[WNYcarpenter]

We're gearing up for shake siding on my current project....we got a revised detail print of the siding and the PM asked our foreman give a man day qoute to discuss pricing with the HOer.

I said "we have to use jointed and re-butted shingles." IMO, Grade "A" or the stocked clear shakes our lumberyard carries are never square and we spend too much time hand working individual shingles for the proper look.

JRB shingles are 2-3x more expensive and are special ordered. My thinking is the price of the material is offset by the labor to achieve the same look.

My foreman fought a good fight, but we're using the stock clear shake...






side note: the shingles are being dipped in our painter's shop, so any re-working will have to be touched up, but...there's no lead time if we need to re-order....

 

[Tom Struble]

if your gapping them properly they should be fine

 

[Aframe]

I prefer Red cedar R&R's as they are a more stable product, pre-primed if going to be painted. Whites are good for staining. Your going to have cut edges anyway (although not as many with the R&R's) so they should plan on a coat of finish paint/stain after your all done.

If your painters $ and the extra time to work the shingles are figured in and close to buying the pre-finished, oh well you did your best gotta live with the PM/HO's choice.

I would have the painter do up some extra anyway, just to avoid a weeks wait if your close to finishing

 

[WNYcarpenter]

My experience with the shakes we're going to use is they're not square.

If we run a straight edge ledger we either have to chop the bottom or hand plane the edges to get proper spacing, or eyeball each one and split the difference VS. just droping them in the rack and nailing them off.

 

[Tom Struble]

i can see racking them, true 90 deg would be more important

i usually run them to a string line and just cover the line,its a little easier to use shingles that aren't perfectly square

 

[WNYcarpenter]

Thanks Tom and aframe....you guys are on the same page:thumbsup:

we won't be siding for a bit...

THANKFULLY, we atleast had the opportunity to voice our opinions.

Yes they are being stained and the designer's swatches are on white cedar. The lumberyard found R&R white's but, same story....

I really wanted to avoid snapping a line and eyeballing each shingle:sad:.

I'll be really:furious: when folks come around and critique reveals and the straight bottom edge in the same sentence as the budget is tight, why's it taking so long!!! Just to add to the problem, we're weaving the corners!

Don't get me wrong, I like doing shakes!....I actually want to weave the corners:w00t:

 

[WNYcarpenter]

A little off topic, but we're thinking of weaving our corners first then filling in the field, kinda like laying block....

 

[Tom Struble]

thats how i do them,i have a small bench top table saw that i bring up on my scaffold,easy to square up and rip to width,and very carefully freehand angle cuts

 

[crovello]

We use Maibec exras. We have installed about 30 square on the project we are on now and I don't think I had to fit more than a handfull of them. Just make sure you don't put them up tight because they are fairly dry and will expand.

They will also dip them in any color you want. The upcharge for dipping in a custom color is not that bad I am sure it is cheaper than having my painter dip them plus when I get them they are dry and packed neatly in boxes.

Before ordering them predipped was an option I had my painter dip them and what a mess that turned out to be. Shingles were still sticky when we had to work with them plus they are not in neat bundles any more. I would look into getting them dipped at the factory if I were you. As long as you have the five or six lead time it will take.

 

[Tom Struble]

Mr Crovello

how's that job coming? any new pics?:thumbup:

 

[oldfrt]

Mr Crovello

how's that job coming? any new pics?:thumbup:

I think he's still shoveling off the roofs.

 

[Ranzan]

A little off topic here but I`m curious what you guy down south pay for your #1 R&Rs ? up here it runs us 280 a sq with a prefinish clear stain

 

[crovello]

Mr Crovello

how's that job coming? any new pics?:thumbup:

Not a very productive week with all the snow we had but we did make progress on the screen porch and siding.

 

[WNYcarpenter]

Nice work Crovello!

I'd love to have you talk to our PM:thumbsup: