The Great Wall of Greenback!

[StoneHeartFarm]

Richard,

With all the portable sawmills out there, you might be able to find someone to come to YOU and mill the logs. They usually charge by the board foot for this and prices will vary based on the sawyer. Then sticker and stack them and let them dry. (Or at least have a lighter load for hauling somewhere with a kiln.) I think "Backwoods Home" magazine had a write up a few months ago about building a portable mill from scratch from old car parts.

SHF

 

[scruffy]

Several years ago, my father-in-law had a fellow come in and mill up a bunch of redwood logs, deal was a 50/50 split of the finished lumber. No other charges of any type.

 

[Richard]

Marion & I came home from vacation once. Had several suitcases which BARELY fit into car. As we were at airport with multiple suitcases sitting beside us and I was preparing to get the car, I looked at her and said:

"Honey, why don't I FIRST take the luggage home, then come back and pick up the BAGGAGE (her)"

We both howled with laughter such that all around us started watching wondering what was so funny.

/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[Richard]

SHF & Scruffy

What do you mean by "sticker" them?

I have indeed found someone with a portable sawmill that says his fees are $45 to show up and $150/1000 board feet.

The idea of splitting the wood with him hasn't been brought up (yet)

Another question,

If we ultimately process this wood, it is intended to be used for flooring and maybe two walls in a screened in porch. I have been told that I SHOULD lay it with tongue & groove and I have been told that I should NOT lay it with T&G, that I should lay it like a regular porch with small gap between boards for swelling & water management. Any thoughts?

Richard

 

[StoneHeartFarm]

Richard,

Stickers are narrow strips of wood, like lath or 1x2. Depending on how long your lumber is, you lay of number of these on the floor (slab, etc). Then lay down your first layer of boards that you want to dry. The stickers go crosswise (90 deg angle) to the boards. When you have your boards laid with an air gap between each, you put more stickers on top and then another layer of boards. Stickers are spacers so that the air can flow around and between the boards. If I'm not mistaken you should also rotate the pile periodically to reduce warpage and place some weight on top.

The lumber you get from these logs will likely all be flat sawn and not quarter sawn. Flat sawn does tend to warp and expand/contract a little bit more than quarter sawn, and if this is for a porch, I think I would leave a little space between boards. There are some new connectors at Home Depot designed for building decks that might help. I'm planning to use them when I build my deck. They have one nail hole and get nailed to the joist. Then, there are two ears that drive into the side of your board. This is supposed to stop warping and eliminate nail pops.


SHF

 

[StoneHeartFarm]

Richard,

Just another thought. When you stack your lumber, you might want to seal the ends of the boards with shellac, varnish or one of the commerical "End Seal Treatments". Just the ends, not the sides. I've used beeswax on mine. The idea is that a tree has veins just like a stalk of celery. Water moves from the bottom to the top of the tree through these veins. Sealing the ends of the lumber keeps the water from running out and the board from drying too quick. Helps reduce warpage. I've worked with a lot of green wood (twig furniture), and even thrown a couple of blocks of firewood on my lathe and spun them. (low speed, and I mean LOW). I almost always seal my ends. Green firewood on the lathe, seal the ends and no cracks when it dries.

SHF

 

[Richard]

Thanks for the thoughts, I'll definately do that if we have the wood cut!


Richard