Well, as promised, I am closing out the thread the precedes this one The Greenhorns' Initial Sawing season 2019-20 (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=106265.0) because it has grown to 20 pages and that is more than enough. I had thought to end it there, but some have mentioned that like reading of my mis-adventures from time to time, and I confess I enjoy writing about them most times. It also allows me to go back and relive my mistakes or remember how I did something or watch the growth and changes in direction. Very often we forget where we started or notice the progress we have made. Always an issue for me.
I chose today to make the jump to a new thread because it is a special day of sorts, for me anyway. Today is Norwegian Constitution day. (You can refer to that whole conversation in the previous thread, on this same date last year.) Coincidentally this is also my birthday as a few of you have already made note of in PM's (Thank You). Being my 65th means I am finally of legal retirement age and most of you know I am actively pursuing that option. ;D It's not so much that I need to retire, but that I need to get out of the corporate world and get my head straight. (We explored this in the waning pages of the previous thread also.)
So without much more blathering, in so far as is possible...
Yesterday was a lovely day so I mixed it up. I ripped some square edges on some oak slabs and an Ash piece, Thought I would try a glue-up and see if I could get the edges flat enough to take with just the table saw and hand planer (no jointer here yet). So I set about doing that.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200516_115015472.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1589720994)
It sits drying up now and I will go un-clamp it in a little while. Then I wanted to get outside, and the mill area never did get set up for a proper work flow last fall when I hastily moved it behind the shop. Piles of slabs building up and in the wrong place, a poorly located workbench, and a general mess. It was a lot of work, so I started tackling that. I cut up all the pine slabs and filtches in the junk pile and made a stack of campfire wood, the hardwood I loaded into a garden trailer to get stacked in the firewood pile for either the house or shop. (I have to clean or clear those areas soon too.) Then I moved the bench along the fence to open the work area up a bit, I trimmed some low hanging branches and laid down a 6" pine that was growing all wrong, not healthy, crowded in and generally in the way. It was heavy work with a lot of slabs to cut and stack, but the junk pile is gone. Hopefully now I can keep up with it as I mill. Today I will be cutting up the usable slabs into working sizes which will generate more firewood. I am trying to figure out how I want to gain access across the little drainage creek into the swamp area. I might build a bridge, but need more logs. It would only be 12' long and about 7' wide, but I would like to put 10x10's under it (x3) to handle anything I might drive over it. I will keep thinking on that. I came in the house a couple of times during the day to sit and rest my back and watch the cats try to figure out what they thought of the new screen door that gives them an upfront seat to watch the chipmunks run back and forth. Apparently one of them could not contain himself and charged out after 'something' then turned and realized he was locked outside. My wife heard some banging and came to find him 'knocking' on the door to get back inside. :D So I had to put a hook and eye on the door to helps prevent that. They are really enjoying it and have even managed to sit peacefully next to each other and enjoy the view which is new for them.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200516_130546160.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1589721002)
They are both very competitive, so this is a nice change.
After dinner, I started a little campfire and just loafed. The Grandson's stopped by to see if they could talk me into fishing today, but I declined. Too much to do now that the weather is breaking.
Speaking of which, I had best get to it. Here goes nothing.
:P Will be following along on your adventure!
Nice oak slabs, there. 6/4 or 8/4?
Glad to see the new start. Happy Birthdy and many more.
I know you will stay busy, not so sure about the trouble... :D congrats on birthday and retirement.
Just about to till the garden, if I can get the tiller going. We was doing the no till for 2 years. So the tiller has not been started for a while. Probably a load of rocks will be hauled into the woods road. Than a few load of branches. That should bring me into night fall.
Not sure how someone can stay busy and out of trouble at the same time, maybe it could be staying busy or out of trouble. ;D
Sounds like a busy birthday! It is your day do whatcha want! Another happy birthday wish, birthdays are good to have! I mentioned in another thread you share the birthday with my daughter, though the year is off by ..... 37. Hope you get to do the things you wanna do and do them safely.
Happy birthday from WV too. Did you ever come up with a name for your business yet? I'm with the others on the "staying out of trouble." I suspect that us largely wishful thinking.
I'm still thinking something like "Old Noggies Wood Noodle factory" or such for a name. :D
Quote from: WV Sawmiller on May 17, 2020, 02:11:35 PM
Happy birthday from WV too. Did you ever come up with a name for your business yet? I'm with the others on the "staying out of trouble." I suspect that us largely wishful thinking.
I'm still thinking something like "Old Noggies Wood Noodle factory" or such for a name. :D
Here's a hint:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200229_170126451.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1583019580)
The county offices have been closed for 2 months now so I can't make it legal yet but as soon as they reopen I will get the paperwork done.
As far as staying out of trouble while staying busy, I suppose I could settle for doing them consecutively, if not concurrently. ;D
The tiller started. Took 6-7-8 pulls but it came to life. Just came in for a late supper. Had to take down a support for the dill, clean up the garden some.
I'm staying out of trouble but it s incearisingly difficult. Too many distractions.
Oh yeah - I almost forgot. Happy Constitution Day. Hope you remembered to wear your little shiny buckle shoes and your little knife.
Well I did in fact stay out of trouble AND got some work done today. SO that makes 1 in a row! ;D
I did some chores so the wife wouldn't yell at me, then went and checked on the glue-up, it is 8/4 by the way. Looked good, so I removed the clamp and flipped it. There were just a few teeny holes where the glue did not make it, so I put a bubble on those spot and left that to dry. Then I walked around the mill for a while working out what to do to increase my work area or make it more usable. I have little drainage creek running through the property, it keeps things wet most of the year. It is mostly parallel to the mill and about 30-40 feet away and sort of cuts off part of my yard. That part is very wet almost all year because of the high water table and I would love to add some fill and bring the level up, but I would need an awful lot of fill! So over the years, I have taken a few trees that died for firewood, but no much else has been done with it. I could put in drying racks, up on stilts, or at the very least pile my junk waste out there to help fill it in. But there is a barrier of little trees dead stuff and it is pretty inaccessible. So today was the day to start at least cutting out the garbage brush and dead stuff so that I can walk through there. I did not take any before photos, I should have but didn't think I would be doing as much as I wound up doing. It is hard to tell in these 2 photos, but if you can see where the creek is, just to the other side I took out about 30 stems, trimmed lots of branches, and did general cleanup up. I still have more to do and a few diseased or damaged trees that have to come down, but it is opening up. I hope this cuts down on the mosquitoes and lets it dry up quicker. I laid all the branches out as matting so I can at least walk across them.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200517_145733848_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1589758992)
It's a good start anyway, Took most of the day.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200517_145737396_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1589758950)
In the middle of all this I got a text from a good friend asking if I was relaxing and enjoying my birthday. I sent him back a text that said "OH Yeah, I even have my party clothes on" with the attached photo:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200517_134145836_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1589758865)
He just sent back a note saying that he should have known. ;D
Once I had all that cleaned up I went back in the shop and planed out the bottom of the center section on that slab glue-up. Then sanded it to level and match. The wife bought me a new 4x24 belt sander for my birthday and it rips pretty good, but MAN it throws dust. Gonna have to add a vacuum to it.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200517_160054962.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1589758986)
Tomorrow I should get to the other side, rain is coming in, so it's a shop day.
Yes, it was a good day, thanks for all the good wishes.
CFarm glad you got some stuff done too. I bet everyone was out trying to catch up or get ahead today. Pretty decent weather is this region anyway.
WV you can see in the prior photo what I was wearing. I don't even own a bunad, but I did have a knife on my belt, as usual. ;D :D
OK, so now I am soliciting opinions. I did some more work on that glued up slab today, sanded both sides flat, trimmed the ends, did the smoothing and shaping sanding, then poured a little epoxy in one knot hole and a few tiny imperfections so it all finished up smooth. I set that on the side to cure.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200518_111901586.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1589839333)
Then I started thinking about legs and I wanted to make something different (for me) and lighter and not so clubby looking. I wasted the better part of the day planing wood and working on some legs at a 2.5° angle in both directions. No matter what I did, it didn't look right and kept getting too complicated. So I trashed that idea and made a simple frame with 4 legs about 1-1/2" square. Here are the parts just laid out.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200518_171702239.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1589839345)
Obviously that is upside down. My plan is to cut a half lap on the tops of the legs for the frame to rest on. Then put one screw in for each frame piece into the legs and glue everything when it is assembled. I will then have a frame. I will put 4 blocks screwed to the under side of the table that will square the top up on the frame. I could leave it that way so it is easy to lift the top off to move it, or secure it with a few screws. The frame is white oak and the legs are RO.
So my stupid question #1 is, can I just glue this whole thing, or are screws more the way to go along with the gluing?
Should I plan on screwing it to the bottom straps, or is a removable top more desirable?
Do you think I need something to connect the legs lower down for support, or can I just leave them stick out? (planned overall table height is 19" but I might wind up as low as 17")
I kind of like this concept of making lighter leg structures that do not require putting large holes in the top at the risk of getting an angle wrong and having everything messed up. Not sure how this will appear when finished so I wanted to test out the concept and see how it plays out. Any input is welcome and invited.
for any furniture, I glue everything but the top attachment. to add pizzaz to the legs and lighten them up, look at a tapering jig. can taper just the inner 2 sides or all four. can do the whole length, but easier to leave a square area to attach IMO. plans and video online, and done on the table saw. the top will really POP! i like a little flare angle but you can figure it out.
My initial thought on how to get your legs canted a bit:
Take the legs like you have set up in your mock-up. Set your table saw to a small angle (2.5-5°?). Using a tenon jig would make it easier but clamping an extra tall temporary fence to you saw fence will work. Then pass two adjoining sides of the leg between the blade and fence to make a dovetail like cut. Make this cut longer than the table skirt is high. This will enter the edge of the leg and the cut will lean into the leg. You will have to trim off the slivers and do a little bit of a fancy true up at the shoulder. As the leg leans out in one direction, the shoulder is not square on the adjoining face. Both those shoulder cuts should be the same angle off of perpendicular as the angle of the dovetail. Hope that is clear.
The way I would do it is cut the wedge-like sliver out on both sides. Clamp to your skirt (or a working mock up of one corner). Then have a ½" to 1" spacer on top (the "bottom" of the skirt) and use a flush cutting/undercutting saw to cut the compound angle. That would give a very good fit that can be trued up with some sharp chisels.
Next, I would fit it to the skirt, marking where it extends beyond the upper edge of the skirt - trim to fit. Once all the legs are attached, trim all to length with your band mill!
As Doc suggested, I would also taper the legs to make them look nicer. If you tapered the inside faces about ½" and then did a 2½° angle, I think it would look pretty cool.
I might try this for some cedar slabs I have...
here is a pic of my cheap store bought one, it is better to make one with a hinge and an L bracket or piece of angle iron, and 2 boards.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/51041/CA32C35E-9F55-47F7-BD26-EE9FEDC18A13.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1589845358)
Ah, you guys are great! I didn't even finish reading both your suggestions before I understood what you were telling me and it made perfect sense. SO inspired I was that I just went back out to the shop and did one sample leg to make sure I had gotten it right.
This is the quick and dirty setup I made for making the 2.5° cant cuts. Everything is square and the blade is set at the angle.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200518_200938205.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1589850893)
Two simple cuts then I laid it flat and kicked the square over at 2.5° to trim off the chip. The cuts are short and don't blend well, but this is a proof of concept thing right now. I just wanted to prove the plan out in my head. I am not concerned about matches yet.
So here is that end.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200518_204920603.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1589850901)
Next I made a quick large angle which I clamped to the t-square and set at a 5° angle. I didn't take any pictures of this, it's just as well, pretty ugly, but it worked. I decided on a 5° taper angle that does not run the full length to the leg. This may have had to do with the poor 5 minute jig I made (and finger safety), but it does not look too bad.
Detail photos don't really show much you don't already know, here is the leg on the mock up.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200518_205022278.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1589850920)
Glad I made a 5th leg for this thing so I had something to mess with. :D Tomorrow I will set it up proper with careful measurements instead of eyeballing everything and make 4 legs all the same.
Thanks guys, I had a feeling you would set me right. Guess I was tired at the end of the day and needed somebody to look at it clearly. Gonna be fun to see how this comes out now.
You never know, someday you guys may make me into a woodworker. ;D
Looks great! Just a heads up. Make sure all your blanks are the same length. Depending on how you made your taper jig, your register may be the same or opposite end as the angle cuts at the top. Making sure they are all the same starting will help negate any difference when cutting/registering from the same or different ends. Also, mark what sides are being cut for each leg so you don't suffer a senior moment at a crucial time! ;)
Quote from: ljohnsaw on May 18, 2020, 10:30:40 PM
Looks great! Just a heads up. Make sure all your blanks are the same length. Depending on how you made your taper jig, your register may be the same or opposite end as the angle cuts at the top. Making sure they are all the same starting will help negate any difference when cutting/registering from the same or different ends. Also, mark what sides are being cut for each leg so you don't suffer a senior moment at a crucial time! ;)
Hah! been there, done that, 3 or 4 times today on the first concept. Check my burn barrel if you don't believe me. ;D Yes, blanks are equal length and registering all from the same end anyway. Marking the sides is a necessity these days. The phones rings, and bang you have more scrap.
I am liking this leg setup, the frame is scale-able, and although the legs appear of a modern furniture design I think they look good. I just have to see how it looks when finished. This may be a winner going forward.
Those cross cuts that released the tenon, so to speak: That is a complicated compound cut, right? The blade is angled the same as you made the cheek cut and the miter guide is angled that amount as well, correct? You would just need a stop block at the fence to get them all registered the same. The only gotcha is the miter angle changes between the faces. A little blue tape on the uncut sides to clue in which angle you should be cutting on the opposite (bottom) side on the saw. OR, you could use the off cut from the cheek to use as a shim on your square miter gauge - if it is big enough. There will still be a little clean up with a hand saw and/or chisels.
Look at some old tables and you will see a piece of steel (could be wood) that makes a 45 angle across the corner. Then a screw is run through the mid point in into the leg to stiffen it up. The inside corner is knocked off for the brace to land on it. If steel, it is bent on the ends and sits in a saw kerf in the skirt boards. If wood, it would need to be screwed in. Just a thought to stiffen them up. Or just glue and screw them in from the inside into the skirt.
That issue may be less of a problem than you think. The angle is so small and the distance so short that the saw kerf pretty much takes care of itself and I just need to clean the corner a bit with a file. But we will see when I get back to it in a little bit.
I might look into that corner brace idea, those brackets are available but I forget what they are called and can't find them in a google search right now. Baby steps for now as I figure all this stuff out.
such a small angle, you can play with the idea of cutting the splay angle for the legs, on the backside of the aprons. just run it through the table saw, and have the legs splay out, and skip the half lab on the leg. The outside is square but the inside has the 2.5° angle. or with leg taper on the inside 2 sides, the leg will look splayed but is really perpendicular. making it look more refined. I have called my stuff elegant rustic. bark on one side, but a kid cannot scrape or cut themselves easily. sounds like a traditional wood worker problem. so much wood with so many ideas, and so little time, and never enough tools. :D
Quote from: doc henderson on May 19, 2020, 07:57:06 AM
such a small angle, you can play with the idea of cutting the splay angle for the legs, on the backside of the aprons. just run it through the table saw, and have the legs splay out, and skip the half lab on the leg. The outside is square but the inside has the 2.5° angle. or with leg taper on the inside 2 sides, the leg will look splayed but is really perpendicular. making it look more refined. I have called my stuff elegant rustic. bark on one side, but a kid cannot scrape or cut themselves easily. sounds like a traditional wood worker problem. so much wood with so many ideas, and so little time, and never enough tools. :D
Another neat idea! But I don't want to test that here. The skirt is WO and I have precious little on hand. I used a lot of it building the shed and these pieces were supposed to be battens for that, but they bent like bananas coming off the mill and have laid in the shop ever since. I planed them, cut them short and got the edges trued up into some nice pieces with a bit of effort.
Next time I will look into that. Now I am off to the shop to get this done, or screw it up, whichever comes first. ;D ;D
Well I am afraid may be too tired to keep my eyes open after the evening session, so I am doing the daily report now. This morning I went out and got started on jigging all the cuts for the legs and didn't too too bad, in spite of marking everything I still managed to do one cut on the wrong side and lost a leg, so I used the spare. Then I put it together and glued it and put a single bronze screw in each leg side.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200519_102745263.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1589926005)
I set that on the side to set up, put the top back up and sanded off the little epoxy pours. There was some settling in the knot hole one deep bug hole, so I had to mix and do another tiny pour. Then I set the top on the legs and there wasn't much I could do but wait on that.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200519_113034580.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1589926012)
The weather was nice so I went out and looked for the next thing to do. After the swamp cleanup over the weekend it was looking better, but there was a snapped off maple with a remaining 10' trunk that came down many years ago. It was 'dead' for a long time but now has two volunteers coming out of it and they are about 6" diameter and 20' tall. This will not end well, given the rotten condition of the stump. Time to take care of that and let some sun in on this wet ground. SO I got the gear on and took that down. The stump was about 28" in diameter so it was a bit more than a simple 'knock 'er down' job and it didn't fall as I wanted, but I got it down, cut everything up, limbed it and spread all the limbs for matting in the swamp and also took out a little hemlock and EWP while I was at it. Everything all nice and clean and I was pooped out. I put all those tools away and went back in the shop.
The glue had dried but not the epoxy. So I took all the clamps off and set up a large fence (or what I thought was a large fence until I saw @EOTE (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=44084) 's super fence) and used that to trim the legs. This worked a lot cleaner than using the sawmill, by far.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200519_154541450.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1589926043)
It stands pretty neat and I think those leg ideas I was given really make it look a little sexy, if that is possible.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200519_162605385.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1589926064)
I sanded it all over and just before I came in for dinner I gave it a coat of tung oil. I plan to go out after dinner and flip the top to pour some other small holes in the top side, or is it the bottom? I don't know yet, lets just call it the other side. Then by tomorrow maybe I can do the final sanding and oil it up. This one seems to be coming along faster than previous ones, maybe I am getting better at this? I dunno. I do know I have to start thinking again what is next. Usually I have a long time between projects, but they seem to be getting closer together. I might have to go and look at my notes and sketches. :D
now that is a table. your wife will prob. want to keep it!
Nah, she doesn't want to replace the trunk we have as a coffee table. I will add it to the stock to see if someone wants it.
I did go back out last night and add another coat of oil to the leg set.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200519_200305369.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1589973493)
Then I flipped the top and did some small pours on the other side. Maybe today I can finish sand it and get a coat of oil on that. Then begin the final finish either tonight or tomorrow.
In other news I checked into my work email and find that my department has been transferred to a new boss. Had they done this years ago, I might still be working there. On the other hand, they have appointed a new production manager, who knows nothing about making parts, so that isn't going to go very well. I wish them well, but I am not too hopeful. Still glad I am making the move.
Well another busy and unprofitable day here at Woodsman Forest Products. ;D But it did mark 3 days in a row I stayed out of trouble and kept busy. (This might be do-able!)
I wasted some time doing 'market research' this morning (perusing FB marketplace, and CL), then I checked my sketch book for new projects to start. The project in my head after that disappeared after I stepped in the shop. :D I went to work on that table top, sanded off the epoxy on both sides and started working down to a nice smooth 'baby bottom' finish, then I oiled it with Tung oil and the RO popped up beautifully. The live edges soaked that stuff right up like it wasn't even there, so I will be going out in a little while to do it again. I also found which side I will be using for the top. The best meduallry rays will sadly wind up on the bottom, but there is some fair stuff on the top and a tiny bit of spalting in the live edge to be seen. This is the top side.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200520_121254591.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1590020068)
I am fairly happy with it. SO far it has gone fairly quickly, but the final finish is yet to come which is where I get picky and waste a lot of time.
After lunch I headed back out to the swamp and mill area. It is still too messy for my liking and I had a pile of slabs that were now in the way since I expanded my area. So I cleared some stuff up then cut all the pine slabs and stacked them so they can dry off the ground. There are a few hardwoods in there, but not much. I have another pile of those on the other side I will attack soon. What wasn't good for slabs fed the various firewood piles. The pine slab will get turned into fire pit benches, and the hardwood will be for better stuff. WV knows what I mean.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200520_152258217_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1590020146)
The pile will get bigger in a few days when I do the hardwood. But I am making working room. I cleaned up that pile and everything around it, including an HF antenna that had been half buried there for 25 years. I had to get the mule to yank the coax out from under the dirt. The important thing is I am clearing working space and now trying to parse out how to best use it. I see a bit more backbreaking hand work to make things better. Wish I had a dozer for a day and some big loads of fill. ;D Still I like it, it is coming along. This was a mess of clutter last week.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200520_161023676_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1590020201)
I knew when I was throwing that stuff in piles I was making a mess I would have to deal with and now I am. Lots of time and effort spent trying to reclaim a few hundred square feet,but it's what I've got to work with. This was the mess I started with today and it is gone now.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200520_132105985_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1590020121)
But, there is always more to do. I am hoping this leads to something that allows me to bring in some money at some point. I know one thing, if you have orders and paying work, you need an efficient work space. So that is what I am focusing on now.
The table top you showed was really nice. Like the rays in the red oak.
It is hard not to toss things aside sometime even when you know you will need to pick it up later. Then later comes around and it is like 'why did I do this... I'll do better next time!' but it never seems to happen. At least it has not happened yet for me.
Yeah, I wasn't avoiding work when I threw that stuff in a pile, I was trying to make time. It was cold and snowing and I had to get a loft built. I knew it would wait for a sunny day and be a lot easier to handle.
Yesterday I did nothing. Felt poorly all around, thought I might be getting a cold or something and that bruise on my tailbone was really hurting a lot. It made me miserable as I could not find any position that was comfortable, even fell asleep on the couch for an hour in the afternoon, which is not normal for me at all. All I did was some sanding and put a first cost on the new table project. I was in bed by 9.
Today, was better. Up and out on time, but I never made it to the shop. When I stepped outside it was SO nice that I decided it was time to see if the yard tractor would fire up, and it did, so I mowed the lawn. It looks good, then I attacked the last slab pile I have here (I still have a big one down at the old mill site to clean up). But before I could do that I had to put the new tire on the trailer, I was tired of blowing that tire up every time I needed to use it.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200522_105819947_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1590198191)
I got the tire changed and then had to make a quick run out. Our neighbors just down the road have a new album releasing today. This was supposed to come at the end of their Australian tour and just before their US tour and in the midst of all this they are doing it from home and through social media. I felt badly for them with the investment they have in this project and they are dear friends making some very special music. So I had sent them an email and asked if I could drop by and pick up a copy of the CD today, so I did that around mid-day then ripped it onto my phone and played it on a loop all day. An amazing body of work that has me enthralled. But I digress.
I pulled that slabs out and looked them over and trimmed the junk, some I just completely cut up. I made a mess.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200522_151532520_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1590198284)
But I wound up with a few on the trailer that went on the pile.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200522_151521452_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1590198238)
And I cleaned up my mess (I had to so I could get the tractor through there to put it away).
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200522_160317970.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1590198313)
That little pile will get moved when I make a place to stack the shop firewood but that is another project, cleaning up the side of the shop, that mess had a 20 year birthday a few years ago.(Actually if you look past the trailer in the 3rd photo above, you will see the mess to which I refer, along the whole length of the building.) But things are looking better and I had zero time in the shop today. Tomorrow it should rain, so I will get back to it then. It will give me more time to study this new CD. The creation of good music always puts me in awe, such a gift that is.
Kind of an off day yesterday. I did a bunch of chores and some cleanup but nothing worth talking about. In the morning I sanded and redid my first coat on the table and legs. I am beginning to have a lot of trouble getting a decent finish without blotches, lump, or dips and I can't figure out why. Last night I looked it over and tried to touch up just smaller sections and I think I made it even worse. The stuff looks pretty good in photos, but no so great in real life. I am beginning to think my urethane is getting too old. It is nearly a year ago I bought it and those cans have been opened and closed a lot of times. It seems a little thicker than it used to be even after stirring.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200523_105345411.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1590317161)
I guess I will sand it all again today and take another shot.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200523_105351834.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1590317186)
Perhaps it's the humidity? But under varying conditions I still get poor results. I gotta figure this out. Finishing takes time but doing it 4 or 5 times before it gets fairly 'OK" is a bit much.
humidity can be an issue. also if you start with oil it is usually recommended to wait 72 hours before adding a top coat. another option is to just go with an oil finish with a paste wax for protection, but it will not last without some maintenance. the table looks good. the wood clear so not a knot. I sometimes will wipe down with mineral spirits after a light sanding. just throwing out some ideas.
All good points Doc, I will try the mineral spirits, that just sounds like a good idea. This was bothering me so much that I made the run into town right after my morning post (bad idea, even early on a Sunday of a holiday weekend, there were lines of contractors trying to beat the weekend warriors and a few weekenders in there also) and I just got one quart of urethane.
Turned out, that was it, my stuff was old. The new stuff went on PERFECT!
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200524_190614996.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1590363277)
So after that I needed a new project for the day. I decided to attack a set of benches and do a bunch of them to really find out what kind of time I put into these things. I had 6 slabs waiting and dry, so I took them out to work in the sun. I stripped the bark by hand or with a draw knife as required. Did a rough sand on the tops with 36 grit, the new belt sander worked well for that, then another pass on all with 120 grit. Then I flipped them and did them all on the round side with 80 grit in a palm sander to remove loose fibers, dirt, and irregular spots. Somewhere in between I did the ends and rounded the corners. Worked up a pretty good sweat. I also trimmed a couple with the chainsaw.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200524_112138401_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1590363205)
Then I got that old can of urethane and used it up on the round sides of these to get a first soaking coat on. Man they got really dark, not sure I like them that way.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200524_185942827.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1590363237)
See that first one in the foreground? It looks like ash, right? And it has all those bugs tracks in it like EAB, but it's maple. I am wondering what makes those tracks? Holy cow, this thing is riddled with them. It looks really nice with the urethane.
It's Sunday, so I had to play a little. I took one of the cut-offs and made a slot in the pig bench with a chainsaw to shove the slab into for a seat back. Mixed results, but my free-handing skills are getting better. Well, maybe just a little.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200524_190116326.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1590363256)
All in all, not a bad day. I cut it short because my daughter came over for 'a talk', that required my full attention so the rest of the afternoon was taken up in that. But I did get something done. Tomorrow I have to make legs for all this stuff. ;D I don't enjoy making legs. I need 24 for the 6 slabs. Maybe I will try so new options, as soon as I think of them. :D
Weird day. A holiday for sure, but none of the remembrance and recognition that usually accompanies it. Just stayed home and worked and thought about those who had given us so much. Seemed like a lot of folks traveling here and there and I didn't want to add to any of that.
First thign this morning I did something dumb. Was making my eggs and sausage and sloshed the fat and butter from the frying onto the forefinger in my left hand. I knew that would hurt a lot more later and sure enough, once again I was right.
Today was 'leg day'. I had to make at least 25 legs for all those bench slabs. I was not looking forward to it. I planed the 2" stock I had down to 1-3/4 (roughly) square. I sanded a point on the ends and then stuck 'em in a vise and ran the tenon cutter on. To clean them up I sanded everything sort of smooth after. Tough work on the wrists and forearms for me. I alternated the tasks doing about 4 at a time. By about 2 pm blisters has raised up on that burn. SO I followed the protocol and covered it up.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200525_135442480_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1590453493)
Hey, I found this bug hanging out, does anybody know what it is? Seems to like my wood.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200525_133237290.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1590453484)
Not much exciting about making a pile of legs, so not putting up any photos of the same old legs. My son was over working on his truck today and he brought this fir pit a client had thrown out because the bottom rotted thru. Nice sized and he wanted to help me burn up my bark piles while he worked on the truck. I laughed and said 'go for it, knock yourself out'. We ran about 8 wheel barrow loads through it today and didn't make a dent in the pile. Using a little forced air sure did help move things along more quickly. If I could find a way to hook up a blower and just leave it going all day, I could really feed all this junk in faster. I have a huge bark pile and about 1/2 cord of old rotten firewood driving me crazy.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200525_140626974.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1590453542)
That blower makes it like a blast furnace. Sound like a hot air balloon taking off.
Tomorrow I will gt back to normal a bit without the distractions. Put legs on all the tables and work on finishing up that coffee table.
It is a pine sawyer beetle.
What do they eat? Should I be concerned with the hardwoods?
I have only seen them at my softwood pile. They can find fresh cut eastern white pine. My Father and me cut some pine back in '93. No pine had been cut on our land for probably 100 years, Them critters found the pine. We could hear them making holes and see the sawdust come out.
Get a OWB. :D That's where all my dead wood goes. Seems to be a never ending supply of dead wood.
They infest conifers. There are other different beetles that infest hardwood. There is a beetle for most every kind of wood.
OGH,
What size tenons are you making for your bench legs? Planing down to 1-3/4" seems a bit small for me but my tenon cutter leaves a 1-1/2" tenon/peg that is 3" long. I cut my leg stock 3" and lately 2-1/2". I think I may have used as small as 2" stock. If you are using the same kind of tenon cutter I am, yes, it is hard on the wrist. I usually use a draw knife to remove the corners before using the tenon cutter. Which reminds me my cutter blades need sharpening. Keep us posted.
@Brad_bb (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=6191) uses a burn barrel design that's real good at getting rid of everything including sawdust. I couldn't find the thread just now, but it's here somewhere. Not fussy to use and is real good at sucking O2.
I use 1-1/2 also. I found that the 2" stock seems like overkill, but I could be wrong. The tenon cutter runs onto the smaller stock easier. These legs are red oak, so pretty sturdy.
As far as that bug goes, I do have some EWP laying about. I guess that is what they are after. I will keep and eye out.
@btulloh (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=29962) Here is the video I used to make my first one. What I do that he doesn't is that I stack a second vortex barrel on the first for a hotter cleaner burn due to the chimney effect.
https://youtu.be/-0J0zRiDAmE
Here is my video showing double versus single. Almost no smoke with the double and burns hotter and faster.
Double Vortex Burn barrels - YouTube (https://youtu.be/dfSvvNui2Uk)
OGH,
Yeah the heavier legs are likely overkill for the strength and weight requirements but I kind of like the bulkier look of them for rustic benches. I can see where 1-3/4" stock would sure be a lot easier to turn down with a tenon cutter. TEHO.
You retired fellas are making me feel bad with all you are accomplishing..my progress comes in fits and starts...I tried 3 inches but 2 3/4" fit into the throat of my tenon cutter better, I got 16 legs squared up yesterday on the jointer and cut 8 tennons, between other projects and rainfall. I'm going to try 2 1/2" it should work fine, after all an inch and a half diameter of wood is doing the work.
My favorite legs are actually probably the quarter round ones I get when I quarter a straight 5-6 inch diameter log. I like to turn that rounded side out.
BTW, since my tenons often are a little off center I also keep a good size pipe wrench handy to turn the legs once driven into the mortise. Often just turning them a small amount will help line up the leg where I want it to go and sometimes even adjust the angle of the leg in or out a noticeable amount.
I really like the 1-1/2" auger bit instead of using the spade bit or Forstner bit. I hope one day to find a boring machine to use instead of the half inch wrist breaking drill. I wonder if anyone has ever tried using an old ShopSmith and attaching the tenon cutter head instead of drill bit on the boring option? I would need about 2' of length as that is about standard for my starting leg length. I may start with a leg as short as 20" but nothing less. I don't know if a SS has the power or how hard it would be to clamp them in the lathe since one end has to be free to cut the tenon on it.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/51041/DE288AAD-77BF-42A8-AAD3-86EC3DFB2EF1.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1549570108)
What up Benches? in General Woodworking (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=105007.msg1663299#msg1663299)
If I had more than a "mister" drill press sitting on my work bench top. It's better than nothing but no way to do that. Kinda like the "Mr Microscope" I had in Jr high... that is for sure a better setup than mine.
Nebraska I was right there with just a very few days ago. I was so sick of hearing my retired friends say "When you are retired, every day is Saturday!" I wanted that too, and now I have that. It just dawned me yesterday that in my world, I would spend all my available time during the week setting up for my weekend so I could work like mad to get everything done. Now that every day is 'Saturday' I am working my butt off nearly every day. This is gonna kill me at some point. I work each day until I am too pooped to do more. I have to re-think this. Yesterday i made up 24 legs and cut and tenoned them and did a few other things I have forgotten about. This morning I light sanded the coffee table, put another coat of urethane on the top and legs, made the locating blocks for the underside, drilled and screwed them in place.
Then I went out and did another coat on the bottoms of those 6 benches and did a first coat on the 24 legs. Pooped by 11:30.
I just like the appearance of the thinner legs. On the other hand I am coming around to making some benches flat on both sides. I came across some slabs in the pile that just might work well for a test.
Now I have to fill up the afternoon. :D But the wife wants a live edge planter.
On that burn barrel, that was more of a short term thing for me. Just cleaning up old rotten stuff that has no heat value. Its been laying around over 5 years. I was thinking about Brad's setup and I could find the thread either. Unless I really have time to kill it's too much for me. The spark plume coming out of that thing makes it tough for me to find a safe place to run it. Too much overhead around here except the middle of the back lawn.Once I am done with the cleanup I can keep up with all the routine burning. Brad, where is that thread?
OK, break is over, back to work.
Quote from: WV Sawmiller on May 26, 2020, 10:53:22 AMI don't know if a SS has the power or how hard it would be to clamp them in the lathe since one end has to be free to cut the tenon on it.
I have the original Shopsmith 10er (actually 3 but 1 is assembled). The beauty of these machines is the versatility. In the lathe configuration, it is also a horizontal boring machine. You keep the table on it and clamp your stock to it. You can raise and lower the table to get the stock lined up. You can slide the table and your stock so it hits the tail stock for extra support to keep it from wanting to push away as you drill. Most have the original 1/2 hp motor but you would have it belted down to half-speed so you should have plenty of power. I have a 3/4hp on mine.
I made one (fire barrel) like Brads, and it works well. he posted his video on reply earlier in this thread.
Now you guys are making me envious. I like Doc's set up with the drill press and the clamp/vice arrangement there to make the tenons. I don't think my little 5 speed HF drill press has the uummpf to do that. So @doc henderson (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=41041) when you get a box with 50-60 bench legs you know why. :D Be sure to ship them back by cheap freight. ;D
@ljohnsaw (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=20640) thanks for the info on the ShopSmith. One of these days maybe somebody will pay me to haul one off for scrap. I keep trying swap for a load of lumber but for some reason I keep finding the guys getting rid of their woodworking tools are generally not too interested in trading for lumber. Who'd have thought it? ::) ::)
I have serious shop envy too. I am working mostly outside. I have a rough table built on to the front of my first lumber shed with an outlet there to run a drill, the drill press, belt sander, table saw, etc. I have a RAS built into a table on the other end of the shed about 25' away. When it rains I can have mud inches deep out there to contend with.
the tenon cutter manufacturers really discourage a drill press, but they make little horizontal braces to hole the drill. I use it the other way to do compound angles on my benches, and do not like to keep changing it back and forth. send me some. If I go visit my aunt in Virginia, we will drop them off. :) or if VT has a solar drying class!
WV I like the through tenons, but find it hard to get a clean exit with my forstner bits, especially at compound angles of about 10 to 13°. so I make them blind tenons. if they are loose, I have cut a groove in the tenon, and sized a wedge to go into the slot as I drive the tenon (leg) into the mortice. I always use glue (titebond 3), known technique but not sure what to call it.
Howard, you shouldn't be too envious. I like working outside and had begun making a usable workspace at the old mill site and am just now starting to do it over up here behind the shop (refer to all the cleanup photos and references in prior posts) I have no covered outdoor space, so I envy you that. Still have to make a proper bench, maybe this week.I have been working all winter on the inside space as you know, but now when we have these few weeks when the weather is just right, I want to do everything outside (until ti gets uncomfortable). ALso, our outdoor seasons up here are a bit shorter than yours, and even Doc's. 6 weeks ago I was jealous of the weather and work conditions he had (home type work, not his work type work, I would not take that on for any money ;D).
Those tenons really take a toll on me and my arms. I am seriously considering making one of those rotating table saw jigs that makes perfect tenons, every time. But I find the jig a little scary. What if the blade catches it and everything flies? Maybe I should just try it. If it works, I could really crank out some legs. (There was a thread here about it a year or two ago.)
I have a confession. I am finding that I seem to be limited to only 6 or 7 hours work a day before I am pooped out. Now to be fully clear, those hours are pretty much flat out work with not a lot of thinking time involved, there is nobody here to talk to or have coffee with, there are no runs out for materials or anything like that. Straight work, but after that, I look around for easy stuff to do like clean something up, sharpen tools, or mow the lawn. (Don't tell the wife, but I might even be watching a movie or something.)
After dinner I will put up a post with today's misdeeds. But I really need a shower first.
@doc henderson (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=41041) ,
Because I make my mortises at an angle I have not had any luck getting the Forstner bit to work so I used the spade bit but I am really liking this 1-1/2" auger. I start from the top and find I really need the bench top resting tightly on a piece of scrap stock so the bit does not break out as badly if at all. Here is the auger bit.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/38064/IMG_1538~0.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1590538643)
I feel this is making a cleaner cut even at angles. I also sometimes drive a metal sledgehammer wedge into the end of the tenon after I have cut off the excess. That really tightens the tenon in the mortise. If you don't like seeing the metal wedge you could countersink it with a little flat bar then fill in the gap with wood or putty. Yes, I glue the tenon before driving it into the mortise and cutting off the the excess with the Japanese pull saw.
If you get to Va Tech you are 66 miles from my house. I don 't know how far it is to your Aunt. :D
OGH,
The table saw technique for making tenons is impressive but it cuts a flat surface at the base of the tenon while my Lumberjack tenon cutter leaves a 60 degree shoulder which is handy since I am putting my legs on at an angle. Since you are using rounded slabs with the round on the bottom the angled shoulder looks like it would be an advantage for you too.
I make benches sometimes where the top is only 6-7 wide so the angled legs are critical for stability as they would fall over too easily if drilled in straight. The angled legs make cutting to length on the mill another advantage as the mill cuts the same height an angle on each leg so they sit perfectly square to the floor or deck.
OK, I had dinner and a shower and they were both great. :D The temp hit 87°, never saw that coming. My feet were on fire.
I started the day in the shop. I cut some blocks to locate the top on those legs, drilled and screwed them in place. My intent is that these will locate the top centered on the legs and keep it from moving, but make it easy to remove the top for transport. The top is heavy enough that it really does not need to be screwed down.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200526_092129808.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1590537409)
I stood it up to get a look and it doesn't look too bad.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200526_092326999.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1590537398)
I took the top off and threw a coat of urethane on the blocks, then flipped it, did a light sanding on the top and did a second coat on that. I also sanded and touched up the legs in some spots.
Then I headed outside. I took all the legs and laid them out and put a first coat of urethane on them. It's easier to do when they are un-assembled and it goes fairly quick. Then I did a second coat on the bench bottoms.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200526_105342995_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1590537551)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200526_105302810_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1590537453)
It was getting hot, especially in the sun. It was 11:30 so I took lunch. That little burn I got yesterday had blistered up by last evening so I covered it with a gauze pad. This morning I needed to put a clean one on and when I took the old one off, this is what I found.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200526_113936207.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1590537498)
It's a pretty healthy blister now and I know from experience, if these are not protected and kept clean, they can get pretty painful at least, and easily infected at worst. SO I re-dressed it and was careful all day not to break it. I re-dressed and checked it twice during the day. All good. Even managed to scrub the pine sap of my hands twice today without breaking it. Tonight I left it dressed for my shower and when I went to put a dry one on later, I found it had popped. So I drained it and am letting it air dry. I will cover it again before bed. It worries me a bit because I know a blister this size can sideline me for a few days if I can't keep it clean.
Anyway, after lunch I figured I would keep the wife happy and make those planter boxes she wanted. An hour or so later they were done.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200526_182003860.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1590537562)
Just quick and dirty was what she wanted, and what she got. It's very fresh pine so I was wearing a lot of sap. ;D After that I cleaned up the tools and covered the mill. I did a few odds and ends in the shop, sanded some cookies I have been working on forever, and checked the drying progress on the top (looking good).
Al in all not a bad day. I have to start getting back in the zone to go in and finish up work on Friday. To that end I had an hour long phone conversation today with my new boss ( as of last week, our department was transferred to another manager). So that was a bizarre combination of a 'getting to know you" interview combined with a "nice working with you/ exit interview". :D I am going to have to spend some time shaving to get cleaned up, the beard is getting ugly and out of control. It is actually on my 'things to do' list this week. I just can't seem to make time for it. ;D
Just saw your new post Howard. I had problems with the forstener bits also doing angles, especially in round bottoms. Here is how I do it: I start the bit (slow) square to the surface, then without pushing it to drive it, once the center is holding I begin to lift the drill to the angle I want so it only cuts on the one side, once I hit the target angle, then I begin the push to go through. My problem is getting the same angle on all 4 legs. :D I'll try to get some better detail photos on how I do this, or maybe a video if I get adventurous. ;D To prevent the breakout issues I put a nice flat piece on hardwood under it to drill into. I also do not do any final sanding until the legs are in, glued and sawed off. By then, any little chips seem to never be an issue.
When I first started making benches I experimented with a jig to cut the mortises all the same angle but I quickly abandoned that and now I just free-hand them. The tenons also often cut at a bit of an angle instead of perfectly in line with the leg so angling the leg a bit with a pipe wrench also adjusts the angle of the leg in or out. Cutting on the mill resolves the final angle making it, the base cut, 90 degrees to the deck even if the legs are not all perfectly aligned at the same angle. I can honestly say every bench is one of a kind and not a boring assembly line product.
I am looking so forward to being retired!!!!!
Howard, you mentioned square corners in the tenon. This is the jig type I had in mind. There is a thread here on the forum with a different jig, but I just can't find it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWr14AbgUCY (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWr14AbgUCY)
I tell people I am retired to get them to back off. Need to close to get caught up sawing. The walnut logs [4000] feet are starting to slip the bark and crack and I have beautiful cedar that is end checking. I have everything I wanted 30 years ago.
Pretty neat video and that would leave you a shoulder to better fit your benches. I don't think this is the same video I saw. I think in the one I saw the table saw blade was at a 90 degree angle to the wood being turned down.
Well the heat continued to roll in today. I already found myself getting out earlier to beat it a bit.
Today I put the table together and took some photos to post. Just one here, you guys know what a coffee table looks like.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200527_093420358.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1590629302)
Then I went out and dug the rototiller out of the equipment hut. Got the tiny garden turned over for the wife. I used to be out there with a bottom plow and disk harrow when it was considerably bigger, but as we get older, it gets smaller. Maybe next year I will expand again if I am willing to take care of it myself. Busting sod is no fun though.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200527_111801979_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1590629336)
After that it was pretty hot, I had worked up a healthy sweat, and that burn on my hand was stinging again. I did some cleanup work in the shop (ok, I swept up and filled a barrel with sawdust and got it on the compost pile) and some other odds and ends. As long as I had the rototiller out, I dug into the equipment shed and pulled out my simplicity tractor to get it running and use it for a towmotor around the mill with the little trailers and such. Always a handy little machine, but I haven't used it in 2 years. My son used it last year on an estate yard cleanup but I figured it was dead, so I didn't even try, just pushed it out. Before I hooked up the charger, I turned the key just for giggles and it turned over. In a few seconds it started up!
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200527_154626079_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1590629382)
It's a nice little tractor for pulling stuff around the yard. I just have to rig up a trailer ball on it. I used to have a pintle hitch on the back, but I took it off to use on the truck. I could pull a yard trailer with the pintle. Now I need to add a ball. Always something to do around here. So I didn't get much done today, but I did start working on my loafing skills. :D
That table looks sharp. It won't last long.
I hope you are right. Lots of nice comments from folks, but no takers so far.
OGH - remember the sage advice posted elsewhere here on the FF "Never plant a garden bigger than your wife can hoe."
Good looking coffee table. I hope it sells quickly and for a lot. I know the buyer is going to ask "Can you make me a couple of end tables just like it to match?" :D
That would be nice. but beyond facebook I really don't have any outlets built up for this stuff just yet. The table did generate an inquiry for outdoor benches, but I am waiting to hear back so I can tailor what I have to what they want.
OGH,
I have several of my benches scattered in various local shops for sale on a consignment basis. I get a little advertising and occasionally they even sell one for me but if nothing else the benches are housed in covered, climate control storage and leaves my home storage available for something else. You might look into that as an option. The worst the vendor can say is no - he can't eat you. I had a vendor a couple weeks ago say no to some tomato stakes but she took my cards and sent me a customer a day or so later.
Yes, that is not a bad model. My wife has stuff in several shops, but hardly any of them are open right now. It will be a while. When I get a few more pieces made, I was considering loading them on a trailer and putting them on the front lawn during the day, then parking them in the shop at night. I might get some drive by's or at least get the word around.
Weather permitting I plan on taking a load to the flea market this weekend. it was open last weekend and I went to shop but rain scared me off. If fact it rained on me as I was getting ready to leave so probably best I did not take any. I take a load a couple times a season and sell a few tomato stakes, a few odd pieces that I rescued from the trash (It is strange what sells sometimes) and other small pieces and usually pick up a mobile sawing job or two in the process. I give out lots of business cards and talk to people. I even took the mill one trip last summer which was good advertising too.
The farmers markets here are just beginning to open "by appointment only" (limited access) and they are only for food products. It will be a while yet. There was one singular street fair I had picked out to be the goal for my 'opening' out in the middle of the Catskills in Roxbury. It was canceled a month ago. That HAD been my target goal. I Like that show, small home town crowd, nice folks, easy setup and take down, even saw some folks I know. But that ain't happening. SO I am re-thinking. I am still working on forming up my 'creative juices' and shedding the corporate world once and for all time. :)
Today, I accomplished nothing at all. I am distracted by having to go in for my last day tomorrow. I have to pack up my stuff here at the house after COB today and get my head back in that game...for a day. To that end I went to a local shop and picked up a tool I had loaned them from company stock, I need to get that back to the engineer. I went to Lowes when I was in town and picked up some odds and ends. I hate that store, nothing is where you expect it and they don't put the store locations on their web page so I can look them up ahead of time. Anyway I did manage to find the table leg plates I wanted. I picked up beer and came home to my wife complaining loudly that her routine prescriptions were available for pickup at the pharmacy, BUT our insurance was denied so we had to pay full cost. After contacting my HR department for help (useless) I spent over an hour on the phone with no less than 5 different representatives (giving all my personal info to each one in turn), Finally figured out that the billing clerk at the pharmacy may have been sampling the goods and tried to charge it to our new policy which does not go into effect until 6/1. Got it all fixed but I was all kinds of torqued up because I thought maybe my company had cut off our insurance early as a 'parting gift". It wouldn't be the first time they had given a retiree a 'surprise parting gift'. (Actually most of our retirees have been screwed in one form or another by last minute changes in the "benefits plan" necessitated by the changing business environment, meaning "we didn't reap as much profit as we wanted and we figured out a way to take the money from you").
Then my son (he has a property maintenance business) had asked me to open up an estate for the oil burner service guy because he is slammed with work right now. So I went over and did that and killed the time by perusing the owners collection of Winchester commemorative rifles and his artwork (lots of Remington paintings and sculptures). Then back home again and I sent out my 'farewell' email to my co-workers telling them tomorrow was my last day in the office, then an hour of answering the replies. I won't see most of the office folks, they are still working from home, but I will get to say goodbye to the folks in the shop, where my heart is, so that is good. Sorry to miss the afternoon shift though.
So yeah, a lost day thinking about 'stuff' too much. The only thing I did do was bring in all the benches and legs that I had drying outside. We have about 40 hours of light rain coming in. Tomorrow I am sure will also be lost, but when I get back to work, I have a lot of legs to install in bench seats.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200528_090225789.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1590703672)
Well, that is that then. The job is done. Last day yesterday,, I went in and closed out my stuff, turned in my credit card, keys, gear, etc and took a few remaining personal items out of my office. (I forgot to take my clock off the wall and could use that in the shop.) I said good bye to some of the fellas and gals and collected some phone numbers to stay in touch. Funny, one of my co-workers owns the property that abuts mine and I have known him for over 30 years and never had hi phone number. He lives down in town, so I keep an eye on his place. (I sure would love to buy that piece.),
Anyway, when I got home I was a little depressed or something. I had spent more than an hour of my time at work on the phone with the Medicare part B people working through a total screw up and their end and now I am afraid I will have no health insurance for a few more weeks. Very upsetting. My agent says not to worry, it's all gonna be fine, but I was seething and it put me in a very foul mood. Not the way I wanted to spend my morning and it took me some effort to shake it off, but I did make the rounds and get out. I did nothing all afternoon except mope around, no energy. I don't know why. It would have been real nice to have a few friends and neighbors over for a beer around the campfire to make a nice evening of it, but the weather killed that idea with some steady rain coming in at just the wrong time and it rained through the night off an on. Now it's a grey, wet morning.
I got an inquiry to make a table from my former boss, but I don't really think they know what they are asking for and it is a bit frustrating trying to parse out the details with them. They have a table they want to replace with one similar, but a little longer. SO the top is 34 x 60 and they want it 42" TALL (THAT IS BAR HEIGHT). They also want an X-leg design like on the classic farm table. I don't like these and I don't make them. Most times they come out looking like a stack of box store framing pieces nailed together. Great for a backyard, but not really nice for inside the home, in my opinion. Yes, I have seen plenty of nicely done executions of this design but they require a lot of fancy molding and edge work to make them look nice. The table they have is of this design, heavily distressed and made of pine. Everything is rounded and gouged and beat up looking (I know, it was a popular style back in the 70's). The legs appear to be made from 2x4's and 4x4's and not impressive at all. They call it 'unique'. They don't know pine from oak and they don't understand what properly done live edge is. (They think it will peel off.) I wound up by offering to make a new top to put on their existing legs. I also tried to offer making a nice table with a proper skirt and turned legs they could choose from a supplier. No go. They want 'unique'. Those legs will take a lot of time and material to make and won't look very impressive when done. The cost on this table would be considerable with the legs and I don't think they would be ready to pay that. (They have the money, but...) As it is, this will need to be a glue-up of several pieces to make the width they want. I am not sure I am ready to get involved in this quite yet, and that thought bothered me also. Too much thinking on a day I was already doing too much thinking.
I went to bed early.
Got up early too, not feeling too much better but I am going to try and adjust my attitude and get something accomplished today. I really would like to do something different, go visit a friend or something, but that isn't in the cars for a while yet. I notice the local government is pushing to get businesses open again and people back to work, but they are not so anxious to get the county offices back open. I need to get my business registered and my license has expired and I can't renew it through the mail, it has to be in person. The DMV closed early on (the day I got my renewal notice) and there is no talk of them opening soon. This stuff is getting old fast.
It's time for me to get on with it.
Sorry for a bummer of a day. I hope the rest just get better from now on. I never did see if you decided to build the table for your old boss or not. Sounded like you were still pondering the proposal. I'd say if it doesn't feel right I'd pass and you can tell him you just would not be comfortable making something like he is describing. Sometimes dealing with friends and acquaintances is harder than dealing with strangers.
Our DMV has been shut down since the start of the pandemic and are doing a lot of their work on-line. I just had to renew my registration on my truck and did it on line then they did could not find my proof of property tax payment so I had to mail them a copy of the same form I used to get the reference number on-line. A couple weeks later they sent it to me. I tried to call and follow up a couple times and got a semi-polite message "We're too busy. Call later."
Well, I better go start loading up a trailer to take some benches and such to the flea market tomorrow. I have 2 GDs with me going. Their mom's sister is coming by so we'll try to set up beside each other to help watch each other's stands. I told my 8 y/o gd I would put her on commission and explained it was a % and if she sold a $100 bench for a 1% commission she would make $1. She decided if she sells 100 benches she will make $100 so I may have to start taking orders. :D I made another raised planter yesterday to take and go make a few more bluebird boxes. That is a great use of short stuff as I can use a 1X6 as short as 10".
It is like having a spouse that you argued with constantly for 30 years. you are still sad and grieve when they are gone. transition. sounds like you are doing well, starting up a retirement job. :)
So as I read your post I wondered if you redo the top using their existing legs, you could make a set of legs that matches the top using your vision....then show them both, it's ok if they don't want your legs as you can then build a top then to match or modify them later.... I know it's piddle work and it won't pay well, just think you may surprise and educate them and you will be more satisfied with the process in the end. Heck you may turn their old top into something useful as well. Congratulations on the first day of your being your own boss in a while. I sincerely hope we all can go visiting and socialize as we see fit soon. It's my wife's anniversary of her 29th birthday today we went to the cabin, we had plans hoping to go a neat older pizza joint in Yankton but it will be carry out only. At least we have that option. Hope you have a better day and can sit around a fire and enjoy a nice evening.
Nebraska, I hope you sell bunch of stuff. But even if you don't, you will likely have a great day with the GD's! I had to read that sentence twice about your wife's anniversary, nicely put. :D
Doc, I would suppose your are right. I am just working through the process. Some things are not cleared up yet and my approval for social security has not come through yet and the insurance is also pending. I would just like to have that stuff cleared up and off my mind. I shouldn't worry, but I always fret these things too much before they are resolved.
WV, it wasn't really a bummer day, I did finally close out over 48 years of working mostly in sweatshops or like conditions. I earned that. I just thought it would go a little different and having just a couple of folks over would have made a world of difference in my mood. Things are looking up today. I started two new tables of different designs.
As far as that table goes, yeah, I was trying to figure out what was making me feel 'off' about it and I believe it is the request to make something totally out of my nature at the present time. I tried to offer them something substantially nicer than what they have and they are discounting suggestions and options without really understanding what they are. I am not going to build something totally on spec thinking they will like it when it's done only to have them object to some bizarre feature. Sounds like they want something custom made for a cheap price. When I told them a full table with their leg design made out of hardwood would run them around $2500.00 I never heard back. :D ;D I don't think I would have charged that but I did want to see if they had an idea of what they were asking for.
I don't mind modifying something I have made into the requirements of a client, that's what I like to do, but asking me to do something I have never done, that I don't like, and that looks pretty silly,is something that I will charge fairly and fully for. I don't want them saying (after it is done) 'Yeah, I see what you mean now, we should have done it different.' or "We don't like it". This isn't IKEA. :D
after you get insurance and your first SS check, all will be well in The Land of Retirement.
Quote from: thecfarm on May 30, 2020, 09:29:29 PM
after you get insurance and your first SS check, all will be well in The Land of Retirement.
Indeed it will, I look forward to that peace of mind.
@wv sawmiller I did a video of the way I put holes in with the standard forstener bit. It works for me, I know you love your augur bit.
Angle holes with a forstener bit. (https://youtu.be/s_c4e6Mtowk)
(Edit, I tried to edit to get the video to embed, but apparently I am doing something wrong so you will have to click on the link sorry.)Here is a photo of the breakout hole I forgot to show in the video.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200530_142628700_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1590893763)
Before the table work I had an idea for a couple of 2x2' tops, one will test a new leg design, and the other will go on a pedestal I have had for 35 years kicking around. Maybe I can finally sell it off after I paint it again (3rd time?). Here is glue up number 1.. I'll do the other glue up tomorrow. not enough beam clamps and I like to let them set up overnight.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200530_135044126.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1590893673)
Then the grandson's showed up and I was prepared for them, I had too much to do today and they kind of messed me up a bit. I had to cut the lawn and get the house ready and a fresh cleaning on the bathroom downstairs, we were having just a few friends and neighbors come over to sit around the fire (at a safe distance, of course). I could do a retirement get-together, but dang if I didn't need to sit and chat and laugh with some friends. SO we did that in a large circle, listened to some music, drank some beer, talked guns, politics, social norms, current events, etc. Just a couple of hours, and it was good. It rained on us and we just sat there and talked thru it.
That dang burn on my finger was really slowing me down today. Keeping it clean is tough. Last night I took the dressing off to let it air out and I forgot to cover it before bed. During the night I ripped off the thin layer of skin on it. Now it is a LOT harder to keep clean and I am having a tough time dressing it and keeping it in place. It's ugly and tender.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200530_122710064.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1590893648)
It stings a good deal of the time. I might have to wrap it up like a mummy tonight. Then tomorrow is another day.
I would leave it open to air at night to form skin, cover during day!
Roger that Doc! Good advice I will follow. I am never sure with these type things. I clean it 2 or 3 times a day and redress. The sensitivity is down quite a bit today and I am just avoiding getting any chemicals on it. Getting better each day, but who wants to slow down for a little thing like this? :D
OGH,
Thanks for the video. The first thing I noted was the direction of cut. I start my mortise from top side of the bench so if there is any breakout when the bit comes through it is on the underside where it does not show.
I sold one cheap bench at the flea market today and a guy wanted me to cut a 4' RO LE slab with Lictenburg engraving in two and make 2 smaller benches for side tables. I was going to do it then thought better and agreed to make him 2 more out of LE RO slabs I have in stock and I will have the Lictenburg applied after the benches are made.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/38064/Lichtenberg_red_oak~0.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1590958457)
These are the slabs. I remembered when I install the legs I cut off the excess then sand to level the bench end with the bench surface. I figured I risk messing up the current engraving so I'll start with blank slab, add the legs then have it engraved.
It never occurred to me that your were starting from the seat side of the bench. I could see the advantage of that giving you a clearer view of the angle in reference to the top of the bench which is not always easy from down below. But for me, it seems like it is very hard to prevent breakout issues on an irregular surface. That's why I go from the bottom. I never even thought of trying the other way. Maybe I will give it a shot and see how it works for me.
Glad you sold at least one bench! Hope you had a nice day with good weather. What were the crowds like? Wondering how it is going to go here when those things can happen, will folks stay home, or come out?
I had never heard of that Lictenburg process. I had to go look it up and watch some videos. Pretty neat, but not something I think I would get into. I don't think I have ever seen that around here at all. Wish we had 'a guy' for that. ;D I could see how it helps sell stuff.
I agree, putting legs and sanding on a slab that is already through the process could be a mess and really mess it up. better to make the bench first and do the process last.
For myself I didn't get a lot done. I did the next 2x2 table glue up, then worked on the one that I glued yesterday, cut it square and sanded it and cleaned up the live edges. The oak pieces in this have some nice rays showing.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200531_130554851.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1590968580)
So I got that to the point of putting on the first coat of urethane, which is drying now. I might check it after I finish this, but so far it looks pretty good.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200531_163412520.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1590968592)
The grandsons were over when I was sanding this top and I found they are proficient at operating a vacuum cleaner, in fact they are enthusiastic. So we worked on refining their operating skills and taking turns. I am thinking next time they come over, if I can rig up one more hose, we can have a unit for each boy and instead of adding to the mess, they can be cleaning it up. As it is now they fight for who gets to use it. I will have to develop this further. ;D
After they left and I had the finishing work done, I set about making the skirt material for one of the tables and got that planed and ripped to size. I have yet to figure out the legs. These will be taller, perhaps in the 28" range so tapering the legs, which appeals to me, is going to be more of a challenge. I also am considering buying legs just to see how that looks, just not sure what to do yet, so that's homework for this evening. I am getting short on material to choose from so will have to get some stuff milled soon to re-fill the pipeline.
Anyway, a light day. I have not done all the leg holes for those benches but I did start gluing 2 today, so I have those to continue on, the 2 tables in work now and I have to start thinking about whats next. I need another drying skid before I get to milling a bunch of stuff, but I also need lumber to make it. So much to do, so little time.
OGH,
Remember both my bench surfaces are normally flat so I don't have to contend with that uneven starting surface but at least I understand your rationale better now.
The crowds were pretty good although not as much as last week which was first week open. I shopped but did not set up last week because of rain predicted and it did rain on me while I was there but it stopped and cleared up and the guys who went did pretty good. For my kind of products I don't need large numbers of people looking for a lot of cheap stuff, I just need one or two looking for something unusual. And I had several promise to come look at LE slabs and such for project. One couple was looking for someone like me for a source of wood for an outdoor bar for their deck. I expect to see them soon. We will see.
Yeah, I completely forgot about how your are using sawn slabs, another thing I want to try, in fact I have a piece in my dried rack I keep looking at and trying to figure out what to use it for. It has a taper down the length and just never seems to have the dimensions I need when I am looking. It's 12' so I may chunk it up to make a bench or two and use the rest for other stuff after planing. But, I digress, I have had great success with that hardwood backer, rarely ever do I have a breakthrough problem.
SO in my previous post this evening I mentioned that I needed another vacuum hose for the 3rd vacuum unit I have and I also mentioned I need lumber to build a drying rack out in what I call the swamp. I just finished that post and my son pulled in with his dump trailer to get the trash from the shop. He had left the trailer at a client's place so the client could use it for his deck demo (my son is building them a new one). As long as he is headed to the transfer station at 6am he figured he would take the shop trash also. He asked if I wanted anything off the trailer, and without looking I said "no thanks". He said, let me turn on the flood lights, you might wanna have a look. There were about a dozen 16' 2x6's with no rot, just some deck screws here and there. I changed my mind. ;D We had to fight them out, but we got them all. I should have enough for the drying rack and probably another lumber storage rack inside the shop. I may just have to buy a few cheap 2x4's There were two folding Adirondack chairs we took out to give us working room and take some weight off. Turns out one was in perfect shape and the other needs one board remade and one board glued. I took those also. Finally, there was 30' of 1-3/4 vacuum hose in very good condition.
So I guess all my wishes from the last post were granted. Pretty neat how that worked out. Weird, but pretty nice. :D
we all have different styles, but you could also not go all the way through so the top is solid. but I do like the end grain showing through. the forstner bits work fine if you use a drill press. I have a radial drill press with a bed that makes it a compound drill press. If you arrive at a standard set of angles that you like, you can make a jig to use with a regular drill press to do the same thing. the consistency does add to the professional look. elegant rustic!
I feel/find I need at least 2" of tenon in the mortise to hold it tight. I used to make 4" benches and bury the 3" tenon in the wood without drilling all the way through but found the benches were too heavy and I also like the end grain appearance of the tenon showing through. If the slab is less than 2" I'd prefer to add a thin board on the bottom to make it thicker for more holding wood. I have tried adding screws angled through the tenon from the underside but did not like results. A drill press works fine for cuts straight down through the wood but unless you shim the top I don't see how you can angle the mortise very well. On a wide bench straight legs work fine but I like to use a lot of narrower slabs in the 6-8 inch widths and you have to angle the legs for stability in that case. I don't like the Forstner bit for that. I need a spade bit or my new favorite auger bit. Metal wedges in the top work great to tighten the tenon if it is a little loose. I can't drive wooden wedges in very easily so like the metal (sledgehammer type) wedges. I buy them by the pound from a supplier in Arkansas. If you don't like the appearance of the metal you can countersink them 1/4" or so and fill with wood or putty. I have been trying custom made putty with wood glue and sawdust from my belt sander to help match the wood color better. I need to find me a good flat piece of metal to use to countersink the wedges. That will not be hard to find or fabricate.
Well, I think it's neat that we all have different approaches and all use the tools, skills, and materials we have available to make things for folks to sit on that they seem to like. :D It all works and we do what we like, the way we like. They all look pretty dang good too!
