Ain't no trees in South Dakota

[Leigh Betsch]

But we got reclaimed Barn beams.

I picked up a couple of 6"x12"x17' reclaimed Douglas fir barn beams for $.25 bf. I figured I would use these to build a new workbench. I cut one in two so I could handle it, pulled the nails, quick trip thru the band saw and planer, it cleaned up pretty well. You can see from the end that there are a few splits. How would you use these? Ignore the split, it's probably been that way for 80 years? Fill it with epoxy? Rip thru the middle and laminate the faces? What is the best way to orient the grain?

I'm thinking I should go back and get the rest of them (15 more) and mill it into flooring for my shop, or maybe den if the wife has her way.

[george wilson]

Fir might be too soft for a durable floor,though I have seen it done. I have also seen soft white pine shelving used in flooring too,though,which is just plain crazy. I went to see a nice,new house that had the shelving for flooring. It was for sale,and in a bedroom,a heavy dresser had made huge dents where it had been slid about to clean behind it. I personally don't make workbenches from anything softer than beech,though many here have used fir. It is too easy to damage. If you take care of it,you could make a nice bench for yourself. Just be careful how you plop planes,hammers,etc. down on it.

In Williamsburg's millwork shop,they only use reclaimed heart pine,and fill cracks with West System epoxy. You can still see the cracks,but they are filling them to not show under paint.

The cracks might be seen as dark lines in the wood.Wonder if you could rout grooves in the cracks and glue in strips of fir to make them less obvious,carefully matching the grain of the filler strips?

[Kent A Bathurst]

But we got reclaimed Barn beams.

I picked up a couple of 6"x12"x17' .....I'm thinking I should go back and get the rest of them (15 more) and mill it into flooring for my shop, or maybe den if the wife has her way.

I like the idea of route + inlay, but since it is a workbench, doubt I would worry about matching the grain. In fact, I'd prolly use something dark (walnut? p-heart?) just to make a statement. 15 beams for $400? I would jump at that one, and worry about what to do with them later. Also - re: photos - you don't show the front of the pickup truck - are the front wheels even on the ground?

[Bill Arnold]

"Ain't no trees in South Dakota"

Now, if that's not a perfect title for a C&W song, there just ain't one!

[Phillip Bogle]

I live in fir country on the north Oregon coast. I have fir floors throughout the house and this is the third house that way. I love wood floors but fir will be a problem. Wheels from chairs will tear up the floor, if it gets dry and the grain just right you can get slivers in the feet. Kids or grandkids are rough on fir flooring. IF you are going to use it under carpet that is ok, but fir will shrink some even dry fir will shrink. Linoleum looks horrid over it as the slight cupping or warp will be exaggerated. I have yet to see a fir floor that did not have at least 1/16" gap between the longitudinal edges. I have some that must have been so green it dripped when they laid it, since it has 1/4" to 3/8" gaps. It is a pretty wood, and if you go easy and finish the wood to reduce the contraction, it will look good.

Go with the work bench -- or Beer Bar!

Good luck,
Phil

[Lee Schierer]

"Ain't no trees in South Dakota"

Now, if that's not a perfect title for a C&W song, there just ain't one!

Did they clear cut the Black Hills????

[Leigh Betsch]

I forgot about the trees in the Black Hills! But the Hills are 350 miles from me, course if you're from Texas that's just a short drive.
A beer bar sounds like an excellent idea! We've been wanting to build a bar for the basement entertainment room anyway. Maybe some wainscot for the den walls if not a floor.
How about the grain direction on the workbench? I'm thinking I should flip the timber over so the center of the log is up and leave the slabs at max thickness and width , ~ 5"x10", edge joint, and glue three of timbers together to get a bench ~ 30" wide. Maybe add a maple strip for the dog holes, and maple end caps.
The inlay sounds like a good idea if I can figure out a nice pattern to the inlay, else just fill the cracks with epoxy and call it a bench.
A couple of pics of the MM20 do'n her job and the face grain. The truck wheels did stay on the ground but she did rock a bit on the way home.

[Larry Edgerton]

How about a post and beam porch for you and yours to enjoy and evening sunset on?

Here is one I built out of White Cedar, but seasoned Doug Fir, well that would just be as god intended.

There was a fad around here on lake houses to use CVG Doug Fir as interior trim. I am so glad that is over!

[Andrew Joiner]

Hi Leigh,

I worked in a millwork shop that had an old fir topped workbench. After years of pounding a sliding work across it the top was like a fur top. I mean fur in that a coat of slivers was shedding. Once a week or so I'd catch a sliver from it. The worst was when they went under the fingernails!

I would never have a fir topped bench. Just a heads up.

[David G Baker]

I had some Douglas Fir 1"x8" that sat above my one car garage in California for around 30 years that had the fur coating, I hated it. I may have ended up getting some of it when my ex-wife had my possessions shipped to me in Michigan.
I thought the grain of the beams had that familiar look. Some day if I find that I have some of the Doug Fir I will try sanding the fur off and covering it with some product to see if the fur stays smooth.
The studs in the house were Doug. Fir and they had the fur as well but they were very strong and any time I bought new ones they were great to work with if they were reasonably dry.

[Leigh Betsch]

Hi Leigh,

I worked in a millwork shop that had an old fir topped workbench. After years of pounding a sliding work across it the top was like a fur top. I mean fur in that a coat of slivers was shedding. Once a week or so I'd catch a sliver from it. The worst was when they went under the fingernails!

I would never have a fir topped bench. Just a heads up.

I haven't decided what to do for the bench top yet, I have the hard maple already bought for it but I thought maybe I could save some money and maple and use the fir. I'll probably use the fir for the base and the maple for the top.

You're right, even the slivers have slivers!

[Leigh Betsch]

How about a post and beam porch for you and yours to enjoy and evening sunset on?

Here is one I built out of White Cedar, but seasoned Doug Fir, well that would just be as god intended.

There was a fad around here on lake houses to use CVG Doug Fir as interior trim. I am so glad that is over!

Hmmm....., maybe a roof over a deck? It would fit in pretty well with my house. Does fir stand up to rain and snow or is it only good on the interior?

[Andrew Joiner]

Wait a minute. What are those tall branchy things behind your house?

[Larry Edgerton]

Leigh, I just replaced a couple of years ago some doug fir floor joist on a Carl Strauss designed house [Wright groupie] that cantalivered out 12 feet for a deck. They were still holding the deck up but getting rotten at the wall line. It was funny, you could jump on the deck and see the people in the living room pop up! Anyway....

They lasted from 1963 to about 2002 in the worst enviroment that wood can live in, Northern Michigan. In your application they will probably be there when the house falls down, especially as they are under roof, so not your problem at that point.

I have some books on the subject you can borrow if you like but it is really not all that complicated, just bigger. It would be a neat addition to your house, could easily blend with that style, and the added history of the old beams would make it an awesome space to do, well, whatever....

If you need any help with a design I will gladly add my useless opinion.

[Larry Edgerton]

I had some Douglas Fir 1"x8" that sat above my one car garage in California for around 30 years that had the fur coating, I hated it. I may have ended up getting some of it when my ex-wife had my possessions shipped to me in Michigan.
I thought the grain of the beams had that familiar look. Some day if I find that I have some of the Doug Fir I will try sanding the fur off and covering it with some product to see if the fur stays smooth.
The studs in the house were Doug. Fir and they had the fur as well but they were very strong and any time I bought new ones they were great to work with if they were reasonably dry.

The Indians used Doug Fir fir to keep warm after the buffalo were all gone. Well, I could be stretching it a bit.....