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 !!

 

[s219]

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

Yes, it was a bit of a mind bender to decide how I was going to mill a 25' beam on a mill with a 19' deck and 17' cut range. I worked out the steps geometrically in my head, and it's doable, but with a log that heavy I surely would have struggled shuffling it side to side. My fallback was to use my Alaskan chainsaw rig. Have both a slab rig and a beam cutter. If I made the first cut with the beam cutter to put one flat side on the log, the second cut could be made with the slab cutter, then the final two with the beam cutter (going in that order with those tools would be fastest). The Alaskan rig would have been slower cutting than the mill, but with far less shuffling between cuts. I imagine it would have been a tossup.

 

[TnAndy]

Yes, it was a bit of a mind bender to decide how I was going to mill a 25' beam on a mill with a 19' deck and 17' cut range. I worked out the steps geometrically in my head, and it's doable, but with a log that heavy I surely would have struggled shuffling it side to side. My fallback was to use my Alaskan chainsaw rig. Have both a slab rig and a beam cutter. If I made the first cut with the beam cutter to put one flat side on the log, the second cut could be made with the slab cutter, then the final two with the beam cutter (going in that order with those tools would be fastest). The Alaskan rig would have been slower cutting than the mill, but with far less shuffling between cuts. I imagine it would have been a tossup.

My first mill was an Alaskan. Built first barn/shop on the farm before we got power in here, c. 1984. The main girder is an 8x10x36', which was the length of the building. Alaskan mills aren't great for milling out 1x, but they are the BOSS for making long beams !

Money got a little freer some years later, and I bought the Woodmizer in 1991.

 

[s219]

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.

I was surprised about the LVL pricing -- not as bad as I thought. Right now, the builder supply here charges $5.53/ft for any length up to 40'. Prices fluctuate weekly. They cut them to 25' with a chainsaw while I waited (I am glad I had wiggle room to make a neater end cut with a skil saw when I got home).

Here are the two roof styles I am considering (side view):



The one on the left is much simpler and quicker to build since I just need to cut single piece rafters and notch the birdsmouths in, space purlins 2' apart, and I can just throw up the 12' sheets of metal and be done. The one on the right will take more tinkering with additional rafter boards and braces on the front, more purlins, and I'd have to cut the roof panels. Then also buy $50 worth of ridge cap or bend some on a brake.

They both have the same overhang but darned if the one on the right "feels" like it would provide more shelter. But for simplicity I will probably go with the one on the left. Either way I want to make a short 2-3' wall at the top of the front side, to protect that LVL from the weather and dress up the look a bit.

 

[fried1765]

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:

View attachment 679638 View attachment 679650 View attachment 679644

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:

View attachment 679649 View attachment 679648 View attachment 679647 View attachment 679646 View attachment 679645

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.

View attachment 679643 View attachment 679642 View attachment 679641 View attachment 679640

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.

View attachment 679639

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

If you get a heavy dump of wet snow, are you confident that the LVL spanning 24' will be adequate?
The pitch is shallow, so the snow will just pile up, and even more (weight) will fall off those trees.

Many years ago (in MN. and not for sawmill) I built a shed with your #2 roof design.
I was able to obtain three new 30' surplus bar joists very inexpensively ($25 each).
#2 design is better looking, and will provide good driving rain/snow protection for that open front.

Nice documentation.
Looks very nice so far!

 

[/pine]

We are getting ready to build a structure over our mill but we want machine access from both sides...i.e., load logs from one side and remove slabs and lumber from the other...

 

[deezler]

Awesome stuff, 219. I like your plan. LVL's ont he front is smart. Shed roof, single pitch, keep it simple. Pretty much exactly what I hope to build someday, if I ever get my dream of owning a mill.

How about bird nests underneath, any plans to combat that? Bird doo-doo on your mill or nice lumber doesn't sound too cool.

 

[s219]

If you get a heavy dump of wet snow, are you confident that the LVL spanning 24' will be adequate?
The pitch is shallow, so the snow will just pile up, and even more (weight) will fall off those trees.

Well, I designed it to the same local specs we use for everything else here, 25-30 PSF snow load, so it ought to be fine (none of my other stuff has caved in yet!).

The LVLs can handle about 2.5X higher bending stress than my yellow pine beam would have, so a double 1.75x11.875 LVL is all it takes. More resistant to grain compression at the end supports too. And they are a fraction of the weight. They really are amazing beams.

I suspect wind loads and uplift are the bigger risks. I took every precaution I could, including steel straps in the footings that tie into the poles. But with only 5 poles in the ground, that is not a lot of anchoring. I am going extra crazy with bracing and diagonals, since that helps a lot. If you can keep the structure from folding, that lets the poles and anchors do their job. I have corner braces on all the posts, diagonals on the end walls, and I will put some diagonals nailed under the roof rafters as well. Combined, those will resist shear in all 3 directions. So if wind gets it, this shed will have to launch vertically into the air to fail. Knock on wood of course...

 

[fried1765]

Well, I designed it to the same local specs we use for everything else here, 25-30 PSF snow load, so it ought to be fine (none of my other stuff has caved in yet!).

The LVLs can handle about 2.5X higher bending stress than my yellow pine beam would have, so a double 1.75x11.875 LVL is all it takes. More resistant to grain compression at the end supports too. And they are a fraction of the weight. They really are amazing beams.

I suspect wind loads and uplift are the bigger risks. I took every precaution I could, including steel straps in the footings that tie into the poles. But with only 5 poles in the ground, that is not a lot of anchoring. I am going extra crazy with bracing and diagonals, since that helps a lot. If you can keep the structure from folding, that lets the poles and anchors do their job. I have corner braces on all the posts, diagonals on the end walls, and I will put some diagonals nailed under the roof rafters as well. Combined, those will resist shear in all 3 directions. So if wind gets it, this shed will have to launch vertically into the air to fail. Knock on wood of course...

Seems as though you have a good plan!

I have a 36 year old 36' x 48' Morton building, and Morton only used long diagonal light weight steel straps at the corners.
100+ mph hurricane gusts have been no problem, but it is a fully enclosed structure.

 

[s219]

We are getting ready to build a structure over our mill but we want machine access from both sides...i.e., load logs from one side and remove slabs and lumber from the other...

I initially planned both front and rear walls to be open full span but backed off. If you can do it, that is definitely a plus. I am still working out the flow with milling. What works best right now is to bring a log to the mill on forks, then back the tractor up about 3'. I put sawn lumber and cants/cutoffs on the forks as they come off the mill. Then bring lumber to the stack and the cutoffs to a scrap pile (I'll put them through my chipper eventually). Sawdust shoots out the back side of the mill and at some point I will need to deal with that. Right now it's a nice soft quiet surface to walk on, like powder snow. Smells nice. Heck, I may rake it around to the front of the mill to make that nicer to walk on too. Eventually I'll need to shovel out excess sawdust and dump it somewhere.

 

[s219]

Awesome stuff, 219. I like your plan. LVL's ont he front is smart. Shed roof, single pitch, keep it simple. Pretty much exactly what I hope to build someday, if I ever get my dream of owning a mill.

How about bird nests underneath, any plans to combat that? Bird doo-doo on your mill or nice lumber doesn't sound too cool.

I'll probably have to deal with bird nests in realtime, if it happens. My #1 enemy around here is carpenter bees. Anything I build gets attacked the next spring. I have some spray I can put on the wood to to deter them, but the best strategy has been to find holes early, dust them with a special pesticide, then wait a few days and seal them up.