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Message
Milling Lumber
Posted on 8/26/23 at 9:25 am
Posted on 8/26/23 at 9:25 am
Looking for some practical advise. We just bought a small lot on a COE lake and plan to build a 1200 foot or less house to retire in. The lot has about 25 - southern yellow pines anywhere from 18 - 36 inches in diameter and in the neighborhood of 70’ tall. Also several short needle pines from 12 - 18” in diameter, probably 40-50 feet tall. Also some sizeable sweet gums. I have a friend who clears land for a living who looked at it yesterday and he and several other people have told me there’s no market for the trees and it’s running $500-$700 per load to dump them, not counting fuel. My friend said 4-6 loads.
I am loosely familiar with milling lumber. I am considering milling those trees and using them for siding, trim, interior ship lap and flooring. Possibly even going through the grading process and using them structurally. They’d be air dried or possibly dried in a solar kiln. Most likely air dried. Even with lumber prices as high as they are lumber isn’t that expensive in relative terms when building. I know beyond a certainty that the framing package will be less than the effort required to mill that amount of lumber but I’m going to have to do something with it and hate to put it in a landfill. Is this impractical? I’ve got about 2-3 years before we start building, the lot is 20 minutes from the house and the zoning allows Rv camping…. So I could stay over 3 day weekends without a lot of trouble.
How long would it take to air dry SYP in the Deep South. For it to grade for structural use I read that green was 20% and above and dried was 20% and below. I know the general rule of thumb is a year per inch of thickness but I’ve also been told that’s was wayyyyyy off…..1” that SYP would be down to 20% in as little as 2 months and 2” in 6 months or so. That seems ridiculously fast. Any idea how long?
Finally I’m planning on wrapping the house in OSB for lateral support. Does siding used over OSB have to be grade stamped? It isn’t structural….the OSB is. You can put vinyl over OSB, it certainly isn’t structural? What about soffits and facia? It isn’t structural.
Any tips, advice or cautions greatly appreciated. I know it’s not cost effective but I like the idea LOL!
I am loosely familiar with milling lumber. I am considering milling those trees and using them for siding, trim, interior ship lap and flooring. Possibly even going through the grading process and using them structurally. They’d be air dried or possibly dried in a solar kiln. Most likely air dried. Even with lumber prices as high as they are lumber isn’t that expensive in relative terms when building. I know beyond a certainty that the framing package will be less than the effort required to mill that amount of lumber but I’m going to have to do something with it and hate to put it in a landfill. Is this impractical? I’ve got about 2-3 years before we start building, the lot is 20 minutes from the house and the zoning allows Rv camping…. So I could stay over 3 day weekends without a lot of trouble.
How long would it take to air dry SYP in the Deep South. For it to grade for structural use I read that green was 20% and above and dried was 20% and below. I know the general rule of thumb is a year per inch of thickness but I’ve also been told that’s was wayyyyyy off…..1” that SYP would be down to 20% in as little as 2 months and 2” in 6 months or so. That seems ridiculously fast. Any idea how long?
Finally I’m planning on wrapping the house in OSB for lateral support. Does siding used over OSB have to be grade stamped? It isn’t structural….the OSB is. You can put vinyl over OSB, it certainly isn’t structural? What about soffits and facia? It isn’t structural.
Any tips, advice or cautions greatly appreciated. I know it’s not cost effective but I like the idea LOL!
8
Posted on 8/26/23 at 9:39 am to AwgustaDawg
I thought pine had to be dried at a higher temp to set the sap, and even then it's going to come out over time. I have an older house and used a lot of whiteboard pine for the interior and trim to keep it looking old/country, and over the years knots will still bleed a bit and that's with a factory drying process.
On the other hand that's not structural and if you want the rustic look do you care if the knots bleed? I milled a bunch of live oak after Hurricane Michael and it wasn't cost effective at all but a few of those trees were 150 years old and it made me sick to lose them, so I get the desire to use your own wood.
ETA read too fast and missed that you were only talking about framing. Don't see why the sap would matter there.
