lol, look what I bought :-)
- Thread starter squerly
- Start date
very kewl. What size lumber do you plan to cut?
squerly
Active member
I have several decks to build, along with a pergola, chicken coop, and a small cabin. I’m cutting 4X6 White Oak beams and 5/4 for decking. Posts will be Locust. The chicken coop will require 2X4’s and 1X8 lap siding, both out of White Oak. Good for me I have a ton of White Oak out here and from what I’m told it is a dense wood with good rot resistant properties.
I’m cutting 6X8 beams out of the Hemlocks that are dead or dying and I’ll use them for the sawmill shed. Always need big lumber out here and now my friends are starting to ask about lumber. Neighbor gave me a big Cherry tree the other day, not sure what I’m going to cut that into.
Lumber is getting over-the-top expensive at the big box stores and the idea of “free lumber” is quite appealing.
Free Lumber = Fell tree, lug it back to the mill, power wash it, scan for metal, cut, sticker/stack. Repeat. Piece of cake, right?
I’m cutting 6X8 beams out of the Hemlocks that are dead or dying and I’ll use them for the sawmill shed. Always need big lumber out here and now my friends are starting to ask about lumber. Neighbor gave me a big Cherry tree the other day, not sure what I’m going to cut that into.
Lumber is getting over-the-top expensive at the big box stores and the idea of “free lumber” is quite appealing.
Free Lumber = Fell tree, lug it back to the mill, power wash it, scan for metal, cut, sticker/stack. Repeat. Piece of cake, right?
OhioTC18
Well-known member
That's awesome squerly.
squerly
Active member
Cut this cant out of what I think it Maple but I'm not 100% sure. Anyhow, it was neat to cut into the tree and find such beauty. I'm going to make some cool paneling out of it. And to think I used to make firewood out of trees like this.
Note: A cant is a log that is squared on two or more sides and to be sawn further.
Note: A cant is a log that is squared on two or more sides and to be sawn further.
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squerly
Active member
Some pretty high winds took down a few trees the last couple of days. This White Oak made its way to the mill where it became 4-12' long 6X6's and 2-12' long 2X12's. 
Sorry I don't have better pics of the finished product but the battery in the camera was on its last leg. But you get the idea I'm sure.
Sorry I don't have better pics of the finished product but the battery in the camera was on its last leg. But you get the idea I'm sure.Attachments
squerly
Active member
A couple of months ago this would have been nothing more than firewood. Took the base of a Locust and cut it into slabs. Not sure what I'll do with them, they're kinda small, but I'm sure something will come up.
Also, cut the base of an apple tree that was knocked down several years ago. It should make a nice base for a coffee table someday.
All in all, having a good time with the mill.
Also, cut the base of an apple tree that was knocked down several years ago. It should make a nice base for a coffee table someday.
All in all, having a good time with the mill.
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squerly
Active member
A couple of months ago I took down a dead Hemlock and cut it into several hundred lineal feet of 1X6 to be used as baseboard in a house that I’m rehabbing.
I spent the last week installing hardwood floors in this old house and today I started to install the 1X6 baseboard. It looked OK but just didn’t “pop” like I had expected. So I ripped the remaining baseboard into ¾” X 1” strips and put these strips around the base of the already installed baseboard. And man did it look good!
This cell phone picture isn’t going to do justice but I’ll get some better pics later in the rehab and post them as a follow-up. I guess the exciting part of this, for me anyhow, is that I took an old, dead Hemlock tree and turned it into lumber that would have cost many hundreds of dollars had I bought it from one of the big box stores.
Very rewarding.
I spent the last week installing hardwood floors in this old house and today I started to install the 1X6 baseboard. It looked OK but just didn’t “pop” like I had expected. So I ripped the remaining baseboard into ¾” X 1” strips and put these strips around the base of the already installed baseboard. And man did it look good!
This cell phone picture isn’t going to do justice but I’ll get some better pics later in the rehab and post them as a follow-up. I guess the exciting part of this, for me anyhow, is that I took an old, dead Hemlock tree and turned it into lumber that would have cost many hundreds of dollars had I bought it from one of the big box stores.
Very rewarding.
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squerly
Active member
My Mother-in-law hadn’t seen the sawmill yet so today we took her down to the barn for a demo. I didn’t have anything worth milling so I grabbed a limb that came off a large Red Oak that the wind blew down a month or so ago. I explained how we wouldn’t get much “good” lumber out of it and that this was just going to be a demo of how the saw worked.
So I fired up the saw and when the first cut came off she squealed “I want it! Make me a table out of that!” Actually surprised me too as I hadn’t expected to get much out of this. And then suddenly, there was something cool!
I haven’t told her it will take a year or so just to dry but why ruin her day, right?
So I fired up the saw and when the first cut came off she squealed “I want it! Make me a table out of that!” Actually surprised me too as I hadn’t expected to get much out of this. And then suddenly, there was something cool!
