OldJarheads Milling Thread...

OlJarhead · October 02, 2018, 09:05:21 AM

Glad you enjoyed it

Sadly, the hands are not improving and have actually worsened a little. Bottom line is that I cannot overuse my left or I'm down for a day or two waiting for the anti-inflammatory's to work. The neck/shoulder is doing much better though and as long as I don't try to roll big logs or carry beams it seems to be fine

The VA has come through (so far albeit very slowly) and granted me service connection for my ailments (mostly due to my years in the corps or my service in the desert) and soon will cover (I think) the medical expenses so, once that occurs I think I will get surgery to correct the left hand as I'm told they can stop the pain and make it mostly usable again, just weaker.

I'll continue to run the mill, just not as much as I'd like :( or had planned.

slider · October 02, 2018, 05:44:25 PM

good luck on your surgery. I have followed your thread for quite a while now and you just keep plugging along ,pain and all .

OlJarhead · October 02, 2018, 09:05:03 PM

Quote from: slider on October 02, 2018, 05:44:25 PM
good luck on your surgery. I have followed your thread for quite a while now and you just keep plugging along ,pain and all .

Thanks -- no surgery scheduled yet but I know it will happen sooner rather than later.
I might keep plugging along but I've slowed down a ton this year ;) Only milled about 50% of what I did the last two years.

Outlaw · October 02, 2018, 09:50:03 PM

Hope all goes well with the doctoring. The wife and I have been dealing with the VA for her father. Definitely not a easy process. Just when you think you have been transferred to the right person you get another. I'm not impressed with the way they look after our veterans. God speed and thank you for your service!!!

Crossroads · October 02, 2018, 11:17:20 PM

Quote from: OlJarhead on September 27, 2018, 09:11:54 AM
Quote from: Crossroads on September 22, 2018, 07:51:51 AM
How far from I90 are you Erik? I should be passing by next week and would like to stop by and say howdy while I stretch my legs for a few min.
Less than a mile. When are you coming through?

Soon I hope, my truck is in the shop getting the tranny rebuilt. Today was the third time it was supposed to be ready.....I have 2 jobs waiting for me as soon as I can get back to the coast, It sounds like I've lost the 3rd job because the trucks been in the shop going on 4 weeks.

OlJarhead · October 03, 2018, 01:29:32 PM

Quote from: Outlaw on October 02, 2018, 09:50:03 PM
Hope all goes well with the doctoring. The wife and I have been dealing with the VA for her father. Definitely not a easy process. Just when you think you have been transferred to the right person you get another. I'm not impressed with the way they look after our veterans. God speed and thank you for your service!!!

Thank you

Ahhh yes, the VA. Truth is it has gotten better, much better. My last experience with them was 15 years ago and I swore I'd NEVER go back. I'd cancelled a claim in '96 but sometimes used them between 2000 and 2003 as they provided me care at no charge (I think because I was on the Gulf War Registry but am not entirely certain). However, every time I went was an ordeal. In fact, so much so I'd rather go back to the desert and be shot at than go to the VA. However, pain has a way of changing your mind and I returned this year to file my claim (since I canceled it before they did anything with it in '96 which was more than 18 months after I'd filed it) with the help of a Vietnam vet who used to work for the VA and is a veterans advocate now. He was a big help in getting it filed. Next, I received an appointment about 5 months later and then another a few months after that and a 3rd coming this month. My first two were TOTALLY and completely different than anything I experienced in the past. I was impressed to say the least.
Today I'm still working on the claim however, as it isn't a simple process and they have a tendency to ignore what's right in front of them. For example, if you say "I have pain in my knuckles" and they find that you did have injuries during service that might be the reason for that pain (Arthritis etc) they might grant a service connection. However, they may just say "thumb" vs "hand" or "knuckles" and this matters when it comes to determining the level of disability they will assign. One thumb might not be as important to a person as say, the entire hand. If this happens you have to appeal and insist they consider the entire hand.
Another thing that can happen is the doctor who performs the exam might find XYZ problem that is service connected but you didn't think about it or didn't think it was connected so didn't claim it. He can write in the report that XYZ is service connected but the VA won't add it to the claim for you. You would have to do that assuming you even know. In my case my advocate had me go get my records from the exams and there, right on the exam was a conditioni related to my service that the doctor specifically said was related (due to evidence in medical records) but I now have to actually go in and ask them to add it -- not an easy thing to do.
The entire process can take years.
Lastly, when working on my claim online there was a glitch int he system and I couldn't edit it. When I called them they advised that some veterans were not paid this payday (the 1st). Seriously? So guys counted on that pay didn't get it this payday? Nice.
Sorry for the off topic rant!

ronwood · October 03, 2018, 03:06:48 PM

Oljarhead,

My Dad was a Korea veteran and used the VA for the last 20 years of his life. My experience in helping my Dad was that he had good and prompt health care from the VA hospital. You always had to deal with the red tape unfortunately. I did not experience many of the issue in the news with the VA that was occurring at other hospitals. I think a lot has to do with the folks that manage/run each of the VA hospital.

Best of luck.

Ron

OlJarhead · November 25, 2018, 05:52:54 PM

Howdy all,

Haven't been milling for some time now (months it seems) in part due to my arthritis and GWI but also in part because I decided to take a break and do some other things (while I could enjoy them

)....all is reasonably well though and I have used the mill a few times as an oversized table saw :D

What was I using it to rip down? Well funny you should ask:

Flooring of course

I'd been planning this for some time and finally broke out the tools and after hauling a bunch of 1" pine and fir home I made the flooring for the cabin.

