Al and Robins 20x30 1 1/2 near Lake Eufaula, OK

[ajbremer]

12/23/2012

Added a rail and balusters to one side of the loft stairs. I cut 2x4's in half:

[ajbremer]

12/25/2012

Merry 2012 Christmas from the Bremers!

I spent all day today, Christmas day, working on the tune "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" on my classical guitar. Then I spent all kinds of time recording it on my mac using logic software, then I used iMovie and made a little movie with still pictures, only an hour long.

Oh ya, I recorded it in my new countryplan home, it's snowing like mad out there but we are warm in here (an osb box - no insulation yet).

Check it out on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JA14q2d9_Lo

[Redoverfarm]

Where is the "like" button.   

[John Raabe]

Thanks for the holiday cheer!

[ajbremer]

12/25/2012

Thank you John, you all have a wonderful Christmas and a great 2013. By the way, thank you for my countryplan!

[Sassy]

I was looking for the like button, too    Thanks!  Merry Christmas to you & your family & the rest of the CP family!

[ajbremer]

01/01/2013

Wow, that date up there was pretty weird to type!

Anyway, made a new kitchen countertop. I bought a lodgepole pine panel (24"x72") and cut a hole in it for the sink.
I realize that this is very porous and soft wood for a countertop but we wanted the wood theme. The kitchen cabinets
were given to us by a neighbor that bought new ones.

What would be good to use on top of this to seal it but yet still reveal the yellowish pine look?

[Mike 870]

If food is going to touch it you probably want to use something like a linseed or toung oil.  If not, try Waterlox,  it has been used on wood countertops with good results.  It is a blend of oil and poly.  All of the aforementioned products will darken the wood though.  Someone else may have a  better idea for keeping the pine color.

[Redoverfarm]

You could use Epoxy Resin.  It is used as a countertop coating which will preserve the natural color and provide a safe food grade coating.  It is used a lot in restaurants.  Some even embed decorative materials into the finish. Pine is an extremely soft wood and if you don't use a heavy material you will be constantly refinishing or recoating the surface.

[rick91351]

Want it to last?  Apply Formica and self-edge.

Real wood, there is a reason you hardly ever see it on counters.  Most that is there is a butcher block type that you can do yourself but WOW I would doubt I would ever take that on.  I might now that I am retired.  If you want the light colors and wood.  You might look at Maple flooring.  I faced a cabinet top with number one Maple one time and I guess it worked never received a this is not working message.  But it was an area where there is no water and not a lot of slicing and dicing going on.  (Number one maple flooring has almost no color or natural stain. Number two does but the structure is the same usually or so it was at one time. Don't know how they have screwed up that grading as of late.)

That said there are food grade oils available to treat such with.  They are available through several wood workers outlets and their web sites.     

[tommytebco]

The cabinet supply shop near me sells a plastic/ epoxy material for your application. A bar-b-que place near me has wood tables at least 35 years old. Every few years they recoat them with something like this. The table tops always look great.

The gallon can I saw cost around $35 IIRC.

[Ndrmyr]

Truth be known, you're not going to do a lot of food prep directly on the countertop, or shouldn't.  Use UHMC or wood cutting boards to protect the counter top.  Here is what I'd do:  Seal the top with two coats of Zinnser Seal Coat which is De-Waxed Blond Shellac.  It will really pop the grain of the wood and, will help to seal the pores.  Then, begin coating with coats of Rust-o-leum Ultimate Polyeurethane High Gloss.  The high gloss has less solids and therefore is more durable than Satin or Semi-Gloss.  Lightly sand between coats.  I would expect to put on a minimum of 3 coats of the poly, but, being water-based, it dries quickly, so multiple coats aren't as bad as it sounds.  As you do this, you will see your build-up get better and better. Personally, I would probably aim for 5 coats.  After the final coat, wax with butchers wax or Johnson's Floor Wax, DON'T use car wax as it has silicone in it and buff to shine.  You can reapply a coat of wax at any time.  This will help water to bead up and protect your finish.  If you have the stones, prior to waxing, lightly sand with high grit, say 400 grit paper or 0000 steel wool. Then wax and buff.  If in the future, you decide to refresh the poly, you will have to use a dewaxer prior to adding poly.  I believe that Lowes is the exlusive distributor for the Poly, and they sell the Zinnser.  There are few VOC's in the water-based poly which is also soy-based.  The wax will help you to be food safe. Frankly, I would only use food safe waxes and oils on moist food contact such as salad bowls or soup bowls.  For those of you who have bowls from foreign countries, whether China, the Caribbean or Africa, I would never put anything in them but bananas or oranges.  You have no idea what they are finished with, and it is almost certainly not food safe.  I refinished a foreign bowl for some friends and it turned out quite nice.  But I instructed them to keep food out of it and they put in on their tv as an art object, which is probably the appropriate usage.

[Alan Gage]

I did similar for my counter tops, maple veneered MDF. I sealed mine with polyurethane. Going on a year and no problems. It's food safe once it's dried.

It would also be a good idea to smear some silicone or something of the sort on the cut edge where the sink is installed to keep water from damaging it.

