Ain't Life Wild?: Started as a tree, ended as a woodshed

New woodshed is handy to the wood stove in the sunroom

My little Kubota skidded out the 2-foot diameter, 60-foot spruce

Three-point hitch lifted log off the ground. Large log cut from butt will be used for tables in new cabin

A little more than a year ago I started my plan for a large woodshed. We are using the finished shed today.
Before the frost set in, I put into the ground four corner posts made from white cedar trees taken from our property. We had a very large white spruce that had its top broken off in a heavy snow and I figured that could be cut into strong beams that would span the entire 16x16-foot inside dimensions of the shed.
I felled the tree and used my Kubota B2620 tractor to skid it out to the building site. There was a crook in the tree about seven feet up from the stump. I cut this section off to be made into lumber.
Using clamp-on forks I raised the rest of the log with the tractor bucket onto short blocks for sawing.
I then fastened a couple of 2x4s, end to end, to the tree and using a device called a Beam Machine and my chainsaw fitted with a 32-inch bar and ripping chain, sawed the tree into 3-inch beams.
The Beam Machine just clamps onto the chainsaw bar and slides along the 2x4. A small bubble level lets you keep the saw cutting at 90 degrees.
I cut a square edge onto one side of each beam and left the other "live" which is to say uncut.
I did it this way because the wood is stronger uncut and I only needed one square edge to sit the rafters upon.
A ledge was cut into the corner posts and the heavy beam was raised into position by fastening a pulley three feet higher than the posts and winching the beams into position with a come-along.
Bolts secured them right through the posts.
I used finished lumber for the rest of the building: 2x8 for the ridge, 2x6 rafters, corner braces and fascia. There is a two foot overhang all around making the actual dimensions under roof 20x20.
I decided to leave the woodshed open on all sides as an experiment. Experience has shown me that the biggest factor in drying firewood is air movement. Wind can blow through the open building from any direction. Also there is room here for several years firewood and the open building can let me access the oldest firewood easily.
The metal roof was screwed to 1x4 strapping.
The firewood is stacked on cedar poles to keep it off the ground. Still left to do is to paint the gables and fascia boards. We will also put eavestrough on each side and lead the water into raised rain barrels. The rainwater can then flow by gravity through garden hoses to Brenda's flower beds.