Tonight, once again I am pooped. With that unexpected load of 2x6's showing up last night my plans were changed. The mule was blocked in because of where we unloaded them (I wasn't thinking), so I used the lawn tractor and little trailer. Turned out there were 15 2x6x 16' in that pile.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200601_085351708_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1591052600)
It took about a 1/2 hour to get all the deck screws out, I only broke two and only missed one. ;D
I didn't stop to take photos much. I did all the cutting on my RA saw which is upstairs in the shop, so everything was moved up and then down again, which added time. Lots of stair climbing. All the legs on this are different length in order to keep it flat and level. It also partially straddles the drainage creek. I put a ridge over it to suspend a tarp to keep the sun and direct rain off. Working alone, some of this was a little challenging. To hang the ridge I threw a line over the post and hoisted up the ridge a little on each end until I had it within 2-4 inches of the top. The I lifted it in place on one end and put a nail in. Then I nailed the other end and came back and finished the first end.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200601_160246825.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1591052651)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200601_160254626_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1591052669)
I added some gussets for support, some legs on the mid-span to take out the sag. Called it done. Shot photos when finished so you guys would know I got something done today.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200601_164728277.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1591052739)
It measures 6'x16' and should help me get the drying a little more organized. I got wood laying all over and I can't find what I need, when I need it. This should help, but another day shot working on infrastructure, just shows how much organization I need. I can never seem to do enough. Early to bed tonight. :D
OGH,
Are those legs in the ground or mounted to concrete/stone footers? If not you might jack them up and put rollers on them and move your shed wherever you want to change locations. Easier than getting 400 Amish helpers to move it. :D Looking good.
Nope, that is just sitting on blocks. It could be picked up and moved by a few folks. I built it so that we could do that, I am not totally sold on the current location, but wanted to try it out for a start. And of course, an hour after I finished it, my son said he is wangling a deal with a buddy to come in the his mini-ex and do a little grading around the mill and the swamp to make it drain better and be a little more flat, so we will likely have to move it if that happens. ;D There isn't a lot that can be done without bringing in fill, but this is an area that was never tended at all and some simple work would make things a lot better...I hope. A lot of the lumps and grading blockages I have are a result of when my son borrowed a mini-ex when he was about 19 and 'made improvements' on our drainage issues as he was learning how to use the machine. I would love to have that finally fixed.
Long day, or it feels like it anyway. It was very cool out today and solid overcast, so it was a shop day. It took me all day to make the legs for that 2x2 table. I had to rip down a plank to make the blanks, then plane them. Then I spent a couple of hours trying to figure out how to taper them with the stuff I had on hand. I finally figured it out and tapered them on two sides then sanded it all. I cut the skirt and was ready to try this new system for legs. I used Waddel corner plates. I thought I took specific photos of how they install, but apparently not. Anyway, it worked.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200602_171240164_-_Copy.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1591143122)
I don't think it came out as bad as it could have. :D
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200602_171300555_-_Copy.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1591143093)
This is the only photo I have right now of the corner plates. Pretty simple installation, the trickiest part is getting the stud hole correct and at a good 45° angle on the leg.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200602_171339895_-_Copy.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1591143119)
I am fairly happy with it. It's a neat way to make legs and attach them. You could change out the legs easy or adjust the skirt size after the fact by making new sides. Anyway, it's something I always wanted to try, so now I have. You can also use store bought legs with the system, so that is another advantage and a reason I wanted to try it out.
I went out after dinner and put a first coat on the legs, another coat on the top, and some other stuff I have in work. Maybe I can do another tomorrow. I do have another top that is glued and cut square, but needs sanding and prep for finishing. I also have to work on the pedestal it is going on. Seems like the harder I work the more I have to do. I have been playing text and phone tag since yesterday with Bargemonkey to visit and pick up some logs and they are in his way, so I gotta move on that. I have a jointer to pick up, a planer to return, and just got a call tonight about some surplus cherry logs. 8) Looks like I will have some traveling in the next week or so. So is this what retirement is like? :D Officially retired two days and I am exhausted.
Quitting early today. Feel like it was just a half day, but I did start around 7:30, so quitting at 5 doesn't seem to bad.
First, here is that photo I thought I took yesterday showing that leg/corner setup.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200603_085551917.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1591218001)
I took that second 2x2 top and did all the sanding on it and cleaned up the live edge. I also touch sanded some some on the first top, the legs, and some cookies I have been working on forever. I wiped it all down with mineral spirits, and this is the newest top while I waited for it to dry out.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200603_104955894.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1591217964)
I took a quick lunch and when I was done, ran over to borrow my son's dump trailer. I brought it home and played with the electric brake adjustment so I was familiar with how it responded and what the working gain range should be. It has been a while, and this trailer I have never pulled, so it's best to know BEFORE I have a load of logs in it. ;D
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200603_153715622_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1591218129)
Lastly, I found a tarp that was just the right size to cover that drying skid/deck, so I put that up.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200603_153016046_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1591218070)
It will keep most of the sun and most of the rain off the wood. I added spreaders fore and aft to trim it off better. Now I just have to load it up!
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200603_153027994.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1591218084)
It will do for now and we will see how long the cover will hold up. Right now I am just hoping for the summer. (It was during this last 'operation' that I earned my latest entry into the 'did something dumb thread. ;D)
I will probably go out again after dinner, but right now my back hurts a bit from all the sanding and finishing work. All that bending. :D
Man it got HOT today. Hit just about 90 and I am not used to that yet.
I got out in the shop and just put another coat of finish on the stuff that was ready. No photos of that, but they look fairly good so far.
Then I headed outside to enjoy the beautiful day and let the shop alone so I wouldn't raise any dust. Time to move wood and get it stacked better now that I have two skids to use. I got out the lawn tractor and the little trailer. I think I pulled about 4 loads like this from my helter skelter piles and made and tarped over last fall. To be fair, I had a mess.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200604_113540357_-_Copy.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1591317768)
It was like doing a large jenga puzzle fitting it all in and making best use of space. I fit it in as best I could. By 11am I was just soaked in sweat and my eyes were burning with salt. At the lunch break I put on shorts but kept the soaking wet shirt and hat. What's the point? Anyway, I got it all to fit in and I know I will re-arrange it when I start making lumber again. I need more stickers. ;D
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200604_141614312_HDR_-_Copy.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1591317729)
Yeah, it's a mess based on the standards of most sawyers here. If I was edging everything to standard sizes it would be a lot easier. But I find that if I leave the live edges on, I have more options when I decide to make something. That's just me, and might change as I learn a better way, but for now that's it.
I am using the original skid for the little bit of pine I have. I also have one more log to mill up.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200604_141702041_-_Copy.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1591317828)
I have been throwing a tarp over that one and I know that is not good. Today when I uncovered it I found a bunch of those tiny ants (I call them sugar ants, I don't know why) on the hardwood pieces I had in there. I need to get that tarp up in the air. That's another task for a different afternoon.
I got all the hardwood on the new skid and this cleared up the two temporary stash points I had been using so that I can now stage logs there. My available wood is diminishing so I need to get more stuff in the pipeline...soon. Hopefully, with decent air drying, it might be ready to work by winter. I know that's probably too soon, but what else can a guy do? I need to stay busy through the winter or folks will think I am retired or something.
By 2pm I was shot. I need to do something to fill out the day, so I washed the cars. Both needed it with all the pollen and tree stuff they were covered with. My wife's van was filthy. Shame on me. As long as the truck was clean I tried out those signs I got on a covid deal from one of the quick print places.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200604_162806549_HDR_-_Copy.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1591317795)
I only got them to use for when the shows and flea markets come back. I don't plan on driving around with them. Not even sure how they will hold up. Also not looking to attract attention when I have a trailer on. ;D
Anyway, another long day. I finally hooked up with Bargemonkey last night after 2 days playing phone/message tag. We both have lousy cell coverage (Welcome to the Catskills) and he has none up on his current cut. We made arrangements to get together Saturday, he has some logs for me and I am looking forward to breakfast at the Conesville Country Store again, even if it is takeout. Tomorrow the wife and I both have a chiro appointment and it's good timing after all the lumber moving today. I also got notification last night that my retirement and insurance have finally been approved by Social Security. Yay. That's a little weight off my mind, not that I was concerned, but it took so long I was worried about a bureaucratic screw up delaying everything and being uninsured. Things are moving along.
Funny thought occurred to me last night. I have been working my skinny butt off for the last 3 months trying to get the shop started and it feels like all I have done is create more things I need to do. Each time I get something accomplished, I see 3 more things I have to do next. It's a little daunting. I know from experience (age) it's all good and will turn out fine, but for a few hours I was starting to re-think what I am doing and have doubts. Patience is something I have always lacked. :D I'll just keep on working and hope it all turns out OK.
OGH,
Are those magnetic signs or sticky back vinyl? I had a good magnetic sign for a year or so till it blew off. I tried a couple more and they blew off. I bought a pair of vinyl from a local lady and have gotten several jobs from them.
Magnetic. Vistaprint had a deal about 6 weeks ago when they were trying to drum up business and keep folks working. It was about 25 bucks for a pair. Its an experiment for me at this point.
Good luck keeping them on.
Quote from: WV Sawmiller on June 04, 2020, 11:28:42 PM
Good luck keeping them on.
One thing that didn't get mentioned here. How fast were you driving when you lost them? ;) :)
yeah, it's a learning experience. We will see how it goes. I don't really plan on making a habit of running around with them.
I left/leave mine on all the time. The one on the passenger door went bye-bye pretty soon after I got it. The driver side stayed on a year or more. When I lost it the local dealer had moved to Ga so I ordered from there and he shipped me a new pair and rolled them up to ship and they never stuck flat and blew off right away. I replaced with some from nearby town and they blew off on the way home. I gave up till I saw a lady in a small shop in town across from my barber had a screen printing business. I asked and she made me 2-12" X 24" black on white vinyl signs, we got them installed w/o too many bubbles and they have been on ever since. I drive at highway speeds up to 70 mph or so on the interstate.
My best job this year was at Easter and was 4,000 bf of poplar mostly 8/4 framing 2.7 miles from my home. My neighbor, who I did not know. saw the local number while I was parked at a local store called and I got a good job and made a new friend as a direct result of the door signs.
I think you need a sign on both sides full time and if I can figure how to get one on the back and the mill they should be there too. I often get people in a parking lot see it and they come over and we talk and I give them a card which I also always keep in the dash ready for such.
BTW here is mine.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/38064/Door_sign~0.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1591359842)
We got those signs from Vista. I think we got a year out of them before they blew off. Might of been a good idea each time we washed the car to remove them and put them back on. But we never did that.
Yes, I can see how they would generate contacts and that was one of my thoughts. Until I really know exactly what I am doing (and that could take a while) I am keeping it simple. For reasons I would rather not detail, there are times when it is best I don't have them on. ;D But I will try them out for a little while around town, etc. I do hope they hold up a little better then yours. I don't do a lot of 70 MPH driving. They do stick flat (were shipped flat too), so maybe I will get lucky. If not, the next set will perhaps include a little more detail and a proper logo, something else I will be working on soon-ish. I am holding back until I get all the paperwork in order, and until they open the county offices, I can't do much.
Put 2 or 3 rare earth magnets 1" diameter on the front edge of the magnetic signs, helps keep them on.
I don't know if they are called rare earth magnets but I can say I am a big fan of the little approximately 1"X 2" X 3/8" HF magnets and the approximately 12" long strips. I keep the strips over my work area and stick drill chucks, bit, augers and even my draw knife up there handy. I learned of them after I had lost my signs but that might have saved them.
Well, yesterday I goofed off and just piddled around. We had our chiro 'tune-ups' and that blew the first half of the day and I could not get motivated the second to do much more than putter around.
Today, there was no goofing off. A few days ago @nybhh (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=38169) had offered me some 4' cherry logs left from some nice tress he took down. He was going to burn them otherwise. I jumped at it. I was supposed to meet Barge this morning, but he had his crew working overtime today to try and get the slash work done at thieir current cut, so we moved it to the afternoon. I contacted Brandon this morning and he said 'c'mon over'. Short logs don't bother me when they are something I can't normally get. These will be perfect for table legs, table skirts, and I am sure a few other things.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200606_190033341_-_Copy.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1591487367)
I am tickled pink to have them. I spent way too much of Brandon's time, but we always talk a lot about many things when we meet. They have a new family member and I think she is sweet on me. I am a sucker for Lab puppies, sharp teeth and all, and she needed some socializing, so who am I to say 'no'? What a little doll. At the end of our visit she was pooped out and resting on my foot.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200606_105417879.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1591487398)
Anyway, I got back home by 1, had lunch, unloaded the logs, hooked up the trailer and grabbed a saw and left to meet Barge at 2. It's a little over an hour drive, but needed gas and not being familiar with this trailer and it's brakes at all, I figured I would take my time. I arrived in mid-town Conesville about a 1/2 hour early, which would give me time to get a milk shake. Barge had to swap trucks and get the log truck with a grapple. We went up to one of his cuts and pretty much parked and loaded in the road. Nobody came by the whole time. Doesn't he cut a handsome figure up on that seat?
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200606_161121301_HDR_-_Copy.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1591487279)
He sure is handy with that grapple, throwing out to increase the reach and getting what he wants. Al the time there was this blonde lady in the cab I didn't get a chance to say hello too. In retrospect, that was pretty rude of me. Anyway, he loaded me up good. Perhaps, and I am not saying this is true, but perhaps, we loaded a tad much. ;D The drive home was, um, a test of my skills at some level. Let's just say I kept the speed low and avoided braking in so far as was possible. :D I arrived home safely with enough logs to keep me going for a while and build the stock up for winter projects.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200606_175301493_-_Copy.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1591487221)
It's like a seafood platter, we have some maple, ash, poplar (I never cut that and wanted to try), cherry, and even a pine log we threw in to stabilize the stack.
When I got home and had the rig parked on the level and looked at things I realized we had cut it close.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200606_183109289.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1591487315)
No, that tire did not rub, it stayed in the clear. I did have to tie up the safety chains to keep them from dragging on the road. I guess the truck could use an extra leaf or two in the rear, but it handled just fine, only squatted more than I would like.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200606_175326746.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1591487274)
ANyway, something new to learn every day. After dinner I dumped the load and started stacking with a cant hook, but ran out of energy and realized I need to get the mule and a winch involved. That gives me something to do tomorrow. :)
I really appreciate the generous donations to my efforts by NYBHH and @BargeMonkey (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=24634) just trying to help me get this 'thing' started. Barge went way out of his way to end his workday in time to meet me, then swapped out trucks to load me and he wouldn't take a nickel from me. Brandon has also been a big help all along as a sounding board and providing the little things that make big differences, and he is fun to work with. I am a lucky guy, and lucky to have found such nice folks here on this forum. It has made a bog difference in where I am right now. The same can be said for the many other folks like Doc, WV, The Cfarm and all you other guys. I appreciate you all for the help and advice and even helping me spend my money. :D
I think I am off to bed.
Great score on that cherry. I am happy to cut 4' cherry, walnut, etc. Makes great benches as well as legs. I am going to start cutting more square stock for table and bench legs. I delivered some 4x4 poplar yesterday for a guy to make farm table legs and a couple of walnut 3x3s today for a couple to build a LE bar on their deck. When people see them they buy them. Both of these I had cut for my own use.
It is good sleeping when the body is tired and the mind is at ease. smiley_beertoast
Yeah, I am trying to learn about the woods I don't come across much so I know a little about it if I get a request, or if it is the right thing for something I want to make. I keep learning so much, I hope I can remember it all. I had forgotten I took a 30 second video of Eric working whilst I was, um, supervising or something.
The picker. (https://youtu.be/YZrQzT6EDI4)
Looks like you had a very good day👍. Barge might have had one blonde 👱♀️. But Monday it's two 👱♀️👱♀️😂
Light day today. I stacked, sealed,and tallyed all the logs up. When they dumped I had a mess in the driveway. SO he first thing I did this morning was make up a Magic Hook because I had one large cherry log jammed in that I could not turn with the cant hook.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200607_133425554_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1591574803)
The magic hook (tm) did the trick and I didn't need it again the rest of the morning. I had picked up that hook at a junk shop/antique store in their 'cheap stuff' pile for a buck or two. Just never got around to putting the chain on it until today. It has a side bend in the hook, so the next time I have a real good fire going I may heat that up and flatten it, then see if I can harden it.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200607_090657455.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1591574722)
I set up a parbuckle system to roll the logs up using the winch on the mule and made the best stack I could. The goal was to get them out of the driveway and make a safe/stable stack in case any kids got tempted to climb on them when my back is turned.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200607_132414818_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1591574758)
ANyway, I tallied everything up to see how much drying space I might need and came up with about 800 BF and yesterday's dump load was 6300#, no wonder the trailer was a tad low. ;D I spent some time trying to figure out if there was a 'right way' to approach what and how I choose to mill this stuff, but I came up blank and gave up. Just gotta get on it.
Another idea has been bouncing around in my noggin. I wouldn't mind getting some initial feedback before I put it up on the drying forum. Since I made that drying rack and covered it, on hot sunny days I notice the temp under that tarp is really high. Think about if you have ever been in a closed tent in the middle of a hay field on a hot July day, how hot it gets in there. EVen with the wide open sides, this thing gets hot. So I was thinking, if I changed the cover tarp to clear plastic sheet, and wrapped the sides that 'see the sun' in black, and the other sides in clear, perhaps it would accelerate the drying process? I could cover underneath in some plastic too to reduce the air exchange. Now I know full well this is not a kiln by any means, but I am wondering if it will help accelerate things to save me a few months. What do you guys think? Is it a stupid idea and a waste of material, or does it have a little merit and worth looking into. Right now I am thinking any extra heat would be helpful and I am thinking keeping the night humidity out (which is very high here) would also help. I am interested to hear everyone's thoughts on this. If we think it might help, I am willing to give it a try. It will only cost a few bucks and a days labor to find out. I think I have enough material to do the framing on hand. SO tell me what you think.
I have done that a lot. the higher relative temp under the tarp, will lower the relative humidity, and the heat and lower RH will help the stickered wood dry faster, if you close it in, may help to have a couple $16 box fans, or not close it in so much and let air come through. just like a solar kiln, things will relax at night. timber green farms has a simple cycle solar kiln video, and you can modify it to your tent. I have elm slabs at 7% MC. 2 inch thick.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/51041/3C83BAEB-08F5-4C8C-9D4D-257254405FA7.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1546318692)
neatly stacked so a tarp can cover. you do not want sun on the boards esp. cherry ect.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/51041/2AB7C2DB-BE94-4D79-BE16-A68D2F32DD06.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1547090126)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/51041/5A1C116B-D922-4C3D-96B6-741B2627934A.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1554425227)
7% after a year under the tarp. the other wood went to the container. just the black top over it. I had a couple box fans in the stack when it was all the wood, and a cheap accurite thermometer and humidity monitor with a remote display.
Well I am still thinking on it. Perhaps having a black tarp for the roof would be better, then just hold the heat with the enclosed sides? I am just not sure what would work best, but I believe I have to either covert he bottom or at least the ground underneath to keep new moisture from coming up from the ground.
Having it fairly neatly stacked and covered is the first good step, but If I can save some time by enclosing it, I am all for that.
what you are doing is fine if there is a noticeable increase in temp under the tarp. and air can move through. you do not want direct sun on the wood ideally you would have a clear cover with a dark area for the sun to shine on, and heat the interior. I am sure you get the concepts and will figure something out. you are making tons of progress. maybe they would let you work at your old job occasionally so you can rest! :D :D :D
I like the Magic Hook so much I have one almost identical to it. I take along a couple of 6' 1/4" chains w/hooks on each end in case I need to make adjustments.
I can't help on the drying question. I did put a big/30" fan between 2 stacks of basswood for a couple months after learning it was bad about mildew if not properly ventilated and they dried cleanly.
Looks like Barge got you fixed up nice for a while. I think a little solar kiln project would be a good thing since you have a mill. You could modify that wood rack or keep it for storage and start a solar kiln build thread. 8) I agree with Doc and the resting at work thing, you've been getting a bunch done. Just a thought, some of those inflatable add on air bags above your axles would help with your squat issue when loading that truck. I use them on my truck when I have to haul my tractor. You were about as close as you could be on that load of logs.
Nebraska, I am still thinking on the whole solar thing. Any kind of kiln is off the table until at least next year, I just can't fit the work in yet, but I might play with this idea a bit. As far as going back to work for rest, um, no thank you very much. If I need rest, I just sit in a chair in the yard in the shade or sun, depending on conditions and take a nap, or watch a movie or something. I save on gas that way. (I burned more gas this weekend getting logs than I have used in the last month!)
Howard, yes I agree, that hook is handy. When I get a winch for rolling logs up on the mill and turning logs it will be really handy, I just need to flatten it at some point.
Doc, when I was re-stacking and stacking today under there it was not as hot as on previous days. Still thinking on it as I work.
Today was a busy day. It started before I was barely awake. I opened all my usual web pages for my morning reading and there was a dust collector for sale on FB marketplace, a Delta 650 in like new condition for 100 bucks. I really need better dust collection in the shop, this might be a nice interim step, I thought. But it is a 3 hour round trip. The buyer was responsive, but I am still thinking on it. (I keep spending money with no sales.)
SO I got out and uncovered the mill and started working on those small cherry logs and giving the new 4° blades their first real test making lumber. Holy cow, those things cut like a dream! Boards are flat and straight and no waves at all! I am in love! As I said earlier the 8 logs tallied up to 80BF, but I cut 6 of them and wound up with 80.3BF and still have two to go. SO not bad on that score. Just for fun and to make the most use of these, I cut 1/2" boards off the jacket until I had my cant to size. I will see how they dry. The rest is either 1x6 or 1x5 boards with some 1-1/2 remnant boards. I finished up for the day and had yet to stack, with little open space in the rack. SO I decided to check the MC on the older wood and my meter kept saying 0.0MC. I knew that wasn't right and it has never done that before. SO I drove the pins in as far as I could and finally got some readings between 3.5 and 12 depending on the board. I realized I could flat stack some of this stuff and make room, so I did that and 45 minutes later I had an open hole for the new lumber. I have to say, and I am not bragging just happy, that this is the best lumber I have ever milled so far. These boards are perfect.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200608_163916035.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1591659605)
But... I am out of stickers and was scraping the bottom of the bucket for enough to finish. Tomorrow I will have to start with that.
This bug flew by today and I have never seen one before. Does anybody recognize it?
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200608_164649822.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1591659583)
I took a couple of minutes to make some short videos for my followers on the business FB page, just to keep them interested. It helps them understand what is involved (I hope). Here is one of them. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cmVp0y6f64)
Anyway, to close out the day, I mowed the lawn before dinner. I finally got my acknowledgement from social security for my benefits as well as the insurance, now just waiting for new cards from them and the part C/D insurance. It's coming together and I am starting to relax a little. Now if I could just manage the energy to work longer days, I could get some work done. My wife has started a honey-do list to make sure I stay busy. That's very helpful. ;D
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on June 08, 2020, 08:05:43 PMIf I need rest, I just sit in a chair in the yard in the shade or sun, depending on conditions and take a nap, or watch a movie or something.
I am looking so forward to that!!!!! ;D
OGH,
Look up snap beetle or clicker beetles. I think if you press down on him he will make a snapping or clicking sound.
By all means save those trim cuts off your cherry and walnut and such. I sticker them and let them air dry a little and run them through a planer and wipe them with tung oil and take them to flea markets or on display around the drying shed and I offer to sell them for $5-$10 each and you will be surprised how quickly they sell. A guy bought a couple last summer to put hooks in to hang his key collection. Women buy them for flower arrangements, hunters buy them for taxidermy pieces, etc. I can't keep them in stock. And a 2-3 ft long piece 4-5 inches wide and half inch thick will sell. Its crazy but they do.
Lets see, 1/2x5x48"= .80BF. That's like 10 bucks or more a BF! Not a bad deal. I will have to see if I can pull that off. It never occurred to me to bring wood to a market, but now you have me thinking, once again.
And yes I think you are spot on with the snap beetle, but the reference I found says they only get about 3/4" long and this specimen was about an inch and a half. Never seen them before, anywhere. I hope this is not a new 'thing'. Maybe that cherry wood being opened up attracted him? When it flew by, it looked like a tiny humming bird.
BTW - under 1" wood is generally treated as 1" or sold by the square ft vs bf. When I do mobile sawing that is in my standard billing/charges explanation and I think you will find that is true with many sawyers.
Odd day. The weather was beautiful and warm. We watched the 3 grandboys today, so I was distracted, but I did get some work time in. Before the boys came I took a small Ash log NYBHH had given me and milled it up into stickers I desperately needed. I sat and looked at the drying rack and realized it had not enough room for me to start milling all these logs and stacking. Actually and frankly I was kidding myself. Re-stacking yesterday made some room, but frankly, not near enough. SO I looked it all over again and pulled the stacks apart (yet again) and pulled a bunch of stuff to move into the shop storage rack. I drove it around and threw it up on the loft and loaded the rack. Then I went back out and re-stacked the drying rack again. The boys were a distraction off and on and I got pulled into chasing them around, plus, it was hot.
When they finally calmed down and went in the house for a while (my wife's domain) I started looking for a log that I could mill some bar tops and table top from. I had an idea for a hex shaped table with multiple parts of different species and I need RO for the center piece. I needed at least 15" wide slabs. I had this oddball RO log with a big hump. Not too much trouble getting it to the mill, but I busted a gut rolling it on over the hump to get it on. Heavy sucker.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200609_155314877_HDR_-_Copy.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1591749708)
My little manual mill was too small to swallow this sucker, so I chainsawed the hump off so it would clear and I could do the first pass.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200609_155308782_-_Copy.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1591749730)
I got a few slabs off and one of the early ones looks like it would make a neat bench with proper trimming and done in the style that WV Sawmiller uses (through tenons, milled on both sides), interesting grain flow.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200609_162103428_-_Copy.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1591749770)
SO I didn't get a lot done today, but I am organizing my head a little more and moving forward. But I do need another skid and more storage space for wood. :D
Well today was a long one and I can barely keep my eyes open now. My neighbor about 1/2 mile down the road was having an arborist come in to take out 8 trees threatening his power lines and house. As it happens I have known the arborist since he was about 12 years old and although the homeowner had made arrangements for the arborist to take the wood, he also offered to me that I could take what I wanted. I explained his deal was with the arborist who officially 'owned' the wood according to the terms. But he asked the arborist and he agreed I could have whatever I wanted, it made his job easier and he knew who I was.
So this morning first thing I went down and fetched out some larger (24") short logs I had long ago promised to clear out, I wanted them clear before more stuff came down, and to show my good intent. Good firewood, all of which I really need as I have not even started firewood yet.
Anyway, he showed up today around noon and I went over to lend a hand. I didn't do much, fed the chipper a little, helped tug on the rope at the right time, helped rake and clean, etc. and it was nearly a a full day for those trees. When they left, my work started and I began bunching up the smaller firewood logs. They finished and left at 4pm and I got to work. I pulled up 3 hitches with a bunch of small firewood branches, then winched up a long log as best I could but I had to cut it off at 12'6" to get it all the way into the arch. That one a I dragged back to the mill. It's a waterpipe, but I want to try milling it before I make it into firewood. There might be some good jacket boards on it and I am thinking of taking off a bunch of cookies to dry and make picture or mirror frames. I never tried it, so what the heck?
After that last log I was soaked to the bone. High humidity because of passing storms that never hit us and heavy work. I had to peel off my shirt and chainsaw (sauna) pants. I took some short videos, but everybody knows what it looks like when a guy in a bucket truck is cutting branches and they are being lowered. Ah what he heck, here is just one. I never saw and arborist wind up with a leaner before, but he pulled it off. Watch how the log winds up. :D Yeah, strange lay, but tomorrow, I have to get that log out of there. ;D
Video (https://youtu.be/vs_EJl-J3X4) is here.
Pooped again, and we are out early tomorrow for senior food shopping time to get our monthly supplies. Then I get back to work.
Just another day of relaxing in retirement. :D :)
Well today I made a decision about this retirement thing, I am only working half days from now on, 8am-4 or 5pm tops. After all, I AM retired, right? I should get to relax a little, right? I sweat buckets yesterday, and we got an inch and a half of rain this morning while we were food shopping, so I didn't 'start' until 11, but I sweat buckets again today and sucked a lot of wind. rigging, winching out, and skidding a bunch of little logs and a couple of decent ones. I went through 2 hats and 2 t-shirts. I decided there is no need to kill myself, it will all get done. I just have to keep moving. The hand winch on the skidder is taking a beating and it may be on it's last legs, I hope ti holds up long enough for me to finish cleaning this up. I try to get 2 of those shorts at least in a hitch, and the full sized logs I do one at a time. The limiting factor is the throat of the arch at about 28". The two weld on chain hooks we added this spring have been excellent for a quick safety chain hookup, but the chain I am using could be 10" longer for the big stuff. I admit I have been border line abusive on this skidding arch. I think the rating was for 1,000#, but I have gone over that quite a few times and you can hear the cable sing and the arch crack and creak when I load it. ;D
I am just a little annoyed with myself because the firewood is not started yet and I usually have it done by June 1st. Between the virus thing, and working from home, I just never got going. I know I have a couple of weeks of bucking, splitting and stacking, in the summer heat. This year, if I heat the shop with wood I will need a LOT more than the usual 5 cords. So my neighbor has all these newly dropped trees and he deserves to have a clean yard, so I need to keep moving on it, but some of this stuff is big and too heavy for me to move. I am working on the smaller chunks and longer logs that I can get at and when I run out of that, I will either cut the other stuff down, or get some help. I lost count of how many loops I did today, probably about 10 or so. (I could just go count the drag marks down the road, but they are getting blurry :D.)
The piles are building up and of course it takes more effort to heave these logs up on the 2 piles as it gets bigger. Here is one pile.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200611_171804335.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1591918172)
Here is the second pile. That long one I am thinking might make a few nice curved benches. See this is a problem. I need firewood, but I want saw logs for projects. It's a conundrum. ;D
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200611_171828053.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1591918227)
And I am getting a few straight saw logs, these two (oak and EWP), plus another oak I took right to the mill.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200611_171843448_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1591918255)
This was the easiest hitch of the day, actually a filler, because I had to run back and get saw gas and didn't want to waste a trip. A 13' EWP log laying out there on flat ground. I have one other of these, maybe two. It figures, the lousy wood is in the easiest spot to get.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200611_160621441.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1591918118)
All the rest of that pine is chunked up and will go elsewhere for an OWB (actually, just down the road 1 mile).
So yeah, I have decided, in this weather, nice as it is, I am sticking to 8 hour days. That's all I can manage.
OGH
You have the sawdust bug bad keep it up .All of us on the farm burn wood and I have to taste it first on the band mill even though my brother and son try to hide it from me .We have one shop that we burn just the slabs from sawing . I put them in from the mill into a few slab racks and cut them to length with a chain saw .Best to you in your retirement .
A-Z I know that in a year or two I will have the process flow down to where the slabs off the mill get cut and wind up on the firewood pile with little effort, but right now as I am establishing that work flow I don't have enough stuff in the pipeline to get it flowing yet, so this first year will be a hassle as least and I am just trying to make it happen as best I can to get it started. Let's just say that right now I never wake up in the morning wondering how I will fill up my day. I am trying to think of how I can produce the most in my day. You know, I have actually read where some retired folks sit around all day watching ball games and reading the paper. I can't imagine how folks could live like that. I'd probably shoot myself if I had to do that.
When this virus thing calms down, I would love to find an excuse to run over and have a visit with you and see all the stuff you have going on there.
On the shirts, I wear 100% polyester shirts when I am outside working. Note the 100%, no cotton at all. They keep me nice and cool. I can wear the same shirt all day. The shirts do not stick to me. Walmart sells them as active wear? I bought a bunch for $3-5 in the winter time. I buy them big, more air to go through the shirt. I wear XL but buy the shirts 2X and cut the sleeves off so I don't get a Farmer's tan. ;D But they stain bad and I do mean bad. I wear one for a day and wash it and it looks like I had it on all day right out of the washer. These shirts, when they come out of the washing machine are just about dry. They don't hold water or sweat. TC sells them too, orange and yellow, or use too. But I think they are about $15.
The link that got me convinced. @Brad_bb (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=6191)
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=58516.0 (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=58516.0)
Good point, After the shopping hassles decline I will keep my eyes out for some of these shirts. For now, it is just a fact of life. You work, you sweat. Move on. No big deal. Now if you find a shirt that can help me work longer without running out of breath, I would be running out to get those right away. ;D :D
OGH I bet as hard as you work, you will also acclimate to the heat and all the heavy lifting. I am assuming this is more than you did at your prev. job. despite your elderly condition, you can make strides to improve you endurance. the rest of us are happy to have half the energy that you do. people with high expectations end up doing more than those who lower the bar to meet their goals. keep it up! 8) 8) 8)
Quote from: doc henderson on June 12, 2020, 08:10:09 AM
OGH I bet as hard as you work, you will also acclimate to the heat and all the heavy lifting. I am assuming this is more than you did at your prev. job. despite your elderly condition, you can make strides to improve you endurance. the rest of us are happy to have half the energy that you do. people with high expectations end up doing more than those who lower the bar to meet their goals. keep it up! 8) 8) 8)
The last 15 years my 'regular job' included no physical labor. They were paying for my brain. :D But I have always been 'out and about' after work and on weekends banging myself up as much as possible. Always need firewood and all that other stuff. Yes, maybe doing this every day for as long as I can will help, but it might also kill me too. ;D I really have got to bite the bullet and get me a 60" Ritelog cant hook as soon as I can sell something. (Oh, and can we cool it on the 'elderly' thing? That is for folks who can't walk or get out of a chair. In my family, you are not elderly until you hit 90 and those folks earned the title. I am just an older kid. :D)
well, you know I like to poke the bear! :D . you also know I am a big "that which does not kill us, makes us stronger!" kind of guy. and I have the shirt that says. "that which does not kill us, makes us stronger... except for bears... bears will kill you!.." :) :) :).
"Elderly: L der lee... anyone older than me!" I do not know the country of origin and have already used it in a sentence! ;)
Didn't there used to be a band called the Elderly brothers?
yes... but I think they are gone now. :) great album by Norah Jones, daughter of the Sitar player that taught the Beetles to play. some sad and beautiful songs. great Music. a remake of some of their songs.
norah+jones+everly+brothers - Bing video (https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=norah+jones+everly+brothers&&view=detail&mid=F3026B96C02CC90CA2D6F3026B96C02CC90CA2D6&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%)
Quote from: doc henderson on June 12, 2020, 08:44:59 AM
yes... but I think they are gone now. :) great album by Norah Jones, daughter of the Sitar player that taught the Beetles to play. some sad and beautiful songs. great Music. a remake of some of their songs.
Ravi Shankar's daughter, yes. I watched some of her stuff a couple of years ago. Not quite certain how she jumped in this conversation, buy yeah, she makes good music. (OK, just saw your next post, I get it now. Didn't know about that.) Her Pop was no slouch either.
I gotta get to work, but my back is suggesting otherwise. Those logs won't move themselves. I think the lift hand-winch on my skidder has about had it. I have fixed it twice in the last 2 years, but now I think it is just wearing out. Last night I ordered a slightly heavier duty replacement. I hope I can get through this before it quits.
her dad was Ravi Shankar who hung with George Harrison. she started doing jazz, and now does all styles including country and is often involved with Willie Nelson and his fund raisers.
CAUTION: do not listen to the next song if you do not want to choke up a bit.
norah jones put my little shoes away - Bing video (https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=norah+jones+put+my+little+shoes+away&qpvt=norah+jones+put+my+little+shoes+away&view=detail&mid=A68887B170C90E513740A68887B170C90E513740&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dnorah%2Bjones%2Bput%2Bmy%2Blittle%2Bshoes%2Baway%26qpvt%3Dnorah%2Bjones%2Bput%2Bmy%2Blittle%2Bshoes%2Baway%26FORM%3DVDVVXX)
very sad songs, tugs on an old Pediatrician. I know you are a music guy and prob. already know of her talent.
WHat a cheerful way to start the day.....
Now I really have to get at it.
OGH
You are welcome to come anytime but make sure you bring the trailer.And you do not have to wait until this pandemic is over because I will not get too close.But do not bring any of your black bears we got a 250 pound one the other day from south of us .Those bears really put a hurting on our corn and honey bee hives .We can put some walnut and apple on your trailer to help u keep busy in retirement.
Zeke
A-Z that is a kind and generous offer. I am hoping to take you up on it in some form, and I will leave the bears here at home. ;D I haven't seen any yet, but I have run across droppings twice now. I did have a couple of deer come visit during wood collection this morning.
Browsing in on my firewood - YouTube (https://youtu.be/VhcfAum9LZs)
But I am so busy now I have not been working in the shop all week. The last 3 days have been firewood collection and I have a bunch here in the yard an a few big logs yet to fetch. I might need help with those. ;D This retirement stuff fills you whole day before you know it. I think I must have done 10-15 loops today and yard is filling. I need to get it all in, then setup for split and stack. I am starting to fill like I am in the wood collecting business.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200612_193809771.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1592007530)
These are just some of the logs that came up today.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200612_193847277.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1592007549)
The shorts go on the other pile. Its a lot of cutting and splitting and stacking. I may have to recruit some grandson power to help. ;D
I have 3 or 4 really big logs yet to get out, one is a leaner (as seen in the video of the other day) and they are in in the same tangle. It will be tricky. But tomorrow morning is for the Grandson's fishing trip, one of them has a birthday! So the morning at least is pretty much a wash. Let's see if I can fit in some work later in the day. I promised the neighbor we would use the winch on the Mule to pull his driveway gate post back up straight and block it so that he can reset the cement and make it usable. It got whacked by a snowplow several years ago and hasn't moved since. It's a mighty heavy architectural type gate, all steel.
Anyway, I earned the right to be tired tonight. I overslept this morning and didn't get up until 6:30, must be a sign of my impending 'elderly' condition.
I love watching deer scratch their ear with their hoof like that one did. I hope they stay close and we see more of them.
Yeah, I haven't been on that side of the road much this spring. My neighbor with the 12 acres has been a full time resident since the virus hit and I have only gone down for a couple of sweeps. This lot I was on today is next to his (in fact, his house may show up in the background, I didn't notice) and there are a lot of critters traversing that ridge. My old mill site is perhaps 300' out and to the right of where this video starts (and about 50' lower) and I would get visitors all the time when I was down there. I do miss that. Turkeys, deer, owls, and hawks, the bears would come around when I wasn't there, but I caught them on the camera.Just on the other side of the road at my house, they are more shy because there are more houses. I get deer in the yard and turkeys on the lawn and I found bear poop out by the mill last week, but they are much more shy up here.
I'm not sure if I posted this one here last year, down at the old site.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MENqU_d-LQU (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MENqU_d-LQU)
That's pretty cool
Nice video.
I can get that close if I am driving my tractor ,but walking, they are gone.
That first video I posted from yesterday, they walked up to me as I was working with the winch. In the one from last year, after I shot it and went back to work they browsed some more and kept moving in my direction and worked around me on one side following the browse. They feel comfortable on that side of the road, there is a lot of cover and east escape routes with almost no fences. On my side it is a little tighter and they are more tense. This stuff happens a lot and I only take a photo of it once in a while. I heard these same two were back in the same spot last evening. We had chipped all of the branches from the trees we took down, but there were a few Maple top branches hidden in the logs I uncovered as I was winching them out and they found them.
Going fishing and doing other stuff today to give my back a little break, then I have to set up for cut/split/stack. ;D
Well yesterday my son and I took the 3 grandsons fishing. The oldest was celebrating his birthday and it was a nice cool morning. It took us a little while to find the right spot for the fish they could catch. It's still a tough age, no patience at all. We finally found a spot where you had better be quick to set the hook when the worm hit the water and everyone was happy and used up the worms fairly quickly. ;D
Here's the birthday boy, now 7 and the oldest of the three.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_7215.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1592187303)
The middle one with his smallmouth bass:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_7232~0.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1592187304)
and the youngest:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_7241~0.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1592187305)
About 2 hours seemed to be the limit for them, but they had a good time. I got back home and headed over to the neighbor's place to help him chunk up some stuff his saw wouldn't handle and cut off a 40" oak stump flat. I had a little trouble with my big clone saw not feeding oil to the bar near the end, but I finished it off and set it aside for looking at later. We walked around and looked at all the work he has been doing on his unimproved parts of the property and I was impressed. He is not afraid of hard work, that's for sure. Then it was hot enough to reduce the count of beer cans in his fridge and we called it a day. I piddled around in the yard the rest of the evening getting ready to start making firewood, I fetched back the splitter from across the road and got that setup, but I was pooped and quit around 6pm.
Today the plan was to clean out the wood storage area, re-stack the leftovers so that they get used first next season, and setup for stacking. SO I started cleaning and re-stacking then got a text from my son about a dust collector blower he found cheap on marketplace. I didn't like it but when I was there I saw a new/unused grizzly with a bunch of extras for $275. so I contacted the guy. He said his grandfather bought it, but got sick and died before he could even hook it up. Never been run. So there went the day I went over and got it (about an hour away) and the wife went along just for the drive. It was just what he said. He had the original invoice, the unit, two 10' sections of 2" hose, a 4" Y connector, extra bag, manual, etc. Plus the add on pre-collector with a garbage can. It will run on 220 or 110. I brought it home, unloaded it in the shop and went back to firewood. I'll figure it out later. but it was a good, fair deal and I am happy.
I got all the wood re-stacked and forgot to take a photo so I know how much I had left at the end of the season. I already had one trailer loaded, so I brought that over and unloaded that with the wife's help and got that on the stack. Then I could set up my workflow in the yard. I re-positioned the splitter, parked the trailer next to it. and split the little bits I had already cut but not split and that about half filled the trailer. Now I will move the splitter a little over and buck and split and load and each time the trailer is full I will bring it over and stack it. Here's what I have so far:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200614_174435248.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1592187197)
I didn't measure, but it is about a cord maybe a little less. Every year I do firewood it seems like I have different circumstances. Last year I did all the bucking and splitting down in the woods and trailered it up to the stack. This year I am back in the yard, like two years ago, but I think I have all, or most of the un-bucked logs all in a pile which I've never had before, usually it's in groups of logs. Now with it all on hand it is time to just 'blow and go' and get it all done. This might kill my back but maybe I can hit a stride and keep at it until it's done. I am always relieved when I have the wood done and we are secure for next winter. But this year I have the shop to think about also, so I may buy a load of firewood logs for that or see if I can scrounge some up. But I will worry about that when the time comes. NYBHH has a bunch of dead stuff needs removing and he could use a hand with that work, so... Right now I have a lot to do to clean all this up and get it stacked.
SO after dinner tonight I went back out to the shop and sharpened both saws which really needed it (the 450 was in really bad shape, I was a bad boy) and I took a look at the 372 and think I may have found the issue. I cleaned it up good and put it back together and quit at 9:30. So much for 8 hour days. :D
Sounds to me like the most productive time was spent on the water. I put out limblines for big catfish and use little bream for live bait so I take the 3 local granddaughters to help. We use 10' crappie poles with a #10 cricket hook, a BB shot and a float set about a foot deep with 1/2" piece of nightcrawler for bait. A single bait will normally catch 5-6 little bream before it becomes so ragged it gets knocked off. I take them about 400 yards from the boat landing to a spot along the bank with a bunch of big rocks. We pitch the baits near the rocks ans the bream rush out to grab it before the others do. Sometimes they will smash at the float. It is common to catch 50-60 bream in an hour. Typically they will be from 3-6 inches long. Not big but plentiful and the girls and I have a blast. My job is mostly to bait hooks and take the fish off the line. When my 90 y/o mom is out she goes along and has a blast and is about as dangerous swinging fish into my face and getting hung on overhanging limbs and such as the girl. The absolute best is when Mom and the girls can all go with me. The girls are now 8,12 & 14 and an hour or two is generally all they are interested in but it is a great time especially listening to 8 y/o Molly talking about breaking up a fish family reunion or such and naming the fish she catches. Keep up the good times.
Yeah, it is fun with the boys, but they are still young enough to have no patience and reason does not work with them...yet. They had fun, that's all that matters.
Today was another solid hard labor day doing more wood. I finished the last chain I needed to sharpen this morning I was just too tired last night to do the second side. Cut, Split, Load, Move, stack, repeat. We did two more trailer loads today. I pretty much worked steady through the day with a short lunch break. My muscles are getting tired, but no real pain or aches, just working hard and really tired. I finished the day bucking up another load to split in the morning. Had dinner then went back out to put the Mule away and sharpened the saw for tomorrow. That chain is getting really bad and near the end of it's life, I must have had found some sand in the logs, one side was really bad again. SO I decided, after I sharpened the chain, to change the bar and use a 20" inch for tomorrow, I am getting up to some bigger logs in a bit. That chain is new and I have never used this bar yet, I got it used from a co-worker last year. SO we will give that a workout. Brand new chain and I stepped out the side door of the shop to just do a quick test in a stump, and when the chain sunk in, the first thing I saw was sparks. >:( I did not look at it after, I found a clean log and zipped off a cookie. It cut fine for a factory edge. ;D
Anyway, here is today's total.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200615_181449910.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1592270572)
I am trying a new idea with window to allow access to the outlet and extension cord and my feedthrough for the network cable.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200615_181502493.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1592270621)
We will see how that works, just trying something different. 30 years stacking wood here, I have to change it up a little. ;D
A funny thing I find when I am cutting and especially running the splitter I wind up doing a lot of thinking. That can be productive or dangerous. Today I was thinking about that dust collector I bought yesterday. I don't really have a good place in the shop for it. Floor space is fiercely protected and must be justified. SO rather than pick a spot and decide what I have to move to make room and how I will run the ducts and all that I began to think maybe I can just create some new floor space. SO here is the spot I have in mind.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200615_201033362.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1592270609)
If I put a 45° landing between loft #2(to the left) and #3 (to the right) it should have enough room to hold that collector and it will be central to where it needs to be, meaning I will have a duct running each way to cover the major needs. The duct work will also bee pretty much over the loft railings, so it won't be impeding my overhead in the general floor area. Of course, this means yet another project and I have to remove the posts and rails and re-do them to adjust for the new, albeit small, deck space. Plus, where will I move all the pictures to? :D Anyway, I have a lot more splitting to do, so plenty of time the think on it. Guess I will have to mill up some more lumber for it too. But it is probably the right way to go, I just have to adjust the floor plan one more time. But it would be really nice to have permanent ducting the the TS, the RA saw, the sanding bench, the planer and the jointer (which I still have to pick up). DO this stuff ever end? ;D Ah, forget I asked that question, I know the answer.
Anyway, long day, I missed my 8 hour rule again (by 4 hours) and even my hands ache with my forearms right behind. Hopefully I am not too old to build new muscle, because it feels like that is whats going on. No pain, just very tired and a little sore. Tomorrow I get to do it all again. The nice thing about firewood is that eventually, it is done. This year I am not so sure. I don't know if I have enough wood in the yard to make the 5 cords I need for the house, then I am shooting for another 5 cords for the shop and I KNOW I don't have that. So firewood season may run into the fall for me this year as I collect more wood. Maybe I should find out what Barge gets to run a truck down to me with a load of firewood logs? :D
There just are not enough hours in the day.
Looks good 👍
Nothing but firewood work today and again I am bushed. It didn't get real hot, but working in the sun was brutal. First time I have worked with no shirt in a long time. It wasn't pretty, I'm sure, but it was dang hot out there doing those big rounds I couldn't lift. I couldn't quite finish two full loops today and I quit at 5:30. I have the trailer loaded and backed in to unload. I am figuring a load like this comes out to just about 1/2 cord.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200616_112616822_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1592349283)
And here is where the pile stands now, with another trailer ready to unload.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200616_141747998.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1592349300)
I did a quick measure and come up with just over 2 cord stacked so far since Sunday afternoon. 3 to go. Then I can start on the shop wood. ;D I don't think I have enough wood on hand to make the first 5 cord. Normally I do this work over about 4 weeks on the weekends and some evenings. Doing it straight through may be something I have to re-think. Not saying I'm getting old, but maybe I can spread it out a little more and get some other stuff done. The firewood is a 'thing' with me. I like to get it done and know we are good for next winter. Letting it hang will drive me crazy, and I am concerned where I will get more wood.
Tomorrow may be an off day. I have some phone calls to make on Social security and my insurance issues. That could kill hours.
remember, you have an extra 40 hours a week to get it done. the only rush is to get it done in time to dry by next winter to 5 months from now. with your organization, the new stuff will not be used till after the first of the year. worst case scenario, you may use some propane or NG. you are good!
i specify the crap wood for the shop. odd lengths ect. i can deal with it, the family cannot. in the house!
Quote from: doc henderson on June 16, 2020, 07:44:14 PM
i specify the crap wood for the shop. odd lengths ect. i can deal with it, the family cannot. in the house!
Yeah, that would be my choice, but it will have to wait until next year to get that organized. I don't even have the stove in the shop yet, or a place to stack that wood established (that's another project on the list). This is an 'organizing year' so I just have to grunt it out and deal with it. I don't have enough hours now and am hoping as the fall approaches I can make some time to get it squared away. The house comes first. I will figure it out eventually. I have to get the idea out of my head that I can do it all at once and that is harder than it sounds. I have been working 7 day weeks and haven't taken more than a few hours 'off' for several weeks now. I figure I might get to do that when the really hot weather comes and work on my tan. :D
I am sure you did the same hours before, but 40 went to the company, and the leftover was for you. we are all proud of the progress you have made. keep us informed and we we all hope we can do half as well as you when we are elderly... like you! :D :D :D
Quote from: doc henderson on June 16, 2020, 08:23:30 PM
I am sure you did the same hours before, but 40 went to the company, and the leftover was for you. we are all proud of the progress you have made. keep us informed and we we all hope we can do half as well as you when we are elderly... like you! :D :D :D
Well maybe I am old, but I ain't dead yet.
Wow you've been busy! Nice catching up on this thread. I'm out of places to stack wood at the moment and have my firewood taken care of for the next year or two.
I have 4 standing, long dead ash trees between the house and the creek (easy access with the tractor) that aren't worth milling and all good/easy firewood size. They have been dead for a while and will burn well this year even if you don't get to them until later in the summer. I've avoided cutting them since I don't need the firewood and they keep better vertical but the wife would sure appreciate them gone if you need more firewood, just let me know.
I could probably point out 25 cords of standing dead or recently blow-downed hardwoods just along the trail I walk every morning with Cello. Now that I look at it every day, its beginning to aggravate my OCD and its just gonna turn to mushrooms if nobody takes it.
I kind of had this in the back of my head, but didn't want to ask. I know you are busy working on the current project. Now that I can get access to the dump trailer once in a a while I can handle a bit more than those loads I got from you last time. Around 5,000# should be safe which would be a good load. I think. I am into the bigger logs now which produce more cord wood than all the short 8-14" short stuff I have been hacking away at.
Witt that in mind and the dump trailer available, perhaps we look at doing some of it in a few weeks? I have tables to finish up, the dust collector to install, and a duct system to design and build, and clean off the outside wall of the shop for the new firewood pile. Plus, of course milling to do.
Knowing me, I will push through this as fast as I can regardless of how I feel and then need a short break to get 'real work' done before I do another round. (Although I would like to check in on Cello, they grow SO fast!)
I know you also have that section out by the road, is there anyway to make a small landing in there so we could work off the road? I can't recall the exact terrain. I know there was a lot of dead standing that needs to get gone.
Thank you very much, I appreciate the offer and will take you up on it. This is one year I do not expect to get ahead on firewood as I usually do, given that I have more than doubled the requirement and I may be cutting in early March next year to make up for it.
Yea, a couple weeks would be great. I have a contractor back for 2-3 weeks to help get the metal on this building and I am heavily involved in that but my non-work schedule clears up after that. Sending you home with a dump load of 12-16" dbh ash should be no problem and the good thing is most of the tops have already fallen so there won't be much cleanup.
There is good landing space on the other side but most of those are much bigger trees and millable so I want to wait on dropping those until I have time to mill my half. Hopefully this fall/winter
Quote from: nybhh on June 17, 2020, 07:28:36 AM
Yea, a couple weeks would be great. I have a contractor back for 2-3 weeks to help get the metal on this building and I am heavily involved in that but my non-work schedule clears up after that. Sending you home with a dump load of 12-16" dbh ash should be no problem and the good thing is most of the tops have already fallen so there won't be much cleanup.
There is good landing space on the other side but most of those are much bigger trees and millable so I want to wait on dropping those until I have time to mill my half. Hopefully this fall/winter
Once again, the timing appears to work out well. ;D if it goes well, the ground will freeze early and the snow will hold off, then we can cut that roadside area and stack for your mill and for firewood and move when possible. So far my experience with that dead ash is that it will sit for quite a while (if off the ground) provided you seal the ends within 25 seconds of cutting (although sooner is better). :D
OK, will we call that a tentative plan. Another win-win for the Ulster County FF chapter. :)
Well I am more bushed tonight than I was last night, I really had to push myself to keep going at it today, but I took more breaks (and one short nap in the shade), but I managed to squeeze out two complete loops and stacked about 3/4-1 cord more. I am going to run out of wood before I fill the stacks. I worked mostly with big rounds today as I got into the bigger, longer logs. All the short stuff I had has been cleaned up and stacked.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200617_195031581.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1592442374)
Scroll back and you'll find the same photo from Sunday (the first photo in reply#135)
with a lot more wood, all gone now.
Today I started the trash fire up to burn the junk, bark, and rotten stuff that collects. I find if I 'clean as a I go' it just all gets done and I don't have a mess left when I am done. Every once in a while I throw a pile on the burn bucket. So I am catching up on that stuff.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200617_195047948.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1592442420)
I also have a bunch of short chunks and junk, but good clean wood. That will either be for campfires or the shop. It looks like another day or so and I will be clean of wood and have to run down and grab the logs I stowed here and there in the woods since last fall. There isn't much, but maybe another half to 3/4 cord. I should get that cut up and stacked too. Then I will have to wait until Brandon and I can get together or something else comes along.
SO here is where the pile sits tonight. I didn't come in until 8:30, so this is a little dark.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200617_202451963.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1592442429)
I have a load sitting there to unload in the morning and I just learned my 11 year old step-grandson will be here for the day tomorrow and he is always good help. I had thought I would change gears tomorrow, but in light of this development I think I will stick with it. It goes much faster with a second person. My wife had been helping me stack a bit, but she was out most of the day working at the farm co-op, so I was on my own today.
Also, wondering what you guys would make of this:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200617_194951384.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1592442382)
I have this nice, green red oak log producing these and I am wondering what I can do with them. Let your mind run wild and give me some ideas. I am hoping they might dry without cracking. I am thinking I might get 10 or so more out of the log. They look like eyes to me.
The eyes have it. Got a bump from a white maple for a nose?
I rarely work on wood all day. Well, I rarely work on any one thing all day. :D I have about 10 projects going on around here. Might be kinda low on the 10 too. ::) This keeps me fresh all day long.
Just like last night, Have a real steep hill to mow by the house. Wife does not like to do it, and I don't blame her any. This is with the bush hog. I went down by the edge of the woods and found 4-5 places that I need to finish leveling out. Found some rocks about softball in size that I left behind too. ::) A project that I forgot about.
I split my work up, so I can work all day.
That new boss of yours is pretty tough it appears. I saw the rounds on the chair and wondered if you could make googlie eyes with some hockey pucks and resin, for no purpose but to do it, somebody wouldn't have to buy them and put that project up on social media..
Be careful that bark and waste fire doesn't light your firewood pile...... ::) apparently it happens ::). Looks like you have gone a good distance on the wood. I have about 3 cord in totes, and need to get another trailer load of totes as I will quickly fill what I have. Better get those kids out and fish some more.
Yeah, working for me is no picnic! ;D
The waste fire is contained, so there is that. I had to site in in a specific spot because or overhead concerns and the limited room I have to navigate the trailer and Mule in the driveway to make the turn around and back it up to the splitter. It was still hot enough this morning to just re-kindle with a little stir and I collected a few more loads of junk to get rid of today. very little goes to waste here but bark and rotten shag constitute 90% of it. Since I used to just rake it into a pile and hope it would rot, I realized that dog won't hunt, so now I am burning it and trying to catch up on stuff from years past.
Those eyes, yeah. I was thinking I might make a piece of art to hang on the front of the shop, there is a bunch of blank space. Hockey pucks aren't a bad idea, maybe I can find something else. Sometimes totally useless things are the most fun. Gonna look around for a bump cutoff too, I bet I threw 3 in the fire yesterday. :D
Oh, Cfarm, normally I do rotate jobs through the day as you do, but when I get on firewood it is like I am on a mission, the process flow is set up, all the equipment is out and I just get in a groove and can't focus on anything else. It is the one thing I just want to get done so I don't have to think or worry about it for the rest of the season. Seeing the pile full always gives me comfort. I am just weird that way. There are worse proclivities I suppose. ;D
Got out a little earlier today and unloaded the trailer, restarted the fire and got it all queued back up to cut and split another round, but I think I will stop at one today.
I am just too tired and achy. smiley_old_guy
I just checked, last year I started wood in the last week of March and finished the first week of May (5 cords for the house). This year I started last Thursday and I have about 3 cords stacked as of this morning. I have about 4-5 good logs left here to cut and split, then I have to go skid some stuff up from across the road.
OGH,
I'd rotate those "donuts" around to different positions and see what images they trigger. The burn barrel sounds like a pretty good idea.
Sounds to me like you need to get your labor pool back together to help Grandpa stack his winter wood supply.
Super idea! I will do that today for sure!
This virus thing with the associated 'home learning' and my son's work schedule have everything messed up. Maybe by the time I am doing shop wood it will smooth out.
maybe a 1/2 of a cookie or round as the brim of your hat, and it can be your 3D avatar. even the chair looks a little like you, :) if you use some imagination. the grandsons might enjoy the slight caricature of grandpa!
Short early entry tonight. I am bushed after 5 days of pushing it on the wood. I finished splitting all the wood I had in the yard. All clean, for the moment.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200618_162630353_HDR_-_Copy.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1592522664)
I parked the last overfull trailer load at 5:30pm.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200618_171600719_HDR_-_Copy.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1592522746)
Every trip through the gate is a bit of a pain, I don't have much clearance. But the wife already has all her planters out, so I can't get around the easy way. This will have to do.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200618_160233701.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1592523314)
I played around with 'Woodrow' some more and gave him a nose. I have two options as I found two small burls when I was bucking.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200618_160809541_HDR_-_Copy.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1592522716)
I have this big blank spot on the front shop wall over the short door. Maybe I can make a flat round/hex/square/rectangle thing and mount this stuff up on there? I dunno. Just for fun. I really should paint that block, but I hate to get into that until I have things under control in a year or two.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200618_171949038.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1592522775)
Tonight as I go to sleep, hopefully soon, I will be trying to figure out what I can do with basswood logs. :D
Eyebrows, couple curved branches??
Quote from: thecfarm on June 18, 2020, 08:32:02 PM
Eyebrows, couple curved branches??
Yeah, I gotta go shopping in the woods tomorrow. ;D
Cut the bottom outta ya chair and place one of those doughnuts over it you'd have an out house without the house!
You could then just sit and enjoy nature!
You asked for ideas. You did not say they had to be good ideas. :D
Quote from: samandothers on June 18, 2020, 09:05:28 PM
Cut the bottom outta ya chair and place one of those doughnuts over it you'd have an out house without the house!
You could then just sit and enjoy nature!
You asked for ideas. You did not say they had to be good ideas. :D
Ideas are ideas, there is no bad or good, just different. I actually was thinking as I worked my way up the log the holes would get smaller, so I might make some cup holders out of the for the fire ring seats. Not sure how they would be for an outhouse, those holes make a pretty small target. ;D
OGH,
I still remember sitting my ol butt down on a frozen cracked porta john seat in Bagram so I am here to tell you the outhouse idea is pure desperation! Its kinda like eating a possum - times ain't got that hard yet.
I'm thinking glasses and googly eyes and such. Place them at every imaginable position and see what your imagination finds. Get other opinions from family and friends too. They will see something you don't.
On the basswood I cut up a big one about 15 months ago into 1100 bf of 4/4, 8/4, 12/4 and 16/4 with the target market as wood carvers. I stickered the wood good ran a fan between the stacks for 2 months as I had read it is bad to mildew if you don't keep very good ventilation on it. If you have not already sawed it I'd check with local wood carver clubs and offer to custom cut it for them. Otherwise saw it into as thick stock as it will make, sticker it good with plenty of ventilation. I would not worry about edging it too clean as the carvers may be fine with a little rounded corners. Good luck and if you sell out and need more come see me and bring a trailer. :D
Quote from: WV Sawmiller on June 18, 2020, 10:58:56 PMtimes ain't got that hard yet.
I'm thinking glasses and googly eyes and such. Place them at every imaginable position and see what your imagination finds. Get other opinions from family and friends too. They will see something you don't.
Good luck and if you sell out and need more come see me and bring a trailer. :D
No times are not that hard yet. ;D
Yes, I did that and took a bunch of photos, but I didn't want to load up the forum with whimsy. I need a better background besides the chair to help my cloudy mind visualize better. I might play with it some more today while I let my body recover. I have wood to stack and logs to skid, so light work today. I will be looking for more pieces to add to this 'work of art'.
So with your basswood, did you have mold issues? I am guessing it did not sell like hot cakes? One other use for this is solid body guitars and I reached out to a luthier friend and he would like a few pieces, as well as some ash and poplar. I put a thing on my FB page looking for carvers.
OGH,
I did not have any mold issues but I left a 30" pedestal fan on it for 2 months when I first stacked and stickered it. I cut it to 8' logs because it was so big and all I could drag out with my Kawasaki 650 on the frozen ground in February. I left the biggest/butt log because I could not see how to cut it free of the rootball on the steep mountainside without the rootball rolling over the top of me.
Good to know WV, we get bad humidity, but I think you guys have us beat by a far piece.
Well, today I was slow getting started, just kind of weary and dragging a little. I had that insurance cal and got all the understood, finally got at it by 10am and emptied and stacked the last of the split wood, then I parked the trailer and cleaned it off, cleaned up a little more in the splitting yard and burned the remaining junk I created, but I still have a 2 year backlog on stuff to burn to get things all cleaned up. I'll spread that out, that fire makes a lot of smoke and I have had it going for 3 days straight now.
I got a surprise visit from one of my happy customers, he stopped by on his way home from food shopping with the wife to pick up the 2 remaining boards I owed him on his order and have been sitting here for a few weeks. We had a nice visit and it was a nice surprise and break in the day.
After lunch I put the new winch on the skidding arch and removed the old one, plus the electric one I had put on there and never use. The new one is rated higher and has a really low ratio (too low, actually) and it works just fine. Then I went down across the road to fetch up the logs I had stashed over the past year. I forgot exactly what I had down there but it wasn't a lot, still it's another half days work to cut and split, so it's something. I think I will still be short, but closer.
I played with my phone and the new window mount and shot some video of the trips up and down, but it was more comical and boring than anything. I picked out the least worst and am uploading it to YouTube now. It should take another hour or so and I can link it here later. Anyway, after that I was pretty well soaked, it was hot and humid here today and I know we have worse coming, but I am still adjusting to it like we all do each year. SO I knocked off. I did a quick run to the store for eggs, milk, and beer, then got on the yard tractor and mowed the lawn to get it done.
When I was up at the store it was packed with weekend visitors, holy cow there are a ton of them! I wish they would just stay home for a few more weeks but they are walking around like 'it's over' and buying out the store. They didn't have my beer, all out. Now I am really ticked. We had plates from 4 different states in that parking lot and I wanted to tell them all 'go home and leave us alone'. But, that would be rude. ;D An age old question popped into my head as I left: "If it's tourist season, why can't we shoot 'em?" :D ;D fudd-smiley
It's good they had your beer 😂
No all out 😡
Quote from: Walnut Beast on June 19, 2020, 08:23:22 PM
No all out 😡
I had to settle for a 12 pack, now I have to go back sooner than I wanted to.
