Planning & Constructing Agricultural Structures

Woodworking

Objective

• To plan and construct agricultural structures.

Introduction

• Buildings are an important business asset• In agricultural business we use buildings to– Protect machinery– Store crops– Keep animals and animal products– Milking cows– Selling commodities– Processing crops and animal products– Manufacturing commodities

Planning Agricultural Buildings

• Saves time and money• Requires careful consideration• Building size, type, design and placement are

also important• Inadequate buildings result in LOSS

Farmstead Layout and Building Site Selection

•Place in a well drained area

1•Plant a

windbreak on the side of the prevailing winds

•Typically the Northwest side

2

•Place the electrical meter pole so that it is as close to possible to all buildings requiring a lot of electrical power

3

Farmstead Layout and Building Site Selection

•Place livestock downwind from the house

4

•Face buildings to the south or east for maximum heat and light in the winter and shade in the summer

5

•Position buildings so they can be enlarged or expanded

6

Farmstead Layout and Building Site Selection

•Provide a circle to all traffic to get in and out easily

7•Hand-

surface or gravel the main traffic areas

8

•Provide proper drainage away from each building to avoid polluting wells and other water sources.

9

Building Use and Size

• Some are large, specialized and expensive• Also require professional planning• Others can be adequately planned by the

business owner or manager

Building Types and Shapes

• Type and shape determine ease of building and cost

• Each type has its place and use

Types of Trusses

• Past buildings were limited in width without interior post due to the limited strength of rafters and girders

• Rafter- a single timber that supports a section of roof

• Girder-a timber that carries the weight of floors and interior walls

• Truss-a rigid framework capable of spanning over 100 ft without posts– See fig 39-10 p. 564

Types of Construction

• How buildings are classified

Pole BuildingPost-frame Building

Rigid-frame building

Types of Coverings

• Steel• Aluminum• Wood

Building Materials: Lumber

• Comes in standard sizes from 1” to 6” thick and from 2” to 12” wide

• Lengths typically run from 6’ to 16’ and longer

• It is important to remember that thickness and width are nominal dimensions and that when lumber is dressed or planed the actual thickness is ¼” less than nominal thickness and the width is ½” less than nominal width

Plywood

• Made of veneer• Used for subflooring, wall sheathing, roof

sheathing• Graded according to the quality of the exterior

layers as well as the glues ability to withstand moisture

Plywood Grades

A- Smooth, paintable, not more than 18 neatly made repairs

B- Solid surface, shims, circular repair plugs and tight knots 1” across grain permitted. Some

minor splits allowed.

C plugged- Improved C veneer with splits limited to 1/8” and

knot holes and borer holes limited to ¼” x ½” in width

C- Tight knots to 1 ½ “ Knotholes to 1” across grain and some to 1 ½” if total width of knots and knotholes is within specified limits.

D-Knots and knotholes to 2 ½” width across grain and ½” larger within specified limits. Limited

splits allowed. Limited to interior exposure 1 and exposure 2

panels.

Pressure-Treated Lumber

• Done to keep wood from rotting due to exposure to Earth and weather & also to prevent insect damage.

• Chemicals are driven into the wood under pressure• General chemicals used are– Creosote– Pentachlorophenol– Acid copper chromate (ACC)– Ammoniacal copper arsenate (ACA)– Chromated copper arsenate (CCA)

Roofing and Siding

• Steel & aluminum used extensively• Steel– Stronger– Subject to rust– Galvanized or coated with zinc

• Aluminum– Won’t rust– Expensive– Thin– Easily damaged

Assignment

• Draw a “block sketch” of a farmstead– See example.