iDRY Vacuum Kilns

Sponsors:

My timber frame build

Started by Ljohnsaw, April 22, 2013, 01:25:11 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Ljohnsaw

Quote from: tburch on January 12, 2018, 11:47:37 AM
Looks like there might be some metal in that first log.   Free logs are always good for something!
Thanks for the heads up.  There is a bit of sweep on that end (bottom) of the log so I will slice off until the stain goes away.
John Sawicky

Just North-East of Sacramento...

SkyTrak 9038, Ford 545D FEL, Davis Little Monster backhoe, Case 16+4 Trencher, Home Built 42" capacity/36" cut Bandmill up to 54' long - using it all to build a timber frame cabin.

flyingparks

You'll do a lot with them logs

fishfighter


Ljohnsaw

Update 1/17/2018:

Went back up today.  Rain between last week and this week took out all the snow.  It is supposed to rain tomorrow and turn to snow tomorrow night.  So today was the day.  I drove my Skytrak down into the camp ground with my ATV on the forks.  I staged the logs in two areas and drove my ATV back to get my truck (1 mile each way).

First load:



Third or fourth load - 25" inside the bark, small end - 15' long.  My trailer deck lowered about 5" when I put this one on.  My Skytrak is rated for 9,000 pounds and the hydraulic relief was growning:





All the logs (14) that you can see the ends of were from today:



Got one short bent log (the one way in the back) to make some bench slabs for the campground as a thank you.  The long log is 24' and really set my trailer down on the springs!  Most of the logs are oozing sap - fresh - but two are a little punky in the middle.  Hoping to get something out of the really solid side wood.

Last week (in the rain) there was about a dozen snow cats of various makes and models.  This one was still up there today.  It seats 6 in each unit (pretty tightly packed).







John Sawicky

Just North-East of Sacramento...

SkyTrak 9038, Ford 545D FEL, Davis Little Monster backhoe, Case 16+4 Trencher, Home Built 42" capacity/36" cut Bandmill up to 54' long - using it all to build a timber frame cabin.

Magicman

Very nice score on the logs.   8)
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Ljohnsaw

And one more thing.  My seat on my 1986 Skytrak is pretty beat - all cracked with exposed foam.  With all the rain, it makes for a pretty wet and cold seat.  So I equiped it with an air ride seat :D



Nice and dry and makes for a smooth ride!
John Sawicky

Just North-East of Sacramento...

SkyTrak 9038, Ford 545D FEL, Davis Little Monster backhoe, Case 16+4 Trencher, Home Built 42" capacity/36" cut Bandmill up to 54' long - using it all to build a timber frame cabin.

Stuart Caruk

I'm torn between a 10,000 pound telehandler, or a 14,000 - 20,000 pneumatic tired forklift for use around the mill. If cost wasn't a factor, which would you prefer. I don't know too many people with reach trucks around a mill, but I see lots of forklifts.
Stuart Caruk
Wood-Mizer LX450 Diesel w/ debarker and home brewed extension, live log deck and outfeed rolls. Woodmizer twin blade edger, Barko 450 log loader, Clark 666 Grapple Skidder w/ 200' of mainline. Bobcats and forklifts.

Ljohnsaw

Quote from: Stuart Caruk on January 18, 2018, 04:10:26 AM
I'm torn between a 10,000 pound telehandler, or a 14,000 - 20,000 pneumatic tired forklift for use around the mill. If cost wasn't a factor, which would you prefer. I don't know too many people with reach trucks around a mill, but I see lots of forklifts.
The telehandler is all I know but they are EXPENSIVE!  My is pretty beat.  The hour clock died at 6,800+ hours, had (and has) a few leaks but still demanded a price of $8k.  Everything newer is in the $30k range.

I've become pretty good at picking logs with a big set of log tongs (non-hydraulic).  I can pick up a log javelin style and place it on my mill because of the reach.  I don't have to be close (which I cannot do with the current setup) to the mill (which prevents bumping it).  I use it with a single hook to flip cants as I go and as a slab holder.  It does get a bit dicey if you reach too far to place the log as the rear wheels sometimes lift or the whole unit pivots on the front wheels!

If my ground was flat and had a bigger work area, I'd say a regular rough terrain forklift would be easier, perhaps lighter?  My Skytrak is 23,000 pounds.
John Sawicky

Just North-East of Sacramento...

SkyTrak 9038, Ford 545D FEL, Davis Little Monster backhoe, Case 16+4 Trencher, Home Built 42" capacity/36" cut Bandmill up to 54' long - using it all to build a timber frame cabin.

