fiona_murphy•22h agoProlific Poster

Question about the weight of old growth lumber

I was reading a forestry report from Oregon and it said a single 8-foot 12x12 beam of old growth Douglas fir can weigh over 300 pounds. Has anyone actually had to move one of those monsters on a remodel?

3 comments

3 Comments

joelt7021h ago

Helped my brother move a 10-foot 8x8 last summer. Pure old growth heart pine. Thing was an absolute tank. We had three guys and still almost dropped it on the porch. That Oregon number sounds totally right. You don't realize the density until you try to lift it.

emery19920h ago

My 12-foot oak beam changed my mind, @joelt70.

hayes.joel17h ago

Remember reading about a timber framer who said a 12-foot white oak beam can weigh over 500 pounds. That's like trying to move a grand piano without wheels. @joelt70's story about the heart pine totally checks out. You just can't understand the sheer mass of that much solid wood until you're the one holding up an end and your knees start to buckle. Makes you respect the old barn builders.