Silo Staves Make Good Building

Silo staves make good building BUILDINGS Miscellaneous 11-6-34 "As far as we know, no one's ever done this before," says Ron Buchanan, Hanson Silo Company, about a building the company built from old or blemished silo staves. It took 11,000 staves to build the 120 by 160-ft. building, which will be used as a factory. That's the equivalent of seven 20 by 70 silos or 28 semi loads. The 10 in. wide, 30 in. long staves were stacked lengthwise on their sides, forming 10-in. thick walls that were covered inside with 6 in. of insulation and a layer of plaster board.The 3 1/8-in. thick staves were mortared together like bricks. Steel I-beams were used vertically every 20 ft. as expansion joints. Buchanan said the company had a huge pile of reject staves that hadn't been sold due to color or manufacturing blemishes. Ordinarily the staves are sold for sidewalks, retaining walls or a variety of other uses. "It's like a bomb shelter inside. This building should last virtually forever," says Buchanan, noting that the idea would also work with staves from old, dismantled silos. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Hanson Silo Co., Lake Lillian, Minn. 56253 (ph 612 664-4171)

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