes, not large enough to cut many boards from but large enough to square up and use for a timber. Supposedly the post oak lasts well with earth contact so I may treat some with Behr post preservative and use it as poles where it is long enough.

We have been told that the red wood of the eastern red cedar lasts well in the dirt but that the white part rots off fairly quickly. We were advised that if there is at least a 6 in diameter red part that the white could rot off and the pole would still be OK. I'm still inclined toward some preservative.

Pat

 

[khd]

That will be a great tractor barn, I could not bring myself to call it a shed. I think you should let the local media in on a great build. Please don`t get a bigger tractor.

Thanks, there is no worry on getting a bigger tractor. Today, when I got home there was a letter from Kubota........WOOOOOO HOOOOOO. It's my last payment. She be mine.

Kevin

 

[khd]

Still making slow progress but getting things done. I got the front gable soffits framed in and the fly rafters on. I don't have enough time this weekend with Mother's Day , etc. to get everything out and since I needed to get the windows framed to be able to cut and install intermediate framing I decided I'd better get them framed out. If you remember I started with leaded glass panels sealed between two layers of safety glass. Some door frame stock and some moldings later I have one of the windows framed.

Over the winter I picked up a few e-bay goodies. I got an 8 x24" redwood tombstone gable vent for the back gable wall peak. I also picked up 3 15" lightning rods probably from the 20's or 30's. The barn will have a working lightning protection systems. Last week I found old copper woven lightning cable. It already has a nice verdigris patina and I think it will look good against the galv. roof. There will be one rod on each end and one in the middle then I'll use white porcelain insulators to support the cable between rods and keep it off the roof. I got 50' for $40 delivered which probably saved me $100++ over new and the verdigris finish was free.

Here are pics of the completed framed window and its placement. First pic. is what I started with, the last three are the finished window.

Regards,
Kevin

 

[patrick_g]

Kevin, That is one sturdy looking little box you are building. Man, that thing looks like its load bearing capacity is beyond snow loads and could hold up a glacier.

This is my first time to try to build with green wood. My friend says they used to do this all the time in Kentucky and other places back there. I guess I'll see a little of how it goes up front as he is building his first. I will help him with his and learn enough to make mine easier for me to do and of course he will help me with mine some. If the oak board and batten is a total shipwreck on his then I can always go for metal siding or other alternative instead of the board and batten.

Pat