A number of old machine shops -- the Watervliet Arsenal in upstate New
York come to mind -- have end-grain flooring.  It looks like it's set
in sand or crushed limestone (which compacts more evenly).  It
probably lasts forever, given that the Arsenal has been in service for
more than a century, and (IIRC) I think they made the blocks from
timber too small in diameter to cut into boards (sawbolts?).  A vague
memory: A lot of the blocks were cracked radially, so they may have
laid them green.  The length won't shrink much, and the cracks are
probably filled with more crushed limestone.

The other nice features is that it's straightforward to dig hollows
for machines that need extra plumbing or stuff below the floor.   They
may even pull them up for wiring runs, although I have no idea of how
they'll connect them to the steam-driven shaft running over head....

More about sawing "unusable" logs: Timbergreen's site is a neat
place,and there's lots of good info about sawing narrow logs here
(with new-fangled equipment, though):

http://timbergreenforestry.com/page54.html

Ken Meltsner

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