Ugh, I am paranoid this is not the right forum for this thread, but if that is the case, please take it easy on me.
Anyway, I am getting ready to start on my timberframed shop this spring. It will be a simple affair, basically the 12x16 shed that is in the Guild's book on 14 Small Timber Frames (aka the project shed form the Sobon book).
I have been trying to find the best (and most affordable) source for timbers. I am in Ann Arbor, so if anyone has any leads right off the bat, that would be great.
I have spoken to a sawyer I know on the west side of the state, and while his price is good (I think), the logistics of getting the up-to-18' timbers here is the crux of the matter.
I found a company that sells reclaimed barn timbers and ships them around the country, but their prices for a 7"x7" beam starts at $30 a foot - pricey stuff.
The lumber dealer who I get a discount through my woodworking club with can do the timbers, but again, they are expensive for this application.
Any recommendations? I have thought about stopping at the occasional farmhouse I drive by with a collapsed barn, but I hear that quite often the owner will let you take some beams, as long as you take everything else with it. Being a residential neighborhood dweller, I don't have the means to store a bunch of barn pieces I can't use.
Thanks in advance for any help.
-Jamey