The video finished uploading so without further ado, here is about 4 and a half minutes of your life you will never get back. ;D :D
Picking up logs - YouTube (https://youtu.be/89JzQUde8Mg)
looks like fun!!!
Quote from: doc henderson on June 19, 2020, 09:11:51 PM
looks like fun!!!
Sometimes, but it is wearing me out. Now I have another handful of logs to buck and split. Seems like it never ends. ;D
Nice video. Giving yourself and the mule a workout deserves a few cold ones
I guess that cumulatively I had over done it a bit in the last week and not hydrated enough in general. It finally caught up with me and yesterday I just crashed. I got up at 4am because I couldn't sleep anymore, had some coffee, felt blah, then tired again and went back to bed at 7 (I never do that unless I am sick) and slept until 8:30, thought that might help but I just felt blah with no energy. So I just blew the day off and did nothing (well I did a lot of reading, see below). Didn't even feel like poking around in the shop at all. (I did find a friend on FB that I have not talked to in 30 years and as he had a big influence on me when I was in my 20's I wanted to hook back up and tell him how I am doing. He is in his 80's now.) I did go out in the evening for a few minutes and plan on working out there today. I found a dumb thing I did back 10 days ago, when the firewood became available and I got jumping on that I dropped everything in the shop right where it was. I had one 2x2' tabletop that was finished on one side, but just sanded on the other. I had it queued up to finish the second side, but never got to it. Well apparently, the humidity decided to do it's thing and the unfinished side dried up and shrank faster than the finished side.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200620_192744462.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1592734919)
So I flipped it over and put my box planer on it for weight. Today I will sand off the finished side and see if I can get it back flat with some weight. I have a duplicate top, same wood, finished both sides with only a tiny bit of movement. So maybe I can get this a little better, it's spoiled now, so I will just try some stuff and see if anything can be done.
I brought those odd shaped cookies in the shop and my wife and I had brainstormed up another idea. We have a bulk amount of mirrors she got on some kind of deal years back and she uses them to make mirrors with seashell frames and stuff like that. If I recess the back of the cookie and set the mirror in with some glazer's points, it might looks pretty slick. (Well it could :D).
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200620_193052129.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1592734936)
So I might piddle with that today. The bark is starting to dry and pull off as I expected. Too bad, with the heavy red oak bark, these would have looked neat. This tree was live standing just 10 days ago, so I should get moving on saving these cookies. Doc, I think I may try your alcohol trick on these, but I have to get them cut and do it soon. I also have to clean out that fuzzy dead stuff in the heart. It flakes like dry mud, so I should get out what I can before it gets a bath. I have only cut two to mess around with, so I may cut the rest today and get them soaked and in the box. Do you air dry them before you box them for a few hours or just put them right in the box? I have forgotten that detail.
I don't feel like I am raring to go this morning, but I have been up since 5 and feel fairly good. Ready to cook some breakfast and get out to the shop doing light work. It's supposed to hit 90 today so I will mostly stay on shop work.
OH, I almost forgot! I had an interesting development on Friday. I was looking to see who might have an interest in Basswood because of the impending log run and I contacted a luthier friend, who told me what he wanted in ash, poplar, and basswod. Then on a whim I contacted a friend who is a co-director of a premiere Luthier's show and asked if he knew any local luthier's looking for wood. He gave me the name of a guy who has a Luthier's supply and we hooked up. The fella is interested in doing business and knows a lot about wood (much more than I do) and exactly how he needs it milled. Mostly he wants quartersawn, but he also supplies wood turners, so there is other stuff. I gave him my number and we will likely talk this week. The problem for me is the quartersawn part. With a manual mill, no log turners, poor log clamps, and a skill set on the low end, this is going to be quite a challenge for me. I spent several hours yesterday reading everything I could find here from @YellowHammer (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=11488) and all the other fine contributors and creators of that knowledge base. After re-reading the important parts I have come to the working conclusion that for me, with all my limitations, the only way to do it is the old way by quartering the log and making a jig to hold the log in the correct position. My plain jane clamps will not hold those angles used in RRQS. Having said that, I can't see how I am going to be able to make 8/4 x 8" that seems to be the base need for luthiers because this will require big logs which are nearly impossible to handle on and off by hand. So this is going to be a huge, and I suspect very frustrating, learning curve for me as well as time and log consuming. But I will give it a try. I will know more after I have a chat with this new contact.
SO things are still moving, just a little slower in this heat until I adjust.
OGH,
On that table tell the customer it is crowned (like a road) to naturally shed water. Or flip it over and let that be the top and tell them it is cupped to hold any spills before they reach the carpet.
Sorry to hear you've caught a case of the doo-dahs but that should pass. Glad you got hold of your old mentor. That sounds like time well spent.
Quote from: WV Sawmiller on June 21, 2020, 07:59:09 AM
OGH,
On that table tell the customer it is crowned (like a road) to naturally shed water. Or flip it over and let that be the top and tell them it is cupped to hold any spills before they reach the carpet.
I could put a little cup at one end to catch the spills. :D Yeah, it's a learning experience and another chance to laugh at my own folly and now see if I can 'fix it' and learn some more. As my little thing on the left here says ' still learning' ( I should add... 'the hard way'.)
I am the same way. I can go gang busters for a few days, and then hit a wall. on your table top, might spritz the unfinished side, and see if it will move back a little. or lay a wet rag on it for a while (on the dry unfinished side). If you think it is a bust, could even float it in some water unfinished side down. or just remove the finish and let it sit. the center board grain looks to be the culprit as the outer rings are flexing the whole top. for the bass wood, remember the flat sawn stuff near the center of the log is quarter sawn. I do not recall your cut throat width, but could start by taking the center three 8/4 boards full width. these can then be cut in half, and cut out the pith wood in the center of the mid slab. you can then cut the remaining two "half moon" pieces on and cut the middle 8/4 slabs from the middle. how long do they want? if they like it shorter, it will make it all easier to move around. Oak cookies may be the hardest to dry in cookie form, but one of the theoretical tricks is to cut out the center. your hollow tree has done that already. as well, with a hole up the center of the log, the inner wood is already dryer than it would be. If barks is getting loose, I gently pull it on off and just glue it back on. the cambium that grows fastest in the spring, is the weak point. after gluing it back on at this separation point, it is on "forever". My apologies for stating things you may already know. what is the outside diameter of your hollow cookies? I soaked my cookies in a 30 gallon mobile oil drum. a close fit, means you need less denatured alcohol. cheapest I found is in 5 gallon containers from Menards. Sunnyside is the brand. As you may recall, I dried them in a box after soaking. Happy Fathers day! good luck.
Quote from: doc henderson on June 21, 2020, 08:16:17 AM
I am the same way. I can go gang busters for a few days, and then hit a wall. on your table top, might spritz the unfinished side, and see if it will move back a little. or lay a wet rag on it for a while (on the dry unfinished side). If you think it is a bust, could even float it in some water unfinished side down. or just remove the finish and let it sit. the center board grain looks to be the culprit as the outer rings are flexing the whole top. for the bass wood, remember the flat sawn stuff near the center of the log is quarter sawn. I do not recall your cut throat width, but could start by taking the center three 8/4 boards full width. these can then be cut in half, and cut out the pith wood in the center of the mid slab. you can then cut the remaining two "half moon" pieces on and cut the middle 8/4 slabs from the middle. how long do they want? if they like it shorter, it will make it all easier to move around. Oak cookies may be the hardest to dry in cookie form, but one of the theoretical tricks is to cut out the center. your hollow tree has done that already. as well, with a hole up the center of the log, the inner wood is already dryer than it would be. If barks is getting loose, I gently pull it on off and just glue it back on. the cambium that grows fastest in the spring, is the weak point. after gluing it back on at this separation point, it is on "forever". My apologies for stating things you may already know. what is the outside diameter of your hollow cookies? I soaked my cookies in a 30 gallon mobile oil drum. a close fit, means you need less denatured alcohol. cheapest I found is in 5 gallon containers from Menards. Sunnyside is the brand. As you may recall, I dried them in a box after soaking. Happy Fathers day! good luck.
Yeah, I certainly hit the wall but not as bad as I have in the past where not only am I exhausted but the back is also shot. The back has been holding up very well since I started with my Chiropractor on a regular monthly tune up. Things are in balance now so that I don't get silly injuries. Since the back holds up longer, I work longer and harder until the rest of me gives out. Then it all crashes and feels like an all day hangover that won't quit (or so I am told) ;D :D. I just needed a day, so I took it. Also, I broke my own rule of mixing heavy and light work through the day and that did not help my case at all. Today I have a long list of little things.
I already re-sanded that table top and whetted the shrunken side then sat it on some bottle caps with the crown side up and set my box planer (fairly heavy) on top. Lessee wa' happens. :) It took time to screw it up, it will take time to fix, right?
Yes on all for the cookies. I bought a gallon of alcohol a year ago when you suggested it, but haven't even opened it. I have a shallow aluminum wash pan I think the cookies will fit in, so I will try doing the soak/pour over/baste method and see how it goes. I got the log set up for cutting and also marked the logs I skidded up yesterday. But it is so quiet and pleasant here this morning (so far) that I really don't want to start up a saw just yet. When the little
Indians kids next door start hollering and carrying on, the saw gets rolling. ;D
I also spent some time contemplating the new filler loft for the dust collector and checking my 'materials on hand'. Looks like I have everything I need, (an unexpected surprise) plus a plan now. Just not sure I am going to start that today, it's like a can of worms and will entail a lot of shuffling of equipment, removing railings, and moving stuff. Maybe I will make that a job over a couple of evenings. I am going to do a plywood floor on this one to keep the dust upstairs.
SO a better start today than yesterday. I just came in for a final cup of coffee and to decide what I am doing next and I had better do it soon before the kids start calling to set up 'something to do for father's day'. If they want they can come and run the splitter. ;D
Well, I guess I sort of lied. ;D I did nothing with the cookies today, didn't even cut them. When I went back out to the shop and thought some more about the loft connection I just decided to get into it. Now it's pretty much done, except for deck paint.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200621_171542746.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1592789130)
It's a tiny bit of floor space to be sure, but every foot here counts and it will hold the dust collector for sure without impacting the rest of the floor plan. SO it's important floor space.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200621_171346371.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1592789130)
It's not often you can add a piece of equipment to the shop and then just 'create' the floor space to hold it. That part feels good. Now I have to relocate the ceiling fan yet again because it is a definite hazard where it is now, nearly got my ears lowered when I stepped out on the deck to try it for the first time. I also have to run a 220 line, paint the new floor section, figure out the ducting and all the other details and install that stuff, after I buy it. SO it will be a while yet
Doing the tiny deck on a 45 gave me a chance to break out my trig skills again to figure out the joist lengths and the little project filled the day, taking down the rails, relocating the posts, re-cutting the rails and all those little things just took the whole day. But at least I got something done.
After dinner my daughter came over with some very thoughtful Father's day gifts, a couple of steaks, some delicacies, some REALLY nice oranges and other goodies. She knows I love cheese and there are some real winners in there too. We had a very nice visit besides. SO all in all, a very nice day all around, but it was hot and humid for sure!
ANothre light day, but man it got hot here. It hit 90 and the humidity was 'not comfortable'. I rolled some more logs to make a tidy pile and more room for the logs I was fetching today. I lost about 2 hours driving around trying to solve a hitch problem for the trailer (long story, I don't want to talk about it. :() then finally got my act together and headed to downtown Conesville around mid afternoon and met Eric at the store. I followed this truck back to his yard:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200622_160414436.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1592875663)
We loaded some logs, really nice straight Basswood, one is a honker for my mill size, but it will fit ;D ,and topped off the load with a poplar I need for a Luthier friend to try and do some quarter sawing on. I dropped it in my yard at 7pm:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200622_201334505_28229.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1592875648)
Not as big a load as last time, which is good, because that was a long drive. I have not scaled these yet, but the driving was easy and I only had to pull over once to let a guy with some sort of personal emergency go by. :D I like to take my time and save my brakes. Got 13 MPG on the way up (Empty) and 15 MPG on the way back (loaded). Go figger. Of course, Barge is 55 miles from me and about 1,000' higher in elevation, so there is that. ;D
Also this morning when I was working on the pile I shot a video for a friend on mine who was by the other day and could not figure out how I stacked my logs when I had no lifting equipment. I tried to explain it, but the video works better for him I think. So here is that too, just for a giggle.
YouTube (https://youtu.be/02_w1nVudWE)
That top log almost looks like a beech to me. Which kind of wood is it?
I know I almost got overheated cutting, bundling and stacking tomato stakes in the heat right after noon. Came in and got a cool shower, ate a couple of slices of cantaloupe and drank several ice cold diet sodas (Yeah - I know water would have been better) and almost felt human after that. Watch that heat. It can creep up on you.
The top log in the second photo is poplar. the lighting may have something to do with that. The poplar, Basswood (linden), and ash already in the pile will all be candidates for me to try getting better at quarter sawing. This is what the luthier folks want for good sound. They have a mini-festival called 'Tone Wood" in conjunction with the Luthiers show here in Woodstock. (The Woodstock Invitational Luthiers Showcase (http://www.woodstockinvitational.com/) is a major guitar show in the world of Luthiers.) The Tonewood festival fair sized tent between the many buildings where the show is held. I have walked through a time or two. Very select woods and I see guys coming out after spending a couple hundred bucks and they are carrying all their wood purchase in their arm. :) The show was on hiatus this past year (21st year) and hopefully it will be a good one this year in October. I plan more time in the Tone Wood tent this time. I work the show handling the gate and arrangements for all the artists doing workshops and don't get a lot of time to get around to the rest of the show, just an hour or so a day for the 3 days. Frankly I never gave much thought to make wood for instruments (I mean, these guys I meet are some of the best in the world, they come to this show from all continents except Antarctica. Now I am wondering. They buy the best wood they can from anywhere on the globe where they can find it.) If you have ever met cabinet makers that covet their wood for certain projects, try meeting some luthiers. They take it to another level. I know a friend who collected some spruce that was cut for aeroplane struts more than 60 years ago (for bi-plane restorations). He uses it and stores it like it was gold. It makes great acoustic guitar and mandolin faces.
Anyway, if I can provide something that helps these guys and gals out I would be up for that. :) I know I have a long way and a lot of learning to get there, it's something I would like to work on. Maybe that is a little niche I can fill.
OGH,
What kind of poplar? When I talk about poplar I think of tulip poplar. I understand some people are talking about cottonwood or such. Your bark looks different than my tulip poplar. Clarification please.
The Luthier market sounds real interesting. How wide and how thick do they want it? I'm envisioning 4" wide strips about 1/4" thick. I know they plane it down real thin. And maybe they want it KD then resawed to real thin strips.
You know I am still working on my species identification skills :D, I believe it is yellow (tulip) poplar and we are on the very of it's range here. They were planted in many parks and residential areas down in the suburban areas south of here. Perhaps we can get @BargeMonkey (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=24634) to weigh in here, as he cut these and should know best.
The Luhiers I have talked to all ask for 8/4. They like to let their wood set for a long time and settle down, then they re-saw off their thinner pieces as they need them. (Re-saws are one of the most important machines in a Luthier's shop.) I am just getting into this and need to have a lot of educational discussions before I have a better understanding. The stock I see selling at the show are usually long time dried pieces that have been re-sawn, then sold at about 3/8 to 5/8 thick by the square foot. Luthiers will look far and wide for THE right species in THE right size, and of THE right age. In some cases they look for wood that came from a specific tree that was used used in the making of another particular instrument which produces a particular tone quality. 8/4 is also the starting size for solid guitar bodies and neck blanks. SO I have been specifically asked to provide 8/4 by 7" wide minimum. The Luthier I know best makes high end finely detailed solid body basses, acoustic guitars, and does a lot of repair and restoration work on more valuable older instruments.
I know another luthier who makes lap steel guitars as well as solid body guitars and his wife is a very well known lap steel and Dobro player around the world. I need a special occasion to run into him, like a gig or other performance and with the shutting down of local gigs, that will take a while, although I could probably wangle a meeting if I had something specific to discuss that was of interest to him. There is also a premiere custom production Luthier with several employees, not very far away I would like to talk to eventually. I know his performance work and he recognizes me from my work at the shows and being at many of his gigs. We have not talked wood....yet. ;D All of these guys make instruments that sell for between 2-6,000 bucks, some higher.
In short, there are about 5 Luthiers I know within a 10 minute drive of my house and if you widen the scope to Luthiers I know about and within 20 miles the number grows to about 20, perhaps more. This is a music rich area.
SO yes, this possible outlet interests me greatly but I am well aware that just like learning to make music around here, I am stepping into a world class market from the start rather than working my way into it slowly as I learn. It's kind of like when I go to a gig with some local world class performers and when they are jamming afterwards they ask me to join in, either being polite, or just inclusive I don't know, but I always decline. How does one just jump into a full bore jam with touring pros? One does not. :D Same thing with wood, I have to take it slow and careful and learn my way. As my Dad would say "keep my ears and eyes open, and my mouth shut."
Thanks for the Luthier lesson. There is an awful lot to learn about it. I guess it is not as simple a nailing an old turtle shell to a broomstick and stretching some fishing line across the front of it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liriodendron_tulipifera (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liriodendron_tulipifera)
The tulip poplar has one of the most distinct leaves out there so if you can find the leaves you can quickly verify it. The bark looks thinner and the wood looks denser to me in your picture compared to what I typically see here. It is common to find a greenish core/pith in some tulip poplar and occasionally we find it with a purple/blue tint to it. Maybe all the acid rock from the nearby Woodstock music festival curled the leaves and affected the bark and wood texture. :D
Quote from: WV Sawmiller on June 23, 2020, 10:27:31 AMIt is common to find a greenish core/pith in some tulip poplar and occasionally we find it with a purple/blue tint to it. Maybe all the acid rock from the nearby Woodstock music festival curled the leaves and affected the bark and wood texture. :D
Um yeah, well, probably not. That festival was about 70 miles from where this tree grew. ;D
I will post some photos when I get it open. I will likely start with the Basswood (aka Linden).
Did I mention that I saw 4 bull Elk yesterday? That was pretty neat! A cow or two also. Always something new when I go to Conesville! :D
I heard the music was pretty loud!!! :D
Its tulip, just been in the sun a bit. Poplar up here doesn't get much bigger and it goes hollow, normally we dont cut much of it, it pays nothing for pulpwood. Elevation plays a big part in wood species and how it looks, the oak off the mountain looks funny compared to here. I hammered the daylights out of that job down there where we loaded the 1st load and cut anything that would make a stick of wood, getting turned into 5acre building lots, got turned into DEP and DEC for that one. 🤣 Going back to where we did the class next week if you need some pine ?
Interested to see how that Luthier thing plays out, something I know nothing about, learning is good. Glad the firewood wood is done for the house. You are way ahead of me.
Thanks Barge, I was pretty sure, but then I wasn't, and the bark was not quite right. I should know this stuff, but I never stop learning, and yes I had thought about how the bark looks different on all trees depending on age and environment, so I was truly, and easily, confused. Red Oak and Scarlet oak mess with my head all the time. ;D I am good on pine for now, but what you told me on Monday about your sales of pine table slabs had me thinking I may try a few for the fun of it with one or two of the logs I have on hand. Gonna need another drying rack. >:( For those keeping score, Monday's load was 2,400# and 330 BF. A small load for sure, but very nice logs. I still have yet to stack them, really oppressive weather here yesterday and I had other distractions, so I got nothing done after scaling and returning the trailer.
Nebraska, I am not near done with my firewood. Still need another cord and a half for the house before I even start on the shop wood, but there is a plan... ;D
Yes, I have not heard from the Luthier supply guy yet but I have an awful lot to learn. I am anxious to get a log up and start quartersawing or butchering it up as I learn. But first I have to get the stack piled again and clean up the firewood logs laying ti the driveway, also some shop work to clear up. We got over a quarter inch of rain in 2 hours overnight, so everything is dripping, but at least the dust is down for a while. It got so bad here that I could tell where the fly's were because when they farted a dust cloud would rise up. :D
Well today was a lot more productive. We had 1/3" of rain overnight and it cooled things off just a tad. SO I got out and got to it and I just now realized I didn't have breakfast this morning. :)
First thing I got all those new logs up on the pile and out of the way. Then I bucked all the firewood logs I had in the yard.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200624_113034089_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1593037843)
Then I got them all split. That made for exactly a overfull trailer load and I moved it over to the pile, had a quick lunch and stacked it all. I have not measured it yet but I still feel like I need a cord and a half to finish the house wood. This last load was an easy half cord but it just seemed to disappear into the pile. SO looking like 3 loads more to finish and I am pretty much out of logs here, I have a few piddly ones left to skid up from across the road and maybe some out of what I am getting from a neighbor down the road, but I was hoping for saw logs out of that mostly. Anyway, this is how the pile sits now.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200624_144847518.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1593037877)
I have noticed gloves don't last long when you are doing wood. These were new when I started firewood not 2 weeks ago.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200624_144812196.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1593037844)
I like the lighter gloves just to keep the splinters out of my hands. Guess I have to go with something heavier.
After that was done it was time for something lighter, so as the mail brought the cable I ordered today and fedex brought the WAP yesterday I decided to do that task. I neglected to mention, but I did something dumb while doing the firewood. In my haste I stacked wood (lots of wood) in front of the WiFi router hanging under my porch that provides Wifi to the shop. The wood blocked the signal pretty well. ;D By the time I realized what I had done, it was too late. No way am I going to move all that wood to get at the WAP and move it. SO I got a used one on Ebay and ordered 150' of Cat5 cable and today I ran the wire out to the shop and hooked up the WAP. Now I have flawless access in the shop. I had wanted to do that all along anyway, just kept putting it off. It only took an hour and a half and a little bit of hand trenching.
I use the internet in the shop to search for parts, tools, and supplies online, get some music or podcasts and occasionally netflix. It all keeps me company when I am working. It's just kind of background noise to keep me company. SO that is another thing done. Back in the 80's when I had my own full time shop, I had a big TV in the shop I got at a garage sale or something. It had rabbit ears and only got about 3 stations. Mostly what I remember having on were Andy Griffith re-runs and Gun Smoke, drag net, adam 12, and stuff like that. It was just company. I don't think I ever actually watched it, just listened in the background. Silence can be distracting for me. Guess I am weird, but I am retired, so I can do as I please now, right? The WiFi is pretty handy for looking stuff up when you are fixing old stuff, that is for sure!
I have no idea what I am doing tomorrow (yet), but I am sure I will get something done. Maybe it's time to get back on the mill? But I have shop cleanup to do after the loft extension build and projects out there that need work too. I guess I will just see how I feel in the morning. It's not as if I lack for things to do. ;D
OGH,
Looking good. I have a problem with gloves too.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/38064/IMG_2006~1.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1593044246)
Probably not quite the same problem. ::)
No, not the same issue. By the way, I've been meaning to ask and keep forgetting, how is the hand coming along?
Its much better. Today was second day of PT. I can now hold the steering wheel on my truck and this afternoon I even repaired my riding mower (Replaced a broken spindle on the deck) and mowed the entire yard. Will need to mow again in a day or two as was like a hay field. Too wet, had to cut on max height and even had to adjust the side to side level on the deck but it looks a whole lot better. Monday I had 90 lbs strength in R hand and 20 in left. Still hard to close it and index finger is tender when I bump it but light years ahead of what it was 3 weeks ago tonight. I expect full recovery.
Well today I sho 'nuff got in a pretty full day. (yesterday I played the part of an old retired guy that just could not get his butt going in the heat :D). Actually we had to take one grandson down to the school to pick up his 1st grade diploma, both his parents were working so we made it out mission for the day. On the one hand I am thinking 'poor kid, no little ceremony' but on the other hand I am remembering how stressed these little folks get being put under the spotlight. Seems like it is always a rough day for them, so this wasn't so bad, and we made the rest of the day for him. SO I didn't get much done except when he and I did some cleaning in the shop. He likes to help me clean, especially if there is a vacuum involved. ;D
Today was the day to fire that mill back up and get the decks cleared for my quarter sawing experiment. I had a bunch of short logs I had culled out of the firewood to make curved benches. Those benches the @WV Sawmiller (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=28064) makes have been growing on me and yes, I am trying the 'flat on two sides' method also. I like the way they look better than what I have been doing so I am stealing the idea. 8) I had a RO log on the mill that I had left 3 weeks ago when the firewood called me. I finished that off first, all in 8/4 slabs and got that stickered up. Then I had 4 or 5 of the short logs and I had fun with the easy manipulating of them and getting the cut to give the best curve.
It was really nice to be able, for at least once, to back the logs onto the mill.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200626_111616963_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1593211729)
By golly it was hot when the sun came around the back of the shop and I finally had to work with no shirt. This is very rare for me, I cannot remember the last time I did it, but I can say I had a better looking body then ;D. The sweat was running off in streams, but I wanted to get these logs done.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200626_105941449_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1593211679)
Above is one of the RO logs. Not a great curve, but it is a curve. And this is the one ash log I had in the lot:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200626_150828309_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1593211799)
I went through these as fast as I could with the sun beating on my back, still it pretty much took all day to cut stack and sticker. I wound up with this stack, plus two other small ones on the far side of the rack.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200626_154128467.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1593211853)
That sun makes you work fast and these little logs went fairly quick, still there is a lot of handling and sometimes I moved too fast. I had as close a call as I want to this log clamp. Any closer and it would have slipped up and hit the blade.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200626_140117687_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1593211867)
Still, no hits(today). When I started this morning I had my first ever 4° blade on which I had already used to do all the cherry a few weeks ago, plus some other stuff and the beginning of the big RO log. It had the tell tale shine on the blade tips telling me it was time for a change, but the thing is, it was still cutting SO DanG Flat! So I figured I would let it go for a while and see when the cut started to degrade. I milled all today's wood with it with hardly a wave or complaint. It was getting a little hard to push on that last Ash log, which was old, dead, and very dry and hard. It's still on the mill. I will open the next log with it and then change it (maybe :D). I am so happy with these WM double hard 4° blades that I will never order anything else unless there is a darn good reason.
After all the milling, I finally cut those cookies with the holes in them and loaded them into the mule. All is in the shop now, but I am too tired to work on them tonight. I don't know if I can keep the pace up tomorrow, but I have a green and short RO log by the mill I will probably make 4/4 boards out of, then we proceed with the quarter saw project on a bass wood log. They are predicting good rain for tomorrow, so that may be a wash, we shall see. I might get a couple of hours before I am rained out. Right now, I just want a beer. :D
Your Grandson does better than mine. ;D
I had him sweeping, next thing I know he is sweeping dirt into the garage. ??? Oh well he was having fun. I don't think he was even 5 years old. One of my friends was here, and I can still hear him laugh about it.
Quote from: thecfarm on June 26, 2020, 09:26:56 PM
Your Grandson does better than mine. ;D
I had him sweeping, next thing I know he is sweeping dirt into the garage. ??? Oh well he was having fun. I don't think he was even 5 years old. One of my friends was here, and I can still hear him laugh about it.
Like most human behavior, mine has deep roots. We went through that a couple of years ago (and are still going thru it with the 4 year old to some extent). When I wanted to learn how to use tools and run machines my Dad started me out by learning how to sweep the shop. He said 'you need to learn from the ground up and if you can't keep the shop clean, you can't take care of the equipment, and if you can't take care of the equipment, you have no business running equipment, not my equipment anyway.'
SO yeah, I have a 'thing' with that. It's not like I am a nutso clean freak, but I hate working in a shop full of sawdust, scattered tools, and scrap everywhere. So I don't clean everyday, but I do clean regularly and the boys like helping with that because they can do it without an adult holding their hand every second. Yeah, we did the sweeping dirt into the shop thing for quite a while, but we are making progress. ;D
I guess it's like my version of "Wax on, wax off", the zen approach to mechanical aptitude. (tm)
They are learning so much just watching you work. They see a work ethic that somehow society seems to be teaching many kids that it's unnecessary.They will see that hard work and perseverance will pay off. It has for you, being your own boss and everything....(mostly) ;) you are married.....
Quote from: Nebraska on June 27, 2020, 08:17:14 AM
, being your own boss and everything....(mostly) ;) you are married.....
That is an illusion most smart women allow us to believe. :D ;D
Didn't get much done yesterday just some piddling in the shop painting, sanding, cleaning, planning, etc. The humidity was way too high to apply any finishes.
Today I put a coat of urethane on that table that warped on me after finally getting it to lay back down. I should go do the other side when I finish this post if it's dry enough to flip before it moves again. Then I headed out to the mill and finished off the last RO (small) log I had queued up and cleared the decks to start this quarter sawing test. Just a handful of 4/4 boards because I don't have any 4/4 RO in the rack. Nothing special. This had a rot hole up the center so I had to work around that and used the remaining 4x4 center to make 2 short ramps to help roll logs up on the mill. Near the end of that log the engine on the mill started balking under load. It had made one funny 'pop' when I tried to start it, but then ran just fine at idle. But at the high end under load it was throwing just a little smoke and balking a bit, it got worse as I finished up the last board or two. Now, I had a 4° blade on there, the first one I tried and I knew it was dull, but as it was my first one, I left it on to see how far it would go before it stopped cutting flat, but it hung right in there making good boards all along but it did get harder to push and did make the mill buck near the end, so I had to go slow and controlled. When it was done I stickered everything up and then put a new 4° blade on, cleaned and greased and oiled some stuff as I went. I also pulled the air filter and cleaned some dust out of the pre-filter, but the paper filter is pristine. Tomorrow I will check the plug, but the first cut should tell the tale. I spent some time marking out and planning how to cut the log and was just about ready to give it a shot when the sky opened up and I had to cover the mill and get under cover myself. So just another day.
Well I thought today was a washout/shop day and it started out that way. I did some finishing work in the shop, but around lunch time it kind of cleared and the radar had big enough breaks that I thought I could risk it. I took the smallest basswood log and took a shot at quarter sawing it. It is a really tough wood to see the grain structure in. It is so white that all I could go by was the check marks in the ends. It came out pretty well. I took 8/4 out of the center, then worked on one log half and tired 2 different methods on each of the halves. The first one I did as a single half up on the edge. The second half I cut into quarters then laid those two down and milled them together. It took me a couple of hours to work through it. I got 50BF out of the log (which scaled to 40), but a few of the pieces are not quarter sawn. But obviously, it wasn't a big log.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200630_164745784.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1593557547)
I also ran into this little guy today.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200630_163534729.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1593557503)
Now I gotta run off and skid some logs. Hope it's not too late of a night. ;D
(edit to add 2.5 hours later): Just got done unloading logs. Forgot to mention that I pulled the plug on the mill this morning and cleaned it, it had light carbon build up. Between that and cleaning the air filter, it ran like a champ all afternoon. No issues. Also, I started with a new 4° blade on that log and managed to hit a log clamp on the second cut. It really ticked me off, I only have 5 of those blades and no cash to get another full box yet. But the next blade worked well and I am back to being careful again. SO not a bad day all around, and now it is raining again. >:(
Kind of an odd day today with the rain coming and going but not much rain coming down. I got out on the mill at 10am and put up the oldest log I had laying around. Got an order for 8' tomato stakes last night, yes, 8'. He wants 2 dozen. Man it was humid and I sweat buckets. The log wasn't as good as I thought and I will get a bunch of 3, 4, and 6' stakes out of it, but not a lot of good stuff at 8', so I threw up a fresh pine log after lunch and milled that one too. Now I have a mess of stakes waiting to be pointed. I just stacked them on the little trailer and drove the whole thing around and backed it right in the shop. Rain kept threatening all day and at a few points I was milling in a light rain, but it always passed. 3 miles away they got clobbered with some good rain.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200701_173052129.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1593649338)
Now I just have to figure out how to point these. My buddy has a lumberjack pointing tool he will lend me, but he can't find it in his shop. :D
SO I will rig something up on the RA saw so I can trim the top square and point the end in the same handling. Tomorrow is another day.
Well today was a full workday just putting in the labor. I pointed just over 7 dozen tomato stakes. I did the 8 footers for my customer order and he picked them up withing 2 hours ago when I told him they were ready, cash in hand. I took the remaining ones I had and cut them pretty much in half, thinking not too many folks want an 8' tomato stake, but 4' might sell. If I made 5', the remnant would be waste, so I opted for 4' to get two out of each (or most of them). There was come loss due to poor wood. So he has his 2 dozen, plus some extras and I have a little over 5 dozen with no immediate plans. Plus I have some random shorts (hey, you never know). SO what to do with all these things?
SO I thought on it while doing the grunt work of pointing. As I have been meaning to throw a coat of paint on that little junk trailer I use for hauling stuff around the yard I had an idea. If i painted the trailer so it didn't look like yard waste itself, then made a rack and some signage, I could park the thing out on the front lawn during the day and see if it generates any traffic. Maybe I'll meet my neighbors at least.
SO I have no photos of the stakes (just a 1.5" square stick with a 2 sided point) here is the trailer all painted up.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200702_170539971.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1593734350)
Tomorrow I will make a rack and figure out some signs and how to make it look decent. Not a bad day. A lot of sweat, a happy customer (I didn't get a photo, but he did send me a photo of his garden with the stakes about and hour ago.), and a full workday with no 'old man' breaks. I will take a chance and try this out, who knows? The worst that will happen is i wasted some time finding out what folks down't want. i have a bunch of stakes that will sell eventually, or I can give away as good will, the trailer got painted and I was going to do it anyway, just needed an excuse, and I will have to make a display rack, but I am using job scraps of PT my son dropped off last night so the cost is just my time. I am still learning everyday.
I also talked with my customer's wife, she wants a 6' bench to go with their large kitchen table, if she likes it, she will get a second one for the other side. We talked wood and sizes and other considerations. Looks like it will be pine to match the table, no live edges, with nice solid legs. I will have to work on the leg design, and of course, the log I need to use is at the bottom of my log pile, but it's an order, and I think I will make two from the get go, so they match. I'll take a risk on the second one, since they are taking a chance on me. :) Baby steps.
Well I don't feel like I got much done today but I am tired and didn't quit until after 8. When I got in the shower the salt flooded my eyes all over again and burned like pepper spray on the second go 'round (or so I am told ;D).
I had in mind to get the lawn mowed when it dried enough, but that never happened. It is tall enough now to be driving me crazy because it looks terrible. Every time it looked like I might have a shot, some rain came in, then in the afternoon we got a gully washer and we stand at about 1.5" for the day.
So shop work again. I made a rack for the tomato stakes and put that on the trailer. All from leftover drops from some job my son just finished that would have gone to the dump if I didn't take them, and of course I over built it as usual. But what are you going to do when you have a 4' piece of 2x12? So I used it. ;D I made up some signs, printed them and took them to the copy center in town to get laminated. Then I came back and tacked them up. I have a couple of small cheap things I can also put on the trailer, just to generate questions or interest in other stuff and I added a sign that lists other 'services available'. I figure the tomato stakes are just a conversation starter, if nothing else. I took inventory of the stakes on the trailer and it comes to just over $150. which is nothing and not really worth the work, but if it gets a connection or two, then it is worth it. So here is the trailer setup.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200703_173044904.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1593824728)
After it was all done and I stepped back to asses my work I realized there was a pricing error on the sign for the 6' stakes. No matter, I am 'out of stock' on those anyway and I corrected it with a sharpie. I will get a new sign laminated next time I go to town.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200703_173054781.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1593824713)
Then I looked around for some other small stuff to put on the trailer. I don't want to put any of the really nice tables out in the sun, but if folks express an interest, they can see them in the shop. So I found two of these cookies I have been messing with for a year and a half. I put the legs on them, did a quick light sand and a final coat of urethane to clean them up.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200703_191318245.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1593824743)
I also found a bookshelf and a stool. I will also put a business card holder in there and call it good, for now. It's a work in progress, we will see how it goes. No rain in the forecast until Monday. I had thought a little about security too. I am not too worried about theft because I plan to put it out in the morning and take it in in the evening. That's the nice thing about the trailer, it's easy and I can pull that with the lawn tractor and just leave the tractor out there too. But I did find a nice spot to put a trail cam, just in case, and I set that up tonight and will check the card in the morning to see if I have it aimed right.
The whole point of this, for me, is not to sell tomato stakes (which I never even THOUGHT of making until 4 days ago). The point is for the folks that travel my road to know I am here and have something to offer they might want. We are still just like a small town, and I am hoping I can use that network to get some sales going and get this ball rolling (slowly, but rolling none the less).
My wife also tells me that an open air market in Woodstock has gotten the OK to re-open. This is like a cross between a flea market and a farmers market. You see household junk, LP's by the thousands, artists, food stuffs, craftsman, and any other creation you could imagine. Yes, the Woodstock nation is alive and well here. ;D Given the tourist load in Woodstock, it is a good location with possibilities for me. We (or I) plan to make a visit tomorrow and check it out and find out the details. My wife has never done this one...yet. I have not been up to Woodstock in 4 months, but judging by the weekend traffic which I can barely tolerate between Friday and Sunday, I would say the town is hopping pretty well under the circumstances. Since it's 'tourist season' and apparently we are still not allowed to shoot 'em, maybe I can sell 'em something?
Anyway, tomorrow is another day.
The cookie stools look real nice but underpriced. Can you show the bottom with connections and such. Did you make the legs and if so more details. What kind of wood are they? The more I think of cookie benches the more I think they have to be thicker than my 8/4 LE benches. I like the looks of yours.
Those are junk cookies I have been using for testing for 3 years now. The legs are from a clearance store and are really a little table. They can't be used as stools and look funky if you look underneath. Yes, If I had really strong hairpin legs they would be worth more, but these are just drink holder tables for a porch or fire pit.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200703_191347909.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1593831898)
Not real proud of the workmanship on this 'mount'.
It was a lazy day yesterday. I figure it was a holiday and it couldn't hurt to goof off a little. I took a run over to Woodstock to check out that market first thing in the morning and see if it was something I might be interested in. Still thinking about it. I ran into a husband and wife pair making and selling nice little woodcarvings and we chatted a bit with an exchange of business cards at the end. They are interested in some basswood and also pointed me at a large local carving club. They want 16/4 materiel. We will be in touch soon. :)
Then I came home and mowed the lawn which really needed it and I put out the trailer by the road edge and updated my Facebook page to let folks know.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200704_124209196_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1593963468)
Not one car or truck stopped all day. >:( I did notice about 3 slow down just a little. There was one FB share out there and as a result of that word got back to me that a fella I know with a land clearing and septic field business said he would "take everything I had". When I finally got hold of him late last night and this morning, that was refined to be '3 dozen, 4' stakes'. I gave him a price and he is happy, now he just has to pick them up, and the last time he bought some huge top boards for his dump (which I milled in a rush) it took a bit to get him to pick them up. But, his cash is the same color as everyone else's. ;D
I spent most of the day sticking to the 'lazy' plan.:) Mostly I think I just needed a day 'off' so I took it. It was hot and humid and I soaked my t-shirt through before 10am. We had my son and his boys over in the evening for a little campfire and to watch the next door neighbor's shoot off a couple of paycheck's worth of fireworks. Much better this year than last. Last year it was too dry to think about it and they had stuff flying horizontal through the trees. (There may have been some alcohol involve, just guessing.) This year it is wetter and the stuff remained mostly vertical. The boys enjoyed the show. We managed to find a bag of stuff from years ago in the shop of little stuff and we shot off some bottle rockets and had sparklers for the boys. Then we got into the marshmallows for a while and they did pretty good with those, very few 'sacrifices' :D. We loaded them in the car around 11:30 in a semi-conscious condition. Apparently it was tough work for them.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200704_231405753.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1593963441)
As for today, I have no idea. I slept really late and am slow to get going. Guess I will give that trailer another day and see if anyone stops to look. Maybe it was just a bad idea, but maybe not. You never know until you try and it only cost me a day or two of labor, so, what the heck?
most folks were probably in route and or returning from plans and activities for the holiday. You may get inquiries in 2 weeks generated by that roadside advertising.
Yes my first thought was be patient, all good things take time. I think that little trailer was a good idea especially with all the other stuff you do. Glad you had a good fourth with family.
Yeah, I figure it's a long game type of thing. 'bad idea' was not the best term to use. Just another idea. You try stuff and don't put too much money or effort in until you know if it works. I learned a long time ago the best opportunities came from the strangest places. Never thought I would run into carvers looking for wood yesterday and putting out the trailer did result on the indirect sale of 3 dozen stakes. So there is that.
Funny but I never noticed before that most folks drive with tunnel vision looking straight ahead and never even notice the trailer. Of course they are driving too fast so I guess that has something to do with it. My neighbor right across the road passed by at least 6 times yesterday I will bet 20 bucks he still hasn't seen that trailer. Every time I pass him on the road I wave and he never sees me even though we are facing each other. I think that is very strange, but he is not alone. It seems a lot of folks are like that.
How much road frontage do you have? If you have a bit, make up some Burma Shave signs... Something like
"Just"
"Ahead"
"Sharp"
"Sticks"
or
"Beef"
"Steak"
"Tomato"
"Stakes"
or some other goofy thing to make them slow down and look around.
"Should"
"have"
"Bought"
"A"
"Squirrel"
Great ideas guys, I love the burma shave signs, I have a book around here with a lot of the text from them somewhere.
Sorry, but I don't have that kind of frontage, but it is a fun idea. Now y'all are going to have a good laugh at this, but I never told you that I live on a 'no outlet' road.Yeah, I know, on your side of this page your are probably laughing and wondering what kind of an idiot I am, but it's not as bad as you might think. You actually can get through and out the other side, but it requires a couple of things: A vehicle with a good suspension, knowing the landowner of the last piece of property, or the ability to drive faster than said landowner can draw a bead. ;D The road is about 2-3 miles long and we get a fair amount of traffic. What I miss is the folks that live between me and the corner, they rarely come down this way. Again, mostly I am doing this to raise curiosity. Another dry day today though. >:( Now my wife wants me to add some small bundles of camp wood for the folks that rent B&B's on the road. I dunno. I was thinking of putting a short slab or two out there for a few days.
Another lazy day today. pretty warm here and I think maybe if I took it a little easier on the weekends I can be more focused during the week. (Well anyway, it sounded good today when I didn't feel like doing anything. :D) It was just such a pretty day and the neighbors were away so it was quiet. I listened to the birds (and a few minutes ago, the owls) and relaxed. Back to the normal grind tomorrow. ;D
Quote from: firefighter ontheside on July 05, 2020, 07:06:02 PM
"Should"
"have"
"Bought"
"A"
"Squirrel"
I assume this was your referenc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwXF6itJn1o)e?
Been a while since I updated. I haven't been doing many photos either, mostly household chores. I spent Friday afternoon at NYBHH's place, we were postulating on a design for a portable fire control system he can move around his property and have a water supply so he can burn safely. I brought over a pump, some plumbing, and another tank and we played by the creek moving water and talking through the design. I got pretty wet here and there when I wasn't fast enough on the valves, but it was SO hot, who cared? ;D By the evening, we had some good concepts to work with and before I got home he had a lot of the basics spec'ed out already. Sorry, no photos.
As I said, it has been hot so I have been diddling on little things here and there but nothing special. I did get one person stop to look at the goods on the front lawn yesterday, a neighbor I have known for many years. He didn't need any of the stuff I had on the trailer but asked if I knew where he could get a few batten boards. ;D 'Yeah, sure, c'mon back to the stack'. It didn't take long to find some of the little basswood pieces I threw on the drying stack with no plan for them. He even liked the one live edge that I offered to take off. So no direct sales from the display, but at least I got someone who stopped and another connection resulted from it. This is exactly what I had hoped for. :) It's' slow, but it works, sort of.
My son finished a job on Friday that he had rented scaffolding for and he can't return it until Monday, so he left it in the shop for the weekend. ;D Since I put that little 45° loft up, the ceiling fan has intruded into the working area and is not safe. I have already had a few close calls. I needed to move it for a 3rd (hopefully final) time. My original new spot had the scaffolding out in the middle of the floor and the design on this system has you climb up the outside then swing around the rail on the outside to get on the deck. This thing is narrow (2') and with all my weight 8' off the floor it got pretty tipsy when I tried to swing around. I didn't have a step ladder high enough to get me up there either. I re-thought my location choice. And settled for something safe, but closer to the upstairs decks. I could step from the deck onto the scaffold. However the thing was pretty wobbly for an old guy and I was not comfortable working above my head. So I ran a couple of strap boards and screwed them to the deck on the floor and the scaffold.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200712_130735961.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1594595846)
This firmed it up pretty well. I was mindful of many 'did something dumb today' posts (had a few myself) and I did not feel like creating a new one today. My balance isn't what it once was and I was, admittedly, very tensed up which is also not good. But I managed to get it done and do a proper job.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200712_133540345.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1594595844)
After I got all that stuff cleaned up and the scaffold ready to return to the renter I decided to get some logs ready to put on the mill. I got one old clunker EWP yanked out and I thought the pile would drop, but it didn't. I don't like having an unstable pile with the boys playing here. They know not to climb on it, but that is something I am not taking a chance on, so I rolled one log with a can't hook to fill a hole, but there was another 'hanger' and I could not roll it by hand with the other logs on top of it. What to do? Well I found another application for the MagicMan Hook (tm).
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200712_150111523_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1594595885)
I gave it a tug with the Mule and over she came and the pile settled down. My problem is still the big EWP on the bottom I need to get out and milled for a job. I'll figure that out another day. I tried to discuss it with my office manager but she didn't seem to care.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200711_085605709.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1594595809)
Tomorrow is another day.
OGH,
Great to hear from you again. I was getting worried since I had not seen anything here in about a week. Glad you had a productive day. I am surprised about the basswood for battens as I would not think they are durable enough but once the customer buys them that is his issue. I try to give them a suggestion but ... I took a sample piece of buckeye to a lady at the flea market today. A 1X4 about 3' long (1 bf). It has air dried 18 months, very light and a pretty sample. She is doing more woodburning and her husband does my Lichtenburg engraving. I will see what she thinks of it. I think she uses a lot of 3" pieces 8-9 inches long. I told her I could stand one on edge and resaw one of my 12/4 pieces into thin pieces if she likes. We will see.
Like WV said good to hear from you 👍
Aw, you guys missed me. ;) I have been posting on other threads all week. I guess those weren't noticeable? ;D I think I spent this week trying to figure out if the heat is just getting to me, or if I have the early 'retirement blues'. :D
Yeah, I would not have picked the basswood either and advised him as such, but I believe he is going to paint it, so it should still be OK. He needed so little that it wasn't really worth worrying about.
I don't get any buckeye here, hope your customer likes it.
I forgot to mention in the previous post that I spent a day jacking up and supporting the new drying rack I built several weeks ago. I underestimated the weight (actually just didn't think about it enough) so I had to jack it up in the middle and add supports or legs as I could to get it back to flat. Probably gonna make another smaller one this week. We will see how the weather goes.
OGH,
Actually I had noticed your posts on some of the other threads so I figured you were still alive and assumed you were too busy to post. Reminds me of the time I got a letter from an old HS buddy I had not heard from for several years. He wrote "I'd have wrote sooner but the fish were biting." Who can refute logic like that? :D
Yeah some of us wondered what you had been up to. :)
Well today was(is) Monday and I tried to start off on a better foot. Got up at 4:30, cooked breakfast at 7 and was out working before 8. Nice and cool. I uncovered the mill and drug up a questionable EWP log that I got from a neighbor and expected would wind up being campfire wood, it was old and grey and had shake. But I cut all that off and got 4 decent 2x8's out of it. I should have started by saying I am trying to clean up the log pile and work on logs I need specific wood from, but I have some stuff in the way that just needs to be milled and out of the way. This was one of those logs. I have an order for a pine bench to match a family made farm kitchen table of a friend's wife. They want it 16" wide and I might have a log (at the bottom of the pile of course) to make it in one slab, but I had another EWP log that I thought I could join 2 pieces for, so I milled that one next and got some nice 2x10x12's out of it. I got a nice clean cant out of it.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200713_115506935.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1594685990)
And except for the knots, the boards look good and clean. I asked the client and he sent me a photo of the table showing it was also knotty, so this will match just fine.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200713_121731506_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1594686004)
More than enough to make 2 benches. Then it was lunch time and the mail came. The new (used) wireless access point showed up to replace the one that blew last week. As the wife sues this for her netflix casting to the TV I thought I should spend a little time and get that working for her. Turns out that the WAP never blew up in the first place, the modem from the company had issues, so when I figured the work around and got it all going, I had an extra WAP and as the shop wireless is not working as well as I would like I put it out there and messed with it a bit. Probably wasted too much time on that but it was dang hot so I was in no hurry. Finally strated thinking about the logs again and got back to it.
Now I was starting to 'loosen the log pile' by getting rid of a couple of logs, I thought if I did a little re-arranging I might get to the big log on the bottom. Roll one this way, and another the other way, working from one end of the pile, then back to the other, like playing chess and all I had was a cant hook and my amazing physique ;D :D. I rolled this one RO log that I got from a neighbor, it has been on the pile about a week, but when I rolled it, brown water started running out of what looked like, it's mouth. I got a lumber crayon and outlined the face I saw. The heat does funny things to a man sometimes.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200713_161958123_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1594686038)
Anyway I kept working logs back and forth hoping for an opening. ABout that time, as I was on top of the pile trying to roll something that was about 3 times my weight, a customer pulled in to pick up his order of survey stakes (or 4' tomato stakes, they are very similar) and he commented that I was too old to be doing that and should buy a machine. Thanks, that is very helpful coming from a 30 year old kid. ;D Anyway, he got his stakes, I got my cash, and we did a little catching up. He left and I went back to work on the pile.
Push here, roll there and the next thing you know, I thought I had an opening. Got the mule, a length of chain and the log tongs and dragged that sucker right out. Soaked in sweat, I called it a day right then and there, just left the log where I can grab it in the morning.
Tomorrow I will mill that log into planks and then either take a poplar or a basswood log and mill up some stuff for the luthiers and wood carvers. Mainly this week, I have to build another drying skid, but I am hoping for a rainy or way too hot day. I'll build it mostly in the shop, call someone to help me move it, then finish it out in the swamp. I need more drying space, and I need to start having racks for specific types of stuff to save me time in pulling and re-stacking. I have salvaged new lumber enough for another 16 footer. But tonight I think I am headed to bed early.
Well made some progress today, but not a lot. I started on another larger EWP log that I pulled last night. Got 4 clean 2x10's and 2 4/4 boards I made into stickers. The neat part about this one is that it is denim pine (blue stain). Not a lot, but enough that it is either junk or valuable to someone. ;D
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200714_093601900.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1594767685)
So that will sit and dry as a possible use for that bench order I have. I will ask the client on their preferences, otherwise I have the stuff I milled yesterday. In any event, I'm done with pine for now. Then I had to run the wife up to pick up her van from the repair guy (frozen caliper). That killed an hour. Then lunch and grab some more logs. I need to get some Ash milled up for winter projects and I have a request from a luthier for an 8/4 slab quarter sawn. I had one skinny ash log left, so I pulled that and stuck it on the mill and as long as I was in log moving mode, I also snatched out a nice Basswood log from the pile to do those woodcarver blocks. That log was covered in Scoharie County Clay (tm) and had gravel embedded in it and there was no way I could put that on the mill. So I dropped it by the mill and set to peeling the bark with an ax. Holy cow that was no fun, but I started to see a pattern where it would peel. One thing led to another in my slow working mind and I got every felling wedge I could find and worked my way around the log driving, resetting, and moving the wedges whenever I popped thru the bark and using the ax in tough spots.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200714_152509128_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1594767712)
It felt like it took forever, but it was probably less than an hour and I had the cleanest white log I have ever seen. Slicker than greased glass. Only cost me my time and a quart of sweat. :D
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200714_154141340_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1594767738)
It was so naked looking that I am thinking I should have covered it with a sheet. ;D The filleting on the outsides of these logs is fascinating. I could probably make a canoe out of the bark, if I knew how. :D After I finished it I was just shot, so I closed up and got on the mower and mowed the backyard, it needed it...again. Then the dinner bell rang.
So tomorrow I have at least that Ash and the Basswood log to get milled and on the rack, then I have to start focusing on those drying racks some more to increase my capacity and trim up what I have already. If I am going to make a dent in that log pile this summer, I need a place to put it. For the next rack I have to start from scratch again, cutting trees out of the way and scrubbing the ground to make an area. I feel like this 'adventure' is leading me down a path and I have no idea what it might look like near the end. Every day is a new revelation in what I have to do next. I have such a basic plan that I have no idea exactly how I am getting there...yet. I spent a career being 'the project manager' and sweating every detail way ahead of any due date. This time I am just going with the flow and doing what seems right, at what seems like the right time. It's refreshing to wing it for a change and so far it is going pretty good. I am even enjoying the mis-steps I make (mostly).
Tomorrow is another day.
Well another day. I milled up the ash log I had on the mill into mostly 8/4 stuff for the luthier folks with some 4/4 side boards for me. Then I put up the Basswood log I peeled last night and started on that, got 3 sides open making 4/4 jacket boards as I went (I have no idea what for yet) and took lunch when the 4th side came up. Lunch turned into nap (it was hot and humid) and when I woke up realized I had a Zoom meeting at 5:30 so I hustled back and milled that Basswood into 3 12/4 posts and 2 16/4 posts for the woodcarver folks with a few boards for whatever. I barely got it stacked and stickered in time to quit and make my meeting. I am still amazed by the structure of these Basswood logs under the bark.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200715_121808753_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1594863076)
The fluting is amazing and I have no idea what causes it.
Here is the total days 'production'.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200715_165651585.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1594863065)
I closed up quick and rushed in the house trying to dry off and peel my soaking shirt. I did a quick wash off in the sink tried to shave my sweaty face and got a dry shirt on just in time. My 'meeting' was with my best friend from high school who I had lost contact with and recently located again. He was my Best Man at my wedding and I was his at his second wedding. Seems a shame we lost touch, but that is over now, after 30 years. It was like we just missed a few months in some ways. Mike and I are very different guys, but we also understand each other, so our different lifestyles and priorities really don't matter. It was really good and what I thought would be a 1 hour max meeting turned into 2 and a half hours, but we will do it again soon I expect. Catching up on 30 years in 2 hours can be rough, learning of all the tragedies that we missed in each others lives and the day to do of raising children and trying to help them get going in the working world is a lot to stick inside 2 hours, but it was really good. I feel like I got my old buddy back. He is down in Florida now (a surprise for me), but that matters not except that I wish we could visit again like when he was only 1 state away. Guess we will have to do a road trip when things open up and relax.
Anyway, a pretty good day. Tomorrow is another day.
Glad to hear you caught up with an old friend seems to me that January or February(most useless month of the year) would be a great time for a short migration South. 8)
Taking it one day at a time, or "Tomorrow is another day" is a great attitude, one I need to remember more often. The basswood is neat mine is stained from the tree being sickly. So it will be sawn into misc 2x lumber. Some time I'll get a good one.
These basswood logs I got are beautiful specimens. I don't think the wood carvers mind 'too' much if it is stained. A lot of them paint their finished work.
I forgot to mention, or maybe it started happening after I made my last post, but I got no less than 3 separate inquiries last night for pricing on material. 2 from the FB page and one from the Woodcarver I hooked up with 2 weeks ago. SO I am spending part of my morning working up prices and looking through my rack to see if I can fill the requests with what I have.
I don't know how I will make money selling 3x3x8" basswood blocks for $1.25, but we will see how it goes. Nothing ventured.....
I like your idea about hitting FL in February. My buddy has 3 guest rooms. I should broach that subject with the wife. It never occurred to me, thanks.
Today is another day and it is cool enough to wear jeans, so I am headed out to do the aforementioned inventory, then weed whacking and clearing an area for the next lumber rack. Very overcast, humid, and damp cool. Feels like rain, but nothing on the radar or in the forecast. The rain is due to arrive around midnight.
OGH,
That looks like about $2.50/bf on the basswood which seems decent on the surface if this is rough cut, air dried (drying?). Are you doing any planing or KD or other processing other than milling and cutting to length? How much labor is going into cutting them into short pieces? Why wouldn't the customers buy them in 8' lengths and cut them to length themselves? Can you bundle and sell them in groups? Maybe make a simple crate and sell an assortment/pack for $35/$40 or so? Good luck.
Yes exactly correct 2.50/BF. These carvers don't seem to have the machines and tools for cutting lumber and their usage is small. Most buy variety packs from Rockler, but they don't get to pick the sizes. Rockler gets about 30 bucks for a 20 pound box I think. Let's see how this develops. I have over 400 bucks worth of basswood drying right now. :D mine will just be air dried at best.
I've still got close to 1,000 bf of 4/4, 8/4, 12/4 and 16/4 basswood mostly 8' long that has been drying 18 months and looks real good. It was a big den tree that fell nearly 2 years ago above my main shooting house on the side of a steep slope. It knocked a small buckeye into my shooting house and I ended up replacing some boards and putting metal over the old shingle roof. I caught a cold spell in February and bucked the logs and snaked them out with my ATV and sawed them into assorted thicknesses and put a box fan between them for a couple months and they turned out well.
Good luck with yours.
Well, I went through 2 t-shirts and 3 hats today. The humidity was pretty high. ;D no logs sawed. no shop work. I decided to get started clearing an area for the next drying rack before I build it. I took out around a dozen small trees and did a lot of low branch pruning. I hauled a lot of brush into the pile and trimmed the small trees with a hand ax, piled the branches and saved the poles 'just in case'. Almost all white pine pecker poles with some hemlock in the mix. Then I raked and leaf blowed, then got the next layer of branches out, then leaf blowed again. Finally had a workable area. I have 30 years of leaf litter piled in here because it was fallow land for me, just swamp. Now I need the real estate, so I am reclaiming it. Took all day, except for a little trip across town to my folks old house where we had taken down 2 trees and I marked the logs I want to mill and the rest will be firewood. Lots of 'sticker logs', which I need anyway. I never seem to have stickers on hand. I haven't been there in a while and hadn't seen this tree in several years. Guess we should check this with a metal detector before we do any cutting on it.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200716_160944825.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1594943947)
I remember when my Dad layed those rebar cuts in the crotch, they are actually 90° corner bends. I guess I lost track of time and forgot about them. ;D I don't think I can use them now.
Then I came back and hauled more brush and hand leveled off a big hump of dirt and rocks that was at the 'entry way' to the new area (I swear I am getting a little old for this digging with a mattock nonsense). I cleaned up a bigger area than I expected and now am planning for the next (after this new one) rack. This is the view from the mill. The hardwood rack I made 6 weeks ago is on the right and the pine skid is on the far left (I need to get that tarp in the air to get some airflow, I know, it's on the list).
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200716_193410463.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1594943997)
And here is a little closer up so you can see I have some working room for at least two racks. This was not walk-able area when I started this morning. Just a big tangle with lots of dead tangles on the ground.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200716_193315676.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1594943969)
I am right on the property line here, so I have to be mindful, but this is dry ground I can drive on most of the time. The ground just off to the right of this photo is wet pretty mush year round, which is why I have been spreading brush in there as matting. Anyway, making progress on this front. tomorrow I will stare at it a little more to decide where the first rack will go, then get to work building it. This one will probably be wider than the first one. I am learning you never have enough space.
I also got a call out of the blue on that Basswood. The guys I had been talking to kicked my name up to the guy who buys wood for this carving club. I guess they group by for everyone and share the cost savings with their members. Anyway, he seems like a nice guy and we had a good talk. He knows his wood and what he wants. He balked a little at my $2.50/BF price, saying that they were already buying KD wood for $3.00/BF. I explained that all the cutting into little blocks added a lot to my time and handling. He laughed and said "Why would you do that?" I told him that is what the other guys asked for. He said 'no, I want to buy in lumber lengths so we can cut it as required'. "OK" says I, "then lets talk turkey, we can cut it back to $2.25/BF" he said that was just fine. I think I undercut myself, but my thinking is he already has a supplier, he doesn't need me. I need cash, and I see this as a way to sell some wood soon. If he is coming to pick up a load and I can move it and make room, so much the better. Him buying in bulk for the club saves me all that hassle of cutting blocks and selling a couple to each customer. I still have two big logs to mill. Not sure how often I will be able to get hold of this stuff anyway. He now needs to get ahold of the club treasurer get an OK and spending some funds.
One of my other inquiries that doesn't really know what he wants is coming by on Saturday morning to get a better idea of what I have or can make for him. Gotta explore every opportunity. Baby steps.
If this had been any other year, I would have been camped in a hayfield right now since Monday for my favorite Bluegrass Festival of the year, Grey Fox. But it was canceled like so many others. The great folks at Grey Fox are putting on a live stream event all weekend. It started at 4pm today and is following the normal daily schedule they have always used, so I am trying to catch as much of that as possible. If you have and interest, go find Grey Fox Bluegrass festival on Facebook and open the live stream from one of their posts. They are mixing live video with archived footage. I know so many of these musicians that I am enjoying these very much, but I am missing being with my co-workers up there and mixing with the musicians backstage. That part has me a little depressed because Grey Fox is like my personal Christmas, it is the center of my year. I miss it quite a bit.
On the other hand in the midst of all the entertainment venues being closed hard since March there has been a dearth of gigs to catch, when I usually catch between 1 and 3 live gigs every 2 weeks. I have been nowhere since February. Well today I got a private invitation to an actual gig! My friends who were supposed to have done an Australian tour in April, followed by a US tour in May and June are doing a live stream for their new CD release from a local music theater that has just been renovated and not allowed to open yet. The live audience is by invitation only, just friend really. The theater can handle about 500 folks and I doubt there will be 100 of us there, but this way the band will have audience feedback and hopefully make it better for the folks watching online. Another COVID experiment, I guess. It will be nice to get out in a fairly safe environment and be with good music friends. So, there is that.
And tomorrow is another day.
I forgot to mention when I went out to mark logs on my way back I stopped to get staples (eggs, milk, and beer) at while I was catching up with a neighbor, this truck pulls in and my neighbor could see that I was so distracted I couldn't hold a conversation. I apologized and said "I HAVE to check this truck out". he followed me over.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/Olive_truck.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1594954695)
The truck is now owned by a closer neighbor who "found it" about 30 miles away. The department listed is the next town over from us and I have spent many hours working fires and training with them I have a lot of friends in that department. I had to know 'the story' on this truck. Turns out it was bought by that department as new in 1961 for a utility and brush truck, then sold when it was 'getting old' to 'some guy'. He worked it up into a tournament truck: solid suspension, hot motor, tight brakes, etc. (Fire dept tournaments are a 'thing' in the northeast, look it up). SO my neighbor wanted a unique truck to nag around in and this is 'it'. Pretty dang neat. My other neighbor (a music producer) wanted a photo of me with the truck and he took this one. Kind of a surreal 4 minutes in my afternoon out of nowhere. I should have got a photo of what it had under the hood, holy cow. Note how close the running board is to the ground. Normal for tournament trucks (maybe even a little high), but not so good for rural street use. ;D
He jsut got it and is going to bring it over to the original department for some photos and to get a copy of the photo they have from the day the truck was delivered new. Pretty neat, don't you think? I nearly forgot to even mention it.
Great picture and a nice little story 👍
Only 1 shirt and 2 hats today, but I finished the day with no shirt, just too humid. A full 10 hour day though. I got my 3rd drying rack layed out and built. Pretty much done, but I do have a little more trimming on the tarp tomorrow and I may paint this one for the neighbors benefit.
