Building with your own trees

woodmills1 · Feb 26, 2002

i could do a weekend cut once i am done with my post and beam job, or in april i have a school vacation week and could do 2-3 days. some of that week is already committed to gathering some free large pine i need for an on going contract. i am not scared of nails and have scanned and removed many plus cut my share. the price range involves nails also. i metal detect if needed, but sometimes removing is worse than wasting a blade. when i cut 2 by stock i have at the log and then cull out the bad ones later.

gordon · Feb 26, 2002

Your more than welcome! Don't be afraid to ask the same questions there as you are here. A good bunch of very smart people. Same as here only that site deals mainly with forestry, sawing, chainsaws, logging and a few other things as well. Like I said sort of one stop shopping for the forestry end of the spectrum./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.forestryforum.com/index.shtml>http://www.forestryforum.com/index.shtml</A>

Gordon

Youare · Feb 26, 2002

Timd,
The New Hampshire Extension Service used to publish a booklet listing all the wood processing mills in the State.

As far as your framing with rough lumber for the walls you should have no problems the compressive strength of stud walls with either plywood or board siding will be plenty strong.

My experience with softwood and warping or twisting can be minimized by proper stacking, sticking, when it is green. Some soft wood especially hemlock if it is going to twist it happens as it is cut.

As far as cutting your own lumber don't be afraid. You will make a few mistakes that's how we learn. If you can spend some time with someone who has experience with the type of mill you purchase they can tell you many of the do's and don'ts.

I hope you can find someone to cut your trees, there is nothing like the smell of fresh cut pine.

Randy

Timd · Feb 26, 2002

I've got lots of brush to chip, but it's all in Vermont. But don't let that discourage you. Anytime you want to chip, I'll cut. 

Peter, I think you have come up with one of the best woods maintenance concepts of all time. Why didn't I think of that...all I need to do is export my brush to Vermont and I won't need to chip it! /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

But seriously if you plan to whack any trees before black fly season I'd love to chip. A chipper is on the short list, and Patu is one of the major players, so I'd like to try one out.

Hmmm, "whack any trees", "whack of trees", I guess maybe a whack of trees is as many as you can stand whacking in one session.

Timd

Timd · Feb 26, 2002

Woody -

Feuer is still open but as a reseller. They seem to be specializing in trim, flooring, and quality softwood. The owner's son said that they're planning to put a milling machine online soon in one of the empty saw sheds, and will be doing custom milling (but no more sawing).

Timd

woodmills1 · Feb 27, 2002

now your getting the hang of a whack of_____________!!!!!!

beenthere · Feb 27, 2002

reason is that I thought quarter sawn planking would be less likely to cup, twist, crook, or deform as it dried Your thinking was right on in that respect.
As suggested, stacking the sawn wood with stickers to dry it will help keep it straight. (I do the same thing with all the lumber I buy at a lumber yard, if at all possible, just to get it dried straight. Too often it is left to dry on one side, and will warp and/or cup).
The site referred to by gordon should help a lot too. Sounds like you have a great project and should have a lot of fun and satisfaction doing it.

Timd · Feb 27, 2002

Woody

Early summer would be OK. If it happens any later the garage won't get put up this year.

Timd

woodmills1 · Feb 27, 2002

summer would be fine and if this easy, no snow day winter keeps up, i will be out around june 20. dont cut the trees too long before, as pine will stain quick when it is over 70 degrees

hayden · Feb 27, 2002

I think a Whack is the amount of wood a scwewy wabbit can wound up when wogging.

On the brush front (or is that bwush), I'll give you a holler next next time I go chipping. It will be this spring since I have an acre or so I want to clear. It was great watching Boondox skid trees for me. Now I can mix the Gin and Tonics while you chip. Anyone else want to try a toy? What a racket - I should work for Enron. But seriously, I'd be happy to do that. It's probably pushing a 3 hr drive for you, but it's your call. Also, I'll let you know if I bring it down here (So NH) again since that's much closer. Too bad - you just missed it by a few weeks. I had both the skidding winch and chipper down here for about a month for some tree removal.

Boondox · Feb 28, 2002

Peter -- You have a chipper too? Might have to come down again and help. Last time I "helped" skid some poplars at your place I ended up with my own winch! Maybe the same thing would happen with the chipper!

Pete

MarkV · Feb 28, 2002

Pete, might as well try the backhoe while you are there. It will save a trip later on./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Peter, you must have a little Tom Sawyer in you. You mix the Gin and Tonic and everyone else does the work. Good plan./w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif

MarkV

hayden · Feb 28, 2002

No, no, no, Pete, you need to use my backhoe.

hayden · Feb 28, 2002

I think it's actually part of my dream. In reality I always seem to be the one working while others are mixing the drinks. Someday I'll learn.

Timd · Feb 28, 2002

Peter

With an acre to clear maybe you should invite John Miller and his Brown rotary cutter!

I've been chipping whatever I can with a Troy Tomahawk 8HP IC engined leaf/brush chipper. This thing is great on leaves and OK on small brush. It allegedly chips up to 3" but really bogs down on anything over 1.5". I need to clear about 1/2 acre for the new buildings and the Troy is just too sloooowww. Gotta get something bigger and yardsale the Troy. If things dry out more or freeze hard I may hook up the Woods cutter and try just driving over the piles of small stuff.

Can you paint picket fences white with a 3PH sprayer? /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Timd

hayden · Feb 28, 2002

Yup, a 3PH chipper is what you need. They will gobble up branches up to about 5" without breaking a sweat. Feeding a 20 foot long tree in and watching it spray out the other end is one of the most satisfying tractor experiences you can have.

Timd · Feb 28, 2002

Woody

Cutting the trees is going to be an ongoing process because there are a couple which are going to be a crane job which pros will do. The 16" and smaller stuff I can drop myself. Do pines need to be debarked for bandmill cutting? I know you don't need to for chainsaw mills.

Did a first cut at a take-off list for the 24x40 garage which is going in first. I need about 900BF of 2x4's and 1000BF of 4/4 boards for siding. Should only need to whack 5-10 trees depending on yield.

What brand of peas do you like? /w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif

Timd

woodmills1 · Mar 1, 2002

debarking is not necessary, the pine will not stain untill temperature is over 70 for full day night cycle. when it gets really warm pine can blue stain very quickly, like 1 or 2 days. the peas are the favorite payment method mentioned at the forestry forum for sawmill helpers. haha. on a day of cutting without problems, i can cut over 900 alone. with help my best was 4000 bd ft ina day. usual days cut with help is in the 1500- 2500 range, though there are many variables.

Timd · Mar 1, 2002

Woody

I'll just paint the garage blue. Actually after school's out is good cause I can hire a couple of high school kids to stack. I can have a drying tent set up, dry sticks ready, and the logs set up on sleeper logs ready to roll onto the mill table. How high is the table on your bandmill?

I'm thinking of drying the wood over the summer in a cheap costco plastic tent. From what I have read the 1x will need at least 20 days to dry down to 15% and the 2x will need at least 60 days. This will let me start framing end of August. I know I need to paint the ends of the lumber to reduce splits.

How many cans of peas did you go through on that 4000 BF day?

Timd

dmccarty · Mar 1, 2002

WoodMills1,

How fast does hardwood stain?

I have a tons and tons of trees down from hurricanes. They range from 15 inches to 36+
inches in diameter. The idea of having to split the stuff for firewood hurts.

I figure I could make diminsional lumber out of it but I'm not sure its worth the cost....

How bad is that staining?

Thanks,
Dan McCarty