How to Build a Woodshed
(Page 4 of 8)
August/September 1995
By John Vivian
Materials
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The table lists major construction materials for four sizes of shed. Four-, 6-, and 9-inch square PT frame timbers are specified as much for their proportions and rugged good looks as for structural virtue. The raw material and true dimensions of square beams will vary, though any Building Code- or Pressure Treatment Association-approved PT lumber will be from structural-grade wood — usually Southern Yellow Pine in the East and Douglas Fir in the West. An 8-footer will measure at least that in length. But, a nominal 6-inch-square beam can actually measure anywhere from 5-and-7/8 inches to 5-and-3/8 inches a side. Size really doesn’t matter so long as the outer faces of all frame members are set in square and in the same plane so siding will go on evenly.
Be sure your ground-level timbers at least are certified for Ground Contact (with tags or stamps reading “Ground Contact,” “.40CCA” or “Treated to Rejection”). A lesser PT grade or untreated lumber is fine for the rest, but don’t waste time or money on rejects. Look the beams over carefully-sighting down each face lengthwise. Reject any that are warped, crooked, twisted, or that have large cracks, rot holes, or knots that seem to be working out. In particular, the beam that spans the front opening must be clear. If the lumber pile’s been picked through so thoroughly that only poor boards are left, demand that a new rick be unstrapped (or find another lumberyard). Again, be sure that each timber has at least one perfect surface to face outward and keep the siding fair. Siding boards want straight sides and no serious twists or warps, but loose knots will only increase good-drying air flow through the fuelwood.
The most reasonably priced PT lumber is a bilious green from the copper in the rot-proofing, but will weather to a silvery gray where the rain hits it, and to a dark brown where it doesn’t. Or it can be stained or painted to match the shed siding.
Construction
Here, step-by-step, is how to build a basic 4-foot-by-8-foot shed using simple (but challenging) butt, notch and lap joints. See the illustrations and drawings for more elaborate joinery.
The Base
First off, lay out your three base timbers, the 8-foot rear beam, and the two 4-foot side members in a long “U” shape. Snug down into the gravel with the most even sides up. Notch half laps (see Image Gallery) in upper face of the rear beam and the undersides of the side beams. Mate joints and with a protractor, carpenter’s angle, or equal length string across the diagonals, make sure the corners are perfect 90-degree angles. Snug timbers an inch or two down into the rock base. With a long board and a spirit level on top, make sure the base is level all around.
You can fasten each joint with a triangle of six-penny galvanized nails or a single 6-inch galvanized spike. Or, do it right and peg them. With a spade bit on the electric drill or a fine old wood bit on a brace or hand auger, drill 1-inch diameter holes through the center of the corner laps and peg the joint by hammering in 6-inch lengths of kiln-dried inch-diameter hardwood dowel. To make a simple but elegant vertical joint, cut 9-inch dowels, sink them down 6 inches and shave the up-protruding 3-inch ends to points. Drill a 1-by-2 hole up into the centers of the vertical corner posts and hammer them down on the pegs.
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