The Log house Project begins........

[MotorSeven]

I started sawing a whack of Walnut my neighbor dropped off. First log was very....interesting:

I need trim wood for the interior doors and windows. After studying this log, I figured it was a good fit. I trimmed it up and left one live edge:

Then I slabbed it out at 4/4 thickness(1 & 1/8"):

 

[EddieWalker]

Seeing those pics REALLY!!!! makes me want to get a saw mill!!!!!!!!! That is just AMAZING

Eddie

 

[bindian]

Seeing those pics REALLY!!!! makes me want to get a saw mill!!!!!!!!! That is just AMAZING

Eddie

Amen Brother Eddie, Amen.
hugs, Brandi

 

[ENG18LT]

I was thinking that a sawmill would be cool for sawing one of the many Walnuts we have for cabinets, until I looked at the tag, wow.

I am glad you put up those pictures, I will need to find someone local to cut some of my logs. That will make some awesome kitchen cabinets!

 

[Obed]

M7,
The flooring is looking awesome! Great work.
Obed

 

[MotorSeven]

If y'all check craigslist frequently I see small Woodmizers on there from time to time around $4K(LT10 and LT15's). There are a few other very good brands out there to search for also: TimberKing,& Norwood Lumbermate are a couple more. Mine was $4500, but I found it about 3 miles away. Anyway, it has paid for itself 3-4 times over and is still going:thumbsup:

 

[pacerron]

If y'all check craigslist frequently I see small Woodmizers on there from time to time around $4K(LT10 and LT15's). There are a few other very good brands out there to search for also: TimberKing,& Norwood Lumbermate are a couple more. Mine was $4500, but I found it about 3 miles away. Anyway, it has paid for itself 3-4 times over and is still going:thumbsup:

Do you debark before sawing?
I have heard that the bark dulls the blades much faster.
Does yours have a welder vise built in to repair broken blades
or make new ones from a roll?
How much does a blade for yours cost?

 

[MotorSeven]

No, I either use a water hose or pressure washer or nothing to clean them depending on condition.

Bark does not dull the blades, but rocks and sand caught in there from skidding does. If a log arch or tractor forks are used then no cleaning is necessary since the logs never get dragged through the dirt.

Blades very rarely break. I send my dull one's back to Woodmizer's Re-Sharp center and they set and sharpen them...about $8 ea, then ship 'em back. New blades cost about $18 ea and can be re-sharpened around 6-10 times.

In good clean soft wood a blade can last all day. Hardwoods usually require a blade change mid day.....that is unless you manage to find something foreign in the log to hit.

 

[bindian]

....that is unless you manage to find something foreign in the log to hit.

You mean those little steel thingies that help the tree grow.:mur:
hugs, Brandi

 

[dstig1]

Cool. Isn't the color of fresh cut walnut wacky? It fades really fast (within minutes), but the first time I saw it I wondered what was wrong with this walnut as it looked greenish.

 

[pacerron]

You mean those little steel thingies that help the tree grow.:mur:
hugs, Brandi

That's em.
The little things you hold your bird houses, flower pot hangers, big dog signs,
and worst of all the things your ancestors held barbed wire to the tree with that are completely healed over.
We have found remnants of old downed fence in our woods and in the hundreds of vacant acres of woods next to ours that we made horse trails in (by permission of the absentee owner) that you would never imagine being fenced in the past.

 

[MotorSeven]

You mean those little steel thingies that help the tree grow.:mur:
hugs, Brandi

Yep, and Walnut seems to attract more tramp metal than even Cedar. So far I have been real lucky and the only metal I have found has not been in any logs.......but parts of my mill......backstops and dogs(clamps):laughing:

Pacer, the worst thing I have heard to hit is a ceramic insulator...they really tear stuff up. Guys on the sawmill forum show pictures of stuff all the time, civil war bullets, cannon ball, railroad spikes, chain, cable, a frozen squirrel(yep)....you name it it can be found in a tree

DST, yes this curved log had a large wide green band all the way through the log. It faded to light brown in about a half an hour. Some of the colors you see upon opening up a log are just brilliant. It's too bad that oxygen removes some colors so quickly, so you have to enjoy it like a sunset.

 

[pacerron]

I started sawing a whack of Walnut my neighbor dropped off. First log was very....interesting:

I need trim wood for the interior doors and windows. After studying this log, I figured it was a good fit.

M-7
I like Walnut wood grain and color but I hate the fuzzies.
I have a 12" wide x 6" thick capacity power fed thickness planer that does a great job and different types of sanders but the natural walnut around here
particularly where there is white and dark wood on the same board about drives me nuts with the fuzzies. Even after lots of careful sanding they are just hiding waiting for a finish to pull them back up.
Have you found a good sanding sealer that makes the fuzzies problem
less time consuming on walnut?
Ron

 

[MotorSeven]

Good lord.....no....and my whole house is "FUZZY".......I think it would send you into De-Fib then:laughing:

I have worked a lot of walnut on gun stocks. It just takes time to get rid of the fuzzys...not too big a deal.

 

[MotorSeven]

More walnut today and I also had to cut "stickers" out of a 16'x15" Poplar log. These are what is used to stack lumber so it can dry. They are about 1"x1" and it took forever to get done:

Final product - 4' long:

 

[MotorSeven]

Oh and Pacer I was thinking about your "fuzzy' problem. Have you tried spraying water on the wood with a handheld pump sprayer(like for windex)? Let that dry, then do your final sanding. The water brings all the whiskers to the surface.

 

[bindian]

That's em.
The little things you hold your bird houses, flower pot hangers, big dog signs,
and worst of all the things your ancestors held barbed wire to the tree with that are completely healed over.
We have found remnants of old downed fence in our woods and in the hundreds of vacant acres of woods next to ours that we made horse trails in (by permission of the absentee owner) that you would never imagine being fenced in the past.

Dad once got the bright idea not to nail 2x4s up the tree for our tree stands. Instead he nailed huge spikes to climb. Those are hard on your feet.
hugs, Brandi

 

[pacerron]

Oh and Pacer I was thinking about your "fuzzy' problem. Have you tried spraying water on the wood with a handheld pump sprayer(like for windex)? Let that dry, then do your final sanding. The water brings all the whiskers to the surface.

Yep, That's the old tried and true method.
Ok for some small projects, but I sure wouldn't want to have to do it to
a couple thousand linear feet of door, window, and base molding.
The problem with Walnut is the finer you sand it the more the color and contrast dulls. Then it takes some oil to get the richness alive again.
Then rub, rub, rub.

I can see the natural curve of an old flintlock on that first crooked piece
of walnut you pictured

 

[pacerron]

Dad once got the bright idea not to nail 2x4s up the tree for our tree stands. Instead he nailed huge spikes to climb. Those are hard on your feet.
hugs, Brandi

And loose rails cause train wrecks

 

[bindian]

And loose rails cause train wrecks

Ron your a riot. These spikes where really nails about a foot long and about 1/2 inch diameter. My Dad was an Aggie, but an honest Aggie.:laughing:
hugs, Brandi