2x pine or DF for flooring

[Dberry]

Title says it all.  I'm considering using 2x6 and 2x8's for the floor for my workshop instead of plywood.  It's twice the price of plywood, but half the cost of regular tongue and groove hardwood flooring.  My thinking was run them thru my router and put my own tongue and groove on them (or perhaps the tablesaw for a V type groove or even a simple lap joint).  Then glue and face nail them.  Anyone else ever done anything like this?  Is this silly for a reason I haven't considered?

Thanks!
Dan

[glenn-k]

Lots of the old Gold town buildings around here had and have softwood floors - they have their own rustic look.

[peg_688]

Dan  Are you aware you can buy 2x6 T&G in Hemlock or Fir ?   At least we can here in PNW.  Not sure what the $ is right now. It was a common floor system 20 or 30 years ago along with 4x6 beams generally about 36" OC, post and beam floor it was called. Commonly the T&G was called car decking , it came in 3 X material as well with a DBL. T&G IIRC, seen it once or twice the 3 x (maybe it was 4x material.

 You could T&G your own , DEPENDS , how much will you need? And do you have a 3hp router ?  Table saw might work but any twist , bow , crown etc will throw off the T&G , the hand held router , used properly,  would result in a better T&G . And will build strong arms twelve ways , maybe more than twelve   Any large run 500+ LF or more of T&G ing and you'll wish you'd have purchased it already done .

 I'd check with your local supplier for  a  T&G 2x6 ( car decking ) in Spruce , fir  and hemlock see what they can find for ya  

 BTW those floor systems squeaked like a crazy Even under carpet, it would make a dandy shop floor though

 Good luck either way, PEG      

[Sassy]

PEG, is that why I have such big muscles   ?  I used a router on a bunch of boards Glenn made on the sawmill.  The boards were for the ceiling.  (actually haven't done that for awhile, since the router burned out)  :-/ Sassy

[Dberry]

I'll check the availability of TG 2x lumber.  I have a hunch it's going to be far more expensive than the regular stuff though.

I do have a 3HP router but it stays mostly in the router table as it's just not much fun lugging it around.  I've got several smaller routers though.  I could set one up with the tongue bit and another with the groove bit.  I've calculated 140-150 2x6x16' boards.  Bet I could knock those out over a weekend working slowly to keep the bits cool.

The more I ponder this, a circular saw and a jig to make a simple lap joint might be super fast and relatively easy.  My primary concern is to keep sawdust from falling thru the cracks.

Hmmm, I just looked up the R-value of sawdust...  2.2 per inch.  Might not make a bad floor insulator for a workshop.  I never seem to run out of the stuff.

[glenn-k]

I use two skilsaws with rip guides to make shiplap fast.  Cut the edge and then the side.  Much faster than the router and doesn't burn out a router.  Set up a jig or clamp type sawhorses to put the boards on edge.  Cut edge on opposite sides.

[ki4hpz]

What about Bamboo flooring?
http://www.gotoreviews.com/archives/flooring/bamboo-flooring.html

[Amanda_931]

a) depending on your floor joists 2x might be overkill--you could investigate 1x, or the real inch as rough cut or if you're ordering it from the sawmill/dry kiln, there's also something called ⁵/₄--i.e., it planes out to about 1" instead of ³/₄.

(every catalog I've gotten recently seems to have floors of unplaned wood, painted white, as background--and it looks lovely, even with occasional cupping)

b) half-lap instead of t and g.  This is probably the same as the ship-lap Glen is suggesting.   A whole lot less work, easier to fit too.  

c) Cecelia used pretty, and pretty knotty local blackwood for her studio.  There's a picture around somewhere. It's truly lovely.  You can't get it here for anything like a reasonable price.     Walnut and cherry are equally classed as unobtanium.  But poplar hickory pine or oak, conceivably maple might be locally available (for me, anyway) for a reasonable price, not remotely endangered, etc.  Which cypress would be--although it looks to be available over in West Tennessee and Northern Mississippi--not that far from me.

Bamboo is nice too.  Not all that pricey.  Maybe not as "green" as we would like to believe--lots of glue, almost all imported.   But it sure is pretty.

[Dberry]

My floor joists are on 24" centers, so 2x (1.5 inch) is probably overkill, but I have some fairly heavy machines and the extra strength makes sense to me.  Sometimes used industrial machines become available at very reasonable prices, and I'd like to know my floor can handle something a bit heavier than a typical table saw should I have the fortune to find one of those gems.

I think the 2 skilsaws with rip fences is the way to go.  

Thanks all for the advice!

[PEG688]

I checked this AM 2x6 T&G #1 spruce is .99 cents per LF.  2x6 spruce standard and better is .53 per LF .

 So with your 2400 LF est. you'd save $1104.00 raw cost.  Of course you'll have more culls from the #2 &B stock , I'd guess about 25% for "Can't be used " stock if your local lumber is like ours , lots of wane edges on our 2x6 at least this grade and specific supplier I got the quote from . So that will cut into your savings , or be put into wall building stock.

 Might be worth a weekend of ripping fun , is long as your labor is considered free. And time is not a factor , as you could be laying the floor instead of milling the stock.

IMO the result will not be as good as the #1 T&G , I only would consider milling the stock if I could get a better result , IE Finer grade , closer tolerance's , better surface etc , than could be provided pre milled.

 You wouldn't want to pay a carpenter to mill stock that a lumber mill could spit out 1000 LF a mintue where a site guy could make 100 LF per hour( unless he could do a clearer nicer , better job as some times is required ), maybe I just don't look at time as "Free".

 I fact I have to do some work around here  , cut grass trim hedges etc, Later, PEG