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General Forestry => General Board => Topic started by: Planman1954 on May 25, 2012, 07:29:32 PM

Title: Making and Installing 8" Beveled Lap Siding
Post by: Planman1954 on May 25, 2012, 07:29:32 PM
I thought some may be interested in a simple way to produce 8" beveled lap siding. The advantage to cutting a beveled siding verses a single width siding is more lineal feet of siding per cant. I understand there are jigs to lay on the bed of bandsaw mills, but this method works well for small jobs or on-site milling.

First of all, here's my jig for making beveled siding:


 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/19339/2012-05-25_07-16-39_470.jpg)


That's it! 2 little sticks. They need to be 3/8" thick x 1/2" Wide x 6" long (that fit on the bed of MY mill.) Simply slip the pieces under an 8" wide cant on the infeed side of your bandsaw mill. You've now successfully tilted your cant just right! The height of the cant doesn't matter, but you'll need to use your cant hook to tilt the HEAVY cant in order to slip in or remove the sticks until you get near the bottom. Then you can just manually tilt the cant. I don't clamp the cant while I'm cutting. I've never had a problem with movement while cutting. Here's the 2 little sticks set under the cant:


 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/19339/2012-05-25_07-17-20_226.jpg)

Now that the cant is tilted and your cant is 8" wide, drop your blade 5/16" from the previous top of the flat cant. Make a cut. Voila! A piece of beveled lap siding. Now remove the sticks and take another cut after dropping the blade 5/8". I get into a routine when cutting: Install or remove the sticks, lower the blade, and take another cut. One easy way of remembering which drop you are on is: If the sticks are installed, drop 5/16", and if they are removed, 5/8".

Here's a picture of the mill cutting some siding:


 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/19339/2012-05-25_07-18-12_657.jpg)

Here's a picture of some siding that has been dried and ready for use:


 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/19339/Lap_Siding.jpg)

And here's a picture of the siding being installed on my barn/rec room:


 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/19339/2012-05-25_13-35-11_898.jpg)
I've found that 6 1/2" is a good exposure to use with 8" siding. This gives some leeway in case the siding varies a little in width, since you have 1 1/2" overlap to play with. You should put some type of finish on the siding as soon as you can to prevent movement. Of course the siding should be properly dried before installation. This is one part of my project that was NOT done with green lumber. Trust me, if you make that mistake, you'll be replacing large gaps at intersecting seams/joints with new boards, as well as touching up new areas opened up with board movement!

Have fun, and play safe.
P.S: OK, Magic...how can we make this post turn into talking about food??
Title: Re: Making and Installing 8" Beveled Lap Siding
Post by: Magicman on May 25, 2012, 08:02:52 PM
It looks  food3  like a  digin1  great place   digin_2  to host   musteat_1  a cookout.   food6
Title: Re: Making and Installing 8" Beveled Lap Siding
Post by: Planman1954 on May 25, 2012, 08:31:31 PM
I thought that was what you'd say! I hope to come with piney to see you one day at your place. Meanwhile, let me finish getting this place in good order, and then host a fishfry. I do have a pond next to the house my Daddy stocked with white perch! Might make a day of it.
Title: Re: Making and Installing 8" Beveled Lap Siding
Post by: WDH on May 25, 2012, 08:34:29 PM
Planman,

