Tractors and wood! Show your pics

[gladehound]

This is the best picture I have that shows the end. Now that I'm looking at it more closely, I'm wondering if it's ash?

 

[4570Man]

That’s no ash in my area but a Google image of the bark looks like a pretty good option.

 

[BrokenTrack]

So what do you consider "clapboards" horizontal siding? and how do you go about doing that and do you taper them?

Yeah it is horizontal siding I guess (we call that clapboards here), and yes they are tapered.

I cut my logs into 10 inch wide beams, but they might not be 10 inches high, or 24 inches high...the height does not matter as long as all the bark is off them.

Then I roll the beam up on its edge and insert (2) cedar shingles under it. This cants the log over a bit out of level. Then I lower the saw to that it cuts a tapered piece of siding 10" wide, 3/8ths thick.

I then pull the shims out, lower the saw again, and make another cut. This time the cant is level, but the previous cut was angled so I have another 3/8th piece of siding. You can make an awful lot of siding per beam.

It takes big logs, but you get to cover a huge area of your building too, and really for pennies in fuel costs.

 

[BrokenTrack]

That sounds like my story, had the saw mill now for 8 years, I think the fun was over the first day.

I think part of the problem is, the manual sawmills are cheap so that is what people with limited acreage gravitate towards, but it also means there is a lot more work in sawing out the lumber. People buy them thinking they are going to saw out their home and homestead, and instead spend all their time sawing lumber. That is pretty depressing if a person is working a real job, and they have to saw all day Saturday, just to have a little lumber to build with on Sunday. That makes for ONE slow house going up.

 

[hunt4570]

Bout all I did this afternoon was get the oak 2x4s that was sawed out yesterday ready fit on my trailer and toe-able slab rack. I plan on loading up sawmill slabs tomorrow, use to have helmlock 2x4s but they wasn't quite strong enough.

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So what do you use for the 2x4 pockets in that first pic?

 

[hunt4570]

Dang! I've owned a sawmill for over 20 years and I still enjoy milling logs!

Of course, I only run it when I want to, so most times I look forward to doing so...

SR

I agree, now I've only had my mill about a year and a half, but I do enjoy milling logs.. and I only run it when I want to. still haven't figured it all out yet! I am SURE I waste more wood than I need to!

 

[Loaderman22]

Sorry to disrupt the Mill talk, but I just got a nice chunk of white oak (17ft and nearly 2ft diameter) and I'm going to make a staircase out of it that goes to the treehouse I'm building with my kids. Any advice on what to treat it with to keep it from decaying?

View attachment 628172

I'm no expert, but my initial thoughts are, make sure there is a little pitch on the treads so they drain off, any water that sits on there will eventually get it no matter what you treat them with. Maybe 1/8"/1'-0"? You could do a thick lacquer like a bar top but that will probably be slippery when wet. I've heard of something called acid cured lacquer that's supposed to be really durable, but I don't know much about it.

 

[hunt4570]

Sorry to disrupt the Mill talk, but I just got a nice chunk of white oak (17ft and nearly 2ft diameter) and I'm going to make a staircase out of it that goes to the treehouse I'm building with my kids. Any advice on what to treat it with to keep it from decaying?

View attachment 628172

So you are going to make a staircase out of that log.. are you just going to cut the stairs into it as a whole log?? THAT would look cool! Nice tractor!

I use this stuff I got from Home Depot for ground contact wood, Kind of like pressure treatment, but it will turn your wood that telltail green

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Wolman-...elow-Ground-Wood-Preservative-1902A/204746309

 

[hunt4570]

This is the best picture I have that shows the end. Now that I'm looking at it more closely, I'm wondering if it's ash?

View attachment 628220

Nice Deerstand!!

 

[hunt4570]

Yeah it is horizontal siding I guess (we call that clapboards here), and yes they are tapered.

I cut my logs into 10 inch wide beams, but they might not be 10 inches high, or 24 inches high...the height does not matter as long as all the bark is off them.

Then I roll the beam up on its edge and insert (2) cedar shingles under it. This cants the log over a bit out of level. Then I lower the saw to that it cuts a tapered piece of siding 10" wide, 3/8ths thick.

I then pull the shims out, lower the saw again, and make another cut. This time the cant is level, but the previous cut was angled so I have another 3/8th piece of siding. You can make an awful lot of siding per beam.

It takes big logs, but you get to cover a huge area of your building too, and really for pennies in fuel costs.

Thanks..So you say 3/8 thick.. on the thin edge?