# Barn wood, and aging new wood



## SweetBJ (Dec 3, 2011)

I'm going to be getting some wood milled this winter (mostly ash, which the state extension service recommends felling before the beetles arrive), and wondering if I could "switch it out" with old wood in the barn to let it dry in place. 

The wood I'd be replacing is old (maybe 200 years old?) rough cut stuff that serves as the walls for the stalls downstairs. I was thinking about creating replacement walls using studs on either side to press the newly milled stuff together and allowing it to dry there for a decade or so. 

Will that work?

I'm very much a newbie at woodworking (I regularly build raised bed frames, fences, and other outdoor stuff, but haven't had much experience with furniture), and have no experience whatsoever with aging green lumber.

Edit to add: I also want to replace the floor upstairs, which is 2x that looks like it's been there a very long time too. Can lumber be aged in place as barn flooring?


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*just for the record*

Whiskey ages, people age, wood dries.
It dries from "green" to the surrounding relative humidty at about 1 year per inch of thickness. Barns were more than like likely built green or with dried wood, but considering you'd need a barn to dry the wood that didn't happen often. 
Ash is gonna be pretty hard, so be prepared to test your fastening system before hand, whether it's nails or screws, nail gun or by hand. If you use a Metric hammer, be sure and post the directions... :blink: I lost mine.  bill


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## SweetBJ (Dec 3, 2011)

woodnthings said:


> Whiskey ages, people age, wood dries.
> It dries from "green" to the surrounding relative humidty at about 1 year per inch of thickness. Barns were more than like likely built green or with dried wood, but considering you'd need a barn to dry the wood that didn't happen often.
> Ash is gonna be pretty hard, so be prepared to test your fastening system before hand, whether it's nails or screws, nail gun or by hand. If you use a Metric hammer, be sure and post the directions... :blink: I lost mine.  bill


Why is it going to be hard? I was thinking of using nails so that the wood could bend them as it shrinks. The downstairs of the barn is stone, built into the hill on 2 sides, and filled with humidity-producing goats, so might be a bit longer to dry. 

I'm starting with the ash because it needs to come down, later walls will be black cherry and black walnut (yes, I'm in Pennsylvania).

Edit to add: doesn't wood age too? I've had a couple people tell me that the ancient wood in the barn is pretty special (particularly the wood from the granary, but that's staying in the barn as-is).


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## SeanStuart (Nov 27, 2011)

Am I missing something, or are you planning on using Ash, Cherry and Walnut to re-build a barn?


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## ETWW (Mar 27, 2011)

SweetBJ said:


> Edit to add: doesn't wood age too? I've had a couple people tell me that the ancient wood in the barn is pretty special (particularly the wood from the granary, but that's staying in the barn as-is).


And just how were those "couple of people" qualified to decide that the wood was pretty special?

If the wood in the barn is special, it is probably because it is from old-growth timber. Old-growth or virgin timber generally has tight growth rings from a slow growing rate which makes for very stable wood. If it wasn't special when cut, it hasn't become any more so over the succeeding years.

Aging lumber does nothing for it except allow it to dry to EMC...equilibrium moisture content. Although you can build with green lumber, you will be better served by drying it first, either air drying or kiln drying. Kiln drying will be significantly faster with less degrade if done correctly.

If you use green lumber for a floor, you will have gaps between the boards when they dry since the majority of wood movement from drying is tangential...across the grain.

Ash is hard like Oak is hard but you can build with it, even using nails.


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## SweetBJ (Dec 3, 2011)

ETWW said:


> And just how were those "couple of people" qualified to decide that the wood was pretty special?


No idea, though I suspect they're more qualified than I am (they both work in the furniture biz, and besides they're also my in-laws, and in-laws are always right :laughing. 


ETWW said:


> If you use green lumber for a floor, you will have gaps between the boards when they dry since the majority of wood movement from drying is tangential...across the grain.
> 
> Ash is hard like Oak is hard but you can build with it, even using nails.


Gaps aren't an issue, just hay up there which ends up downstairs anyways (there are drop chutes over the stalls). I was just wondering if there would be a warping problem, and if drying as part of a stall wall or floor would actually achieve the same thing as stacking, if perhaps slower.


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## SweetBJ (Dec 3, 2011)

SeanStuart said:


> Am I missing something, or are you planning on using Ash, Cherry and Walnut to re-build a barn?


Sorta. I have to rework the stalls anyway (they're configured for horses and cattle, but it needs to be for goats and poultry), so it the wood can dry there it would be better than having it stacked somewhere.


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## Tennessee Tim (Dec 15, 2010)

SweetBJ,
What is your goal(s)....To build furniture from THIS barn's wood or any barn wood???? To remove and replace flooring is a painstaking job for the heck of it. I understand IF it has to be removed, relocated for structual changes like changing hiegths or something, BUT To remove and replace JUST to build furniture from ???...Joe nieghbor down the road is probably having barn tore down and lumber would have same appeal and save a lot of time. You could still have the ash sawn and stacked for ADrying without the nails to contend with later.
Don't get me wrong:no:...I LOVE RECLAIMING, BUT NOT a structure being used and still will be used when exchanged. TOO many hitting the ground and ruining, not being recycled:blink::thumbdown:.
Aging......is an opinion...I think anything thats gotten older AND builds character is AGING as the barns floors and walls have, NOT as a stack of stickered lumber.....I like AGED LUMBER:laughing::thumbsup:....I saw for character:icon_cool: not production.
Decide your goal, then decide the woods fate.

Have a Blessed day in Jesus's Awesome Love,
Tim


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