That is really simple and effective.  Suits my capabilities, too  ;D.
Title: Re: Making and Installing 8" Beveled Lap Siding
Post by: Misfit on May 25, 2012, 08:48:53 PM
Beats the heck out of paying big bucks for a factory made accessory! Great tip, thanks Planman! I'm gonna add that to my list of tips and tricks to remember.  8)
Title: Re: Making and Installing 8" Beveled Lap Siding
Post by: bama20a on May 27, 2012, 07:31:28 AM
Planman that sure is neat,
You was saying not to install while green.Then other places I read where you can install siding green,
Now ya'll got me confused smiley_whacko,Got to  admit that ain't hard to do.
When drying how long should I wait? Also If it's cut a full 1" on the thick side will it have anything to do with the drying time on it ? are can it be installed green because of the thickness?
That siding is what I'm wanting to do on my house,Sure don't want to have to go & replace boards.Mark,,,,
Title: Re: Making and Installing 8" Beveled Lap Siding
Post by: WDH on May 27, 2012, 07:43:09 AM
SYP dries fast.  1" stock (even less with bevel siding) will air dry in 6 weeks or maybe a little less if you use 1" stickers.  If you use 3/4" stickers, and it is hot and humid, put a box fan along side the stack to keep the air moving to prevent stain and mildew on your pine.
Title: Re: Making and Installing 8" Beveled Lap Siding
Post by: Jim_Rogers on May 27, 2012, 09:33:43 AM
I did something similar one time when a customer wanted some 5" wide pine clapboards. I used a small piece of wood cut into a wedge shape.

I called it my $1300 wedge, as that was the price of a lap sider attachment to my mill. I don't know if that's the right price or not, I'm just going by my fading memory......

Put the wedge in make one cut, pull it out, till it back and make one cut. Very easy to do if you drop down the right amount each time.

I drew the profile on the end of the cant and then tilted it and measured the gap to figure out the size of the wedge.

Works great. Thanks for sharing....

Jim Rogers

PS. When is the cook out?

Title: Re: Making and Installing 8" Beveled Lap Siding
Post by: Planman1954 on May 27, 2012, 05:07:39 PM
Bama20a:
Don't put the siding on green! It will shrink on the building and look BAD. Just wait as WDH said for 6 weeks. I have a solar kiln, and can use it in a week. SYP dries quickly. Oh, and I don't know why you want it so thick. It'll just be heavy to work with. These pieces go on easily. Pine is tough for exterior. This method goes from about 5/8" to 3/16" thick. With the exposure at 6 1/2", the thinnest area is probably about 1/4". I think it can withstand a lawnmower throwing something against it!
Jim: The wedge idea is the same concept...except I like the sticks, they are easier to place quickly under the cant. And there is no movement on the cant...
Oh, and the cookout will be when I get this place looking decent. I've done it all by myself...takes time! But it will happen one of these years, if God wills!
Title: Re: Making and Installing 8" Beveled Lap Siding
Post by: pineywoods on May 29, 2012, 10:05:24 PM
Not just 8 inch. I made a batch of 12 inch, worked fine. I hauled it to Alabama over the holidays and built the daughter an 8 X12 storage building with it. Cut from a big lightening killed pine, it was hard as a rock, but dried quickly with minimal warping stacked with 1 inch stickers. Planman is a neighbor, so I get to see most of his woodworking projects. That solar kiln he built would easily pass as a piece of fine furniture.
Title: Re: Making and Installing 8" Beveled Lap Siding
Post by: Too Big To Fail on March 26, 2013, 09:14:33 AM
bringing back this thread with a question-

First, I like the simple method with the sticks. 

Second, I want to make some lap siding with white oak (because I have a lot of it).  Any advise as far as dry time, etc?  I'm planning to torch-blacken it and linseed oil it on the flat and then give it another coat of oil once it's up.  Think a couple months dry time in the spring/summer would be sufficient at the thickness detailed above?  Would I need to worry about the thin edge drying out too fast and checking badly (being oak and all)?  Think it would be best to seal both sides on the flat to prevent cupping issues or would I just be sealing in moisture and rotting the siding out from the inside?

thanks!
Title: Re: Making and Installing 8" Beveled Lap Siding
Post by: Cedarman on March 26, 2013, 09:52:12 AM
What is "torch blacken"?  How is it done?  Why is it done?  Want to get rid of some ignorance here. :D :D :D  Mine.
Title: Re: Making and Installing 8" Beveled Lap Siding
Post by: Too Big To Fail on March 26, 2013, 08:12:43 PM
You burn the surface with a torch, brush it off with a dust broom and maybe burn it again depending on what you're going for.  It's a variation on a traditional Japanese technique originally used because apparently the charcoal (if the burn penetrates the wood pretty far) inhibits insects and fire from getting into the siding.  There have been other post about it- I think I saw one in the timber framing section.  You can google Shou-sugi-ban for more information about it.

