2 Part ?? Siding attachment for mill & Is pine a good choice for house siding?

[Piston]

Hi all,
I want to reside my house. 

I called Woodmizer and priced out a lapsiding attachment for my LT15.  The 16' long Shingle and Lapsider (SLR as they call it) is currently $1,250, plus a couple hundred dollars shipping. 

I have a ton of eastern white pine that I could mill into lapsiding.  I don't have any cedar.  :


My question is two fold:
1) Is EWP a good material for siding?  Should I avoid any sapwood when milling it? Should I just buy cedar siding?  We like a light grey color, and would like to do some sort of "paint stain" to get the color we want, but still be able to see the grain in the clapboards. 

Also, we are thinking of using shingles for the front of the house, which I could also use the SLR attachment for. 


2) I've read a few threads of people buying this attachment and not using it again, seems like that tells me something  ???  Are these "not worth it"? 
I'm thinking I could save quite a bit of money by milling the siding and doing the work myself.  Does this seem like a viable option or should I keep saving my pennies until we can afford the "vinyl is final" route? 

[petefrom bearswamp]

WP is OK but the knots will bleed thru any type of paint or stain.
I used Zinssers shellac product on  the knots on my shop and it works well

[sealark37]

You can use white pine if you seal the knots as noted above, and use a vapor barrier on the inside of the wall insulation.  Stain is more durable than paint, but both last better with a vapor barrier.   Regards, Clark

[Dad2FourWI]

I don't think there is a problem with the knots if the boards are kiln dried.

We wanted the more "rustic" look and opted for the true 1" thick, wavy bottom board look.

We used a stain called OneTime  http://onetimewood.com/ ... interesting stuff, but make sure to wash any off the skin before you go out in the sun!!!!  :D

-Dad2FourWI

[fishfighter]

If you are in no hurry, cut some cants that are 8" wide. Take a couple sticks about 1/2" and place them under one edge of the cant on your runners. That will till it. Set your mill to cut level leaving about 3/16" as you cut on the thin side. Then come back, remove the sticks and make another pass. Repeat for your lap siding.

Poor mans way of cutting it. 8)

[Ox]

interesting stuff, but make sure to wash any off the skin before you go out in the sun!!!!  :D

-Dad2FourWI

Why is this, Dad2?

[PC-Urban-Sawyer]

You can try the "Arky Resaw" jig https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,38180.msg550131.html#msg550131

[Planman1954]

Look for the thread called: "Making and Installing 8" beveled lap siding".
It shows the process using two little sticks. It works really well.

[Verticaltrx]

Can't comment on the shingle/lapsiding attachment but I can say that EWP is a good choice for siding. We use lots of it around here, if you have Yellow Poplar that is also a very good choice for siding. Both are fairly rot resistant in a siding application and can last for many years even without paint/stain/sealant. There are lots of old houses are barns around here sided in pine or poplar that haven't had a lick of paint in decades and are still sound.

I'll be interested to hear the consensus on the SLR jig as I have been interested in one myself.

BTW, don't do vinyl, it is not final, it's cheap plastic crap that will eventually get brittle and break. If it tells you anything we are about to tear the vinyl off our old farmhouse and go back to wood siding. With the invention of the airless paint sprayers and the much better paints available today it's quicker and easier than ever to maintain a wood sided building.

[Bruno of NH]

Use wood siding .
Vinyl sidings not final I've made a lot of money putting it up over the years but wouldn't use it on my own house . It just won't last like wood .
Jim/Bruno

[Chuck White]

Matt, If you were a little closer, I'd let you borrow my SLR.

[hunz]

I just purchased an SLR, and did a siding job on our barn. It works great once you figure out how to use it, and the end product was nothing to be sneered at. Here is a pic of a small portion of what I did, its now stained.

 

[Ox]

That looks sharp.

