My 15.75 x 30 Jemez Cabin

Started by MountainDon, December 20, 2006, 02:03:09 AM

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Bobmarlon

Don you had interesting points on rainwater collection, I was planning on rainwater colletion but come to think of it the gutters at our family house are always torn off.   
instead of a swing out gutter what about a gutter than can swing under the soffits on a butt hinge. 

Anyway cabin looks great!

MountainDon




Snow, yes snow! This years snow! Yikes!

There wasn't much, this is the heaviest spot along the last mile up to our cabin. No snow at the cabin though.
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.


MountainDon

I was going to place some thoughts and comments, observations I've made on roof and ceiling insulation here and made a note to that effect in another thread. However, I changed my mind and have put my thoughts over here...

http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=7674.msg98473;topicseen#msg98473

Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

MountainDon

A work weekend. Well, what else is new!

I cut trees. Standing dead trees. Skinny unwanted trash trees. And some perfectly good, but too crowded together trees. I left them laying all over the place like "pick-up-sticks". Remember them?  



Some, I think it was 6 in total, were too crowded and would not fall down even after having their trunks completely severed. So I needed to pull their bottom ends out with the winch.



I really don't like standing dead Aspen. You never know when they will decide to drop.



Now the real work begins.

Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

devildog

don, what is killing your aspen trees? bugs,fire,fungus?
Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem.
Ronald Reagan, President of the United States; 1985


MountainDon

One of the foresters said it was SAD.    :(  Sudden Aspen Decline.

The primary cause for decline is water and temperature related, as well as old age. A part of this is the fact that for the past 50+ years there have been too many trees; mainly too many Ponderosa Pine. That's one reason why we have been thinning and thinning. The decrease in water, drought plus competition between trees, weakens them all. The pines get hit by the pine bark beetle. We've eliminated a number of them that had signs of infestation a couple years ago. The key thing there is to go from cut down to burn pile quickly. The alternative is to bake the logs by total enclosure in 6 mil plastic for 90+ warm/hot days. The remaining pines seem to be free from beetle damage. The aspen have been weakened too by lack of water. They have also suffered some by being crowded and shaded by tall pines and firs. Weakened some have had problems with fungii. We have many young aspen and hope that easing the overcrowding will help them. Lots of young firs in one area as well, which we like to see.

Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

MountainDon

You all should be aware that I like numbers.  :D In case anyone is interested here's a shot of the charge controller panel from about a quarter to noon today. There was a very slight amount of high cloud.



75.2 VDC coming in from the panels (approx 1% drop) with 8.1 amps DC
28.2 VDC going into the batteries at 20.0 amps DC, in the MPPT bulk charge stage.
0.56 KW was the instantaneous power in watts
0.6 KwH accumulated up to that time of day


Here's an end of day summary from 8 days ago; Sunday, Sept 13.



That day 38 AmpHours or 1.0 KwH was processed or accumulated by the batteries.
Peak input voltage was 104 VDC
Peak input current was 23.8 amps
Peak kilowatt hours was 0.68 KwH
Peak battery voltage was 31.3
Minimum battery voltage was 23.8
The absorb charge time was 1 hour 1 minute
The float charge time was 3 hours 31 minutes

The CC stores 128 days of data and then begins overwriting.


Calculations show that when we are up at the cabin we use 0.8 - 1.0 KwH of power on an average day. That's using the battery input info for the day following the use. That may not be truly indicative of actual use, but that's how much had to be replaced. I don't have an actual use or amount drawn from the batteries. But it's interesting I think. That works out to 5 - 7% of battery capacity.

:)
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

redhead101551

Nice cabin....I do love the cabin layout....neat! I really like New Mexico.  Been there a few times mostly to Sante Fe.    I am impressed that you do all you own work and cut your own trees! Good for you! Take care.
Bev

MountainDon

Thanks Bev. I enjoy the work. Almost Always hate to leave.

We're east of Santa Fe and Los Alamos, more in the mountains.


I gave away about 5 - 6 cords of fuelwood, cut in 4 to 6 foot lengths.   :) :) :)  Now there's another 15 - 20. At least. Hope they come back another weekend.   :D 


Did some work on the bathroom. Next weekend I'll do the tile floor if all goes as planned.
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.


redhead101551

Good for you! I am proud of you.

I close on my new house today.....I am nervous since the cabins have not sold as of yet.  However, I have shown them 23 times since Sept 1st.  It only takes one buyer but most people looking have credit problems and no money!!  That does not work for bankers these days.

