A quick google search on 'drying wood' will give you all the answers you might need.
Best,
Bill

http://ianrpubs.unl.edu/forestry/g60.htm

http://muextension.missouri.edu/explore/agguides/forestry/g05550.htm

I know down here they would submerge the cut trees in water for a few years and then use board 'em and use 'em. I'm not completely sure why.
Mike

congratulations Annie,
Sounds like you have been blessed. You must be very excited. I am in western New York. I know nothing about the strawbale homes But have a comment on the wood. We have found a few amish saw mills here that will cut your wood and trade you for wood already dried. Possibly, you could find the same near your place. Some may even help you cut and move the logs in trade for a few for their selves.
Happy New Place!!!
Marie

Annie,

I would recommend finding a local sawyer and discussing your plans with him. Makers of portable sawmills, like Woodmizer, may have a list of operators of their mills. Also search the forums on woodweb.com, woodcentral.com and sawmillcreek.org. The rule of thumb is that air drying lumber takes one year per inch of thickness. Kiln drying is faster, of course, but you pay. I don't know how dry timbers have to be for the post and beam you mention. You might also want to google for "timber frame" construction. Keep in mind that for good lumber, a tree must be processed as soon as possible after it's cut, or it must be kept wet somehow. If you plan to fell trees now and mill them in a year, you may be disappointed.

Depending on how "high-end" a look you're looking for, I think post & beam can be done with green (undried) wood. If you want highly polished, furniture-quality, no-drying-stress-cracks beams, then probably not. But if you're aiming for a more rustic look, then the books I've read suggest that green's the way to go. It's easier to work with. Only drawback is the weight; wet wood is heavier. But unless you're planning to lift the timber bents into place yourself :-), shouldn't be a problem.

--Steve

We actually cut much of our timbers in the winter, peeled them and let them dry until we used them in June (or so)...that was 12 years ago and all is still well with the strawbale studio.

Here is a link that might be useful: our strawbale studio under construction...follow the link

We actually cut much of our timbers in the winter, peeled them and let them dry until we used them in June (or so)...that was 12 years ago and all is still well with the strawbale studio.

That jives with what I read -- that you want to let them dry just enough to be able to plane the surface of your beams, but not dry them to the core. A large timber would take years of air-drying to be dry to the core. And would be harder to cut by hand -- what I read was talking about how it was traditionally done, with hand-tools.

--Steve

Aloha Annie,

In our area we have several different methods for cutting lumber depending on species of tree and what the final use the lumber is for. Most of the lumber is for furniture and folks are concerned about grain and thiness of kerf when cutting so less wood is wasted. Curly koa can go for $40 a board foot (or more) so not wasting any is important. Mango can be infested with wood beetles within hours of being cut, so cutting and protecting that species is extremely important. Silver oak is lovely, but cutting it and sanding it can cause skin rashes on some folks. Check to see what is necessary for the particular species of trees you have.

We have several different folks who will cut the trees, some will cut for a percentage of the lumber, some will cut for a price per board foot. It depends on who you ask. They also have different prices for kiln-drying, but if you are going to kiln-dry, you will also have to transport it to the kiln and back again - another added cost.

Also when sizing the beams for your house, the dimensions will be different for different species of trees, too.

A hui hou,
Cathy