This one I built a bit bigger and with a lot more support under it. I learned from the last one. ;D We were watching 2 of the grandsons today, so divide and conquer. One is a homebody so he hung with my wife mostly in the house, and the other is an outdoors guy, so he hung with me. He was a HUGE help, more than you might expect from any 5 year old, OK, more than I expected. HE has no fear of the noise of the air nailer or the circular saw noise. He knows to wear his safety glasses. He is used to it. He would hold up one end of the stringers while I nailed them, hold the end of a long board when I was cutting it off, and hand me stuff when I was up high and save me a LOT of jumping up and down. I would not have finished it today without his help. Pretty amazing. He did have one little distraction and that was the frogs in the drainage crick.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200717_132038813_LI_-_Copy.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1595029634)
He finally reached a point where they would not hide when he got in range and he thought it was cool to sit there and talk and try to reason with them. :D I circled the frog he was talking to in the above photo. There was another right next to it his head is covering.
But we managed to get this up just after lunch, my helper and I.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200717_144513087_-_Copy.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1595029577)
This is a shot from the same perspective as the previous days posts to give you an idea of what I picked for a location.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200717_144633165_-_Copy.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1595029684)
My helper and I made a run to town and got a proper sized tarp for a cover and I put that up while he played with the cute little girl next door (that NEVER stops talking ;D). Here's the final result:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200717_181711192.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1595029712)
It is no carpenters work of art for sure, but should be functional. I know I don't have drying sheds like most guys, probably down the road I will, but I need to get logs milled and have a place to get them air drying as quick as I can. This one is 8 x 16' and I made it 24" off the ground hoping the snow would not get up to that level. I put 11 blocks under it to support the load, plus two more bricks under those ridge board supports. I might put shed roofs on #2 and #3 next year. #1 will remain as the pine drying skid, just off the ground, but I do have to get the tarp on that one off the ground to get some airflow. Maybe tomorrow or in the next week. 2 days in a row on infrastructure is enough. Although I would maybe like to paint this new rack to make it subdued, the neighbor can see it right out their front door and I would like to be easy on their eyes. I have some dull red paint I might use up. Brown would be better. One of the nice points on this build is that I didn't mill or buy a stick of the materials. All job leftovers from my son's work. All I paid for was the nails. 8) oh, and the tarp. :D
Gonna go listen to some good Bluegrass now. Tomorrow is another day.
I like the pic of the old International fire truck cab (it's not rust, it's "Patina" ;D).
Well, yesterday it was SO hot and I was pooped from the previous days so I became a bum for a day. I just did little piddly things, got a cover up in the air over my pine drying skid and not much else I can think of. Too hot.
Today, it was even hotter, but we had chores to get done. We had an arborist drop a twin trunk maple over at my folks house that was threatening the house only about 20' away. SO today we did the cleanup, or started it anyway. We don't have any lifting equipment, so we worked with what we had on hand. We rigged up a snatch block in the head of the trailer and winched the logs in pulling with a winch on another truck.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200719_100127822.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1595200004)
And here is the truck end.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200719_100132217.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1595200031)
We took advantage of the work and provided some winch operator training. He did a good job.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200719_102119803.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1595200072)
While he was operating, I had a few seconds to shoot a short video, but that log got hung and I had to go roll it.
Loading the trailer - YouTube (https://youtu.be/_I84uM8JuaQ)
So now I have a little more wood here. We still have some to fetch over for firewood but we got most of the big stuff. I ran out of sweat again.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200719_183832810.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1595200104)
Today it hit 95 and not only was my shirt (when I still had it on) wringing wet, my bandanna was dripping and I had to use another. My shorts looked like I wet myself all over ( I did not) and were just soaked through all around. By 1 pm I was done in.
I came home and tuned in the last day of the Festival live stream. Most of that wood will either be firewood or stickers unless I find some neat spalting. I am tired of running out of stickers. I figure if I spend a day or so making stickers, maybe I can get ahead a little.
My son hauled the trailer over here an hour ago and we just dumped it. Tomorrow is another day and we have another heat advisory already up for it. ;D
You are definitely staying busy! The helper is great! He'll have some great memories of working with you years to come. You may have had something on the cable to protect the operators from a cable break that was not in the picture, if not consider laying a jacket, blanket, something over it.
Tell that boy to be careful of those cute girls that talk your leg off. You get to liking it and all of a sudden you start getting grandchildren. I swear it happens that fast. Stay cool, even though it's tough to do right now.
Yeah, winch safety is part of the lesson, but these loads were no challenge for that cable by any stretch (see what I did there? ;D). We focused on the "Up/Down" commands from the spotter and working the switch, and never taking your eyes off the spotter.
As for the girls, I hope he learns, but I always notice he seeks out the cute girls already. He and his brothers are sweet on the one who lives next door to us and also one they see at day care. Should I worry? :D
I forgot to mention that I had two guys come by Saturday with inquiries. One is a young fella I know from the folk music business who is starting a family, looking for a house, and wants to make some stuff. We were discussing a 'work for wood swap" wherein he would come help me and I could pay him in wood. This might work out for me, because having a tailgunner is a rare thing for me and I could really get through some logs with just a little bit of help. The other fella was the neighbor that was looking for a few batten boards a week or so ago. He picked out some basswood jacket boards about 11' long, about 1x4 with one wavy live edge. Really they were just above the junk level to me, but I saved them to use as trim after I edged them or some other simple use. If it had been oak or maple, they would have been stickers, and if pine they would be on the burn pile. I just charged him a couple of bucks for the neighborhood discount, figuring it was good PR and he was really pleased with that. So there has bee a little activity anyway.
Gonna be another hot one today.
Easier day yesterday, sort of. By 10am I was again soaked through and through. I moved about 8 logs over to the mill and got them queued up. Mostly sticker logs. By 11 it was so hot that I quit for a while. We had that music gig to go to in the evening and I wanted to be fresh. Took a nap in the heat of the day and a cool shower in the afternoon. We have not been to see live music since February. It was a small private crowd for about 20 folks. The first event at this theater in well over a year. The place looks great, I got to meet the new owner. There is art all over, they did a super job in the renovation but kept the original designs and features focusing mostly on the infrastructure of the building and they doing very nice finish work that matched the original. There is a lot of history in these walls. The place was built by Albert Grossman, who was the manger for Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, and several others. It is a complex of buildings, 3 restaurants, sound stage, performance theater, bar, recording studio, radio station, and some other stuff I am not aware of. Albert is buried on the grounds. There were a lot of gold albums recorded here in the '60-'90's as well as more current stuff. So it was good to see the place restored to its glory.
The band needed a 'get out the kinks' gig because it has been 5 months since they have played together. They have not performed a lot of the new tunes together more than a couple of times so some refinement and tweaking is in order. I have often watched this band do a local kick off gig such as this, then spend a few months on tour and do a final gig here back at home and the difference is night and day for somebody who knows the music. About a year ago they live streamed most of their gigs on one tour leg and I watched them every night or every other night for a couple of weeks. It was interesting to see the conscious changes they would make in a song from night to night as they tweaked it. SO last night was the first of what I hope will be many gigs. It was a lot of fun even with all the virus precautions, temp checks, masks, spacing, etc. Tonight they are playing in an open air park concert over in CT (sold out already), lets see what they come up with next.
Now I have to go get something done. Today is another day.
Well today I tried to tough it out through the heat. It didn't work, but I got in about 8 hours anyway. The slabs and filtches have been building up and I had a real mess, so I focused on that. I cut what I had and stacked the hardwood for shop heat. I doubled the size of the pile, looks to be about a face cord. So, not much.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200721_160839755.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1595377080)
I got the saw horse area cleaned up and tomorrow I will have a little fire to burn bark and whatever I raked up. I want to get rid of all the trip hazards.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200721_160857067.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1595377091)
The pine I had got stacked for campfire wood. I doubled that pile too.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200721_160914186.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1595377152)
But man I really needed a shower. This coming in with soaking wet shorts is getting old fast. I lost 4 pounds in sweat over the last few days.
The fella that came over Saturday called today and will be coming back Thursday to pick up some of the stuff he looked at. I will have to re-cut some 2x10's into 2x3's or some other such stuff, but he will be giving me a hand to do that. Looks like about a 100 buck order and I need every one of those I can get. :) (BTW Howard, just about everyone of the sales I have had has been through the FB contacts. I made a FB page for the business and put up a photo of whatever I am working on every other day or so, it keeps them coming back to look, then eventually I get the 'Hey, could you make..?' question and then things develop from there.)
Tomorrow I have to take the bride down to Poughkeepsie to drop her sewing machine off for repair, it's an hour drive each way and I know it will kill a good part of the day, but she gets grumpy when one of her machines is not working, so off we go. :D Hopefully I can get something done when we get home. I think we may get a little rain, but I would at least like to get the mill area cleanup done and burn the junk up, it's in the way.
Tomorrow is another day.
OGH,
I ain't saying no forever - just not ready to take the FB plunge yet.
What kind of sewing and machines does your wife do/use? Mine does a lot of quilting and has several big Berninna (Swiss made) machines and a great big quilting frame they mount on for the actual quilting part. She has embroidery programs that hook into her computer and she makes specialty designs for special projects. She makes a small theme quilt for Camp Care every summer and all the kids (Cancer patients/survivors and siblings) and staff sign it and they raffle it off at the Christmas party as the grand prize. Over recent years they have included Peter Pan, Wizard of Oz, Superheros, Star Wars, Games, All Roads lead to Camp, etc and all have the Care Bear (Looks a lot like the one on the Shriner's commercials) in appropriate situations and attire.
Watch that heat - fortunately for me the customer got here this afternoon just as the sun dropped behind the mountain putting me in the shade. Was still hot and I was wrung out when we finished.
My wife is a quilter too. I have no idea what machines she uses, but nothing so fancy. She is in several groups, they do quilts for the church, the women's shelter, and several other places they need their work. She also makes dog beds for one of the animal shelters and stuff for cancer patients. Besides this she has her business making quilted pillows, table runners, place mats, wall hangings, and a ton of other stuff. SHe also used to practice the art of gyotaku (google it :)) but she found that folks didn't understand what she was doing and how much work it took, so they would not spend a higher price on what they saw as just a fabric print. She learned it from my cousin who had pieces in art books and major museums. So she does do much of that any more but she uses the same technique to make leaf prints and other things.
We have more fabric around this place than lumber. ;D
FB can wait. I'm not twisting your arm. Just sharing my short experience. I think both of us are pretty tired tonight.
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on July 21, 2020, 08:41:56 PM
Tomorrow I have to take the bride down to Poughkeepsie to drop her sewing machine off for repair, it's an hour drive each way and I know it will kill a good part of the day, but she gets grumpy when one of her machines is not working, so off we go. :D
Too bad I'm not in your area. I've been doing machine service, tune up and repair as a hobby since back in the mid '70's, more so in the past 20 years or so. Gotta keep the family and friends happily sewing. Of course my name has gotten passed around since and occasionally get calls from others. I also do sergers, an even more complicated machine to understand the mechanics of. Gotta love the older machines, they were built to last forever.
Most of the time, they just need servicing and cleaning and sometimes an adjustment or two, almost never need parts.
Sounds like you have to make a return trip to pick it back up later. :(
Yeah, I might consider shipping to NB if you agree to keep it for a while. ;D It wasn't a bad trip, in and out at the repair place, and she will go pick it up. But then she wanted to stop at a consignment gift shop where she has a bunch of stuff to do inventory. She let me sit in the truck for over an hour and I was fried when she finally came out. I was none too happy. The shop is 20x20', how long could it possibly take? >:( >:(
By the time we got home it was 1pm and I skipped lunch and just went to work. I sawed up a 4' maple log, probably 20" dia. for stickers I badly need, but before i did that I HAD to do something about the sun. SO I finally fetched my canopy out of the garage and put it over the mill head. Working in the direct sun is just a show stopper for me.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200722_135640844_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1595462036)
That helped a lot, but not a total solution. At the same time I set up a little fire pit to burn some of the junk and bark that is collecting, just 3 wheel barrows full, but it is done.
Made a 13" sqaure cant and I got a pile of stickers, but could only do one log before I was out of sweat. 2 Bandanas, I shirt, 1 hat, and shorts soaked through today. Getting used to working wet.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200722_165159621.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1595462060)
Finished off just watching the fire burn down and dug up some rocks I have been tripping over since we bought this place. Got one out, the other I will need a chain and the Mule to pop out. Both theses rocks just stuck i about the size of a softball, but when i dug them up, one is about 12" diameter and the other, so far, looks like about 20". If I can find dirt to fill up these holes, I will finally be able to mow over the area without hearing that gawd awful noise when I forget about them. :D
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200722_164909515_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1595462035)
Around 5:30 a t-storm passed thru and dumped a bunch of rain which pretty much put my fire out.
I just got a tip on some pine logs. It's funny but 3 months ago I would have had no interest, but now that I am finding that I can't keep it opn the rack. Either I build with it or somebody else does. I still have not been able to mill and dry any 4/4 boards for small projects with the boys or what ever. It is handy stuff to have around, but it is getting used, so I will check into these logs and find out if I can get them delivered.
Tomorrow I have that pine customer coming over but some are saying it will be a rain out. We shall see, I guess if I can work sweat soaked, I can work rain soaked too. I am just happy for the work and wish I could do more, but this heat is a killer.
Tomorrow is another day.
Next time your wife shops for an hour you should go back to reply #123 and do some shopping too. ;)
Rocks? I have rocks stories.
We bought back some of The Farm, 7 acres. That piece had a lot of rocks sticking up on it. I cut the trees on it and got it back to where the wife could mow, around the rocks and all. Finally I got some time to remove the rocks that was sticking up out of the ground. I think she mowed around them for at least 2 years, I mowed around them for that long too. Most of those rocks was just sitting on top of the ground. Most no bigger than a foot across!! :o :o At least it did not take me long to remove them. ;D
This is how most of the rocks treat me around here. The piece we bought is just beyond the stone wall.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10436/002~2.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1400848355)
This picture below shows the new piece much better. That kinda white rock on the right side of the picture above is the rock in the middle of the picture below. Both pictures was taken the same day. You can see the edge of the woods by the stone wall. This was all trees, they was blocking the view of the my field across the road.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10436/003.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1400848303)
This is a normal size for my place. ;D
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10436/rock_in_blueberry_field2014.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1402014618)
Than there was a so called called stone wall, that was never built that ran along side of the road, that was covered in poison ivy. I kept that wall barren for 3 years, if it was green I sprayed it, I did not look to see if it was grass, a weed or poison ivy, I just sprayed it, than I hauled the rocks off up into the bog for a road.
A few years ago I removed a bunch move rocks off that piece and levered out an area so we could mow it with the tractor.
This is a link to that project.
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=102708.0 (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=102708.0)
Yeah Cfarm, I have been reading and following your 'rock control' project for a couple of years now. No thank you. I have nothing like that here. I do have one or two massive stones that are completely under the surface but they heave in the winter making a huge bump in each driveway. The blacktop one pops up and cracks, the crushed stone driveway just heaves up about 5 inches for a 4 ' circle, but I have nearly lost my teeth hitting it with the plow more than once. I will not touch those because I know it will be a massive hole and extraction. I live with them. But some of these other smaller ones are very fixable and from time to time I take a couple on. As you will attest, it all adds up over time. Yesterday I saw that one and thought, "today is the day we get that one started on it's way out". This whole area was fallow when we bought this place and strewn with all manner of rotten wood, dead trees, old well pipe, scrap metal, etc. Over time as you can see in the photos it is 'mostly' graded, has grass I can mow, and is usable as the mill yard. I keep pushing out the edges and working my way into the swamp to regain usable ground. We only have a tad over and acre, so I am trying to get back this dead area. To go much further I will need heavier equipment than what I have and some 40' trailer loads of fill with a way to move it in. There is no cash for that just yet, but I keep my thoughts on it for an opportunity. One day at a time, right?
A dump trailer load at a time will start you in the right direction. Of course after it cools down some.😁
Yeah, that would be easy, but there is no way to get a truck or truck and trailer in there. The closest I could dump would be about 100' and then have to move it with some sort of loader. That's where the expense and time comes in.
Anyway, it will have to sit for a while longer as I am not doing anything for at least a couple of days now. My back is in terrible shape (not so gory details over on the 'did something dumb today' thread). I can barely walk with a cane right now. So everything I had in the works is done for a while anyway.
Oh well, it was almost bound to happen, and of course I get a guy calling me last night to see if I am interested in a bunch of big pine logs. Still playing text message tag with him trying to get a price and quantity. Now he tells me he has a log truck load, but still no idea on price.
OGH,
Seems to me you are forgetting the "... and out of trouble..." part of this thread. Sorry for your misfortunes and good luck on the logs and getting back running on all 12 cylinders.
Man, I am a hurtin' unit right now. I slept mostly OK but there is no comfortable position to be found anywhere. Sitting in the desk chair doesn't seem to be good for me either as it takes a while to get the spasms to stop when I try to walk again. When it gets light I may try to walk up and down the driveway. I am just counting the hours now until my 1pm appointment. In hindsight I should have called him as soon as this happened and I might have gotten in yesterday, but that may have been his day off, not sure.
I hate sitting around and now I can't sit, stand, walk, or lay down. It took me a while to find my better cane, so that shows me it's been a long time since I needed it. I'm not complaining it could be worse, but it's only 5am and I find myself thinking 'tomorrow will be a better day'. :D ;D
Well, not much is happening here at all. I am finally almost smart enough to know I have to lay low and let my body heal. It's not too hard because it has been so very hot, but the boredom, lack of progress, and lost time is killing me.
I have run through what little was left on netflix that I found watchable and the pain is still bad enough that sitting in a chair is only tolerable for a short time, but improving. I can get around without the cane in the house now and only use it outside, just in case. If I have a spasm and go down it might make a good show for anybody passing by, but it will be rough on me. :D
But on the whole, things are improving, the pain is reducing daily. My Tuesday visit should clear things up more and I will just work back into it gently. Normally, meaning before I met my chiro wizard, this type of injury would take me out for 2 weeks before I could really start working into it again. Now it's about 3-4 days. I am learning to be very happy with that. :)
I still have yet to learn not to let local friends find out about stuff like this. I have been getting calls, texts, and other notes from folks checking on me. (Interesting that the customer that I was working with when it happened has not so much as checked in. I guess he got his material, and that's that. Now I am regretting compromising on the price to 'help him out'.) I did get a very sincere offer to help run errands or whatever I might need from a neighbor which I found to be very sweet. I know he meant it. And we have a dinner invite for barbecue we will accept from another neighbor.:) I can drive the Mule over and they have a ramp up to their deck, so it is easy on a 'poor ol' decrepit man' like me. (It's funny, but I am pretty sure that neighbor knows I could work him under the table in less than an hour even in my current condition.) We were overdue to get together with them but I have been so busy, there wasn't time.
So I guess I will just find another movie, read a book, and try to slow down for a day or two more. In the meantime, I am doing just fine. I just have a tiny bit of trouble walking, standing, sitting, or laying down is all. :D ;D :laugh: It could always be worse, and it has at times.
Tomorrow is another day, right?
I hope the back is getting better but if I read anything more about you paying $$ for pine, we're gonna have problems!😉
I can't drop it off in a log truck but if you get it on the ground (I can help), I can drag it to a landing with the Kubota and as you know, we have acres of pine destined for clearing/thinning. In the mean time, if you want to hobble over for a few beers and hours of bsing, you are always welcome.
Quote from: nybhh on July 29, 2020, 11:24:07 PM
I hope the back is getting better but if I read anything more about you paying $$ for pine, we're gonna have problems!😉
I can't drop it off in a log truck but if you get it on the ground (I can help), I can drag it to a landing with the Kubota and as you know, we have acres of pine destined for clearing/thinning. In the mean time, if you want to hobble over for a few beers and hours of bsing, you are always welcome.
Sounds appealing (the latter)! The back was coming along just fine until about bedtime last night it started to get a little worse and had me awake at 3:30 this morning. I got up at 4:30. Don't know what it is. I did load a small maple log on the mill last evening just for the exercise but it was only 23" x 6' and I took it real easy. I am trying to work out some of the theory I got from the Doc's seminar yesterday. Anyway, I don't think that's it, maybe something else. I had thought I was through this and on the mend, but I might need to go back another time for more work.
As far as that pine goes: He contacted me, so I did make inquiries as to the price, after 3 days of texts I learned it was just under 4,000BF (doyle) for $850. I don't need near that much and don't want softwood laying around that long either. It would be a good deal if I were sawing dimensional stuff and stocking it, but I don't do either. I had to pass because I don't even have that kind of surplus cash. I was just keeping my ears open and my contacts talking. He has a better idea of what my situation is now and will likely have a better deal on some smaller loads of green hardwood down the road. It provided a good opportunity to have that conversation so he understands better what I am looking for.
I look at it like it's a dance. If you don't start swinging your hips at some point and let your partner know which way you are going and what you can do, you will never get in that groove to really let it swing.
I'm just kidding with you. Sounds like a pretty good deal delivered. Probably about about 6-8 decent trees worth unless they're getting into difficult to manhandle size.
I'm still tooling around with soffits when I can handle the sun on my back and am getting read to place an order for insulation and drywall here pretty soon so I have more to do on the interior when the weather isn't cooperating. Sort of feel like I'm catching a second wind after a month or so of summer laziness. Already August and we'll start needing heat in 60 days or so if you can believe it.
Hope your chiropractor works some more magic on that back and you feel better soon.
Quote from: nybhh on July 30, 2020, 07:58:52 AM
Already August and we'll start needing heat in 60 days or so if you can believe it.
THAT is NOT a pleasant thought and I am sorry you mentioned it. >:( ;D It's so hot now we can barely work, I wish there was a middle ground. I have to put that chimney in the shop and the last thing I want to do right now is think about working in the attic or on the shop roof. I have yet to order the chimney parts, cheap guy that I am. I hate spending money. :D That project will probably kill a week or more between the chimney work, the attic work, and then digging out that stove, cleaning it up, repainting it and moving all the stuff around in the shop. I really have to get my butt in gear pretty quick here.
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on July 30, 2020, 05:15:45 AMI look at it like it's a dance. If you don't start swinging your hips at some point and let your partner know which way you are going and what you can do, you will never get in that groove to really let it swing.
It is all about music with you! 8) 8) 8)
Quote from: doc henderson on July 30, 2020, 10:35:30 AM
It is all about music with you! 8) 8) 8)
No Music, No Life
Know Music, Know Life.
:) 8)
you should add philosophy to your list of services. ;)
Take care of that back, so you feel like dancing to all that music. A little more philosophy a little less physical labor just for a few days won't put you that far behind.
I have that on the tailgate of my Mule. Often thought it would make a great plaque someday.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/DSCF1739.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1596134184)
As far as philosophizing goes, I don't know how much I could do of that in a straight run, but I am thinking anything over 15 minutes might sprain my brain given that my brain does not get near the amount of exercise and use that my back does (and look what kind of shape that is in!). After I rest up a bit I will have to think about that some. ;D
Well, today I finally got my butt moving again. The back isn't perfect but I figured I would start using it again. I just put in 2 hard hours at the mill then had to drive the wife to pick up her sewing machine,pick up lunch on the way back, and do some writing for my FB page.
I had put up a short 5' log about 20" diameter last night just to get a little exercise and see how I felt. Today the goal was to attack it but record all the steps and write up a 'notes' page for my FB business page. A lot of folks ask about how lumber is made. I figured if I documented it, that would provide a reference to send them to. It's also good PR and I discussed costs, how they are figured and how little is realized from a log when it is all added up. Kind of a customer education effort, I get a lot of questions.
The log I figured was a sticker log at best anyway.
The neat thing was when I opened up this 'junk' 5' log I found it full of ambrosia.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200730_095916748.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1596152952)
It had a lot of defects but I could get some good boards and the rest was stickers. Some faces were better than others.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200730_100728948.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1596152958)
Another neat part was I didn't really care where the pith wound up because most of it was stickers anyway. But I did drive a wedge in for a toe board to take some of the taper but I didn't measure, I just did an eyeball job to get it a little better. When I was plain cutting boards off the cant, I didn't do the math to split the pith either. But when I got down to it and took out the center board, here is what I had.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200730_101950561_LI.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1596153041)
I put that pith right smack in the middle of the board as if I planned it that way. Even better, the other end of this same board was the same way, so it was level all the way down. I amazed myself. It was an accident, of course.
When all done I wound up with 5 fairly nice boards and about 65 stickers. Also the 4 slabs and I might keep one or two to see what they look like when the color fades and perhaps make a bench or two.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200730_105347228_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1596153043)
So not a bad day for a starter. But that FB page took way too long to write and the day was shot when I was done.
I did get through the first session of Dr. Gene's drying seminar before I started work this morning. Pretty good stuff for sure.
QuoteNo Music, No Life
Know Music, Know Life.
Music is my medication that overcomes the debilitating effects of reality.
I fill my prescription every time I pick up my guitar. ;D smiley_guitarist
Well yesterday I did another short log just to get it out of the way. This one was better quality with ambrosia throughout.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200731_134125902.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1596311437)
I have been saving the clear boards (4/4) and stickering those, the rest gets milled into stickers because I always seem to be short on them. I get tired of it, so trying to build up that pile. I got 4 or 5 nice clear boards and another 90 or so stickers. I have one more of these short guys to do. Not sure how wewll the colors show up for y'all in these photos, but I am dying to plane them. :)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200731_134135794.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1596311469)
Today we had the boys for a few hours while Dad was finishing a house painting job, so it fell to me to find something 'interesting to do'. I had the rock that I yanked about an hour before I wrecked my back 8 days ago, so I decided we could move that close to where it will spend eternity holding down a culvert pipe. I had a spotter for the job and used the skidding arch. It worked better than I hoped.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200801_105527263_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1596311576)
It's tricky backing that thing up and over tree stumps, goes wherever it wants to, but I got it pretty close. After that 2 of the boys jumped in the mule with me and we went to skid a bunch of small trees a neighbor had cut to clear around his shop building. He don't want the wood, it's all small 3-6" x 12-16'. Fine firewood. So basically I was helping him clean around his shop and throwing it on the firewood pile. win-win. But after a few loads it was too hot, and it was lunch time for the boys. I am trying not to overdo it too soon. just half days for a few more until all the tweaks (not twerks Doc) are gone.
That firewood log pile is getting messy and I am going to have to pick up the saw soon and the slabs have to be hacked up for firewood too. Gonna visit the neighbors for adult beverages and a fire after dinner tonight.
Tomorrow is another day.
Get a piece of square tubing and just drill and unbolt your hitch and extend out 🤔
Quote from: Walnut Beast on August 01, 2020, 05:00:19 PM
Get a piece of square tubing and just drill and unbolt your hitch and extend out 🤔
Yeah, that's not a bad idea and I think about it EVERY time I try to back up with it on. :D But the truth is if I put a longer draw bar on it, then it becomes harder to handle by hand and it becomes tougher to maneuver in the woods. Right now it is real easy to unhook and place it right over the log, then back the mule up to it. I would have never backed that rock into where it had to go if the draw bar was 2' longer, I didn't have the turning space between trees.
One of the 'things' on my longer list is to re-ignite my welding skills which were never very good. I have a stick machine that should get me by though. If I sell some stuff and can buy steel I will be building an arch to get stuff on my trailer first because that is a real need, plus a winch and mount for it on the trailer. Then I might build a complete log arch that will lift up an entire log so I don't have to drag it. Many of the guys here have done so and I am very envious of the work they do.
Well it's Monday, so back to work :). Mondays used to be SO different, I would start dreading it on Sunday afternoon, now, not so much. ;D Never thought I would look forward to a Monday, that is for sure. Things can change, and they have. We are starting to feel the pinch of a reduced income, but it is too soon the really know if that is going to hold. The first few months things are not stable. Time will tell.
Anyway, after reviewing all the weather data last night I decided it was prudent to do some minor storm prep for that 'thing' coming up the right coast. We are looking to get 3-5" of rain and maybe some heavy wind.The wind concerns me. But I wanted to get some wood milled so I did the last of those 4' logs and put some more ambrosia maple on the rack plus another 50 or more stickers. I have started taking a hint from Dr. Gene and marking what I see on logs to help me in making milling decisions (I find it very useful). I like marking the pith, because I lose track of it as the log gets milled. It's a good learning tool for me and easy to do. It makes you think. This log had some really deep purple, but it was in a pithy area, so will go to stickers.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200803_090843123.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1596490897)
Then I grabbed another log (7' plus trim. I swear, I am going to buy a tape measure for EVERY arborist I know and teach him how to use it) and opened that up. More full ambrosia. This was a major leader off that tree and had some knots, but they are tight. So I milled it into 5/4 boards and got it on the rack.
I pulled the canopy down that was covering the mill. It might survive the heavy rain and wind, but why push it? It would cost me 90 bucks to replace and I ain't made of money, so I put it in the shed. I wanted to get the sawdust which was packed in the mill rails all cleaned up so I did that hoping the heavy rain will do the rest. The sawdust is building and I had been using a steel rake the spread it and cover the crushed stone, but it takes a while. So I had an idea and went and fetched one of the roof rakes and put that into service. WOW! that worked great! (for our deprived friends to the south, a roof rake is used to get heavy snow loads off our roofs in the winter time before the weight collapses the house (only in the winter, snows loads in the summer are much lighter).) Figured I might as well get 4 season use out of it, I have 4 of 'em. ;D
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200803_104257333_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1596490866)
I am trying to 'grade' the loading area with sawdust to cover the crushed stone which gets picked up on some bark when I roll the logs up. The dust is forgiving and lets me align logs before I roll them on the bed and I would rather re-cut sawdust than sand or stone.
Lastly for the 'official' workday, I tarped the mill as always but added a rope to keep the cover in place just in case it gets hairy.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200803_141857277_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1596490929)
Then it was suddenly beer-thirty before I knew it. Man, Mondays go by fast now! ;D I am searching around for water collection devices so that I can fill all my gallon jugs for blade lube and be set for a week or two. I have a plan to make something self sustaining down the road, but for now, just doing ti the manual way. Filling with the garden hose is slow and a bit of a walk. I want to put in a 275 gallon tank at the back corner of the shop, fill by the roof gutters and able to water the garden and supply the mill. On the list for next year, first we need to get the gutters up there.
I guess I have shop work tomorrow, some storage stuff to work on, saws to sharpen, etc. and I have not been upstairs on projects in a couple of weeks now. I guess I can stay busy. :D
Tomorrow is another day.
OGH,
Depending on the species when you see pith that much off-center you might also automatically start to think "Quartersaw candidate".
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on August 03, 2020, 06:12:02 PM
Then I grabbed another log (7' plus trim. I swear, I am going to buy a tape measure for EVERY arborist I know and teach him how to use it)
It is a losing proposition. I don't think that the ones down here are capable of doing that. You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink.
Quote from: WDH on August 03, 2020, 07:46:48 PM
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on August 03, 2020, 06:12:02 PMIt is a losing proposition. I don't think that the ones down here are capable of doing that. You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink.
I believe you are correct, not sure they could read it anyway. :)
Howard, good point. I should look at that as I go on. Still trying to develop 'sawyers eyes', it takes time. That log I had the shot of was only 4' and not worth the effort. The next one I did was really off center but too small to get any boards of decent width. Keep in mind, these are logs that were going to be firewood until I found the ambrosia through them. Figured I would mill and air dry in hopes of finding the right client. Just clearing out the logs, y'know? I took these as junk for firewood, then I thought 'hey, some of these logs are mighty sound and might have a few boards'. So I whacked up one and found the ambrosia and the next thing you know I am milling them all for the color. Not gonna see that on my mill again anytime soon, so might as well. ;D still have a couple of logs from this bunch, but only have 1 4° blade left. Gotta put in the order, but parting with that much cash it hard. ;D I have a bunch of 10°, but I just don't want to go back to them.
Well, it's been a few days since I updated. The storm came through on Tuesday and as storms go, it wasn't a big deal. But around 2pm on Tuesday the power went out and we were without for a bit over 30 hours. I rode the line on Wednesday and found the pole with the tripped breakers about 2 miles away. Easy fix, likely tripped by a short somewhere else. But with all the real damage in other areas it took a while for them to get to our area, a few hundred thousand people were out, that's a lot of work to repair. SO when it wasn't back by Wednesday morning I got the generator out just to run the freezer and fridge and get them back down to temp. Used the camp stove to make coffee, the usual stuff. Life in the country, no big deal. I still wonder about all these folks that are screaming mad and want to know exactly when the power will be back, as if it is a human right and somebody needs to fix it for them, NOW. :D Spoiled children. I did miss Dr. Gene's live webinar on milling and was bummed about that. I will have to watch the replay, maybe today if it keeps raining. I am also trying to do the pre-reading for the Kiln Workshop next week. That should also be a very good one. Beginning to work on a site plan and prep for a small solar kiln. Mostly at this point trying to wrap my brain around the task and figuring out how to make some usable space in my swampy area. That is a project in itself that may cost more then the kiln, trucking in fill and grading it. Then I need a solid path to it. Sure wish I could do that before winter so it can settle through the frost season. I also need to get some power out to it and I want that line to be buried, not overhead.
Anyway, yesterday I got to cutting up slabs from the mill and stacking it on the wood pile. Then I started in on the big pile of small stuff, mostly cut and throw in the trailer as is for stacking, and I bucked up the rest of the stuff that needs splitting. I have one trailer load 3/4 full and planned on splitting today, but it's raining now and the wife and I have a chiro appointment this morning. We'll see what the afternoon brings. I need about 2 trailer loads to finish the house wood, then time to focus on the shop wood, and getting that chimney started.
I got taken to task on another thread on Tuesday for what I do with my sawdust. I felt pretty stupid in the eyes of my peers. I just wanted to point out that I am a small guy and try to do the best with what I have. What works for one, does not work for all. Just as some say 'You must have something with forks to move timbers', I can tell you I move everything by hand. Yes, it's hard, and risky, and slow, but it is all I have for now, so that's how I do it, and as yet, I have not died in the attempt. I don't enjoy using sawdust to cover up all the sharp stone that surrounds my mill, but it's what I have short of buying fill and then I have mud anyway and dirt in my logs just as they go on the mill. Yeah, there is always a better way. When I can afford that, I will do it, but not just yet. Putting money into tools, a small kiln, and other infrastructure is a priority for me. Once I have something better available, the sawdust will get piled for compost or buried under the fill in the swamp. That's just me.
So today is another day and it is time to get at it and squeeze out what I can from it. I need to drain the gas out of the generator and get that put away for the next event, then move some wood.
OGH,
Sorry about the power loss. Its a pain but part of life. I put in a backup genset several years back. We had a Derecho 8 years ago and it ran for 11 days. Then again we have natural gas here so that made things easier.
As to the sawdust if you have plenty of gravel/rock under it I predict you will not have any major issues with it. I dump a wheelbarrow or two full around my game cleaning station where I clean fish and deer and such where it used to get wet and muddy and it works fine for my purposes.
I can sure sympathize with the manual labor around the mill because I have to do a lot of the same and know the feeling and frustrations but you work with what you have and add labor saving devices as time and money permit. Its amazing what you can do with an ATV winch and such sometimes.
Stay safe and keep on posting. I'm off to my chiro visit in a few minutes for my hand and hope and expect he will release me today. I'll know in a couple of hours.
Quote from: WV Sawmiller on August 07, 2020, 08:44:02 AMI'm off to my chiro visit in a few minutes for my hand and hope and expect he will release me today. I'll know in a couple of hours.
Yeah, you work with what you've got. I have always found that easier than trying to work with what I don't have. :D
Glad to hear that hand is coming along, wonder how it's feeling? I hope things go well and he is 'done with you'. ;D
Our visit is a regular monthly tune up, but for me it's follow up on the last injury which is nearly all gone. Just need to get one muscle moved over to make it right. I cut wood for a few hours yesterday with no bad results.
I think(know) you are getting more done with your mill with less support equipment than I have, and I admire that. Granted you did change careers lately ;). Glad the storm didn't do much to your set up.
I like your attitude Greenhorn. There is nothing wrong with working with what you got. The guy that has 200k in equipment is no better than you. Keep your head high and be proud of what you have and strive for more if you choose 👍
Well I ran out of sweat around 5 today. After the chiro visit it was raining lightly so I drained and stored the generator and it cleared up, so I split some more wood to fill the trailer, moeved and stacked it under the porch, then split another load and stacked that too., I figure about 2/3's of a cord today. The pile is nearly done. I need one, maybe 2 loads to pack it up tight. Then I will measure to see what I have, usually about 5 cord.
Looks pretty good from this angle, but...
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200807_170550040.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1596836942)
When you look inside, you see I still have a hole to fill. I don't know if I can fit 2 loads, but I will give it a good try, just about out of wood now.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200807_170628974.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1596836949)
I have some green RO, but I will put that on the bottom of the shop pile so it gets used at the end of the season. The shop pile is the next task. I have never needed wood for the shop because I still don't have a stove in there (yet), but that will change in the next 2-3 months and I am guessing I will need another 5 cord for that. Fortunately NYBHH has all the firewood he needs but he has a lot of dead ash to clear out, so I am going to help him with that. ;D In another week or so it should be maintaining a little cooler and if it fits his schedule, we will have at it and I can just do shuttle runs with logs. That will be a huge help until I have a season under my belt and can figure what I really need to make it work. Before any of that starts, I need to prep and area for stacking that wood, which means removing a LOT of JUNK from the side of the shop, raking it out, discarding the crap and re-stacking the good junk to take less room. I am figuring 2 days for that project and hopefully I can get my son to make a scrap run as most of the junk in there is his. ;D
Anyway, I am pooped. I am going to start reading through the Kiln drying stuff and begin my dreaming on how I am going to make a small solar kiln so that when the class begins next week I have a better idea of my goals. It's nice that the 90° days seem to be done and I can work in pants again. Still went through 2 shirts and 2 hats today. :D
Tomorrow is another day.
Headed to a party down the road shortly so I will do the daily missive now. I had forgotten what day of the week it was ;D and didn't realize the party was today, so I got up at 5 and out before 7. By 9:30 I was running out of sweat already. I pulled everything away from the outer shop wall for the length of the new woodpile and sort of sorted it into piles (scrap, store outside, move somewhere else, etc.) but it remains scattered and has to be dealt with. I can't remember when I last had a good look at this wall but it is at least 25 years.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200808_090023287.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1596913186)
Then I laid down some pipes I salvaged from work about a year ago. This will keep it off the ground. Later I will add end posts when I figure it out. Gotta get some wood on it first. If I fill this 4' wide and 6' high for the length of the pipes it will be just about 4 cord.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200808_093134686.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1596913200)
Here is my test stack.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200808_093640141.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1596913256)
Then I was pooped out, but I heard my neighbor working up at his garage (new roof) so I took the Mule and arch up to say 'hi' and grabbed 2 hitches of the small tree he had taken down and wanted rid of. Black birch, some Beech and other stuff. Still probably have 2 or 3 more hitches up there but I have to drag them out from behind the building by hand and it was wearing me out. He dug out for his shop, but never graded around the building, so it like working in a pit on the back side. All small stuff, but wood is wood and I'll take this stuff all day long.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200808_112800370_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1596913270)
After that it was lunch time. I did some household chores to keep the wife sort of happy, ate lunch, took a shower and a nap. Only a half day, but I feel like I got a days works done, now I have a place to stack the shop wood and that was holding me back a little. I can move on.
Tomorrow is another day, but first, we party. 8)
Overslept a bit this morning and woke up groggy, don't know why. ;D We did have a good time at the party last night, catching with folks we don't see very often, especially now. I took a walk around the yard to reinforce my feeling of shop and toy envy as I do each time I am there. He is adding another extension on his shop so he has a place to work on the big excavator and other stuff. This is fill in work when he has time so it's been in progress for 2 years now. There will be a second floor/attic above the deck you see in the photo below.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200808_181113733_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1597016519)
For scale, that is his log truck parked inside with the knuckle boom on it. I think this is his 3rd shop extension, so far. I also ran into this again, he got it last year. I love this thing, it would be the perfect machine for my needs. He has forks, a bucket, and a log grapple among other things. All wheel steering too.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200808_181140423.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1597016530)
Hey, have you guys ever seen a chicken coupe de ville?
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200808_181601266.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1597016573)
At the end of the evening we had a small friendship fire. ;D
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200808_213151467.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1597016602)
So today I finally got at it around 10 and starting cutting and splitting. Lots of small stuff and some of the green RO was giving me fits with all the knots. It was hot and I seemed to have pinched the tip on my 20" bar so the sprocket won't turn freely. Not sure what that deal is, but I put the 18 on so I could resume work. When I got back at it, I put my helmet on, started the saw, then pulled the visor down and this little guy was staring me right in the face from the other side of my shield.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200809_151228309_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1597016641)
Not sure what he is, but he was in a hurry to get away from me. Anyway, I cut all the green wood I had and couldn't get another stick on the trailer. It took too long and a lot of sweat, I split some big RO rounds and had to put the splitter vertical which is always slower.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200809_161813377.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1597016687)
So I have started the shop wood pile. I have some cars ramps kicking around, and they work well as ends for the stack. The weight of the wood holds them upright.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200809_175530276.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1597016694)
Measures out to just over 1/3 cord. It's not a big start, but it is a start. I just need 14 more trailer loads to finish what I think I need. Pretty pooped tonight, but I am going to do the second module in the VT Kiln Class. I gotta stay ahead, and tomorrow is another day.
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on August 09, 2020, 08:05:39 PMNot sure what he is, but he was in a hurry to get away from me.
As kids, we called them Katydids (sp)
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on August 09, 2020, 08:05:39 PMI have some cars ramps kicking around, and they work well as ends for the stack.
NICE! How about using some lag screws through a few holes into some 2x4s or 2x6s to extend higher? I think you might have a few laying around. ;)
Well I could probably get away with that to a point, eventually it will fail. I had in mind to do something more permanent with some 8' long 2" galvanized posts I also salvaged. But at this point I just wanted to get started and keep moving wood through the process. Just with those I think I can get 3 cords on that stack, it is 22' long. Too much to do right now with the chimney collecting wood, bucking splitting stacking. Getting the wood stove refurbished and installed, then of course I need to get a bunch of milling done too. Gotta pick my battles and leave some on the table for next year when I have gone through one cycle of this. I truly do wish I could do it all now, but I just can't. I have never processed this much wood in a season before and it is a lot of work for me alone with the gear I have.
Slow and steady, it will happen.
I have reached the point in the summer where the temp doesn't matter too much because I keep looking around at what I've got done and what I still need to do. Then I just push on. Unless I get wobbly, I just try to keep pushing and drink water. I am working 3 sweat rags at a time now, letting two dry while I soak the third. Funny thing is it seems like just yesterday (OK maybe 15 years ago) I would lose 5-10 pounds every summer and then grow it back over the winter and repeat the cycle every year. If I gained 20 in the winter, I would lose that the next summer. This year I am working harder than I can remember in the last 20 years and I have not lost a single pound. All I know is I sweat buckets nearly every day. Maybe Doc can 'splain why that is? I know my physical condition is good (except for those back tweaks now and then), I can feel the muscles in my hands firming up quite a bit and the arms and legs seem to be doing the same on a smaller scale, the back even feels pretty strong when it's not messed up. I don't get it.
OK, enough complaining, back to work. ;D
carbohydrate simple or complex (sugar or starch) is for energy and in the blood as glucose. it is 4 calories per gram. protein is also 4 calories per gram, and is stored as muscle and cell parts, and there is turn over, and we only need about 3 ounces or 90 grams a day. most proteins change opaque when cooked (denatured) steak and eggs. fat is 9 calories per gram and is less dense than other tissues. this is why it is the energy storage form. It is less dense than water and helps you float. so if you are building muscle and loosing fat, you could be more healthy and actually maintain or gain weight if you are getting trimmed. the day to day weight change is water balance. you should look at toilet water color when you go in the am, and not let it get too dark. if there is lots of foam on the water then you are loosing protein in your urine, and have prob injured your kidneys. drink more water so the kidney can work less at trying to clear the waste while holding onto your water so you are not dehydrated. it is like cleaning a paintbrush in mineral spirits that have already been used 5 times. If you drink beer, the alcohol can interfere with your antidiuretic hormone, and cause a dilute (light colored) urine. do not be fooled. drink a bottle of water for each beer, and a big glass before bed. from the pics i have seen it looks like you do not need to loose weight. what kind of beer do you drink?
Quote from: doc henderson on August 10, 2020, 03:01:04 PM
from the pics i have seen it looks like you do not need to loose weight. what kind of beer do you drink?
I was just about to get back on here and edit my previous post to warn you against making comments about me getting old. Glad you didn't but I know there are some changes afoot anyway. You took the high road. :)
You lost me in the beginning there, but then it all came together and I understood it. It makes sense too. I drink cheap Busch beer (no comments from the peanut gallery please) because it is cheap and although I don't buy the 'light' version, it is very light as is, mostly water I think. And did I mention it is cheap? Now I love a good local IPA or Belgian wheat, but those I savor and only have on special occasions, so rarely.
SO you stayed away from the 'age thing' but you got into the 'beer thing'. Now I don't know which is worse. I drink lots of water and follow the Philmont rules on that score, I know all the signs, because I have had 'em all at some point in the past and once was enough. ;D
No, I don't need to lose weight and I don't worry about it at all, but I did notice the change and wondered why. Thanks for learning me up some more.
Yeah, Doc, don't make any comments about old people to us old people. We get mad then can't remember why we got mad and that makes it worse. :D
On several job sides we had urine color charts posted over the urinals explaining the difference in colors from severely dehydrated to mildly dehydrated. All reminded us to drink more water. The worst problem area I worked was in Mongolia down in the Gobi Desert area on a gold and copper mine project because most of us were living in Gers (Yurts) and the bathroom was in a separate building sometimes 100 yards away. When the wind was blowing 30 mph and the temperature was below zero outside it was not fun to get up, get dressed and walk that far to go pee (Sounds like the makings of a Jeff Foxworthy tale here doesn't it?) and our guys were very reluctant to drink anything after about sunset.
your beer is a light beer compared to some. if I was going to make fun of your beer, I might as well say mean things about your wife... :o :o :o not going there. Old age however, is defined as anyone older than me! :D :D :D. I have family and friends to visit and you would be in the middle. I will buy you a retirement beer if I get up your way. my elderly neighbor Helen would call and say she needed help getting something out of her car. it would be a 30 pack of natural light. of course she would say "now you have to stay and have a beer with me". I started taking my own beer when she would call. :)
Careful Doc, someday you will catch up to me and Howard and you will be the old guy. ;D
Man it was hot today, they had some kind of heat index warning up, runs until 8pm tomorrow.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200810_095630128.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1597107129)
I gave up on the shirt by 9:30 this morning.
Still I got in about 10 or 11 hours. hauled some logs and sticks for firewood, bucked, split and loaded the trailer overfull. Pulled it round and started stacking after dinner. Got most of it done, think I am calling this the last load but I was shot and will finish the little bit I have in the morning.
I don't feel like I got much done, but I worked hard for it.
Tomorrow is another day.
My shirts use to look like that too.
Note the use too word. ;) I can still remember trying to take them off. ::)
Quote from: thecfarm on August 10, 2020, 09:24:54 PM
My shirts use to look like that too.
Note the use too word. ;) I can still remember trying to take them off. ::)
The only way is to peel them off inside out. Well, you could cut it off, but...
Quote from: WV Sawmiller on August 10, 2020, 04:01:13 PMThe worst problem area I worked was in Mongolia down in the Gobi Desert area on a gold and copper mine project because most of us were living in Gers (Yurts) and the bathroom was in a separate building sometimes 100 yards away. When the wind was blowing 30 mph and the temperature was below zero outside it was not fun to get up, get dressed and walk that far to go pee (Sounds like the makings of a Jeff Foxworthy tale here doesn't it?) and our guys were very reluctant to drink anything after about sunset.
The first time I suffered from hypothermia bad it was caused by dehydration. We were tent camping and it was 15 below. I didn't think to drink water, in those temps you really have to make that effort, and keeping water thawed enough to drink is a challenge anyway. Well, I got it bad, lost my balance, needed help walking, couldn't put my own pants on, motor control was shot. Scary stuff. If I didn't have a crew I could count on to take care of me I would have been in bad shape. SO yeah, I get the 'long walk thing' which is why I usually kept a jug in the tent (clearly marked) for such purposes. It doubles as a good foot warmer too, for a while. ;D
make sure you do not use a gator-aid container with kids around. bon_fire pepsi_smiley smiley_beertoast
Quote from: doc henderson on August 10, 2020, 10:33:26 PM
make sure you do not use a gator-aid container with kids around. bon_fire pepsi_smiley smiley_beertoast
I think my days of tent camping are now pretty much limited to festivals in the summertime now. I have done enough winter camping to be over it. ;D
Doc,
That was a health problem too and we'd find stacks of refilled water bottles tossed over the walls and around the area.
Constipation was a definite medical consideration in those conditions too.
UGH!
>:(
Well I think the heat caught up with me today and I had a bunch of fixing a stupid choice to do anyway (see the : Did something dumb today thread for details) so that took some time after I finished stacking the wood I processed yesterday. While I was drying out gear I had a junk fir going (again) to burn up all the bark and scraps for bucking and splitting, seems like I never catch up, but every time I stepped out into the sun it just took the life out of me, it was too hot to do any worthwhile work. SO I tended the fire and dried my gear and washed out the box on the Mule and did a bunch of other meaningless little things. I think I burned about 5 wheel barrow loads of junk and broke one wheel barrow in the process (it had a rotten handle, it was due).
I repacked everything in the Mule and it is a lot neater now, but that was the only thing of note I got done all day besides mowing the lawn after dinner (that was overdue).
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200811_135955817_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1597190665)
The whole drying thing would have been a lot easier if I had just throw a tarp over it, dumb. Tomorrow is another day.
Another hot one yesterday with a heat index warning. I am getting tired of those. It was very hard to stick with it even drinking lots of water. 3 bandannas, 1 shirt and 3 hats all soaked through. I just take the shirt off when it soaks through and don't care if the neighbors or passers by have to see me half nekked anymore. ;D I didn't get a lot done but got in probably a total of 7 hours work. I cut up the last of the slabs and stacked those, cut some more of those little green trees from the neighbor, visited with another new neighbor who just sold the house they've been in for just over a year. I will miss them, nice young folks that work hard. I don't think the new buyer will be as much fun, single woman, but who knows? City gal, probably a lawyer or banker, or minor celebrity, or artist type. Time will tell.
I wasted almost an hour trying to get into a live webinar on the Asian Longhorn Beetle (coming soon to a tree near you) and it seems the site was down. No word from the organizer on what happened or if a recorded version is available. I also finished the last 2 modules in the VT drying workshop class thing. The final one is tomorrow. I did a little more research on building my own solar kiln and trying to figure out if it is worth it for me. The build cost right now is no small thing for me.
By 8:30 last night my head kept falling over, I could not stay awake and went to bed. This morning I finally bit the bullet and ordered a full box of 4° blades from WM. I wince every time I have to lay out cash until I have some money coming in, but without blades I can't make any product and I need to start filling those drying racks. Once I can sell some stuff, it will be easier to spend money if I have it.
Time to get back at it. I think I will mill some logs today until I run out of sweat, then go back to firewood.
Today is another day.
sounds like you have put up quite a bit of firewood, at a savings of 250 bucks a cord. not in your pocket, but will save you this winter. I thought the VT seminar was good, and also finished the 4 webinars on the NHLA by gene also.
Well, I have just over about 5 cords now. The house pile is nearly done, it just needs about a 1/2 cord or less to pack it full, but I want that to be good dry stuff, because it is the first out. For the shop I had done 1/2 cord of slabs stacked on the side of the shed, and now started on the big shop pile, but have less than 1/2 cord there. Soon it will cool off a bit and I will be going to NYBHH's place to help him clear out some of the dead standing ash he wants gone. He doesn't need firewood right now, so I can trailer that home. I expect that will process faster because it will be 'right sized' for fire wood. My goal is 10 cord, which won't quite be enough I think, but will get me pretty close and should give me an idea of what I really need for the following seasons. I dare not shoot for 12, but maybe I can revisit that in 3 months when the first ten cord is stacked. The quantity now is getting kind of large for a hand operation and is taking a lot of time. I may have to figure a more efficient way to get this done in future years. Someday I might get old, and then it could be hard for me to do the work. ;D For now, I am cash poor, so I am putting the time in that it requires so I can work through the winter in the shop.
If the business ever does get going well enough, I can see getting a better splitter than the single wedge 22 ton I have now, and a bigger woodstove for the shop to generate a more workable heat range. But for now I just keep my head down and work with what I am blessed to have on hand.
BTW, I am beginning to wonder if, as you say, I might be generating more muscle from fat. I didn't think old guys could do that, but it occurs to me that except for my back I have no aches and pains for all the work I am doing, which is not really normal for a hard working summer for me. I usually hurt most of the time and my legs get tired. I suppose it is possible and wouldn't be a bad thing. Guess I have been leading a flabby life for too long.
Well, not as much got done as I wanted today, but I kept at it. I put a couple of maple logs through the mill, all 5/4 mostly clear and very white with ambrosia. I cut a little bit of firewood to get it out of the way so I could grab the logs, will work on that more tomorrow. I am getting better at making clean stacks on the drying rack. Actually, I am getting better at making clean and even sized lumber. My eyes and skills are improving in spite of myself. It does mean un-stacking and re-stacking to make it neat, even, and clean as I add more. Trying to make the best use of the racks. It's a huge difference over my stacks of just a year ago. It was real hot again, but we had some clouds that allowed me to work through it. There was no heat index warning today at least.
Tomorrow I will do some more firewood if I can, but I have an RO log and my first poplar I want to get milled up, plus the last live session in the VT kiln class I have to make. Looks like a busy day.
Tomorrow is another day.
OGH,
Glad to see this post. Good to see you trekking along. Supposed to be 80% chance of thunderstorms tomorrow so in between downpours I hope to go cut up some tops I dragged in front of my woodshed. I also have about a 13" dead ash there right beside the woodshed I'll take down cut up and stack. I may save the butt log for some 9/4" square bench legs for future use.
I know what you mean about about the costs but biting the bullet to make more stock is the only way to make those future sales. I sold 2- Black Walnut slabs 2 days ago with a couple of 9/4 X 4' pieces for legs. A nice (for me) $200 sale but I noticed the cut date on the slabs was 3/19 so it took me nearly 1.5 years after cutting the wood before I got any cash and really I don't know how long before I had harvested/collected the log and how long it sat before sawing.
Well it is clear to me that if I don't get anything in the front of the pipeline nothing can come out the other end either as sold material or finished products. What always gives me pause is "what size?". Whatever I seem to have is not what folks are looking for. Whether it's the species, the width, thickness, or length it seems to be off.
So I am just now beginning to settle on a little bit of a standard. I don't plain saw for max width anymore unless there is a specific reason or project. I mill cants for everything else then just make that into boards and assume straight lining, ripping or planing after air drying when it is known what they are for. Soon I think I will be looking at log lengths and bucking them a little closer to a standard set of lengths, this too will help with the stacking. Also milling to cants leaves me 3-4 nice slabs that go directly into the saw buck and every day or two I cut and split as required to firewood length and it goes on the pile. Thickness is still a wide open question and all I can do is take my best guess. I want to go into winter with pretty full racks which should all be (air) dry by spring. I figure I will spend some time maintaining the high tarp covers to maximize air flow and keep the snow off.
So for now, it is easy to get distracted by all the stuff I need to get done. Some of it is critical work, but not right now because it is just too dang hot to complete some stuff in one shot such as the new shop chimney (I ain't spending a day in the attic and on the roof in this weather). If you think ladders are a threat to us 'mature folks', imagine how I feel about working near the eve on a second story roof in the beating sun? It can wait a few weeks.
Now is the time to make lumber, I think. Good luck with that debarker, wish I had those problems some times. I started using an ice chopper as a spur bar and that is working fairly well on some logs. Hope those new blades come soon. My last 4° is in the mill now and then I am back to the 10° until the new box arrives. Last time they were nearly 2-3 weeks, I think.
One day at a time, right?
Ah the eternal question - what thickness to cut this log? Edged or Live Edge? That is why I try to leave them as logs as long as a can but sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and saw something. If you saw 2-3/8" or such you can still resaw into 4/4 if you have to. Also if live edge you can always edge them later if necessary. I've sawed 2"X12-1/4" framing so I could use as is, rip to 2X6 or 2X4, etc.
Deciding how to saw it is kind of like trying to figure what you wife really meant. Just saw it and take you lumps later when you find you were wrong. :D
When sawing 4/4 I save down to 1X4s. They may build up for a while but eventually a customer will come in wanting all the 1X4s I have for strips under a metal shed roof and often as not I'll still have to resaw some wider stuff or sell it to him to rip later.
My real concern is when a customer asks me what thickness and such to cut their logs, which they do all the time. I tell them I'd saw them into whatever I needed. Then I describe whatever options I can see and let them pick. The last thing I want to do is make that kind of call not knowing their skill level and experience.
Quote from: WV Sawmiller on August 14, 2020, 09:46:44 AMDeciding how to saw it is kind of like trying to figure what you wife really meant. Just saw it and take you lumps later when you find you were wrong. :D
Truer words were never spoken. ;D
Today I got 2 more logs done and one was my first poplar, very pretty wood.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200814_105140242_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1597451028)
The middle of the day was spent on the live session for the solar kiln class. Very enjoyable to see Doc and some others. Lots of knowledge gained and shared.
WHen I got back to work after that I have an RO queued up and went to pull the cord and start the engine and the pull rope jacket had shredded and slid down on the core so that the cord would not come out, nor go back in. Dang! Figured that was the end of the day so I started taking it apart so I could get another piece of pull cord in town tomorrow. Well it came apart easy and a couple minutes of searching in the shed and I found a coil of the correct sized pull cord. Had the whole thing fixed in about 20 minutes. Wound up going back to milling and finished the log off, then cleaned the mill and buttoned everything up.
The new rack stacks are starting to look a little better.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200814_114400180.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1597451039)
Tomorrow I have to do some errands, but I need to get a little more firewood done and cut up all today's slabs and clean that up. Maybe I will work on that crib too.
But tomorrow is another day.
OGH,
When you say poplar are you talking about Tulip poplar or aspen or cottonwood or such? That is a common misunderstanding here. All I have is tulip poplar although I did meet a customer last month with some aspen it looks like we will saw next month.
I got out and sawed up a couple of hickory and poplar tops for firewood today till I saw sparks and my saw stopped. I think I sucked in a piece of electric fence wire. A storm was coming so I did not open the saw to check yet. I just stacked the wood I had cut, maybe a weeks worth the way we use it, and dragged the next top down then back to the barn on my ATV in the start of the rain. I'll see tomorrow what I have around my sprocket. Hopefully nothing is broken inside and just clogged.
Quote from: WV Sawmiller on August 14, 2020, 09:05:26 PM
OGH,
When you say poplar are you talking about Tulip poplar or aspen or cottonwood or such?
Yellow poplar, I am pretty sure. But I am not entirely positive on this.
Tulip poplar is often called Yellow poplar. I think we are talking the same wood.
I believe you are correct. I gotta find a better tree book than this little pocket book I use. It is too general, but I am still searching for the 'right' one.
Does it smell like aftershave? That's tulip poplar in south western Ma. Not much past central Ma. going north.
Well I couldn't tell ya Ed, I don't know what your aftershave smells like. :D
It was a lot cooler today, felt like rain almost all day but only got some late afternoon sprinkles when I was cutting and I ignored it. I had milled up a really poor RO on Firday that I made into 2x4's and some 2x2's. Today I resolved to solve one of those things that has been bothering me for years: What to do with all those little chunks I get left over from cutting firewood. There is always a pile of them in the yard and I hate the mess, then they covered in snow... So I took those 2x4's and made a 2.5x4' crib to put all those chunks in. Quick and dirty and it came out OK.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200816_120503386.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1597625192)
Then I filled it and it just held all the chunks I could find. Should have made it bigger. ;D
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200816_130805875.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1597625211)
So it sits right outside the back door of the shop, about 15' from where the woodstove will wind up. Felt good to get that cleaned up.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200816_130903647.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1597625227)
Then I went back in the shop and as long as the tools were out, I cut some scrap trimming strips and screwed them up under the joists on the last loft so I could store the unsold tomato stakes up there out of the way and some other stuff that doesn't need to be down on the floor, like the roof rake poles, etc. I got all that stuff stowed and went back out and cut more firewood from slabs, did a bunch of splitting and stacking. Still have a few slabs to hack up, but it was dinner time.
I just have a little bit of green wood to finish cutting and splitting and a few slabs, then I need to look for the last push to get some dry wood in and finish the last 4 cord or so. Hopefully it will go quicker, I have been practicing. ;D
Tomorrow is another day.
Monday, Monday. Nice and cool, I got up at 4 and had to put a sweatshirt on, it was nice! SO I figured while it was cool I would start working on some stump removal, it didn't take longs for the sweatshirt to come off, then the t-shirt was soaked through soon after. There were these 4 or 5 small stumps on the 'road' between the mill and the drying rack and a few days ago I was shuttling some 2x8's over there and caught one of them and the steering wheel dang near took my my fingers off. So I resolved to fix that today or at least get it started. Hand digging stumps is no fun. I cut a lot of roots on the first one (4") and managed to snake a chain under it and popped it right out with the Mule. Way too easy and bolstered by my overconfidence I attacked the bigger one (8"). Not so easy, took a lot more digging and still held tough. Eventually I got it out when I added my secret weapon.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200817_105812814.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1597706423)
Yeah, that's my Magic hook (tm) tied up in the stump I could sneak it under the back and get a good grip. I wound up pulling about 5 small stumps. Still have one or two little ones to go, but I ran out of sweat. :D I can get those tomorrow or another day, I got the knuckle busters out of the way.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200817_113756884.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1597706390)
It's much smoother now, and I have a cleaner path.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200817_113806550.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1597706480)
After that I remounted my rolling vise on a new block (see vise thread) in the shop, then cut some firewood. In the afternoon I ran out to tractor supply to pick up a 3 pt. attachment for a friend which I will deliver on Thursday when we will be working together on some trees. I am much closer to TS than he is and I have a truck, he don't. When I got back I headed out in the swamp and started bucking up a tree that has been hanging for 15 years. The outer crust is decaying badly, so that even after bucking I still don't know what it is, but I think it's an RO. Tomorrow I have some finagling to do to get the mule around the Quonset hut to yank the logs out. These will be fire wood, solid stuff for sure. There are a few more hangers to take down. I will probably make a path up to the neighbors shop so I don't have to drive around on the road. After I pulled all those little trees out for him he suggested if I wanted to make a path I was welcome to. If he ever sells that property, I have first dibs.
Days like today, sweat and all, I love my job.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200817_153314602_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1597706462)
Tomorrow is another day.
Cut, Skid, Buck, Split, Stack, repeat..... I don't know how many times. Seems like the same movie over and over and over. Its gotta end soon. Only 4 cord to go.
Tomorrow is another day.
Well I did some more cut, split, stack today and cleaned up the yard of all the pending wood. So I am ready to bring more in. I started early digging rocks to fill a hole and mid-morning the boys showed up and needed 'a project' so that game was to fill the hole with stones. :) I showed them a few easy places to collect the stones and one of them was right under a small yellow birch. I had 'stored' the rocks there 30+ years ago for a project just like this and I had grabbed a few rocks from this spot just before the boys got here. However, when I attempted to show the boys where these rocks were and all the cautions I had, there was a stinging/burning sensation on my right elbow that very quickly blossomed into searing pain as I saw a white faced hornet careen off. It was then that one of my crew pointed out the nest on the branch I had bent under to get at the rocks. My head must have passed within inches of this:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200819_153719867.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1597882389)
I headed off to find my MSG and that took care of it pretty quickly, but I still had some twinges all day here and there. Potent little buggers. Not sure what I will do about that nest yet.