It's all T&G which I though would be best and once the weather warms I'll give it a light sanding and cleaning and then will be treating it with Tung Oil.

Having completed the flooing (1st half done above, 2nd half coming) I ordered some 1" split conduit for the mill and after cleaning it and oiling it up I applied the duct to protect the rail. I plan to get some 3/4" for the chain and a motorcycle cover for the head. I think that might be better than a tarp which inevitably blows in the wind etc etc.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and is doing well.
Cheers
Erik

caveman · November 25, 2018, 08:54:13 PM

Thank you for the update Erik. I have been concerned about you and enjoy following your thread. Pop often says that growing old is not for wimps. I am beginning to understand that.
Caveman

Magicman · November 25, 2018, 08:57:21 PM

It's good to hear from you Erik and thanks for the update. Now throw another log in that wood heater and stay warm.

Crossroads · November 25, 2018, 10:30:42 PM

Glad to see your okay and having some self time. Thank you for the referral, that was some pretty black walnut....

Darrel · November 25, 2018, 10:33:39 PM

Good to hear from you sir, and I really like that floor!

OlJarhead · November 26, 2018, 08:33:46 AM

Quote from: Crossroads on November 25, 2018, 10:30:42 PM
Glad to see your okay and having some self time. Thank you for the referral, that was some pretty black walnut....

Glad that worked out! :D Pics?
Thanks all, it's been good actually. Sure, the med aspect is a little crappy (lol) but overall life is good and we're headed to the cabin this weekend to finish the floor and enjoy the place

Then I plan to go camping at least once this winter in our Arctic Fox camper

I hope to be back to milling, if not quite as much, this coming spring if all goes well.

Weekend_Sawyer · November 26, 2018, 01:02:25 PM

Glad to hear from you.
I have followed this thread from the beginning and learned a lot from it.

I can't quite see from the pictures.
What are the black dots on the floor? Plugs covering screws or are they nail heads?

Thanks
Jon

WV Sawmiller · November 26, 2018, 01:25:01 PM

Erik,

Great to hear from you again. Glad you are doing okay. I hope you enjoy your camping trip. I'd have figured you'd have gotten that out of your system long before you left the Corps. :D

OlJarhead · November 27, 2018, 09:00:38 AM

Quote from: Weekend_Sawyer on November 26, 2018, 01:02:25 PM
Glad to hear from you.
I have followed this thread from the beginning and learned a lot from it.

I can't quite see from the pictures.
What are the black dots on the floor? Plugs covering screws or are they nail heads?

Thanks
Jon

In truth, I did not snap down lines and nailed these in by hand and eye and my eye is not as straight as it used to be ;) (if it ever was).
These are forged nails and I wanted it to look like something someone might have done 150 years ago

In fact, the nails are made in the factory they were made in back in the 1800's and are pretty cool. They are supposed to hold well but the floor is T&G so that should help anyway.

Weekend_Sawyer · November 28, 2018, 07:45:15 AM

I was just talking to a friend of mine who installs floors last week.
I told him that this was the method I want to use in my cabin build.

nice
Jon

OlJarhead · November 28, 2018, 08:38:46 AM

We love the look and if my hands can take it I'll get the next section done this weekend

Crossroads · November 28, 2018, 10:56:05 PM

Can you snap a picture of one of the forged nails?

OlJarhead · November 29, 2018, 10:01:28 AM

Tremont Nail Company 800-842-0560 - Steel Cut Nails for Authentic Restoration Projects and Remodeling
I will try to get a pic of them but these are the nails I bought (hope it was ok to post)

Crossroads · November 29, 2018, 10:03:10 PM

Interesting, I had no idea you could buy new nails that look old

Weekend_Sawyer · November 30, 2018, 07:12:53 AM

That's who I plan to purchase my nails from.
I am looking at their common standard nail.

Here's Bob Vila taking a factory tour.

Factory Tour: Tremont Nail - YouTube

Jwswan · November 30, 2018, 07:56:55 AM

Hello all. I'm new here, but I've been reading and following this forum for years now. I recommended to and helped a buddy put in pine flooring in a couple of his second floor bedrooms in his old farmhouse up here on Lake Superior over a decade ago now. We rabbeted the edges, rabbeted end match the ends, and face nailed it. 10 years in, three kids, and lots of RH% changes, and they're holding up great. A little more work than using pneumatics, but beyond looks, the cost/benefit seems worth it from a functional standpoint. anyway, my two cents.

Weekend_Sawyer · November 30, 2018, 08:35:12 AM

Welcome to the forum Jwswan,

What made you choose rabbit over tongue and groove?

Jwswan · November 30, 2018, 11:34:49 AM

Weekend Sawyer;

Simplicity, really. I lent my buddy my dado set for his old table saw and we rigged up a quick and dirty router jig for him to do the ends as he cut. It didn't seem worth the hassle factor to set up my tongue and groove bits, especially with our poor man's end match. I've seen old solid wood sub floor installed in the same way so I just copied it, but for the finished floor. So far, so good. It seems like lots of old houses around here used a soft or second wood for the upstairs bedrooms. His first floor was all maple. The pine takes less of a beating.