Replies

1. 
   FastEddie1 | Jul 07, 2005 01:54am | #1

   Lodgepole pine will work well.

   They're not really exposed to rain and direct sun, are they?  A good exterior spar varnish would work.

    

   I'm sorry, I thought you wanted it done the right way.

1. 
   Yogi | Jul 07, 2005 02:20am | #2

   Yeah, they'll be exposed to direct sun, rain, snow, etc, due to the orientation of our house to the weather- 

2. 
   dIrishInMe | Jul 07, 2005 02:29am | #3

   Model building codes state strength of the various species of lumber in terms of various parameters - what? - Lodgepole pine not listed?  Oh yea, that's right you are smarter than engineers/building codes/etc and have no need for passing inspections.  ;-) I hear lodgepole pine is pretty good for building teepees. :-)  I'd say why not use popsicle sticks?  In theory it should work fine as long as you laminate a number of them together.  I read that Elmers glue is stronger than the wood itself so that should be good...  BTW - I built a way cool tree fort when I was 11.... :-)

   Seriously though, I believe the SPF category includes lodgepole pine.
    

    

   Matt
1. 
   basswood | Jul 07, 2005 03:11am | #4

   Lodgepole pine usually has very small knots and often small growth rings. Both of these characteristics can make it stronger than most pines in the SPF group. These trees can also produce some good clear lumber and very good utility poles and nice straight logs for log homes. Generally a good choice for posts and poles.I've seen some lodgepole pine logs of 10-12" diameter with very little taper that were being used for premium log homes.

   Edited 7/6/2005 8:18 pm ET by basswood

1. 
   Yogi | Jul 07, 2005 03:54am | #6

   Thanks, and yes you're correct re using lodgepole in log home construction-  In fact, about half our place is lodgepole, the balance is spruce-  I've built all manner of outbuildings as well as the structure of my shop with lodgepole-  My real concern had to do with how it might hold up exposed to weather over time as a load bearing member-  Thanks again-  Dave

3. 
   Piffin | Jul 07, 2005 03:41am | #5

   lodgepole pine IS stronger than many other pines or cedar. strength against deflection in lateral loading is not your concern though. The weight will load on a pole perpendicular to the axis of the grain. For a simple porch roof a 4x4 would probably do fine so the load is not an issue.

   But Fir generally has more resin and resists water damage better than pine.

   So to use the pine poles, I would suggest that you seal the bottom of the pole very well after cutting it, even setting it in a bucket of sealer to wich it up into th egrain. That way, water won't be wicking up the same way. next is how you mount it at the base. Maybe you are building on a wood deck and maybe you are setting it on tile, stone, or concrete. For any of the latter and possibly with the former, I would look for a way to lift the base off the deck a bit to further prevent it fromn sitting in water to wick up and rot. It could be the hardware or it could be a wafer of PT shimming it up to let it breathe.

    

    

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1. 
   Yogi | Jul 07, 2005 04:00am | #7

   Thanks for your thoughts-  I won't be cutting these posts, a friend has a post mill down the road and they'll be straight, debarked, etc-  Re the "sealer" to soak the ends in... do you have a name for that, or would it be spar varnish or whatever I cover it with?  And yes, I'm looking at hardware to lift the bottom end-  I can mount the posts immediately upon the main support beam and cut the decking around it, or mount it right on the deck-  Thought I'd mount it on the beam and maybe have a better shot at hiding the hardware-  Thanks again for your thoughts-  Dave

1. 
   Piffin | Jul 08, 2005 05:00am | #10

   Any oil to prevent moisture from wicking. Spar varnish fine, maybe thinit so it will penetrate further 

    

   Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

1. 
   Yogi | Jul 08, 2005 07:25am | #11

   Can do-  Thanks to you and just about everybody else-  It's much appreciated-  Dave

4. 
   MiKro | Jul 07, 2005 11:30pm | #8

   I would think it would be fine. My old house in Wyoming was all lodgepole pine as was most of our neighbors.

   Just my .02

   MK

1. 
   Yogi | Jul 08, 2005 03:53am | #9

   Thanks for the thought, Mikro-  Much obliged-  Dave