So, needless to say, we found other places to collect rocks. ;D It wasn't hard, they grow wild here with no tending. :D The boys filled in the hole pretty well. Actually it is not a hole. I tried to get the mule around the corner of the cold storage shed yesterday and nearly rolled the mill into the creek on the right. So filling in that corner makes it safer. I can just sneak the mule through now. I will put some crushed stone on top when I get some. But I should be able to get through now and pull logs from back there. It will harden up over time.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200819_153815649.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1597882446)
The firewood pile for the shop is starting to take shape.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200819_142726419.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1597882401)
I also fixed up a lawn mower that was headed to scrap until I found out my daughter and SIL need one. Runs great now, but needs an air filter before I can deliver it. I will also see if I have a new blade for it, or sharpen the one in it. Might hit it with the pressure washer too.
I also caught Gene's webinar early this morning on edging lumber from last week that I missed, but missed the one scheduled for today. Got the trailer out and cleaned off and loaded the truck for a day of cutting over at NYBHH's place tomorrow. Also fixed up a little doo-dad he doesn't know he needs yet and got it ready for delivery. ;D
Just before dinner I pulled one of the sliding windows out of my shop that my neighbor was kind enough to shoot a rock through with his lawn mower last year. Its a double pane and he only broke the outer pane, so I let it go, but now it's bothering me. I hate to think what this is gonna cost. But I am heating the shop most of the time this winter, so it is time to get it fixed.
Early to bed tonight.
Tomorrow is another day and I think it may be a long one.
Looks good, I bet you can figure out something interesting to do with that hornets nest. I zapped a paper wasp's nest this evening that had started under the peak of my mill shed as well. They didn't get me though, I saw em first. I keep a can of permethrin fly reppellent wound spray for that purpose as well as the occasional carpenter ant nest I've sawn into.
Well, it's 5am, 52°, and still dark out so I suppose I could go give them a hit, but they really aren't in a work area and now that I know that they are there and have introduced each of the grandboys to them, I am not too worried about them. If they were holding me up, it would be a different deal. There season is going to end soon enough, I think.
I was splitting some green Black Birch a couple of days ago and the yellow jackets came out of the woodwork for that sap. Now that was annoying!
Just take a stick and whack that nest to see if there are anymore in there. If not, you are good. If there are, there is another good thread that you can post that in :D.
Quote from: WDH on August 20, 2020, 06:47:41 AM
Just take a stick and whack that nest to see if there are anymore in there. If not, you are good. If there are, there is another good thread that you can post that in :D.
Gee thanks, I never thought of that! Useful suggestion. ;D I will see if I can make time to try that out. I check it when I walk by and there is this one sentinel wasp that hangs out by the front door, so I am pretty sure the family is at home though.
OK, you have already posted enough in the "Did Something Dumb" thread ;D.
Quote from: WDH on August 20, 2020, 07:18:17 AM
OK, you have already posted enough in the "Did Something Dumb" thread ;D.
Just trying to do my part and be a team player. Headed out to do a day of cutting and hopefully I will have no additions tonight. :)
The picture of the paper nest reminded me of a near incident I had while bush hogging Monday near a creek where weeds were tall. I was backing up to the creek and then I'd pull up after a short ways to check as the bank is a bit steep and I was not sure how close I was getting. I do this to avoid posting results in another thread as Danny mentioned. The point is when I pulled forward I noticed a paper nest on the edge of my cut in the grasses and weeds. The residents were starting to come out to see what the heck had happened. I decided best go and bush hog elsewhere. I will need to revisit the location with a long distance spray container.
Well, I was right, long day today, very productive though. I was headed up to NYBHH's place to cut dead ash with him for firewood and maybe a sawlog log or three if the wood was good. Left the house before 8 and went to the local drive thru deli to grab breakfast on the way. The guy in front of me in the super duty ford with the diesel tank in the back was taking a long time and I finally got my stuff and pulled alongside him to bust his chops a little, I know the guy (he bought 3 dozen survey stakes from me a couple of weeks ago), land clearing logging and septic systems, and after I am done with my snarky comments about him ordering a 3 course breakfast for a work crew of 15 :D, He says "hey, I just took a fair EWP down at the old church, we are doing new septic there, you want it?" "Well, I have to pass the place on the way, sure I will take a look". So I stopped and looked, good log, 40' stem, 24" dbh. He wasn't there so I texted him "yeah, I'll take it, 9' lengths would be good, if I come tomorrow can you load me?" "Sure" he answers "I have the mini-ex there, no problem". Ok, off I go thinking I just lined up more logs for tomorrow, this is getting easier and just 4 miles from my house. It might take 2 runs, but so what?
So I tool on up the road to Brandon's. We looked over the trees he picked out, got the gear down there and got to work. All dead ash except I think we took one little sick maple. We were pretty much alternating trees and kept steady progress going between falling and bucking and clearing junk. His Kubota made things a lot easier and I did most of the ground work while he shuttled logs up to either my trailer or the landing. It is SUCH a pleasure to work with someone who knows what he is doing, works safely, and communicates clearly. We took some smaller stuff to get warmed up, nice easy drops. No building or wire hazards in the area and if a tree went the wrong way it wouldn't matter as long as we both were out of the way. Still there were a couple that would give anybody pause to take a breath and think it through. The biggest one was a double trunk and I made a bad mistake on it. I had thought the 2 trunks were fully merged as one for about 5 feet up. Wrong. So we picked the lay and I treated them as one stick. I made an ugly job on the stump because my 24" bar would not go through, too short. SO I had to bore from both sides and I missed, the cuts passed each other, which was good enough. I drove two wedges just for safety to keep it from sitting back. The weight loading was hard to figure on this tree between the 2 trunks. Then I cut the holding wood and she didn't move. I whacked the wedges on each side and it moved a little but they were hard hitting and the wedges rang hard. So I put a wedge in the back, that one had effect. I couple of whacks and she started going. I let it sit, then tried a few more. Just about the time the wedge started to ring, the tree started to go. Lots of time to get in a safe spot. Here is where it gets funky. As the tree starts to fall, the stem on the right is heading right for the target, but the one on the left is splitting off where the trunks are joined and heads off at a 30° angle from the direction of fall. Never saw anything like it. That stem headed for another tree across the field and hung on the ONLY tree it could reach in any direction. We both laughed pretty hard. You could do that if you tried.
Here is the right stem, exactly on target:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200820_120544105_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1597970789)
It could not have been closer to the chosen spot. But here is the left stem, which did not go as planned:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200820_120536578.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1597970693)
You may have noted that in either photo you can't see the other stem, that shows how far apart the landed. You can see though that it was pretty dang hard to hang this tree on anything within reach. Here is a shot of my boo-boo in all it's reality and you can see how far apart the two of them landed.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200820_120521373.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1597970711)
You'll just have to believe me that the tops of these two stems were only spread by 15' before the cut. It was something to watch.
The last two trees of the day came to me and we decided to try a two-fer. I notched and back cut the first one, then I notched the second tree and dropped it on the first one across the creek. It worked, to a point, but the target tree didn't have a lot of places it could fall clean, it was surrounded and it hung. That one was not a surprise. But the Kubota managed to drag them both out just fine with a long cable and some trim work.
At the end of the day, we had 10 trees down, my trailer loaded, and this pile of logs, plus some other random piles. I have to shuttle back and forth to get these all home. Plus I think we bucked a sawlog or two for Brandon's mill.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200820_160640754_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1597970787)
I left his place at 5, got home at 5:30, started unloading and got them stacked. Had dinner, then cleaned up the yard and put away the mule, etc. I was done by 7ish, totally pooped. But I am hoping to go grab those pine logs in the morning because we have the Grandboys here tomorrow.
Long day.
And tomorrow is another day.
It was a long day for sure but it is SO much more enjoyable to have someone to work with who is, as you mentioned, safe and knowledgeable (semi-knowledgeable in my case). Having a cutting partner, especially with these dead ash, just makes everything so much safer and less stressful.
It wasn't by accident that you ended up the tougher trees and there was no way to know that tree was gonna split like that and we took all the precautions we needed so that even large departure from "the plan" kept us both safe and enjoying ourselves. A good reminder for sure though to stop think through these tougher trees.
Pretty sure we can cut enough firewood off this place every year to keep us both warm and move our land management plan forward so looking forward to this once or twice a year hopefully for the foreseeable future.
Thanks again also for the fire pump and picking up that carry-all frame as well.
Ah, it was a great day to work. My legs were a tad tired last night but as of 5am they don't feel too bad.I think the place looks better with those trees gone. Today, hopefully I can grab that pine, then tomorrow start shuttling. By the way when I got home last night, the tires on the trailer were pretty warm, the hubs were fine, but the tires were hot. I guess we found the limit on that trailer. ;D I might see about bringing the dump trailer to make this go fast, but I have to get the sides off, and that is a 3 man job.
Today is another day, lets see what I can get done.
OGH, were the tires at max pressure? If not put more air in, low pressure means more flexing which equals heat.
Funny you mention that! ;D I had the same thought. I ran 3 more local loads here this morning (pine) early and when I finished I backed the trailer in the shop. I don't trust the tractor supply folks after I discovered the defective rim last year. SO I jacked it up and figured I would check/regrease the bearings. Both wheels had a little rock in the bearings, so I took it apart, regreased and reset the bearings. Spins nice now, but no rock. I also checked the pressure and it was low. I had heard as little low pitched whine form the tires when I was nearly home last evening which led me to suspect the tire pressure, especially when I found the hubs were cold, but the tires not. Pressure had been at only 30PSI so I pimped it up to 45 in each tire. I should be good for the next runs.
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on August 21, 2020, 12:44:20 PMPressure had been at only 30PSI so I pimped it up to 45 in each tire.
Did you add rhinestones or something? :D So you are running LT or car tires? My trailer tires are 60 psi (max) and for trailers, you always run them at max. The idea is to prevent sidewall flexing and creating heat. LT and car tires just aren't as stiff and will heat up with load.
Quote from: ljohnsaw on August 21, 2020, 02:19:39 PM
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on August 21, 2020, 12:44:20 PMPressure had been at only 30PSI so I pimped it up to 45 in each tire.
Did you add rhinestones or something? :D So you are running LT or car tires? My trailer tires are 60 psi (max) and for trailers, you always run them at max. The idea is to prevent sidewall flexing and creating heat. LT and car tires just aren't as stiff and will heat up with load.
I was thinking of sparkeles, but I went with a paisley design. :D
The tires are neither truck or car tires, they are marked 'for trailer use only' and don't have a load range on them, just a max load @ 50psi. One of the rims was defective when I bought it, it had a flat spot. I didn't discover it until last year when I put a good load of logs on and the bead leaked right out. I fixed it myself as a field repair with a good cross peen hammer and good aim. ;D Since then I have been working the tire pressure up until I build confidence that my blacksmith work is good enough to hold full pressure. I guess I lost a little over the winter and haven't checked in a while. I'll leave it 45 for a week or two, then go to 50, which is max for that tire. With a load of logs on I drive mostly at 35mph, sometimes 40, but never over 45. It's all local. My run to Brandon's is only 20 minutes at those speeds.
----
We had the grandsons today, so I didn't have a lot of time, although they arrived 2 hours late. I texted the guy with the pine logs at 7am and he said he could meet me at 8 and I would have to buck. I got there early and started bucking. He arrived just as I shut the saw down. ;D I backed the trailer in and he loaded me, then I started shuttling 3 logs at a time. Took 3 loops and the last one I had 5 logs on, but some smaller. The biggest was 1,000# 27" at the butt.. I tallied the load later and came up with a total of 6,500# spread over 3 trip, so I stayed pretty close to the 2,000# rating of the trailer. I could do a complete loop in just under an hour load/move/unload/and return to load again. Done before 11am when the boys showed up finally.
I also tallied my load from Brandon's yesterday and it came out to about 2,300#, so not too bad for a guess. Glad I cut it off when I did. ;D
While I was over there grabbing the pine I 'obserevd' some of the other work going on at the site. This is a very old Church that used to sit where the Askokan reservoir is now. When the reservoir was built around 1903, the Church folk got together and moved their Church to higher ground outside the reservoir property. NYC thought they bought the church, the church folk, thought they bought the land and took their church. The city sued the Church folk for stealing the building. You can't make this stuff up, even then. My BIL was buried from that Church, and my nephew was baptized and confirmed in it. So I know a little of the building history. Anyway, a radio station has bought it now and they are renovating it with studios, painting in and out, and fixing structural issues. There was an older carpenter there working on a bump out addition, probably an added bathroom when the out house became passe' and he had all the siding off and the rotten sill exposed. He started when I first got there and had it all open by my last load. It was bad. I had thought it might be a 6x6, but it was revealed to be common stick building of stacked 2x6's. We chatted a little about the era it may have been built in and both agreed it was 'new' probably around 1940-1950ish. The church sits on a dry laid stone foundation which is common here for the old stuff and those masons did a fine job. Anyway, I wished him luck and as I was walking away I turned and asked him if he did a lot of this major repair type work to older structures, he said "that's what I do, all the time, kids today don't understand the old methods and can't respect the craftsmanship, it has to be done right if you respect the building." Then I asked "do you ever find yourself in need of a custom sized rough sawn beam, mantle, header, or column, or stuff like that?" He smiled and said 'all the time'. SO I gave him a card and was clear that I am a small guy and can't handle production orders, but I could refer him for those. He said, "No what I need is a guy that can do the 1,2, and 5 pieces I need to make something match or do a repair." He was happy to have 'found me'. Then before I left, the fella that was giving me the logs asked why I don't have a TSI business, or go in with him. I said "one word: Insurance costs". He said "well maybe we can work something out where you work under my company. I have some small/medium customers that could use your skills and I don't have enough time to take them on alone. I don't have good cutters that 'get it' and I can trust. Let me see if I can line up some jobs for the winter and I can move the logs, you keep the wood." So maybe there is another opportunity there, but I am not in a hurry. We will see if anything transpires. He asked me why I wasn't working for Eric (Bargemonkey) and I just said, it's a long commute and I don't want to risk ruining a good friendship. :)
Tomorrow is another day.
{note, I edited this heavily after the first posting)
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on August 21, 2020, 12:44:20 PMBoth wheels had a little rock in the bearings, so I took it apart, regreased and reset the bearings. Spins nice now, but no rock. I also checked the pressure and it was low. I had heard as little low pitched whine form the tires I should be good for the next runs.
glad you took the rocks out of the hubs, that cannot be good on the bearings. Never new you could get wine from a tire, and I thought you were a beer drinker, and hope you do not get diarrhea (runs) too soon. sorry working like crazy today! :D :D
Sorry you are working like crazy. I heavily edited the post above while you were making your reply. You might want to re-read it, or not. :D
all in fun of course. struck me as funny in the context of my shift! Lots of good work there @Old Greenhorn (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=42103)
Brandon sent me a short video clip of the last two trees of the day on Thursday. We were tired and decided to go for a two-fer, what the heck? The left little stem is on the sotuh side of the creek and the larger is on the north side. The canopy was so think there wasn't much chance of getting both to lay down, We hauled them both up the bank with little problem, it was fun anyway. You can hear my disgust with the "ARRRGGGHHH! in the video because I hit it fine, but the second tree did not fall all the way. When there are no hazards, you can try weird stuff.
Two-fer tree drop - YouTube (https://youtu.be/H-7ozvj0PqE)
Went up and got another load at Brandon's place and DanG it all but I got my hand caught between a log and the expanded metal tailgate. Bad enough getting my hand dragged across that rusty cheese grater, but dragging my hand back to get it out was even worse. No big deal, but it still stings a little.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200822_102718277.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1598137089)
On the drive home I got a call to come look at a yard tree that might have some 'interesting figure if I milled it'. Ah what the heck I thought, can't hurt to look, but probably not.
Got home, unloaded and my son finally showed up at 1pm with the dump trailer, he was due at 9. We got the sides off so I can use that for a bigger log load and save some gas.
Watched the grandsons for a few hours then showered and headed out with the wife to out monthly dinner out and to look at that yard tree on the way. 2 dead pines, one was a double trunk. Easy fall, no hazards but they would want it cleaned up and I don't have that gear or the insurance. I told them I could give them a tree guys number when they are ready.
Dinner was good, (first time eating out 'inside' a restaurant since the world went crazy) and home before 7 and I am just going to relax and get to bed early tonight. The heat today (over 90) was more than enough.
Tomorrow is another day.
OGH
Ouch you got that even with gloves on .
It is great you are getting your winter heat supply cut and split before the snow flys in New York.
By the numbers of mice and voles I have seen this year in the fields I think we are going to have a hard winter.
yeah, um, well, I didn't have gloves on. I just reached in to straighten a log and the weight got me when it shifted.
Yeah, I am feeling pressed for firewood. Normally I am done by June 1st, this year because of the virus I didn't get the early spring work done. Plus I am doubling my requirement to 10 cord and that is pressing my production abilities. Plus the time it is taking is also time I can't spend on moving my little budding enterprise forward. So Brandon has been helping me out a lot with filling the gap. I'll be back there tomorrow with a bigger trailer (x3) to cut down on the number of trips to clear the logs from his place. Then I just have to cut,split, stack. ;D :D
WV will tell you. Be careful and protect your hands. Hope you heal up
Yeah, I fell into that error trap, loading a trailer with a machine is easy, you can do it in shorts and flip-flops, right? In fact Brandon had shorts on, but he was driving.
Mea Culpa, I had my reminder. I will likely do it again though. ;D
No biggie, it will heal. Still stings though. Just gotta keep it clean and move on. We have work to do. :D
Yeah but sometimes gloves don't help.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/38064/IMG_2006~2.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1598147974)
Glad you weren't hurt worse.
True dat!
But in this case, gloves might have been handy. These days I am cutting back on routine supplies until I have some cash coming in but I guess I should refill the glove stock a little. Most of my gloves now have holes worn through at the finger tips and other places, but in this case, I was just being sloppy.
Man I am pooped again. Feel like I am getting old :D. In the last 4 days I have brought in 7 loads of logs. Loading up has been very easy. I stand there and nod and give the thumbs up when the logs fall in the trailer, then I reach in with a hookeroon to pule a log or two straight while the next load is grabbed. Then I chain the load and drive home, which is where the work starts. The dump trailer (on a forced loan from my son ;D) is easy to empty, but I have to get the logs stacked out of the way to leave room for the next load. My trailer doesn't dump, I yank each log off with tongs and roll it into the stack. Either way, I am pretty wet when unloading is done.
Now I have this neat mess.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200823_180148003.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1598227668)
Basically 4 piles and this does not include the 10 pine logs I got on Friday, they are in another area.
Today I got two decent loads. There is one left if I use the dump trailer (my plan), but I will spend tomorrow cutting, splitting, and stacking to make a little more room. Almost all of these logs are firewood, but I have a request for a handful of ash 2x8's so I will try to mill some out of these and then the rest is firewood. Some I may only get one 2x8 out of and a couple of thick slabs to burn. But I have to open to area up, so its time to buck and split. If I can make a hole in the area, I will fetch the rest on Tuesday and Brandon's yard will look a bit better. ;D
Judging by how tired I am right now, I hope I can stick with it. And the wife wants to go shopping at Home Depot tomorrow and 'help' me get a bunch of supplies I am running low on. I have managed to not go in over 6 weeks to try and break the habit of spending money. This is going to be painful.
Tomorrow is another day.
OGH, just an idea but if both you and Brandon both need firewood, would it be easier to pick some of the firewood only logs and work them up together where they were felled? Then you'd be dragging home a finished product. Just thinking out loud, I get more done when I work with someone. Judging by your posts, you get plenty done! Both working alone and with help! Best of luck, it's great that you keep us informed.
Well, you hit on a good point. Brandon and I have talked this through quite a bit already because (I think) we both like to talk, and we both like to have a good plan to get things done as efficiently as possible. Certainly we both agree we like working together. However, we have different needs at the moment. I am in a push to this 10 cord happen for the first time because I made this decision back in May to heat the shop with wood. For me it was not planned with enough notice to get it done smoothly over a proper amount of time for this year anyway. For him, and he can answer this in more detail, he uses wood for comfort heat in the house when needed and is now adding a wood stove to his finely built new construction shop. He will need wood for that, but nothing on my scale because his shop is a bit smaller, VERY well planned, built, and insulated. Mine is bigger and cold. (His is a work of art, and mine is just work.);D Still, that requirement is not quite defined yet. The virus has effected everyone and he is now a full time resident. We also each have different resources available, he has the tractor, land, and trees. I have 3 trailers (one is a dump I borrow) and a log splittter. Neither of us are totally satisfied that we are equipped the way we would like to be. Both of us are looking at some adjustments when funds become available.
So yes, we currently talking this through, and what we have planned so far is a good cutting session in the fall when the leaves drop and the early spring while it is moderately cold and the ground is still firm. The plan is to yard up the logs and then pull them as needed when we have time to cut and stack. I like taking it in log form and splitting right next to the stack if I can. He prefers to split further from the stack and leave the mess in the woods. I do not like to do firewood through the heat of the summer and try to have mine finished by June 1st. So we are talking through making a work yard away from his house to yard the logs, then split and load and forward the wood to his stacks from there, or pull logs and load my trailer for me to do mine at home. Moving logs, for now, just seems more efficient for my operation, but we may revisit that when we get through this first year. I am under pressure to double my wood supply and he is under pressure to get his heat figured out and installed. Once I get mine done (and I am hoping very soon) I can bring my splitter to his place and help him for a day then leave it there for him to use for a couple of weeks. (Then I will likely move it to my daughters house, 2 miles from Brandon, so they can finish up their wood.) Brandon wants to work on 'something' (yet to be defined) to forward his split wood to the pile more efficiently and I would like to work on some way to split wood quicker. My splutter works great, but it is only a single wedge with about a 15 second cycle. I would kill to get one of those Eastonmade splitters with a box wedge and a log lifter then eventually a small conveyor to dump into a trailer or truck bed. Or find one that has a blown engine, bad pump, or busted up structure that I can repair. But that's not likely to happen anytime soon.
SO yeah, you have a great suggestion and that is why we are both working on it and every run I do we chat about it some more and bat around ideas. :)
Well that sums it up pretty well. Our life has changed pretty dramatically as a result of the virus and what our future looks like is still very uncertain. It is difficult to predict what my firewood needs will be moving forward other than more than we've needed in the past.
Which has been about 1.5 cords per year and I've had no problem providing that with tops, mill slabs, and cull trees and have hand split everything For the past 8 years with a good old Fiskars axe. I also have about 3 cords put away so I'm always working on next season's wood ... a very different scenario than OGH 😉
I'll be curious what we go through this year with the new shop, especially if we don't get the boiler installed this season and we still don't know what our living situation will be after December either so still a lot of unknowns.
We do have a pretty good trail/road system leftover from previous logging high grading operations over the years by former owners so staging and working everything up in the woods is certainly an option.
This year is a bit unique also in that were talking down all the low-hanging fruit so to speak - all the dead ash right around our house. Easy access but my boss likes to look out the window and not see piles of wood so getting the stems out of the "yard" quickly keeps everyone happy. 😁
Old Greenhorn, does your splitter have a 4 way wedge or just a wedge? Is the wedge on the ram or is the ram flat and pushed the wood into the wedge?
Brandon, do you have forks or a grapple for your tractor? If not maybe a hook on the bucket and tongs?
We made a pretty rugged little brow that's the same height as the splitter, we load the big stuff on with the tractor, saved from lifting the heavy stuff, your working on the same level
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/18262/IMG_20190707_103208.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1562550743)
It was a hot day when we took the pic, so we had the Princess Auto all season shade out, only the best for me and my guys! I figure you guys could make a brow on the cheap with your mills, and maybe help with production? Mine is 2in shorter than the inside of my tractor bucket. I'd love to tell you that's cause I'm super smart, but that'd be a fib, just what I had around for lumber!
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/18262/IMG_20200531_094746.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1590969055)
I am not good at takin pics, but this is a different angle. Hope it helps, or gives you an idea for something that may help? We are always trying to improve production here too. Sorting out known trouble logs helps. I set them aside, I always get to them just get the easier stuff first!
Well, you are a bit ahead of where we are as a 'team' on this, we are still working it out and thinking it through. We are also trying to define our individual requirements, I think. This is my first year with a stove in the shop. This may be his first winter as a full-time resident, and also a new stove in his shop. For me it's fastest to haul the logs home, then process. My splitter just has a single wedge, I may have mentioned that earlier, which is why I am dreaming of something better. Brandon is just hand splitting at this point, his current needs are not as 'severe' as mine. ;D But I pretty much plan on bringing my splitter to his place when his needs increase. I can easily see us doing this in December or January as things get better defined and I think we can really crank it out then if the snowpack holds off and we can get him better situated. The two of us bucking and splitting out in the woods should make pretty good work on his end and set him up. Maybe even this fall if he decides. Yes, I have a canopy and have set it up in 'less than pleasant weather' usually snow or rain, but I find the legs get in the way at times. This year I have gotten used to working in the partial sun as it tracks through the trees and just ignore the sweat as best I can. We will come up with something that works for both of us, we enjoy working together and think in similar ways, it just takes time and both he and I have other stuff pressing on us, so this year will not be the one where we focus on this. I can't speak for him, but for myself I am trying to just 'git er done' as fast as I can so I can move onto the 'real work'. :D Next year, for sure, there will be a much better plan, which includes the seasons.
---------
SO today, not much got done. Well I worked myself out of sweat...twice, but I don't feel like I got a lot done. Started in on bucking logs as soon as it was a reasonable time to make noise and cut until I was tripping over the rounds. Then I split and stacked those and repeated for another round and got those on the pile, probably a half cord and it was lunchtime. So I had lunch and checked the forum before heading back to it and it started to drizzle. I checked the radar and it showed a small cell passing over, I figured it for 15-30 minutes tops, but no, that small cell just kept growing right over our head and we wound up with an hour of gully washer rain. SO I secured everything and the wife and I made the planned trip to home depot. I had a lot of little supplies and things to buy and didn't come home with much but it came to $175 plus. Nails, wd40, an air filter, some urethane, new gloves, a 10" table saw blade, batteries, all odds and ends. Holy cow, I had sticker shock. Without a weekly paycheck this stuff is starting to add up to more than I thought. I gotta start selling some stuff soon.
Anyway, we came back and I bucked some more and cleared enough room for the last load I have to pick up. While the way was clear, I dragged some 'possible sawlogs' back around to the mill. That silly little cut I got on my hand Saturday has been problematic. It took out a chunk of skin and as it heals the skin gets tight and it is painful to make a fist. Getting a glove on it is no fun either and if I bump it, oh boy, that is so much fun! (Howard, I can see you smirking, knock it off. Its not that bad, like you must have had, but it does make the day longer.) I keep putting Bag Balm on it to try to keep it soft and clean. It has always worked for me before, but my stuff is old, maybe time for a new tin. Anyway, no photos today, the wood pile got a little taller, that's it. I plan a run out to Brandon's in the morning to get that last load out of his field so his boss doesn't have to look at it. :D His wife is a kind and generous woman (who makes some of the best dang garlic dill pickles I have ever had) and I want to stay on her good side. I think Brandon does too. ;D
Tomorrow is another day.
Well the plan for today was to fetch the last load from Brandon's place. When a guy does me a favor I don't like to leave him hanging and I wanted that stuff out of there so he could dress the field edges back up and make it pretty again. Gotta keep his boss happy ;D. But we had a storm cell coming through this morning so I got out at 7 and rigged the trailer, the rain hit HARD 3 minutes after I was all hooked up, then as long as I was 'at it' I also made up a 4th chain for the load. I only had three and felt a 4th would be handy (it was), so I did that and searched for, and found another chain binder. Good to go. I stopped to pick up my favorite breakfast at the place I used to get breakfast every day when I was 'working', these days the gals say they miss me (or so they say) and I miss them, so I swung a half mile out of my way to stop in, then I fueled up and headed to Brandon's. Loading is routine now and I got it all except for one big chunk that will fit in any trailer or even my truck bed. Full load, but easy trip home. This is the final load being dumped:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200825_110317387.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1598391301)
Then after securing the trailer and unhooking, I commenced to cutting splitting and stacking again. I did 2 and a half cycles of that and am getting in a groove now. The heat was a tad lower (the humidity was NOT) but I feel like I am hitting a stride of sorts. The pile is 'improving'. Before I started working on the wood from Brandon's I painted a line to mark the top of my pile for two reasons. First, I wanted to see how fast I could get this done, and second Brandon and I both would like to learn how much actual firewood came out of those 10 trees, just to get a feel for it. Logs piles to cord wood conversions have always eluded me. So in this photo, taken at the end of today (in which I am very proud I figure out how to do one of those panomormagical photos with my phone), I have drawn a line to represent where I was last week, verses today. (You can see the prior photo in reply #315.)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200825_153125726_LI.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1598391294)
Everything above the 'red line' was added with Brandon's wood since Friday.
I didn't take out a tape and measure anything but I did some fairly close rough calculations and it looks like I am right around 2-1/2 cords of shop wood. (Brandon, just to answer your big question, I should have plenty, I am not yet halfway through that wood yet, probably more like 1/3 through.) We will know where I wound in in another week or so as I work through this and process it.
By the by, if you look at the above photo you will see a large chunk o' wood sitting at the front of the splitter, this was half of that big double trunk I hung one side of. I was thinking it would just be more firewood, but as I worked around it today and looked it over, I thought I might just throw that up on the mill and see if there isn't a nice 3" patio table slab hidden inside. It is 27" across the face that you see. The twin of this is the only piece I left at Brandon's. He may have the same idea if I don't get back and fetch it soon. :D
So around 3:30 today we had another front come through but this one I had seen on the radar and when I finished my last splitting session I cleaned up all the tools and threw some temporary covers on the woodpile. I finished all that and the rain started hot and heavy just as I sat down to take a short break. I finished that lawn mower re-fit for the SIL and he had dropped by on other business, so after the rain we loaded that up. He is happy.
Not a super productive day, just average, but I feel like progress is being made. Now if I can just stick with the cut-split-stack routine for a week or so, I should be in good shape and get this all cleaned up. Then I have milling work waiting on me, and then I need to get on that chimney work.
Tomorrow is another day.
Old Greenhorn, have you ever tried to put bag balm on your hand, then a rubber glove on? (Like the kinds mechanics and doc's use). That worked well for a former co-worker, he did it at night, before bed.
Oh Golly! That is a neat idea. I may just try that tonight. I didn't mention, but the hand is better today, it does not hurt to make a fist now. I went fairly heavy on the bag balm a few times yesterday. The only time I have difficulty is pulling on those tight fitting work gloves that make me look sexy. :D
Well the weather is beginning to cut us a break here. I got up before 5 and out at 7:30 this morning and did quiet work for a while got the burn pit going to take care of the bark splitting trash, and then went right cut-split-stack. I lost track of how many cycles I did today. With the lower high temp for the day I was able to stay at it pretty steady with just a short lunch break. I completely missed the WoodDoc's seminar, will have to catch the replay later. The pile is growing and the log stack is shrinking.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200826_163138247.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1598486023)
In fact I have run out of room. It is stacked as high and as safe as I can get it. The peak of the pile is at 7 and a half feet. Tomorrow my son and his guy are coming over to hang gutters on both sides of the shop if the weather holds, and he will be cleaning out some of his scrap metal, and perhaps bring in a load of crushed stone to dress up some low spots in the driveway. I am not sure if I will get much more splitting done. But before I do, I have to find a place to put it. I am only at 3-1/2 cords right now and need 1-1/2 more, by my guess. I did a cord today, maybe a bit more. So I will begin to add another row, like this..
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200826_165849972.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1598486068)
I figure each row in the pile is a cord and a half, so one more row would finish what I think I need. I don't know if I have quite that much wood left in logs, but I will give it a good run.
We'll see where it goes, I had wanted to just work through and get it done, but with the boys putting up gutters, I will be in the way and I am also gonna get them to screw a header against the outside wall so I can hang a curtain/tarp over the wood to let the rain and snow slide down. I will also have my SIL here working tomorrow. My wife has given up on getting me to do some of the things she wants done, and he is waiting for some of his estimates to go through on his jobs, so he has a little time. He is replacing a few rotted pieces here and there on our porch, finish all the trim work I never put up, then paint the whole thing. I have to mill up some ash to replace a few boards. I can mill them faster then he can run to town and buy them. But I have to get on that in the morning. I also need to do some 1x4's for some trim. SO tomorrow I don't know how much of my own work I will get done and Friday and Saturday I have committed to helping with the online version of a music festival I work at this weekend every year. Probably Sunday too for loading out take down. The week went by quick. ANyway, the weather is calling for rain off and on tomorrow with maybe some storms, so the whole plan could go out the window.
BTW, Granite, I tried your idea, with a modification last night.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200825_205244157~0.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1598486039)
It worked pretty well and the wound was moist and gooey this morning. I let it air and it held firm but was much less stiff and I just had to be careful pulling the glove on and off all day. But it is pretty much a non-issue from here on out. All is doing good on that score now. Thanks.
All in all I am pretty tired tonight having worked pretty much non-stop for about 10 hours. I can't blame anything on the weather right now. I did my fair share of sweating today but nothing like the past weeks. It was very workable, which explains why I am so tired. With all the activity planned for tomorrow I will be up early, so I am headed to bed soon. :D
Good idea to rig something up to keep that spot as dry as possible.
Quote from: nativewolf on August 26, 2020, 08:51:37 PM
Good idea to rig something up to keep that spot as dry as possible.
Yeah, my thought is that once the snow comes, then the ice, the cover coming down at a long angle and will create a tunnel effect. I won't be able to pull it off easily, But I can work at the pile from the end. In the photo you will see two windows and the one on the right is where the stove will be in the shop (heck I could use that window as a pass through!) and there is also a door on the right of the pile, so I will take off the end of the pile by the door and work my way back from November to April. That's the plan anyway. This is a first time thing for me. I will know more about how to do this right by the spring. I expect I will add a hard roof over the pile next year (hung off the side of the shop, maybe 15' up) so I can hang the tarp straight down.
looks great. might need a shutter for the main window in the middle (right side) so you can stack in the middle. a third row will work fine as well. looks good. i am getting more motivated as the temps drop as well/ low 90s of the next week. wife's birthday on Sunday so using the event as an excuse to get projects done. I like the idea of extending/shed roof to cover the wood for the stove.
Yeah, that is next year at best. I have a few major things on that list, including a new deck on the back of the house, taking down a major RO that is going (30 something DBH), fixing the back fence, dry kiln, maybe a shed roof off the front of the shop to park the Mule under in non-winter weather, pouring some concrete footings to reset the mill on, lumber shed, and a couple other odds and ends. It never ends, does it?
Sorry your music festival is online, as I know you enjoy the volunteering and the music. Sure it wont be the same without being there. I need to face the music and split wood as well, glad I only need about three cord of good wood to mix with my slab waste.
Just waiting for temps to quit being in the 90's.
I just phoned in a burn for today as well to start working through those slash piles. Everything is pretty good and wet with the rain last night so figured I could keep and eye on it out the window while I work today.
I didn't realize that stack was 2 rows wide, wow, that's a lot of wood! A lean-to would work great to cover that. I know where you can get some pine for it 😉
The music will go on, none the less. I can post the details for anyone who might be interested, most of the performers are friends or acquaintances of mine.
I had the burn bucket going all day yesterday while I cut-split-stacked. Put about 5 wheel barrow loads through it. It was still viable this morning, so I stoked it up again and am running more through it now while the boys work.
A weird day, but as usual, I am pooped. Started raining earlier than expected, I was up at 3:30 and the rain started lightly around 6am. WHen it got light, it looked like one of those rainy all day slogs coming up. The SIL said he was coming anyway and would do inside work if it continued to rain. My son he he would give it a shot too and he and his guy would try to get the gutters slapped up at least. SO I piddled with other stuff to make sure I was ready for them, I think I started in the shop around 5:30 clearing things so the SIL could at least have his tools under cover. These young fellas don't seem to show up early anymore. :D SIL got here around 9 and my son showed up around 9:30 or so. They got right to it though and I got on the mill and cut some boards for the SIL, brought them in the shop and planed them up. We will rip them to width when he knows what that is. SO I let them sit in the shop. Checked on the gutter crew and they were moving along fine. Now the sun had come out, so I thought I might do some of my own stuff. I had ordered a tach/hour meter on eBay and it came last week, so I put that on the mill and tested it, and the dang thing worked! So I finished the install by mounting it on the engine air cover so it is right in front of my face when I am pushing. A nice little add on the help me keep track of things.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200827_130511884_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1598570819)
I covered up the mill and checked on the boys again. My son asked if I had any short #8 sheet metal screws. I went into the shed to get some and that's when it hit. Vertigo. Holy cow, I have not had this in about 6-7 years. I carefully found my way through the shed and found the screws. I had to hold onto stuff and step very carefully to get back outside, 3 whole steps felt like a 1/4 mile. When I stepped outside, my son knew something was wrong and I explained what was going on. It wasn't the worst I have had and I could manage, but every once in a while I had to grab something. It scared them a little, they don't have any idea what it's like, so they can't understand. I managed to work through it in about an hour or so. Being careful not to run up any ladders. About that time all the cell phones started beeping with the Tornado warning. I checked the radar and could see we were going to get hit within 15 minutes or so. All the guys started picking up, the gutters were just about done and my son and his guy hustled through that. As long as we had a big rain coming I hustled around and grabbed some barrels and doo-dads while my son finished the downspouts.
Just before the rain, here is one side of the shop.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200827_143444183.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1598570801)
And here is the other side.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200827_143520397.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1598570845)
Just about the time we were all cleaned the rain started and we hunkered in the shop to watch. It came down hard. The gutters worked, we found one leak we need to fix and the funnels I had stuck in the barrels turned out to be laughable. SO much water came down there was no way it could drop into those funnels with out overflowing and blowing right by. I donned a rain jacket (that was a waste :D) and took the funnel out of one and just grabbed some 'stuff' and made a dam to let the water hit it and drop in the bung hole. That barrel filled in 10 minutes. The other got a clog, but at least I got to see the concept was worktable.
We got a little play in too. The guys knew I have been feeding the burn pit trying to get rid of all the rotten stuff I have not cleaned up in 'several' years. Now I am getting down to some moldy wet rotten which does not burn well, they picked up on the habit of throwing a few pieces in when they walked by, but they were keeping it too full. I can't stand a constantly smoking fire and this stuff was bad. SO we concocted a quick and dirty 'fire encouragement device'.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7EHzqw6_Wk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7EHzqw6_Wk)
Later on when I wasn't happy with the angle we could get on the tube we made an improvement:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiuBm3s3XpU (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiuBm3s3XpU)
Of course this was before the storm hit. The fire survived the storm just fine. We did a little more after the rain passed then quit. I was wet and getting cold and wanted a shower. A long day, but we made some progress.
Tomorrow is another day.
Well the last several days have been very productive, so much so that I am really just generally pooped. I have been holding at around 9-10 hours day, but with 10 minutes lunches and no afternoon break it is adding up and I am tired. Two crews yesterday to help out and my own stuff in between capped it off. I fell asleep at my desk by 9pm.
Today I had promised to go help set up for The Hoot festival live stream and I was looking forward to working with my friends at the Ashokan Center once again, it has been too long. But I also wanted to get something accomplished here. Last night I was searching for a way to get water out of those rain barrels and put it where I needed it. I have a 120 GPM gas pump, but I don't want to deal with that for this application. I was looking for a small 12V pump I could water the garden and maybe get a small pressure stream to wash sawdust off the mill and fill the tank. I looked in all my hiding places, no pumps. I thought I had an RV pump, but no joy. SO I searched ebay but a 5 gpm pump is like $175 and it is just not worth it for the use I will give it, or get out of it. I gave up, to think on it some more.
About 2am I remembered a pump I had grabbed out of a dumpster about 7 years ago. A double Diaphragm HDPE/stainless hardware pump powered by air. Word was the pump was 'broke'. SO I took it figuring I could fix it if I ever needed it. My son kept trying to get me to throw it out. SO I got out early and found the pump and started searching for fittings and hardware to try it out. I found everything I needed in drawers and cabinets to connect it up right for a proper test and the pump does seem to leak a little air, but it functions. Here are the results:
Garden/Sawmill water supply pump from leftover 'junk'. - YouTube (https://youtu.be/MeV591lPwao)
Much better than I hoped for by a long shot. Its a blaster! Once I get the big tank in I will rig it all up nice. I was curious, so I looked the pump up to see what those cost. Holy cow. $1,100.00 bucks! Guess I got a deal ;D :).
Then I cleaned it all up and headed over to the Ashokan center and helped with grunt work, setting up a 20x20 tent, moving heavy tables, benches, chairs and other odds and ends. It was nice to work with friends. They invited me back tomorrow for the show because "even though there is no public present, we should have and EMT on hand' [big wink]. SO I guess I will be the only audience. :)
I left there around 2:30 and stopped by an old friends house. His health is beginning to fail and he is staying close to home and fixing/selling stuff he collects here and there. He had some stuff he wanted me to see and also some 'stuff I have to give you'. He heard me mumbling about my pump search and as it turns out he just had a 'dump find' and gave me this.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200828_142850784_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1598648163)
Its a 15 gal. atv saddle tank sprayer, I believe Howard ( @WVSawmiller ) is familiar with these. Has the 12v pump right on it. I have not tested it yet, and not sure what I will do with it, but I will figure something out. I know these cost more than 50 bucks. :D He also gave me the 3/4 plastic tubing you see in the background of that photo, no idea on that yet, but I will work on it. ;D And as I was leaving I saw laying in the dirt a Reliance Dovetail jig and he asked if I could use it. Sure!!, so I took that too. (Now I gotta learn how to use it.)
Lastly, this little gem that got my attention:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200828_141351411_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1598648171)
Not that I wanted it (nor did he offer ;D), but I sure thinks it's a cute little thing. It's not home made. It has the name "Flowtron" on the side of it. I had never seen one. It needs the engine cover/recoil starter, but is not seized. He wants to rebuild it and I want to see it run. It weighs a lot for it's small size. I'll have to do a little research on it. I can find their electric version, but not this gas one. I am curious. Anybody ever see one run? Anybody ever see one? :D
I am taking the rest of the day off and just puttering a bit. If any of y'all are interested you can catch the music most of the day tomorrow where I will be at from around 10:30am to 8pm. Don't look for me because I won't show up on camera unless somebody drops on stage. The music will be a combination of live performances and archived but never before broadcasted performances. Folks like Pete Seeger (archive), Amy Helm (live), the Mammals (live), Jay Unger and Molly Mason (live) and many more. It's free and all the details are found at hoot.love (http://hoot.love/) as well as the live broadcast when it begins. We have a good time, come join us if you like and meet some of my friends.
Tomorrow is another day.
Yeah, that sprayer tank and fittings looks real similar to what mine used to look like. Actually I just need some new wiring as I think the pump survived and I need a new sprayer wand. Putting them in the front basket of an ATV for downhill spraying is not the best idea. Congrats on getting that dumpster find pump working. Stay safe.
I don't know what happened, last night I put up my usual post and now it seems to be all gone without a trace. Maybe I had a dream? But no, the photos I used are still in the gallery. SO I have to use those photos to stay legal but I am not going to re-type that whole post.
I mentioned that I pretty much cut everything I have (one small log left and some hangers out in the woods I can fetch). This is how the shop pile sits at just about 4 cord.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200830_171101780.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1598834341)
I also have 4.5 cord put up for the house. I have time yet so I am back burnering the wood to get some milling done.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200830_171230348.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1598834340)
Then I have the chimney to buy and install, and the stove to pull out and rebuild. Lots to do before it gets cold and drives me inside.
Still wondering where that post went.
Long day, started around 7:30 after getting up at 5 and 51°. Sealed log ends before I could make noise, got the water pump hooked up for cleaning logs, man that thing works great! Milled an order for a customer.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200831_142927696.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1598915362)
Got a load of stone delivered by my son around mid-day and filled a mud hole leading to the drying rack.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200831_172016890.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1598915551)
Also filled that spot where we put the rocks last week and now have a good start on the shortcut to the neighbor's place.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200831_171924381.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1598915526)
The 4 grandsons were here so we 'invited' them to spread the rest of the stone in a driveway low spot. Of course, this was the result:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200831_165903302.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1598915330)
They got covered in stone dust, and I hosed them off. ;D I had thought if I gave them proper limits and instructions, the spreading might go well.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200831_173854449.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1598915611)
The white line was the 'low limit' and the pink line was the 'high limit'. I needn't have bothered as you can see. I will work on it tomorrow.
While they were 'spreading', I got the old stove out of the storage barn. It needs a lot of work, not sure what I will do with the disintegrating catalytic combuster. It is an Atlanta Casting Huntsman model, log out of business, I am looking for manuals or tech sheets.I'll get into it tomorrow, for now I cleaned out years of mouse history and put some penetrant on all the moving parts.
I can say this was a really long and full day. Hitting the rack early tonight.
Tomorrow is another day.
looks like if their grandpa would put a hitch on that bike for the rake, they could have rid in circles and got it done! :) "and a good time was had by all!"
Well, I can't say I worked too hard yesterday but last night I was too pooped to post. :D
I got up at 4 (still having trouble sleeping a full night, no idea why, just lots to do. Got out to the shop around 6am and started piddling with the stove and looking over what all I had to do. I did manage to find the manual out in the storage shed at first light so that made life easier knowing what the 'as designed intent' was. I decided it's going to get pretty much a full rebuild. That stove served me well in the past and burned and heated my shop for years, time to start over. It has a catalytic combustor in it and that has seen better days. As this company has been out of business for many years (Atlanta Stove Works) I didn't think I could find a replacement, but I got lucky after a few hours of searching. Knowing I could get the combustor changed my attitude toward the full rebuild. Taking the flue outlet and combustor cover off was a point of no return decision, so I started it in the morning. Here was the 'issue at hand, getting this off without making things worse:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200831_165921283.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1599042006)
I tried taking the screws out (HAH!) and managed to twist one head clean off, so I just sharpened a chisel and cut off the other heads being very careful not to crack the cast iron. AFter the top was off I carefully removed what was left of the broken combustor and set it in a coffee can in case I needed it for a reference later. The I ground all the studs flat and center punched them and spent over an hour drilling them out. One popped right through when I center punched it, so I will have to use a nut there, fortunately, it is in a spot where I can reach in a put a nut on it. After drilling I re-tapped all the holes as 10-32.I wound up with this:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200901_083547043.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1599041996)
It looked like it might rain so I went out and tweaked my water collection system to make sure I got what I could. One barrel is empty and the other only has about 10 gallons in it after cleaning logs and the mill. It never really rained just drizzled, but today it should see some action.
Then back in the shop and did a little cleaning and looking. There was a small air baffle meant to direct some air/smoke flow across the top of the combustor for (I assume) mixing and ignition purposes, that had been knocked off sometime in the past, perhaps since I first bought it? Easy fix when I put it back together. I looked at the gaskets, baffles, screws, and other parts to replace and made a list. I headed to the local stove store (yeah we have one, but...). I like to keep the local shops working especially now and I knew I would pay more, but these folks did pretty well by us when we got an entire new stove and chimney for the house 4 years ago, so I wanted to use them if I could. If I had a model and part number they could maybe help me from stock, but when I just asked for blank raw material to make my own gaskets and parts, I got a blank face and the guy starting looking on the internet where I just just buy them myself. I managed to buy some baffle board (they took it off a service truck for me) and the door gasket and adhesive. I also got a little free advice. Then I drove to HD for stainless screws and MAYBE they might have the gasket material (hah). There online store browser said they had the woodstove 'stuff' in stock in the seasonal aisle, but I could not locate said aisle and when I inquired, the employee said they have no stove stuff out yet. So I got the screws and checked what they have in stock for my gutter work later and left. Half a mile down the road I realized I didn't get the paint, so back I went and did that. When I got home I got online for an hour and ordered the gasket materials and some other stuff, plus the catalytic combustor ($176.00!) so all that is on the way.
Then I put a few hours into wire brushing and sanding. I painted a test spot and it will look OK. I also put some thought into how far I need to go and what the next steps are. I have to assess the firebrick situation and look for a couple of replacements. I started working on the legs to get the adjustment feet moving freely but 2 of them are giving me problems and I was beginning to get frustrated and ready to quit for the day. It was 5pm anyway and I was tired.
About that same time I got a text from a client that he was on the way to pick up his lumber, so I got that ready and when he arrived (after driving right past my driveway as I was waving my arms) we got him loaded up. He seemed pretty happy and I gave him more than he ordered because he is an old friend through Scouting. ( I have decided that if I want to cut someone some slack, I don't drop the price but I will throw in bonus lumber. This seems to work better for both parties.) Since he had come just a little earlier than expected the wife and I could still go out for dinner, which made HER happy, and for the first time, I let my lumber sale pay for dinner just because. Kind of a symbolic thing for me.
But man I was bushed and was in bed by 9pm and slept until almost 5 this morning. It just started raining a normal steady rain and I am very curious to see how much water that translates into my barrels for 1,000 sq. ft. of roof. Definitely a 'shop day' today, time to get my boots on and get at it.
Today is another day. Can't wait to see what happens. ;D
As an aside, when I was in the stove shop, the tech and I had a chat about 'whatever happened to the catalytic combustor design'? I always (and still do) think it is a very efficient design and for a pre-EPA stove and it has a super burn, you can hardly see any smoke from the chimney when all is burning right. Additionally when you cleaned the pipe there was very little creosote as almost all the particles are burned by the combustor before they exit. This process generates a LOT more heat from the wood that would otherwise go out the chimney. Given all that I could not understand why they went away. The tech said it was laziness on the part of the manufacturers plus they had the EPA requirements to comply with and they took the easier route to certification using a known working design concept (which I am still not totally sold on). He also told me they are coming back and being used in some pellet stoves now. As the science gets better he expects to see them returning to wood stoves. He also thought the user needs to understand the technology and get the burn right otherwise if the stove is choked too much the combustor doesn't ignite and it clogs over time. Many folks don't put that kind of effort in except serious wood heaters. So they design the stoves 'consumer proof' to keep a clean burn going out the chimney. You cannot in any way close off the air feed to these new stoves completely. I find this very dangerous in the event of a chimney fire. The first thing you do when a chimney lights up is shut off the air supply at the bottom, then at the top if you can. I have not had a chimney rumble since I got the new EPA stove, but I keep a clean chimney. Joe homeowner may go years between cleanings and this could be a problem. I have met folks who didn't even know they had to clean their chimneys (several of them when I 'visited' their homes for a working chimney fire ;D).
I had always thought it was combustor cost. Those replacements are expensive and changing them is not easy (design dependent). If they come back, I think it would be a good thing. I don't know of anyone else that has a combustor in their stove or ever had one. Maybe there are a few folks here? I would like to hear your experience. For me, I am looking forward to seeing that glow when the combustor kicks in, it's like money in my pocket. :) More mileage from my wood.
OGH,
One trick I have found when cleaning my stove pipe which has a couple of 90's between the stove and the wall, is to remove the pipe, carefully pass it out the window to the back yard, shake out as much soot as I can then throw a few ounces of gasoline in the pipe and toss a match in there. The remaining creosote generally burns to bare metal in short order. Probably not OSHA approved but it works for me. Good luck.
Seems catalytic combustors made a comback as result of the May 2020 changes at least it seemed so. I remember adding wood to dad's stove and choking it down at night, it was old brick lined steel unit from the 70's. You don't do that now! Stack it bypass the cat, light it, after hot engage the cat and adjust the damper. As you say there will be good heat and the burn is long and clean.
Howard, those 90's are tough on good ventilation, but I think I will seek a better method for cleaning this one. No offense. :D ;D I am actually trying to layout the install to make cleaning quick and easy, but I will have two 45's for an offset of a couple of feet. In my first shop I had so much pipe inside the building to reach the wall that I had to clean the chimney monthly and I took it all down and put each section in a garbage can and beat the heck out of it to break it all up, then I could run a wire brush through it. I would nearly fill a garbage can each time. I think it was 30' of pipe, mostly on an uphill horizontal run. Terrible design and layout but not really my idea. But that's how we learn. In my second shop (with the stove shown below) I cleaned the chimney once a year and it took 20 minutes. I learned quick.
Sam, I sure hope the combustors make a comeback, I think it is a good idea, good for heat and good for the environment.
Today I was up by 5, in the shop by 7:30 and it rained all day, sometimes pretty hard. My barrels filled up in no time and I slid one out in the afternoon and put an empty in its place, not sure if that will fill because the rain tapered off. Still, the 100+ gallons I have will go quite a ways for me. We got over 3/4" today and it just started raining again.
So it was a shop day and I went back to work on that stove I did a LOT of wire brushing and cleaning. Actually most of the day between that and painting. I also attacked the tower section and the legs. The legs have stainless glides but they were frozen and by the time I got them out I realized I just needed to replace them, so I found some on eBay for 10 bucks. I also looked over the bricks and I have 3 broken ones, so I searched and nearly ordered a pack of 9 online until I was checking out and saw the shipping cost was almost as much as the bricks, so I started over and come to find out Tractor Supply has them in stock in town for under 4 bucks a piece! Saved myself over 50 bucks. So I put that on my shopping list and moved on to the turret I took off yesterday. It had 2 screws holding the quartz sight glass in and I could not budge them using the Phillips head, it just rolled out. So I took a cutoff wheel and cut a slot in both and put a good screwdriver to them and they both came out without drilling. :) Turns out they are 10-24 (not common in my shop) and I had no stainless, so I put that on the shopping list too.
I got the turret all wire brushed up, also did the legs, then did the retainers for the glass. All that is painted now too. I may do second coats tomorrow depending on how it looks. So far it is looking pretty good.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200902_160949769.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1599093369)
It's been 33 years since that stove stood on it's own legs. I can't wait to get it done and the chimney hooked up. It will be like welcoming back and old friend. One of the things I enjoy most about a woodstove in the shop is keeping a coffee pot warm on it most of the day. That is a true luxury. :)
Actually it hasn't looked that good since we got it, but I am wondering if I should have gone for the gloss black instead of flat? Every once in a while during the day I would need some relief from the paint fumes and dust, so I put on a rain jacket and went outside and shoveled some more of that crushed stone. It was much easier with all the puddles to show me the low spots. In fact, as there was no way I could finish it today, I got a can of marking paint and outlined all the puddles for later reference. ;D There is no easy way to see them clearly when the water soaks in. This might help.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200902_162006544.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1599093390)
I'll get that done in pieces in the next few days. Hopefully it makes for easier plowing through the winter (which I hear could be a doozey this year in the northeast).
By 4:30 I was shot, so I ran out to tractor supply and got the bricks, but they only had plain steel screws, so I got those for place holders until I get the stainless. Got back home and started putting together the order for the chimney. Had dinner, finished the order off, double checked it, and paid for it. I sure hope I got all the right stuff and don't hold the job up for a missing $20. part. It came to over a grand and it was really hard for me to click on the 'enter order' button while I was looking at the cost. Somehow I mustered the courage. I will finish what I can on the stove tomorrow then package the whole thing up and move it to the side and clean up the tools and mess. The parts I have on order will take a while to get here, and lord knows when the chimney will show up. That should kill the morning tomorrow, then I need to decide what is next. I have slabs to cut up and stack and another log or 3 to do the same to. I could also start prepping for the attic work to put the chimney in, lots to do there too. Depends on the weather. They are calling for more rain in the afternoon, but who really knows? ;D There is always something to do around here. ;D I will be hitting the rack very shortly after I post this. I am pooped once again. Getting old ain't for sissies but I managed to get 10 or 11 hours in today anyway.
Tomorrow is another day.
Great progress there, TSC is my go to place for stove brick as well. Wish you could push some of that rain back this direction. You are making progress and will have a nice warm place to work this winter.
I sell stainless nuts, bolts and screw under the Hillman brand at the small hardware store I work at. Seem like Home Deport or Lowe's does too in this area, under the same name, Hillman.
We sell a lot of fire bricks too.
I may not have much out for stove stuff yet, but I would take them out to the WH and show them what we have. ;)
yeah HD is my normal go to for stainless screws, but I had been there twice the day before and I wasn't ready to return just for 2 screws. TSC does not seem to have any stainless, I have now learned.
Funny (but annoying) story about this visit. I shopped online for the bricks but balked at the cost plus $26 in shipping for a few bricks. Then I found them online at TSC as noted above and they were in stock at my local store. So I drive on down, walk in and ask the 'first guy' I see where there wood stove stuff is. He points to a big open area on the floor and says "right here, but we haven't put it in yet, what do you need?" so I tell him and he says "we may have some in the back, but I don't think they are in yet." I explain I checked online and they are supposed to have them in stock, I only need 3. He pages someone to go help me at the customer 'service' desk and sends me over there to wait.... and wait, While store employees keep whizzing by, they ask if I am being helped and I say "NO", and they keep walking and say they will 'get someone' to help me. Finally a perky energetic your fella comes over and asks what I need. I explain. He goes to check with someone else, then comes back and gets on the computer. After a lot of typing and clicking he says "I think maybe I found them, lets take a look". And off we whisk right back to where I was standing where I first came in the store and talked to the 'first guy'. He was standing right next to a case of about 50 bricks, it was open. If he had looked over his shoulder he would have seen them. 15 minutes and I will say the fella that actually did help me was a hustler and knew the store pretty well, he helped me find the screws too, but he didn't know the difference between steel and stainless, or 10-32 and 10-24.
I got checked out by the 'first guy' and he asked if I found what I was looking for. I just laughed and said "Yeah, accidents do happen!"
This was all much better than my HD visit the day before. Similar thing, their online system (which I am reading on my phone while I am in their store) says they have wood stove stuff in stock in the 'seasonal section'. So I find an associate and ask where this section is, he points and says "It's right here but we don't have any woodstove stuff." I begin to point out that their system says they do and it is in stock in the seasonal section. He just repeats his mantra. I gave up and moved onto other things.
Used to be you could go to a store with a broken worn out remnant of a part and lean on a counter and talk to a person who would open up giant catalogs, check cross references, maybe even check a computer, then go in the back and come out with something you could make work. You might even get a cup of coffee while you waited! Now a days you have to look the stuff up online yourself, check stock yourself, go to the store, find it yourself, (and if you need help locating it, there first answer is likely "oh, we don't carry those", so you have to tell them that yes, they do, and it is in stock), then you have to even check yourself out. Explain to me how this is progress? Ah, never mind, I don't wanna know. ;D :D
See, now you got me all worked up. I gotta go do some work. :D
OGH,
Sorry for your poor service at your local TSC. We have several around us and all are pretty good. One over in Lewisburg WV is generally better because they have a lot more big farmers over there and they seem to get more experience working with what people actually need. One gives a veteran's discount the other does not, go figure. The one that does not says the other store has a Rural King 5 miles away and they have to be more competitive than them. I'd have thought that was corporate policy but must be a store manager policy.
If you check prices at TSC on line the prices are different at each store. Unfortunately our closest store is usually the most expensive.
Slept until 5 this morning, that was nice. We has a heck of a storm come through just after midnight that dropped over and inch of rain in about 40 minutes. All my rain barrels are full, which means 150 gallons. ;D I dawdled a bit this morning and didn't get into the shop until 8:30, I was not very energetic. I did a second coat of paint on some stove parts and then began cleaning up the area where the stove will live. There is a window right there I have not opened in 25 years,, but I might use as a pass through for firewood because the window is currently covered by the fire wood pile. ;D So I worked at getting the window open and out of the frame. I cleaned the track and the glass and put it all back together and now it functions fairly well. Did more cleaning and putting away of stuff to make some room, but I have a bit more to do on that. Then I went back on the stove and cut the ceramic insulation boards to fit on the side wall and relized the right thing to do was to do the same on the floor. That board is really expensive and the best I could find was around $150 for a 12x24' piece. Finally I found the Grainger has it in 12x12 for about 15 bucks, so I got two of those on order. That will allow me to get all the bricks in and when the gasket material shows up along with the combustor, I should be able to finish it.
After lunch I thought I would rest my eyes for a bit, still not feeling too perky, and that turned into a 3 hour nap. Guess I needed it. Got up and did a little more cleaning in the shop. No word on when the chimney might show up and I am a little concerned that I have not gotten shipping info yet. I sure hope nothing is amiss. I had intended to do some more firewood, but the afternoon turned ugly and the rain started again in little showers. Hopefully tomorrow I will get my energy back and dig into some work. Today mostly cleaning, fixing, and thinking about how I am going to do that chimney myself. All the little work is important too and has to be done, I just kept reminding myself of that when I didn't have much to show for the day.
Tomorrow is another day.
Got 8 whole hours of sleep last night for the first time in many weeks! Felt a little more perky today too. Not much progress to show for it though. I did some more cleaning and putting away in the shop and about 9 I started more cut-split-stack wit the slabs and a few logs I decided was too small to mill. Not a lot of wood, but it all counts. Right around the time I ran out of wood, I heard the UPS truck on the road, so I walked out to meet him and save him the walk up the drive. He drove right on by and delivered a box next door. I thought that was odd, since I had something 'out for delivery' today and she almost never gets any UPS, so I jumped in my mule and drove over to check the box, and sure enough it was for me. About that time he come back down the road and tried to make an impossible turn into my neighbor across the roads driveway. It gave me a chance to catch up with him as he was trying to decide if he felt lucky. I interrupted his thoughs and suggested the next time he wanted to try that, he best just pull in my driveway and turn around first. And while I was on the subject of "MY" driveway, I pointed out the error of his delivery. He started to tell me that my house couldn't be "162" because he just delivered it to the house next door which is 162. I told him that was 164 and he looked at me puzzled. Before he could answer I pointed out that if he was in doubt, he could either read the numbers on the mailbox or refer to the 6 inch high numbers on my garage that clearly say "1-6-2". He thanked me, backed his truck up and made it down the driveway.
Well the box was the ceramic buffer board I needed for the stove I installed that and then put all the bricks in and tucked the stove in the approximate area it will live. Been a long time I have seen the inside of that stove like when it was operational.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200904_140836714.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1599264894)
Now I just need the rest of the parts to arrive so I can do the top end. Then maybe do a test burn out in the driveway if I feel safe rolling it out there. ;D It is getting heavy now.
Then I went and cleaned up the splitting operation and started a debris fire for the bark and whatnot. While that was burning I piddled on some other stuff and then brought my truck over for inspection which took an hour or so. And that was my boring day. I still need to cut the lawn, I keep forgetting but otherwise, not sure what I am doing tomorrow yet.
Still no news on the chimney order yet and no shipping notice on the combustor either. Looks like at best, I may not have the stove done until next Friday. I am waiting on 3 different deliveries from 3 different sources, and then there is all the chimney stuff from another source. I really should start figuring out how to do the chimney and laying out some lines.
But, tomorrow is another day. I am sure I will figure it out. ;D
Cut the lawn, I wish we needed to. Most of our hasn't seen the mower for a month.
Early entry today, we are heeded over to my son's in a little bit for some kind of backyard barbque, holiday thing. I don't feel like it's much of a holiday and anymore these 3 day weekends just bring in more tourists clogging up the road, causing accidents, and generally annoying people. Could be I am turning into and old curmudgeon, but I am not showing any of the signs yet. ;D
Anyway, up at 5, out at 7, piddled around and for some strange reason decided to do something that wasn't even close to being on my list for today. I decided to mill up that half of an Ash butt log from the tree that split on us a couple of weeks ago. It is taking up space, so what the heck. Weekends are supposed to be for fun stuff anyway.
