Okanogan 14x24 by a lurker :)

[Yonderosa]

I do have some milling I need done   

That Ponderosa Pine tree that was killed by lightning last year and some Larch.  I've been looking for a sawyer on the Eastside, the guy I have been using is on Whidbey Island - he's excellent but the distance makes it impractical.



It would be better for me to hire someone on the eastside.  Once you're established let me know what you need to charge out at.  I'm also open to trading if'n you're in need of cabinets.

I made these out of local Douglas Fir.  Building with materials native to and harvested on site feels cosmically correct to me.


Quarter sawn Doug Fir Drawer.  Mills beautifully.


Here's one section of wall cabinets I built for our cabin.  Tried to incorporate the "defects" for rustic character

Will you be hiring out your sawmill services to the locals?

Yes!  Actually this is something I've been talking to the boys about and suggested that it might be a way to recoup some of the expense of buying the mill.

Need some lumber milled?

Of course, we have a few thousand board feet to mill first but then!

[JavaMan]

There's an LT10 for sale in my neck of the woods, supposedly NIB for $3300.  Wish I had that laying around, but this last bout of unemployment has gone on too long and I'll have to take a pass on it ... Currently I'm working a 6 week gig (just started it yesterday), but a lot of that is budgeted elsewhere.

Your mill looks great Jarhead ... Once you get your lumber all milled, if I haven't bought one by then, maybe I can talk you into a weekend of milling a few trees for me.   

[OlJarhead]

I do have some milling I need done   

That Ponderosa Pine tree that was killed by lightning last year and some Larch.  I've been looking for a sawyer on the Eastside, the guy I have been using is on Whidbey Island - he's excellent but the distance makes it impractical.



It would be better for me to hire someone on the eastside.  Once you're established let me know what you need to charge out at.  I'm also open to trading if'n you're in need of cabinets.

I made these out of local Douglas Fir.  Building with materials native to and harvested on site feels cosmically correct to me.


Quarter sawn Doug Fir Drawer.  Mills beautifully.


Here's one section of wall cabinets I built for our cabin.  Tried to incorporate the "defects" for rustic character

Will you be hiring out your sawmill services to the locals?

Yes!  Actually this is something I've been talking to the boys about and suggested that it might be a way to recoup some of the expense of buying the mill.

Need some lumber milled?

Of course, we have a few thousand board feet to mill first but then!

I would trade in a heartbeat!  Even just help with cabinets might be enough!   Seriously, I'll pull my mill over there as soon as you want!!   And I LOVE the idea of milling the lumber for the cabinets right on the property...let's talk!

[OlJarhead]

There's an LT10 for sale in my neck of the woods, supposedly NIB for $3300.  Wish I had that laying around, but this last bout of unemployment has gone on too long and I'll have to take a pass on it ... Currently I'm working a 6 week gig (just started it yesterday), but a lot of that is budgeted elsewhere.

Your mill looks great Jarhead ... Once you get your lumber all milled, if I haven't bought one by then, maybe I can talk you into a weekend of milling a few trees for me.   

The boys need experience   So we'd be happy to drag it over there.  One thing I'll need to do is figure out how to trailer-ise it.  I have an idea involving the use of a boat trailer modified to roll the mill up onto it and down off of it.  It is 'portable' in the sense that it comes apart but the head alone weighs a good 200+ lbs.  We almost couldn't lift it off the trailer deck to carry it into the shed!!

I'd like to have it set up so I can trailer it to a location, roll/winch it off the trailer and then leave it until the milling is done and finally winch/roll it back up onto the trailer to leave -- like a boat.  Just need to take a look at boat trailers and see if I can get an old used one that my neighbor can fab into a mill trailer   Then I'd also have a place to store fuel, water, tools and blades etc.

[SkagitDrifter]

You're an animal 'Ol.
You never rest, do ya- always thinking and doing- I love that.
The mill is exciting stuff.  Looking forward to seeing what comes out of it.
With Yonderosa's craftmanship/help I see some nice cabinets in your future.
Good Luck with the new toy and remember saftey at all costs.
All the best!