  Lots of work ahead of me on the new/old/repo house like paint and finishing the basement....hopefully my bad neck will cooperate with all the work that needs to be done.  I am not what I use to be physically and it make me sad and crazy with my type A personality.  However, many people are out of work and that helps.  Just finding the right one is the problem.  However, I know enough about the "things" that need to be done that I can be the great watch dog....smile. People do not like me looking over their shoulder :)

Is your place your week-end retreat? It will be wonderful and looks great...the people are lucky whom got the wood.

Have great day!
Bev

MountainDon

Quote from: redhead101551 on September 29, 2009, 04:45:39 AM

Is your place your week-end retreat?

Weekend and all summer long. It's necessary to snowshoe in the winter. 3 miles.
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

emcvay

Quote from: MountainDon on October 21, 2007, 11:58:40 PM
Another weekend, another small thing attended to. Up to now my small generator has been housed in a makeshift shelter of stacked firewood and OSB scraps. It now has a "home".

I used recycled 1x4's and 2x4's, some old 6x6 PT landscape timbers, PT 2x4 leftover from the gazebo, metal roofing leftover from the house, and some salvaged pieces of "new" 2x3. There's a cooling exhaust  air vent on the right side. I'll be adding one more panel next time up in the mountains.



The top is hinged so I can fill the generators top mounted integral gas tank.



The sections of 1x4 for the doors were so sun baked and dried out they split easily. Even pre-drilling holes before inserting the screws didn't prevent more splits. So I used some polyurethane glue to help secure the door boards to the horizontal battens. Some of the glue oozed thru some splits. I'm out of old boards right now so have to be content with the glue marks.  :'(\\



Rear view showing the rear ventilation opening. The rear bottom panel is hinged for access to gasoline storage. The generator exhaust exits through the opening. I have an auxiliary super quiet muffler I have to refit. It will be outside the box. The rear vent opening will have a 6 to 7 inch wide "shed roof" installed next time up.



*********************
It was dang cold Sat night. Thermometer read 26 degrees at 7:30 AM. By 11 AM it had warmed up to a whopping 38 degrees. Then it very briefly snowed for 20 seconds or so. Nothing to photograph.

My old abused (do as I recommend, not as I do  :-[) RV batteries (dating from spring 2003) did not like the cold at all. I dragged them home and will see if a desulphation cycle or two can coax a few more months of life out of them. The cold sucked some of the life out of them, and the RV furnace sucked the balance out of them overnight.  :'( Hate to buy new ones now... and then have them sit through Dec - March/April if we can't get back up there because of snow.


You're a man after my own heart Don!  I'm stealing these pics and making the same for my generator!  WhooHoo!  Thanks!

Now I'll just have to frame the same idea up.  I've got a 4500 watt Champion that I've been powering my saws and trailer with (runs the AC when it's hot even) and keep saying I'm going to make some kind of box to hid it in.  This will be a good start.

I need to make a matching one to cover the well head too i think.

Thanks -- now back to reading for me!  You story is great!

MountainDon

Wow, that's a little reach back in time.  :D  We still have that gen box and the Yamaha generator too, only now it has many hundred more hours. Up to 750 I think, give or take.

There's now a little shed style roof over that rear opening to help keep any rain out.



Enjoy!
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

emcvay

Quote from: MountainDon on July 29, 2008, 10:27:34 PM... along with a row of center span blocking. ...

Just curious but when is this needed?  It's been too long since I was framing and my memory does not recollect when and when not to do this.  I didn't in my 14x24 with beams at 9'8" but kept wondering if I should have....

It's not too late to go in and put them in still!

Thanks


ScottA

You should put solid blocking over all beams. Keeps the joists from twisting under the floor. They say you don't need it if the ratio of board width to thickness is 5 to 1 or less. ie. a 2x6 is less than 5 to 1. I'd did it anyway though.

MountainDon

No matter what code says about these, here's the real reason I used them.

First, I spaced them at the beams very precisely and used Mr. Simpson's H-1 brackets to hold the spacing. H-1's are designed for use as rater to top wall plate ties, they're called hurricane ties. Anyhow, they also work for holding that spacing when one is nailing the joists to the beams. I toe nailed and used the nail holes in the H-1's. Overkill but what the heck.

THere is about 13 feet between the beams. The 2x10 joists were pretty good wood but there were some twists in some and some curves. They simply did not hold the 16" OC spacing very well when you looked near the center of the span. Hence the 2x10 blocking. I pre cut them all to an exact 14.5" length and then proceeded to nail them in place. I dropped a chalk line down the center. Then I alternated the blocks one either side of the center line. That made it easy to nail then in place with the air nailer. I used a few 16D nails driven through the joist inti the end grain of the blocks plus some toe nailed.

