I am in the planning phase of a passive solar home built in three tiers set into a hillside. The 'back' will be cement block or reinforced concrete. For the 'front' I would like to use a post and beam design, which I will work on feverishly until spring. The real question here is this...

When clearing the land I will have to remove about a dozen old growth Oak trees - mostly white and red with a few black. These trees are strait as an arrow 70' or so tall and 18 - 24" wide. I know I could cut them into lengths and use a portable mill to create great beams and posts, but I really like the look of unfinished logs for posts. Does anyone have experience using a post of this size? I have been giving it a lot of thought, and it would be no small task, but four two story trees climbing through the basement would be an amazing looking way to support two floors and a roof.

I am not asking for structural advice per se, as I will certainly consult an engineer for the nitty gritty of the design, but am I just being overly ambitious? Should I suck it up and mill all of these amazing logs into traditional square shapes?

Hi patrick

well I have seen some very lovely log buidings up north actually along he Alaska Highway that utilize massive round pine logs, and they were quite a sight, but having said that and with my prior timberframing experience I would say very difficult to work with in the round--but not impossible--nothing is impossible in this world it just takes a little longer, and a little more money.

I would give it a shot, but I was wondering do these massive trees have to be cut down, what a shame, why not utilize them into the scheme of things somehow without cutting them.

They must be at least 150 years old or more, I guess I am just on their side, but sometimes that is just the way things go.

NH

Nice to see someone planning an energy efficient home. Be sure to carefully consider using XYPEX in all your ground contact concrete to get permanent waterproofing. See their website.

Thanks for the encouragement so far. I hate to see the trees go too, and I am certaily taking as few as possible. The acreage I bought is entirely wooded with the same aged groove and this is truly the best building envelope - especially when considering grade and southern exposure. The reason I bought this particular plot was the impressive old growth wood, so keeping as much undisturbed as posible is paramount. Having to take out even a dozen of these beauties is a shame - this is why I insist on using the lumber on the structure itself. Building them in intact (for me) would feel all the better. Time I have and money isn't a big issue - it just takes more time.

Thanks for the reminder on Xypex. Before this forum I honestly hadn't heard much about it. Sure sounds better than a bucket of tar...

I haven't built often with logs like this, but have moved them around many times, as I run a small sawmill. Those oaks will be heavy, you will need a machine with at least a 1 ton capacity to handle them. I use a farm tractor with a front end loader....
As far as the actual layout and cutting, find someone who uses snaplines or scribe and working in the round is not so bad. Definitely slower, as northern hewer wrote.
I think it would look amazing to work the original shapes of those trees into your building, just be ready for a workout.

I recomend speaking to 2 individuals. Both are experienced/specialise at Timber Framing in the round. Give them a call/e-mail. They are both very knowledgable and active in the Guild. Their names are Wil Dancey and Higgs Murphy.