Barnwood

[Dave Novak]

I found an ad on Craigslist for barnwood. Seller wants $200 for 7 white oak beams that are 8" X 8" X 84". I would imagine that I can resaw this into quite a stack of lumber.

1. Anything I should be wary of regarding barnwood? I assume its from a barn he's tearing down. As long as it's relatively straight and hasn't rotted-out what else should I be looking for when I inspect it?

2. how many board feet is this? Am I correct to calculate it as follows:
8 X 8 X 84 / 144 = 37.3 bf each, or about 260 bf total? Seller thinks he has 500 bf, but I can't follow his math.

Thanks!

[Keel McDonald]

I recently made some things from barn wood. You really have to be careful about nails, hardware. It would be well worth it to invest in a metal detector. I ruined blades on my jointer and planer. All it takes is not finding one, which I did.

[Grant Wilkinson]

Dave

FWIW, your calculations are correct.

[Lou Morrissette]

Dave,
My experience with barnwood is that the wood is generaly stable and usualy has developed a real nice patina. I would also check it for insect damage altough a little insect damage could work in your favor appearance wise. For the price you're paying, I agree with Keel that you can afford to invest in a good metal detector. A ruined planer or saw blade would realy cut in to your savings.

Lou

[Dave Novak]

Thanks for the responses. I hadn't thought about all the crap I might find in the wood. My bandsaw blade would cost about $240 to replace, killing any bargain I might have found on the wood. Maybe I should bring the metal detector with me and give them a good scan before I throw them in the truck.

[Jamie Buxton]

Look out for cracks and checks. Beams are often made from green lumber, which dries in place. Because the drying process is completely uncontrolled, the lumber may develop cracks. The cracks don't affect the structural properties, but they may well get in your way as you convert the beam to furniture.

[Keel McDonald]

Thanks for the responses. I hadn't thought about all the crap I might find in the wood. My bandsaw blade would cost about $240 to replace, killing any bargain I might have found on the wood. Maybe I should bring the metal detector with me and give them a good scan before I throw them in the truck.

I wouldn't let finding metal in the wood stop me from buying or using it. In fact, just like insects, old nails and other hardware tend to leave a black "defect" in the wood (once it's removed) which I believe adds to the look of it. But it truly amazed me how much metal I found in a single board. And don't just look in the places that you would assume to find nails, they can be anywhere. In fact, due to the character of the wood after years of being out in the weather, the nails tend to almost blend in with the wood. At any rate, good luck!

[Ed Labadie]

Almost everything has been covered already, except the lumber might STILL have insects in it. Specifically post borrer beetles.
Do not bring the lumber into your shop until you are certain their aren't any. The telltale sign of the little critters is a small pyramid of sawdust under a little hole in the board.
The best way to kill the little devils is a good kiln drying.

Ed

[Al Killian]

Just remember to run the metal detector over the beam each time you slice off a ntoer piece. This way you will find any piece buired deep inside the beam. Some of that wood has exellent grain patterns.

[Dave Novak]

Thanks for all the insight. Seems like a lot of potential upside to this, vs. the $200 gamble.

[Bill Antonacchio]

How about the fact that you would be destroying very old, old growth large beams, on top of the concerns about metal and bugs?

I would also think they are worth more as beams than as boards.

Regards,
Bill Antonacchio

[Greg Cole]

Be very VERY careful for the insects that can lurk in this type of material.
A family member used some bard boards for wainscotting & left it very rustic.... only to find out the stuff was FULL of termites.

Greg

[Scott Taylor]

Dave,

I don't know what hardwoods are native to your area, but just a thought. I have a pretty nice racket going on where I am that saves me some serious $$$.

I found a local miller that lets me "help" during the cutting. He charges me $50 an hour to saw up what I bring to him. He does the cuts and I do the manual labor which speeds up the process quite a bit. In an hour and a half to 2 hours we saw about 6-8 12 foot logs of varying diameters.

I keep my eyes open for down trees and I have also hooked up with a tree company that is more than willing to drop off long logs for free. When I go to the mill, I tell him what I want and presto I go home a trailer full of rough cut with dimensions that I specify.

I guess what I am trying to say is that your $ can go much further if you exercise a little effort. I literally have thousands of dollars in hardwood, roughcut lumber that I've only paid about $400 for.

The down side is the waiting game. Obviously I have to dry out most of what I get. But in the long run, I feel that I am getting my money's worth instead of paying someone elses profit.