Old wood, really old....
 

We started removing some very tired shingles today from the gabled end of a local house that was built in 1694. The boys got it halfway stripped and have uncovered original sheathing that so far measures as large as 20.5 inches wide and runs the entire 17' length! And it is solid! I will get better pics tomorrow as today's have a couple rear ends in the way.

Its great to see those old boards. I have a red cedar shingle that measures 16-1/4" across. It has a 4x4 square paper sticker on it from the mill. I am guessing from the 40s or 50s.

So without being able to count growth rings, if these boards were harvested in 1694, they could conceivably have been growing in the 1500s, maybe 1400s.

Very cool Ross!

That’s really cool. I bet it’s American chestnut.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

The forests back in the day must have been really something…..
There’s a couple place’s I’ve been to in NH that has never been logged,,, tree’s are huge….

I'd remove it and replace with something else. You'll never see boards like that again.

I disagree
A house that old deserves to remain whole.


Cool Ross
I have seen 24” wide boards in homes not nearly as old as that, they are impressive for sure.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Agree 1000%. Next someone will want to wrap it in PVC.

Can’t imagine how many times it’s been resided … I’d guess it never missed a layer of black paper and balloon framed to keep it dry…

I have an ancient piece of pine in my barn from the late 1800’s/early 1900’s that has never been used. It’s about 20” wide and 16’ long. Not a single knot in it. It’s like for 150 years everyone who has lived here has been so enamored by it, they have left it as a shrine. I know I will never use it for anything.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

I did not scrap or sand, but I was thinking it is chestnut as well.

The boards stay. We wrapped it with modern house wrap, PVC trim, corner boards, and cement clapboards that should carry the house into the end of the century for a carpenter who is likely not yet born yet to play housewright ...

For those that don't know, a little history. Before the Revolution any lumber that measured 24" or greater was considered the property of the King, George III for the most part, and was shipped back to be used as masts, on ships, or in houses. King's Pine or King's wood. I have a couple houses I work on with floorboards or paneling that measure up to 23 1/2 " wide... There are 250-300 houses here in town built before the Revolution.

The bottom had light tar paper, while above the second floor we found a gray paper with almost a felt cloth feel to it.

Jeff, this house is just fifty feet outside the historic district, so the owners had the option of choosing modern vs traditional materials. They chose the cementboard claps after I showed them the price for a box of Red cedar R&R shingles was >$550/box, and they would need 2.5 boxes per 100 square feet.... After that, the choice of PVC trim and cornerboards was a no brainer. They have already asked if I could continue to do another side of the house, but can't fit into the schedule until maybe October...

Have you ever counted the growth rings? There is a guy in Deerfield that takes core samples from barns and old buildings to determine when they were harvested...

The existing sheathing is a touch over 5/4.... Blown in cellulose behind it. Just not worth it economically, never mind the preservation point of view, or the risk of damaging antique interior walls.

I haven’t counted the rings. This is a piece of number that’s never been used. Never had a nail drivin into it. I’ll text you a picture of it. My barn was built from granite that was quarried on our land and American chestnut. The first story of the barn is all big granite blocks. It’s quite something. It was built in 1840
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

I was actually being a bit sarcastic as I don’t like mixing materials although I’m sure it looks great and will be much lower maintenance.

Most of the clapboard on my house is about 163 years old and still tough as nails. I just had some wood gutters removed and the fascia replaced with clear red cedar. That stuff was expensive.

The 2 mantels, which I cut out of one log, in own house, Jeanne and I took out of an abandoned barn in1972, is hand hewn with Adz marks., 1st growth American Chestnut.