Longevity of Wood. / untreated vs Treated

I took down a Couple early 1900's farm buildings with solid but weathered wood.

I will be building a couple deer Blind/ hides this year and was wondering if Green treated wood was needed.

I have Elm on my property that dies before getting bigger than 10 inches across...I could cut and de bark for corner posts...do they need dried? Before treating with a sealant?

The old Barns seemed to last and were only painted sometimes once

Just looking to save money I don't have to spend at Menards

Here, I'd use hedge or cedar...elm, I don't know.

I'd use what you have, it's a deer blind.

They say that the pilings of the original London Bridge were elm and survived centuries in the muck of the Thames.

But no idea on what elm we have here.

The old barn wood survived mostly by staying dry.

If you are building a ground blind, it should not matter. If you will be elevated, go with the best wood you can find or buy. The roof and flooring usually need replacing first, then the ladder. Stay safe.

The most important part of a deer stand is a good wide shooting rest. For me, the rest should be the height of my belly button when standing.

If you use elm, cut it before it dies. Dutch elm disease closes off the capillaries so that water can't move. This lumber seems to rot really fast. Otherwise seems to be tough and long lasting.

Scott I think it has a lot to do with your climate. There are places out west where it is dry and lodge pole pine structures are probably 100 years old- some maybe older. In a wetter climate treated wood or something like cedar or hedge is the hot set up, but I agree with the other guys- use what ya got.

The London Bridge wood pilings survived by being kept wet and the barn wood by staying dry. Funny how that works. Logs that have been in rivers for hundreds of years are being recovered and processed because they don't rot in that oxygen deficient environment.

I suppose this would be frowned on these days, but my dad always dumped used motor oil into a barrel and filled the barrel with wood, usually 6-7 foot posts. When you really jam the posts in there, the oil comes way up and soaks into the bottom half of the posts, he did this with pine and fir mostly and the stuff lasts forever when you put it in the ground.

I'll be doing the same this this spring making a deer blind. I have some 6' 4X4s that are green-treated. I was wondering how long they would last in the ground? I was thinking of cementing them in the ground. I also have some 2X8 redwood boards I was planning to use for the floor. Someone told me redwood was a natural treated wood and would last longer than most woods.

I think they've done similar things in the New Orleans area.

One thing to keep in mind, cured lumber cuts a lot harder than green lumber from the lumberyard. Might be a good idea to keep some spare saw blades around.

Cement around green treat I've been told rots the wood. I have a couple posts GT in cement 20 years they haven't rotted....so ise' don't know?

If it takes at least 20 years, that's OK. I'll be dead before then.
What Bernie said was interesting..........

I'm going to do just that Bernie...I've read about that before.

Thanks for reminding me.

He had a barrel for years and years. Each time he changed the oil it went in there and when he pulled a few posts out to use them, he just added more.

...I have 3 hunting 30+ yr. Old kids and 8 Grandkids I hope to pass memories on to.

And next year my Dad will be 84 and might still want to hunt.



So there's reasons to build things that last

another thing to remember about old wood, wood from before the 1900's is that it is mostly old growth wood. It grew much slower than what you get now. Thus it denser and will last longer.
Look at the growth rings of the old boards and see how close together they are. If they are old growth they will be very close together.

That's Awesome

For what it is worth, I used green treated 4x4's on a stand I built in 1998 and just tore down. The posts are fine and were re-used. I have 10 enclosed, elevated stands and by far the most maintenance free ones were framed in wood and sheeted with old used roofing tin of various types. You can insulate them with Styrofoam too as I have done on most. For what it is worth, I have found that for a SINGLE hunter 5x5 is the ideal size and from an office chair you can turn without needing to move the chair and shoot out of any window. My windows are nothing more than plexi-glass held in place by a 1x1 wood strip and the windows slide side to side. If you want pictures or a better description let me know.
Also, I have 2 that need to be rebuilt this summer and I plan to put the Big Buddy heater BELOW the floor. The floor is always the coldest part and I hold to solve this.

Any photos would be cool 160

My Old Man Stand my Dad & I have used for many years cost too much to replicate....but it is extremely nice
5 x 7 x 6'3" inside. Each wall is bolted onto floor and ceiling so as to repair easier when needed.

I just need a couple more warm spots as options.

My big buddy heaters are Nice

That elm that dies before it gets big is pis selm. (That is French for chinese) It is not a good choice as it is great today and falling apart next week.

Even cut smaller and live?

American Elm dies from Dutch elm disease before it gets large typically. The Elms your referring to are Siberian Elms.

Mine dies from Dutch elm. Worm tracks under the bark

Dutch Elm Disease (DED) is a fungus. The worm tracks are from insect larvae that show up after the tree is weakened by the DED.

It's an indication then^^^

The old barn lumber would be okay for the sides and maybe the top if you paint it really good as far as the poles I would go green treat just for safety reasons.

I will try to go for a walk tomorrow and get pictures. I try to build each Side on the shop floor with flat and level ground. That helps with putting it up and I can twist it with ratchet straps to make it square.

Thanks^^^

Appreciate that