Shrinking Will Damage Deck Boards | Building with Green Lumber

Shrinking will damage deck boards when building with green lumber if you don't follow some basic building techniques. First off, don't be afraid to build with green lumber. I build 99% of the time with green lumber and today I"ll answer the question; can I build with green lumber? Without a doubt, if you've got your own portable sawmill like I do (Woodland Mills HM130), you'll have an abundance of green lumber at your disposal. The situation I have may be the same that you have in which you want to build something but the lumber is still high in moisture content. Don't let that stop you from getting down to work. By following along with some basic strategies I show you, you'll have no problem building many outdoor projects with green lumber while avoiding the dreaded lumber split. I'll also talk about my sawmill shed build that you see behind me and why I cut some pieces of lumber with a miter saw and others a chainsaw. Today should be a good day. Glad you're all here.

[@GypsyPaz]

Great subject! Nobody ever explains building with green lumber properly.

[@raincoast9010]

"Get outside and enjoy your day" great advice.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Definitely the fresh air makes one feel good

[@usonfire1016]

One nail. Genius!!!!

[@Dancing_Alone_wRentals]

"Got a lot on the go" Most cool. tHanks for the video

[@sawingwithsandy]

Thanks for watching

[@wildbitshomestead8811]

Man I just gotta say, I’m really enjoying your channel. You keep putting out videos that are exactly what I’m interested in as I get into sawing my own lumber. I only wish we lived closer so we could saw boards and drink coffee together. Nice work brother, keep it up 👍

[@joemommone3619]

Thanks

[@1956vern]

I shared you laser idea with Kris Harbor from Wale’s and another Canadian Shawn James! I think it was a bright idea💡 ! One step all of you sawmillers need!

[@bwillan]

Some good tips for the use of green building materials. Most of what you've described comes down to 'craftsmanship'. A word that is often forgotten in today's world of sub division home building.

[@johnfulcher559]

Great video and learned something today on one nail on a board

[@rexhavoc2982]

I always put deck boards down bark side up. Pole barn builders lift the large heavy trusses up the posts with 2 hand crank boat style winches lagged to the post and a temporary 2x4 ,4 feet long lagged in at the top with a swivel eye pulley 2 feet above the top of the post. safe and simple.Have fun.

[@jennacoryell4160]

Regarding boards cupping: "that's just something you gotta live with." If you orient the annular rings of flat-sawn downward, so they look like a rainbow from the end grain, they will cup downwards and be kept flat due to the joists.

[@StrongandFree]

Great teacher!!!

[@doylerabjohn3435]

Thanks for the lesson...I will be using green lumber soon.

[@troysixberry8828]

Great info. Thank You. That is exactly the information I was looking for. Really enjoying your videos.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Thanks Troy

[@Weekendwarriorworkshop]

Just came across your channel. Looking forward to following along. Great job.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Good to have ya aboard

[@johntillotson4254]

Thx for sharing

[@sawingwithsandy]

Thanks John

[@johnos4892]

Great info.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Thanks John. Hope all is well

[@petermccarthy7186]

Good tips on working with green lumber.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Thanks Peter!

[@brucemanning388]

Good tips! I heard about the one nail/screw being used. I’m now building a fence using green treated lumber.....and it’s very wet! One screw this year and finish it up with more screws next year! Tks for the tip! Nice channel!

[@joemommone3619]

Sandy your post on new deck nailed but sit on concrete blocks

[@garywilser7802]

Interesting build and tips for green wood construction ! I recently got my HM 122 and I currently have it on a trailer , but plan to build a similar deck at my off grid cabin in NC mountains. Nice work 👍

[@sawingwithsandy]

Beautiful area I’m sure for ya in the mountains. Can’t go wrong with milling your own lumber

[@allenchancery4847]

Looks to me like, great job I'm enjoying the shows thanks, my friend is blonde she great pup,does Dakota tree squirrel

[@larrykluckoutdoors8227]

When I build my decks I won't space the deck boards I put them tight when they dry the space is right Thanks for the info

[@traviscover590]

It look nice my friend i like your new video today you did a really good job today my friend

[@sawingwithsandy]

Good to hear from ya Travis. Take care

[@traviscover590]

We just have a little girls this week my friend

[@traviscover590]

Good night too you guys my friend

[@Z-Bart]

Good points all. If your base is square and true the rest of the job will be Much easier. 👍

[@sawingwithsandy]

Absolutely!