The blocking made the T&G OSB much easier to install as I didn't have to worry about getting the edges over a joist as much.

Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

emcvay

Quote from: ScottA on September 30, 2009, 07:42:51 PM
You should put solid blocking over all beams. Keeps the joists from twisting under the floor. They say you don't need it if the ratio of board width to thickness is 5 to 1 or less. ie. a 2x6 is less than 5 to 1. I'd did it anyway though.

Over the beam not in the center of the span?

I think I'll get an air nailer up there for this -- it will be easier to do this.

MountainDon

I saw that; wondered if you would.   ;D  Good.   [cool]

I think Scott was thinking that if the span was wide enough and there was a center beam as in the 24' x 32' Lake Cabin in Oklahoma topic, then there should be a row of blocking over the central beam.  You would not need blocking over your two inset side beams as they are close enough to the ends where they are held by the rim joist.


BTW, you will sometimes see bracing that is made from 2x3 or 4 material and nailed in place in a "X" pattern. You also see the same thing but with Mr. $impson's metal bracing. These are sometimes used in long span joists, but over a central beam the blocking should be solid 2x o the same depth as the joists.


Yes an air nailer is very handy. Mine fit nicely between the joists, except for the one at the end where the 30 foot length made the last joist bay smaller. I did not pound too many of my nails by hand. I used it for just about anything and everything.

Speaking of air nailers, just in case you use one. If there was an inspector coming by one thing they should be looking or is overdriven nails. When the wood fibers are compressed and torn strength is lost. They particularly look for over driven nails on sheathing. I set my air gun pressure kind of low. It would drive most nails and stop flush with the surace, but every so often the nail would need a whack by hand. That's better than overdriving them and having less strength (and a red tag, if there was an inspector). When they are overdriven you need to place another nail nearby.

BTW,
6D for walls & floors, 6" spacing on edges, 12" in the field
8D for roof, 6" spacing on edges, 12" in the field

I use ring shank nails or sheathing as they never work loose on their own, unlike common nails

Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

emcvay

Quote from: MountainDon on October 01, 2009, 12:41:38 AM
I saw that; wondered if you would.   ;D  Good.   [cool]

I think Scott was thinking that if the span was wide enough and there was a center beam as in the 24' x 32' Lake Cabin in Oklahoma topic, then there should be a row of blocking over the central beam.  You would not need blocking over your two inset side beams as they are close enough to the ends where they are held by the rim joist.


BTW, you will sometimes see bracing that is made from 2x3 or 4 material and nailed in place in a "X" pattern. You also see the same thing but with Mr. $impson's metal bracing. These are sometimes used in long span joists, but over a central beam the blocking should be solid 2x o the same depth as the joists.


Yes an air nailer is very handy. Mine fit nicely between the joists, except for the one at the end where the 30 foot length made the last joist bay smaller. I did not pound too many of my nails by hand. I used it for just about anything and everything.

Speaking of air nailers, just in case you use one. If there was an inspector coming by one thing they should be looking or is overdriven nails. When the wood fibers are compressed and torn strength is lost. They particularly look for over driven nails on sheathing. I set my air gun pressure kind of low. It would drive most nails and stop flush with the surace, but every so often the nail would need a whack by hand. That's better than overdriving them and having less strength (and a red tag, if there was an inspector). When they are overdriven you need to place another nail nearby.

BTW,
6D for walls & floors, 6" spacing on edges, 12" in the field
8D for roof, 6" spacing on edges, 12" in the field

I use ring shank nails or sheathing as they never work loose on their own, unlike common nails



I've gotten back most of my hammering skill :)  Guess you don't lose it...but here's a little story for you:

When I started in the business back in '91 I was a marine straight out of DS and trying to find a way to make a living that didn't involve being shot at.  A friend of mine offered to teach me the ropes of framing/carpentry (he's a cabinet maker now) and so I took him up on the offer.

He had a line on a condo show going on in Parksville BC (I was back in Canada) and we headed off to work.  That first day he decided he really didn't want to frame anymore since he could do better elsewhere so left and didn't come back....I was stunned and pretty sore!  However, the contractor liked his 'marine' and assigned me a new carpenter to train under.  That day I shot myself in the hand with a 16d nail -- it stuck out just 1/2" and went in between the thumb and the finger -- needless to say I learned to nail the bottom of the stud when making walls before the top!

I didn't like the idea of not being able to work so worked left handed while my right healed -- the contractor really liked me ;)  Though I did take that day and the next off to have the nail removed and relax a little, but I was right back at it!

I went on to frame for a few years but I never forgot that lesson:  Nailers are dangerous as hell.

