Milled a Little Poplar

[rarefish383]

These are a few 10 footers by about 2 foot. They are 2" thick. I plan on using them for the siding on my 8'X12' addition on my trailer in West Virginia. I've got one more 10' log and a 16' log to mill. I'm trying to decide just how I want to join them on the ends. The frame is 6X6 Virginia Pine cut on 3 sides. The round side is going to face inside. Once I stand the posts up I'm going to screw 1/2 cdx to them kinda as a cheater to seal up the room. That way if my chinking shrinks I won't have any wind leaking in. I want to get the siding to about a 2" gap between the boards, and then I was going to use regular brick mortar for chinking. On the inside the posts will be on 2' centers. With the round sides facing in, I'll have roughly a 6" deep wall. I plan on nailing 2X4 runners, or girts, along the posts to make a pocket to insulate, then capping it all off with rough cut Pine or Oak. I've got plenty of both blown down on the farm. So, from the inside, the walls will look like slightly recessed panelling between the rounded posts. I wish I knew how to do graphics on this thing. I can see the picture in my head, but I don't know if I explained it well. Here's the pics of the future sides of my addition, and then some old pics of the foundation from last year, Joe.

OOPS, I thought I had a pic of the finished foundation, but I think I deleated it by accident. Here's one beam leveled next to the trailer and a few others still on the truck, Joe.

 

[imagineero]

Was that from a populus deltoidi? Not sure what kind of poplars you guys have but here in australia most poplar I've seen that size was well rotten. It doesn't have the reputation here of being a durable long lasting timber.

Shaun

 

[rarefish383]

Shaun, the common names are Tulip Poplar or Yellow Poplar and the latin name is Liriodendron Tulipifera. We've taken them down that were 110' tall and 4' across. Bigger ones, across that is, are not common, but can be found. I took my Maryland Tree Expert exam at St Johns College, in Annapolis MD. There was one on the campus that was refered to as a Liberty Tree. I posted a link and it has some pics of the tree over the years and some history. The trees do rot from the ground up and from broken branches down. But the solid wood, once dry, was often used in the construction of big "Bank Barns" and was said to have anti rot and anti termite properties. Many of these barns from the 1850's are still around. If I get mine to last 30 or 40 years I'll be happy, Joe.
Maryland Liberty Tree in Annapolis, a history of the Liberty Tree and the Sons of Liberty

 

[Sawyer Rob]

The problem is, how rot resistant many tree species is, is for OLD GROWTH tree's, not todays tree's that haven't been around long enough to build up that same resistance.

Where i live, unpainted "todays" poplar near the ground, won't last any where near 30 years, and beams would be so full of ants ect., all the strength would be long gone.

DM

 

[Timberframed]

Looks like you've got it covered rarefish if you'll pardon the pun. Tulipfera is a long lasting exterior wood when kept maintained as in paint. My house is 107 years old w/ original turned spindles on the front porch which are still in good shape and made from Tulip poplar.