Andries


This is the tele handler that we've rented for a few months.
Very handy.
We can reach out into the log pile and sling out the perfect log.
. . . but the further you zoom, the lower the lift weight becomes.  :o
This model is a bit light for the logs we handle, only rated for 10,000 lbs close up.
A slightly bigger machine, with steerable rear wheels would make it more nimble in and around the build site.
LT40G25
Ford 545D loader
Stihl chainsaws

Ljohnsaw

Update 2/14/2018:

There was a very wet snow storm back on January 25th that dumped about a foot of snow that I could see on the CalTrans traffic cam that is about 8 miles and 1,000' lower than my property.



We had two weeks of upper 60s and low 70s followed by a week of mid-60s.  The weather up there is typically 10Β° cooler - so still snow-melting weather.  The traffic cams show the snow is gone there and the camera above my property (5 miles, 600') shows some snow left from the show plows on the sides of the road.  So, I figured all was good.  There was some snow on the side of the road when I exited and then some ice on the last mile to my place.  Here is what I found...





Well, no milling today!  I wouldn't be able to move the Skytrak to put the head back on the mil.  Not a totally wasted trip.  I brought up some stuff to put in the shed and since I had a log on the mill, I tested my "new" jack for centering the pith.





It works pretty darn good.  Jacking the handle, there really wasn't much in the way of resistance and this is one heavy log.  Not bad for $5.00. :)
John Sawicky

Just North-East of Sacramento...

SkyTrak 9038, Ford 545D FEL, Davis Little Monster backhoe, Case 16+4 Trencher, Home Built 42" capacity/36" cut Bandmill up to 54' long - using it all to build a timber frame cabin.

tburch

You ever get up there and find footprints in the snow that aren't yours?
Peterson 10" WPF with slabber. Cooks AC36 Diesel.
'94 Ford 4830 Diesel 2WD & FEL.  Norse 450 skid winch.  Logrite fetching arch.  Fransgard Forestry Grapple.

Ljohnsaw

Quote from: tburch on February 16, 2018, 08:33:24 AM
You ever get up there and find footprints in the snow that aren't yours?
Yep!  All the tracks you see are not mine.  My good friends/neighbor like to check out my work from time to time.  There were dog prints in there as well so I suspect it was them.  The manager of the campground likes to come by, too.  If he sees or hears anything, he says he goes up to see who it is.  I know that's true because he snuck up on me a couple times when I wasn't expecting it!  He did that when he wasn't familiar with my truck.  Nice to have neighbors looking out for you. 8)
John Sawicky

Just North-East of Sacramento...

SkyTrak 9038, Ford 545D FEL, Davis Little Monster backhoe, Case 16+4 Trencher, Home Built 42" capacity/36" cut Bandmill up to 54' long - using it all to build a timber frame cabin.

Ljohnsaw

Update 2/26/18:

More snow coming down.  This is down at 5,022' (800' lower and 5 miles south of my property):


 
Only supposed to be a few inches to (Looks like already past that) and 1 to 3 feet Thursday/Friday.
John Sawicky

Just North-East of Sacramento...

SkyTrak 9038, Ford 545D FEL, Davis Little Monster backhoe, Case 16+4 Trencher, Home Built 42" capacity/36" cut Bandmill up to 54' long - using it all to build a timber frame cabin.

AButton

Looks like I have a Neighbor!, I am new to TFF and it is nice to know there are members nearby  :)

Ljohnsaw

AButton, Welcome to the FF!

Update 4/12/2018:

Got an email from the campground manager - snow was clear on his side of the hill.  On my side, still 6" :-\  Then it started snowing yesterday - forecast of 8" :(

Whitmore grade this morning:


 
So there will be much more on my property.  I80 was closed last night due to slippery conditions and lots of spin-outs.  Chain controls over the summit right now.

More snow tonight...
John Sawicky

Just North-East of Sacramento...

SkyTrak 9038, Ford 545D FEL, Davis Little Monster backhoe, Case 16+4 Trencher, Home Built 42" capacity/36" cut Bandmill up to 54' long - using it all to build a timber frame cabin.

Magicman

I am looking forward to when you can get started but not nearly as much as you are.   ;D
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Ljohnsaw

Update 4/30/18:

Been having lots of warm (80's) down at home so figured it was time to head up the hill.  I loaded up with 30 cement blocks (for stacking wood) and some aluminum covers for my lumber piles.  I picked up off CL some corrugated roofing from a 70s style patio cover.  It was made in 1 foot sections with 2 corrugations each.  I pieced them back together into 4 foot wide sections.  Had enough to make two 9 foot and three 12 foot long.  I used the aluminum gutter channels as the cross bars.  Made for a stiff but lightweight cover.

It looked like there was about ΒΌ" of snow that fell last night.  All of that melted by the afternoon. 



 

 I spent the day re-arranging my wood  stacks - combining the two "post" piles into one taller stack, pulling out all the 2x stock into one stack, piling all the 4x6 brace stock into one stack and installing all the new covers.

