I’m having a red cedar taken out in a week, about 40′ or more tall. The tree service guy suggests I have him cut it into logs to fit my car trailer (14′) and take it to a local custom sawmill to have it milled into lumber. That part’s OK, but …
I’m planning on using the lumber from this tree to build a foot bridge across a little stream next to our property. The bridge will probably be 12-14′ long. I’ll have to design and build it as a trussed structure since the stream is down in a ravine and there’s no way I can get any kind of equipment down there to carry large timbers. So-
What’s the consensus on using the lumber green as opposed to having to wait three or so years for it to season? Will 2×6 green lumber go to hell on me if I build with it right away? There should probably be enough heart wood in the tree to produce the amount of 2x sticks I’d need for a coupla trusses.
From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.
Dennis
Replies
Dennis, why not post this over in breaktime. Boss Hog is a truss guy and there are a few timber framers on the site. Maybe one of them can help you with a design for a post and beam structure/timberfframe, like in the "olden" days.
Cut into 20' lenghts and I'd be interested in some of it for a 18' canoe...the clear part of course;~)
Migraine -I can design the truss/structure. It's the state of the wood off-the-saw that I was wondering about. I'll use something like 1/8" flat bar for member ties and weld up gusset plates for intersections. Rustic, ya know (grin)...........
From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.
Dennis
Dennis, 2" Western Red-cedar will be dry enough in about a month for what you are doing. It also has good rot resistance, so it should hold up for a long time also, however the sapwood is very prone to rot: like within a year or two, and if the ends are in ground contact will decay faster.
Root -It's odd that so many of the big cedar stumps that we have on our property are rotten in the centers but the outter (sapwood) portions are still quite solid. I'm talking stumps from trees that must have been harvested 40-50 years ago. 4' and more across at the top of the stumps. Springboard marks and all.That's not meant as a contradiction to your comment - I'm aware of the rot resistance of good heartwood cedar. That's why I'm hoping there will be enough out of this thing for the bridge truss memebers. Might have to consider something else for the deck, though. I'd prefer not to use treated lumber............
From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.
Dennis
Western Red Cedar is a very soft wood. That may mean special consideration be given to how to join the pieces. You won't be able to torque threaded fasteners too tightly, it would just crush the wood. Also, you could crush the wood if there are too few fasteners at each joint. It is also a low strength wood, so you'd need larger pieces than you would with standard construction lumber. Keep these thoughts in mind when working out your design.
Right about the softness of cedar. I plan on using steel gusset plates and through bolts to tie the truss members together. There will no doubt be considerable redundancy in the design.Can't get my hands on my old Doug Fir use book to see if there are any edge/end distance specs in it for cedar. Perhaps that's a good reason to surf over to Breaktime as suggested.OK .... I will! (grin)
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From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.
Dennis
Dennis, here's a picture of a cedar bridge, 12' long, that I built. I built it in the shop and four of us carried it out and set it in place, after I had leveled and set some blocks for it to set on. The laminated arches are glued and screwed. It's about three years old and it holding up well. Finished with Canyon Brown Super Duck. I had to go with that color instead of cedar because I wanted the contrast with some other garden structures.
Alan & Lynette Mikkelsen, Mountain View Farm, est. 1934, Gardens & Fine Woodworking, St. Ignatius, MT
Very nice, Alan!How did you attach the main posts for the handrail? I'm thinking that I'd put outboard knee braces on at vertical truss members to brace the sides of my bridge. I've got a rather steep 20' high bank to go down to get to the stream so carrying something that big is kinda out of the quesiton. I figgered I'd build all the truss pieces in the shop, take 'em down to the 'construction site' and assemble it in place............
From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.
Dennis
Dennis, Even before seeing Alan's photo, I was going to suggest a laminated arch. I have a hard time finding dry red cedar here in Maine. Seems all they shipo is green anyway. it seems to dry pretty fast. Give the timbners a monbth or so and then start milling. By Time you are done with ripping the lams down and planing them ( allow some for shrinkage) and letting it set for a week or so in stickers under a dry cover, it will be useable. Maybe a bit more since you are statting from green...but not three years.I like working with it. When you epoxy up laminations with west system, you end up with a strong section and no mechanical joints to fail later from stresses and point loads
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
The main posts for the hand rails are simply bolted to the laminations. There is no movement, and everything has been totally secure since installation. We've had a couple of weddings and a lot of people across the bridge. The handrails and intermediate rails are laminated also. It's all very stiff. The balusters or spindles are copper pipe.Alan & Lynette Mikkelsen, Mountain View Farm, est. 1934, Gardens & Fine Woodworking, St. Ignatius, MT
>> ...The balusters or spindles are copper pipe.Nice touch!...........
From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.
Dennis
We've had a couple of weddings and a lot of people across the bridge.
You built it fer Vertical oscillations??... You in Engineering?
SORRY I just HAD to!
Edited 6/3/2005 8:08 pm ET by Will George
Welllllll, I can't speak to that. In my advancing years, I tend to go to bed early. What this younger generation does, I can't testify to!Alan & Lynette Mikkelsen, Mountain View Farm, est. 1934, Gardens & Fine Woodworking, St. Ignatius, MT
Hi Dennis, sounds like a great project. We've got a huge (75' maybe?) multi-trunked cedar that died last year, we need to take down. Would love to know how much it costs you to have your milled.
Doesn't seem like it would take years for that wood to dry. Hope you get some good info at Breaktime. How hot does it get up at your place during the summertime? How dry? That'll determine in part how dry the lumber needs to be, right?
What part of that stream do you consider "little"?<g> Are you inviting the cougar to your bridge-christening party??
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
red cedar .. Just me..
To me not a wood for bridges for cars en' stuff.. But you can hardly beat it for siding and other small projects.. Walkin' bridge and stuff..
I have sided my house with it.. LONG AGO.. 40 years.. Only place it rotted was if to close to the ground (siding) Chicago here and leaves and stuff get under it ( I think )
And a few places where the rain runs down it from the roof (as in gets ALOT of water)
Will -That's what this involves .... just a little foot bridge.Cedar is indeed a great outdoor wood in non-structural uses - witnessed by the fact that I salvaged some (probably) 20 year old fence boards to use as gable end siding on my shop. The weatherbeaten appearance adds a level of credibility to my workplace (grin)...........
From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.
Dennis
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