Look what I drug out of the river the other day!

[woodbowl]

I'm still trying to figure out where it drifted from. I may need to search the history of the county.

[Furby]

 8) 8) 8)

Keep it someplace safe, and if you find out anything on it, maybe you can turn it into some kind of display piece or something with the history along with it.

[beenthere]

I'm thinkin the toredo worms or marine borers were regimented and had just been learning some timber framing/log construction techniques.  :

VERY interesting timber. 
Are those borer bit markings (circles) at the bottom of the notch? 

[woodbowl]

 I'm worried that when it dries out a little the peg (what's left of it) will loosen and fall out. Any tips?  It's solid Cypress. It took four of us to put it in the truck. Looks like bore marks to me too. I thought about displaying it in my home. It is so long and the mortice is not at eye level if stood on end............That little piece next to the peg is loose in the mortice but will not come out. I'm thinking that it is part of the old tenon.

[Tom]

If it is really tapered and that is not an optical illusion, I would make a guess that it is the handle from a rudder.  ........sounds good anyway.  :D

[woodbowl]

Tom, this came out of the Chipola way upstream. There was a grist mill a hundred years ago on a creek that forked into it. Other than that, I can't imagine what it could be from. Didn't you and Harold get out this way one time. No, it's not tapered. It's approx. 9X9.

[JoeyLowe]

Hey Woodbowl:

Great find. I bet there might be more pieces in the general area that you found that one. 

[Tom]

It looks like you have a real chore on your hands identifying it.   Without having to give it up, you might benefit from help from one of the colleges or Universities.   They might be interested in helping to identify it and may even get a class use the task as an archeological project.   They could get Grants to help preserve it if it is worth it too.

It doesn't have to be from that old Grist Mill.   The Spaniards roamed for many years too.  There is no telling where, or when, that thing originated. 

[rebocardo]

First I thought it was a part of a machine, but here is what I think it is. It was a piling of some sort. A cross member was slid in the hollow part, it was shimmed at the bottom with that block of wood still there, then a hole was drilled and the peg inserted to keep it in place.

The part at the bottom that is rough is where it was broken off in the mud under the water.

The circle depressions in the hole was most likely made from multiple pieces of angle iron/steel being riveted together to make one long span since moving a cross member made of one piece of steel that  thick (12+ by x 6) would have probably weighted tons was impossibe to do.

If there was a water wheel at the grist mill, then most likely this supported the steel beam that supported the wheel.


Plausible?

[Furby]

Why would the rivets be on the end?
I thought they were placed through the sides?

[Fla._Deadheader]

If the State hears about this, they will confiscate it.  >:( >:( >:( >:(

[Tom]

Opinion again. ;D

I think the little block of wood, loose in the hole, is part of the board/timber that formed the Tenon.  The tenon was what was pegged into the hole to keep it there. 

The holes in the bottom of the Mortise are the bottoms of the drill  holes that were used to remove the bulk of the wood so that the mortise could be formed.

If it were a post and beam, it would show signs of a knee brace.

I don't think that it is something that is modern enough to have been holding angle iron.

One thing is for sure.  You need to be concerned with preserving it.  Some woods that have been submerged for long periods of time will disintegrate when exposed to the air.

It may have been part of an old mill but you need to do a lot more investigative work to identify it.

[ARKANSAWYER]

   Better put it back!  You have no EPA or DNR permits to remove stuff from the water.   But if they catch you tell them FDH took it  out.  ;)

[Fla._Deadheader]

 >:( >:( >:( >:(



  Rodney

[woodbowl]

As far as preserving it, drying out and losing the peg tightness is the only problem right now. FDH, you know when you cut into  deadhead cypress  and it's bright golden color and stinks like..........uh.............meow! That's what this is. It was revealed from a little skinned place while riding in the truck. It's not a velvet green black cypress.

The holes in the bottom of the Mortise are the bottoms of the drill  holes that were used to remove the bulk of the wood so that the mortise could be formed.

It is definitely drill hole markes. I just took a close looked and each one has a center hole that the auger point left.

I think the little block of wood, loose in the hole, is part of the board/timber that formed the Tenon.  The tenon was what was pegged into the hole to keep it there. 

That part puzzles me. It is so clean on top like it was meant to be that way, or perhaps it was sawed off at a later time to change something. The block of wood has a lip under the peg that is keeping it from comming out. The block wood grain is vertical as a tenon normally would be. It's also possible that the end of the tenon split below the peg leaving half a hole and the other side was lost.

[Fla._Deadheader]

 Lemme tell ya a story. Once upon a time, some guys went loggin in the river. They found logs. 
  The logs had pegs broken off in the logs. The pegs were Heart Pine. The logs were Heart Pine and Heart Cypress.
  Once the logs were removed from the river, they started to dry out.
Other logs had no pegs in the holes. The holes seemed larger than the holes with the pegs in them.
  Upon some serious cogitatin and philosifysin,  , an idea was developed smiley_sidelightbulb smiley_sidelightbulb . It seems that the water running around the sunken logs, was akshully wearin away the wood around them holes.  This idear was verified by examinin the sides of logs, and determinin that clams that stuck to the logs, produced holes on the sides of the logs, where the water ran around them log stuck clams.  ;D ;D

  Upon further review, I conclude that you have a Heart Pine peg stuck in one side of that there log and the other side is wore out from the water runnin around that empty peg hole.
  What is that beam, you ask ??  Wadda I know  ;D ;D :D :D :D :D

[asy]

   Better put it back!  You have no EPA or DNR permits to remove stuff from the water.   But if they catch you tell them FDH took it  out.  ;)

OOoh! ARky's got a plan!!

Tellem Deddy took it out coz he thought it was a Gator!

asy :D

[woodbowl]

OKaaaaay.................... I'll go put it back  smiley_dozy_bored.......right now! ........

[woodbowl]

OK, I'm back now. All done.  ;D ;D

[Furby]

And what are the coordinates ??? ;)

[ARKANSAWYER]

  Furby is right we need to know where it is so we can check on it and see that it was placed back into the water properly.  ;)

[woodbowl]

Uh........ I fergot..... ;D matter of fact, I got lost too. I don't think I'd ever be able to find that place again. :         

[Timburr]

Is there a hint of a fishy story here :  You must have driven like greased lightning to replace it....it took all of 1½min to get there and back and post :D ;D :D

[woodbowl]

Must be a malfunction on the clock somehow. ;)    Hey, I found another peg hole. It goes all the way through and has the peg still in it. The water washed it so it is slightly indented. I almost missed it. You can see it in the first two photos directly behind the mortice.