[OlJarhead]

You're an animal 'Ol.
You never rest, do ya- always thinking and doing- I love that.
The mill is exciting stuff.  Looking forward to seeing what comes out of it.
With Yonderosa's craftmanship/help I see some nice cabinets in your future.
Good Luck with the new toy and remember saftey at all costs.
All the best!

Thanks man   I'm told that I wear people out as fast as I wear out a pair of shoes!  I'm never one to be able to stop if there are things I can do and when I can't do them I can't stop thinking about them...I'm one of those who can't shut down so I just look for more to do.

Safety first!  That's something I try to teach my kids always.  Being in a hurry won't get you no where, but where it gets you is usually quickly into the hospital.  So safety first.

Can't wait to use the mill and if Yonderosa is willing to help with our cabinets I'll be over at his place milling lumber as fast I can get the jeep to pull the mill there!  Are you kidding me?? haha  I'm so stoked I'm already trying to think of an easier way to get the mill loaded up because I'll be milling lumber like a madman so our interior paneling can start to dry...and of course I'll need some wood for the cabinets too...and then it's off over Yonderosa's way

Note to Yonderosa:  You do know I'm an animal right?  I'm told I'm like a bulldog and won't let go of something once I get my teeth into it!

[SkagitDrifter]

Note to Yonderosa:  You do know I'm an animal right?  I'm told I'm like a bulldog and won't let go of something once I get my teeth into it!
[/quote]


Must be that good old Marine training.  My boy is getting a good dose of it down at 29 Palms Ca.  He'll be there for the next year or so.  OOH RAH!

[OlJarhead]

Note to Yonderosa:  You do know I'm an animal right?  I'm told I'm like a bulldog and won't let go of something once I get my teeth into it!

Must be that good old Marine training.  My boy is getting a good dose of it down at 29 Palms Ca.  He'll be there for the next year or so.  OOH RAH!
[/quote]

haha Yup, the Marines sorta instill work ethic into you whether you like it or not but I wouldn't have it any other way! 

Tell him "Semper Fi!" for me!  and "Keep your head down and your powder dry"! and "Chesty Puller was a fighting Marine and a fighting Marine was he!!!  He called for his pipe, he called for his rifle and he called for his Privates Three!!  Beer, Beer, Beer said the Privates, and marry men are we, the Army is fair but it can't compare to Marine Corps Infantry!!!"  Ooorah!

And congrats to you for having a Marine son!  I'm so proud of our boys and girls in uniform and my daughter is a Navy Corpsman taking care of Marines...so we're in good hands eh??

[Yonderosa]

We'll work out some kind of trade for services.

I ain't even got the trees down yet and I'm not sure how dry they need to be before milling.  No rush here.

You on the other hand look almost ready to move in so saw em up and git em dryin'  While that is happening we can figure out what you need and go from there.

Depending on how accurate your saw is it's a good idea to cut them 1" and once dry I'll plane them down to 3/4.  A little bit of blade scoring looks good if'n you're into the rustic look.  Something to think about. 


That orange tree is the one that got hit by lightning. 

[OlJarhead]

Drop them and, mill them as soon as you can get them onto the saw platform!!!    No waiting.

With the CSM I mill a lot over like that but I've learned (I've done a ton of reading as usual) that milling with the Woodmizer is different.  The blade cuts very smooth and Woodmizer claims (as well as tons of users) that at most you only need one light pass in the plane to get them ready -- if that!

The kerf is very thin also allowing for more wood out of each log.

I've got a ton of learning to do but noticed that Woodmizer recommends milling 5/8" boards for 1/2" paneling!  Now THAT is what I'm talking about   Less waste and more boards out of each log.