[@bluethunder1951]

Unless you are building a space shuttle using green lumber has more benefits then drawbacks, all you need to allow for the shrinkage, as cupping and twisting is next to impossible to control. I’ve built log cabins full scribe with green logs, and now building a timber frame shop with green timbers, it’s all about knowing how the wood will react when drying, so, give enough space for that shrinkage. Rule of thumb is allow 1/4” gap for every foot of wall height for windows and doors, as for deck expect 1/4” gaps on 2x6’s, so no gaps when building. BYW, nice looking saw deck 👍

[@sawingwithsandy]

Yeah I’m with ya on that one William

[@bluethunder1951]

@@sawingwithsandy btw, It’s “Ross” by any other name then an email address under google. 🤪

[@genetime7790]

Sir Sandy: Please please, stop defending yourself brother, because there are people where make it their life to find fault. Trust me when I say you are on point my friend. Best I’ve seen. Please stop referencing the sick twisted people who try and pick a fight by finding fault on your videos. Question? Where’s their video? I watch you because you are articulate and accurate. Not because you are Perry. No one is

[@sawingwithsandy]

Thanks Gene! Appreciate the support

[@Grizz270]

personally i would of brought the generator down there to use for cutting but that dont meen im right ..we aint there so we really dont know all the details in your decissions and thats ok ..all that reallly matters is yur gittin it done ...as far as nailing the decking down i understand your theory but what i have learned is if you give a board the opertunity to cup warp or twist its alot more dificult to fix later ...not that this is the right way but i would of stagggered thhe nails to help prevent cupping and double nailed the ends to prevent one edge from twisting up makeing a tripping point because after one edge at the end twist up after its dry its more likley to split even wourse when trying to nail it back down ...however i may learn some new tricks from you on this ....either way its looking real good and nothing to be ashamed of ...cheers and happy sawing and building

[@sawingwithsandy]

Always good to hear about how you’re building. I’ll be sure to try em out in future builds.

[@jamesburrows_staff-heritag5041]

This is great. THANK YOU!!! Quick question: Do you think I could use green 1x as an interior "sheathing" for a metal building? I'm having two large pines taken down and thought paying a mobile sawmill might be cheaper than the price of plywood these days. The aesthetic would be cool for my workshop too. THOUGHTS? Thanks

[@sawingwithsandy]

Thanks for watching James. Id try to avoid putting green lumber inside a building like a house but if it’s a workshop or something similar and you account for the wood to shrink then I’d likely do it

[@4lane]

Thanks Sandy! Can you comment on milling logs that are dry vs wet and how to avoid splitting once milled?

[@sawingwithsandy]

I find softwood like pine spruce and fir don’t split after cutting whether they are wet or dry but hardwoods will split if not treated to seal their ends with something like paint. I like cutting wet wood as it cools the blade in my experience.

[@bluethunder1951]

Great question! I totally agree with Sandy, one other thing about sawing dry wood is the knots will harden over time and break teeth, thats why I fell trees and mill them asap.

[@Antoineoutdoors]

For the big bean for the roof rent a manual genie they are good and can reach up to 18 foot up .

[@sawingwithsandy]

I have seen those before and you’re right they sure are slick

[@TudorHosu]

what about the header beam? how fast can you use that after a fresh cut? will it sink? I am intending on building a deck from 12x12 oak and every where i ask for beams it's process to order so I want to use 12x12 posts with 12x12x10 header thank you in advance

[@oby-1607]

What about sealing the ends of the lumber after milling? Does this help control cracking and uneven drying?

[@cdreid99999]

Ive only been reading about this but yes. The experts wax the ends oof the logs so that they dry evenly so im thinkong you should definitely seal the ends of boards

[@deserthiflyers2152]

What would you recommend for using in an outside deck scenario? I have pine and fir on my timber lot. What size and dimension would you recommend and how would you fasten them?

[@sawingwithsandy]

I typically avoid exposing pine or spruce or fur to the weather where water will be sitting on it without some sort of deck sealant . With a good sealant though I think any of those materials would work

[@tomas5650]

What about dealing with the gaps that develop?

[@sawingwithsandy]

Beat solution may be to install them after they’re dry to avoid the gaps

[@dhache1195]

''THE'' big beam; you do have chain block and straps, you do have a winch on your ATV, do you have any sort/kind of scaffold or material to build one? ;-)

[@sawingwithsandy]

I was also thinking along those lines but haven’t been able to locate anything suitable yet. Search continues

[@deheinsite]

I gave up on buying sawmill because I keep seeing people say you can't build without drying out wood. I have 60 acres of planted pine hat I can use and may reconsider.

