The Home Owner - Brian in Missouri was our 1st U-Grade red cedar log siding customer. Buffalo Lumber "U Grade" Discount Cedar Log Siding was a new item we were trying out in 2009.
Our 2x8" #3 Grade PAD (Partially Air Dried) cedar is for the rustic customer looking for the cheapest way to cover their home or cabin with cedar log siding and still have something very nice to show for theirmoney and effort. Many happy customers later we can say the grade experiment went very well!
The Wood Species - Western Red Cedar
The Siding Grade - #3 STD & Better Partially Air Dried (PAD) - Graded to the rough side
The Siding Pattern - 2x8" Quarter Log Siding With 1" Reveal - 6 5/8" Exposure - Smooth Use
The Siding Finish - Factory pre-stained all 4 sides (top, bottom and edges) Olympic Cedar Natural 716 semi-transparent stain.
Brian willingly played guinea pig for us and was the first to run this U-Grade log in the hopes of saving money.
Here are the numbers-
All told our Pre-stained Discount #3 U grade log siding prices
fall 40% to 50% below the market. Due to Brian's creative use of every bit of his log he had only 20% waste - experiencing a
Net savings 40% over retail. In his case he said he saved over $15,000.
Buffalo Lumber has been involved in the grading of wood for generations.The science has evolved to being able to offer discount prices for the creative do-it-your-selfer who knows how to work a saw to create beautiful red cedar log siding results.
Read our personal T&G Red Cedar Siding
Ugrade process. It showcases the grading technique we used to create a beautiful outcome with U-Grade red cedar siding installed as an interior paneling.
To be clear we say ALL wood siding projects should allow a 20% safety margin - 5-10% jobsite trim and waste + 5% potential milling defect and transit damage + 5% Murphy's law insurance.
In our estimation an additional 10% should be ordered for waste factor on #3 PAD U-Grade products. The U-Grade cedar log siding should have a 25-30% safety factor. The same as above + 10% additional trim and waste. That said with some rustic personal tastes (not minding wood that is not perfect) and creative trimming you should be able to use 90% or more of your cedar log siding U-Grade order.
This is the far back wall where he put all the rough stuff. As you can see below the biggest problem he is dealing with is loose knots. This customer has put the siding up with some loose knot holes. AND he has a great idea about how to fill the holes.
He keeps his scrap pieces piled in back and at the end of the project he will grab scrap pieces and look at where the knot is in relationship to the shape of the pattern.
He then takes a hole saw (like the one you cut doorknob holes with) and cuts out the area around the knot in the house siding. Then he takes a scrap piece and cuts a knot out from a similar place on the curvature of the pattern to replace the missing knot.
As you can see below he will cut the hole toward the top of the scrap piece near the lip. This will make the knot the proper shape to fit snugly into the hole. A little glue and that baby is in for life. The knot has the right shape to fit into the curve of the pattern no matter where it happens to occur.
That was a great idea.
Below are some of the flaws the customer experienced. He said the splitting was the biggest cause of waste as far as using the wood for siding but he has other plans.
He will go back and cut this into custom trim and moldings. He will cut the knots back from this. He will build bird houses with little pieces.
Imagine how our customer feels having built his dream log home for a fraction of the normal cost. He is determined to use every inch of this wood.
If you are a wood lover and understand the philosophy of creatively using every inch of wood you will appreciate the value of cost and having fun!
