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Irrigation Guy
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# Posted: 29 Dec 2022 07:31
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I was looking at some Amish built storage buildings and noticed the skids were not pressure treated. When I asked the sales guy about it he said they make them from locust and claimed it lasted just as long as treated lumber. I know that locust is a tough species that has been used for fence posts with good success but I have my concerns about using it for a shed base. Other than that the sheds look really nice. Any thoughts?
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Brettny
Member
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# Posted: 29 Dec 2022 08:04
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It will last. I have a shed with locust skids. However there hardly touching the ground and that goes for almost any skid.
If it worked for fence posts why be worried about a mostly above ground application?
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ICC
Member
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# Posted: 29 Dec 2022 09:06
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If black locust is available it is an excellent choice for ground contact uses. Also great deck material. Tough. Do a search online. In the early 1900 streets were paved with b-l pavers instead of stone. Easier on horse hooves and quieter.
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 29 Dec 2022 11:25
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I grew up on a sc WI sand county farm (actually not far from where Aldo Leopold had his 'shack' and wrote A Sand County Almanac) where Black Locust were plentiful.
Yes, durable, we made a lot of fences for sheep with BL posts. any of those posts lasted in the ground long after the fencing went bad. We had some set upright in the big shed, one had a green twig off one end. That leaf or two stayed green in season for 2 years from just what moisture the post pulled in from the cut ends.
It is a dense, heavy wood and can be quite pretty in grain and colors.
Fwiw, Id be happier if my pre-built shed would have had BL runners than the PT softwood it has.
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Irrigation Guy
Member
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# Posted: 29 Dec 2022 15:33
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This shed is more of the garage type that will sit right on the ground. I was thinking of making a 6†pad of crushed stone to keep it dry.
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 29 Dec 2022 16:57
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Oh yeah, you have to make a decent base to set skids on. My shed company provided a block 'schedule' for the size sheds they sell and it was up to me to prep the site; ie, flat and level. Crushed stone on that and well packed would have been good. They kinda know what they are doing 
They specified a min. number of a certain sized solid block and how they are positioned. I used the positioning but upsized the blocks with concrete silo staves and more than the min. count. I know I will never feel bad about using more and bigger.
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tiny
Member
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# Posted: 22 Apr 2023 23:58
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New guy here. I once milled some black locust slabs from some logs that I got from a tree service. I threw them off to the side in the dirt and forgot about them for a few years. One day an old man that drove truck delivering produce stopped by because he saw my sawmill...yeah I know, when will I finish yapping and get to the point. He stopped by a few times. The final time he wanted a slab to make a fireplace mantel. I told him lets look and see what I have laying around. I picked up the black locust slab and asked if this would work. He said yes and how much. I told him to bring some good veggies. A few months later he stopped by and said it turned out beautiful. That slab was in the mud for at least 3 years. Not one bit of rot or a bug hole. Someone told me that in the old days, you were required to plant black locust on your property. who knows.
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