Very Old, Rough Lumber

[flatheadfisher]

My grandpa worked at a saw mill and as a carpenter back in the early to middle part of the 1900s. He worked in the NC, TN, & KY mountains. He built his huge barn out of rough lumber that he got from the saw mill. Since I started woodworking, I have wished I had some of that old lumber to make some chests out of. The family sold the farm after my grandma died (she lived to be over 100 years). I emailed the gentleman who bought the house and he said he had stacked some lumber in the smokehouse and that I could have some of it. I am really excited about the prospects. He said it is mostly 5/4 rough lumber. I remember there are some very wide boards in the barn. I don't have many pictures of it but I will post a couple below. I wonder what kind of wood it is? How will it look after it is smoothed? I am going to get some this weekend, I will post more pics then. I can't wait! It would be so cool to have a chest or something made out of lumber my grandpa sawed and used to make his barn with!

[DaveO]

Mike, I too am interested in seeing what kind of wood it is. It's too hard to tell from the pictures. It's great that it's 5/4 so you have something to work with to get it flat. Look out for metal, that is the biggest draw back in old barn wood.
The history behind that would is awesome, what ever you make out of it will be an instant heirloom.
Dave

[Trent Mason]

Looks like a cool score Michael. Like Dave said, defintiely watch out for metal. That would be awesome to make something out of wood that has such a history for you and your family. Can't wait to see what it is.

[cskipper]

How wonderful to be able to make something with ties to your past!

[Sealeveler]

That sounds great.Whatever you make will be your family history.My father has 1930 pine from his father.I have 1960 sassafras from my father. Great find.Tony

[TracyP]

Man that is a cool score. I was very close to one of my grandfathers and would love to have the same opportunity as you do.

[flatheadfisher]

I can't wait to see what is there. I am going up on Friday afternoon. I will make some pictures and post them up. I am sure I will need some help identifying the species.

[PLC'woodart]

Michael, that is to cool - I can't wait to see what the wood os myself

[jeff...]

Originally Posted by flatheadfisher

My Guesses...

1st pic - shows Flat Sawn White Oak - note there is very little sap wood. These boards are from older growth forest trees.

2nd - hard to tell but maybe either pine or cypress ??? I'm thinking pine because it looks pretty rotted and weathered - it's a really tough call with the red paint on it.

3rd pic - is new growth long leaf pine, characteristics - Wide growth rings, lots of sap wood and a narrow band of heart.

[flatheadfisher]

Thanks, Jeff. I will make more pictures when I get the wood. Grandpa worked in old growth forests a lot. He used to talk about cutting logs that were much wider in diameter than he was tall. Of course, that was back in the twenties when he was a young man. He had lots of old hand tools but they were stolen over the years. I am so grateful this gentleman is willing to give me some of this lumber. Here is a picture I found when Grandpa worked for the Marshall Lumber Company in Kentucky. This photograph was made in 1961. BTW, grandpa was 6' 1."

[ACobra289]

Originally Posted by flatheadfisher

Thanks, Jeff. I will make more pictures when I get the wood. Grandpa worked in old growth forests a lot. He used to talk about cutting logs that were much wider in diameter than he was tall. Of course, that was back in the twenties when he was a young man. He had lots of old hand tools but they were stolen over the years. I am so grateful this gentleman is willing to give me some of this lumber. Here is a picture I found when Grandpa worked for the Marshall Lumber Company in Kentucky. This photograph was made in 1961. BTW, grandpa was 6' 1."

Michael. That is a great pic!!

[DIYGUY]

I vote for the oak. And if it is oak you can almost forget about using it for anything fine, or that is my experience.

Darn stuff turns into iron after it has been baked in the heat and/or sun for any length of time. I remember one year I tried to help my folks fix the roof on their barn in AR. It was white oak. It laughed at steel nails. Cutting it required a stack of circular saw blades because it dulled them so fast. YMMV and I wish you the best of luck!

Originally Posted by jeff...

My Guesses...

1st pic - shows Flat Sawn White Oak - note there is very little sap wood. These boards are from older growth forest trees.

2nd - hard to tell but maybe either pine or cypress ??? I'm thinking pine because it looks pretty rotted and weathered - it's a really tough call with the red paint on it.

3rd pic - is new growth long leaf pine, characteristics - Wide growth rings, lots of sap wood and a narrow band of heart.

[DIYGUY]

My FIL grew up in Western NY. He often told me about the logs that were sent down the Erie Canal to market. When he was a boy his neighbors used to talk about trees that scaled 3 at 90. That is - at 90 foot up the tree was 3 foot in diameter. They floated these monsters down the canal to the mills. We cannot even imagine what that canopy must have looked like.

There is one stand of original, old growth trees left in the Appalachians called the Joyce Kilmer Forest (http://www.westernncattractions.com/JKMF.htm). It is in the western part of the state and if you are ever out that way it is well worth the trip to take in.

[Glennbear]

Very cool Michael, you are indeed fortunate that you can get some of this heritage wood. I recycle a lot of wood and echo what others have said about nails and other tramp metal. A metal detector would be a wise investment, I got mine from HF and it works well to avoid blade/knife destroying surprises.

[LeftyTom]

Michael, you need a hand moving that wood? I have a small truck, but it has hauled a ton of rock in one load.