In preparing the design for machine sheds one of the first considerations is that of economy. A machine shed is a building which is almost always used for no other purpose than to shelter machinery. It is not like a bin for the storage of grain where strength is an exceedingly important factor nor is it like a barn where so many operations are carried on within; consequently the simplest and cheapest structure that is consistent with reasonable durability is the one that is the most advisable. Wood is a product available in every section and is the cheapest and most suitable material for the construction of an implement shed.

Paint, the great preservative, should be applied to all farm buildings. The initial cost of two coats of good paint is not prohibitive; the durability of the wood may be increased almost indefinitely if the surface is kept covered to prevent the ingress of the spores of decay. The prosperous farmer’s buildings are always kept painted, not only to preserve the wood, but to improve the appearance of the buildings themselves.

On new wood, two coats are usually sufficient. The first coat should contain mainly oil, with a small amount of the base and coloring pigments, so that it will permeate every pore; the second coat should be heavier, containing less oil and more pigment. Surfaces that have been painted can be kept in good condition by the occasional application of a single coat.

The planning of an implement shed will require data as to the number and size of machines and the amount of space that each will occupy. The arrangement of the machines so as to make them easily accessible at times when they are most needed is also important, e. g., a binder being used but once a year may well occupy a far corner, leaving a space near the door for the mower and plow, implements which are used oftener and for longer periods than the binder. The manure spreader, wagons and buggies are used so much throughout the year that they should be especially accessible. Table I, pages 19 and 20, gives the floor space required for most farm machines; the height of the machine is also given. Of course, it is entirely possible to crowd machines together as they are put into the shed, and so much saving in room can be accomplished in this way that little clearance space need be left. For instance, the outer edge of a binder platform can be easily raised several feet, provided a pair of reel slats with the attached arms are removed, and in this space beneath the platform can be stored such implements as hand drill, walking plows, etc. Similar opportunities for economy in space can very easily be found.

In general the construction of a machine shed is that of the very simplest; yet utility and beauty can be very easily combined with simplicity. Since the building is not subjected to any heavy load, as would be the case with a crib or a barn, the framing is just sufficiently strong to safely hold the wall and roof covering and to prevent collapse of the building from wind or snow and ice loads. Very often 2x4’s or 4x4’s constitute the studs or posts and no heavier stock is used throughout the building. In wide sheds it may be found necessary to use larger stuff and especially in the plate above the wide doorway. A two-story machine shed will, of course, require heavier and more substantial framing, but a two-story shed is comparatively rare. A floor may or may not be used as the owner may desire. It is likely to prove somewhat expensive in first cost and in maintenance, though for convenience it is much to be desired, especially if any repair work is to be done in the building.

The roof may be of almost any style from the simple single pitch shed roof to the modified shed roof or the ordinary double pitch gable roof. It is desirable that the pitch should be not less than one-quarter in order to get the greatest life out of the shingles, which are likely to collect moisture and give shorter service where the pitch is quite flat. The foundation of a machine shed will naturally not be designed for great strength except in the case of a two-story structure, since the only load which it has to support is that of the superstructure itself. A footing 12 to 16 inches wide at the bottom and extending down a foot or 15 inches into solid soil will support a building of this kind. However, if a concrete floor is put in the building as is sometimes done in the more expensive ones, it will be well to extend the foundation wall and footing to a point below the frost line, which will vary from a foot to three feet according to climate.

Sills are usually not necessary in the simple framing of machine sheds. The posts can be set directly upon foundation walls and fastened in any one of many different ways that have been devised. Timbers are more subject to decay at the ends than elsewhere, consequently it is advisable to treat them at this point with a preservative such as creosote. This will add greatly to the durability. The foundation wall should be brought up some distance above the ground so as to further protect the bottom timbers from moisture. This above-ground extension must be omitted at doorways.

One of the most serious problems in the design of a machine shed is the insertion of doors. Wide doors are an absolute necessity, especially for certain machines. An eight-foot door is large enough for the majority of farm machines, even allowing the modern binder with its folding grain dividers to enter in safety. The wide drill, the rake, and several other implements require a much wider door than this and it may be necessary to provide an opening 12 or even 14 feet wide. This leaves a long unsupported section of the plate directly above the doorway. To keep it and the roof from sagging, special provision must be made either by putting in an exceptionally strong plate at this point, by building up a small wooden truss, or by making a truss of wood and iron as shown in the illustration. (Fig. 10.)

The doors themselves should be very solidly and substantially made. It is a matter of good practice to have as few doors as possible. In the average machine shed one 8-foot door and one 12 or 14-foot door are sufficient to meet requirements. A door wider than four feet should not be swung on hinges under any circumstances, as it is sure to pull out the hinges or to sag very badly. Sliding doors of good construction are to be recommended in preference to hinged doors (Fig. 12). It is entirely possible to make a good close-fitting door of this type and there need never be any trouble in its operation.

The use of other buildings for the storage of farm implements is not a desirable procedure except in certain instances, such as keeping wagons in the driveway of cribs, leaving the spreader at the end of an alleyway of a barn for convenience in loading, etc. In general, other buildings are much more expensive than a machine shed and those portions of them devoted to the storage of farm implements could in most cases be more profitably used, especially when the very small unit floor-space cost of a machine shed is taken into consideration. Then, too, if a special place is not provided for the implements, the farm animals may come in contact with them, causing injury of the animals or damage to the machines.