Need pole / post advice: Extending a shed roof

Hiptfarms · Aug 3, 2020

My father was from the Hartwell area across from Anderson.

A lot of times here (central SC) landowners will allow folks to cut cedars after they harvast pines. I just passed a cut over this afternoon where they clear cut the area and left the cedars cut, lying on the ground. What a waste.

oosik · Aug 3, 2020

I've used REAL railroad ties. 8"x8"x12'. After 38 years in the ground they still stink and can get a little "juicy" in really hot weather. I have six of them as gate posts for three gates. Only down side - they are definitely a situation needing to be handled by a tractor & FEL. They are HEAVY in the extreme.

Thirty eight years ago a railroad line was abandoned and became the John Wayne Pioneer trail. They went thru the normal procedure. Remove the rails - pull and stack the ties. Since they were giving the ties away free - neighbor and I went down to have a look. There were monstrous stacks of used ties. There were much smaller stacks of brand new - unused ties.

What the heck. Why select a used tie when new ones were right there. Try as we could - we were completely worn out/frazzled to the bone - getting just six of them loaded in my pickup. We went back a couple weeks later. Some contractor had scarfed them all and was going to be selling them to Lowes, Home Depot, etc.

Anybody that has handled a real RR tie knows what I mean by HEAVY.

milkie62 · Aug 8, 2020

This may a bit off topic but along pressure treated lines. There is a local pressure treating company that does most of the local work. Found their tag on the end of the lumber. Talked to them and they said if you go through your local yard,they will pressure treat any size lumber to any pressure treatment that you want. Only issue is that it has to be an entire banded amount. When my kids build decks on their new homes I will be spec'ing out all .60 lumber for them.

Mat4644 · Aug 9, 2020

Some of the pole barn companies make laminated posts. The bottom portion that goes into the ground and a couple feet above is treated and the rest above untreated pine. No reason you can't screw treated wood on the ends of your lumber.

s219 · Aug 9, 2020

For log posts, I have poured concrete piers in the ground that stick above grade by 6" or so. I place a piece of 1/4" flat steel bar stock (about 2" wide or whatever I have laying around) in the wet concrete that sticks up about 8". Drill holes in the bar to help it anchor better in the concrete, or weld rebar across, etc. Then once it's set mount your posts on the piers and use a chainsaw (tip of bar) to carve a flat spot on the side of the post where it meets up to the steel bar. Drill holes and bolt it together.

I have thought about trying to cut a slot in the log with a plunge cut, so that the log could slide over the bar and hide it. But I think it might take a lot of extra time to get right and I hate wasting time (or money) just to get some use out of logs for posts when it would be faster/cheaper to use treated posts and commercial brackets. So I think the trick with using logs is to keep it simple and cheap, otherwise there is no advantage except for maybe looks.

I always put something under the end of the log to keep it from contacting the concrete directly. Could be steel, a piece of scrap plastic, whatever.

rbstern · Aug 9, 2020

s219 said:
For log posts, I have poured concrete piers in the ground that stick above grade by 6" or so. I place a piece of 1/4" flat steel bar stock (about 2" wide or whatever I have laying around) in the wet concrete that sticks up about 8". Drill holes in the bar to help it anchor better in the concrete, or weld rebar across, etc. Then once it's set mount your posts on the piers and use a chainsaw (tip of bar) to carve a flat spot on the side of the post where it meets up to the steel bar. Drill holes and bolt it together.

I have thought about trying to cut a slot in the log with a plunge cut, so that the log could slide over the bar and hide it. But I think it might take a lot of extra time to get right and I hate wasting time (or money) just to get some use out of logs for posts when it would be faster/cheaper to use treated posts and commercial brackets. So I think the trick with using logs is to keep it simple and cheap, otherwise there is no advantage except for maybe looks.

I always put something under the end of the log to keep it from contacting the concrete directly. Could be steel, a piece of scrap plastic, whatever.

Very similar to what I had in mind.

AK Newbie · Sep 27, 2020

S219 good advice, thanks!

rbstern · Dec 20, 2020

Appreciate the feedback, all.

Finally got around to finishing this project. I poured concrete piers for the posts, so the posts sit above ground level. I added a piece of 1/2" rebar to the piers during the pour, sticking up about 6" from the top of the pier. I center drilled the bottom of the posts with a 1/2" bit, and dropped it onto the rebar as an anchor. Had to hammer them down to make them fit down over the rebar, works well as an anchor.

All of the wood for the extension came from milling on the HM122. Great machine. Well made and enjoyable to use.

Added bonus: There's room for my Yanmar 2210 under the roof.