I had trimmed one edge of the log previously so that it should fit on the mill bed, but when I got it up there, it was still a bit too wide.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200905_092702860.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1599335914)
I tried using the battery chainsaw my neighbor just gave me to noddle off an inch, but that thing, even after I worked on the tiny chain for a while, cut pretty poorly. So I got the 450 and whacked some off. Still not enough. You can see in this photo, that the rails are barely visible, but the bolts heads from the wheel would catch on the log, so I had to take more.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200905_092721013.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1599335947)
Took some from the other side at a high spot and it looked like it would fit, ran the head up and down and all was JUST clear. Problem now was, I could not get a clamp on it and it was so rounded and irregular on the bottom that I could not catch an edge stop either. I just had to let it sit there. Well, no guts, no glory, so I went for it, very slowly. Once or twice I had to kick the log back to eliminate a rub, and I had it pretty much swallowing as much depth of cut as it could handle to get it all off in one slab. First cut:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200905_095822039.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1599335973)
The first cut I was using an old blade, just in case things went south quick and things blew up. They didn't. But the blade gave me a swoop. (pretty wood though, ain't it?)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200905_100016845.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1599336008)
No problem, I just got me a brand new box of 4° blades this week, so I opened the box and realized I did something dumb, and expensive. I ordered 1-1/2" blades instead of 1-1/4". Oh boy. Never ran a 1.5 and I don't know if I can, but I gave it a try and it cut real nice, so I guess I am good? I got the first 3" slab off nicely.
Anyway, now I had a new problem challenge. As I went lower the log it got wider and now both blade guides were hitting at the same time. I was 3" into the cut when I realized this, so I backed out and called a huddle. I could be noodling off edges all morning, so I decided the only thing to do was stand it up and take a straight cut off one side. Easier said than done. But done it I did, clamping required some creativity.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200905_102245863.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1599336034)
But I edged the one side and then laid it down on the flat (cut) side to take the second (and last) slab, which revealed some funky patterns.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200905_104245477.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1599336061)
Neat stuff in the foreground for sure and further up the log there is a section that did not clean up, this forms a depression. At first I thought I might take another inch off, but then thought i would still have some junky spots left. Then I had the idea that I could make, instead of a river table, it could be a 'pond table' (tm). That is, I could fill the depressed area with a colored epoxy (maybe blue) to look like a pond. You will note a dark line that starts in the lower right and goes right into the depression, well that is a little punky, so I can peel that out, and it would be the feeder stream! What do y'all think? Good idea, or should I adjust my meds? :D
Anyway, that whole ordeal took more than 2 hours and was a lot of manual work. I did some other stuff for the mill and cleaned everything up. Tried to organize my blades, but gave up. Need to send some back for resharp. I pulled the little trailer out of the shop that I have been walking around, tripping over, and using for an ad-hoc workbench, took the tomato stake rack off it and stored both out in the swamp. I swept the shop out. Then I mowed the lawn because Nebraska said so. I even did the front. I put a load of campfire wood into the garden trailer and drove it around and transferred it to the truck (our contribution to tonight's 'thing'), then came in and took a well needed shower. Short day, not much to show, but learning took place, so there is that.
Tomorrow is another day.
Funny you mowed because I mentioned it, ;) but if we actually needed to mow here it would take a few mentions and probably a stern look from mom towards the boys before anything happened. Shocking I know....
I think that slab will make a neat looking table with a pond, those grandsons will probably try to fish it when the weather is bad.
Well the lawn was a week overdue for for mowing, but the rain held me off. If a guy from a dozen states away saw fit to remind me, I figured I really needed to make it happen. ;D
Well today I slept in until 7:30! I guess that handful of hard seltzers or whatever the kids call them, that I had at the party last night might have helped a bit. Wasn't sure where to start today, but since I am going to work in the attic on that chimney, I needed to put some kind of floor up there. Why does one simple project always spawn 5 others? The wife also decided today was the day she wanted to paint the screen door. So I pulled that down and set it on horses.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200906_122105891.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1599438123)
Then I decided to pull a pine log and make some boards for an attic floor. I was gonna mill 1x6 but these came out nice at 1x12 and I figured why split them? Got enough for 80 sq. ft. out of one log and that should do for the area I need to work in and make it safe and easy. Man that 4° 1.5" blade cuts nice!
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200906_115302343_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1599438134)
I cleaned up the mill using the hose and then gave it a blow dry with the leaf blower. I piddled around with some other stuff and then for some reason decided while the mill was open I should do another log to give me some 2x material for some of the framing around the attic pass through and the 'water tower' I want to build to hold the IBC tote up in the air a bit (I am loving this water pumping system and want to clean it up a bit). So I pulled this out of the second log and stuck it on the drying rack. Not sure how much time it will have to dry. :D I got a couple of 6x6, 3 2x6, 4 2x4, and a 5/4 by 16", all 9' long. It will give me a start anyway.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200906_153355891.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1599438160)
Then I cleaned to mill again. I am also enjoying have that tach on the mill more and more. I keep an eye on the engine RPM as I mill and can correlate the sound to the RPM better now and can adjust my milling speed to minimize diving from pushing too hard. This is leading to much flatter boards. I can also tell when the blade is getting dull sooner. Knowledge is power and this is translating into better wood. My stuff is coming out SO much better than it was a year ago.
Anyway, tomorrow is another day. Maybe I will get that floor in the attic and start looking at the chimney layout, or maybe I will 'discover something else' that needs to be done.
I have a broken firebrick in the drolet woodstove in the basement. Tried to find the same size, and not available here. Any easy way to cut a firebrick?
No that I know of, I am not a mason. What brick size are you looking for? I would imagine they are cut like a regular brick, scored and fractured. I have a couple of odd sizes in this stove and it appears they are cut the old fashioned way.
block, brick, tile saw, ect.
I would put a masonry blade on a skil saw. No masonry blade, I betcha a metal one would work. ;)
Fairly cool, clear, and lovely day today. I got up in the attic first thing and scoped it out, then started cutting floor boards and humping them up the ladder to get them set. (A little tricky through a 2' hole with 1 x 12's.) am not screwing these down yet, until I know for sure what I really want. There was a lot of diddly messing around to make things fit and figure my way. A lot of that has to do with what they did when they built the shop 40 years ago and figuring out the intent before I change things, fixing the messy insulation (which I should have done 30 years ago). Looking to but a set of attic stairs on CL or something to make it easier, might as well put that in while I am at it. Just missed a good one yesterday by a few hours. Also figuring out 'where I was' in the attic as it relates to 'where i need to be' as it relates to the building floor plan. I don't want to hack a big hole in the ceiling and then find out, when I look at it from below that I was off by one truss. ;D
Anyway, by 11am it was too bloody hot to work up there anymore, even though it was only 70 outside. I did other stuff, thought about some things going froward, mused a bit, helped the wife with the screen door a little, which is a 'project' for her. After lunch I cut some more floor boards and just shoved then up through the hole for tomorrow morning.
I hate working in attics with glasses and a mask on and long sleeves and the heat, but it's gotta be done. I will get it as ready as I can before the materials arrive, but I am not cutting anything until I have it all on hand and can measure 3 times. ;D I did cut the framing parts for the chimney box, but just have them setting there ready to go. Think I should do a couple more to box out the hole in the roof, just because I can. This is the last chimney I will ever install, might as well do the nicest job I have ever done, if I can.
Tomorrow is another day, I am gonna try and hit it early to beat the heat, but I think I will run out of work pretty quick. I hope some of this stuff starts shipping soon.
Well, yesterdays plan for today never materialized. :D I overslept until 7 (watching a late movie last night), so I went out and sanded that screen door and put another coat on so I can put it back up, I miss it and so do the cats. The wife had other stuff to do today and is in no rush. I want it out of the shop. ;D I had 2 packages out for delivery today of stove parts, so I figured I would get some more work done on that. I saw the mail truck so I walked out. No packages. >:( 20 minutes later the truck went by again and stopped at our box. 1 package, just the leveling feet I ordered. So I put those on then grabbed a log, peeled it and got it on the mill. I know those EWP logs are being eaten as I watch. Peeled and washed it looks pretty good.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200908_122925904_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1599609371)
But all those little grubs inside the face of the bark tells another story.
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When I took a break for lunch I saw that the mail truck had been by a 3rd time, with my second package, Which was the gasket material I need for the turret and combustor window. So I cut those and installed the combustor window. The turret will have to wait until I get the combustor before I can set the gasket. That combustor has yet to be shipped (over a week now) and I have been in contact with the company 3 times checking status and their responses get stranger and stranger. Now they tell me it should drop ship from the Mfg either today or tomorrow. It's all I need to finish the stove up.
I went back to milling to finish off that log. It started out at 27" on the big end and I had to trim some to fit it in. I got some jacket boards 4/4 x 14, a 2x4, 2 2x10's, and 4 6x6's and got it on the rack. It was a lot hotter than it seemed and I was pretty soaked.
Not even gonna guess what I am doing tomorrow. It all needs to get done, and as long as I don't waste any time, it all adds up to the end goal, what ever that is.
Tomorrow is another day, right?
OGH,
I assume you are talking about FedEx and UPS and such and not just USPS. Our postal lady only makes one pass per day.
I'm working on a deer blind (Modified bus stop) for a customer - 4'X4' and have the base, back and both sides built with only the front and roof to finish and have the metal for the roof. I am out of poplar and ash 2X4's and thinking about pulling a 16-17 ft long ash 2X8 and resawing it to finish my project - of course it is on the bottom of a tall stack ::). I also plan to go cut down a Norway Spruce and cut it up into 3/4" siding. I figure 3-8" & 4-6" boards per side then a 2" batten over the seam. I have to include windows and a door so have a design I I'm trying with a 20" wide X 16" tall window. I may spurge on plexi-glass or just use thin wood. I'm making the window rails out of 1X1 sticker stock which seems to be working well. We will see. Stay safe.
All three of those visits were from the USPS. I don't get it either.
Neat stuff with your bus stop/deer blind thingy. I hope you put some pictures up. I have been coming across this EWP lately more and more and like it for utility projects, easy to mill and build with. It doesn't keep like the hardwood though and I have to get it milled up before the bugs do it for me. The problem is I have no idea what I need it for, so I don't know what to mill. I made 6x6's from one of the bigger logs. I can re-saw later if needed. As the logs get smaller I will move to 4/4 material, very handy all around, and framing sizes like 2x4-10. Rather have it on the drying rack then sitting as food for the bugs. Man, there was a ton of small grubs in the log I peeled today. Gotta get the other ones done soon. Some may be too far gone, one tree was dead, and the other was live but had center rot at the butt. I think I have 8 left, but may donate some to and OWB down the road. ;D
I don't get a lot of pine here but when I do and I don't know what else to do with it and it is big enough I like to saw it into 2"X 12" and over size them about 1/4" so I can resaw into 2X4, 2X26, etc. I like it for framing. Another thing I do with my 2X12 is cut them into 12" squares then cut them into 45 degree angles on the diagonal leaving 2 triangles I use to make shelves. I take a 1X12 nail it to a 1X4 or 1X6 at the back then nail one of the triangles on each end and one or more in the middle if the shelf is long enough and nail the 1X4 or 1X6 to the wall and it produces a rock solid shelf for stacking on.
Well I have in the back of my mind the solar kiln I will be thinking more about over the winter so I may be putting up a lot of 2x4's and 2x6's for it on speculation. I need to build that water tower sometime too.
There is also a young couple on the other side of town that I have known since they were in elementary school. They are in their first house and doing a lot of work. The gal has planted herself a really nice garden and is selling roadside in front of the house. I stopped and looked at their 'stand'. It is made entirely from pallets and scraps. Looks pretty good considering, but I thought they deserved better, so I thought I would make something for them or at least mill up the lumber for them. It needs to be a trailer type and it needs a roof. Maybe they would let me put some stuff their for sale too. But I would like to help them out either way. This would be good material for that.
Funny, I never know what to do with pine, but when I mill it up it gets used fairly quickly.
you could always start out a little cheap, like uv sheet plastic for the glazing and plan to replace later with tuftex or the like. I have been looking for a sign company that will sell me a chunk of the lexan on a roll. finally found one that can get it, but they want to sell me a whole roll. about 10k for a roll. do you want to split it. :D . the other expense for a guy with a sawmill, is the insulation. I wondered about dry saw dust to again "build it cheap" with materials available. just need a good vapor barrier. If you drying shed were insulated and closed in with plastic, it would be a start. You already have a ton of projects, but I am considering getting started on something, even if it is for firewood.
Doc,
I'd be careful on using sawdust for insulation. My well house was an old spring house previous owners used to keep the milk in. It is cinderblock and dug into the side of the hill to help keep it cool. They filled the cinderblocks with sawdust and stuffed old newspapers in the roof for insulation. It became the vacation capital of the state for termites. I had to tear off the old roof, raised the whole structure 2 courses of blocks to keep the back corner from touching the ground and put a sloped roof on to shed the water instead of the flat one originally there - flat roofs are never a good idea in snow country. We use it now as a well house with the pump and water treatment system in there. In old days before they had refrigeration the water from the spring uphill from it constantly ran into and out of an old sink they kept the milk in. I guess if the kiln is always going to be bone dry the sawdust would work but if it ever gets moisture it will be a nightmare.
good advice, and more of a theoretical conversation. for a guy with a sawmill, the glaze and the insulation is the biggest expense. i would imagine a vapor barrier on the inside covered in wood to protect it, and a construction (Tyvek) fabric on the outside with a lap or board and batten so it can breath. I hate to do things half way, but then sometimes it is hard to get started. so just a thought for a first kiln, that would cost less. as @GeneWengert-WoodDoc (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=20498) once said, "it is just a solar kiln". so the weather has changed and it may be better to wait till next year. but it might be cool for firewood ect.
Quote from: doc henderson on September 09, 2020, 08:34:26 AM
good advice, and more of a theoretical conversation. for a guy with a sawmill, the glaze and the insulation is the biggest expense. i would imagine a vapor barrier on the inside covered in wood to protect it, and a construction (Tyvek) fabric on the outside with a lap or board and batten so it can breath. I hate to do things half way, but then sometimes it is hard to get started. so just a thought for a first kiln, that would cost less. as @GeneWengert-WoodDoc (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=20498) once said, "it is just a solar kiln". so the weather has changed and it may be better to wait till next year. but it might be cool for firewood ect.
Yeah, it's funny but available resources vary widely and can be totally unexpected given a certain locale, connection, or circumstance. Turns out, those UV panels are available locally (Lowes, I think) and not overly expensive. For insulation, we have a had foam insulating plant (maybe still do?) and their seconds have flooded that area. I can get 3" thick for cheap in nearly any size I want. So I was thinking maybe 6" walls and floor to add a couple of weeks on both sides of the season. I think for me, the cash outlay (besides the panels and fitting hardware for same) will be the fans and monitoring equipment (hygrometer, airflow, and wood probe(s)). I do want to find a way to drive the heat to sterilize at the end of the cycle. But it's in the planning stages and I will assemble stuff as time and opportunity permit. First I need to create the flat ground area, and that is the real expense for me.
Just another day. Re-hung the screen door and both cats are very happy to have it back.
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Got back in the attic and spread some more floorboards out and did a general layout on where the chimney will run and checked that with the view from the floor. All seemed good. Not cutting anything until the chimney arrives and I finally got shipping info on that after a week, it should arrive Friday. Still nothing on the combustor and they do answer my emails, but always a new excuse. a little concerned on that score.
Then I got out and peeled and pulled up another EWP log and had at it. Because I was blowing a lot of water, I have staged a cleaning area just short of the mill to keep the water from the mill area it makes things muddy. Sure does help a lot with the cutting to have a clean log.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200909_103925577.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1599693039)
Man, a lot of grubs in this one and I finally caught a photo of one of the beetles working on it.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200909_113116804.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1599692975)
I figured I might, I found lots of holes. These logs were just cut 2 weeks ago, but I think they got an early start.
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I found a few larva in the outer jacket boards, but maybe I got it early enough. The logs I have left are older and older. Might be junk wood. Anyway, I got 16 2x4's out of this one and a couple of 4/4 jacket boards.
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Not a lot of lumber on the rack, but a full day anyway. I dragged up another log before I ran out of time. Tomorrow I'll run some errands. I need to pick up a couple of 275 gallon tanks, one for Brandon and one for me that I found on marketplace. After I drop his off I need to swing by a job site and check out some trees I was offered. My guy wants me to mill a cherry for him in exchange for a bunch of logs, not sure what he's got, he says there is some black locust in there. We shall see.
Tomorrow is another day.
An unusual day today, I WENT OUT! I don't get out much these days, between the virus killing my desire to mingle with folks and my need to stay on task with all the things I need to get done, I just don't leave this place much.
But I had found a source for 275 gallon IBC totes for only 50 bucks, I need one and Brandon needs one. The source was near Brandon's place and he doesn't have a truck (yet ;D) so I figured I would grab them both and drop one off to him, then I had to go look at some logs a fella offered me in return for milling up a cherry log for him, located in an 'undisclosed location'. SO I had my driving loop laid out for the day and hit the road at 7:30 stopping first to get breakfast at the place I used to stop every morning when I was 'working'. I missed the gals there, and they still claim they miss me, then I headed off to get the totes about 30 minutes south of here. Nice place, big sprawling show horse farm. I think the fella I was dealing with was the foreman or something like that. Anyway he gets these totes from a company that buys road paint in them and uses the paint for their work, but needs to get rid of the totes. They are not 'food grade' by any means but the water-based paint residue cleans out, to a point, and they are cheap. So I got two then we chatted a little about people we knew in common. (You have to be careful around here because if you say you have been 'good friends' with someone for a long time and it turns out to be a person the other guy doesn't like, it can get sticky. ;D) I hit on one out of two, so not too bad. Anyway a simple transaction and we parted with a handshake, then a 10 minute run up the hill and over to Brandon's to drop his off. That took 5 minutes, then we walked and talked for a half hour as we usually do. :D
While there and tied into his wifi, I texted the guy about his job site location and just got very general information "it's on Plank Rd" in Phoenicia. Well no, it is on Plank rd. in Mount Tremper. "OK, where, that's a long Road?" 'near Uncle Pete's campground'. SO with this 'very specific and detailed information' I head off to the northwest through a downpour to find this place. I get on plank road after a 30 minute drive and realize I have been on it a hundred times, just never knew the name. I have worked fires, water rescues, gone hiking, had FD drills all on this road, I knew it well, just not the name. Anyway, up and down the road, I see Uncle Pete's I am looking for 'sign' like heavy equipment, mud tracks coming from a driveway, slash piles, anything. I got nuttin'. There is no cell service in this area at all, I know this of course, but I try to get a text out telling him I am in the area, give me more. NADA. I give the road another swing through then call it quits. Half way home my text finally gets out and he answers with more nondescript stuff, so I pull over and text him back saying 'It ain't happening today, I am nearly home now. Without an address or something specific, I can't find it, I don't see your equipment from the road. I will come out the next time you are working there, let me know. I really need a good landmark to find this." I get back on the road and get home. As I walk in the door he texts back and says "there is a 'for sale' sign out on the road". Yup, now I know it, I passed it twice and saw it both times. It would have been nice to know that 2 hours ago. Normally driving around in a downpour would not be my preferred way to spend a morning, especially chasing a ghost, but today it was a nice drive, because, as I said, I don't get out much. :D
Anyway, got home, had lunch, it was still raining fairly well, so I donned a rain jacket and pulled the tank off the truck, rolled it around with a hand truck to the back of the shop and fired up the air-powered water pump to clean it out. Man I got a lot of black junk out from the paint residue. I ran 80 gallons of water through the thing before it started to clear up. By then I was soaked, my arms were covered in the reconstituted black paint. It looks as good as it is going to get. ;D and it will hold 330 gallons of rainwater for cleaning logs, cleaning the mill, watering the garden, and supplying blade lube for the mill and washing hands. Good enough.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200910_145252535.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1599773212)
Since I was soaked, filthy, and feeling generally 'icky', I cleaned myself up with shop rags and took apart all the doweled glue joints on the vanity the wife wants to 're-purpose' and sanded and cleaned them all then re-glued and clamped everything for her.
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Then I came in the house, stripped off my soaking wet clothes and took a nice hot shower. Short day. It was nice to get out for a bit, but I am tried of being wet today, nice to have clean dry clothes on.
Tomorrow we have the monthly tune-up appointment with our chiropractor and will be watching the grandson's for the rest of the day. Not sure what I might get done.
But tomorrow is another day.
Doc, not sure if you've tried a glass shop for lexan type material? That's where I always got mine for racing! They usually have it in large sheets
OGH, you were talking about fans for your kiln. We used to use bilge fans on the bakes for the racecars. They were pretty reasonable price wise and were rugged too! If it's solar and you got a panel on it they are 12v, so wiring and where you place it are easier? Hope that'll help
yes granite, I priced it there, but it comes in sheets, and also increased price per sq. foot. I want to span 10 plus feet and prefer a solid sheet over the whole top, not a bunch of sheets butted together. thanks!
Well I got nothing finished today. Between the chiro appointment and the grandson's I snuck in some time here and there but didn't complete hardly anything. We stopped at HD and I picked up a few fittings on the way to the Doc. When we got back I messed with that a little to try and figure out how I want to plumb this thing up. I have a 'sort of' plan, but I will need to wait until I have the tank up on the tower (I have yet to build), then I can lay it out fully. For now, I just left a mess.
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Then I recalled I need to add a pressure regulator on the pump, so while I waited for Fedex I scrounged parts and almost had it done when fedex came and dropped a few boxes off.
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I spent the next hour or two looking it all over reading the installation instructions and figuring how I will do this.
I went back in the attic and did some surveying, not really looking forward to this, between the attic heat and working on the roof, none of this is what I call fun. ;D
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At the end of the day I did manage to finish putting the regulator on the pump. Think I was running too much pressure to it. When I get back to milling we will see how it works now.
Then one of the grandson's who has not yet learned how to sit properly in a wooden dining room chair, busted it all to heck. It's an old chair and the glue dried out, but he also busted several dowels and ripped out some screws. That's fine. I was looking for something to do anyway. So I drilled out the dowels and got it ready for fixing. Just need to pick up some glue dowels now.
I made a shopping list of stuff I need to do the chimney work beginning tomorrow. Time to hunker down and just do it.
I have in a pinch made some dowels for gluing by using a regular dowel and going down the length with a pair of plyers squeezing it so the serrations on the plyers made an impression on the wood for the glue channels.
needed something to do?...!!!! :D :D :D
Yeah, always need another thing on the list or else I won't have a list. ;D
Man boy howdy but I am tired tonight! I got up at 4, out in the shop by 5, cut the framing pieces out of full sized 2x4's I milled, but I ripped them down to match the KD sizes so everything would fit right, measured and checked 3 times before nailing the frame down in the shop. Fastened the hanger/ dress bucket to it. Checked the attic insulator fitment. Drove an awl up trough my target dot on the shop side JUST to make sure my measurements in the attic weren't off by a truss width. Assembled all the tools I thought I might need and threw them up in the attic, then the chimney parts and the framing section.
Got up there and it was too warm (around 6am), actually had a work jacket on. SO I uncovered the isulation from where I thought we were working and there was the awl sticking up. I layed everything out carefully, the last thing I wanted to do, was to do it twice. I marked the cutout in the sheetrock, then removed the frame and adjusted the marking for the support collar (about and inch wider). Then I cut the hole with a knife and dropped the frame with the collar back in. AT just that moment, my wife came in the shop, so I could ask her if I was aligned and it fit. She gave me some "a little this way' and 'a little that way' and said it looked good. SO I nailed it all home, good to go, I hope. Then I plumb bobbed for a center mark on the roof, drilled a few start holes and ripped the hole open with a sawzall. It all looked good. So I snaked (with some difficulty :D) the lower chimney section with the adapter section on it and the attic shield, up through the hole and let it set down on the support box. Looked pretty good, maybe even devine.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200912_142655653.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1599953045)
Yeah, that halo is from the outside light, not my little worklite. I thought it looked cool, first time I thought to grab a photo, I had been at it steady.
Anyway, at this point I need to run to town for some roofing sealant and a couple of other things before I went up top. So I did that and grabbed a couple more parts the rainwater collection system coming up next, along with 2 other things. Got back home and knew I was not going to run up and down to the roof, so I put some time into planning ALL the tools I would need, pre-assembling everything on the ground and understanding how it all went before I went up. I am not using a ladder for this. Instead I have my antenna tower which I find better, although a little tougher on the feet. (If you've done tower work, you know.) The nice part is, you climb up until your feet are even with the roof and just step off. Sort of. :D ;D
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200912_151545985_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1599953081)
Anyway, the challenge of doing this stuff alone, is getting it all up on the roof. My legs won't handle the up and down, and carrying up the tower is not do-able like it is on a ladder. So I rigged up a multi stage lift plan. All of these are tagged together.
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The first lift is the tool bucket, which also brings up a rope tied to the flashing/storm collar, pulling that up brings up a rope tied to the cap assembly, tied to that brings up a rope tied to the final chimney section with the roof stabilizers already attached (that's the heavy one).
SO I brought up what I needed and got the flashing on, but the chimney looked WAY out of plumb to me. Nothing square to reference from up there, but my neighbor was in his yard. I needed a level to check, I couldn't believe I screwed up by that much. So my neighbor tied his level on my rope and I pulled it up and checked it. I was wrong, it was about 1/10 of a bubble off dead plumb. Man, my eyes were really off. SO, all good to go. I put the flashing on and nailed it in, Then the storm collar and sealed that up (gotta touch that up though). My neighbor had offered his help, but frankly, I would rather not. It took me a long time just to ask him for a level. Anyway, he had to run out on a errand, so I had time to think about it. I dressed up some stuff. All that was left was to bring up that last heavy top section, wrestle it on, then set the roof supports. As I walked over to the edge to begin, I realized it was 5:00 (I saw the clock on the shed) and I recalled that I had not had lunch yet. or a break since around 5am and then I realized my legs were getting shaky. I thought for a few seconds about that. Then I turned around, went back to the (very short) chimney and stuck the cap on it, collected the tools and put them in the bucket and put my hat over them to keep the dew off. I climbed down. It was a long day and there was no point in pushing my luck. When I got down, I realized how REALLY tired I was. Tuckered out, as they say. I cleaned up a bit around on the ground and went in the shop and got a beer. It sure was good to look up at the ceiling and see that stub sticking down. I have been waiting a really long time for that.
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So tomorrow I have the top section to go, and the bracket, plus a little extra sealing just because I want to be sure it is 'winter tight'. Then I can clean up in the attic, think i have nothing to do there for now. Then I have to start working on the stove hookup itself, which should be pretty easy. However, I am STILL waiting for the catalytic Combustor before I can finish the stove rebuild. I had wanted to cure the gaskets and test it in the driveway before I installed it, but now I guess I have to change plans. I can't fire the stove without the combustor, but I suppose I can set it where it is going to live and run the pipe, then just wait some more. That Dang combustor was the very first thing I ordered on this project and I still can't find out IF it shipped, HOW it shipped, WHEN it might ship, or WHEN it might arrive. Emails with these guys every weekday, but just excuses. 12 days now. I am getting worried and trying not to loose my cool, but ...
It's cool enough at night now that I put cardboard over the missing double pane window I have out for repair to slow the humid cool air coming in overnight.
It does occur to me that I did only start this project under 2 weeks ago, so I am probably not doing too awful bad, but the next project is always driving me to get the current project done. Plus, I have milling to catch up on, the water system, attic heat reclamation and then transition into the fall routine which I have no idea what it looks like yet. I hope it includes lots of good milling weather. I am pretty certain I will hit the rack before 9 tonight, I am that tired.
Tomorrow is another day.
Man that does look like a long but productive day. Well done. smiley_clapping
You make a very good point about working alone. People who work with help don't realize how much effort you expend to go pick up a dropped tool or part or get off a tractor or ATV to reconnect a cable or rope that slipped off, etc. I think I often spend more time and effort on those kind of issues than on the actual work. Stay safe.
Looking good, hopefully that part shows up soon.
Yeah Nebraska, I hope that part shows up soon too, but this is turning into a bad movie on that score. All I can do is have faith and persevere.
Howard, you are right, working alone ain't for sissies, you have to think twice as hard and be three times as sharp as the next guy. The risks are much higher and nobody is there to make the 911 call if something goes wrong. You need to plan for all those options. Plus all the extra effort to handle tools and lift the 'other end' of stuff that most take for granted. The subject is worthy of a thread of it's own.
I hate working on high roofs these days at my age (well, not my age, but my balance isn't what it once was, and it was never really very good), but it's gotta get done and ain't nobody gonna do it for me, so...
This morning up at 4:30 when the coffee pot kicked on and out to the shop before 7. Got everything lined up, double checked it all and climbed back up there at 7:30. Here is where I left it last evening:
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Hauled up the roof bracket assembly, the level, some other tools and got things layed out and planned my attack. Then I pulled up the last chimney section which was heavy enough for a dead lift. I work slow up that high, I just plugged along hating every minute of it. Got the cap on the top section, put that section in place, secured it with the collar, checked plumb again, hooked up the roof supports, measured out where I 'thought' the joist 'should be', coated everything with roofing tar and screwed down the brackets and dang if I didn't hit studs with most of the screws. Accidents happen! When I left the roof, it looked like this:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200913_093715372_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1600046202)
I packed up and lowered all the tools, then climbed down and hit the ground around 9:30. Coiled up my ropes and put the tools away. The wife wanted me to sand flat and flush the new board on the back porch, so I did that, then I got to fitting up the dowels in that broken chair and glued that up. (Glad I found something to do.) Man, fixing chairs is bad enough, I am never making one, too many joints that ALL have to fit at once. I used every beam clamp I had and still came up short.
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Then we got a call from the neighbor who was doing a barbecue lunch and invited us down. Thought we were going for dinner from the previous invite 2 days ago, but OK, lunch works too. I had already decided to call it an early day. I was shot from the roof work. So only a few hours, but the chimney is DONE and looks pretty OK, the wife got her floor done, and the chair is glued. Good enough for a Sunday. I am calling it a half day and letting it go at that. Nice to visit with the neighbors and sit, instead of work. I maybe should do that more often.
Tomorrow is another day, and I have a plan for it.
Well I guess the extra beer I had at the barbecue yesterday helped me sleep until 8 am this morning. Boy that is rare! So I got a late start, as mentioned elsewhere the temp/humidity meter I had ordered came today so I installed that to monitor the attic temps. Then I started the process of cleaning the area where the woodstove will go and rearranging everything to fit.
Low and behold a Fedex truck showed up with the combustor and gasket! I wasted no time and settled that little puppy on into it's cradle, gooped up the gasket and set the turret on top and got it all screwed down.
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Put a new door gasket on while I had black fingers and the stove is now waiting to be broken in and the gaskets cured. Back to cleaning and moving. I finally set the stove where it goes (until I change my mind and move it again). Got it leveled and started on the black pipe. Howard mentioned the difficulty of working alone and this is no different, even a little tougher trying to work from the top, then the bottom, get it all aligned, and there is just no way to do it alone unless you are sneaky. I made a third hand to hold the upper pipe, so I could align the lower pipe and figure out how to adjust.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200914_170724832.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1600123516)
Things came out fairly well but, as Maxwell Smart used to say "I missed it by THAT much!"
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The vertical section you see is a telescoping section, but I have it just about fully out and am not going to push my luck. With the single wall Durablack pipe you can't cut and fit it, both ends come with a factory formed end. I didn't know this until I got it. The Durablack will also not mate with conventional single walled pipe either. I didn't know that either, otherwise this would be an easy fix. All I need is a one foot section of the right pipe and we are in business. As luck would have it, I live halfway between two stove shops, both 10 minutes away. But also as luck would have it, they are both closed on Monday's >:(. I have a piece of new conventional pipe and had planned on using that to cut and make up the difference, but that ain't gonna work. First time working with the Durablack and I am getting my education. ;D SO I will let it go until tomorrow when the shops are open.
I had glued a couple more joints to finish off that broken chair this morning, so I took the clamps off, everything was tight as a drum. So that is at least done.
Tomorrow is another day and hopefully the test firing to close out another project.
Did you burn a hot fire in the stove since you painted it? If not I'd fire it up OUTSIDE one time to cure the paint.
Yeah, that was my original plan, but since the parts took so long, and it IS a shop, I am just going to do it in situ. I have lots of doors and a few windows I can open if something gets out of hand. Besides, it hit 42 here last night and the shop is a tad cool (61) this morning, so I a little heat wouldn't hurt. ;D
you have inspired me. we now plan to have a camp project of building a solar air warmer with Scout Troop 1. we can take it to Trappers and Camp Alaska to demonstrate as a stand alone hand warmer. however, unlike you, we plan to keep it simple! :) :) :)
Well if you ask for for advice you are likely to wind up building a 3 story spa shack. :D
:D :D :D smiley_smash smiley_sidelightbulb thumbs-up laugh_at smiley_swinging_board smiley_brick hits_hardhat smiley_carpenter_hit_thumb
Well today was an odd day in that my productivity as measured in work output, was a little below minimal, perhaps 3 hours, but as far as milestones completed, for me, it was huge.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200915_145553194.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1600210511)
No, that photo does not indicate there is a new Pope, it means after 33 years I finally have a woodstove working in the shop. This has been a long time coming. I was very frustrated yesterday coming up a tad short on the pipe and all the stove shops around here are closed on Monday's. SO this morning I started making calls at 9am on the dot. The local, preferred shop was not answering the phone, so I headed their way called in my breakfast order, then called them again. They were clear, they do not carry that style. AN old buddy had something for me so I went to his place to pick it up, and spent almost an hour 'catching up'. I called the place that opens at 10 and they would not answer their phone either. I was halfway there so I headed over figuring they were just busy on the phone, I had called 6 times and their recorded message said they were open from '10-5'. I get there and they have a sign on the door "Will Open at 1PM today". Well that sucks. There is a guy working in their shop and the garage door is open, so I ask him if they carry DurBlack. He says yeah, some. I ask if he can at least look and see if they have what I need, he says "no, come back at 1". I said 'not if I can help it'. I was ticked, why didn't they change their message on the machine? I made a few more calls based on good suggestions from other locals to as far as Margretville and Andes (45-60 minutes drive). One place I left a detailed message with what I needed. I returned home, continued the search and made more calls. The place I left a message called me back, confirmed what I needed and told me they had at least one, they would pull it from their warehouse and have it on the counter in a half hour. I ran down there and got gas on the way, picked it up, paid and headed home and got lunch on the way back. Got back, ate my sammich and got to the work. It took a couple of hours to get it aligned (a lot of up and down the ladders, then up and down the stairs) and then drill and put in all the screws. I am anal about having 3 per joint and using stainless screws on all. I stepped back and it looked pretty good.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200915_143432336.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1600210542)
I cannot tell you how good it felt to see, feel, and smell this:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200915_150512294.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1600210598)
Then it was just a matter of running up a good fire and seating in the gaskets while checking everything. I got up in the attic after it hit full working temp and checked all that. Checked the chimney up and down a few times and messed with the regulators to get used to them again. I also remembered an oven that my Dad had found and fully restored about 30 years ago for no reason I could fathom. He did a perfect job then put it in a plastic bag where it stayed until my son found it in his attic 2 weeks ago. So I stuck it on the stove to see what it would do and it held 175° pretty steady. Not sure what I can do with that, but I suppose I could warm up a lunch or something or stick a coffee cup in there.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200915_171629757.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1600210577)
I sure wish my Dad could see that stove working, he would smile and get a real kick out of it. I sure do miss sharing stuff like this with him.
So not a lot of actual work, but a goal hit, none the less and it was a long time coming. Now to clean up and move on to whatever is next, but I am not certain what that is. Maybe I'll do some more firewood while I am thinking about it.
Tomorrow is another day.
At that temp, it will be perfect for oven dry measurement of MC from you kiln, or to check your firewood.
also could put a little fan behind your wood stove to force the heat into the air and circulate, when needed.
I just went out and checked the stove, it had hit it's stride and I closed it down some more but threw in more junk chunks of wood (I have plenty to get rid of). The little oven was up to 200° it seems to lag the stack temp by about 25°. The main floor of the shop was just over 70 and up in the loft area it is 76. SO far so good. The stove is not packed because the chunks are too irregular, and it will likely be out int he morning, but I am curious to see what I have. Life is good.
life is very good. i exhaled a sigh of relief for you. all the volatile stuff in the paint should be gone soon. ready for the next season.
Oh, I think that stuff was gone in the first hour or so. I had the window open next to it and it did a little visible out gassing as it came up to temp. I can still smell it a little bit, but it is just a real pleasant smell to me.
will you toss wood in through the window, and have a rack? or just go out and get some through the door when needed.?
I have no idea. :D I will play it by ear and see what works. My son just gave me a cute little 2' diameter wood hoop to hold wood inside that one of his clients was throwing out. not sure if I will use that, or bring in a small pile daily. I can pull through the window to some extent, but eventually it will be out of reach. I have a wood hand truck I use in the house that is very handy, and when I have some cash to get rid of, I would like to get one of those for the shop. I can bring in a full 24 hour load in one shot and it is very mobile.
I'll also be doing a 'seasonal re-arrangement' of some of the stuff around the stove/door/window area, but I have no idea what that will be yet, I just know it is not working as it is, so I will have to think on it and figure it out. These are all little details that will sort themselves out in time. It took 33 years to get to this point, it might take a little longer to finish it off. Heating season doesn't really start here fully until November, but as the stove is the only source of heat I want to use in the shop, it might start a little earlier. Big learning curve now to see how the latent heat holds in the building and how it responds to short fires each morning which might be enough for the day until we start getting cold weather. I think this last approach may take me quite a ways and I can start building up 'junk wood piles' of chunks and dead falls and stuff I would normally overlook to get through the pre-heating months. Yeah, I just have to reckon this out. Time will tell.
Using a woodstove, I have always said is like having another child, in that you have to adjust your life a little to make that child happy and comfortable and if you just change your habits, it is not an imposition, simply an adjustment. In the end you wind up with a better life in general and the stove, or child, is also happier.
So since I have developed this new retirement habit of getting up between 4 and 5am each morning, maybe I will have to pull on my boots and go feed the shop stove before I finish my first cup of coffee each morning, then do the house stove and by the time I start work things should be warmer. The house stove is easy, I just fill it and set the inlet to the same place and it runs fine until late in the afternoon. It will take me a while to get re-acquainted with the shop stove to hit that level of control, it's more old school and finicky. Like me. :)
we are enjoying the adventure. let us know. we all or most go through the same mental gyrations as you... so it is good to know we are not the only ones! :)
OH Doc, I surely hope nobody's head goes through the same thoughts that mine does. ;D My mind has some very dark and terrifying corridors, although most of those things have passed since I have distanced myself and found some calm. I have been pretty good for nearly a year now unless somebody hits one of my triggers, but I am learning to deal with it and getting pretty good at walking away quickly. Putting it out of mind mind is still tough.
OH wait, you mean just figuring things out? Yeah that, I get it, we all have to figure it out for ourselves, no getting around that.
We heat with wood and have a natural gas furnace with baseboard radiators as a back up. We throw our wood in through a coal chute into the basement below which used to be a major chore requiring coordinated help from several people at the same time. I was studying the arrangement one day and a kid who lived with us the last half of the school year asked what I was doing. I told him I was trying figure some way to pass the wood through then lower it by myself. He said "Why don't you just make a raised wood box?" It was a genius idea. I immediately built a box out of old barn siding and scrap 2X4's. the box is about 6' long and 30" wide and 3' deep. I can throw in nearly a week's worth of wood at a time then when I go down in the basement I raise the bar and the wood is ready at chest height so I don't even have to bend over to pick it up. I bought a little 2-wheeled firewood dolly from TSC that lets me stack a 1'X 3' tall stack of wood then roll it into the den where the wood rack and heater are located. You may want to consider a similar or modified arrangement for your needs. Good luck.
When I use to burn wood in the basement I made a box about 4 feet square to keep the wood contained when I threw the wood in though the window. I made a slot to put boards into on the front. I would remove the boards as I used the wood. Kept the wood and mess in one place instead of all over the basement floor.
Could always put a box fan behind the stove. I have one in my basement, I hung it upside down, so I could reach the controls, it has been there for years, maybe 3-4 years. It runs steady, I never shut it off. I told the wife, be lucky if it last six months.
Yeah, work flow is important. I need to see how my day to day works out. The woodpile is just on the outside of the wall from the stove, you can see it through the window. SO no matter how I do it, it is only 4 to 10 steps from the pile to the stove. Floor space int he shop is a premium, so I would prefer to minimize the amount of wood in the shop. On the other hand a series of blizzards, broken equipment, or other issues can change one's priorities pretty quick. ;D Sometimes the work stops in winter in order to battle the weather. Howard, the cart I refereed to that I use in the house looks like this:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/DSCF2224_28229.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1600253275)
Is that what you have? I love that little thing and want to get one for the shop. The tires work great in snow and ice and it holds more than a days wood in it. I just park it by the stove. Easy.
I just went out to the shop a few minutes ago to check the stove and I guess I choked it down too far, the chimney cooled down and I had a dribble of creosote juice running off the top of the stove. It will take a while to figure out the airflow I guess. There was still a good bed of coals, so I think I choked it way too much. Also wondering why that gasket leaked. It is supposed to warm up for a few days now, so maybe I'll let it cool off and do a little remedial work. I'll have to pull the chimney to do that. Oh well.
The shop floor was 62 and the loft was 64, so my airflow in the building seems good and without much layering. (It was 46 in the attic.) Balancing all this will take a little while. It's a process.
Similar cart to what I use to bring firewood into the basement. Much better than the arm load at a time method. Do you use a chimney thermometer?
Quote from: Nebraska on September 16, 2020, 07:37:25 AM
Similar cart to what I use to bring firewood into the basement. Much better than the arm load at a time method. Do you use a chimney thermometer?
Yeah, I love the thing. Used to be that by March, my left arm didn't work too good. ;D
Yes, I use those magnetic stove thermometers to monitor. Was running the stack at about 225 when I left the shop last might, but I guess that dropped off quick when I choked it too much. It's a dance.
OGH,
That cart looks like mine only yours looks like it has Pneumatic tires and would would work better on dirt or such than mine. The tires on mine are solid and work fine on our concrete/tile floor inside but probably not on dirt. It is a very simple but very practical design.
Instead of a slot with removable boards like cfarm describes I put about a 6' long 2X4 on the front to raise the height. I just drove a nail or put a long screw through the upright one one end and made a cradle on the upright on the other end out of a couple of short pieces of 2x4 for the floating end to rest in. Now I can just rotate/pivot the front 2x4/bar up and rest it on the other upright while I unload wood. This gives me and extra foot of storage height. I just have to be careful not to bump the floating end of the bar when I prop it on the upright or it will rotate down and fall down on my noggin.
Before I built the box it was a 3 person job to bring wood in. I'd be outside passing wood through the opening, my daughter would be standing on a wobbly chair taking the wood and handing it to her brother who would carry an armload at a time to the next room and stack it while both bickered about the bark or dirt or such falling off on them. The raised box is much faster and simpler and a one man affair. The raised box means I don't even bend over to pick up the wood.
I am a little confused by your description. A photo would help a lot. Maybe I should just re-read it slower ;D
As I said, I don't really want to store more than a says wood in the shop and the pile is so close. That hand truck with the pneumatic tires is the best ticket I think I could have. Bit cash is very right right now, so I will hold off for a bit.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/38064/IMG_2168.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1600264043)
Closed position. See coal chute above where wood is tossed in from outside. The top 2X4/bar rotates. Lower bar is just for extra height in the box.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/38064/IMG_2169.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1600264116)
Open position with the top bar resting on the upright for access to the wood box.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/38064/IMG_2170.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1600264219)
Pivot arrangement. Just a horizontal 2X4 wedged between 2 vertical 2X4s and a carriage bolt holding them together allowing the horizontal piece to rotate up and down.
This whole box arrangement was made from leftover scrap with no money expended except maybe 50-60 cents for a bolt, nut and a couple of washers.
I get it now, perfect setup. Cheap and simple and efficient!
need someone's old treadmill setting outside so you can drop it on the conveyor belt and it will zip inside. a little less effort and a lot more fun. might even save your back.
wv I was imagining you box out side. that makes sense the way you are doing it..
Yeah, i can't believe we struggled to get firewood in for all those years till finally a 16 y/o boy casually suggested the solution like it was so obvious which it was when he said it. The uprights are just 8' untreated pine 2X4s that were laying around. The bottom was a scrap of leftover heavy barn siding. The box is the size it is because that was the size of the scrap barn siding. The uprights are nailed to the floor joists above for stability. Absolutely no extra cost and probably took less than 30 minutes to slap together but we have used it for over 20 years.
Its funny how those simple things can provide such a huge solution. I have a few things around there that I suffered through for years until I finally made myself re-think it through and realize I could have made it better years ago, if I had just thought it through.
Well, today I was distracted by the stove, I am just so tickled to have it done. Even though it was not cold out today, cool, not cold, but I did want to start testing the waters to see how this would effect the building heat in general. So, I stoked it just a little this morning with junk pieces.
The stove is kind of close to stuff and I wanted to get that cleaned up, so I swung the parts cabinet around. There is a white board, 4x5' I got from a company throwing it out over 15 years ago that I had behind that cabinet. It is too big for me to find any place to hang it, but I like white boards for working out ideas. It is of no use getting shuffled around, so I decided to take it apart and cut it down to a size I could hang and use. I am tired of moving it. While I was working I stuck a somewhat stale buttered roll in that little oven to try it out and it toasted up really nice. Dad would have gotten a kick out of that. The white board. took way too long and killed half the day but I got it hung and then hung the scrap piece up high where I have no idea what good it will do, but it is out of the way. Then I swept and vacuumed up the dust and junk that just seems to appear all the time and wound up with this.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200916_183123726.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1600302210)
While I was working and watching the stove I happened to notice that the catalytic combustor finally kicked in and cleared the little window so I could see that lovely glow. It's been a long time.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200916_093158576.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1600302192)
The photo doesn't show it well, but it was beautiful. I checked the chimney output and you could not even tell the stove was working, nothing visible coming out.
I guess I got in the cleaning up and organizing mood a little bit because working and sitting near the stove was kind of nice. I went through a bunch of stuff and papers in the stuff I brought home from work when I left. Most of it was junk and past priorities that mean nothing now. Fire starters now. ;D I did a little cleaning upstairs but didn't make a dent. I sat and looked at that firdge my son brought over last week that is sitting on the bench and took a fair amount of time trying to find a less intrusive home for it, but could not come up with a good idea. I will think on it some more. I don't really like having it on the bench.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200916_183225862.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1600302255)
I really have to get that bench cleaned up in general, it's a mess, can't stand it. I think though that tomorrow I need to get outside and get back to work. More firewood yet, and I need to get going on the 'water tower'. I feel like I am running out of steam a little.
Been watching the attic temps and today, even though the outside temp never hit 70, the attic hit 90. Of course the shop was at around 75 ;D. I have high hopes this will be a better winter int eh shop than past years.
Tomorrow is another day.
Looks nice but I wanted to share a issue that I had with installing a woodstove in the shop at my last house (Dutchess county) . To get a certificate of compliance so my insurance company wouldn't drop me the stove needed to be 18 inches off the floor. Apparently shop fumes stay low and the 18 inches was in the code to avoid problems. Not sure what code you're location goes by but most insurance companies require a COC if you install a solid fuel appliance and the inspection doesn't cost much to avoid future problems. They just need the UL listing tag and model number / serial number of the stove for the paperwork that the town files after they look at the installation then they provide copy for your insurance company. From the picture it looks like yours is just sitting on the floor but I can't tell for sure and am not sure if you did this already and your code is different.
My stove sits about 12" off the floor. I have no fumes in my shop beyond common gastric issues. ;D Dutchess county is filled with panty waist bureaucrats looking for money any place they can squeeze it. They are over taxed and over regulated (and overrun with city folk).
But your advice is sound and I will look into it. Since they have come out with the EPA stoves I don't know if they are permitting new installations to use the older stoves, regardless of efficiency.
Thanks.
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on September 17, 2020, 06:27:23 AM
My stove sits about 12" off the floor. I have no fumes in my shop beyond common gastric issues. ;D Dutchess county is filled with panty waist bureaucrats looking for money any place they can squeeze it. They are over taxed and over regulated (and overrun with city folk).
But your advice is sound and I will look into it. Since they have come out with the EPA stoves I don't know if they are permitting new installations to use the older stoves, regardless of efficiency.
Thanks.
That's why I left there. After 911 the whole area changed. It wasn't the town that was the issue though. It was my insurance company being able to deny claims because of changes to the underwritten insurance policy without proper paperwork. I had the same issue up here in Wayne county when I installed a woodstove. Insurance required a certificate of compliance to keep my policy in effect. Insurance companies are always looking for a out. Taxes up here in Wayne county are even worse. It's a good idea to run something like a woodstove install through your insurance agent to be safe.
Well this wasn't such a great day. Normal start, I got out in the shop and started a small fire in the stove just to see what the shop response time would be and to keep my coffee cup warm. I didn't fees it and let it go out by around noon. I did a little more cleaning up and putting away, then around 9 I opened the door and took the mule out to load up with some wood. Came back to close the door and it was stuck, so began 3 hours of misery. The cable came off the spool on one side. It should be well known that I hate garage doors. I messed with this, tore my hands up, skinned knuckles, took stuff apart and put it back together, finally got the door to close, and open again, and close. 3 wasted hours and it is still not really right. I know I am gonna have more trouble with it. Disgusted. I had lunch.
After lunch I bucked up a few logs, split and over filled the mule and brought that over to the house pile. It was enough, I am calling it done, at just about 5 cord.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200917_171245142.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1600384033)
I had one log left, so I bucked and split that and put it on the shop pile not there yet, but close enough. I am about a half cord (or less) short of the 5 cord goal for the shop but Brandon and I have a few cutting sessions scheduled in a few weeks and he needs my splitter. I also have slabs to cut and split and more coming when I get back to milling, so that half cord will happen without really trying. Calling it good for now.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200917_164131998.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1600384053)
One thing I realized, you know how the mind drifts off when you are splitting? Well more than once I found myself boxing the pith on a few pieces for no apparent reason at all.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200917_154025944.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1600383991)
So not a great day, hopefully tomorrow is a better one.
Looks like you did fine. Some days are going to be better than others 👍
Well today was better. I had it sort of in mind to do some cleaning up of dead falls out back, but during quiet hours I stoked a small fire int he shop stove and then it occurred to me I had that coffee pot, coffee, and bottled water in the shop and always wondered if that stove top would get hot enough to perk a pot, so I set it up, knowing it was just a small kindling fire in there and not likely to work, then I did a little more cleaning and putting away and finally decided I had enough of not having labels on the drawer set by the bench, so I figured I would take the time and finally do that. After a while I checked the pot, turned out there was not quite enough heat to do a full perk, but the water was coming up the stem and spilling over the coffee, good enough for me, it just took a bit longer. First pot in the shop. Kind of nice. Good coffee too!
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200918_094140692.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1600473973)
SO I labeled some more, then had some coffee. Then I set to making a home for the roll around cart, I love the thing as a portable job bench, but when not in use, it is in the way. So I removed some shelves under the bench and made a home for it, plus the lift. More floor space now.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200918_094154498.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1600474000)
Then I finished labeling all the drawers and cleaned out 2 milk cartons worth of 'stuff' that have been sitting on the floor since January and put it all away. Had lunch around 2 and the boys were coming over for a few hours at 3. The wife is feeling poorly (just a cold, but she's plenty tired) and I didn't want the boys in the house and risk them getting sick, so I wanted to keep them in the shop and busy. I went back out and made a couple of bird house kits and was finishing the table saw work just as they showed up. No real time to plan or prep, so I used the 4/4 drops I had from a job. It was pine, but kind of thick for bird houses. SO they came in and we got started. I know these guys get real frustrated trying to drive nails, so I started all the nails for them and provided some lighter cabinet makers hammers for them. Lots of 'ting-ting-ting' going on for quite a while, but not one single bent over nail! They saw how I fixed the ones that went a little sideways and started fixing their own! I found that pretty neat. :)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200918_161645079.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1600474027)
It took them a while to get good at it, but they stuck with it and eventually they were driving nails as fast as I could start them. Then they told me where to put the access hole and where the peg hole went, helped me glue it and drive it in.
They were quick to remind me that 'when you are done with work, it's time to clean up, can we run the vacuum?' Yeah, sure. ;D SO they missed a lot, but they got a lot too, and I am behind in my cleaning up anyway.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200918_170250478.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1600474052)
They alternated turns with a dust broom and vacuum and it looked better than when they arrived, so I call that a win.
We needed 'something different to do' I was informed and one of them found a plastic bag and thought it would be fun to make a parachute to throw off from the loft and let it drift down. But they quickly realized the bag kept turning the wrong way. So it was fun for me to help guide them through the 'design process' of problem solving. "well it needs a weight to hold the open end down". OK, lets tie a 1/2" nut on it. "No that's too much weight and it pulls to one side". OK, lets try a 5/8" washer and tie it to both handles on the bag. And on it went until they worked pretty good. They came up with the ideas, I just facilitated. once they dropped OK from the loft, they wanted to go outside and try dropping them from the deck, that degenerated into running around the yard, and then around the house with the bag trailing behind whilst I just sat in the yard supervising, because that is an important job too. ;D
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200918_173503155.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1600474050)
So once again, I didn't do the first thing I was gonna do today, but it was much better than yesterday. I feel like I got a little done even if I have little to show for it.
Tomorrow I head to my daughters place to help with their firewood for a day or two. I am in pretty good practice these days and they are behind so we should have a day of it and see what we can do.
Tomorrow is another day.
How about making hot air balloons next time. Get some big bags (dry cleaner or those giant thin/crinkly garbage bags?) and experiment with a candle. Maybe not outside if there is a fire risk. You can just hold a bag over a fire (Sterno can) and let the bag go when it pulls. Won't go high and they should be able to launch it a bunch of time.
Speaking of fire risk, last year during what would be considered a light fire risk time, a church thought it would be a good idea to launch some floating candle boats on the lake in the evening. Previous years they launched paper hot air balloons that landed in peoples yards. Fortunately, the wind was blowing toward shore so the risk was minimized. Kinda wonder what some people are thinking.
Yeah, I might try that one in the shop. We were just getting into flow dynamics theory with the vacuum output hose (balancing a ball) when they got hooked on the bag thing so we went with that. You can only keep a science lesson going so long with 5 year olds before it jumps off the rails. Small steps a little at a time.
Don't get me going on those paper candle lanterns, they look neat, when used right, with NO breeze, at night, and just a thermal lift. BUT most folks just can't wait for the right conditions. One of the music festivals I work at they are a real safety issue, folks setting them off and they come down on a tent 100' away (because: WIND). Not good at all. 6,000 folks camped in close quarters and the last thing we need is fire in a tent with sleeping people inside. So we banned them and politely asked local stores to stop selling them during the festival week. There is also the issue of the remnants winding up in someones yard. It is litter after all. Living in fully wooded country, I am surprised we don't get more fires from them.
What I should have done with the boys is try out the vacuum output under their bags. Never tried that I might play by myself in the shop one afternoon. ;D (OH wait, I do that every day, never mind.)
OGH,
We had a power outage a few years back and I had Becky cook up a pot of beans or stew or such on our big wood heater downstairs. She seemed surprised you could cook on it. I was surprised she was surprised.
I spent the day helping my son. He had bought an 8X10 shed from someone and wanted to jack it up and load it on his 14' dual axle trailer. He needed a bunch of cribbing and some long planks. Guess who has a sawmill and sells crib blocks and assorted sizes of lumber, including some 15' long ash 2X12's? Yep - call good old Dad! I loaded up last night which including having to restack the top 1/4 of a big stack of my ash lumber. I drove up and unloaded because my wife needed my truck today for a Dr appointment while her truck is in in the shop. We spent most of the day jacking up the building a few inches at a time, lowering on to the trailer, strapping it down, transporting then reversing the process. When finished we had the shed in place and sitting on 4 cinderblooks. He will use it to store his wood pellets for his pellet stove which is his primary heat source. The timing was right so I called a customer coming to pick up his 1865 bf lumber order and driving right passed my son's house so I rode home with him, we loaded and saved some time and mileage and everybody left happy. I love it when a plan comes together. We were nearly finished before my world famous guard guard dog Sampson woke up from his nap inside the house, heard us and woke up my wife to see what was going on. :D
My son moved an old BBQ grill to place the shed and I still don't know how he did not get stung because there was a very active yellowjacket nest in a hole in the ground under it. They were everywhere when I spotted them but we lucked out and killed them without getting hurt.
Yeah, wood stoves are great for warming stews and things like that, but boiling water I don't believe I have ever tried. Our insert stove in the house barely has enough exposed top to put an old camp coffee pot of for water to evaporate. It is not a normal stove and has too many baffles and cover to be much good for cooking. This one worked well well a small fire. Temp control is always a little tricky. Now I need another pot with just hot water to wash the pot, maybe a steel jug just to keep water hot, then I can wash my hands too! ;D
Sounds like you had a tightly planned and scheduled day that worked out just perfect. The yellow jackets can be annoying but they never really bothered me like hornets do. I have walked through more than a few ground nests without incident. Glad everything went smoothly for you, that has to feel good.
Hopefully today we can get a boatload of wood done. My daughter tells me they have most of it bucked up so that would mean we can go like mad getting it split and stacked. Just in case I will throw some saws and stuff in the truck. My duaghter is just 2 miles through the woods from NYBHH, so I may swing by to see how his shu sugi ban siding is coming out. I saw photos, it looks super!
Time to get this day started......after another cup of coffee.
Long day. No photos, no time. Got to my daughter's at 9:30 and got right to work with the SIL while my daughter was at work. They had a couple of very large trees down, all maple and very stringy, we had to fight every blessed piece apart it seemed, some up to 28" diameter. They had rented a splitter for the weekend because they didn't want to 'bother me'. >:( the rental was not quite up to my standards and I had to do a lot more reaching and bending, plus it was underpowered, but did split everything we put on it. Seemed to me the engine never really ran at full speed. Anyway, we worked straight through until 4:30 when we ran out of wood. ;D then we rested a bit and I "may" have fallen asleep in the chair on their deck in the sun for 30 minutes or so. I was really pooped out. Then they may some REALLY good rib eye steaks, so I had to stay and have some, it would be rude to do otherwise. ;D As we did a final walk around before I left we found a 30" diameter ash chunk from last year that they had left because it was too long. My SIL's Stihl is too small to get through that so I fired up my 372 and had at it, but when I was nearly through we got a spark show. I managed to part it in half, but I think I have a lot of filing ahead of me. The one drawback of a 28" bar is the number of teeth. I will also admit that when I grabbed the saw to cut that last chunk it seemed awfully heavy which has never happened before.
I got home at a little after 5 and layed on the couch for just a little bit resting my eyes. I think I will be in bed on time tonight. I am tired, but I think we split them up over 2 cord.
Tomorrow is another day.
Strange day. Slept past 7 after staying up past 11 last night when I got sucked into the new star wars movie I had not seen. Given yesterday's hard labor I was kind of slow getting going today, but I got out to the shop and it was cool. No heat yesterday while I was away and cool over night. Figured I would start a fire and see how long it took to get the shop up to temp. SO I got that going, made up the coffee pot and stuck that on. I had planned on sharpening the chain up of the big saw, but I had to unload the truck first. When I opened the garage door to unload the truck parked out side the dang garage door went nuts again. Stuck at 3/4 mast. After I emptied the truck I resolved to fix this once and for all. I am tired of messing with it.
So went the next 3 hours as I tweaked, adjusted, observed, thought, cussed and stepped up and down off the worked step a thousand times. This time though I looked at each and every binding point and figured out why. I eliminated several, only to find more or new issues I created. I FINALLY figured out it came down to two things. 1) the torsion spring did not have enough lateral running room to change length as it went from de-tensioned to tensioned, it was 'solid heighting out'. and B) The sliding bearings on the spring shaft needed oil. Once I figure that out and aligned, tensioned, oiled, and set everything it worked like a dream. The door goes up and down as if it weighed 5 pounds. I don't even need the 'hold nail' I have been using for 2 years to keep it at full height (the Mule will catch it if it is even a 1/2" low from the door frame. Life is good now. It was 2pm by the time I got it done.
Enjoyed my second pot of coffee all throughout this humiliating experience. Every time I got really frustrated I had another cup and thought about my dilemma. Because I had started the stove and was trying to get the temp up in the shop, this time the stove top got hot enough to do a proper perk and I happened by just as it was starting so I could time it out and make a very tasty pot. Nothing better than a good pot of coffee while you are trying to solve a problem.
Hard to believe this thing (the door) had me nearly whipped.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200920_181321790.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1600648108)
By the time I got that done and as late as it was I decided to piddle in the shop. I cleaned up some more tools that had been collecting on a lathe bed for 20 years and am really starting to enjoy having that one drawer set labeled. (Man I have a LOT of allen keys!) Easy to find stuff now and put stuff with other stuff just like it.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200920_181347127.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1600648085)
I used the white board I sized and hug the other day to work out what I will use and how I will make that little water tower. Easier than a sketch on paper I will likely lose. A good way to think it through and make changes as they occur to me.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200920_181251168.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1600648048)
I grabbed an old camp pot and a wash basin to throw on the stove to warm some water and see how that worked. It would be nice to have some warm water to wash my hands off without going in the house. Worked pretty good, in fact, I set them up on some spacers to keep them from getting too hot. It's part of a habit I got from being a young Scout "never start a fire without a purpose and always stick a pot over it, even if it is just hot water which has very many uses."
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200920_183139556.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1600648136)
I think I am going to try to bank a fire tonight and keep the shop temp up overnight. We have a frost warning tonight and I figure it is a beginning test to get used to the stove adjustments again. Stoves are like 'partners', it takes a while to figure them out and what makes them happy. I sure don't get tired of seeing that combustor glow, it means it's happy and the flue is clean.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200920_182653411.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1600648140)
I never did get to sharpen that saw today. :D I did make some observations about the shop and attic temps. By 11am, the attic was up just over 80 even though it was about 62 outside. The shop floor was 65 and the loft area was 68. I'll just keep watching this until I decide how I can best use that attic heat. It was partly cloudy today.
Tomorrow is another day, let's see where that goes.
Oh now don't be saying that frost word, I am in no way ready for that stuff.
Quote from: Nebraska on September 20, 2020, 09:33:00 PM
Oh now don't be saying that frost word, I am in no way ready for that stuff.
Well the boys up north got it in the last 2 nights, now
might be our turn. I was jawing with a gal who has a farm stand and garden operation this evening and she told me they had a hard freeze last night just 30 miles to our northwest last night, everything was white, probably right in Bargemonkey's front yard. ;D So we are due. Hope the tomatoes make it through the night for picking tomorrow. The wife wants to hold off until the grandson's are here to help her tomorrow, not that she needs it, but they enjoy the picking part so much. :)
Been an off week for me. I am distracted (more at the bottom). Monday we had the boys all day, so I set up for them to paint their birdhouses in the shop. It was like turning monkeys loose in a paint store. But we got through it. ;D
I managed to do some stuff in the shop while they were 'at school' (online) in the morning, mostly routine chores that I have already forgotten. Then we hooked up with their Dad and took them all out for his birthday. Yesterday we got and early morning call that he was sick, from what we can figure, it is vertigo, his first bout. We took the boys here for the day so he could sleep a bit and work it out. There was an internet outage that covered our entire area for most of the day, so there was no 'school' either. That pretty much killed my day, but I did manage to get some stuff done. I got out in the shop early and threw the big saw up on the bench to repair the chain damage from Saturday. Turned out there was very little, so I got that sharpened and as long as I had the stuff out, I did the small saw too, and the Ryobi battery saw the neighbor had gifted to me (man that chain was a mess with huge flank and top plate wear). Then I took the 18" bar off the 450 and put the 20" back on that had an issue a few weeks ago. I had fixed that last week so put it back on and sharpened that chain too.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200922_104255528.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1600864118)
I have a mess of odd chains that have been hanging on the wall for decades. I have no idea where they came from. I sorted through them and found 2 that would fit the 20" bar. I started to sharpen them, but then realized they are so far gone it wasn't really worth it. By the time I filed out the damage, there would be almost no teeth left. SO I hung them back up, in case of emergency, I could salvage something out of them. In the process of looking this stuff over I found this bar and chain. It appears to be old Oregon stock in very good shape, but the chain is very weird:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200922_122239348.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1600864149)
It has a nice roller nose and is only about a 12" bar. None of the common markings used today (gage, pitch, etc). Looks like 3/8, .058 gage. Look at these teeth:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200922_121841354.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1600864119)
Now I can see it has been somewhat butchered in the resharp process, but still the way these teeth are made seems quick strange to me. Anybody know what this is?