[@thecanadiantradesman7916]

Even if you don't want to build with green lumber just sticker it real well and cover the top and let it dry for a year. You will end up with dryer wood than the box store kiln dried wood as most of that is shock dryed very fast and is much more green than people think. I speak with experience as I work as a contractor building industrial sawmills and wood chip plants and also own and operate a woodmizer lt40 during the down time. You won't have structural graded lumber from your own mill but if sawn correctly and dried even slightly you will end up in most cases with a better product. It doesn't come without a lot of hard work mind you but well worth the effort if you have the time and timber

[@deheinsite]

@@thecanadiantradesman7916 I want to use green timber but just confused by all the different comments on it. I understand that today's pines are not old slow growth pines...I try to be objective and weed out the negative comments I read, but sometimes it gets discouraging. I have a bridge across a creek I need to build and was going to use debarked Pines and store-bought 2x6 and I need a Pole Barn and started debarking post and thought about letting them sit on top of the ground so they don't riot, but was worried about racking. I built a lot of stuff in the past, but always kiln dried, pressure-treated and in concrete, etc. THANKS FOR THE FEED BACK! My property is in Northeast Georgia which is hot and humid.

[@cdreid99999]

There are good videos on solar kilns you should check out. Im thinking of turning my storeage building into one

[@MeadLongbows]

great video, what about if green boards are used for roof decking? How many screws then? the decking would be over the rafters and all exposed below in the house. The rest of roof will be built up ,felt, insulation, vents, etc..above it with metal as final material.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Normally I would use the normal number of fasteners as if it were dry when I'm dealing with structural pieces. I must say though that I haven't built houses with green lumber aside from my cabin in which the framing was not kiln-dried. That turned out well and I haven't noticed any issues.

[@shanejeffries6147]

How do the deck floor joist hold up with shrinkage?

[@sawingwithsandy]

I find they stay put quite well

[@joemommone3619]

Your top beams especially front is what length & width & height green or dry also thanks

[@sawingwithsandy]

Hi Joe, Can’t quite remember the exact dimensions anymore but if my memory serves me right it’s 8”x 12” and a span of 13’

[@sawingwithsandy]

That’s the front beam. Back beans are 4.5” x 10” with about 9’ spans

[@joemommone3619]

Enjoy your videos buying hm126 come march

[@jrhenry830]

If your turn the boards so the grain is running from the bottom to the top, you won't get the lifting.

[@creatednordestroyed5339]

Great content experience and information in this video I greatly appreciate it

[@sawingwithsandy]

Thank you for that!

[@adamredden2007]

6x6 posts?

[@sawingwithsandy]

Yes they are

[@adamredden2007]

@@sawingwithsandy Thanks, really enjoy your videos. I have the 130 MAX on the way...pretty excited!

[@douglasthompson2740]

Trouble with center nailing is that the green lumber will 'cup' along the growth rings. A better method is to screw it toward each edge but to drill for your screws slightly larger than the shank of the screw by a small amount. This holds the lumber flat but allows enough movement for the shrinkage. Helped by angling the screw toward the center. You can also use a galvanized 'box' nail or better yet a galvanized finish nail which will bend as the board shrinks yet still holds it flat. On an open air deck like yours you are not only going to experience shrinking but also seasonal swelling. This needs to be taken into account also. Although more time consuming and expensive the oversized holes for screws is the best in these conditions. Going inside into a conditioned space you just have to compensate for the shrinkage one time. Good project if you have the trees and mill for sure.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Some good ideas there Douglas. I appreciate you sharing them.

[@timbarry5080]

Only a barbarian would cut framing to length with a chainsaw. Lol

[@sawingwithsandy]

Lol

[@williamrice1622]

cut down some trees and stack the logs for next year so they can dry out

[@sawingwithsandy]

Probably not a bad idea. I’ll be back to harvesting real soon

[@williamrice1622]

@@sawingwithsandy my dad did it in Oregon when he lived there so thought i'd pass the info on. He lived in klamath falls and they get a lot of snow up in the mountains

[@Newfie1956]

Are you building on a tree farm? All trees are in straight rows...hmm

[@sawingwithsandy]

The red pine forest trees were planted about 35 years ago

[@michaelcrocker3537]

Your kidding me?.

[@sawingwithsandy]

I can try and crack a joke but I warn you, I'm not too good