Lodge poles and ponderosa

[KitSlater]

I'm taking the Nov 17 & 18 class. Just bought my plane tix last night. I know a lot if not all my Q's will be answered in class but I want to come as prepared as possible. I own land outside Boulder Colorado and am trying to figure out how many useable logs I have on site. It's lodge poles and ponderosas (a few white pine but they are usually small). I've had a hard time finding out about lodgepoles. The bark on them seems very thin. If I dont have to take much off to debark I will have a lot more trees of useable diam. Also havent been able to find much info on rot resistance and strength of lodge poles. Anyone know if they are similar to another species? They sure are straight as an arrow and growing close so the have no lower limbs. Any issues with using mixed log species in butt and pass? I wouldn't think so from what I've read. Any info would be realy helpfull.

[sparky]

Welcome KitSlater
The two log species you mentioned are both excellent choices for building. You won't go wrong with either or a mix. After you take the class you will have access to information about log options and their characteristics. I personally would prefer the LodgePole only because the Ponderosa has such thick bark to have to remove. That being said check out the Luck Dog Lodge in the students houses section, it is my understanding it was build with Pondos. And again welcome.

Sparky

[hawkiye]

As Sparky said both are good it depends on what you like in looks and that may change after you take the class. I am building with Ponderosa and the thick bark seems to come off easier then the thin stuff but thats all on Ponderosa I have never peeled any Lodgepole. The Lodgepole might be a little easier to work with being more uniform and not having as many knots. However I prefer the knotty gnarled rustic look myself rather then the more perfect look. Different species have more or less resistance to rot however the real key is keeping the logs dry with proper overhangs which you'll learn about in class. Keeping the logs dry can really make any difference in rot resistance negligible.

Blayne

[KitSlater]

Hey Hawkiye-
What are the dimensions of your place? How high are your walls and how big are most of your logs? Just trying to get a rough idea of how many logs I will need. The place looks great how long did it take you to get to where you are in the photos? Good luck with construction.
-Kit

[dvb]

Kitslater,
We live in Mead just northeast of Longmont. We are building near Rabbit Ears Pass and are currently snowed out for the winter. I have a bunch of Lodgepole here in the yard that we are going to peel over the winter. Come on out sometime and we can discuss what you learned in the class.
e-mail me and I will give contact information.
dvb_avcon@hughes.net

[hawkiye]

It's 30 x 30 will go two story the walls right now are about 13 1/2 feet from the foundation. We got 3 more courses to go. Were pretty much done for the winter as the logs are to wet and icy to work on safely up high. It took us about 12 weeks to get there just stacking logs but we're working on weekends only and the property is a little over an hour from where we live. We have some unique problems right there that take us longer to get the logs staged and ready to lift. Mainly that nice view with not much flat ground around the house makes it difficult to get the logs in around the house. The Logs vary but are averaging about 13 1/2 inches, in other words 10-12 on the small end and 14 to 17 on the big end.

Blayne