Barn down

[wolc123]

I am not sure how long it took the pilgrims to raise this hand-hewn post and beam barn frame for my great great grandfather 139 years ago, but it took me a little under a minute to bring it down.  
 

I put my largest tractor (43 hp) in the lowest “creeper” gear and used a snatch block and 1/2” wire rope to double my pull force and cut my speed in half.  I hoped to pull it down to the south, away from our house, new barn, and big maple shade tree.

The frame wasn’t strong enough to hold together and the main center beam busted during the pull, allowing the bulk of the barn to fall to the north.  
 

Fortunately, the damage was minimal.  It missed our house by 8 ft, and missed the porch on the west side of the new barn by 1-1/2”.  Had that old barn not been so close, I would have made that porch the whole 50 ft length of the new pole barn.   

The maple tree lost a couple more branches, so I will have to tie up the kids tire swing to another one.  It didn’t loose as many branches this time, as it did when another twin “1882” barn frame fell on it on 2018, while I was at work.  We didn’t get a video of that one going down, but my wife got a good one this time. 
 

 

Here is what it looked like this morning:

I will take my time on the cleanup, and hopefully have grass seeded by the end of August. 

[wolc123]

Although it missed the new barn porch by a little over an inch when it went down last Saturday, it must have caught grandpa’s little 8 point rack, that I had nailed to the corner post :

Oh well, Looks like I’ll have to break out the bondo this winter and patch that up.

 

[Jeremy K]

Did you line up a buyer for the wood ahead of time?

[wolc123]

1 hour ago, Jeremy K said:

Did you line up a buyer for the wood ahead of time?

A few guys are interested in some of the big hand-hewn beams.  Those that I can’t unload before fall, I will cut into 10 ft lengths and stack up under the back pole barn porch .  They can’t be left outside uncovered over the winter or they absorb water and turn to powder from the freeze / thaws.  
 

I used a lot of the big beams, from the first one that I tore down, to frame a loft and shops inside the new pole barn.  I had those stacked outside and tarped over one winter.  Those tarps were a pain and are not something I am going to deal with again.  

I cleared off about 1/6 of the 4 layers of ash-fault  shingles today, and there is still a layer of cedar shingles below that.  I am trying to get down to the big set of hay forks and the trolley that was hanging from an iron crane rail under the roof.  I hope it didn’t get busted up too bad in the fall.

I don’t care for heights, and there was no way I was going to try and get that down while the barn was still standing.  I also hope to save some of the sawed oak rafters, to use for framing in the back porch of my new barn.  I am going to save some of the longer post and beams for building a woodshed on the back of that porch. 
 

I saved a decent amount of the siding and granery wood, and it is now stacked neatly in the loft of the new barn, for future project.  Besides the wood, I saved all of the iron “1880’s”square nails that were still in good shape.  

[wolc123]

Burried treasure:

I am liking these chestnut roofing boards even better.  Those on the east side are pretty solid, because I can’t ever recall the roof leaking on that side.  Those on the west side are probably all rotted bad, because I remember that side leaking twice in my 57 years, and there is no telling his many times it leaked prior. 

[escpen]

I may be in the market for a beam to use as a fireplace mantle if you are looking to sell any. You may have said so already, but are the beams chestnut as well?


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[mowin]

I'm getting ready for a buddy to take down some buildings that has hand hune beams. I want them to build a gazebo that the roof structure will protect them from the elements.   Do you think they would withstand the elements if the roof structure protects them from direct weather? 

 

[wolc123]

19 minutes ago, escpen said:

I may be in the market for a beam to use as a fireplace mantle if you are looking to sell any. You may have said so already, but are the beams chestnut as well?


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I think they are.  That was the most common wood back in those days.  They clean up pretty good with a power washer. Here are some that I used for the loft/workshops in the new barn:

 

After I power washed them, I put two coats of polyurethane on them.  That seals them, makes them easier to clean, and keeps the “chestnut” color.   There are various crosssections, some about 6” square (used for the beams under the loft floor) some are 9-10” square (used for the front post and beams), and there are a few long ones that are 11-12” square.  
 

pm me, if you want to stop and look at them.  I will have various lengths available till fall, but after that, only 10 footers. 

[wolc123]

8 minutes ago, mowin said:

I'm getting ready for a buddy to take down some buildings that has hand hune beams. I want them to build a gazebo that the roof structure will protect them from the elements.   Do you think they would withstand the elements if the roof structure protects them from direct weather? 

 

I think they will hold up well if you keep them covered.  I am going to use some for the posts and beams of the open woodshed that I am going to build on the south end of my pole barn. That will be a good test of how they hold up exposed to the weather and prevailing winds.  

[mowin]

4 minutes ago, wolc123 said:

I think they will hold up well if you keep them covered.  I am going to use some for the posts and beams of the open woodshed that I am going to build on the south end of my pole barn. That will be a good test of how they hold up exposed to the weather and prevailing winds.  

I hope so..  I would rather see these go to someone to use them inside, if they won't last outside in a gazebo. Too much history to let them rot if I'm not certain they will last.  If i do use them, I'll definitely coat them with a few coats of whatever is recommended.  

 

[Nomad]

6 hours ago, Jeremy K said:

Did you line up a buyer for the wood ahead of time?

A few years ago, some big buyers came through ,at least the Rochester area and bought up a shit  load of barn wood ,packed warehouses full and depressed the market considerably . Is there still a market ? Sure it’s popular but prices are down . 
 

 

[wolc123]

7 minutes ago, mowin said:

I hope so..  I would rather see these go to someone to use them inside, if they won't last outside in a gazebo. Too much history to let them rot if I'm not certain they will last.  If i do use them, I'll definitely coat them with a few coats of whatever is recommended.  

 

I think I will coat the ones that I put on the back of the barn with used motor oil.  

[mowin]

2 minutes ago, wolc123 said:

I think I will coat the ones that I put on the back of the barn with used motor oil.  

That's a great idea....  

[wolc123]

1 minute ago, Nomad said:

A few years ago, some big buyers came through ,at least the Rochester area and bought up a shit  load of barn wood ,packed warehouses full and depressed the market considerably . Is there still a market ? Sure it’s popular but prices are down . 
 

 

Pretty much any lumber is ridiculously priced right now.  That’s why I am only burning the the rotten stuff from this tear-down.