Corner post for a garage I am building

Fullers Farmalls · Nov 24, 2012

We had our property surveyed and found out we own a 100 x100 foot chunk of land that juts into a wooded lot. I am in the need for another garage for my tractors, equipment, and a small work shop. The timber on it is all locust. We will cut most for firewood but there are some nice trees that I could cut and use them for the corner post and the other main supports. It's locust so it shouldn't rot to fast/at all. Any suggestions on using them as the post and what I need to do? Thanks all.

FBH44 · Nov 24, 2012

I haven't seen anything setinto the ground that didn't absorb water and eventually get termites or some rot of some sort. I dug down and poured some concrete pads abour 2' deep x 2' diameter, and set sone galvanized angle iron in, and bolted my treated posts to them. Roofed them over, and that'll last my lifetime and my boys too.

MarkB_MI · Nov 24, 2012

Pressure treated.

Longmeadow farm · Nov 24, 2012

I now use "permacolumn", a concrete post on all my structures, including replacing pole barn/building posts 35 plus years old that have/are rotting away in my rather wet environment. The larger posts can be a bit cumbersome to handle and I believe are 4 and a half feet long. You can shape your locust and bolt them to the ears molded into the concrete post.

oliver power · Nov 24, 2012

We've used locust trees as poles in the past. Dig a hole, and stick it into the ground. Nothing special. The trick was finding the best one for the situation. They always seemed to have a crook, or bow of some sort. We've re-used lucust fence post that have been in the ground 80 years. Pulled them out, and used the to build fence in other areas.

Jr. Roby · Nov 24, 2012

cut locust when sap is down they will last a long time

Anonymous-0 · Nov 24, 2012

I am replaceing mud posts in a tobacco barn now that were put in 1946. I am 69 years old, I would use Locust agin if I had them.

Jim in Ma. · Nov 24, 2012

Remove the bark as soon as you cut them, Keep off the ground till they dry. Oh ya - you may need to pre drill for spikes.

steve terplak · Nov 24, 2012

Use the locust.
Two years ago we changed the power running from the house to barns from overhead to buried, so removed the original power poles, locust posts installed in the mid-30's....so 75 years old....still completely intact, top to bottom, not a bit of rot, hard as a rock, still had arks from the saw tooth at the bottom....not a dry environment either.

keh · Nov 24, 2012

At least here in the SE, there are 2 kinds of locust, Black locust which is very hard and will last a long time, and Honey locust, which does not last well and can be recognized by the long seed pods which animals love to eat. The wood from Black locust has a yellowish green light tint to it, Honey locust has reddish streaks.

KEH

Richard G. · Nov 24, 2012

Black locust will last a lifetime. My dad used locust posts about 1952 to build a barn with stables under and hay loft overhead. It still looks good.
Sills and floor joists under my house are locust and will be here long after I am gone.
Richard in NW SC

504 · Nov 24, 2012

Debark them and they will out last you.

504 · Nov 24, 2012

Make sure you do own the land, if the neighbors have been using it for long enough they may own it, even if you have been paying the taxes.

Corner post for a garage I am building

Fullers Farmalls

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FBH44

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MarkB_MI

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Longmeadow farm

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oliver power

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Jr. Roby

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Anonymous-0

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Jim in Ma.

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steve terplak

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keh

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Richard G.

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504

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504

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