I'm doing it because a light burn/brush removes the saw marks (no planing necessary) and exposes the tougher part of the grain in an attractive way and because I want a dark finish on the siding and would rather not paint it.  It's a less uniform color, more "natural" looking maybe.  I'll probably accent it with colored trim, doors etc so it's not too gloomy.
Title: Re: Making and Installing 8" Beveled Lap Siding
Post by: WDH on March 26, 2013, 08:15:51 PM
I would not cut it as thin as the pine as pine is more stable than white oak.  A little thicker should help prevent curling and cupping.  I would also dry it at least 4 months on stickers.
Title: Re: Making and Installing 8" Beveled Lap Siding
Post by: Planman1954 on March 26, 2013, 09:12:18 PM
And put the stickers closer together than normal...probably about 18" apart. Be sure to stack them with 2 pieces together (one angle one way, and then the opposite) to keep the stack even.
Title: Re: Making and Installing 8" Beveled Lap Siding
Post by: Too Big To Fail on March 27, 2013, 06:39:30 AM
really?  So you stack 2 on top of each other to make a squared piece?  That won't cause mold issues?  I figured I'd be stacking them like usual and the sticker would just span the thickest portion.
So maybe cut them 8" by 1/2 tapered to 3/4 or so?  I wonder if that wouldn't look clumsy with such a thick bottom end.  Maybe it would be better to cut them at 1/2" with no taper and lay them up like that?
Title: Re: Making and Installing 8" Beveled Lap Siding
Post by: Piston on March 27, 2013, 07:34:49 AM
I'm glad you brought this thread to the top, as I hadn't seen it before.  I like the simplicity of the idea!  (The price doesn't hurt either  :D) 

With my manual mill, this will be some good excercise  :D
Title: Re: Making and Installing 8" Beveled Lap Siding
Post by: thecfarm on March 27, 2013, 08:59:53 AM
I plan on doing something for the side of the wife's Veggie shack,clapboards. How do you keep it going level? Caulkline?? I maybe putting this up alone too.
Title: Re: Making and Installing 8" Beveled Lap Siding
Post by: Planman1954 on March 27, 2013, 09:51:05 AM
You can do it like Norm on This Old House does it...Make yourself a stick the height of the wall and mark the increments that match the exposure of the siding you want. For instance, I like to use 8" siding with 6 1/2" exposure. So starting on one end of the stick, measure 6 1/2" and put a mark (One that's easy to see on all four sides). Go another 6 1/2"...13"....and make another, and so on until you reach the end of the stick. I put corner boards on the building first, and around doors and windows over my house wrap or felt. Line up the marker stick by the bottom of each corner board and transfer the marks to it. You could run a string if you want on the first bottom piece of siding to keep the boards perfectly straight between corners, or just get the first one level across by marking somewhere in the center of the building. There is no way to adjust the straightness of the boards, so keeping them level is really not a problem if you follow your marks. Have fun!
Title: Re: Making and Installing 8" Beveled Lap Siding
Post by: thecfarm on March 27, 2013, 09:55:18 AM
Thank you.This is bookmarked.
Title: Re: Making and Installing 8" Beveled Lap Siding
Post by: hturner12 on September 27, 2018, 05:06:58 AM
I know this is a very old post glad it is here. Would it work for sweetgum? I kicking  around doing our interior walls in sweetgum. Took wife to eat at Tx Roadhouse they just happen to have clapboard and  v groove wood for walls. She liked  the clapboard
Title: Re: Making and Installing 8" Beveled Lap Siding
Post by: Planman1954 on October 03, 2018, 10:51:42 PM
Hey...if you can saw it, it will work! I don't know how your wood species will hold up though to the elements, if that is what you are asking.
Title: Re: Making and Installing 8" Beveled Lap Siding
Post by: hturner12 on October 03, 2018, 11:24:19 PM
Delete duplicate 
Title: Re: Making and Installing 8" Beveled Lap Siding
Post by: caveman on May 21, 2020, 05:06:14 PM
I made a quick little bevel jig to cut lap siding today.  I had a little trouble getting the right thicknesses at first (spatially and mathematically challenged).  Pineywoods' old post helped me out.  When on the jig, drop once (or 3/8"), when on the deck, drop twice (or 3/4").  I am planning to saw a few longleaf 8" cants into siding and will probably saw some cypress too, if folks show interest.
Title: Re: Making and Installing 8" Beveled Lap Siding
Post by: Planman1954 on May 23, 2020, 05:56:39 AM
I am currently making a lot out of cypress for my greenhouse build. I think I have been dropping the saw 5/16" and 11/16" for cuts.....one inch increments for the pair of cuts. The cants are 8" wide using 3/8" sticks. After drying them in the kiln, I install them with 1 1/4" staples with a cheap harbor freight air gun which has done surprisingly well. I install them with 6 1/2" exposure.
Title: Re: Making and Installing 8" Beveled Lap Siding
Post by: Planman1954 on October 02, 2022, 10:22:54 PM
I made a bit more lap siding last week. I still had the two little 3/8" sticks in my saw rack! I needed a few replacement pieces for my barn.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/19339/E7527746-0630-42F6-B46E-A3BD1D5B2CFD.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1664763464)i
 