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200922_121748402.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1600864083)
I also repaired the bench vise my son removed from my work bench 20 years ago. Somehow he had lost the locking bolt and t-nut for the swivel base so I had to make up a new one. Then I painted and mounted it and cleaned up the jaw faces. It's good to have a proper vise back on the bench. The second half of the day yesterday I tried to get the boys interested in building something and pulled some lumber off the pile to make that water tank stand, or at least get it started. By the time their Mom came to pick them up at 6, I had this done.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200922_173655002.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1600864166)
Now I just need to figure out where to put the pump shelf, paint it, set some blocks for the base (I need blocks, I am out), and set it up. Just in time to winterize it. ;D I may mess around with this some more today.
I mentioned I am distracted. Some may recall a few years ago I was teaching some technical classes at night. For whatever their reasons, the college decided they could do better without me and have one of their own instructors teach the class. I believe it was because they wanted me to tech the class in their classrooms with no tools or equipment and no hands on portion of the class. I explained this was useless. If the students did not actually apply the simple fundamental concepts I was teaching they had little chance of grasping the most important parts. The shops that were supporting the class agreed, as did the students. The college had bigger ideas. So for a year and a half I heard nothing from them and assumed we were done. They did contact me about doing a class, but then I saw it in their catalog and they had somebody else teach it. Yup, we're done, I figured. It's just as well, glad to leave that all behind me.
A month ago I get a letter from the young fella that taught the introductory blueprint reading and shop math class (the pre-requisite for my classes). He had completely forgotten that I had audited his full class and we discussed content and teaching approaches at length, about 2 years ago. In his note, he asked if I could help him 'set up a class and perhaps be his assistant instructor' for the spring. I sent him back a note and reminded him that the material is complex and requires hands on work. I pointed out a few other things too just to give him an idea of how hard this would be for him to teach it when he had no hands on field experience himself. I did not say that directly. I left the door open for further discussion and invited him to call me to talk. I never got a reply......until Friday (a full month later).
Now he wants to know if I would teach a class with him as my assistant and possibly become and adjunct instructor with the college. Sounds good right? Well I consulted with my guru who got me into all this in the first place. He owns the company where I was holding the classes and is very involved in creating learning and apprenticeship programs to support both his own company and the other local manufacturing shops. He sees in this email what I see. They want me to teach the class so that this other instructor can take notes, record it, then just do it himself. I believe what happened was that after my last email he went and read the text book and looked at all the teaching materials to try and figure out how to do this class. He is a smart guy, but trying to learn from a book what took me 30 years to understand and apply is no small task. I think he may realize that now. So I am trying to decide what I want to do.
I shared this email with my guru and asked what he thought. He agrees they are just going to use me until they don't need me. He also knows they really can't teach the material like I do and that they will not be able to field questions from folks who take the class and are actually working in the field with it. Knowing all that he asked if I would still consider teaching the class. He will be sending students to it and needs them to understand these concepts well. He wants me to stay involved in sharing my knowledge, even without the college, possibly working as a coach with his apprentices or in some other form.
The thing is, I already made my peace with the industry and put it behind me. I was happy to let it go and move on. However, the harsh reality of a minimum fixed income is rearing it's ugly head these days and the money would be really helpful. Now I hate myself for selling out and going back to work in an industry that nearly killed me, just for the cash. I do like helping the kids and adults get a leg up on new and important knowledge, it gives me a kick. But dealing with the bureaucracy of the academic world is something I have little patience for. These folks walk around in their own reality much of the time and have little idea of the working world. It makes it hard to relate. They make decisions based on grants and funding and budgets, not based on what the students need to make a living. They spend a ton of money on buildings and software and bells and whistles and internet and multi-media centers, but have no tools in the classroom for students to work with.
I am trying to figure which way I want to go with this and I am really distracted by it.
OGH,
If the teaching work is something you really enjoy I'd suggest you talk to the school and let them know you would like to teach some classes but lay out your terms that you can live with and feel would help the students while still being fair to the university. Even if your don't work for them you might offer to tutor the students and still be involved. I would not be interested in the assistant position where you do all the work and the other guy gets the credit - but thatis just me.
My wife was wavering on taking her retirement as soon as she was eligible and a rep from a local college she knew saw here and talked and told her at a band performance, where her HS band did real well, that if she did retire they wanted her. That was enough to push her over the edge and she gave her notice a month later. Once at the college as an adjunct professor directing their school band (which was also a community band) and enjoying that she asked the college if she could teach photography too as she is a free lance photographer and had opened the HS program a few years before. They told her how many students she'd have to have sign up and what they'd pay and that worked out well for both the school and her. One professor was teaching a photoshop class and sent the school an e-mail at 3:00 a.m. quitting the first day of class so they asked her if she could do it and she taught it and saved the semester for them. They were getting along well till the school folded and was bought out by others who had her classes covered at their other campuses.
Bottom line is, ask and suggest. They can't eat you! You may find common ground Good luck.
If you can do it on terms acceptable to you and on a schedule you dictate then I think you should try it. If your guru is sending students and will support you all the better. Do I think you should go back full time, nope....(unless the pay is stupid good ;)). I hope to retire some day as well. I think you could help some folks feed families and have a skill set they otherwise wouldn't have and that is a good thing.
That weird chain appears to be one that the saw has a sharpening stone mounted on a plunger that you press it against a spinning chain to sharpen it. That's why the angled teeth with the flat cutting edge.
This image has the set-up on a lever.
Pull lever, chain sharpens. Bingo!
NOTE FROM ADMIN. OFF SITE PHOTOS NOT ALLOWED. READ POSTING RULES!
Yeah, beenthere thought the same thing and I am beginning to come around to this idea. If that is the case, it will just hang on the wall for a long time, I have no interest. I seem to remember being told it came off of a pole trimmer, which explains the short bar. No way would I waste time on a gimmick sharpener.
The last 2 days or so I have been lazy and just doing a few chores. I decided yesterday I would get that water tank going so that I can get that all cleaned up before it gets cold. I needed to take a full barrel out of the way, so I started a siphon to drain most of it while I looked at the ground prep I needed to do and make a plan. I then got a text from a friend who was cutting white oak about 2 miles from me and asked what I wanted. SO I dropped what I was doing, hitched up the trailer, grabbed a few tools and headed over. They are doing a new septic field for a large nice house with a brand new black top driveway, the landowner is 'fussy' and doesn't want anybody driving off the driveway edge, lest it break. So I hung out and chatted with the guys and helped feed brush into the chipper until they were ready for me. I picked out 5 smallish logs and they loaded me. It was so close to home that I only threw one chain on it, just to look good. Got home, unloaded and decided I needed to fix up the log pile, so I set up to parbuckle the logs up. I haven't used the Mule much lately and the battery was not fully charged. I killed it with all the winching, flat dead, right in the middle of a lift.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200924_145506716_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1601033540)
So I ran an extension out and put the charger on it, also tried using the booster box but after another log, I drained that too. I alternated between charging sessions and winching until I got it done. I pulled a few of the logs higher up in addition to the new ones, but the operation took longer than I thought and killed a good part of the day. My legs were also pretty shot from 'helping' the winch get the logs up. I pulled it back in the shop and put everything on chargers.
It was 3:30 or so by that time, so I went back to the original task, moved the barrel out of the way and started digging and leveled the selected spot. Then I hauled in a wheel barrow or 2 of crushed stone to level it off and keep the weeds from growing up in it.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200924_164813544.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1601033519)
Now I have to go pick up some 4" block to set it on, cut off the downspout, paint the stand, paint the tank and frame, set it, hump the tank up on top, plumb the feed pipe, mount the pump and plumb that and I am done. ;D We MAY have rain by Tuesday, so I would like to see if I can at least get the tank in place by then to collect water with the single downspout. Really I just need to get this together to clean up the piles of mess it has generated, the tank is in the way, the stand is in the shop, parts all over as I think through the connections. I hate a mess.
Around 7pm my neighbor called (the one who is moving) and asked if I had a use for a couple of new bags of sackrete? Sure, bring it on. He came up with the 2 bags, plus two 50#bags of potting soil, 25# of weed and feed, a 4' 2 man whipsaw I had admired in his garage, the bassinet we had loaned them for their newborn, a tub of wood putty (the only thing I ever borrowed from him (twice) and he thought I should have it), and a large dinner plate filled with 4 different types of cakes and pies leftover from his wife's birthday party. We shot the breeze over a beer until after 9. I am going to miss those folks.
Time to get at it.
Well last night I spent over an hour writing a detailed post here, but then my thumb hit the 'back' button on my mouse and it was all gone. I didn't have the heart to start over. But I already had the photos in the gallery so I have to use them. Here is the cliff notes version of the lost post.
I tried out a paint sprayer my wife bought 2 years ago and we never used. I thought the water tank stand was a good candidate.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200925_115134723_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1601075998)
That cheap little sprayer worked pretty well so I painted the new logs I got the day before. I will be trying this out with the solubor when it arrives.
I got some blocks and fittings from HD and set and leveled those. Moving that stand (about 250#) was tricky alone, but I got it in and set.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200925_152849077.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1601076063)
Getting the tank on top, alone with no equipment was the tough part. It was stupid to do, but after 3 tries and some heavy grunting I managed to get under it and just before it rolled over me I got it to flip up. I wonder what that weighs empty with the skid and cage? I should have called and waited for help, but what the heck?
I did a lousy job with the feed plumbing, nothing is straight or correct. I was tired and getting sloppy and don't like ladder work. It showed. I have a new plan and will do it over when I get back at it, but if it rain now, it will take water. I pumped about 100 gallons in to give it some weight and empty those 50 gallon barrels that are cluttering things up. This is how it ended up.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200925_175253052.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1601076052)
So I still have to redo the feed pipes (and install the one to the other side of the shop) then plumb in and mount the pump (underneath) and figure out the way I want it all dressed up. Hopefully it will be done in time to drain and winterize. ;D
Today we are going to a street festival my wife usually has a booth at, but took a pass this year. She wants me to get a booth there next year, but I dunno. We will go check it out, but the advertising for it has been nil and I am really wondering if they are even having it. They have my wife listed on the web page as a vendor and she never put in an application this year. It is a nice day for a drive out to Margaretville though, but the tourist traffic makes me nuts. Leaf peeping season is approaching.
Maybe I can get something done this afternoon and salvage the day.
Well, we made the hour drive out to Margaretville mid-morning and it was a nice day for a drive. We didn't spend a penny (except gas) and we didn't see anything either.....because apparently it was cancelled, even though their website has today's date and no mention of any cancellation, I was a might miffed. SO my wife wnet in a quilt shop there while I caught up on reading here, then we headed home. I stopped and looked at a clearing job my friend is doing to see what trees he has there. a couple of millable poplars, one nice cherry and some other odds and ends. I'll have to see if I can hook up with him. I know he wants me to mill the cherry for him, but the other stuff I think, is up for grabs.
Then we got home and had lunch, I went back to work on the water tank. I re-plumbed the water inlet, it looks much better now.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200926_144654134.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1601156597)
Then I got to work on the tank to pump line and figured something out for that. I ran out of the right fittings to make a manifold outlet, but that is easy to add later. I hooked up the air and tired it, it works fine, but I think I need to add a filter before it is all done. For now, it functions and there are no leaks or drips.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200926_171151760.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1601156613)
I still have to connect the gutter on the other side of the shop, but I may let that wait until spring. I want to see how much it takes to fill this tank, rain-wise. There is about 600 sq. ft. of roof filling that tank.
Anyway, time to wash up and take the wife to the diner, she doesn't feel like cooking and I don't either.
Tomorrow is another day.
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on September 26, 2020, 05:49:32 PMThere is about 600 sq. ft. of roof filling that tank.
If my math is right, that 330 gallon tank should fill with less than 1" of rainfall.
Soooo, I went a little overboard on my aquaponics tanks a couple years ago. Every time I found a free IBC, I would grab it. I have about 400 to 600 sq-ft of roof? Its odd shaped stuff and only a tiny fraction of my roof (4,000 sq-ft of roofing). Anyhow, I have two 330 gallon and five 275s. I have them stacked two high and plumbed so that when one fills, it overflows to the next lower one (on a slight slope) with the last one overflowing. So 2,035 gallons of storage, or, roughly, 270 cu-ft. If I take 270 cu-ft and divide that by 400 sq-ft, it would take 8" of rain to fill them all. In a normal wet season, we get 15-20" of rain - so I fill up pretty quick in the season. I put that much in so I would not have to use tap water to top off my system. Since my system has been down, I use it to top off my pool in the summer.
Looks good. I suppose you put a screen in on that pipe? There was a member that put in quite a system, seem like 3-4 1000 gallons tanks.
That is @EOTE (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=44084) who has not been around for several months. I hope he comes back, I miss him. His system supplied all his household and farm needs. My system is just a small supplement and not potable water. Should the need prove out I might add a second tank, but that will be it. I have to look at the requirements and usage rates, as well as the supply rates.
I did not add a screen on the inlet yet, but I have room, just need a piece of material. I did try using a terry towel for a filter, but it clogged tight enough that it overflowed. I need something a little more 'open'. I have a whole house filter I can use on the output side if needed. Somehow I got some grass in there that clogged the hose nozzle. Not sure how that happened, probably when I pumped out the 55 gallon barrels, they had junk on the bottom.
One other thing I just realized is that I did not account for overflow, which was in my plans, but slipped my mind when cutting and gluing time came. >:( Easy to add, but I need a few more fittings, then I have to figure out where to land the runoff. I will just add a stand piper that spills just before the tank overflows. I did not glue the lower input pipes, just put in sheet metal screws so that I could pull them out and redirect that pipe to just dump on the ground during the winterized months.
I did do a collection test last month within 20 minutes of putting the gutters up. We got a heck of a storm cell come through and I stuck a 53 gallon barrel under each gutter. They filled in less that 10 minutes (most of the water overshot the collection funnel, otherwise I think they would have filled in 5). True, the rainfall rate was just under 2"/hour, but still.. ;D
This has been a very dry summer for us, next year might be different. We will see how it goes.
I may take today 'off'. I had a cough thing start last night and for some reason I slept until 10am this morning, that's 11 hours. That never happens unless I am out partying until 3am (which has not happened in a long time). So something is going on, for sure. I was supposed to go fishing with the Grandson's today, but the last thing I want to do is share this 'thing' around until at least I know what it might be. Probably just a run-down cold, but there is always more sinister stuff out there. :-\ :-\
Let's just see how the day goes.
Watched a youtube video recently of a rainwater collection tank for an off grid build, learned couple things might be useful. The system used a suspended floating inlet supply hose for the pump from the center of the tank to avoid clogging. The thinking being debris would either float at the top, or sink to the bottom, and not be in the middle. Also noted unchlorinated water in a clear tank can become a "science experiment", so your using a dark colored tank is a good idea. They also painted the PVC pipe so it wouldn't break down in UV light, and used a cable suspended counterweight/float setup to gauge the water level.
All good and useful ideas, thanks!
I had planned to paint the tank just to make it look a little nicer, but the spray paint I had for plastics turned out to bed too old and the cans were dead, even though full. >:( Time being important I skipped it for doing at a later date (spring?) and moved on. Painting is still on my list, but at a later date is all. The tank is dark because it's previous life was shipment and storage of black highway paint. The paint is long gone, but there is still a little residue of dried black paint flecks working their way out, so I am running unfiltered for now to get those cleaned out. In the meantime I will be finding the material and fashioning an input screen to keep larger junk, bugs, and critters out. I figure, or am hoping, that eventually I will have a clean system if I am creful and plan well enough. Let's see if I am fooling myself. ;D
I was looking for a piece of 2" clear pvc pipe to use for a sight gauge but the stuff is too pricey for me. I might try the local surplus shop just in case, otherwise I may live without it. That float idea sounds like something I could look into and do with spare junk, just have a balanced weight hanging off the outside. I am not too concerned about keeping exact tabs on it, just a general idea of how it is doing. I will search my junk boxes for hardware to make that.
The 'science experiment' aspect has been on my mind for the long running operational periods next season. My initial thoughts were just adding a few drops of bleach now and then and learn as I go. If it stays full up for most of the time, then the actual surface area is low and it should be a minimal issue. But likely I will have to deal with it. For now I will observe and learn as I go.
I have never messed with anything like this so it is a much a fun game for me as it is functional and useful. Learning as I go, so your additions are most helpful.
It seems like no matter how old you get, guys like playing with dirt, water, wood, power tools, engines, and all sorts of other 'stuff'. I am just an old kid playing with water right now. :)
Man, I didn't do a dang thing yesterday, just sat around, read the FF, and wasted the day. Didn't even pull my boots on until 4pm. No motivation at all. Used to be for decades, I learned to force myself to work because I had to make a living, which of course usually made things worse. Now I am trying a new tactic because I can. If I don't feel good, I am taking it easy. Maybe because of this virus thing I am more cautious and I think that is the right thing to do. I have no reason to be sick and can't help but wonder what is going on with me. We were supposed to watch the boys here today, but given my 'iffy' state, my wife is going to their place to watch them and I will stay away. I don't want to run the slightest risk of sharing something (until I know what it is ;D). Feeling slightly less tired this morning after 8 hours sleep, but why run the risk, any risk?
We did get .25" of rain overnight and I just came in from checking my tanks. The new tank took on about 100 gallons of water and the 55 gallon tank is overfilled. So 3/4 inch of rain should fill the tank (330gal). I don't know if I need to connect the gutter from the other side of the shop to keep this tank in the working range unless I decide next year to do a second tank. Right now I don't see the need.
Looks like your calculations were spot on @ljohnsaw (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=20640) ! Not sure how you figured that, but thanks. I started out with just under 100 gallons I pumped in there, now just under 200, it should be full before the big rain they are predicting overnight Tuesday. Guess I have to get working on the overflow system before then.
As promised I took it easy yesterday but had to get something done. Sitting around isn't for me. I ran to HD and got a few more fittings and added the overflow and sight gauge on the tank after the rain tapered off late morning. There is some tank spigot sag as it fills, so the overflow came out crooked. I will add a brace later when I find where I put my pipe clamps.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200928_140853316_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1601384998)
I used some re-purposed 1/2" clear tubing for the sight gauge and it is functional.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200928_140910018.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1601384953)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200928_140915495_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1601385002)
SO it all works. I stuck another barrel under the overflow just to see how/if it will work. In theory I could hard plumb in two barrels and hold another 100 gallons or so, but I would need to add some valving to be able to suck that back into the system or I can use the 12v pump to just pump it back into the tank when it gets low. That will all decide itself next spring when I see what the usage requirements really are.
I don't know why but I shot a short video of how it is put together and works. Maybe just for my notes and thinking over the winter.
Water collection system, quick and dirty - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8m1VP20obk)
Today is another day.
Nice. So did you put an air gap at the top of your overflow? If you don't, there is the risk it will siphon all the water out of the big tank! You could just drill a little hole but I used a T with another few inches of pipe sticking up. Your extra tanks could also be at the same height as the main tank (or slightly below). OR all your tanks could be plumbed together through the outlet valves. They could be stacked (your tank is not in the right cage) and you could manually open valves and let the lower tanks fill from the upper tanks and then shut the valve.
I did not think of the air gap/siphon break but we are going to find out in the morning. ;D It started raining a couple of hours ago and we've had over a half inch so far. I just checked it and the overflow barrel was full, so I assume the tank is topped off. But the overflow tank was not quite overflowing itself. Probably I happened out there just as it hit full. based on the amount of rainfall, and the fill rate of the tank, it seems about right, timing wise. It is raining hard enough and is late enough that I will wait until daylight. Because the rain trickles in and never really fills that 'J' at the top of the overflow I am not sure if it can create a siphon, BUT I am not going to bet any cash on that. Now it is raining pretty hard and when I was out there in the dark it seemed like there was a lot of water on the ground, so that made me wonder a bit. I checked the stability of the ground supporting the tank, that was my concern, and it is all good, no settling I could see. That's a lot of weight on 4 points.
I will check it in the morning in greater detail and probably pop a vent in the top of the overflow at some point, but the way I have it plumbed I can shut the valve on the main tank and suck water out of the overflow system, so I need to be able to close that vent to do that.
Tomorrow is another day and that will tell the tale. :D
Morning report. I got out there before first light, just put on my heavier boots a jacket and headlamp. It rained like a horse wetting a flat rock last night!
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/rainfall_2020-09-30_071046.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1601464239)
That clip above shows the rainfall and rate of fall between midnight and 7am. Add to that the .91" we got yesterday between the evening and midnight and we have a total of exactly 2", so a good test platform for this tank. (Green line is the rate, and blue line is the accumulation.)
@ljohnsaw (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=20640) you had me going with the vent question. Since the overflow is 1-1/2" pipe and the tank level raises until the level is high enough to run over the top, so the likelihood of the water 'filling the pipe' I felt was low and it would need to do that to create a seal and start a siphon. That was my thinking anyway. But when the skies opened up at 3:30am and it was coming at nearly an inch an hour rate, I thought there might be an issue because the overflow tank was WAY full, the outlet was under water, and the inflow MIGHT just get the pipe full. So I laid there awake trying to parse out the physics in my groggy state. ;D I finally rolled over and figured it would make sense after coffee in a couple of hours. :D
So I checked it out at 6:30. The tank was full, the overflow tank was full, and everything was stable. Guess I got lucky. I pulled in another barrel and siphoned off half of the 1st overflow tank into it. The rain is quickly tapering off and I see the system on radar is moving out fast to the NE, so I don't know if I will get enough to refill that 1st barrel, but this is just a test for now. It's water that would otherwise hit the ground.
A cold front came through with this rain and the temp dropped 10° in a hour last night and is at 55 right now. Expecting a cooler trend in the coming week. My son is doing truck work in the shop today, I think, so I started a small fire to take the dampness off and prep for him opening that door and letting all that fresh wet air in. It was 65 when I lit the stove, so no pressure to warm it up, just keep it dry.
Time to get at it.
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on September 30, 2020, 07:29:25 AMThe tank was full, the overflow tank was full, and everything was stable. Guess I got lucky.
Great to hear! Amazing how fast you can fill one of those tanks, isn't it? I cheaped out on my tank set up. I interconnected all my tanks with 3/4" (so the probability of siphoning is high) and I made the overflows about 6" from the top of tank. That way there is a buffer from start of spilling to the next tank to max level. We seldom get gully washers here. Maybe a 2 or 3 that last a minute so I think the buffer helps to alleviate the potential for overflow.
Speaking of laying awake, fearing the worst... At my cabin project, my well pump is like the old windmill type - a push (actually a pull) rod to a foot pump at the bottom of the well operated by a solar-powered motor. Anyhow, it was doing something weird for a while - pumping along it would make a strange sound like it missed a beat/clunk. Well, using it on Monday to fill a jug it made that sound one last time and then ran fast pulling no water. I had milling to do so I would look at it later. That night I dreamed up the worst - the fiberglass sucker rod snapped and it fell down the well! I pulled it apart in the morning and found the top threaded rod to the crankshaft had unscrewed. When that happens, it drops about 1 inch to a stop. Whew! Five minute fix.
Well accidents happen and sometimes things work out fine. :D I wasn't fearing the worst, which would have been if the ground settled or got washed out under the stand feet and it fell over. I just didn't want to waste the water because I did something dumb. As with your foot valve, all the worry was for naught. Man I wish I could dig a shallow well here for a yard pump, but I would need a blasting permit. 2 inches down is broken shale, 1 foot down is clay and 2-3' down is shelf.
Cooler today and I am working on getting my lumber sprayed with solubor, a new adventure is frustration.
Those are the happy results to the unexpected issues!
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on September 30, 2020, 12:38:06 PMMan I wish I could dig a shallow well here for a yard pump,
Yeah, my well is shallow for the area at 148' @60 gpm. Although, I think it is more iron than water :-\ The others are over 600' to get 5 gpm.
Well yesterday after messing with the tank in the morning I started a small fire in the shop stove to dry things out and make coffee. Then I set about trying this solubor spraying thing to reduce damage extent on my milled pine. (see the 'spraying boron thread'). That just turned into a lot of labor pulling the whole stack apart and spraying 3 sides, then flipping each row as I restacked and spraying the backside.
I had clogging problems with the pump sprayer and some undissolved crystals, so on my second gallon I tried using the electric Wagner sprayer. That moved a lot more product a LOT faster with a more uniform coating but the little cup also emptied very quickly. Near the end of that gallon I was also getting a little clogging issue. Don suggested using a paint filter, so I ordered those this morning, along with a kitchen scale so I don't have to borrow the wife's. ;D SO the pile is all back together.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200930_155213421.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1601556676)
I moved 4 2x10's into the shop for a winter project, no bug damage on those yet. I think they were too dry when the beetles arrived. I put 2 of those boards in the attic to see what they would do and left 2 upstairs for the same reason. I will start comparing in a week or so. Yesterday it was mid 50's outside but 80° in the attic with 45% humidity. We will see what happens.
Then I cleaned up all the messes I made through the day and put it all away.
By that time it was late afternoon, so I climbed up on the water tank and finally put on a critter screen to catch debris and chipmunks.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20200930_163355833.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1601556663)
I did a bunch of reading on borate and borax wood treatments trying to get up to speed and figure out how to do this on an ongoing basis without driving costs up too much. All these extra things keep adding time and money. It's a lot to get a handle on at times.
Today is another day and I have no idea where to start. :D
Well, slow start given the snotty weather. I started a small fire in the shop to keep it drying and make my second pot of coffee. I cleaned out some tool boxes and bags that have been bothering me while I figured out what I was going to do and eventually decided to do a test run with those hallow cookies. SO I grabbed the worst one out of the attic and traced a circle on the back to rout out a spot for the mirror to sit. I tried to rout it out working to the line but that proved to be problematic (problem being I couldn't see the line with the router running) and knew I would have to make a template, so I grabbed some plywood, did the math and layed out the hole, made a compass to draw the circle, drilled a start hole, found the jig saw, cut it out, sanded the cut to smooth it off and layed it on the cookie. Then I re-did my math, got another piece of plywood and made another compass, drilled a start hole and this time cut one out with allowance for the router base. ;D Anything worth doing right is worth doing twice, right? :D
Then I clamped it up and routed it out. Long time since I used a router, I needed to re-train my hands. I wasn't looking for a slip fit and this worked out just fine.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201002_165618813.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1601679976)
I didn't put a huge amount of work into this one because the bark fell off in a few places and it is thin. I was just trying to figure out the process and how it would look. I sanded the front until it cleaned up and put a coat of tung oil on it to get an idea of appearance. I haven't figured out the mirror retainer system. Something better than glaziers points I think are in order here. There rays show up pretty nice in this RO.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201002_165453231.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1601679947)
Here's the general idea of how this will look.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201002_165522665.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1601680001)
The hole through the middle is natural. Not sure how I am going to finish that. On this one I will likely chip off the bark and finish the outside the same way, whatever that is.
I'm not really sure how these will appeal to folks but what the heck, right?
Tomorrow is another day.
OGH,
Those aren't cookies - they are donuts. :D I think they look pretty good and I'd think they would sell at craft shows and such. Have you done anything to them to help prevent the likelihood of them cracking? We had a guy make all our household furniture at one point and on the big hutch mirrors he used soda can tabs to hold the mirrors in the frame. They work very well. Seems like on some he even put a little piece of cardboard between the glass and the tab I guess to prevent scratching the silvering off.
Yeah, I did the ol' Doc Henderson routine with alcohol soak and a cardboard box. I got a little bit of surface mold because I was not very good at the follow-up flipping, but that came off with a simple wire brush wipe. So far, very little cracking and I have about a dozen of these. All of them are thicker than this one which was an uneven cut and a tiny bit warped.
The pull tab idea isn't bad, but I will keep looking and if I don't find something I like more, go with that.
I chipped all the bark off this one this morning and burned all the remaining cambium hairs off. Looks OK with a little tung oil, then I got distracted by the coffee perking and haven't gotten back to it. ;D It's a nice day out so I may do some cutting. I was messing around with a one man crosscut saw. More on that later.
Ah good another reason to have a diet Pepsi once in a while.... ;)
Sorry soda of any kind is not my thing. I just don't care for it. Sometimes I will have a little mixed with good scotch, rye, or Bourbon, but that is even very rare. Coffee, water, beer, and milk. Those are my intakes. :D
SO weekends are supposed to be for fun stuff, I usually forget, but this morning I decided to try something I always wanted to do, which was see if I could sharpen an old crosscut saw. I have about 5 of them, all different, all rusty. I'd like to fix them up over time, but I have no idea why or what I will do with them. So I grabbed one and started in. It's pretty rough.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201003_113901892.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1601770079)
I pulled the handles off, hit it with wire brush then a palm sander to get some of the rust off and oiled it a little. The set on all the teeth looked really good as did the tooth height with no damaged teeth or rakers. This one has a Champion Tooth pattern.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201003_105656566.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1601770052)
I don't have a saw vise for any of these so I just did it in sections on the bench vise, then flipped it and did the other side. I also do not have a raker gage but a simple check told me the rakers were high in some spots. I chose not to mess with the rakers by hand at this point, that would take longer than sharpening without a gauge. I had tried the saw before I did anything and just wanted to see if I could make an improvement. SO after an hour or more of work, I put it back together and tried it again in the same dried ash slab.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201003_124642376.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1601770114)
It cuts OK, (better for sure) but not nearly as good as it could. I am going to hunt for a raker gauge and see if I can reshape them and get them to the right height. I can tell for sure now, when it cuts it is riding on the rakers. I can't get it to bind at all. Another work in progress but I learned something today and that's always good, right?
SO then I grabbed a chainsaw and finally made myself start clearing some of the hanging trees on the back edge of my property and the front edge of my neighbors property. I had promised him I would do it a while back, but he really doesn't care. None the less I got all the major hangers down without issue, but there was one 6" diameter spring pole I nearly did not see that had a lot of energy in it. That was tricky to whittle down. I bucked up about 8 logs I will cut for firewood, then got the Mule. This is a tough spot to get into as I only have inches of clearance between the corner of my storage hut and the creek. I have to approach it at just the right angle or its a no-go. So I got in and winched the logs down to where I could grab them with the arch. But the tricky part was backing in, then I had to push the arch in by hand and hook it up. That arch is too short to even think about backing up more than a couple of feet with it, never mind navigating a tough and tight path. So I grabbed the first hitch and dragged it the hundred feet, dropped them and realized the fastest way to do the other trips was to disconnect the arch, push it all the way back by hand, then walk back and get the mule. For probably the 50th time I looked at my setup and said 'there HAS to be a way to do this easier!' I have tried to figure something out many times before and come up blank. This time it struck me out of the blue. Check this out:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201003_160938035.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1601770162)
I made the wheels levitate! Easy peasey. If you don't see it yet, maybe this will help.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201003_160946575.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1601770196)
A chain to each corner of the mule bed from the two back chains hooks on each side of the Mule. I have had this arch for 3 years and use it a lot. I don't know why I didn't see this before. True I only added the weld on hooks last year, but still, I should have thought of this. It works like a charm, solid, safe and sound as a rock. When I get time I will make up two chains that are the right length to make it easier and maybe the next time the welder is here I'll have him weld hooks on the Mule bed. Maybe I will come up with a refinement before I do that. Anyway, that was pretty neat for me to solve a longstanding pain in my butt. Adding up all the minutes, this will save me more time than you might guess.
So not a super productive day, but some fun stuff. Tomorrow is another one.
Well a day that was supposed to be boring got a little interesting. Today was our monthly food shopping day, which means I lose at least half a day leaning on a shopping cart following my wife saying 'Yes Dear, that sounds good' and then hauling bags in and out of places to get it all put away. After lunch I was going to cut and split the wood I hauled in yesterday. I walked out back to grab an armload of the smaller stuff and while I was back there I saw some fresh wood through the trees where it should not have been. I took a few more steps and could see my neighbors shed had been modified in a hasty manner.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201004_140736095_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1601844853)
Now I knew what that big boom was I heard an hour ago. SO I immediately texted him to see if he was OK. He was. Said it didn't quite go as planned. Thought he had it covered, but no. He accepted my offer of help a little too late. So I went up and tried to figure out how to get this off with as little further damage as possible. He had ideas and said he was just making lunch. I told him to go have lunch and take his time while I gave it some thought. It was a little tight working inside.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201004_141140416.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1601844906)
By the time he ate his sammich, I had it cleared off.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201004_141137221.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1601844896)
It was easier for me to do it when I could think and look at the loads without more 'plans' about jacks and supports and rope and hoists. Easy work, no additional damage, no injuries.
SO we pulled some sheet plastic he had over it and stapled it down. Then I bucked up the rest of the log and gave him a 5 minute demo on tree felling, notch direction, hinge importance, and wedging, just to give him an idea. He plans on fixing it himself, but he admits he has never done anything like this.
I feel bad he went through this when all he had to do was ask for help. It was not that hard a tree to drop, but he cut it clean off, it had no direction control at all, no hinge of any kind. He just didn't know.
Not what I expected to see or do today, for sure.
Ouch! Wow. Well, at least he didn't get himself kilt!
OGH - 2 points:
On the tree on the shed Sandy broke one fork off a big white oak on Halloween those many years ago and it fella cross my goat barn, an old cinderblock building that started like as a milking shed. I got a couple of good stout locust posts and wedged them tightly under the oak fork where it first met my shed roof then I started at the top and cut off the limb in small pieces I could handle and finally into firewood lengths over the roof till I had it removed. One good thing about oak is it is pretty forgiving and I was able to feather my chainsaw down into it till it lightly rested on the roof to hold some weight. If it had been a brittle wood like pine that would snap off I could not have done that. I got it off with really no more damage to the roof than had already been done.
On your log arch backing - can you mount a receiver hitch on the front of your Mule and push the arch into those tight places? I used to see people do that with their trucks and they would push their boat trailers into the lake at the landing rather than backing. Its a lot easier to push one than back it if that is an option and if it would be easier than your current fix. Just a thought.
Well, with the shed, the entire weight of the tree was already on what was left of the roof. SO I just made a long diagonal cut on the trunk about 4' from the wall. The trunk dropped and I took off firewood length pieces right up to the wall, then I went inside, disconnected the leaders and got them off, then cut the main trunk at the crotch and flipped that out, the rest I just pulled off. I felt like I was back in emergency services again. We did a lot of trees into houses, usually I served as the engineer and ground guy because we had a couple of monkey type arborists in the department that would crawl all over. This one was easy, I didn't see the need for propping here, but every one is different.
For the arch, yeah, I looked at that idea hard last year. The winch is on the front and any hitch would interfere so some heavy engineering would be needed because if I put a hitch on the front I would want to winch functional so that I could pull a log right into the winch. The issue though is mostly that picking your way around trees does not allow for that 3rd axle, front or back, there is no turning room at all. I don't mind backing up, I did more miles going backwards in a firetruck than forwards, but it's the short turns that are a bear. Where I was yesterday, even without the arch, I was 3 or 4 shots to get between certain trees. Its tight. That's why this simple solution works so well. The arch is solid and predictable back there now. I love it. Still thinking about a better way to rig it, but this is so simple and effective, it's hard to beat.
Your bed on the mule is a dump bed, right? So, do you raise it up (dump), attach the chain and then lower the bed to lift the arch?
Well on the face of it, yeah, that's a good idea. Of course it would work. But my dump is manual, which means I have to unlatch it, raise it all the way until it hooks, then hook up the arch, lower the bed and possibly push/hold it down while I re-latch it. The current method takes less than 10 seconds, I lift one arch leg, flip the chain in a hook, lift the other leg, flip the chain in a hook, and Bob's your uncle.
Also my bed is always full of tools, so a full raise is not a good idea. :D ;D
Right now I am hooking a chain hook into the 1" square 'stake pocket'. I think I would like to take some 7/8 or 3/4 bar and weld a chain hook on the end. Then I can drop one of those in each pocket. It would be neater.
I had thought about tying in two chain binders (cam type) that would not fall off when loose and I could leave connected, then just flip up each binder to lift it off the ground. But I think I would need a lot of travel in that binder to get it high enough and still leave enough slack when loose for safe steering. But again, it's hard to beat the current simplicity I have beyond cutting some chain that is the right length so that I don't have a bunch hanging loose.
I think the only reason I mentioned it here is because I suffered with this issue for 3 years and never figured it out. I probably hand pushed that arch around for several miles in that time. It was so simple that I just laughed at my stupidity in not seeing it earlier. Levitation, who'd have thunk it? :D
Well Monday today. As I was filling my first cup of coffee at 5:30 I was thinking about all the years I spent dreading and hating Monday's. Not so much anymore. :)
I went out and started a small fire in the shop stove. I am kind of looking forward to finding a bed of coals in the morning I can just stir up, but it is not cold enough for that yet. So small fires in the morning, enough to make coffee, then taper it off during the day with junk chunks of oddball wood to steadily bring the temp in the shop up to around 68-70 by the evening so it holds over night. Mostly I want to keep the wood dry in the building and I have noted anything I bring inside is dropping moisture content at a fairly regular rate of about 1% every 2 days or so. And I do enjoy the coffee through the day. ;D
So today we had the boys again and they had online schooling, which means a lot of work and frustration for Grandma trying to figure out the web pages and connections that seem to keep changing. I tried to help, but it created more stress, so I went out to cut, split, stack. Never let it be said I didn't do the least I could do. ;D
Anyway, I cut and split all the stuff I had pulled out over the weekend and low and behold I finished my goal and completed the pile that I had figured would finish my 10 cords back a month ago. I should probably re-do my math and measurements, but I am pretty sure I am there. 10 cords for the season is a first for me and a guess as to what I will need for the first season heating the shop entirely on wood. I really have no idea. I just took a guess based on my past 30 years of burning, but you folks all know there are huge variables here, the stove, the building, the weather. We will see. I may have to augment with oil, but I am guessing less than a half hour a day is all I might need in the coldest weather. But for now, it looks good to me.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201005_164254026.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1601942267)
3 rows deep from this angle. I am fairly happy with this, it's a good start and I have the 5 cords over by the house and another small 1/2 cord on the side of my shed which is all mill slabs. I am burning that first. I filled the log hoop in the shop today also with a bunch of small branch cut-ups from clearing over the weekend. Just junk, but solid burnable wood. I am hoping that junk will take me well through October before I start on 'real wood'. I still have more of the little stuff I can pull and cut, it's amazing how much good wood you can find laying around if you just put the labor into it.
Any wood I cut from here on is going to need another place to stack it. The piles I have now are as high as I want to go. That front row in the photo is a little higher than I am happy with for safety, but the boys are well trained and stay away from the piles. I may leave the splitter there just as a barrier for a while. I may just stage any logs I get and save them for the spring or next season depending on the weather. They say we are going to get clobbered this winter in the northeast, I am trying to have a plan B if I run out or get low.
Anyway, today was a day and I got something done. Tomorrow is another day, I have no idea what I am doing. ;D (yet)
Has anyone heard from Old Greenhorn?
I put a call into him.
Old greenhorn said he was going away for a few days .Hopefully he is enjoying all the fall colors .
And here I was thinking he'd moved his water tank to the roof for better water pressure and it fell off and killed him and I was thinking to see if I could buy his mule cheap off his widow/estate. :D
Quote from: WV Sawmiller on October 11, 2020, 09:05:39 PM
And here I was thinking he'd moved his water tank to the roof for better water pressure and it fell off and killed him and I was thinking to see if I could buy his mule cheap off his widow/estate. :D
I ain't dead yet. ;D we are 'out of town' and will be back this afternoon. Thanks for the concern. Doc I don't see any missed calls on my phone. Wonder if you have my new number since I retired? It ends in 4319.
OGH,
Okay. We are glad to hear it but still it would be a good idea to let the Missus know if you do meet with an unfortunate accident I have first dibs on your mule. :D
I Wondered why this was quiet, that explains it. ;)
glad you are good, I have the old # if you want to pm or text the new one, just in case. thx. :)
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on October 12, 2020, 07:14:18 AM
Quote from: WV Sawmiller on October 11, 2020, 09:05:39 PM
And here I was thinking he'd moved his water tank to the roof for better water pressure and it fell off and killed him and I was thinking to see if I could buy his mule cheap off his widow/estate. :D
I ain't dead yet. ;D we are 'out of town' and will be back this afternoon. Thanks for the concern. Doc I don't see any missed calls on my phone. Wonder if you have my new number since I retired? It ends in 4319.
You can post to your gang when your out of town 😂
Quote from: Walnut Beast on October 12, 2020, 02:49:23 PMYou can post to your gang when your out of town 😂
Sorry, I didn't realize I had a 'gang'. ;D I didn't get that memo.
Truth be told there were several contributing reasons I took a few days off. I use the 'most recent posts' feature here on the forum so I can read every post and learn new stuff and keep up. The stuff coming off the restricted forum was starting to get me down and I just decided to take some time off. I hate to see folks I respect on both sides of an issue going at each other trying to change minds in sometimes forceful ways. It's not what I come to this forum for. So I decided to just take a little time off.
The second reason was as we are now into about the 4th month of retirement, the finances are starting to 'smooth out' so we can see where we stand and in recent weeks it is not looking too great. The reality of just shutting off spending any money is a bitter pill. I was trying to parse that out in my head and figure some things out. I confess I was a tad depressed as I tried to figure out how to fill the gap and the possibility of
having to take a job set in.
Thirdly, I wasn't really working on anything interesting and I think I throw too much nonsense up here that is no different than any of the other folks do on a daily basis and in most cases on a smaller and much less useful scale.
So let me see if I can briefly catch y'all up.
SO a few days ago I started working on a couple of slabs and a couple of those hallow cookies. One slab is bark off, and the other is not releasing it's bark, so I am going to try my first one with bark on and see what happens. (people keep asking for that, to my chagrin.) Both slabs are at 12% MC, both RO. Pretty nice, minimal cracks.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201007_145957561.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1602544873)
I did some tiny epoxy pours on each but just because I am being picky and wanted to close up some tiny openings. While that epoxy was curing I worked on the cookies. Working on end grain is new to me and this stuff is pretty tight, the rays look nice, and it sands out super smooth. I have routed the backs of these out to take a 10" diameter mirror (I have a bunch). On one I am using the bark on approach and urethaneing the whole thing except the face, which I am applying tung oil and then hand waxing with Johnson's. The other I hacked off the bark and burned off the remaining cambium, giving that black effect. It looks good with the urethane.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201009_165110279.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1602544940)
I did a test waxing and it looked really slick, then I sanded it all off to get it a little better because the first run showed up some fine saw lines left I wanted gone. SO I did another sanding round on both and finished with 320 tonight. When the tung oil set up by tomorrow, I will start waxing and I have to pick up the mirror clips I found. Anyway, starting to work on projects and focus on finishing them to start adding inventory so I can figure a way to start selling them.
Saturday we drove over to southern VT. We always visit one of my cousins on this weekend for the last 8 years or so. As we had no vacation travel or even a weekend away all year, we didn't want to let this one slide by. We needed 'something'. SO we bent a rule or two to make it happen. We drove straight through, only stopped at an outdoor flea market we never miss (great stuff, old and new). Given the finances, I only spent 15 bucks on little cheap odds and ends. Still it was nice to have a tiny slice of normalcy. Then we got to my cousins house and when you pull into a place like this, who needs to go anywhere else?
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201011_145445025_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1602544945)
Their house is on the right, over 150 years old and my cousins husband has been repairing and improving it regularly for many decades. Impressive maples out front and back. We usually fill up a load of apples from their trees, but the last 2 years, no apples. That building on the left by my truck was built in the 50's and housed a 'candy factory' which employed a handful of folks making maple candy from the families sugaring operation. There is a warehouse building across the road in the left and out of the photo for syrup storage and 'other stuff'. That building and property was sold to a feisty older artist couple who use it as a studio and workshop. The husband had serious medical issues and passed this summer, but we have befriended the wife and enjoy her company when we come up. Quite a pistol, that gal. We had her over for dinner both night we were there.
SO Just sitting around, doing a few chores, catching up, visiting with my 90 year old first cousin (still driving it like he stole it) and we never saw a reason to leave the property. We played with tractors, sat on the porch and shared stories etc. We left this morning around 9, had lunch on the way home and we fell refreshed. Pretty simple weekend, I might feel like I cheated a little bit, but we needed it. Given the fact that as I was driving down one road I counted 20 out of state cars (MA, CT, NJ, NY, etc) to each VT plate. I figure we were probably closer to following the intent of the rules than a lot of these other folks.
SO back to the routine and tomorrow is another day.
Sounds like a fun trip. And one you needed 👍
OGH,
Okay, I will have to wait on the mule. Go ahead and stay healthy a while longer. :( :D
Glad you had a good time with the family. The bad thing about retirement is "When working you have income but no time to enjoy it. When retired you have lots of time but no additional income coming in to buy the things you now have time to look for, find and projects you have been wanting to do for years." Bummer, Dude! You just have to come up with a compromise which seems to be where you are now.
We went down to Ala a week ago to a memorial service for my oldest BIL and I got to see his wife, and other 2 BILs and spend a little family time with them. The hard part was not swinging down to Charlotte to see my lone grandson and 18 month of granddaughter we have not seen since the pandemic started. The grandkids call and both are talking more and more each time, even the little one, and I need to see them here. My grandson is the perfect size to help me pick up walnuts and kindling and such right now. Oh well, we all want to stay safe. Glad to have you back. Don't leave us hanging - we miss you. ;D
Not having much trouble staying busy right now, bean harvest is happening now, beans are not so great thanks to dry August, but that is the way it goes. Have wheat cleaned and waiting for the harvesting to be over, then have to get the cows moved home. The pastures are eaten down, and not so great so feeding protein tubs to keep the cows happy. Made a trip to NE Colorado a couple weeks ago, near Hereford, and picked up a new to me 05 F-450. Didn't realize what dry country eastern Colorado is, looks like the pastures will support maybe 2 cows to 80 acres. Great thing is, the truck is rust free! The guy told me you can see 100 miles there, and if you look around, you can see every tree.
Howard, I have not given your message to my wife, but I will at some point. There are others here who think they also want a shot at it, my son is likely one of those. SO you will be on the list at some point, just not sure where.
Staying busy surely isn't an issue, I can find stuff that needs to be done which could keep my bust around the clock if I wanted. Making some money on the side, still seems elusive.
Now that the weather is 'declining' I am trying to organize my day around shop work with a focus on projects. I am trying to keep as many of them in the air and moving along as I can at a single time. I have 4 pieces on the bench now and bring each one to a point where it needs to sit, or dry, or whatever, then move on to the next one. The shop floor is full of truck right now, so I can't do more until that is gone. I figure I just has to start cranking out 'work' of some sort instead of working on the infrastructure for now. Hopefully it will add up to something.
Today was rainy and cool all day. The rain collectors are all full for sure. Never did get any sun and the attic temp never got over 60, been watching it. Tomorrow should be all sun and I'll be interested to see the difference. No problem so far keeping the shop warm, even opening the bay door to bring a truck in. Just burning junk wood and branches at this point. I don't stuff it for overnight, but I do put in a couple of larger pieces and most days I have to start a new fire in the morning, but the building is holding pretty steady...so far, and the nice thing is my finishes seem to be drying or curing on a good schedule, whereas last winter with the temp up and down all the time it was a real problem. The wood was cold, the air was damp it was really tough. Now it seems a whole lot better which also gives me a hint that this stuff I have been doing is making a difference. I know the boys working on that truck today didn't object to the heat in shop and working in t-shirts instead of sweatshirts.
I just have to buckle down and crank out a bunch of finished product, whatever that is. I am trying to figure out what else I can do with those cookies with the open center, I have a bunch of them and they finish up nice but none of the ideas I have really don't excite me.
Ah well, tomorrow is another day.
charcuterie boards are all the rage with the fru-fru crowd from "the city" meat and cheese board, not so much (same thing). put a dip bowl or something in the middle, or nothing and call it rustic. anyone under 30 knows what it is and love them... and I am from Ks. I have made little ones from 5 x 12 x 1 inch boards, oak, walnut, ash ect. they luv, luv, luv um!.
That's a pretty good idea Doc, as usual. I will have to take a look at it with that eye in the morning. For that purpose I would have to remove all the bug eaten material in the center to make it clean wood and also remove the bark, but that burn method seems to work well for a finish covered by urethane. I would have to make a routing template or two to clean out the center and fit a bowl, but I should be able to find bowls someplace.
Yeah, I am certainly going to follow up on that. These are mostly 2" think or more, but that still might have some appeal. I am trying to work up the courage to send one through the planer, that would make things easier if I could pull it off, or exciting if I can't. ;D :D
Glad you had a nice trip. I'm looking forward to mine here in a couple of weeks also! Let's plan to get together in mid-November after my quarantine is over. I'll have a bit more cargo space for hauling stuff back and forth then and we should probably revisit that trailer discussion from a few weeks back. I also have a few other ideas bouncing around we can discuss then too.
You fill the hole with resin, not fit a bowl.
Quote from: WDH on October 14, 2020, 07:27:13 AM
You fill the hole with resin, not fit a bowl.
Yeah I had thought I might try something like that but it's a lot of resin for what I might be able to sell them for. Not sure it's worth it for how it would look. Most likely I will try one though.
Quote from: nybhh on October 13, 2020, 11:22:47 PM
Glad you had a nice trip. I'm looking forward to mine here in a couple of weeks also! Let's plan to get together in mid-November after my quarantine is over. I'll have a bit more cargo space for hauling stuff back and forth then and we should probably revisit that trailer discussion from a few weeks back. I also have a few other ideas bouncing around we can discuss then too.
Just a weekend of sitting around and chatting, good for the soul.
Yeah, feels like a long time before we can meet up again. The weather is telling me it's time to get some wood loaded up for you. Mid-november can bring us some surprises in these parts and I would hate to get caught short when the white crap arrives. You know it just occurred to me I might know a full sized equipment trailer that's available about 3 miles from your house. I'll check into it just for fun when I get a chance. It might be too much for that truck though but would handle your tractor plus implements easy.
I have tried the planer, and my experience is chipping out the backside. and nobody wants to chip out their backside. :o :o :o 8) 8) 8) 8). a drum sander on the other hand does ok. for rustic, you can get a bowl that occupies the center and sets more on the table or simply suggest they find a cute ceramic bowl and they find their own. or a vase for flowers. or a wine bottle with the led light string and the battery holder that looks like a cork. or make a second level that covers the hole ect. ect. If you fill with epoxy, you can use cheap fill like pine cone seeds to reduce the volume of epoxy. I think you should have a snack of smoked chees and venison summer sausage today, and see if it inspires you. at least you wont be hungry! have a good day. look at rustic center piece cookies on google.
i also agree with @WDH (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=4370), everyone is loving resin filled stuff. the finish can be mineral oil and I got a gallon from the amazon. :) I also have used Boos block oil, and it has a little wax in it to help it protect, bring out the wood character and is food safe.
My father used it to pull a pretty large boat and I know it has a tow package on it with all the brake & light hookups. Its a gasoline V-8 which I think is rated around 9600#.
OH, then maybe this would work. Have to check it out.
Well, not much interesting going on here for sure. I am trying to work into a routine of getting a full day in mostly on projects that will result in 'something' but also getting some other stuff done in between. The last couple of days I have been out int he shop before 7:30 and stuck at it all day. Hours of sanding or anything else wears a guy out, I have to mix it up. So yesterday I was working on 3 slabs and the two cookies that will be mirrors, I guess. So as a break, I went out back and pulled some more junk wood down to cut for interim firewood. Just junk to keep the stove limping along until heating season starts. The afternoons are actually too warm in the shop, but keeping it warm and dry is really making a difference on how finishes are drying and curing and that is really super for me. I just work in a t-shirt and it's all good. Last year at this time, epoxy resin might take 2 days before I could sand it. Now it is overnight and that's really nice, I can keep moving. SO little piles of wood I would otherwise throw to the side to rot are now keeping the stove burning and the shop dry. This little pile will probably carry me for close to a week or more.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201014_142225280.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1602806424)
I fire the stove in the morning, make coffee, then just put in enough wood to keep it from going out during the day. Around 8pm I load it and choke it down. Not the best for keeping a clean chimney ;D, but its working out OK for now. Gonna stay cool for the next few days, so we shall see how it goes. Still no frost here yet, just getting cooler each week. I am good with that.
So I have those slabs and they are coming along, rotating the 3 seems to be more efficient for output and they are coming along.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201015_104907525.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1602806403)
Each of these will be something different, I think, not sure yet.
So I alternated with other chores. Yesterday I pulled and cut and split that wood and moved a few wheel barrow loads of topsoil my son had left from a job. Today I did a few more loads, cleaned the house chimney, and made a run to HD for more tung oil and some keepers for the mirrors. I am still trying to figure out the mirrors exactly. Design as you go, right?
So one of my new neighbors (barely a year and change) had the closing to sell their house today and are 'gone'. I am going to miss those kids. They were city folk, but hard working and only hired folks for things they could not figure out how to do themselves. They made a huge difference on that house and property, and they earned every bit of it. I liked helping them because they helped themselves. They had not planned on selling, but between the burden of the unforeseen major expenses that came up with this house, the virus, pressures to get back to on-site work down in the city, and the unanticipated costs and adjustments of a new baby things just added up and they were getting into a tight spot and had to do what was best for themselves and the baby. They made a profit on the house, which is really good and they are now looking to purchase property right around here to hopefully build their own house on a more manageable schedule. I hope they can find a way to buy around here, I'd like to watch that little girl grow up. Good folks. I will miss them. They have a lead on some property right down our road, but it might take a while for the subdivide to get done.
Now I have to see what the new owner is like and if we might hit it off. I will give a visit when it seems right. Another second (or more) homeowner from the city. You never really know what that means. Life is like a box of chocolates.
Tomorrow is another day.
On the tung oil I've started buying Hope's 100% tung oil. All I see at my local hardware and Lowes is Tung Oil finish - mixed with some thing else. I'm happy with the price and delivery from them. Bought a quart then last time I bought a gallon. We don't have a HD near by so I don't know which they stock. Just a thought.
I only use 100% pure tung oil. Not available locally. Have to order it. The "tung oil finish" actually does not have much tung oil in it.
Now you guys have got me going and I am going to have to read the cans. I had been making the trip to Lowes to get my tung oil because it was half of what HD charged for it. HD sells Watco and I cannot remember the brand that Lowes carries. Well yesterday we were in HD and I didn't want to add a side trip to lowes, so I bought the Watco. Turns out the can is twice the size, and hence twice the cost, so fair deal.
I cannot remember the name on the other can and the lowes website doesn't list it now, so after we come back from the chiro appt. I will look into it in depth.
Supplies just seem pricey to me these days. I dropped $65. and could carry what I bought in one hand. >:(
I use Watco Danish oil. I buy a gallon at a time, and Lowes carried the quart. a gallon is twice the price of a quart, but you get 4 times the product. I got my last online to get the gallon. I think prior to opening, and when full, it will last a long time. my "bad" can I have had for over 10 years. I think Danish is a proprietary blend of Tung oil and only God know what else. It will darken and get rancid after year. the cap and threads get gewy and make it harder to close tight, and to open. so match your volume to your use. it might be a good choice for nitrogen gas put in before it is closed. You may be getting Watco brand of just Tung oil too.
OGH,
I confess - I never read the cans either but Danny mentioned in the past it was not pure and about the 100% so now I get it on-line as I don't have a local source for pure tung oil.
Yeah, I had thought I was a careful label reader before, but now I see that is not enough and one actually have to go to the manufacturers web site to dig up what is really in the stuff. Even then it is a tangled path that doesn't always give the desired results. Take the 'Watco Tung oil finish' for instance. The label states exactly that with no ingredients listed. The web page also list no ingredients, nor does the product PDF sheet. The MSDS does list other chemicals apparently thinners but no other oils or compounds. Also I note Watco only has one Tung oil product, so there is no 'pure oil' and a 'finish oil' available from them. So I am not clear if this is considered 'pure' or not. I think not. Rockler's pure Tung oil has nothing but Tung oil in the MSDS sheet, for instance.
The Formby's that I have been using is even less of a tung oil. I found this comment on when of the distributer sites in answer to the 'WHat's in it?' question. "Formby's "Tung Oil Finish" is a alkyd and soya/tung oil varnish pure and simple. If you look closely at the label you will find that Formby's even calls it a varnish. Varnish is made by mixing a resin (in this case, alkyd) and a drying oil (in this case a mixture of soya and tung oil). The mixture is then heated until the resin and oils combine into a new compound called varnish. Once it becomes varnish, it's no longer identifiable as tung oil. The closest Formby's Tung Oil Finish comes to being or containing tung oil is in it's name."
SO I guess I really got duped on that one, but it explains the handling and finishing characteristics that I didn't expect. When that can is done very shortly I will be done with that product. I'll use up the Watco, then just order the pure stuff and be done with it. As much as I want the right product on my wood, even more I want to avoid unnecessary chemical on my hands and in my nose. I am a little surprised I got duped, but these guys hide this information pretty well.
Not much got done here yesterday, just more sanding and a small epoxy pour on a missed crack. I did fit one of the mirrors and will do the other one today. I had the distractions of the guys working on that truck and the welder came to fix the rear frame before the new springs go in. The guys 'sort of' complained about the shop being too hot (70°) but they didn't complain about working in t-shirts. I have managed to keep it at or over 66° so far. It rained all day yesterday and the temp is not supposed to hit 60 for the next 5 days or so. I want to keep that good drying condition in the shop, even if it means t-shirts. ;D Sure beats the past 32 years of going out to a cold shop, starting the heat, waiting for the air to heat up to a working temp and the general temp never got the equipment (or the wood) settled in at a warm temp, then shut the heat at night and start over the next day. This is SO much better. ( I also note that nobody is complaining about taking a break in my chair by the woodstove, or the coffee pot, or the hot water on the back of the stove always available, or the fridge with drinks in it. :D
I just realized today is Saturday, not sure what that means, but I should get to it. Today is another day.
I was using Farmbys till Danny brought it to my attention it was not pure tung oil and Hopes is the one I found on line and I am happy with it.
Spent a coupla days scraping edge of a friend's pond of cat tails, ditching around property and moving a shed (instead of sawing :'(, or getting ready for Winter at my place, like cutting cordwood). Must say, my new-to-me skidder is a beast.....All the best, Rob.(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/13967/IMG_2620.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1602946463)(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/13967/IMG_2619.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1602946440)(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/13967/IMG_2616.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1602946483)
FWIW, I've been using a product called Real Milk Paint. It's a pure tung oil or so it claims. Buying it in gallons used turpentine to thin it
a little on some Green Ash for a ceiling project. Happy with it so far.
Checked out their website. Product looks great. They make an outdoor version as well. One ounce samples available, which is great. I've bought way to many tung oil products that were not what I wanted. Theoretically, there's a retailer 5 minutes from me. On the way there now!
Thanks for the info!
OGH, you should be able to get the real tung oil from Lee Valley online. They have free shipping to USA. They will not ship to certain states, says which on the product page. I'm pretty sure they have a warehouse in New York.
https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/supplies/finishing/finishes/20049-100-pure-tung-oil
I get it here, too:
100% Pure Tung Oil Wood Finish & Protection - Non-Toxic Wood Oil (https://www.realmilkpaint.com/shop/oils/pure-tung-chinawood/?gclid=CjwKCAjwrKr8BRB_EiwA7eFapkeCDCOIXktVOhf8jU6UKS4bdX3GPy8ild_WmZSlA3Se_qY6a9ZNRhoCB2YQAvD_BwE)
The dark version is interesting. Looks really good on pine and maple, at least to me. The oil is very dark, like black coffee.
Good info on both counts.
Lee. Valley is a dependable company. Never tried their tung oil, but no doubt it's good stuff. I see they have a polymerized version also, which I prefer for some uses.
My trip to the alleged local supplier of Real Milk products came up empty. I will order some of their samples. I've got quite a few quarts of tung oil I didn't like and most are jello at this point.
These look useful: https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/supplies/finishing/72867-finish-storage-bag?item=62K0410 (https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/supplies/finishing/72867-finish-storage-bag?item=62K0410)
For storing finish and reducing air issues. Should be good for dispensing small quantities too.
(Getting close to a thread hijack. Sorry OGH :-X)
Wow, Rob, looks like you are staying out of trouble and that skidder looks every bit the beast.
Nebraska, I came across that Real Milk product, I might just check that one out next, but they charge almost 10 bucks shipping for a quart. I'll look around for a supplier, I thought I saw one this morning, but that was a long time ago. ;D
Swamp, Lee valley says they are out of stock until end of November, so I have time to think about it.
Btulloh, I am too cheap to let them sit in a can and I will use them up, then move on, at least then I didn't throw the money away. I can't afford to buy stuff I don't use, not yet anyway. ;D
I may have mentioned I have several projects working at the same time. I was out in the shop early today (maybe 6am, I don't recall) and started (after putting the coffee on) with a small epoxy pour which is usually how I end the day, but one of the cracks on the table slab had sunk in and I had to refill it. Then I sanded and refinished the back side of those mirror cookies after putting in the glass retainers and chiseling out the slots. I set them up to dry.
I have an RO curved bench slab in the works, so I put that up and drilled the leg holes. This one is like the ones WV Sawmiller makes, flat both sides, but this one I left the bark on because it is holding tight and we will see what happens. It's been a while and I had to make some mistakes over. I forgot how I fit the legs and drilled the first hole the same size as the tenon. I had forgotten I drill the holes smaller and sand the tenons to fit. At least I figured it out after just one hole, no harm done, I just fitted one leg a little bigger and you really can't see it. So I got those glued in from the bottom side and let that sit to dry.
That gave me enough time to run over and greet the new neighbor. Nice gal, I didn't get much, was only there a few minutes, enough to welcome her and wish her well in the new house. Apparently another city person come up here to escape the virus 'for the duration' (which is an expression I hear a lot these days from the city folks, I don't blame them).
Then the Grandson's came by for a couple of hours so I worked outside moving the rest of the topsoil and a few loads of crushed stone to improve the ground around the mill yard and new path up to the neighbors. When they left I flipped the bench and filled the glue gaps on the top side and let it sit again.
After dinner I got back out to the shop, put the mirror cookies together and another coat of wax on each. They don't look bad really. The faces are just tung oil and Johnson paste wax, about 4 coats so far and a lot of hand rubbing.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201017_190646296.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1602982616)
This one I left the bark bark on.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201017_190804746.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1602982666)
I can't decide which way is right side up, any opinions?
