25yr old Eastern White Pine Frame

I have to add 2- 4'x 10' eastern white pine floor beams to a 25 yr old timber frame 2nd floor loft structure. Would be best to use kiln dried material with a structure this age?

Hi Beksolar,

I don't believe that is necessary at all...nor the way it would have been done. We use fresh timber for all our work, and EWP is very stable to begin with. I would further suggest that this subject of "green woodworking" is more a matter of skill sets and knowledge than not being able to do it. We have laid floors with green wood, and one of my students just finished a beautiful all wood joinery coffee table out of cherry that had not been out of the log but a few months...

Good Luck,

j

Hi Jay White Cloud,
Thanks for the reply.
I just thought that now that the original green structure has dried and stabilized over the past 25 years, adding timbers that were of similar moisture content would be better since its not all going to shrink and dry as a unit.
The kiln dried cost was reasonable.

Another option would be to use reclaimed barn beams. White pine barn beams are most common in my area. The good part is they are pretty dry and therefore will not shrink. Well they will shrink a little bit from the change of environment, but not significantly. White pine is actually one of the most stable even from green.

Remember EWP is very stable to begin with and no timber is going to shrink a notable amount tangibly (length.) Even as a fully housed live edge joint in the Japanese/Asian modalities that I work in do not require any kiln dried wood, and the "techniques" of working with them is the focal point.

Kiln Dried lumber is just not part of this craft, nor ever a necessity in scope. Proper technique and selection of timber is.

I concur with Brad bb...if it is available one could use a vintage timber...yet still not a necessity.

I would further note that we work (80% of our business) in historical restoration...particularly Barns...Even then if we have to do a augmentation, we don't always use vintage material as often "plugging in" new work creates a clear demarcation between original and new. Again these timbers are "fresh" just as the original Barnwright would have used when working a new frame into old.

Good luck,

j

Thanks for the help

Good luck and let us all know how you proceed and the project turns out...:)

Regards,

j