Sawmills & Timber Sheds

Timber processing needs large covered areas that stay dry and airy: a sawmill hall for the headrig and resaws, sheds for air-drying and storing sawn timber, kiln buildings and joinery or furniture workshops. Pre-engineered steel buildings suit these uses well. They span wide without interior columns, go up quickly and, unlike timber structures, do not suffer from rot or termites.

Open, ventilated sheds

Sawmills produce heat, dust and noise, and drying sheds need moving air. Many timber buildings therefore have partly open sides, or cladding only in the upper part of the walls to keep out rain while letting air through. An open-sided building catches wind inside, which increases uplift on the roof; the design must assume the correct openings. Where walls cannot be braced, portal bracing keeps the building stable lengthwise. Ridge ventilators or an open ridge let hot air and fine dust escape.

Handling logs and packs

Logs are heavy and awkward. Larger mills use overhead or gantry cranes to feed the saws and stack packs; the crane runway and brackets are then designed into the frames, with straight columns and bracing for crane forces. Smaller mills rely on forklifts and loaders, which need wide doors and protection around columns. Keep the floor level and strong enough for log loaders and the saw foundations, which are usually separate blocks.

Dust extraction and fire

Sawdust and shavings are collected by extraction ducts to cyclones and bins. Ducts hung from the roof and equipment standing on platforms are collateral loads for the purlins and frames, so their positions and weights belong in the design brief. Fine wood dust is combustible. Good housekeeping, extraction at the source and separation between the mill, the boiler or kiln and the stores are the main fire measures; the local authority may ask for more. See fire protection for how steel buildings are treated.

Drying sheds and kilns

Air-drying sheds are long, simple buildings with a wide roof overhang to keep rain off the stacks; roof extensions and single-slope frames work well. Kiln chambers are specialist equipment with their own insulation and heating; they can sit inside a steel building or alongside it. Warm, humid kiln exhaust is corrosive, so steel near kilns needs a suitable paint system.

Joinery and furniture workshops

Workshops for joinery and furniture are closer to light industrial buildings: closed walls, daylight from skylights, insulated roofs for comfort and a clean area for finishing and storage of finished goods. A mezzanine adds space for offices and hardware stores.