[Piston]

You can use white pine if you seal the knots as noted above, and use a vapor barrier on the inside of the wall insulation.  Stain is more durable than paint, but both last better with a vapor barrier.   Regards, Clark

Vapor barrier meaning housewrap?  Like Tyvek?  I am planning on wrapping the house with tyvek first (after possibly having to replace my sheathing-one of my "complications" to this job)

If you are in no hurry, cut some cants that are 8" wide. Take a couple sticks about 1/2" and place them under one edge of the cant on your runners. That will till it. Set your mill to cut level leaving about 3/16" as you cut on the thin side. Then come back, remove the sticks and make another pass. Repeat for your lap siding.

Poor mans way of cutting it. 8)

I don't "mind" the cost of the attachment, if it's worthwhile and works as advertised.  We'd also really like to do the front of the house in shingles, which I think the only 'efficient' way would be with the siding attachment? 
I may use the poor mans way of cutting lap siding as a test to see how it would come out though.  I'm also going to buy an extension at the same time.  Among other reasons, I'm hoping that with the 16' siding attachment, I can overhang the cant a couple of feet on each end, and make 20' lap siding, possibly longer. 

Look for the thread called: "Making and Installing 8" beveled lap siding".
It shows the process using two little sticks. It works really well.

Thanks Planman, that's an interesting read, and the pictures show how the process works very well.  Here is the link for anyone else intersted...
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=58534.0

Use wood siding .
Vinyl sidings not final I've made a lot of money putting it up over the years but wouldn't use it on my own house . It just won't last like wood .
Jim/Bruno

That's interesting to hear from an installer Jim, thanks for the comment.  I really don't like the vinyl, and I'm sort of glad it's going to be as expensive as it is because it sort of rules it out, especially since we have to spend quite a pretty penny getting a new roof put on the house (not to mention a new septic going in next month  >:()

Matt, If you were a little closer, I'd let you borrow my SLR.

Thanks Chuck, I appreciate the kind offer.  Can you comment on how you like the SLR?  How it works in general, and if you think it does what it's supposed to do pretty well?  Is it a "quality" piece, or does it seam cheap/lightweight and not too sturdy?  It looks like a pretty basic attachment, and I imagine it does what it's supposed to in a satisfactory way. 

I just purchased an SLR, and did a siding job on our barn. It works great once you figure out how to use it, and the end product was nothing to be sneered at. Here is a pic of a small portion of what I did, its now stained.

Hunz, I've never seen a barn with dedicated handicapped parking in front.   ;D

[Piston]

As an additional question, does anyone have advice on if I'd be better off using only heartwood for the siding?  Should I stay away from the sapwood in general?  I read that it will rot much sooner and last not nearly as long as the heartwood? 


I think it is very likely that I will end up purchasing the SLR attachment and milling my own siding, but I really want to get a little more info before making the decision. 

[Chuck White]

I have had a couple of jobs that "were" going to include lap siding, but they both cancelled out, so in a nutshell, I haven't used it yet.

It is a very heavy-made attachment, you'll need 2 guys to handle it.

I got a good deal on mine, from the prior owner of it and my sawmill, so basically I got it with the mill, only a little later.

[bandmiller2]

Matt, eastern white pine works OK, not as good as cedar, but will make good siding. It must be coated with something or parts of it will turn black, won't weather the "cape cod gray" look. I like the semi-transparent stain. I would use the heartwood and cut boards off the sapwood. Get the attachment you deserve it.  I think I would stain both sides before nailing it up. Frank C.

[Piston]

Thanks for the info Frank, I think my wife would really like that "cape cod gray" color but I suppose we could always paint it some other color if we couldn't get the semi transparent stain to look the way we want.  We are going for more of a light gray rather than the weathered look of the cape cod gray though. 


Chuck, I've been looking on craigslist in the northeast for any used attachments and not finding any (not surprising), so if you wanted to sell it I'd certainly be interested in buying. 

[porcupine]

I finally used my SLR last weekend after purchasing it about 2 years ago. My neighbor
found out I had it and asked me if I would cut him lap siding for a sauna he will construct next year. I really didn't have time but I wanted to experiment with it since I told him I would only charge him the cost of the machine. After it was done I charged less.....oh well.  My wife and I had 8 hours of effort.

