back to my barn post

[FarmboyBill]

My origional seemed like old history so heres a new start. Well, it seems like, to me, at this instant, that im down to 2 ideas. #1 I can get the utility poles from electric poles for free, and ive got 300 2 X 4 X 10ft timbers for the roof and sides to nail the side boards on. But id have to pay someone to put on the roof superstructure plus the roof tin. #2 use somthing like 4X4 angle in say 3/8ths and weld up the bents as there called, raise them with my 2 tractors, weld the sides that the barn siding boards would go on, then tortch say holes big enough to get a 3/8ths bolt through and drill holes in the 3 by 4 timbers to correspond with the holes in the angle. Bolt them together and proceed with nailing the sideing on. Also I could now put the superstructure of the roof on, by running the timbers from bent to bent. I would still need the roofing put on, so that equals out. #1 id have to pay somone to put on the roof, but all the materials are free. #2 I weld up bents, stand them upright, and then weld side pieces to attach each bent together, and do all that work myself, but id have to buy all the angle. ----------#1 Id like your idea of the best way to go. #2 Id like your idea if the weld up one seems best if ive got my sizes right and thickness. Theres probably a #3 in there, but I cant think of it now. The sides are 10ft high, the overall deminsions are 40sq

[Dave S.]

If you can get free poles and you have that many 2x's, I would lean toward a conventional pole building. You don't mention the size barn you want, but you could make your own roof trusses from the 2x4s and small pieces of plywood in place of the metal plates you see in commercial trusses. You can set the poles with your tractor and you may also be able to set the trusses, depending on the height. Steel is expensive, so unless you can get it cheap, I'd lean towards #1. JM $.02

[FarmboyBill]

There not 2 bys, there 3 X 4s 10ft long, and the barn wall highth is 10ft and its 40 sq,

[rambler]

I'm still not clear on the size of your barn. If this is a little 8x10 foot shed, not much can go wrong. If it's a 50x90 foot typical machine shed, you need a lot more planning on the roof rafters...

Angle iron is not dimentionally stable actually, and living in a snow load as I am, I would stay _far_ away from it....

Me, I would either build my own roof trusses from your free lumber if possible, or I would spend the money on pre-engineered wooden roof trusses. These trusses can typically be bought for less than buying all the wood yourself, and is the best way to go around here. However, if you have free lumber & can get a structurally sound design for your building size, I can understand building your own.

Typically one loses a foot or more to headers, door framing, etc. Be _real_ sure those 10 foot 'free' lumber is worth the cost of getting a too-low shed that quickly becomes useless. You could frame it up on a 2' foundation or something, to give a useful height.

Been there, done that.

Anyhow, to your exact question: I would not like angle iron for roof trusses at all. Angle bends easily. You could buy or build wood trusses more cheaply I'm pretty sure, & raise them yourself with your tractor just as you would do with the angle irons.

Re-reading, do you mean your building is to be 40 feet by 40 feet by 10 feet walls? You would need to weld up a truss system to span 40 foot - just a single angle iron won't hold. I-beam, C-channel, possibly square tube would. Guess I've seen too many iron truss roofs collapse up here in MN, wood trusses they seem to have more engineering into & last longer.

--->Paul

[Dave S.]

I only mentioned the 2x4s as that is what YOU mentioned. Reread your post if you would.

[Bearfootfarm]

"ive got 300 2 X 4 X 10ft timbers for the roof and sides "

Stick with the light poles and lumber Steel is too expensive and youll NEVER get all the holes drilled correctly

[FarmboyBill]

Sorry about that. yup, big fingers I guess. Whbat I hadf intended was to weld up the b ents and place them 10ft apart, a bent being wqhat the amish call the wooden uprights that they frame together for the main structure of the barn. Raising one at a time with one tractor and using the other to hold it from going past center, then ancoring it in place, and then raising the other, by guess and by gosh, by tractors some way, and welding cross pieces, say 3, one low, one at 5ft and one at 10 along wqhere the outer walls would be to hold the 2 bents together. Not sure about doing so on the roof, as at 10ft, and the timbers sometimes run 11ft, I could just bolt them to the roof slope angles and then just put on the roof tin. It needsa to be open center asa I want to run a hay track down the center, and id like to have a 20ft open center the length of the barn, ie 40ft. Then 2 braces designed into the bent one on either side of the brace at the 20 mark, then the ouyter walls brack at 10ft SAomthing like this, at the floor I__________I____________________I__________I 10ft 20ft 10ft Standing either front or back, each outside (I) is 10ft tall. The roof angle has to be somwhat steeper than nowadays to allow for the weight of the hay at center, saying 300lbs

[rambler]

Ok, so you want an open roof too. Plus be able to support a hay track. So basically a 40 foot span with not roof truss, just angle iron forming the peak.

I do not think angle iron will ever be strong enough for this. You want something different. Wood or metal, angle iron is about the weakest thing you could use.

Standing up the 'bents' I can understand what you are saying. Wood or metal, you can do that.

We don't weld buildings. Guess they do down south, seen reference to it several times? Would sure be odd to see a welded building. Bolts is what we use up here with snow load. Welds pop.

--->Paul

[silverbackMP]

A bent is generally a timber framing term. The posts are mortised and contected with pegs. A bent is the contecting structure that stretches accoss a building to include a rafter (on purlin and rafter systems).

Too hard to explain without pictures.