On the other hand that's not structural and if you want the rustic look do you care if the knots bleed? I milled a bunch of live oak after Hurricane Michael and it wasn't cost effective at all but a few of those trees were 150 years old and it made me sick to lose them, so I get the desire to use your own wood.
ETA read too fast and missed that you were only talking about framing. Don't see why the sap would matter there.
This post was edited on 8/26/23 at 10:40 am
Posted on 8/26/23 at 11:04 am to AwgustaDawg
If I were in your shoes I'd contact someone with a portable sawmill. Most of these guys will cut your trees into dimensional lumber on 1/2's (you will have to fell and trim). The pine you are describing should be more than enough to cover your building in a couple of years.
He should be able to help you out with the drying process also.
As far as the gum trees go they don't even burn well and they will always fall in a storm.
He should be able to help you out with the drying process also.
As far as the gum trees go they don't even burn well and they will always fall in a storm.
Posted on 8/26/23 at 12:14 pm to Flats
I’m a little surprised to hear that the oak milling was a money pit. That’s disappointing.
Posted on 8/26/23 at 12:18 pm to AwgustaDawg
Just FYI, southern yellow pine is a common name for a few different species that can have some very different attributes, especially when it comes to the lumber. If your friend who clears land didn’t say otherwise then they are likely loblolly, at which point I’d say this experiment may not be worth the hassle. If you find they’re longleaf pines, then I’d be tempted to try it. That’s all I really got, air drying is gonna depend a lot on the size you cut down to and climate.
Posted on 8/26/23 at 1:46 pm to AwgustaDawg
If you have no experience with milling lumber I would recommend you leave your trees and purchase the lumber.
I recommend this from personal experience. I was going to do the same but found that after purchasing my mill and going through a lengthy learning curve, it would have been cheaper for me to have just purchased the lumber.
I just cut most of my mature gums. Found a small mill that was buying them for rail ties.
I recommend this from personal experience. I was going to do the same but found that after purchasing my mill and going through a lengthy learning curve, it would have been cheaper for me to have just purchased the lumber.
I just cut most of my mature gums. Found a small mill that was buying them for rail ties.
This post was edited on 8/26/23 at 1:47 pm
Posted on 8/26/23 at 2:18 pm to AwgustaDawg
quote:
there’s no market for the trees and it’s running $500-$700 per load to dump them, not counting fuel.
I would challenge this....or at least the wording of it.
Is he saying that they would cost that much to dump once you have them loaded? Or that much to cut them down and get them loaded on the truck?
Because once they're loaded on a truck they absolutely have value. If they're average common logs they're worth $35 a ton delivered to a sawmill. If they're old growth grade pine logs, then probably closer to $65 a ton. And that's fairly common from Southern Virginia to East Texas.
They're basically worth $1000 to as high as $2000 per load delivered depending on quality. Of course it might cost you that much to cut them down and haul them off.
And by "load" I mean a full 28 ton log truck load.
Posted on 8/26/23 at 4:08 pm to No Colors
That was the price to dump them. Getting them down and loaded on a truck was not included. Friend of a friend so I don’t think he’d be doing anything he ought not do but also the first person I’ve talked to so getting more quotes is going to happen. I don’t really want to mess with milling them but it’s a shame to just put them in a landfill.
Posted on 8/26/23 at 4:26 pm to AwgustaDawg
I have been in framing lumber sales for 25 years. You will not come out ahead trying to cut it yourself! I have seen tooo many people try. Maybe for a barn but not a house.
First off it needs to be kiln dried with heat to kill any termites or any other insects.
You will also have a really hard time finding a framer/carpenter to be willing to work with rough cut lumber that is not cut to dimensions they are used to working with. The framing math formulas they know and use are based off perfectly cut nominal dimension lumber.
The couple customers that actually did end up using his own milled lumber only used it for the ceiling joist. The framers refused to use it for anything else.
First off it needs to be kiln dried with heat to kill any termites or any other insects.