Like any tool it takes time to become proficient. We cut 9 red pine logs averaging 14 inches, 10' long.

The Good:
   It's built strong enough and functions as advertised. The orange paint matches my LT50

The learning curve:
   My sawmill has a stationary control so after every cut I had to walk to the attachment and swing the lever. (poor me)
   
You make cant's from logs. Remove cant place elsewhere. Set up attachment, Cant placed back on SLR attachment. Make a cut, swing SLR lever, cut......flip can't over. Cut .......

I was unable to use the Accuset to make programed drops after every cut. Siding was 3/4" - 3/8" X 8" wide.
   
You don't need to use all the clamps only on the ends. The screw tighteners are slow.

The instructions explain:
"Pull the shift lever up and lower the saw head the thickness of the thick end plus the
thickness of the thin end plus the thickness of the blade (B + A + Blade Thickness).
Allowing for a 3/16" blade thickness in the example above, the second drop would be 5/8"
(5/16" + 1/8" + 3/16"). Make a cut and return the carriage."
The Accuset reads out 1/4 inches, 1/8", 1/16", 1/32" etc. making it difficult to get a "right on" thickness.

Every time I swung the lever I measured with a tape and placed a mark on the cant to get the correct drop because I was unable to get a precise depth with the Accuset or gauge on the sawhead. I wanted to present decent siding to my neighbor.

I'm sure as I use it more I will become accustom to it. At this time I see this as a tool for personal use not as a business. I don't profess to knowing this SLR completely and am open for tips. I not unhappy with the purchase but would have liked more production. More $ spent could do that.

[Dave Shepard]

Do not expose sapwood to the weather. I've been cutting 1"x8" lapsiding (not tapered) and if I have just a sliver of sapwood that I can hide under the lap, it goes in the siding pile. Any more than that and it's not siding.

[Piston]

You make cant's from logs. Remove cant place elsewhere. Set up attachment, Cant placed back on SLR attachment. Make a cut, swing SLR lever, cut......flip can't over. Cut .......

Porcupine, thanks for the comments!  I have a question, when you say "flip cant over" do you mean just rotate it a slight amount, to put the taper in/out?  Or do you actually have to flip the cant over each time?????



Dave, thanks for the info, I will go 100% heartwood based on your experience/knowledge.  I have some large pines with a lot of heartwood, and although I absolutely hate to mill them into tiny little boards for siding, I'll do so and get a lot of boards out of each log. 
(I can't stand sawing up a perfectly straight large diameter pine into something other than a giant beam) :D

[prittgers]

The Wood-Mizer SLR is a good machine.  It is well made and there is little that can fail on it.  And, as a proud and loyal Wood-Mizer owner, I can say that I have cut a LOT of siding with one.  See the fishing lodge photo.

There is one that is better, though.  It uses either 12v electric to tilt the cants or hydraulic pressure from the clamp to tilt the cant. 

There are no Pony pipe clamp fixtures sticking up into the potential blade path so blades last longer. 

The last cut yields a piece of bevel siding as well as a flat, dimensional board with siding pieces up to 18 ft long.

www.bevelsider.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJ7lHfRUPkM

[Joe Hillmann]

White pine is pretty common for siding around here.  From what I have seen of it.  I have seen it many times where sap wood was still on it and the sap wood wasn't deteriorating any faster than the rest of the wood as long as the paint/stain stays in good condition.  I personally would recommend stain.  If you want it a solid color they make solid color stains that look pretty much like paint but soak into the wood like stain.

To make any wood siding last longer large eaves and preventing water from splashing back up on it (that is two separate things, although long eaves helps prevent splashing) will help to prevent damage and rot to the siding.

[Chuck White]

Sorry, I'm not interested in selling.

[DR Buck]

Well I purchased the new belt driven resaw-lap sider from Wood-Mizer back at the Paul Bunyan Show.  Unfortionately, I have not had a chance to use it yet.  I've been wrapped up in  to many other projects.  My plan was to reside a couple sheds using poplar.  Never gave pine a thought and am glad to see it's a good option.  Maybe I'll get to use it before I move and  relocate my sawing and drying business.