New Sawmill Shed

[s219]

I'll post more pics as this progresses, but here are some so far. This is an 8x24' building that I am constructing around my Woodland Mills sawmill. It's a mix of pole barn, post & beam, and a couple modern elements. I am sawing up Loblolly pine from my property as I go along and building with that whenever possible. It will have a 3/12 shed roof, about 12x28' depending on how I frame it out (may add a front awning-style overhang, not sure yet).

For posts, I am using mostly treated 4x6 that I had, but the rear center post is a rough sawn pine top that I bolted to a treated 6x6 base:



Rear beams are rough sawn pine 6x6 12' long, attached to the posts with steel gusset plates (made from scrap diamond plate I had) and 1/2" bolts:



The front beam was originally going to be rough sawn pine, 6x14 by 25' long, to go the full 24' span between the front posts. I went as far as cruising my timber and picking the tree I would fell to make the beam, plan the skid route, etc. Then I did some math and realized that the beam would weigh almost 800 pounds when fresh cut. I didn't like the idea of lifting something that heavy and long with my front loader and I figured it might be impossible to horse it into final position while working from ladders by myself. So I checked around, and found I could carry my roof load over the 24' span with just two 1.75" x 11.875" LVL beams, which weigh just 150 pounds each. Not crazy about spending $276 on LVLs for a sawmill shed (seems ironic, right?) but it looked like a no-brainer, and I have to admit, was a lot easier than it would have been to make the large beam myself.

I rigged up a bracket on my forks to lift the LVLs into place. They have a protective coating and are slippery, so it was easy to slide them off the forks, onto the posts, and jockey into final position. They were sistered together with about forty 16D nails, and notched into the posts and attached with gusset plates and 1/2" bolts.



I spent today sawing 2x6 lumber for the roof rafters and 2x4 lumber for the roof purlins. We're about to get heavy rain and rain/snow from a Nor'easter this week, so I probably won't get much done. I tacked some scrap house wrap on top of the LVL for extra protection from all the weather until I can get the roof on. Roof will most likely be galvanized 5V panels.



Will keep updating with progress. Hope to be done by Christmas, or at least done enough...

 

[Citydude]

Your moving right along! Looks good.

 

[czechsonofagun]

I used single beam for 19' span. 20' beam and ERC posts 6". But I was attaching it to existing structure.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

I would love to have a sawmill to build a shed around!! One of these days! Looks great!

 

[oosik]

I WOULD have a saw mill if I had all those tall, straight trees that your lower set of pics show. My trees are all massive, ancient Ponderosa pines. Most are WAY to big for use in anything but a commercial saw mill.

This is the butt end of one out in my yard. It's one that I fell - hit by lightning and died. I've been hacking off chunks for the last ten years. It's 38" on the butt. Still in good shape because the limbs are keeping it up off the ground. View attachment 679680

 

[TnAndy]

For posts, I am using mostly treated 4x6 that I had, but the rear center post is a rough sawn pine top that I bolted to a treated 6x6 base:

I built my shed in 1991. Used yellow pine 6x6's for posts. Soaked the ends in used motor oil/diesel fuel, and planted in ground. They haven't rotted off yet !

The front beam was originally going to be rough sawn pine, 6x14 by 25' long, to go the full 24' span between the front posts. I went as far as cruising my timber and picking the tree I would fell to make the beam, plan the skid route, etc. Then I did some math and realized that the beam would weigh almost 800 pounds when fresh cut. I didn't like the idea of lifting something that heavy and long with my front loader and I figured it might be impossible to horse it into final position while working from ladders by myself. So I checked around, and found I could carry my roof load over the 24' span with just two 1.75" x 11.875" LVL beams, which weigh just 150 pounds each. Not crazy about spending $276 on LVLs for a sawmill shed (seems ironic, right?) but it looked like a no-brainer, and I have to admit, was a lot easier than it would have been to make the large beam myself.

Making beams longer than the mill is always interesting. I'm making a 30' one here on a 21' rated mill.

I rigged up a bracket on my forks to lift the LVLs into place. They have a protective coating and are slippery, so it was easy to slide them off the forks, onto the posts, and jockey into final position.

Yep....rigging stuff to "git-er-done"

Helped a neighbor building a new house set his floor trusses with my mini-ex. Took the bucket off, strapped a sawmill 6x6 to the stick to get the extended reach we needed (30' floor truss) and swing them into place:

 

[Citydude]

I used single beam for 19' span. 20' beam and ERC posts 6". But I was attaching it to existing structure.

The LVL beams are interesting. Spanning 19 feet is something I need for a project I’m thinking about.

I do have to include snow loads into account for a span that far though.

 

[TnAndy]

I used single beam for 19' span. 20' beam and ERC posts 6". But I was attaching it to existing structure.

Your log deck is almost exactly the same as what I did:

BUT after many years of using that deck, I decided it was a mistake to have built the shed this way. When I brought the mill in from Woodmizer in 1991, I simply wanted to get something up to get it covered without really thinking thru how it all worked.

Since then, I run into logs I saw the tractor will barely lift UP onto the deck. Sometimes I hold back on the loader joystick and "bounce" the tractor forward, exceeding the lift ability that way. Sometimes I set one end of the log on the deck, then move to the other end and set it up on the deck, trying to keep it from rolling off as I go. What I finally came to the conclusion is the mill was setup wrong. The mill should have been set DOWN instead of on a level, having to lift the logs UP. I have a sloped section off to the edge of the clearing where the mill is located, and the NEW shed will sit there....with the mill set below the front grade so logs come in off ground level

Like this sketch:

 

[EddieWalker]

... 24' span with just two 1.75" x 11.875" LVL beams, which weigh just 150 pounds each. Not crazy about spending $276 on LVLs ...

That's a really good price for two of them. Here, they cost $210 each. Shop 1-3/4x11-7/8"-24''' LVL at McCoy'''s

Your building is very similar to what I want to do for hay storage. I want a 24 foot opening and the best price I've seen is for a glulam at $270 Shop 3-1/8x14-24''' Glulam at McCoy'''s

I'm looking forward to seeing how you do the roof. My plan for my hay shed is to run 2x10 rafters from the back wall, out over the from glulam beam and extend it another 4 feet for a little extra protection from the rain.

 

[murphy1244]

Man I love these threads !!