Luckily our kitchen is small and we don't need much in counter space (which will house the sink) but I'd like to have some overhead / wall mounted cupboards too.  It would be nice to mill some old knotty blue stained pine and make cupboards out of it

[Pine Cone]

The guy who milled my logs up used a Woodmizer and we cut most boards 1" thick.  Ideally you would mill them up into boards ASAP to minimize damage from ambrosia beetles, flatheaded borers and roundheaded borers.  The borers get it quick once the weather is warm.  Peeling the bark off quickly will also help reduce insect problems.

Here is a pix of part of the milling process.  Getting logs to the mill takes some work.  You can see my son using a Peavy to roll the log uphill towards the mill.  Since I was paying the guy to run the mill I let him do that while we kept him will all the logs he needed to mill.


On the last day we realized that it was easier to move the logs if we built a log/board road from scraps.  It probably took half the effort once we built our own skid road.


We found that we needed a couple of Peavys to move the bigger logs (33' long, 10 to 20" in diameter).  You can get peavys and almost anything else you need from logging supply places like Madsens in Chehalis or over the internet from Baileys in Latonville, CA.

I normally run rough-cut boards through the planer twice on each side to make finished lumber.  My wood was western white pine, and almost all of my boards end up at 7/8" thick after drying for 4+ years before running them though the planer.  If they are too dirty I brush them off with a wire brush before planing them.  I think you could cut them to about 7/8" thick to start and still end up with most boards at 3/4" after planing.  With funky grained boards I sanded them on the finish side for my interior siding ceiling boards.

[OlJarhead]

Wow that's a LOT of wood!!!  I don't know if I have that much I plan to mill up...maybe 8-10 trees at the uppermost at this time...but perhaps that is roughly the same?? 

Dried 4+ years huh?  Long time!  But you're over on the wet coast too   Nice operation though!  He must have had one of the big WoodMizers?  LT40 maybe?  I've read those guys charge around 30-40 cents a board foot?

IN our case we've got the little guy (LT10) and no extension so at this time only can mill 8-10 foot logs but I plan to get at least two extensions for making 24' beams for foundations.  Got our cant hook (Peavy makes cant hooks and peavy hooks -- which most don't realize are different.  The peavy has a spike on the end while the cant has a hook on the end.  The Peavy was originally designed for water work I beleive...interesting though huh?).

Can't wait to get started though!

[Yonderosa]

Very cool guys!  Pine Cone, what is the best way to strip the bark? 

[Redoverfarm]

Very cool guys!  Pine Cone, what is the best way to strip the bark?  

Don't want to step on PC's toes but I use a draw knife.  Depends on how loose the bark is ( time of year ) I have even used a mattock and/or scrapper for larger bark varieties.  The bark will strip a little easier working from the butt end to the top rather than vice versa.

[Sassy]

I stripped a lot of bark off of our logs - used a shingle remover (shaped like a peeling spud) & also a rotohammer w/a clay spade bit...  lots of work    A lot of the bark was not ready to come off.  Glenn said it was good for me, worked off my oneriness 

[glenn kangiser]

If only the effect would last...

Nice logs PC.  Lots of good lumber there.

[OlJarhead]

I mill them with the bark on.  The flitches will either get tossed or used for something later and once dry the bark falls off.  The Woodmizer can mill them with the bark on and the top woodmizers have debarkers to help keep the blade clean.

Anyway, I suppose I could ask the pros and see what they say but I know I've seen others mill with the bark on.

Erik

[Redoverfarm]

I mill them with the bark on.  The flitches will either get tossed or used for something later and once dry the bark falls off.  The Woodmizer can mill them with the bark on and the top woodmizers have debarkers to help keep the blade clean.

Anyway, I suppose I could ask the pros and see what they say but I know I've seen others mill with the bark on.

Erik

The bark need to come off at some point either before or after sawed.  That is the first place insects will migrate to.

[jharleyhammond]

Hey OJH - how deep are those trenches? I have land near Tonasket & want to do the same thing, but I'm on bed rock at the top of a 2800' hill.