MountainDon

You were lucky it was only a flesh wound, as they say.   ;D

They can be just about as dangerous as a firearm. But they do save the arm.
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.


emcvay

Quote from: MountainDon on October 01, 2009, 11:09:15 AM
You were lucky it was only a flesh wound, as they say.   ;D

They can be just about as dangerous as a firearm. But they do save the arm.

Pierced a tendon or two and it tends to get sore in the cold weather (changes mostly) but yes I was very lucky!

Also saw a guy nail his knee to a truss with one -- as well as other injuries.  They are dangerous and to be respected.

Speaking of firearms, you mentioned shooting a .45 -- is it a .45Colt or .45ACP?  It looked like a Colt to me but the pic made the catridge look strangely small.

Me?  I've got both a Ruger Vaquero in .45COLT (and I reload for it) and a Kimber in .45ACP I love both!

What's better?  I've also got a Puma Legacy .454 Casull Model 92 which i shoot the .45Colt loads out of too!

life is good eh?

MountainDon

Somehow I've always had a soft spot for the 45 LC.  I also love the simplicity of a revolver.

That said, I also love the Springfield 1911-A1 my son sometimes let me use. It's supposed to live here but mostly it doesn't.  :(


I am currently waiting for a Puma lever gun in 454 Casull to arrive.  ;D

Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

emcvay

Quote from: MountainDon on September 30, 2009, 06:33:54 PM
Wow, that's a little reach back in time.  :D  We still have that gen box and the Yamaha generator too, only now it has many hundred more hours. Up to 750 I think, give or take.

There's now a little shed style roof over that rear opening to help keep any rain out.



Enjoy!


What kind of maintenance do you do on it?  I bought a 4500watt champion for $300 a couple years ago for our tent trailer and it's done well for us, now I use it for building the cabin and figure I better service it soon!


Erik

MountainDon

I printed out the maintenance schedule from Yamaha on a sheet of paper and taped that under the lift up lid on the generator box. I mostly follow that. I change the oil about every 100 hours. I also added a large capacity automobile fuel filter. That I'll probably never have to change.

I use Mobil One synthetic 10W30 oil. I've used Mobil One pretty well in any 4 stroke engine from the lawn mower to cars and trucks since the early 80's. The only ones I didn't use it in was one that burned and leaked too much oil; the RV.

When I could foresee continued use over a period o time, like spring through fall in previous years I never worried about the fuel. I used it fast enough to keep it from going bad. Now that our power needs are being met by the PV system the generator will see much less use. My plan is to run it once a month, at/near the beginning opf any month. With that in mind I'm doing two things with the fuel. Number 1, I'm being sure to add a dose of Sta-Bil to each and every purchase of fuel. Previously I would only be sure to add Sta-Bil to gas that was likely to sit stored for several months. Number 2, I will close the fuel supply valve whenever I run the generator and let the carb run dry. Previously I only did that in the fall and winter as it was used frequently enough in summer to make that unnecessary.

BTW, I also run small engines lie the chainsaw dry when they are not likely to be used in the next couple weeks. I've ound that if I do that I'm never plagued by carb/fuel problems.

Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

emcvay

Quote from: MountainDon on October 02, 2009, 01:53:20 PM
I printed out the maintenance schedule from Yamaha on a sheet of paper and taped that under the lift up lid on the generator box. I mostly follow that. I change the oil about every 100 hours. I also added a large capacity automobile fuel filter. That I'll probably never have to change.

I use Mobil One synthetic 10W30 oil. I've used Mobil One pretty well in any 4 stroke engine from the lawn mower to cars and trucks since the early 80's. The only ones I didn't use it in was one that burned and leaked too much oil; the RV.

When I could foresee continued use over a period o time, like spring through fall in previous years I never worried about the fuel. I used it fast enough to keep it from going bad. Now that our power needs are being met by the PV system the generator will see much less use. My plan is to run it once a month, at/near the beginning opf any month. With that in mind I'm doing two things with the fuel. Number 1, I'm being sure to add a dose of Sta-Bil to each and every purchase of fuel. Previously I would only be sure to add Sta-Bil to gas that was likely to sit stored for several months. Number 2, I will close the fuel supply valve whenever I run the generator and let the carb run dry. Previously I only did that in the fall and winter as it was used frequently enough in summer to make that unnecessary.

BTW, I also run small engines lie the chainsaw dry when they are not likely to be used in the next couple weeks. I've ound that if I do that I'm never plagued by carb/fuel problems.



Good info thanks!

I'm seriously thinking of getting a small PV panel to recharge my rv battery like you did in the beginning