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/19339/F801B7E8-1545-4B8B-9852-42CAC78B9D00.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1664763512)
 
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/19339/3207D8D7-4C63-4B15-8B70-226302348A6C.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1664763573)
  
Title: Re: Making and Installing 8" Beveled Lap Siding
Post by: Tom King on October 03, 2022, 10:03:47 AM
Noticing the title of this old thread, but not seeing any mention of a how-to on installing bevel siding, I'll add this for future reference.

The easy way to cut it to fit is to use a "preacher".  I mark with a sharp no.3 or 4 pencil, and cut with a sharp handsaw.  

Pictures should be self explanatory.  This is Much more accurate than measuring and marking.  Paint is on them because when it's painted, the ends of the boards get painted as it's put up while the paint is still wet.

I make both loose, and tight fitting ones for a job.  The tight ones are used when you can't quite reach one end with both hands.  It's cut just tight enough to stay in place, but still allows it to slide.


(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/35437/preacher1.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1664805681)
 
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/35437/preacher2.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1664805702)
 
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/35437/preacher3.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1664805720)
 
Title: Re: Making and Installing 8" Beveled Lap Siding
Post by: Tom King on October 03, 2022, 07:51:44 PM
Here's a sample of siding installed with the preacher marking.

Another thing I do is drill all the nail holes.  I cut the top board first, drill the holes in that piece where the studs are, and then use that board as a template to drill all the ones below.  It's ready to put up when I get to the top, and all the holes are perfectly in line.

This might look like it's tight, but if you make one a tight interference fit, it will open up the one below.  The boards are just hanging on the nails in the holes.  You can take your finger and push each siding board in and it will spring back out on it's own where they meet the corner board, even though they look very tight.  You have to know how to use and sharpen a handsaw to cut them like this, and it doesn't take much longer to cut them than taking them to a powered saw since they can be cut right there on sawhorses, even up on scaffolding.

All butt joints, and end joints are flashed with metal flashing behind the corner boards and the end joints.

Yes, not only every board on this house that I built in 1991 fits like this, but about every one that I've ever put up.

If painted, the ends get painted, if not, they are left to breathe.

Sorry, don't know why the picture came out so small, and can't be enlarged.  Will look for better version later.

(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/35437/siding.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1664841090)