Logs to Lumber

[Stwood_]

I don’t know how this thread got this long without someone saying it. Enjoy the mill.

Maybe he doesn't suck??

[cputnam]

Wow! Congratulations! Milling is work but that looks to minimize it. Happy for you

[jteneyck]

A ceramic insulator will destroy a band blade. I hit one......brought the mill to a sudden stop.

Chainsaw chains don't like those either, nor most of the other pieces of metal I've hit over the years. They only metal I've hit that did absolutely no damage was:



Someone bagged a tree, but it took another 30 or 40 years to die.  

John

[jteneyck]

That mill surely came to the right guy. Having seen your shop and the beautiful furniture, cabinets and doors you have made over the years, I can say the folks in Western New York are going to have some high quality made products gracing their environment. And we already have Roycroft!

Thanks very much Jim, and to everyone else offering congrats.  

John

[jteneyck]

Maybe he doesn't suck??

Definitely not, but I do mill logs into lumber, and a lot more efficiently now.  

John

[jteneyck]

John, as usual it looks like your detailed research and tight parameters paid off - congrats on the new mill! Will look forward to the new kiln pictures.

Doug

Doug, I'm looking to start on the solar kiln in the next couple of weeks, and will post some pics as I put it together.  But first I have to clean and re-coat that Sapele deck I built a few years ago.   The yearly maintenance to keep it looking good is a real PITA.  

John

[Tapper]

Doug, I'm looking to start on the solar kiln in the next couple of weeks, and will post some pics as I put it together.  But first I have to clean and re-coat that Sapele deck I built a few years ago.   The yearly maintenance to keep it looking good is a real PITA.  

John

I hear you on the deck maintenance. When I built a new deck on our house a few years ago I bit the bullet and bought "Choice Deck" from Lowe's; (think gray color like Trex). Also used  the hidden fasteners so that no screws show. After 3+ years now it still looks good and no maintenance is required.

Speaking of wood refinishing, I noticed the Doug Fir railings on my front entryway steps need refinishing. Thinking about running them through the planer to clean them up and then using a few coats of spar marine varnish for protection and preservation. Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Doug

[jteneyck]

I hear you on the deck maintenance. When I built a new deck on our house a few years ago I bit the bullet and bought "Choice Deck" from Lowe's; (think gray color like Trex). Also used  the hidden fasteners so that no screws show. After 3+ years now it still looks good and no maintenance is required.

Speaking of wood refinishing, I noticed the Doug Fir railings on my front entryway steps need refinishing. Thinking about running them through the planer to clean them up and then using a few coats of spar marine varnish for protection and preservation. Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Doug

I must have Sapele on the brain.  The deck is Ipe', and still a PITA to clean and maintain.  Looks great when done, but not worth the effort to keep it looking that way.  If there ever is a next time it will be composite.  Clearly, you already figured that out.  


Handrails are almost never truly square or rectangular, but they will be if you run them through your planer.  And then you'll still have to deal with the corners unless you plane so much off as to eliminate whatever radii they have.  I would strip and sand them to clean wood.  If you want to use a clear finish I would start with epoxy sealer and then Epifanes Marine varnish.  Don't waste money on Helmsman Spar Varnish or similar products if the railing will see direct sunshine and rain/snow.  But let me warn you Epifanes requires 7 coats, the first 4 thinned various amounts, so it's not a light undertaking.  

Paint will last longer and be easier to maintain.  And clear of transparent waterproofer like CWF is about the easiest to apply and maintain.  

How's that stair project coming along?  

John

[jteneyck]

One of my two arborist friends called this AM to ask if I was interested in logs from some trees he's clearing on a new house build lot.  It's only about 5 miles away so I went to look.  Two or three nice 20" dia. ash trees with maybe 20 feet to the first crotch, dead of course from the EAB, and what might be a nice maple with two main leads about 18" dia. each.  Over the next week or so there could be at least a dozen logs to bring home and mill.  Looks like I'm going to get some good play time with the new mill.  

I asked if I was taking wood that he would split and sell as firewood.  He said his lot is full and he's cutting so many trees that he's giving away loads of wood and dumping more at the landfill.  He said what little effort it took him to stage the logs for me to pick up was offset by not having to deal with them to dispose of.  

John

[Stwood_]

Chainsaw chains don't like those either, nor most of the other pieces of metal I've hit over the years. They only metal I've hit that did absolutely no damage was:



Someone bagged a tree, but it took another 30 or 40 years to die.  

John

Bagged a tree...
  I cut a few of those, some were copper jacketed.