What can I build with 7,000 bf of Va. pine?

wolfneck · Oct 15, 2007

I have a log cabin up in the woods in the Va. hills, and the past few years I have been concerned about a large (24" dia.) pine tree about 8 feet from the house. It was a cabin killer if it the top ever came out of it during an ice storm. I met a precision logger who convinced me he could drop the tree on a 5 pound bag of flour, without endangering the cabin, and he did!

Well,once the tree was down, sunshine hit that cabin,and I realized there was a blue sky above. I got excited, and I hate pine trees anyway, so I had him keep on cutting. At the end of it all, there isn't a pine within 25-30 feet of the house, and there is a pile of logs on the yard at the sawmill 3 miles down the road. The logger estimated around 7-7,500 board feet.

Looks like I'll be building a storage shed/workshop/barn after the lumber dries

..... I need to figure a plan before the logs are cut in a couple of weeks, so I'll have the right mix of materials on hand to build with.

I'm a mechanic by trade, my carpentry skill are "jackleg", and I have no idea how far this pile of lumber will take me, or what size building I should be considering. I'm thinking conventional framing, roughcut exterior.Floor system with finished lumber purchased elsewhere. I'll need a shed for a pickup, and the large CUT I plan on purchasing next spring. No livestock.

Any ideas what I can get done with this lumber?

Thanks!

Wolfneck

SnowRidge · Oct 15, 2007

Why do you hate pines? I have heard this from others, and I have always wondered why.

wolfneck · Oct 15, 2007

SnowRidge said:
Why do you hate pines? I have heard this from others, and I have always wondered why.

They are always making a mess, whether its sap on a vehicle, limbs on the ground, or that 3 weeks worth of yellow pollen that coats everything in the spring. They also seem to cause more problems during ice storms than hardwoods. They make lousy firewood. I also don't find rows of farmed pines particularly attractive, but that's just me

Other than that, I have no problems with a pine!

Wolfneck

SnowRidge · Oct 15, 2007

LOL. OK, I got my answer.

BTW, I grow Xmas trees. Pines, of course, all in rows.

Kendall69 · Oct 15, 2007

If you go to a local lumber yard, they can "ballpark" a barn/workshop guest house, cut sheet. so may 2x4's so may 4x4's etc.

hand that cut sheet to the mill and have a go at it - also you can trade some of it to the mill so you may not have to pay for the cutting.

wolfneck · Oct 15, 2007

SnowRidge said:
LOL. OK, I got my answer.

BTW, I grow Xmas trees. Pines, of course, all in rows.

Ha, ha......Xmas pines are different, they are quite beautiful growing in rows, my neighbors grow them all around me. I was talking about "paper towel" pines, Eastern white pines.

randy41 · Oct 16, 2007

hey neighbor...i'm just up the road from you in floyd co.

MikeD74T · Oct 16, 2007

Not knowing what your building needs are, you could sheath, roof, and cover the floor of a 32x32 building. Good start on a shop with a second floor. That does not allow anything for framing however.

MikeD74t

wolfneck · Oct 16, 2007

MikeD74T said:
Not knowing what your building needs are, you could sheath, roof, and cover the floor of a 32x32 building. Good start on a shop with a second floor. That does not allow anything for framing however. MikeD74t

Thanks Mike! That's good information. Since my original post, I found a plan for a 24x24 conventional frame workshop with attached pole type shed for truck/tractor that looks interesting, single story. Maybe there will be some framing lumber after all, if I go with that size. If I need more, well, we'll just cut down some more pines!

Kendall, as soon as I get the plan figured out, I'll do as you suggested about getting the "cut sheet". It's my first trip to the sawmill, so I hadn't considered offering some lumber to the operator to defray the cost of cutting. That's a great idea. The rate around here is $150 per thousand.

Wolfneck