Which ones?  The ones dug for the post & pier foundation?  If so, my next question is:  will you be permitting?

Yep the ones for the post & pier foundation. I think negative on the permit. We're way off grid and our current structure - "seasonal cabin" - is on skids & seems fine.

[Sassy]

If you're using the logs for beams & columns w/out milling, you'll have to take the bark off 1st - that's why I had so many to de-bark...   

[OlJarhead]

Hey OJH - how deep are those trenches? I have land near Tonasket & want to do the same thing, but I'm on bed rock at the top of a 2800' hill.

Which ones?  The ones dug for the post & pier foundation?  If so, my next question is:  will you be permitting?

Yep the ones for the post & pier foundation. I think negative on the permit. We're way off grid and our current structure - "seasonal cabin" - is on skids & seems fine.

*chuckle* in that case we went down about 16" in most cases though we're on a slight slope and some of the piers are up a little higher -- maybe only 12" down.

After 18 months and two winters (still in this one) no issue at all.  The frost really only gets down about 6" out here despite the cold and altitude so perhaps the 24" they claim in the area is for extreme cold (below -30) or pipes...but we've had no issue at all with the foundation.

[OlJarhead]

Josh and I arrived Friday night around 10PM and began warming up the cabin.  It got up to 45 by the time we hit the sack...it was ZERO outside!

The next morning I warmed the cabin up to 60 degrees (it never got above 45 during the night but was up around 55 when I finally got up (7am)...then we started our day putting the mill together.

First we had to assemble the bed and get it straight.  It doesn't have to be level as long as the bed rails are even from one end to another.  However, next trip we will level it anyway just becuase I want it level


Two of our neighbors stopped by (different times) and helped out.  Gordon (in this picture) rolled his truck on his way down the drive.  He wasn't using chains (this was a few days ago) becuase he wasn't having trouble making it up and down but hadn't counted on it raining and then freezing...he hit the last grade and it just went away.  He's ok though and still driving the truck which had minor damage:  note to self:  always use chains!


Took us most of the day so we didn't mill any lumber on Saturday but Sunday was a full day!


Got started around 9:30am and stopped for lunch at one.  Then picked it back up at 1:45 and milled until 3:30.  The days are still short and we didn't want to be stacking and stickering in the dark and had wood to chop and clean up to do so we called it a day but not until we'd milled a fair bit!


Very exciting really.  We were cooking right along!


Lots to learn still but we were able to mill quite a bit despite the short time we spent on the mill.


Even milled the flitches into boards!

[OlJarhead]

40 boards milled 5/8"x9.5"x8'3" for paneling and a bunch of 1x stock and left overs which can all be planed or milled for various uses.

We found that clamping the logs must be done perfectly to keep them still but not so tight they lift on one side.  Otherwise, you can cut to about 1" from the deck depending on where the log clamps are set etc.


We can't wait to get back and get a couple days in!  We need about 170 more boards for paneling and then all sorts of dimensional stuff....all in all -- AWESOME!

Cheers
Erik

[rniles]

Nice machine Erik! Those look like some nice boards. How long do you have to let them season ...to get the moisture level down?

[OlJarhead]

Nice machine Erik! Those look like some nice boards. How long do you have to let them season ...to get the moisture level down?

Rule of thumb is 6 to 8 weeks but actually pine 'can' air dry in 15 days if the weather is right, the set up is right and all the stars are aligned

I plan to let them go 4-6 weeks in the outdoors and then 2 weeks indoors to finish them all.  Being cold out I might need to let them go a little longer but we'll see.  I plan to plane and mill them into T&G after that but want to make sure they are dry enough to except the poly coat and be nailed up without any additional shrinkage (at least not enough to matter).

I've actually seen stuff done green by some.  They just mill them and slap them up and let them dry on the wall, but to do that you have to either overlap them like siding, or make shiplap that overlaps an inch or more -- that way when they dry and shrink you won't have gaps.

In my case I'm not in that big of a hurry   I just want to have the interior finished by late spring