|
|
Post by thywar on Sept 21, 2012 18:20:35 GMT -7
I'm about to start scavenging for lumber and what I can't find I'm going to purchase as I can. So I'm asking do any of you have a pile of plywood, 2 x 4, 2 x 6, 4 x 4s... or what do you stock? Fencing? Fence poles (metal or wood), railroad ties?
If you scavenge where is your favorite place to pick up your 'new' building materials? I know pallets have been discussed on here before.
I'm thinking 10 - 15 sheets of plywood, 20-25 4 x 4s treated, 25-30 2 x 4s, same on 2 x 6s and 2 x 8s ten to 12 feet in length. I don't have a specific use in mind, just something to have on hand.
|
|
|
|
Post by wtrfwlr on Sept 21, 2012 18:35:06 GMT -7
Man I could have more used lumber if I had the mind to get it! Of course I live in town but if you hit some of the low income neighborhoods they are tearing down all sorts of old houses and businesses. This stuff is some really primo old school lumber that is perfect to reuse. It takes a buncha work but man you get some nice lumber for it. Also if you hit the warehouse rows there are not only pallets but they throw away all sorts of packing crates made out of nice 2x's and plywood. Happy Scrappin, Bj!!  |
|
|
|
Post by Cwi555 on Sept 21, 2012 20:46:40 GMT -7
I'm about to start scavenging for lumber and what I can't find I'm going to purchase as I can. So I'm asking do any of you have a pile of plywood, 2 x 4, 2 x 6, 4 x 4s... or what do you stock? Fencing? Fence poles (metal or wood), railroad ties? If you scavenge where is your favorite place to pick up your 'new' building materials? I know pallets have been discussed on here before. I'm thinking 10 - 15 sheets of plywood, 20-25 4 x 4s treated, 25-30 2 x 4s, same on 2 x 6s and 2 x 8s ten to 12 feet in length. I don't have a specific use in mind, just something to have on hand. We stock very little wood. Our take on it is that there are hectares and hectares of trees in the area. The means to convert those trees (including treatment) is viewed more important than having stacks of lumber around. Metal on the other hand is a different story. We as a group manage a scrap company. We only sell just enough to break even on cost. In particular, what we sell is mostly ferritic steels (except for thicker/heavier I beams). We have yet to sell the first ounce of copper, tin, aluminum, stainless of any grade, etc. One of the things we used to get a lot of copper etc out of was burned out mobile homes. We would buy them from the insurance companies, Sell the steel frame to cover cost, and keep all copper fittings, aluminum or copper wiring, etc. Unfortunately, several other scrap companies have caught on to that as of late driving up the cost of the insurance sell, which meant we had to sell other parts to break even. As for why the focus on non ferrous metals, an understanding of how they are initially formed is important. Aluminum in particular. Aluminum requires vast quantities of electricity to refine from ore, yet once refined, it is relatively easy to work. Should a TEOWAWKI (EMP bomb, Off scale geomagnetic storm, potentially world economic collapse) event ever take place, those vast quantities of electricity will very likely be unavailable and with that, the cost of refining aluminum goes up several orders of magnitude. Stainless steels are also made in an electric arc furnace. Again requiring those vast quantities of electricity. Further, most forms require pickling after descaling. www.euro-inox.org/pdf/map/Passivating_Pickling_EN.pdfThe pickling process also creates a problem as not to many people are going to have a bunch of nitric and hydrofluoric acids laying around. Trees are a lot easier to create, and the means of cutting them into usable forms is not all that difficult. People in general are far to used to 'cheap' metals. Post SHTF, the availability of metals will be a lot bigger problem than many realize if it's a cold start situation such as an EMP or major geomagetic storm event. |
|
|
|
Post by missj on Sept 21, 2012 22:23:30 GMT -7
We do stock a little lumber...mostly as an afterthought...
I'd estimate we have about 6 or 8 sheets of 3/4" plywood (4' x 8')
maybe about a dozen 8 foot 2"x4"s
some various lengths of 2"x6"s ranging from 4 feet-8 feet (maybe about a dozen lengths)
We have also left one ramshackle out-building on our property intact and it houses much of this "junky" type storage stuff as well as the building itself could serve as a source of lumber
we lots of nails and screws.
We also do store various fencing materials...."T" posts and chain link as well as chicken wire. We also save/store chunks of sheet metal (like for metal roofs).
None of this was purchased for the purpose of storing....it is just left over from building projects or demolishing projects.
I imagine if we ever use this stuff it will be for repairs and hardening on the fly.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2012 22:33:08 GMT -7
I have a lot of lumber, posts, fencing and such on hand...but ALL of it has a purpose and as things get put togehter, the piles dwindle. It is all for the barns, out buildings, etc. The only wood I keep piled up/stock piles is firewood...and that gets rotated regularly every winter. We had a bunch of extra wood in an old barn on Stevens farm...didn't take long for termites to destroy the middle of the pile and we didn't know until it was way to late. I can see storing several sheets of plywood and some 2x4 lumber and such under beds and what not if you think you will need to board up windows and such...but I would be hesitant to stock up on to m,uch lumber with no immediate use. I don't have a problem with stocking up on steel t-posts, rolls of barbed wire, woven field fence and livestock panels...as long as they are kept in a building of some sort and off the ground to prevent rusting and to keep out of sight of prying eyes. Even used stuff from farm auctions can have a lot of life left in it! Just watch prices!! Used t post tend to sell for as much as new ones and sometimes even higher!!  Just my .02 for what its worth. |
|
|
|
Post by swamprat1 on Sept 21, 2012 23:12:12 GMT -7
Do you have a sawmill in your area? If so make friends with someone there. The sawmill I work at, I can buy year old hardwood, unfinished, for $50/ 1000 board feet. Whether it be oak, ash, cypress or whatever. Also I can haul off all the scraps and cutt offs I want.
|
|
|
|
Post by wtrfwlr on Sept 22, 2012 0:31:09 GMT -7
Dang Swamp! I sure wish we were closer cause I could sure use some of that cull Cypress to build some pirquoes out of!
|
|
|
|
Post by swamprat1 on Sept 22, 2012 1:45:30 GMT -7
Well maybe we can figure something out. I'm gonna get a few loads and plane it down for flooring. Maybe try my hand at building some shelving also.
|
|
|
|
Post by missasip on Sept 22, 2012 7:02:24 GMT -7
I too store wood. A bunch. I love my wood...  I sold my Turner mill in my divorce. Having cut up close to 100k BFT of lumber, I can tell you, I have some spare wood.  The only problem with cutting and sawing up fresh trees is the drying time. Yes, I've done the drying shed, solar kiln, but it still takes time. I have my stored lumber for EMC repairs, add-ons to buildings, etc. I have 2xs in 4, 6, 10, 12 and some 4x16 inch beams that are 22 ft long. I have close to 40 sheets of ply. I bought them when the housing construction crashed in '07. It's 5/8s but bought it for $4 a sheet. I also have a good selection of exotic woods from my woodworking days. Some of it has gone up like PMs...I have about 250 bft of Honduras Mahogany. I've had it for many years. Bloodwood, zebrawood, purpleheart, rosewood, to name a few. I also have a fair selection of domestic woods. Several types and different sawn oaks. Quarter sawn, flat sawn and riff sawn. Cherry, ash, hickory, popular and some really nice sinker cypress. I've also gathered and stored fasteners of all sorts. I can build most anything, if needed. Jimmy |
|