You will also have a really hard time finding a framer/carpenter to be willing to work with rough cut lumber that is not cut to dimensions they are used to working with. The framing math formulas they know and use are based off perfectly cut nominal dimension lumber.
The couple customers that actually did end up using his own milled lumber only used it for the ceiling joist. The framers refused to use it for anything else.
Posted on 8/26/23 at 4:31 pm to No Colors
Since this is on topic, I’m in SW Hinds cty and may be needing a 3-5 acres of big oak saw logs cut down for a camp site. I don’t want to waste them, but it won’t be close to enough wood for a crew to come in there. Any advice? Find some with a portable mill and stack/dry myself?
Posted on 8/26/23 at 6:20 pm to MotorBoater
quote:
I have been in framing lumber sales for 25 years. You will not come out ahead trying to cut it yourself! I have seen tooo many people try. Maybe for a barn but not a house. First off it needs to be kiln dried with heat to kill any termites or any other insects. You will also have a really hard time finding a framer/carpenter to be willing to work with rough cut lumber that is not cut to dimensions they are used to working with. The framing math formulas they know and use are based off perfectly cut nominal dimension lumber. The couple customers that actually did end up using his own milled lumber only used it for the ceiling joist. The framers refused to use it for anything else.
No doubt the lumber package would be far less expensive, I just don’t like the idea of putting it in a landfill. I’ll be framing myself but even then building door and window frames out of milled lumber would be far more labor intensive than using standard grade stamped lumber. I could mill it to standard sizes but that’s another step in the process. It certainly daunting. I’ve built several houses and it’s daunting enough without adding into milling the lumber.
Posted on 8/26/23 at 7:23 pm to AwgustaDawg
I have a mill and cut pine often.
It dries very fast, 4-6 weeks when properly spaced.
Are you planning to buy a mill or have someone mill for you?
It’s a lot of work but it means something when you’re done .
I bought mine with the sole purpose of building all of my personal stuff first .
Pole barn done and currently cutting for my shop then house.
Got a ways to go lol
It dries very fast, 4-6 weeks when properly spaced.
Are you planning to buy a mill or have someone mill for you?
It’s a lot of work but it means something when you’re done .
I bought mine with the sole purpose of building all of my personal stuff first .
Pole barn done and currently cutting for my shop then house.
Got a ways to go lol
Posted on 8/26/23 at 7:34 pm to turkish
quote:
3-5 acres of big oak saw logs cut down for a camp site. I don’t want to waste them, but it won’t be close to enough wood for a crew to come in there. Any advice?
Buy equipment and pay high school kids to process into firewood. Have them deliver firewood and pay them well. End up with paid for equipment and cleared land.
Posted on 8/26/23 at 7:40 pm to turkish
Cut it for firewood
Posted on 8/26/23 at 7:45 pm to Metariemobtiger
quote:
I have a mill and cut pine often. It dries very fast, 4-6 weeks when properly spaced. Are you planning to buy a mill or have someone mill for you? It’s a lot of work but it means something when you’re done . I bought mine with the sole purpose of building all of my personal stuff first . Pole barn done and currently cutting for my shop then house. Got a ways to go lol
Buying a mill. Back when I was young and hungry and energetic anytime I needed a piece of equipment for a specific task I’d buy it, use it and sell it for about what I had in it. I’m pretty confident I can get a mill that will do what I want and after 12-18 months sell it for about what it cost new, maybe a little less. That being said I am retiring in 4-5 years and have been thinking about buying a mill for years to mill downed trees and cleared trees for my own wood working projects. The amount of hardwoods cleared for subdivisions around me is disgusting. Throw the guy with the loader a little cash to toss a cherry or a hickory on a trailer and a man with no time concerns could supplement his retirement income in cash . Couldn’t make a living at it, or wouldn’t want to work hard enough to do so, but $3000 a year in cash will buy a lot of crappie minnows LOL. I am a hobbyist wood worker and have enough requests for sheet good and dimensional lumber to make a couple of thousand dollars a month in cash on the side…. Using hardwoods instead of sheet goods that didn’t cost more than some sweat would be good…and keep me out of bars and out from in front of the tv
Posted on 8/26/23 at 8:08 pm to AwgustaDawg
I’m a carpenter by trade so owning a mill makes perfect sense .