No real good pictures from before but this gives you the idea of the mess it was:

After:
Moved the short stack of 4x6 under the plywood to the stack in the back and moved the 8x8, 8x10 and 8x12 posts onto the stack in the back center.  The 6x12 in the far back are cedar sills for the porch.  Have 2 cut, need 1 more.  That area will be the home for the long rafters (26')


 

All the 2x material in a new stack on the left.

The stack against the wall on the left is 5x9 floor joists for the loft.  The right stack has a couple of 3x12 stair runners and some misc 2x3s and 1x4 (strapping) from when I first started cutting.

 
Not the final configuration but I will be cutting up a lot of short (10') logs into 2x8 for the roof deck and stacking them on the empty blocks in the middle of the floor.
John Sawicky

Just North-East of Sacramento...

SkyTrak 9038, Ford 545D FEL, Davis Little Monster backhoe, Case 16+4 Trencher, Home Built 42" capacity/36" cut Bandmill up to 54' long - using it all to build a timber frame cabin.

Magicman

It's good to finally see you "up and at um".  8)
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Ljohnsaw

I spent some time aligning the blade on my mill this morning.  Then I went at that big log that I loaded on the mill bed before the snow.  It was 10' long, 24 small end, 29 big end.  It was cut about 5 months ago and was still very wet.  I got an 8x8 out of the middle and a lot of side wood, 4x6, 2x10 and lot of 1x2 battens/stickers - 255 bd-ft total.

The mill cut nice and straight (until I attempted to cut my log clamp...).  I took off the hand crank and installed a wheelchair motor so it made raising and lowering a joy.  Had to use my antique car jack to raise the small end up 4" - SO much better then using pry bars.  My starter solenoid gave up - I had to short the terminals to start it each time, time to get a new one.
John Sawicky

Just North-East of Sacramento...

SkyTrak 9038, Ford 545D FEL, Davis Little Monster backhoe, Case 16+4 Trencher, Home Built 42" capacity/36" cut Bandmill up to 54' long - using it all to build a timber frame cabin.

fishfighter

Adding a wheelchair motor to raise and lower the head was the best thing I did to my mill too! ;D

It looks like you are starting to run out of space. :o

Ljohnsaw

Update 5-18-2018:

Been spending some days cutting the logs from the campground.  Just have two left - the long one that looks a little punky and a short one with a big sweep to mill into bench slabs.  I did have a big 24" log that just didn't want to be cut.  The blade would dive big time at the knots no matter what we tried.  So I gave up and have a ~ 10" x 20" x 13' "bench" with one live edge.

The rest of the logs were pretty well behaved and made some very nice lumber.  I'm doing mostly 2x10's with a few 2x8's very few 2x6's (for roof planking).  There was a pretty good wack of 1x4 (strapping) that have been produced as well.  The space is filling up!

11 to 13' boards:



9 to 10' boards (made a couple 8x8 posts and some 4x6 brace stock in the back top of stack):



1x4's



 

Next up is the 20 remaining logs from my neighbor...
John Sawicky

Just North-East of Sacramento...

SkyTrak 9038, Ford 545D FEL, Davis Little Monster backhoe, Case 16+4 Trencher, Home Built 42" capacity/36" cut Bandmill up to 54' long - using it all to build a timber frame cabin.

fishfighter

You moving along now. ;D

You might want to build a sticker box to store stickers in. For some reason, them suckers spread out all over the place. :D Before you know it, they will be growing out the ground. :D

Ljohnsaw

Update 5/21/2018:

Just spent a little while up the hill.  Had a couple of slabs off the log from last week to finish up.  Made two 4x6 and eight 1x4  x12'9".  Cleaned up a lot of pine slabs I was thinking of making into benches or something but just don't have the time and they were checking a bit.  So, off to the burn pile.  I stacked them Lincoln Log style and then piled the fresh(er) slabs around it.  I'll light it off first thing tomorrow morning.


 
I actually did some work on the cabin! :D I pulled out the two 6x12x13' sills for the porch deck (still have to cut one more) and bolted them down.  I left them long for now.


  I ended the day by loading a big log for tomorrow.  Hope to do a lot of cutting while the slabs burn.
John Sawicky

Just North-East of Sacramento...

SkyTrak 9038, Ford 545D FEL, Davis Little Monster backhoe, Case 16+4 Trencher, Home Built 42" capacity/36" cut Bandmill up to 54' long - using it all to build a timber frame cabin.

Magicman

Hopefully you will get good weather and can make some progress.  8)
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Weekend_Sawyer

Wow, I just red this thread over 2 days, in between actually working, ;D
What a great build you are doing.
Thanks for sharing.

Jon
Imagine, Me a Tree Farmer.
Jon, Appalachian American Wannabe.

Thank You Sponsors!