I haven’t told her it will take a year or so just to dry but why ruin her day, right?
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squerly
Active member
A few years ago I had built an outdoor BBQ on my upstairs deck and covered it with Air Stone, a type of fake rock finish. It looked great! But then last year the adhesive we used started to separate and the rock was falling off. Really gripes me too because we bought what the manufacturer called the "suggested adhesive". You know, the stuff that costs twice as much as liquid nails and only goes 1/2 as far? Yeah, that stuff.
So yesterday and today I pulled off all the remaining rock, scrapped off whatever part of the adhesive hadn't already come off, and covered the BBQ with some Red Oak that I had cut last month. I put a couple coats of Linseed Oil over the Oak and it came out really nice. Not as nice as the rock but at least it's not all falling apart!
So yesterday and today I pulled off all the remaining rock, scrapped off whatever part of the adhesive hadn't already come off, and covered the BBQ with some Red Oak that I had cut last month. I put a couple coats of Linseed Oil over the Oak and it came out really nice. Not as nice as the rock but at least it's not all falling apart!
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Hey Jim - When you put the rock on originally, did you seal the rock first? Last time we put in granite tiles, we were told to seal both sides of the granite first. Well, the adhesive doesn't stick to the sealant so the tiles popped right off. Wondering if you had the same issue. In general, don't seal a rock surface on the side that will receive the adhesive.
squerly
Active member
No, didn’t seal anything. I covered the frame with backer board and applied the adhesive to the Air Stone and stuck it onto the backer board. It held for a couple of years before the Air Stone started to fall off. The adhesive stuck pretty well to the backer board but didn’t stick worth a damn on the Air Stone.
In an effort to save the project I reattached the belligerent Air Stones with Liquid Nails and I had pretty good luck with that. But then more and more of the other Air Stones started coming off and I simply had enough of the whole affair and pulled them all off.
BTW, the Air Stones that I had reattached with Liquid Nails were holding well and were a little more difficult to remove. In short, the junk that Air Stone suggested we use was just that… junk.
squerly
Active member
I've got a fixer-upper that I'm going to start working on. Actually, it was a reasonably nice rental up until recently when the animals that were living there disguised as "tenants" left. So as long as I am being forced to spend the time and money to repair the place I thought it might be a good time to update it a bit.
Hardwood floors are always better in rentals but I don't want to spend $2-3K if I don't have to. Wife reminded me we have a sawmill (love it when it's her idea) and an abundance of Red Oak trees. So here starts the beginning of what I'm sure will be a long project. But at the end of it all, I should feel some pride in my accomplishments and bask in the glory of not giving Home Depot a dime...
So here we go! This is a Red Oak on its way to becoming flooring. Long ways to go but it's got to start somewhere, right? I'm picking out good, straight stock and I like the aesthetics so far.
Hardwood floors are always better in rentals but I don't want to spend $2-3K if I don't have to. Wife reminded me we have a sawmill (love it when it's her idea) and an abundance of Red Oak trees. So here starts the beginning of what I'm sure will be a long project. But at the end of it all, I should feel some pride in my accomplishments and bask in the glory of not giving Home Depot a dime...
So here we go! This is a Red Oak on its way to becoming flooring. Long ways to go but it's got to start somewhere, right? I'm picking out good, straight stock and I like the aesthetics so far.
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squerly
Active member
Oh yeah, forgot to put up a video of the sawmill in action. It's all manual which requires a lot of input from the operator. But when I get rich and famous, I'll buy one with hydraulics.
http://youtu.be/LM04TeLXIp4
http://youtu.be/LM04TeLXIp4
Mills are addictive☺ Is their a kiln dry anywhere close to you? I prefer air dry but to get wood dry enough for a floor takes a long time. You can find on the internet good instructions for building small kilns where you can build your own.
Keep posting photos, I'll bet you will be the tipping point for a few guys who have been thinking about buying their own mill☺☺☺
Keep posting photos, I'll bet you will be the tipping point for a few guys who have been thinking about buying their own mill☺☺☺
squerly
Active member
Hi Lee! I was on the fence for awhile myself but one day I jumped down and said the heck with it! I have plans for a solar kiln that I will build as soon as I get some of the other "gotta-builds" out of the way. Gotta build a shed for the sawmill, gotta build storage racks for my wood, gotta build loading ramps for the logs, etc. etc.
Anyhow, today I cut another 100 sq ft of Red Oak for my floor project. Also ran a dried piece of Red Oak through my el-cheepo planer to see what it was going to look like planed/stained. Didn't take long to see I'm in serious need of a commercial planer.
Found one on Craigs List but the guy sold it yesterday. Rats! Found the same one on Amazon but it's a grand more. It's brand new though so I guess that's worth something. Has a Byrd SHELIX helical cutterhead too so that's nice. And much to my surprise, shipping is free! I'll do more shopping but here's the front-runner at this time.
