A year before I started heating with wood, a farmer friend said I could have an old barn. The timber frame was oak. They just trashed most of it. I got a few beams, but most of the smaller pieces were just trashed. If I was heating with wood then, I would have had some great oak, seasoned for 100+ yrs!
The wood that got away.
- Thread starter gzecc
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tcassavaugh
Minister of Fire
gzecc said:
I think that would have been a crime. would have been better if someone could have used the beams in building....if they were still good.
cass
tcassavaugh
Minister of Fire
Thistle
Minister of Fire
Use a good metal detector,remove any foreign objects & resaw them on a heavy duty bandsaw.There are literally hundreds of businesses that deal in reclaimed timber & beams from barns,warehouses,factories,bridge trestles,water tanks & other structures.Mostly in western US they have old-growth Douglas Fir & Redwood in dimensions from 3"x 6" to 24" x 24" in lengths up to 40 ft.The color,beauty,strength & workability of these old timbers is amazing & not found in any new wood today.I've lucked on a bit over the years,from 3 x 12 & 6 x 6 clear all heart vertical grain Doug Fir from a warehouse or two, to some local 125+ yr old Walnut & White Oak 4 x 6 & 8 x 8 barn timbers barely 30 miles from home.
DonNC
Member
Thistle
Minister of Fire
DonNC said:
I still have most of it stored under tarps,in shed & garage.Some of the walnut I resawed 3/4" thick then planed for a couple jewelry boxes,couple of the thicker chunks I made into a desk lamp,candle holders.Havent done anything with the DF yet,it might be a cabinet,extra toolchest or bookcase someday. Depending on the material,you might have 20-25% waste on certain pieces,after cutting away defects like bolt holes,old mortise & tenon joints,cracks or decayed areas.Any scrap is great kindling though! :coolsmile:
Kenster
Minister of Fire
tcassavaugh said:
Do you mean... sort of like this?
When our house was built, these beams were hung first and the house was built around them. Heavy beams run throughout the house including between the floors and all are load bearing. These pics are taken from the first floor looking up to the 'cathedral ceiling' of the Great Room, which is about 50 feet by 30 feet. The stairs goes up to a 'catwalk' bridge that connects two large lofts on either side of the house. The kitchen/dining/laundry room are one side of the house downstairs and bedrooms and bathrooms are on the other side of the house. This large open area of the Great Room and the open lofts is where most of the heat from our VC Vigilant goes. It easily keeps the downstairs in the low 70s, which we find perfect. Upstairs can be quite a bit warmer though two ceiling fans help circulate the air. Our bedroom might be in the mid 60s. We prefer the bedroom on the cool side and will have a fan going even if it's 20 degrees outside.
tcassavaugh
Minister of Fire
....Do you mean… sort of like this?
Exactly.....thats real nice.
My kind of place. Yea, i could live in someting like that.
cass
Exactly.....thats real nice.
My kind of place. Yea, i could live in someting like that. cass
he ken - In that bottom picture, coming down the stairs, are they portholes to let the light in? I think that looks real nice. Nice home! Bruce
Last summer I was down through Mennonite country in Southern Ontario and the Mennos were selling reclaimed barn beams for $5.00/per lineal foot.!!
I picked 200' of hewed beams from a local retired beef farmer whose old barn had been knocked down the previous winter for .50c/lineal foot. I am going to make a big outdoor pergola thing this summer.
To good to just burn, use your imagination.
I picked 200' of hewed beams from a local retired beef farmer whose old barn had been knocked down the previous winter for .50c/lineal foot. I am going to make a big outdoor pergola thing this summer.
To good to just burn, use your imagination.
Kenster
Minister of Fire
f3cbboy said:
Bruce, those are, indeed, honest to goodness portholes over the stair landing. They can be opened but we never do. They come through the wall into the Sun room. We have the original covers up in the attic somewhere. I have no idea what ship they came off of.
tcassavaugh
Minister of Fire
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