Building a Post and Beam Shed

Reader Contribution by David Boyt
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One of our projects is an 8′ by 14′ post and beam storage shed.  When complete, it will house my welding equipment, generator, wood planer, and air compressor.  I also promised Becky (my wife) that there would be room for garden tools there, as well.  My experience with post and beam construction goes back thirty years when we built our house.  That was also my first taste of sawmilling, assisting the sawyer on a very different machine from the one I now run.  It was a large circle mill with an exposed blade and drive belt, powered by a Detroit Diesel engine that was always running full-throttle at a level that rattled my teeth.  My job was to pull off the boards, help turn the logs and shove sawdust.  Wherever I stood, it

threw sawdust and wood chips at me.

Mills have changed a lot since then.  I run a much more civilized band mill, which I can easily run by myself.  The blade and belts are inside safety guards, and the engine makes no more noise than a lawn tractor.  I can generally mill the lumber I need in less time than it would take to drive into town and buy it.  Plus I know that the lumber came from a woodlot that is being managed sustainably so that it can be enjoyed and used by future generations.

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