Post and Beam

[ki4hpz]

How long should rough lumber air out before using it in post and beam construction?  

[glenn-k]

If you realize that it may shrink a bit and that is not a problem, then put it up as soon as it comes off the saw carriage.  That's what I do.  It tends to shrink most in width, but very little in length.  That is one reason balloon framing doesn't have as much movement at the second story as platform framing.

[ki4hpz]

Thanks, Can you put sheetrock on top of newly cut lumber without problem? I am new to post and beam.

ty

[manhattan42]

If you are constructing post and beam where building codes apply, you cannot use rough cut lumber for construction at all.

All lumber must have a mill stamp or otherwise be graded by a certified lumber grader and have engineering documentation before it can be incorporated into the structure.

Hanging drywall on anything but kiln dried lumber is a very bad idea and will lead to excessive nail head pops and fastener failures as the lumber acclimatizes during the first year. Even kiln dried lumber can have drywall problems as the lumber adjusts to the moisture levels in the house seasonally.

[glenn-k]

Manhattan is right about that - if codes apply you are stuck donating to the government/corporate protection scheme.  You will also donate to an engineer to design your post and beam structure.

I just traveled through several towns in the Napa valley that prove that the old master builder system worked great -- many houses well over 120 years old, but we have evolved our system with every corporation and their lobbyist getting more rules and regulations into it, to where it is nearly impossible to use local raw materials, or even recycled materials in many areas.  


The safety issue is the good part of the system. -  It protects those who don't know, have time or care enough to learn to build their own home.  The corporate material sales and getting you on the tax rolls is the other part of the system.

Sassy mentioned that much of the stamped material is not as good as the wood we cut ourselves but it has been blessed by  the corporate/government protection racket and the tax collector.  We are back to the days of prohibition.  How about a Boston tea party?

There is probably not a house built where a blessed 2x doesn't dry and twist its fasteners out of the sheetrock.

Let a blessed board lie outside unfastened, and it will be crookeder than my----uhmmmmm ---leg.

[Amanda_931]

or hair on a humid day?