When Did Lumber Change?

[Brian G]

I just did a house that supposedly dates back to 1920, or just before, but the framing is modern planed lumber. I'm pretty sure they weren't doing that in 1920, but I'd like to nail it down. So when did planing lumber become the norm?

Brian G.

"Planly" Dated Wrong? [?]

[hausdok]

Dunno,

I've seen plenty of smooth-sided lumber in homes from before 1920.

OT - OF!!!

M.

[Jim Katen]

Originally posted by Brian G.

I just did a house that supposedly dates back to 1920, or just before, but the framing is modern planed lumber. I'm pretty sure they weren't doing that in 1920, but I'd like to nail it down. So when did planing lumber become the norm?

Brian G.

"Planly" Dated Wrong? [?]

Around here that would be shortly after 1900.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[kurt]

Something similar here; turn of the last century, approximately.

The rough stuff is all 1870's-1900.

Sometimes I even see steel beams from very early 1900's.

[Brian G]

Okie-doke; farthur back than I thought. [:-dunce]

Brian G.

Stinkin' Thinkin' Again [:-boggled

[Jim Katen]

Originally posted by Brian G.

Okie-doke; farthur back than I thought. [:-dunce]

Brian G.

Stinkin' Thinkin' Again [:-boggled

I think it's a regional thing. Whether or not the framing lumber was planed would depend on whether or not there was planing machinery nearby. Kurt & I live in areas that had an enormous lumber industry at the time.

I'm not so sure about MS. You guys might have had to rely on an itinerant sawyer who didn't bother to plane his product.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[Kyle Kubs]

More than regional, there is likely also a budget factor. When it was available is one thing but when did builders typically start deciding it was worth it to pay extra for the higher grade stuff is another.

Around my part of the world the s4s lumber seems to be prevalent in the mid to later thirties and on. Most of mid to late 20's houses around here have rough sawn lumber. Back up to around 1910 and it was rough sawn and still half green.

[SonOfSwamp]

Best I know, it's totally random. It depends on who had what equipment at a given place or time.

It's hard to nail down facts on such things. I had a Yankee historic-preservation professor who told me that "penciling," which is a term for painting mortar joints, was over and done in the late 1800s.

Well, the joints on my 1914 house were penciled.

WJ

[hausdok]

Yep,

Things about contruction are regional. You'd be amazed at the number of homes around here built in the 60's with knob-and-tube wiring in the attics only. I'm not sure why. Maybe the electricians were using up their stocks or thought it was easier to run K & T instead of that newfangled NM stuff. They're out there though.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[Kyle Kubs]

Originally posted by hausdok

Yep,

Things about contruction are regional. You'd be amazed at the number of homes around here built in the 60's with knob-and-tube wiring in the attics only. I'm not sure why. Maybe the electricians were using up their stocks or thought it was easier to run K & T instead of that newfangled NM stuff. They're out there though.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

No Kidding.. Now thats one I never would have figured on.

[emalernee]

Knob & Tube was still being used around the Cleveland suburbs into the 70's. Union protectionism.

Cast iron drains were required in some areas into the 90's for plumber job security.

Amish are still using rough sawn lumber on their buildings, though most have gone to using vinyl siding to cover up their own houses.

Ezra Malernee

Canton, Ohio

[Jim Baird]

Brian

If it was a top o' the line house in its day the lumber might have been shipped from a planing mill out of the region.

In my area most houses built in 1920's etc are framed out of sawn pine.

On a walking tour of old Savannah recently I was shown the difference between locally made brick and the pricier, imported "Philadelphia" brick that the higher end homes used. Could be the lumber was imported.