Unique corner posts for firewood shed?

I have an abundance of tulip poplar.

I was thinking I might try something unique for the corner posts of a woodshed.

The tulip poplar logs are too big for me to move in one piece, but if I cut them into rounds, I can manage. I'm thinking either 12 or 16".

Then, use the rounds like round blocks, and mortar them together in a stack on top of poured footings, leveling them along the way. 8' apart. 6 in all for an 8x16 shed.

Once the corners are up, I'm thinking 7' high, put a traditional stick frame roof on.

Is there anything I'm missing, like perhaps the mortar won't stick to the wood?

 

I'd love to do it with BL, rot resistant as it is. Alas, none to be had!

 

I could probably find some about an hour away, had a buddy who's property had tons, about 40 miles from here, but he moved. I'm in the middle of miles of suburbs.

I have a couple of tree surgeon friends I could ask, but I'd prefer to save those chits for chips and occasional firewood.

There's still lots of hedge around on the roads, which I'd like as much as BL, but not much is straight, and I don't know the landowners.

The TP is right here. Much as I want, and straight as an arrow. Once covered, I think it'd last long enough.

 

A lot of the old barns and log cabins around here are Tulip Polar. Stuff seems to hold up just fine if you get enough roof over it. Pour your footings as far above grade and give your roof as much overhang as you can manage. It'll likely last quite a while.

Eta: You'd definitely want some sill seal, presure treated, or the like between your footings and the poplar

 

There's tp in my barn, bark still on, probably at least 80 years old.

 

As you said, I don't think the mortar will hold long term...Gorilla wood glue maybe? Would be more cost effective to go get some treated posts though...

 

Glue is expensive, you are right about that.

Perhaps mortar and some pins.

I'm thinking the expansion/contraction and moisture cycle in the wood would be bad for the mortar. I'm mostly looking for the leveling.

 

Why cut the log then glue it back togeather? Just use the log un cut?

I just reread the op. I’d try to find some smaller dia. Logs that I could handle.

 

I believe I have seen some pics of DaveGunter s wood shed made of logs. I think his is pretty slick!

 

Just what I though too...get a case of beer and some pizza...call a few buds over...then work smart not hard, you can stand them logs up whole. (beer after logs are moved )

Yes

 

This is all very logical. Problem would be keeping them out of the beer before we got started. I'd be guilty as well, and here we are 5 years in, still using tarps!

 

Poplar will out last you as long as it’s dry.


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Maybe a few long spikes as used in log cabin construction to keep everything straight? Ideally I'd agree with the above that the whole log would be much stronger laterally. Maybe you can do a rough milling on each log to make a 6x6 or so beam that would be easier to raise into position?

either way, looking forward to photographic documentation of the project.

 

The rough milling would be my favorite outcome. My saw has a 20" bar, and I think I could part with the dough for a chainsaw mill. 28' of milling per post, x 6 posts- 168' total of milling. My old husky 455 might not like that.

 

Sounds like he's dealing with a lot bigger diameter logs. Mine were 6-8" max. Here's the thread in case you are interested ED 3000

finally finished the woodshed

 

Thanks Dave!

I would love to do one exactly like yours, but I used up almost all of my logs of similar diameter building raised beds for my garden 5 years ago. While I loved the outcome in the garden, with more forsight, I'd have saved at least 13 of them for the shed.

We are on about 5 acres here, and the trees I have left of that size are either crooked, or birch, which rots way to quickly for this application.

I bought landscape timbers for the job, but they all ended up as racks.