Alan

[nathan.principe]

I have wood counters too, as previously mentioned I used marine grade  epoxy resin I had left over from a boat build.  If it was the right thing to in regards of being food safe I dont know, but it will last a life time!  I got it from raka.com

[MountainDon]

my 2 cents worth....  A nice hard clear finish does not do much for dent prevention of the soft pine. If that was in our kitchen it would look slightly beaten.  For all round durability the formica counter tops do quite well; except for where I placed a too hot pot once. 

But since you already have cut it for the sink I'd think about a two part epoxy like Interlux Perfection Plus Two Part Varnish

[Redoverfarm]

Al did you get snowed under in OK?  Hadn't seen anything recent.

[ajbremer]

Hi Redoverfarm,

I've been slowing up. I'm living in my 'osb-box' but it's still a house. I don't have insulation yet but I've started to run my 12/2 line through the studs. Yesterday I put in about 10 receptacles and got them working.

What caused the big building slow down for me is not working weekends. I didn't work about 5 or 6 weekends to make the big extra money right before Christmas last year. When that extra money stops, the build slows. I've started working overtime again so now I'm looking forward to things like: siding, insulation, walls (boards and not drywall), and metal skirting because I'm over 4 feet off the ground. Of course I have a lot more to do than those things but those are the major players when it comes to money.

Remember, my country plan cottage is debt free, no bank, payday to payday. It's a nice feeling not to have a house payment.

[Redoverfarm]

Hi Redoverfarm,

I've been slowing up. I'm living in my 'osb-box' but it's still a house. I don't have insulation yet but I've started to run my 12/2 line through the studs. Yesterday I put in about 10 receptacles and got them working.

What caused the big building slow down for me is not working weekends. I didn't work about 5 or 6 weekends to make the big extra money right before Christmas last year. When that extra money stops, the build slows. I've started working overtime again so now I'm looking forward to things like: siding, insulation, walls (boards and not drywall), and metal skirting because I'm over 4 feet off the ground. Of course I have a lot more to do than those things but those are the major players when it comes to money.

Remember, my country plan cottage is debt free, no bank, payday to payday. It's a nice feeling not to have a house payment.

Nice hearing from you Al.  Yes it does tend to go a little slower when you choose to "pay as you go route".  But it does give a little more piece of mind.  Keep us posted on your progress.

[ajbremer]

Tuesday Morning - 2/26/2013 @ 8:35am Oklahoma

It's been almost a month since I posted last, things have been real slow due to weather and switching a motor out on my Festiva.

Yesterday, I got my log-siding delivered - just enough for one out of the four sides. It's planed from 2x8 Southern Yellow Pine. The guy who planed it said that the wood was better than number one grade. How can it be better than #1? I thought #1 was the top?

Anyway, I have a question about my four corners of the house. What is the most common way to meet the log-siding at the corners? I've seen real nice places here where they had a large log with a 90 degree cut in it and that was what they used at the corners. Can I use 1x6 cedar boards at the corners?

[Redoverfarm]

Al you want a thicker piece for your corners.  You need to cover the end of the siding.  Exposed edges are open to the elements and will rot.   Install the corners first and then the siding.  Caulk the joint after it is installed.  The trim around windows and doors should be the same.  If you have already installed them out of 3/4" you can add another layer to make them thicker to work with the demensions of the siding. 

[bayview]

"Select" is the top-highest grade . . .   

Lower grades are not all created equal.   A #2 from one lumber yard may not be as clear as a #2 from another.

/.

[JoelE]

Not meant to hijack this thread but a thought for others who may like the butcher block look but don't care to break the bank either - I have bought many of the tops from IKEA in past as they often hit "sale" prices at $42-49 range. At that point they are about the same as  doubled up or "sandwiched" sheet birch or maple ply. Way harder and no finishing. Usually have 2-3 types of wood/colors when they on sale too. Just a thrifty thought.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40057396/

Solid - I have actually 4 being used as tool benchs and on mobile tool carts carring various saws and such in my shop. I've wiped on a couple coats of poly on some for super smooth gliding and glue clean up (lol). Anyways .... just another cheap option when they on sale

[Don_P]

 I've usually made log siding cornerboards and trim out of 2x material, the siding is usually 1.5" thick. Experiment with screwing it on from the backside rather than face nailing it. I like to run my powerplaner up the center of the backside to create a relief. The siding because of its' shape wants to dry convex on the back, the relief cut allows it to bed on the top and bottom better. It's also a good idea to prestain all sides and hit the ends good before nailing it up, end grain is usually where trouble begins.

[ajbremer]

They guy who made and sold me my log-siding said that for the corners he has used a 4x4 post and notched a 90 degree out of it.

[Redoverfarm]

I guess anything would work (woodwise) as long as the demensions were the same or more than the siding.  Personally I would rather make all the trim and corners appear to be uniform.  As a side note if you do go with the 2X route just take into consideration the lap joint to form the 90 deg so that you will not end up with unequal demension on the two opposing walls.  In other words if you use 2X4 one side will only be 2" wide because you are getting the other 1-1/2" on the lap.  Both sides will then appear as 3-1/2".  Clear as Mud?  I think I said that right.

If I recall in your earlier post that you had already used a smaller demensional lumber on your window/door.  There is noting to prevent you from adding the additional layer so that it will match up to your corners.