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Posted by Doc Dave [69.19.14.31] on Monday, October 19, 2009 at 07:31:55 :
In Reply to: O.T. One good thing about the recession posted by David Sherman [216.18.131.93] on Sunday, October 18, 2009 at 20:17:54 :
I have a registered tree farm. I also grow my own timber and have used some of it that I have milled locally. When I have a project I often buy lumber at these local mills.
In rural areas, there is less pressure to use graded lumber since one can often legally construct their own buildings with ungraded lumber in many jurisdictions.
I have built a two car garage, a horse barn, and two 24 X 48 machine sheds with local sawmill (ungraded) lumber at about half what graded lumber would have cost me at a big lumber yard.
There is nothing mysterious about using ungraded lumber for such projects, but one must use common sense and be careful to pick the right species for strength, stability and rot resistance (if in a wet environment). Also, you need to look at each piece for excessive knots, warpage, wane, etc.
Because I live in the southeast U.S., I used loblolly pine (southern yellow pine) for most of the framing, as well some red oak for the beams and joists. The buildings turned out very well, straight, durable and strong.
Out west you have other speicies to consider, and Doug Fir is a good one.
Check this chart out, it shows you strength and other differences among lumber species.
http://www.ibiblio.org/twa/info/lumberSelection.pdf
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