If you’re handy and don’t mind the work I say go for the mill for sure.
I have a Lucas 10-30 circular mill.
Much more efficient than a band mill if you’re cutting dimensional lumber which was is my main need.
I built a 30x50 pole barn for under $500.
Although I’ll admit I don’t have the final roof on it. Just used recycled billboards for now.
Metal prices were crazy when I was looking to buy and to be honest, the billboards have held up really well and just can’t seem to buy any metal when they are working lol.
I say that to reaffirm you that you 100% can make your money back or offset a ton of the cost . I figure I used over 5k in lumber in that build .
If you’re handy and don’t mind the work I say go for the mill for sure.
I have a Lucas 10-30 circular mill.
Much more efficient than a band mill if you’re cutting dimensional lumber which was is my main need.
I built a 30x50 pole barn for under $500.
Although I’ll admit I don’t have the final roof on it. Just used recycled billboards for now.
Metal prices were crazy when I was looking to buy and to be honest, the billboards have held up really well and just can’t seem to buy any metal when they are working lol.
I say that to reaffirm you that you 100% can make your money back or offset a ton of the cost . I figure I used over 5k in lumber in that build .
Posted on 8/26/23 at 8:31 pm to AwgustaDawg
I have a sawmill and love cutting wood. It’s like opening a present and seeing the inside for the first time. I am in Natchez and also a hobby woodworker but love buying tools. I have made a kiln from a cargo trailer that I insulated with insulation from a walk-in cooler. Dehumidifier and heater and fans. I have only dried hardwood but I get hardwood to less than 10% and have some really unique pieces doing it myself. I am just starting so I am hoping to get some quality stuff for my old man hobby.
Posted on 8/26/23 at 9:07 pm to Ppro
When I had my house built there were 14-15 big pines.
I found a guy with a band mill to come and mill them on halves.
I got a bunch of 1x12’s and 2x4’s.
I air dried them for a few months over the summer.
My builder was a friend with a planer,we planed many 1x12’s and used them for shelving in the closets and pantry.
Bunch I used in my shop were un-planed for shelving.
Used the 2x4’s to build some box stands and an outbuilding,also used 1x12’s for board and batten siding on the outbuilding.
I saved quite a bit of money on all the shelving,several hundred feet of 1x12 whiteboards would have been expensive.
I found a guy with a band mill to come and mill them on halves.
I got a bunch of 1x12’s and 2x4’s.
I air dried them for a few months over the summer.
My builder was a friend with a planer,we planed many 1x12’s and used them for shelving in the closets and pantry.
Bunch I used in my shop were un-planed for shelving.
Used the 2x4’s to build some box stands and an outbuilding,also used 1x12’s for board and batten siding on the outbuilding.
I saved quite a bit of money on all the shelving,several hundred feet of 1x12 whiteboards would have been expensive.
Posted on 8/26/23 at 9:34 pm to LSUA 75
I am in the process of milling a bunch of pine to build a finishing room for epoxy and finishing of projects. I hope to use only sheet goods for the floor. It will be a stand alone building 12x20 with board and batten exterior and shiplap interior. Pine logs are very easy to get in my area. I have cut some pine for a couple of deer stands and it seems to lose water weight quickly
Posted on 8/26/23 at 10:56 pm to Ppro
quote:
Milling Lumber I have a sawmill and love cutting wood. It’s like opening a present and seeing the inside for the first time. I am in Natchez and also a hobby woodworker but love buying tools. I have made a kiln from a cargo trailer that I insulated with insulation from a walk-in cooler. Dehumidifier and heater and fans. I have only dried hardwood but I get hardwood to less than 10% and have some really unique pieces doing it myself. I am just starting so I am hoping to get some quality stuff for my old man hobby.
Mostly 5/4 hardwood? How long does it take to get say white oak to 10%? Natchez is probably slightly more humid on average than east central Georgia.
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