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201017_185750820.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1602982612)
The bench is coming along, I have to trim the legs (I hate that part) and then sand the tops of the legs flush and finish it up.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201017_193157431.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1602982654)
Anyway, a bunch of stuff done today, more tomorrow I hope. Just keep moving forward, right? As soon as I clear off one project I figure I will start another one and keep the pipeline going. It seems that having a bunch of things I can keep rotating through is keeping me busy, and mostly out of trouble. I might have to increase the pipeline by a project or two to make the rotation easier. I will admit, I am getting tired of all the sanding. I wish I had a way to get a 24" planer in the shop but that ain't gonna happen. Tomorrow is another day.
Quote from: btulloh on October 17, 2020, 07:49:42 PM
These look useful: https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/supplies/finishing/72867-finish-storage-bag?item=62K0410 (https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/supplies/finishing/72867-finish-storage-bag?item=62K0410)
For storing finish and reducing air issues. Should be good for dispensing small quantities too.
(Getting close to a thread hijack. Sorry OGH :-X)
Sorry I missed this on the first read, I checked these out and if I order from Lee Valley I will be sure to get a couple of these. My urethane is a real problem keeping it fresh, so this will be right handy. Nice find, I never saw this before. Reminds me of the squeeze tubes I used to buy for backpacking, the back end was open and you could put anything in them and they had a clip that then slid on and sealed the air out. They were a bit of a pain to pack with peanut butter, jelly was much easier, but I could live off those tubes for lunch and snacks for days, loved those things. Never see then these days, wonder why. I thought they were better than sliced bread. These bags look the same as far as value goes.
Not sweat on the hi-jack, that is what makes it a conversation.
OGH,
Good looking cookie projects. I envy you guys with the epoxy skills and the things you do with it.
On the bench legs I use the same size auger bit as my tenon. Ideally the legs would be dry and the top still drying so it gets tighter as it dries. I use metal sledge hammer wedges (I buy them by the pound from House handle Co in Arkansas) and they work good. They can be installed without having to cut a slot like the wood ones which removes another step from the processing. I like the idea of a slightly smaller mortise but have not found a 1-7/16" auger bit to match my 1-1/2" tenon. If you don't like to see the top of the metal wedge you could countersink them a little and make up some wood putty with sawdust and sander dust off the bench top and hide the metal.
Quote from: WV Sawmiller on October 17, 2020, 10:19:27 PM
OGH,
Good looking cookie projects. I envy you guys with the epoxy skills and the things you do with it.
On the bench legs I use the same size auger bit as my tenon. Ideally the legs would be dry and the top still drying so it gets tighter as it dries. I use metal sledge hammer wedges (I buy them by the pound from House handle Co in Arkansas) and they work good. They can be installed without having to cut a slot like the wood ones which removes another step from the processing. I like the idea of a slightly smaller mortise but have not found a 1-7/16" auger bit to match my 1-1/2" tenon. If you don't like to see the top of the metal wedge you could countersink them a little and make up some wood putty with sawdust and sander dust off the bench top and hide the metal.
I don't use wedges, just glue. I use a 1-1/2 tenon cutter, but they come out pretty rough and give me all kinds of gluing grief. SO I drill the hole at 1-3/8' and sand the tenons round and use a size jig to hand fit them, then I can slide 'em into the bench hole and just give a couple of raps with a leather mallet to set the home.
As for the epoxy, there is no skill, just lots of time on my elbows with a toothpick poking it into the cracks and pulling up air bubbles. Mostly what I use it for is filling drying splits in the wood and defects. It firms it up, adds strength and I don't have to worry about a crack growing any further. When I sand the slab it all comes in flat and smooth. By the way, there is no epoxy in those cookies at all.
I am wondering lately if anyone has ever tried using the epoxy resin as a glue for things like bench legs? It should be really strong if I guess right. More expensive, but I might just try that sometime.
I once set a 8# sledge head on a now fiberglass reinforced plastic handle, and it came with a 2 part epoxy to fill in the gap between handle and hole. I have tried it on tomahawks and it will last a year, and then with all the abuse of throwing hawks, it will loosen and then start breaking. i think it would work well on a bench, as it is adhesive, and can be colored and wood flower added as a filler. could also just use glue, and then tighten up any void with epoxy. the idea of the tomahawk, is that the handle gets wider at the top, and the steel slides up onto the wedge are, and can be tightened as needed. it is supposed to come apart in an effort to not always break the handle on a crazy bad throw. the hole (I am sure there is a name for this) is supposed to be wider on the top to match the flare in the handle. Mine are cheaper versions and it can be hard to tell which way they go. the eye maybe?
Yeah Doc, I might try that. I found out today one of the benches I made in the past 2 years has a loose leg some it is coming back for 'factory service'. I might try using epoxy on it just for fun. I have to do an analysis first. ;D
Today was a full day even though I slept late after staying up watching some old re-runs I got into last night. I started around 9, did some more sanding while the coffee cooked and made a jig for slicing some cookies down. Then I headed out to the mill and cut the legs on 3 benches.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201018_115058490.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1603076289)
I clamped the heck out of them and it all went OK, then I tried the cookie jig and that worked fine too.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201018_104001424_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1603076277)
SO I wrapped up on the mill and back into the shop. I sanded the tops on those 3 benches and cleaned up any older issues. I had glued the legs on 2 back in June but never cut the legs. I hate cutting legs. I got them to the point of putting on the tung oil so I could see the grain. SO now I have a trio of benches near finished.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201018_154001310.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1603076355)
All 3 are different and I still need to apply urethane after they dry. Then I started work on those thinner cookies and did some rough sanding to get them flat. It was a full day and my feet are tired.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201018_172022618.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1603076326)
Tomorrow I will figure out how I am approaching them.
After dinner I had visitors to the shop and they looked at some of my stuff and we had discussions about prices. They saw my oddball cookie I have been using as an epoxy repository for all my leftovers, I figured it as a 5 year project that might get finished someday. It caught their eye and they offered me 500 bucks to make a corner table out of it. It's a lot of salvage work on a pithy, weak, long shot, and my confidence is low, but I will give it a shot.
Tomorrow is another day.
OGH,
What are the horizonal pieces on the legs for? I just drive the 4 legs in, turn the bench upside down on the mill, clamp securely, set my height to 17", spread the band out wide enough to reach them all and saw. when finished all the legs are the same height and same angle.
Those are braces for rigidity. If I don't clamp those on the blade grabs the leg and it snaps over. I fear without all the clamps it might rip the bench out of the mill. I am not taking chances. Early on I had a leg grab and snap. That was enough for me. This is why I hate cutting legs.
Okay, I see said the blind man to the deaf wife on the telephone. I learned to slow down my cut on legs to prevent pulling them out.
try a finer, less angled blade, and ease into it. I also worry about a bench as a projectile. I have bent a guide roller bracket, but not from a bench, cuase I hand cut them with a fine Japanese pull saw. "fine" meaning small teeth, not expensive. got it at Lowes a marples I think. any fine saw should be ok. if off a little, I tune the angle and 4 legs with a belt sander. I set it on the floor, then flip it over and hit the two that are hittin. it is easy to mix up as you flip it over. I throw a chunk of masking tape on the legs. upside down and backwards gets the best of us.
I think a flat on both top and bottom with square sides will be easier on the mill, than live edge and with a natural bottom side. Since you like music, brings to mind the "big boned gal" song, done by K.D. Lang et. al. 8) :D
OGH can you post a pic. of your tenons? are they still "groovy" man? :) Depends on the wood, and moisture, but mine come out pretty even and smooth after getting my cutters tuned up and dialed in.
I like the clamp of the bench direct to the bed.
The tenons are the same. The legs I am using now I had made beck in April. This method of sanding to fit is working quite well for me. It allows me the correct any mis-aligmnet or add a deviation to make it fit better. Given many decades of off hand grinding cutting tools to fairly precise shapes, it only takes me about 44 seconds per leg to make a nice squeak fit.
I have a couple of pull saws and use them for cutting off the tenons after gluing, but find the mill is more accurate for getting the legs even and flat. It just works for me but care must be excercised in the execution lest ones winds up wearing the Bench and blade as a necklace. ;D :D I think that would just be too gaudy for my taste.
I like the dry leg, and wet seat so the hole shrinks up on the tenon. :o :o :o :) :) :) :D :D :D
I use my HF pull saw to saw the excess tenon off the surface side of my bench then it will lay flat on my mill while I cut the legs to length. I have a 3{ tenon peg and am using 2" LE slabs so nearly an inch of excess on each bench. I use a 4 degree blade most of the time and ease into the cut.
Harry, meant to respond earlier, I do mine the same as you. I have a couple of pull saws, they work well.
The last two days have been busy. My son has had his truck in my shop for a couple of weeks to replace the rear springs, get some frame welding done, do brakes and drums, new electric fuel pumps and a bunch of other stuff. He and his guys have come in to do work every other day or so balanced with the weather and he is putting in evenings as he can. It's an inconvenience for me, but I work around it and it's a big part of why I put the lofts in so I can work upstairs. They now complain (mildly) that it is too hot in the shop (70°), but them seem to muddle through. ;D Yesterday as they started to button things up on the truck, a new door 'showed up' for the back of the shop which they spent several hours putting in. I had no idea I needed a new door.
First there was a door.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201021_110540098.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1603420531)
Then there was no door.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201021_140153665.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1603420574)
Then there was a door again.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201022_152126168.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1603420603)
My son had decided the sill rot was too bad and I needed a new door. I didn't think so, but I'll take it. I told them not to touch the inside trim, I have some maple I will try to do up nice, just for the heck of it. I started ripping and planing that today before this surprise work party showed up. I am having a hard time getting used to the windows in this door, but I will come around.
Today, they finally pulled the truck out, swept up, put tools away, and tried to make it like they found it. They are getting better at it.
They also pulled in a pressure washer and did my back deck on the house which is dangerously slippery with years of pollen and moss. Also did some yard chairs, the front walk, and the breezeway area that is also covered in moss. They pretty much pressure washed everything in sight that needed it.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201022_152253376.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1603420503)
If it dries, I will get some deck treatment on it, I have a ton sitting here, but I am not sure when it will dry with the weather forecast. I may just treat it anyway and hope it holds, just to get the material used up, I have had it for years.
They hung a new gutter on my porch roof, we worked together to get a header and tarp up over the wood pile to help shed the rain and did a bunch of other stuff. They left at 3 to go do some of the regular work (fall cleanups, etc). It's not a roof, but it should help the rain and snow slide off. Certainly, it will get us through this first winter.
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A pretty good day, nice to have these guys help me out. We used my rainwater system and pump to supply the pressure washer and it worked pretty dang well. The tank kept up with the 275 gallons they used and I pumped another 150 gallons from my backup barrels to refill it after they finished. The barrels are closed up now for the winter pretty much. If I can get it full again I want to hook up my 150 GPM gas pump with a 3/4 straight bore fire nozzle and blast out my culverts. That would be my shutdown process for the tank to empty it and close it off for the winter.
Yes, I have been working on stuff in the shop during all this over the days since my last update, mostly that sick cookie is on my mind, but I have been doing re-sanding and urethaneing the benches I have in work, a lot of tiny pours dripping epoxy into the 4 little open center cookies I am working on and also small pours to repair a break and fill other cracks in that commission table (sick cookie) I have. It's amazing how those few simple things can fill a day from 7am to 8pm, but they do.
Tomorrow is another day, right?
Short update, not a lot going on just filling my days with stuff that has to be done. Not even sure when I did some of this stuff, it just all flows together as I go from 'thing' to 'thing'.
I have that sick cookie I have been working on in dribs and drabs. The other night I did a pour to finish the repair where I broke it off and then I pulled off what I guess some folks are calling a deep pour to fill in a natural void where the bark and maybe rot fell out.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201024_111046429.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1603679209)
Maybe you can see it better in this photo.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201025_161846094.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1603679232)
I have also been painting epoxy on the edges on this slab to give me a nice clean surface that will hold tape so I can do another pour to fill in the level where it drops off on one of the ears. Not sure how that is going to work or if I can keep it from leaking out given the irregular shape, but I would like to make the top as flat as possible. This one will take a lot of epoxy (for me) and I would hate for it to wind up on the floor. I am putting a lot of thinking time into this one and will be making a jig to pack in some backing material to the edges.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201025_161901581.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1603679254)
The entire ear around that deep pour drops off about 1/2" over a length of 6-10". If it works it will look pretty cool. SO my thinking here is 'go big or go home' and we will see what happens. The client expects something neat and glossy looking. I have a sanding and oiling session to do first to get the color right in this area before I do the pour.
The other stuff that has filled my days is already fleeting out of my head. I spent the afternoon yesterday helping a neighbor cut-split-stack. Easy to do because they all turned out to work and I brought my splitter and turned the neighbor loose with it, I bucked, his wife stacked (big surprise for me, she is one of the best and neatest stackers I have ever seen, blew me away. She is a city gal, never stacked before, nobody took time to teach her anything. She is a natural. Stacks better than me, no kidding. I was impressed.) I left them in good shape, but had to get off the my grandson's 5th birthday party. Early this morning I finished up the inside trim on the back door that I made from some ambrosia maple. I tried some stuff out on it like using tung oil (won't do that again, too dark) and spray urethane (eh, it's ok, but took 3 coats). I had some arbor coat gallons and when I opened them this morning one was solid so it went right in the dump trailer, other other I could mix so I used the airless sprayer and put a coat on the newly cleaned deck but a gallon was not near enough, so I came up short and just wound up doing the horizontal surfaces. It's supposed to rain tonight. I have 15 gallons of log home sealer so I may open one of those buckets tomorrow and see if that is usable to finish off the deck. I just want to get it treated to make it last a little longer,, don't care much what it looks like. The wife, OTOH, may have different thoughts, but I am fighting the season's at this point and I can't hear her over that noise. ;D
After the debacle of trying to get the deck done (or not), I decided to have another debacle because as I was scrounging for the deck sealer I found the remnants of a 5 gallon bucket of floor and garage paint that I bought for the first loft I built. I figure it's nearly 5 years old now and probably going soon, so I opened it and after a half hour of stirring the color came back and it was pretty consistent, but REALLY THICK. I cleared out the Mule bay, swept, scraped and vacuumed the best I could. I called the boss and delayed dinner by and hour, then filled a tray and started rolling. That was yet another mistake in my day. The roller couldn't roll it. It was like pushing thin gooey cement. I finally gave up and just poured the paint on the floor and spread it with the roller. The right way (I know now) is to just squeegee it out. SO I may do another coat tomorrow morning, now that I have found a squeegee leaning on the wall outside the shop (in the dark). ;D
To top off my comedy of errors day, I had thought to lock both the garage door and side door where I was painting in case either I forgot about the paint or my son came by and didn't know about it. Good idea right? Yeah, it was of course, but when I was done I realized both light switches I needed to shut off are right next to the door I locked (one in front of the door, and of course, one behind the door). I can't find a key to the door (assuming I have one). So now the floor looks OK, but I really didn't want to leave the lights on all night. Finally I realized there was a 14' piece of trim we had primed today for replacement use on the garage soffit, so I reached with that and shut off the lights. No big deal, but I felt like I could do nothing right today.
Tomorrow is another day and I'll try again to get it right. ;D
Well with the weather changing and daylight shorter I guess I am beginning to make the transition to working in the shop more and keeping the stove going. Still have a hard time keeping an overnight fire probably because I fill it around 8pm and am not getting back out until 12 hours later, add to that I am still burning junk wood and wet stuff from the slab pile and I am not too worried. The shop is always at least 62 when I get out there in the morning, so far.
Yesterday I put a second coat of paint on the floor section, but this time with a squeegee which was a bit easier and faster, just not as neat. I let that dry all day and overnight. Started moving a few things back this afternoon between other tasks.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201026_145751731.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1603836790)
Still not sure how far I might go with this before spring, but my son got excited when he saw it and went and bought me 2 gallons of drylok so I could continue on. We shall see. Still want to float 100# or so of self-leveler to smooth off over the former grease pit. He has one of his guys that is really good at it, but who knows when they might show up. Could be this week, could be next month or later. No rush, just more work for me.
I went back to work on that cookie today, it needed another pour (I think I am at about 20 by now, mostly small for holes) and now I am getting close on the major stuff so I had to level it up well. There is one 'wing' and this that is lower (tapers off) because of a felling cut and I am trying to make that wing level with the rest of the cookie before I do the final top pour. I had taped and damned it up yesterday and poured a full cup of epoxy. It didn't look too bad.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201027_105223798.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1603837065)
There were 2 tiny leaks that sealed themselves up eventually, but I ran out of height on the tape just as I ran out of epoxy. Today I increased the height and after careful leveling, I poured another full cup. Still not enough. The photo above is before today's pour. Looks like I still need nearly a 1/2" of fill out at the edge. I am not rushing this, I don't want to screw it up and I am pretty nervous about the whole project, I tried to talk them out of using this cookie, I really did. As long as I keep it clean I can just keep adding layers. To that end, I am now putting a tent over it to keep any stuff in the air from landing on it.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201027_115010130.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1603837051)
I sure hopes this looks pretty when I am done. The client wants 24" hairpin legs, so I ordered them today. When I finally get the top level I will flip it and start working on the bottom straps, which will all be odd cuts. I want to have support under it as much as possible because this cookie is too fragile to take a hit, let alone hold a screw. Hopefully the legs will show up and I can do some rough figuring on placement as I go. After the straps are done and I finish the bottom, I'll flip it back and finish the top.
Other than that, not much done in the last couple of days, we had the Grandson's yesterday so I helped the 5 year old (his birthday yesterday) paint a little hobby knick knack box to keep his small treasures in. Right now, he makes me look good as a painter. :D
Today, as it was not raining so I hooked up the gas water pump and used a fire hose to try to blow clear on of my culvert pipes with minimal results.
Tomorrow is another day, we shall see what that brings.
Looks great. Since they put that nice door in for you with the window. Don't be standing around looking out 😂😂
Funny you mention that. I will confess to glancing out the window when I pass by, but I don't stand there. Mostly I am wondering what my nutcase neighbor is up to now. But the funny thing is the windows keep catching me off guard. Every time I enter through the door on the opposite corner and see light in the far corner (new door) I think 'Dang it! some body left the dang door open again", then I realize it is just the window.
When I am working at the bench next to that door I keep thinking somebody it just outside the door looking in (it is the end of the woodpile). Yeah, that door is throwing me off, but not in the way I would have thought.
It does add more light to the bench area during the day, and outside the door for getting wood at night. It is also a lot tighter than the old one for sure. Every little bit helps.
Is there a different epoxy for joints than for fills? Was thinking of using some for glue joints in my projects, and Doc mentioned hammer handles, thinking I might try that.
That big cookie is going to turn out very nice.
some of the casting resin that is clear and can be deep poured has less strength. you can get the syringe double plunger style with a mixing nozzle for small stuff. the deep stuff needs to remain clear and not over cook itself. most brands will have a summary chart showing depth and strength. that deep pour is big enough to help stabilize that chunk I think. i just watched the glue webinar by @GeneWengert-WoodDoc (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=20498) on the NHLA website yesterday. for epoxy as an adhesive, you want to keep the joint thick so there is enough chemical heat to cure the epoxy. he spanned the gamut on glue and joint failure, from carpenters glue to urethane. I would use the regular epoxy for a joint, and low viscosity to stabilize punky (Styrofoam) type wood. @tule peak timber (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=25190)
Doc, you are spot on.
There are a number of different types of epoxys', meant to do different jobs.Certainly reading and understanding the manufactures intent and instructions is a must.Temperature, temperature, temperature......... ;D
I use about six or seven different types of epoxy in the shop,15 to 50 gallons a month total.
PUR glues are second favorite, and hot melt PUR for repetitive work,jigs, etc.
Frankiln Titebond 111 about a gallon a month, an excellent glue ! Rob
is the 111 meant to represent 3 (three)? I assume. my fav. also. occasionally some TB 1. If you buy the gallon, but like the quart containers, I have called the company since you cannot buy the same top, and for free they have sent me new caps with the pull on/off cap. seem to be a customer oriented company. I buy gallons and refill the smaller ones. You can add up to 10% water if the gallon gets to thick ect. per the company. thanks Rob.
I am probably being very bad but right now I am only using one epoxy for everything and I have gotten lucky so far.... ;D. I hold to the "One Man, One gun, One Load" theory which I learned from another fella back when I was shooting a lot. The theory is you select one gun for yourself that fits and performs best with your abilities, then you work up the proper load for that gun for you that gives the best hitting power with the best accuracy you can maintain, then you work with that weapon and load until everything is totally natural and repeatable in any condition. At that time you can think about looking at another gun for a different purpose/use.
AT this time I am learning to adjust my mix as required watch the temps and how it behaves under different conditions so I can predict curing times, etc. As yet I have not found anything this brand is poor at but I don't do the kind of work Tule Peak does, probably never will reach that level, I am just a hacker and a faker at this stuff.
I did my 3rd pour today to bring that wing level up, about another cup full as I work up my confidence. It is slowly getting there. I keep it tented all the time now to prevent any dust from getting on it between pours.
Nebraska, I sure hope you are right, the client offered me a lot for this I would hate to disappoint him.
great lesson about the gun. glad it is working for you. if you do pours that are following the directions for the product you should be ok. it looks like you are making progress. I ignored the directions with the regular epoxy and did a thick poor, and it was smoking and bubbling, and looked like burnt candy. I went too thick with some pine cone nuts. It sanded out and looked ok. I had to fill the holes where the bubbles were. added "character". do not get too brave with the chemical reaction. :o epoxy is not a gun! :D :D :D. love the story though.
Well those shooting days are pretty much over for me, it was BK (Before Kids) and got a little expensive. I was handloading and shooting 200 rounds during the week, and a few hundred more on weekends.
As for the epoxy, I haven't had any incidents like yours....yet. but I have had a few catastrophic leaks, which is also expensive.
Well a fairly boring day today, more of the usual. I did another pour level on that cookie end and it it still not up to level. I will be patient and do about a cup a day, maybe one more will do it, but I think I might need two. It is hard to guess. Just as I finished the pour my son showed up with his guy and we did the thinset leveler over the grease pit. Tricky stuff to work with and we weren't perfect but the floor is much flatter, an most important, much smoother.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201028_154441403.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1603929996)
After it hardened, I put a 2x6 across and can still see 1/2" belly in it. When the floor was first poured they put a slight taper in toward the pit and when we cemented over the pit we made it flush at the edge. So now we are trying to even that out and get a relatively flat floor.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201028_163701862.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1603929995)
I think we might have tried to work it too much as it got close to setting up, so we have some waves. You don't get much time with this stuff. ;D
We may get one more bag, mix it a little thin and just pour it out down the center and let it level itself, then call it a day. I will wait a month, then paint the floor in sections as I can make time. There are a couple more cracks I would like to fill, just because I can, before I paint.
The rest of the day was just cleaning up and some more sanding on other projects.
Tomorrow is another day.
Well, I got up early in solidarity with my wife who had to leave at 5am to go work at the polls. I will go over to vote in a little bit. Let's hope for the best and 'that is all I got to say about that'. ;D
The days are flying by and a lot of the time I don't feel like I am making any progress jumping from thing to thing but I guess it all moves forward a little each day.
I am focused on that large punky cookie. Would love to get it done and delivered soon, but I have to take my time and not screw it up. Over the last few days I have done more filler pours and a couple of edge pours and spot sanding where needed. Right now I am working on the bottom to get that finished before I do a final sand/pour/sand/polish on the top then get it out quick before it gets dirty.
The bottom is what it is:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201102_172051683.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1604399838)
After the power came back on yesterday I started working on the support straps. It is the only way I see this thing surviving for any length of time. I had planed up some ambrosia maple for this purpose last week and I cut and fitted them to give the best coverage I could manage without getting into curves.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201102_162335345.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1604399760)
It was slow going drilling each screw hole and trying not to break through. I am holding the straps on with brass screws. (#10 x 2") Then I test fitted the legs with just 2 screws in each so I have marker holes after sanding and finishing to drill the rest.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201102_163623863.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1604399832)
Of course I did the obligatory flip and test to see how it looked.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201102_163802610.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1604399806)
Then I took the legs off and top sanded the straps so the blend edges matched, then removed the straps and finished the sanding. Gave the straps and bottom one more coat of Tung oil and hopefully today I can finish off the bottom with a coat of urethane.
In the last few days I have picked up all the fine grit sandpapers I need for polishing and yesterday the kit with the 3 compounds arrived so soon we will see what kind of a nightmare that might be. :D
Considering I lost 6 hours in the power failure yesterday an only managed about 7 hours of work time I didn't do too bad. It is coming along.
Today is another day, but first I have to vote, then get to work.
Hey that is looking great! 8) 8) 8)
OGH,
I did not see this to reply yesterday as, like your wife, my wife and I got up and spent the day working the polls. Long day but we had a good team to spend it with even though opposite parties. The lead was one of my wife's former students so it was a good visit.
Anyway I checked my crystal ball this morning and when the smoke thinned all I could see was a happy customer's face when he sees that slab.
Just a short update, yesterday was pretty good (work wise). I put a final coat on that live edge bench and (I don't think I say this often) I am pretty dang proud of how this is looking, especially with the live edge. This looks wet, but it is not. The finish is really good. It is just pretty.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201103_172528354.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1604495713)
I also did my first ever sand and polish on that cookie epoxy. This is something I have been sweating about. I didn't know if I would be good enough to get it clear. This section is clear enough to make me happy, you can read through the 1-5/8" thickness.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201103_090818078.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1604495717)
I did some finish coats on the bottom and let them dry. Will see what I can get done today, we have the boys.
Gotta get to it.
Nice work on the sand and polish. Optical grade result.
That's some purdy stuff there!
Well today I got the cookie prepped for the big 'money pour' to finish the top off, or so I had hoped. I also had hoped I wouldn't blow it and have big leaks and a mess. I kind of split the difference.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201105_205753554.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1604629265)
No real leaks to worry about but there were 2 or three spots where either I ran out of epoxy to cover or it perked into the wood and gave me a stippled surface. There was no time to mix more before setting took hold and working it further would have made more of an uneven surface. Here is a bad spot:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201105_205821579.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1604629263)
And this one is worse:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201105_205833829.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1604629295)
I confess it took a lot of fortitude to just let it ride and walk away. I just checked it a few minutes ago and except for those bad spots, it all looks pretty good. I had a couple of pinholes where some came through the tape, but they self sealed. My plan now is to do another layer that will fill in the pockets and bring it all up a little higher. I have done this before with good results. I just have to blow more epoxy on it and not short myself this time.
The wife and I have our monthly chiro appointments tomorrow morning, so I am going to try and get up early and get this done so it can cure through the day and maybe I can pull the tape in the evening. Anxious to keep moving on this. Just a tiny bit of tackiness in it at 9:30 tonight, so it should be good in the morning. Shop temp is 73 right now, I hope that's good enough, last year this time it was nearly impossible to get good cures in my shop because of temp changes, this year, not so much. ;D
Tomorrow is another day.
Looking good OGH! Looking good :D
Well, up at 4 today, in the shop by 5 (had a little coffee pot disaster to clean up), and poured by 6:30. Starting temp in the shop was 72°, which is what I wanted. I mixed more epoxy than yesterday but still could have used more. Touch and go to spread and smooth it, but I managed this time. There are still 2 slight low areas but everything is shiny and smooth and I believe I will leave it as is unless something changes. I am finding you have to babysit these things for a couple of hours to deal with little surface imperfections and an occasional bubble that just show up. The torch is my friend here. ;D
Here is where it stands right now:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201106_065431619.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1604665464)
SO another hour or two of watching it and not raising any dust in the shop. Then I am done for the day. We have chiro appts. at 10:30 (why I got up early) and then I am taking the wife to lunch. She has been depressed lately at the outcome of the election and what it means for our financial future. So I took her for a ride to visit a client and get colors off of his furniture I am going to make a matching bench for. Today I will take her out for lunch after the Doc, then do fall cleanup and put stuff away. That usually cheers her up a bit to have it done. I will stay out of the shop except to check things and watch the temp. I am hoping to pull the tape tonight to see how much edge sanding and polishing I have to do to get this finished.
looks great. I will be curious about your epoxy brand and the total outlay for the materials as well when done. you have stated you have been well compensated and that is good.
Quote from: doc henderson on November 06, 2020, 09:26:01 AM
looks great. I will be curious about your epoxy brand and the total outlay for the materials as well when done. you have stated you have been well compensated and that is good.
Well, I will be. Texted the client this morning with a photo and told him he needs to get some cash from the bank, it should be done in a few days unless I mess up.
Materials (including the legs) are probably around $150 at this point, maybe a little less. My time OTOH is around 40-50 hours spread over 2 years or so.
Going to look at that woodmaster 610 tonight, so faster than the money comes in, it goes out. ;D
consider it advertising as well. he will prob. be so proud of his custom high end rustic piece of art, he will show it to all who enter his home. maybe they will all want one. when folks ask where I get my wood, my first response is usually "from trees". and when asked what I do in my shop, "anything I want". all in fun of course. yes even "free" trees take time to pick up and move around, saw and handle. oh, and when asked how long it took to make a rustic bench, I say, "about 75 years if you include growing the tree".
OGH,
Good looking piece. I know the customer will love it.
Let me know if the lunch for the wife works. If so my wife and I can take each other out too.
Lunch with the wife sort of worked. As we were approaching the diner, my son called, turned out he was right behind us and followed us in and gave my wife money for the lunch 'just because' then he went back to work. She is still not happy with the state of the world, but a free lunch helped to lighten the mood.
Doc, this client already has a few of my pieces around that I played with to learn some basic concepts then gave him. He shows them off at least when I am around, he tells folks "see that table, look at the grain! Tom Made that for us!" His fire pit benches a made from unfinished slabs last Christmas eve in about 30 minutes with a chainsaw and 6" spike nails. He brags on those too and I winch every time he mentions it. OTOH, none of it hasn't helped sales much. :D
Well, dog tired tonight and a little frustrated. Was out in the shop by 6 and sanded all the edges on the cookie to match and blend the radius from top to sides. A little tricky given the shape, then I inspected it as close as I could. There were a couple of spots that needed a little epoxy touching up because either the sanding broke through the epoxy in thin spots or some spots just needed it. So I did a little pour and brushed that on. I started the finish work on edges in an area away from the fresh epoxy. 320>800>1000>2000 grit, then a heavy scratch remover compound (using Novus products), a lighter scratch remover, then a polish. Not happy. It is glass smooth, but the 'coloring' does not match the virgin pour, there is a very slight difference to my eye. True, like most novices, I missed some scratches before I moved onto a finer grit and those showed up in the final result so I had to go back and do it all again. Normal learning curve there. But the coloring was not right and I could clearly see where I had re-finished and where the original pour finish line was. Very frustrating and by 10am I was already tired, so I walked away to let the other epoxy dry while I thought about it and the day got away from me.
I unloaded the truck of that dust collector and Woodmaster I picked up last night. Both pieces run, dust collector works fine. The Woodmaster is in rough shape and I will have to take most of it apart to clean the rust off.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201107_141848536.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1604802744)
Then I have to make a height adjustment handle and figure out how it works. I do have the manual.
Then my son showed up with his landscaping trailer and we did the leaf cleanup. Last year there was 4 of us and it took 2 hours. This year there was two of us and we finished in the dark. Good thing his machines have headlights ;D.
He left, we had dinner. I watched the news for a bit, but the polishing thing had been on my mind and eating at me all day. I went back out to the shop at 8pm and started over on the same section. I got a much better finish than before with a very nice shine, but again, it did not quite match the poured surface. I think what I have to do is sand and/or polish the entire top so it is all finished the same and has the same 'lay'. The finish I achieved tonight is very fine, shiny, clear, and quite acceptable, but not a match to the clear pour, so I believe the entire top needs to get the same treatment so there is no 'line' between the original pour surface and the re-finished surface. Only way I can see to make it uniform. Anyway, I feel a little better with this knowledge in hand, but am nervous about taking sanding paper to a perfectly smooth glass-like flat surface. I am going to pick up some 3000 grit paper and see if I can get way with that. I came in and ordered some more of the Novus products because if I need to do the whole top, the 2oz. kit I have will not go the distance. I do know this is going to take a fair amount of time to get right. In spite of my disappointment in the surface finishing issues I am really pleased with the edge blending radius and smoothing between top and sides, which I kind of developed the technique for through my total lack of knowledge. Accidents happen and that part looks really nice. I do see a few other spots on the sides that I have to sand and smooth a little more and may have to re-touch the epoxy, buy confidence in that is pretty high. Every little mark, dust spec, and wave shows up on this thing like a neon sign. This is going to be very tedious.
Tomorrow is another day and I'll give it another shot.
Pictures of your problem probably wouldn't help. Subtle stuff like that is hard to see in a photo. Before you go to a lot of effort to fix the problem, it might be worth getting a second opinion. I would ask your wife to give it a critical look and see if there is a real problem, or one that just leaps out to you because you made it. We are most critical of our own work.
Doug in SW IA
I am not sure if it applies here but I have been told never to use any automotive buffing products on wood parts until you are sure the finish is perfect. Many of them contain silicon that can never be completely removed that will cause problems with future coats. Silicon can not be sanded off as it only spreads and the automotive silicon remover does not work properly on wood finishes. I buy the novus products by the gallon on Amazon for my wife's golf cart and know I had to use silicone remover to get the decals I made for it to adhere properly after polishing with them.
Well I have been consumed by that cookie commission for the last couple of days. I started another thread asking for specific help with my polishing issues and the cookie project kind of morphed over their. You can catch up on that thread: https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=112730.new#top
Anyway, it came out OK.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201109_150121097.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1604978174)
I'll take final photos tomorrow when it is really done and the legs are back on.
The polishing work is very tedious, so I have been slipping out for breaks to enjoy this incredible weather and get a little more of the fall prep work done. I emptied my water storage tank by using my 150 GPM pump and a fire hose with a 3/4 bore straight nozzle to blow clear some culvert pipes (with mixed results). I blew out my hoses and put some other outdoor stuff away. between sanding/polishing sessions.
I am keeping the woodstove in the shop going even with the 70° temps during the day because it drops at night and the shop cools really fast overnight without heat. Also I really like making coffee on that woodstove in the morning. :) So I fill it at night and it is at about 65 when I go out in the morning, I rekindle it to make coffee and then let it limp along all day choked way down, but enough to hold the temp at 70 and keep the fire going, then re-stoke it in the late evening again. Mostly I am still burning junk. I throw in good wood overnight, but put a few green pieces in the mix that burn slower. I have emptied the bin of all the end cuts and short nubs I had, but that carried the shop in part for several weeks, so there is that.
I have also continued to monitor the attic temps to see if it is worth going ahead with that fan system to suck heat from the attic during the fall and frankly it doesn't look like it is worth it. That attic heat is very fragile and not what I have thunk it would be. The temps are just not there except for a very short week or two. Lately even with this nice clear weather and sunshine, it just isn't there. But I haven't given up on it, I'll keep and open mind and keep watching.
It's late, I'm pooped. Tomorrow is another day.
Well, the table is finished. I have to get the client in to look it over.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201110_100155795.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1605101696)
I hope they like it, I kind of hate this part where where all the 'why does it look like [this] or [that] and there is always the chance that what they clearly asked for, not that they see it done leads to the suggestion about something different they would have preferred to have seen. It doesn't always happen, but when it does I get really short with my patience. It is what it is.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201110_100132187.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1605101683)
Done.
I haven't mentioned but the last few days I have had the free entertainment of looking out the side shop door to watch my neighbor (the junk collector) working out in the swamp with a big excavator he borrowed 'from a buddy'. I have no idea what he is doing but he is working pretty close to the water (a drainage creek) and he is making more of a mess than he had before. Still it has been humorous to watch him try to operate that big machine. Of concern is that he lets his 9 year old kid run around where he is working. Still, it's none of my business. Well around mid-afternoon yesterday he got it stuck.......pretty good.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201110_150807512.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1605101726)
I would have loved to hear the phone call of him calling all his 'buddies' for help. He even tried to pull it out with his SUV (this gives you an idea of how he thinks). He got somebody to come with a huge articulated CAT loader and that guy got him out. Pretty soon he is going to run out of 'buddies' to borrow things from because I know he is going to return this machine with the entire undercarriage and tracks packed with mud. Pretty much the same as he returned most of the stuff he borrowed from me in a broken or damaged condition. (I stopped loaning him stuff a year ago after he returned a brand new, used once, battery load tester and it was fried. He said it never worked. Funny, worked just fine for me 20 minutes before I loaned it to you.)
Anyway I am concerned what he is going to do to this waterway because right now it is a mud wallow.
I also had a nice visit with NYBHH yesterday and he brought over some cherry slabs. He came up with an idea for a bench design we would like to try, so we spent some time brainstorming while we watched the drama next door. It was a highly enjoyable visit.
Time to get at it.
I knew that window in the door would come in handy!
Well, with that cookie done I did a little (tiny) bit of cleanup yesterday and started thinking about 'what's next?'. The neighbor was working on that excavator until 10:30 the night before and di about the same last night. It is very distracting because after 4 days I see he has still not gotten a grasp of the controls on the machine and spends more time trying to figure out which way it goes with each control. Yesterday I saw he had his 9 year old kid tucked in the bucket about 10 feet off the ground and was swinging the turret around at full speed. Scared the crap out of me. Jackass. Yeah, none of this is any of my business of course, but I know when somebody gets hurt, and the screaming starts, I am the guy that will wind up mitigating it until the ambulance shows up. For now I keep my mouth shut, but another thing that bothers me is this guy operating that machine in the watercourse and the mess he is making out of everything. I did check and it is not on the list of controlled or monitored water courses in this state and I think what he is doing might be legal if not ethical, but I am sure he did not check and has no clue. I do know if a logger did that he would be screwed, no doubt. At this point my shop window is a community "entertainment center' and several folks have stopped by to watch the show and shake their heads. We have now nick-named him 'Ding-Dong' and it seems to fit. I get text messages "Is ding-dong still at it?" during the day. ;D I think he is going to work today, so no show for me, which is a relief.
So trying to get that off my mind I turned toward the next project, which is a joint venture of sorts (there is a pun in there that will remain secret until we get further along) to test a design idea.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201111_175045746.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1605186935)
I spent several hours chiseling, drawknifing, and finally sanding off the cambium to clean it up gently. This one is Cherry and if the idea works, it will be cool, but it goes well beyond pressing my skills and tools, so I will say no more until things progress. ;D
The client for the cookie table was supposed to show up and see his table 'after dinner' last night, but he stood me up. That seems to be his style and I never hang my hat on anything he says, still it aggravated the heck out of me, and no I am not going to text him with reminders, I am not his mother. He is also known to be a little slow making payments but always in a rush to get his work done. (I know none of you guys ever have these issues :D.) My son does a lot of work for him and it is a real sore point for him, having to chase his money. 'nuff sed on that.
Today is another day and I will see if I can sneak over and see what the total damage is that ding-dong has done, although he is not done yet.
Time to get at it.
Nice looking curved slab. I see "Bench, Bench, Bench..." lights flashing. I gather this one is fairly fresh. I have used a wire brush to knock off the punky sapwood on slabs like that in the past when it was soft enough.
On the slow pay customers I figure that is a one time event. After that it is pay with the order. I may have the time but I don't have the temperament to chase down my pay. I have a neighbor who recently bought $180 worth of walnut from me that I let him have on credit and he said he'd split the payments the first of each month and he was beating my door down looking for me both months till he paid it off as promised. I was in no rush for him but it was reassuring to see people like that.
Those slabs have such nice curves and look so sexy naked!
@WV Sawmiller (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=28064) - About a dozen or so of these slabs have been stickered drying in my barn for about 18 months now and apparently the bark was not all happy about letting go. Your intuition was spot on as to their final use. These were never exposed to UV so they will hopefully oil out close to their original coloration. Can't wait to see how this progresses.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/48169/cherryslabs.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1605198139)
Well the cat is worming out of the bag here a little bit. Brandon brought these slabs over to use for a design idea he proposed a month or so ago which also intrigued me. Hence the 'joint venture', but without letting too much else slip, the leg design on this is very complex for me to pull off for several reasons and it is the jointing that presents the big challenge, so another 'Joint Venture'. I planed it this morning and it is very white at this point, but when oiled, some color should pop back. (Any suggestions for a good product for Cherry grain would be appreciated. we are both looking into this.) Right now I have dumped epoxy into all the drying cracks on the bottom, then I have to do the top and sand it all off. SO probably Saturday before I can start making sawdust on it again. In the meantime I will start thinking about the cutting and jointing jigs I have to make.
(BTW Brandon, I chose to smaller of those two book matched slabs to begin with, saving the better for later.)
indoor, or outdoor location? Danish oil with a top coat of spar urethan, satin. for me.
This one is strictly an indoor piece. Shooting for high end classy with pretty wood. Modern rustic I guess you could call it
Well a full day of pressing ahead and I am not doing any work after dinner besides filling the stove before bed. Lots of thinking and detail work today on this new piece. I sanded the first side after epoxy crack fills, flipped it and epoxied a few more cracks on the other side. Then I turned to planning and making the first jig I need. Hopefully I only need one. Here's a hint:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201113_133357571.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1605319391)
I had tried to do this without a jig, but proved out what I knew, it was a non-starter. So I made the jig and did some test cuts with pine. They came out pretty close, but not perfect. Still I think I can make that work. I spent the afternoon looking this over, playing with it and thinking on it. There is a huge fight going on in my little brain right now between my machinist precision and my woodworkers precision and this project really requires machinist precision in wood, to my mind.
In the evening as I was pondering, my cookie client showed up and was very pleased with his table. I offered to deliver it tomorrow, but he wanted to take it himself (I didn't expect that, he rarely does anything manual), so I loaded it up in his jeep with a blanket and off he went. Hopefully he will pay me in a few days (yeah, I know but...).
This cleared that thing out of my way and now I can dug out the router table I bought with my table saw and never used once. I need it on this project. That is the job for tomorrow, to get it working, make a fence and figure out the next steps. I'll give y'all one more little clue which will likely make it all clear, it's all about the grain pattern.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201113_145328063.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1605319417)
Tomorrow is another day, right?
looks like a "waterfall table"!!! ??????
does the jig just ride against the fence? some would add a strip to go in the miter slot for stability.
But..... its not a table. the miter slot would hinder my artistic freedom. ;D
Artistic freedom aside I wonder how a jig that was a 45° V that spanned the blade and rides in both miter slots, have both pieces pre-cut at 45° then clamp them in the V to do the final pass on both at the same time. As long as the jig is 45° any inconsistencies in jig or blade angle should not matter?
"Kerfing" the joint.
Yup.
Well there are always a handful of ways to do anything. I am using this on the table saw and on the router table, which is why I can can't use as strip in the table slot.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201114_095002668.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1605370324)
More tonight, back to work.
OK, long day and I am pooped. All day on my feet pretty much. Don't know if I will go back out after dinner. I have tickets for an online concert at7pm, and by the time that is done...
So this morning I pulled out the router table, which is home made and came with my table saw. I have never used it and it was in a corner so of course I had to do some cleaning and re-arranging to get it out. I took the motor out, cleaned it and set a 3/8" straight slotting bit in it and put it back in the table. It's not a very good design and has no allowance for chip removal, so I have yet to work on that because packing chips are an issue on this job. Anyway I made the stuff I needed for a fence guide and begin and end stops, this will be a blind spline joint. I clamped up the pine sample joint I had made and tried it out. Worked OK, so I did the other half then found some stock to make the tenon. My wife was painting downstairs so I didn't have room to set up the planer to make something proper, I just winged it on the table saw and sanded for a snug fit. The joint went together well enough that with careful and proper clamping at the glue-up it will be a clean joint with very minimal gaps and it will be square which was what I was most sweating over. I didn't bother to glue it.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201114_103014056.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1605395732)
SO now it was time to cut on the real pretty wood, but I just couldn't bring myself to jump in. My wife suggested I try a test joint on hardwood. I took this further and grabbed a well dried maple slab off the pile that pretty well matched the cherry slab in all sizes. I cut off a chunk and set up the planer and cleaned it up. I also planed a piece of Cherry to 3/8 for the tenons on the good slab and a piece of Ash to the same dimension for this new test bench. This maple I just sanded after planing and didn't go through the epoxy and fine sanding steps. I took it upstairs and laid out my square cuts, set up the jig on the saw and cut the angles on the top and one leg and rough clamped them up to see how the matches would look. The live edges are my concern.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201114_165849000.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1605395739)
So I am pretty happy with that matchup. The waterfall effect with the grain in this piece of Maple came out pretty ok too. You see a gap in this phot because the block I used for clamping is not quite square, I just wanted to get a look at it.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201114_170827831.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1605395764)
All the edges come up true and square when it is properly aligned. I need to make some good square blocks for clamping when I do the joint fitting. I was a little stressed making those miter cuts with all the clamps hanging all over and for some reason, the piece is not feeding square to the blade and burns a little. I have to step back and figure that out. Having a 3' seat sticking up in the air isn't the most handy thing to work with either. Tomorrow I will finish the cuts, then try the slots and tenons on the router making some tweaks on each step along the way.
But tomorrow is another day. If I push further today, I will likely screw something up.
I don't know what it is or will be but it sure looks good so far. I await further postings with bated breath. (I wonder if mouthwash would cure bated breath?)
Its just another bench.
no, it is a waterfall bench! how many legs will it have? two? 8) :D
Yeah. I haven't figured out how to do 3 yet. ;D
I'm impressed.
Quote from: Nebraska on November 14, 2020, 09:31:36 PM
I'm impressed.
Oh don't be.... ;D I have plenty of opportunities to mess this up yet. It's a pretty simple joint really, but it has to be straight and flat for a good join. The angles have to be pretty much spot on in order for the legs to come in at exactly 90°, and the mortises have to be dead perpendicular to the edge faces and both at the exact same distance from the inside edge in order for the outside edges to meet perfectly when it is glued up. Then of course I need a nice snug slip fit for the tenons in each slot. SO let's all just wait and see how I find new ways to have this go wrong. I know lots of guys do these all the time with ease, but my equipment is not really close to cabinet maker quality or accuracy, so I am having to think of ways to minimize the risk of errors a little bit harder. It's a lot more work than I expected. But, it might look cool.
Or, it might be a bust. Brandon asked me to try it and supplied the wood and a lot of design ideas as we talked it through. I don't want to let him down.
Hey, its looking great! I'm impressed too. Don't worry about letting me down! There's plenty more wood and this is suppose to be a fun learning experiment for both of us.
Edit: I have one of these (tenoning jig)
https://www.grizzly.com/products/grizzly-tenoning-jig/h7583?gclid=Cj0KCQiAwMP9BRCzARIsAPWTJ_FFLXIxIlLcJpSKROFhcte-j68iFx-8-LQtDnlj5Nf9C7DOxQQEYBMaApuHEALw_wcB (https://www.grizzly.com/products/grizzly-tenoning-jig/h7583?gclid=Cj0KCQiAwMP9BRCzARIsAPWTJ_FFLXIxIlLcJpSKROFhcte-j68iFx-8-LQtDnlj5Nf9C7DOxQQEYBMaApuHEALw_wcB)
It was donated/given to me and I've never used it before. Let me know if you think it would be useful.
Nope sorry still impressed. :) That joint is past my current pay grade and equipment, not saying I won't try it, just not soon.
Quote from: nybhh on November 15, 2020, 07:23:48 AM
Edit: I have one of these (tenoning jig)
https://www.grizzly.com/products/grizzly-tenoning-jig/h7583?gclid=Cj0KCQiAwMP9BRCzARIsAPWTJ_FFLXIxIlLcJpSKROFhcte-j68iFx-8-LQtDnlj5Nf9C7DOxQQEYBMaApuHEALw_wcB (https://www.grizzly.com/products/grizzly-tenoning-jig/h7583?gclid=Cj0KCQiAwMP9BRCzARIsAPWTJ_FFLXIxIlLcJpSKROFhcte-j68iFx-8-LQtDnlj5Nf9C7DOxQQEYBMaApuHEALw_wcB)
It was donated/given to me and I've never used it before. Let me know if you think it would be useful.
NOW you tell me this?! ;D :D >:( Yeah, that would have been pretty handy and saved me making the jig. It would also allow tweaking of the angle to get it more perfect. Not sure if it will match my table slot and hopefully the tongue is removable for use on the router table, but yeah, I would like to try that out.
Quote from: Nebraska on November 15, 2020, 10:59:10 AM
Nope sorry still impressed. :) That joint is past my current pay grade and equipment, not saying I won't try it, just not soon.
OK, tell you what because this is also above my paygrade and pushing my equipment, if I do manage to pull this off, I too will be impressed. It's just that I know me pretty well and suspect I will screw this up somehow.
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on November 14, 2020, 09:55:31 PMnd the mortises have to be dead perpendicular to the edge faces and both at the exact same distance from the inside edge in order for the outside edges to meet perfectly when it is glued up.
Just theorizing... IF the outside edge does not exactly line up, couldn't you ease the corner (round it over) a bit to
hide the screw-up enhance the waterfall effect? Or would the grain distort on the round edge and not line up? Maybe practice on the pine and oak samples?
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on November 15, 2020, 12:31:26 PM
Quote from: nybhh on November 15, 2020, 07:23:48 AM
Edit: I have one of these (tenoning jig)
https://www.grizzly.com/products/grizzly-tenoning-jig/h7583?gclid=Cj0KCQiAwMP9BRCzARIsAPWTJ_FFLXIxIlLcJpSKROFhcte-j68iFx-8-LQtDnlj5Nf9C7DOxQQEYBMaApuHEALw_wcB (https://www.grizzly.com/products/grizzly-tenoning-jig/h7583?gclid=Cj0KCQiAwMP9BRCzARIsAPWTJ_FFLXIxIlLcJpSKROFhcte-j68iFx-8-LQtDnlj5Nf9C7DOxQQEYBMaApuHEALw_wcB)
It was donated/given to me and I've never used it before. Let me know if you think it would be useful.
NOW you tell me this?! ;D :D >:( Yeah, that would have been pretty handy and saved me making the jig. It would also allow tweaking of the angle to get it more perfect. Not sure if it will match my table slot and hopefully the tongue is removable for use on the router table, but yeah, I would like to try that out.
After watching the two videos, while a very nice jig/tool, it wouldn't work for your application. It only flips down to 75° so you wouldn't have been able to get your 45° end cuts with it. It was not designed to do that.
A little fussy but to do the end cuts you want, I use a sled on my table saw and tilt the blade. The sled allow you to get a very square and even cut and is fairly save/secure as the large boards are flat on the table. For the spline cut, that is where a biscuit cutter would shine (don't have one of those).
Yeah ljohnsaw, on closer inspection it appears you are correct, that fixture won't swing down far enough and that is a shame. Their designer came up short on that one. It would have been perfect.
Well this afternoon I finished the cutting and mortises on the test bench. Lots of little things to figger out and get used to. I cut the tenons and they fit very nicely (accidents happen) and put it together to look it over. Turns out, when I glue it, I think I can just use one clamp.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201115_160038419.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1605487740)
The joints come up dead nuts on 90° between the legs and the top. Really pleased with that and the joints fit pretty nice.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201115_155653763.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1605487698)
One of the issues I was concerned about is that as a live edge, nothing is perfect and the fold over corners would not match. Some came out very close, others are like this.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201115_155633450.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1605487725)
Not a big deal and not a screw up by any stretch, but I will have to deal with it in finishing. I have not glued it yet, actually I am going to use epoxy because I think it is stronger and will fill better and it will be yet another 'experiment'. Truth is, as a dry fit it doesn't even need a clamp and looks pretty good.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201115_175130647.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1605487759)
I will glue this up tomorrow (I may just do one leg at a time because of working time) and while it is curing I will start cutting on the Cherry slab. No screw ups yet, and mostly what I learned was small technique things to either make it easier or a little more accurate. In any event, it's not a 'bang it out' kind of project, taking care and time with each step and cut matters.
So far, so good, and Nebraska I am getting closer to agreeing with you. Right now I will just say that I am relieved I haven't mis-judged something and needed a do-over. I just keep learning as I go. And tomorrow is another day, right?
Okay, now for the real challenge - with a bench that thick I think you need a drawer in the middle. ??? ::) :D
Quote from: WV Sawmiller on November 15, 2020, 08:20:29 PM
Okay, now for the real challenge - with a bench that thick I think you need a drawer in the middle. ??? ::) :D
OK stick that idea in your ear! :D :D :D :D :D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Hey, be careful! I am real sensitive about criticism you know. I just thought you wanted a challenge. :D
Quote from: WV Sawmiller on November 15, 2020, 08:50:22 PM
Hey, be careful! I am real sensitive about criticism you know. I just thought you wanted a challenge. :D
The question here then become are you more sensitive to criticism, or am I more sensitive to folks adding to the complexity of my projects when I am already stressed out? :D ;D Just askin'
you should watch Dr. Wengerts webinar on glue if you hav not. I think he would recommend glue, or keep the joint loose so the epoxy has enough heat to cure. looks great, 2 legged bench.
Quote from: doc henderson on November 15, 2020, 09:02:11 PM
you should watch Dr. Wengerts webinar on glue if you hav not. I think he would recommend glue, or keep the joint loose so the epoxy has enough heat to cure. looks great, 2 legged bench.
Yeah, that is in my queue to watch I have just not made time. Maybe if I am up early I can get that one in. Yes, epoxy needs space for sure.
Very impressive indeed Tom! Don't stress! I hear wood actually does grow on trees and there is plenty more where that came from. Its not walnut ;). I'm driving back tomorrow evening and Cello has her CT scan on Tues but I may try and get over for another visit soon. Looking forward to hearing all the little tips and tricks you've picked up and what your thoughts are on doing several more (If they sell as well as I suspect). The first one is spoken for I believe. 👍
Well I didn't really find anything mind boggling, just mostly ways to operate my stuff to get the cuts right, but the mis-match issue is something I pondered for a bit afterhours with a beer in my hand and another for backup. I believe if I am really careful and measure the individual piece to select the proper place to cut the seat from the legs where there is minimal change in the width I can minimize the mismatch on the edges between legs and top. I think this is important to the aesthetic in so far as is possible, the curves and angle of cut on that first one also have an impact. It's complicated to make things simple. On this sample bench I left the cambium color on it, so sanding down to the white will really show up when I make the blends. On the Cherry it is all white, so I don't think it will show much but who knows until we put the oil on?
Come for a visit any time, and hey bring Cello if she is up to it, that would be fun. Bring that Grizzly jig and we can look it over. I think the 75° limit kind of takes it out for this one, but I would still like to see it to figger it out.
Sales? Hah, I can't seem to sell much, if I made decisions based on sales I would be pretty bored. ;D
edit to add: Monday we have the boys, Tuesday I should have a zoom meeting at some time I don't know yet (apparently I am teaching for the college again in the spring semester), and Wednesday on looks really clear.
said a small, tentative voice from the back of the room "More gruel, please sir and I think a magazine rack on each end would be a nice touch too ..." :D :D
Remember - they always said a camel is a horse designed by committee. Wait till we all add a suggestion or two.
You are a sick puppy with a little cruel streak. ;D :D
Ok I will add it to the list of options. How about adding and electrical outlet for a lamp or tv?
Okay and maybe a nice mortise in the middle sized to fit an umbrella pole just in case it is sunny outside. :D
I wonder if anyone ever made a bench with rockers? ???
Think of the liability insurance you would need. :D
So, a little lunchtime lesson:
When you do a joint glue up with epoxy you have to be efficient, when you do 2 joints at once you have to be efficient and fast. When you do 2 joints and fill a large void, you have to be efficient, fast, and lucky. The epoxy hit critical mass as I was nearly finished and I could not get it all in. I wound up with a blob leftover which I am calling 'plastic art'. ;D :D
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201116_103614327.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1605552788)
But it's done for now and curing. Will pull clamps this evening.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201116_102507537.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1605552782)
OGH,
Its looking great. Question - is the stretcher on the bottom a permanent or temporary fixture? I can see the value of a stretcher but that looks lower than I would expect it.
Funny you ask that. I had done a test clamp up and checked squareness on everything and it was dang near perfect. When I did the real epoxy glue up this morning it was not perfect so I had to scramble to cut that spacer to get it a little better. It is just jammed in and a big part of the reason I ran out of working time with the epoxy. This bench will be a seat and 2 legs, no more. Very simple. I had also planned on gluing this up and moving on to making cuts on the Cherry bench, but this gave me enough headaches and things I didn't like that I held off. I think I have them figured out now, but I still have to figure out how to deal with them (2 different things) on the Cherry and get it right. So I am waiting until this test bench cures and I can rectify the issues remaining. My machinist brain will just not shut up and I have to get it right. I did a touch up pour this evening to fill in the big void and try to fill some joint cracks (good on the first, not so much on the second). The big void is a legacy branch inside the tree from years ago that just grew over, decayed and fell out. I figure I will polish that epoxy so you can see thru it. There is another very old bug hole I think, about 3/8" diameter, I left that untouched because I thought it would make a nice natural pencil holder. (so one can do the crosswords in their magazines that come from the handy magazine rack if/when I add it. ;D)
I may be wrong (I was once before that time when I thought I had made a mistake ::)) but I'd feel a lot safer if that bench had a stretcher or 2 triangles (cut as 2- 45*'s & a 90*) on the bottom side hidden at/under the connection points to keep the legs from spreading and breaking. That's strange because when I make a similar sized bench with 4 Mortise and tenon legs I feel totally comfortable sitting, standing, jumping, etc. on them. I guess it is the type joints and fastening that are concerning me.
Yeah, I realize I never put up a clear photo of the hardwood joint, actually, I never took one so... But I do have a slightly better one in the first test joint than what I had back on the last page of this thread.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201114_103022368.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1605583072)
Although that photo shows the grain is clearly going in the wrong direction on the tenon, it was just a test joint for fit up I grabbed what was handy. The hardwood joints have the grain on the tenon in the proper direction. The tenon does most of the alignment during fit-up and handles the vertical load during use. The glued joint itself handles the rigidity you are concerned about. I had some minor gaps in the joints on the test bench (which I will eventually fill) so we will see in the morning how strong this thing actually is. When done right, this joint is rock solid and there is no need for a stringer. It comes down to the strength in the wood itself and square joints.... if done right. Now my work, on the other hand... :D The tenon goes 3/4" into each member of the joint and on the test bench it is 6-1/2" long. Ash is pretty tough stuff as you know.
OGH,
Thanks. That makes me feel more better. :D
Quote from: WV Sawmiller on November 16, 2020, 10:31:22 PM
OGH,
Thanks. That makes me feel more better. :D
Your comfort is my pleasure. 8)
I forgot to mention, the gussets would kill the whole aesthetic concept of the bench and mitigate the reason for even trying it. We are looking for something cool that would attract the eye of an interior designer and also appeal to folks who can understand what it takes to make something like this and have it look pretty.
(oh and Nebraska, if you are still following, after todays glue up difficulties I am holding back on being impressed. Not for a while yet. Tomorrow is remediation day for the test bench, lets see if I can save it.)
OG- I'm with wv in that that joint looks insufficient (think 300 lb customer standing on it..). It is essentially an end grain butt joint. The spline helps but..You could add a full width glue block to the underneath and lock the miter with a few pairs of perpendicular nails. There are tricks to getting proper epoxy bonded joints. The Gougeon bros. Of west system fame describe it well
Well, it is possible you are correct, and I don't have math to back up my thoughts. Maybe somebody like @Don P (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=17) can run some of his magic numbers and tell us what it will hold. What I can tell you is that less than 24 hours after I glued it up I tipped the bench up with one leg in the air and all the weight on the bottom edge of the other leg and then leaned on it with my weight and can't make it flex. As far as standing on it in the normal position, this will have no problem with just 300#. It is incredibly strong and rigid, but more testing to follow. I am doing some fill pours now just to close gaps, then some more testing before finishing.
By the way, I assembled this thing with no clamps or glue and could sit on it with no problem. It was, of course, very shaky, but the tenons alone hold the weight easily.
If I have to put blocks and screws in, then I will just toss the whole idea because the beauty will be gone from it for me. I want a thinking person to look at it and wonder for a bit how it was done.
sounds like you did the test, and it should be ok. and if it loosened up ore the years, would not be a catastrophic failure. depends on what the children decide to do with/use it for. :D
that joint is popular with table makers now.
The joint could be stronger, how strong do you need it.
I can attempt the math, it's really just a cantilever so as simple as it gets... but, even after building a hydraulic test machine for glueups at the furniture plant my favorite way to test stuff was to get somebody with a sense of adventure up on it and then kick it. Kinda hard to beat a real world test.
Well it could always be made stronger. My feeling after having my hands on it is that it is more than plenty strong enough, especially with the tenons in it. However some are looking at it and have doubts that it is safe over the long haul. I disagree. I suppose I could go back to my EMS and rope rescue3 training and say that for a factor of safety, you assume the maximum human load is 500# and test it to that level. I have little doubt this will hold up without any problem. I just have to find a 500# load I can put on it to prove it.
What say ye WV and Beav, if I load it with 500# will you be comfortable with that?
OGH,
I was comfortable when I saw the spline and tenon arrangement. I was thinking it was just surfaces being glued.
I have a 500 lb brother so are you asking to borrow him? We have been looking for work he can do sitting down so this sounds like a win win situation.
Tell you what, I'll pay $60./hr for his services but I can't cover transportation, lodging, or expenses. I figure I might need him for about 5 minutes. Can you check with his secretary and let me know when he is available?
I read an article a while back that said polyurethane was the strongest glue for end grain applications. Apparently end grain is like thousands of little straws that the glue gets pushed into. Yellow glue and epoxy don't penetrate very far and shrink slightly reducing the strength after drying where polyurethane expands up to 2 inches into the cell structure and expands as curing. I have not tried the polyurethane glue but apparently Franklin says it's stronger for some applications.
it can also be a mess, gews out on everything, and hard to sand. like squirting expanding foam in a void and trying guess if it is enough or too much. I would experiment a little with it before i used it on a finish piece. but I agree with the concept. watch out for the gorilla to sneak up behind you. :D :D
how bout 400#s and some bluegrass music for the side stress. smile_banjoman
I will play the bass.
I suspect epoxy is similar in that respect because it really wicks up in the grain. I can tell you this joint is impressively rigid.
I had a zoom meeting this morning with the main instructor over at the college to discuss the course we will be team teaching in the spring semester. Guess I am back in the game for a little while. Still not sure how I feel about this.
I spent the day doing spot pours just to fill in little gaps (they drive me crazy but I have to make them go away). I will have to do some more tomorrow because everything is at a different angle. Running out of other places to pour the excess epoxy. Boring day all around, I did go and look at a tree job for some musician friends. A 40" dbh maple, long dead. Steep slope but a pretty easy fall, but there is one big leader that concerns me. The tree has a lot of rot and pithy stuff. You never know where it is going to break. Might get one of my pro friends to do the drop.
Tomorrow is another day.
Interesting thought Doc, I don't know that the music would add much stress thought. But you put me onto and idea, the real test would be to bring one up to my camp at the Grey Fox Festival. It would get good use and testing at all levels of sobriety, weight, and loading scenarios.
"It isn't a band without a bass" Bill Keith
toe tappin and head rocking. sounds like a real test to me. it looks great, and sounds like you tested it well. go for it. maybe a little dancing on top with the lady that sings at the end. ... ...! :)
All About That Bass - Postmodern Jukebox European Tour Version - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLnZ1NQm2uk)
Well, it's not quite that elegant Doc. I had something more like this in mind, in fact this video was shot in my campsite in the artists camping area. All pros and very good. It's a shame you don't get a better look at the bass player in the second tune or the young gal in the bikini (careful what you say, they are both friends ;D). The cellist is my good friend Rushad, one of the best in the world, and the banjoist is Ron Cody, just super technical player. The bassist is (was) his wife Wendy. I can't recall the guitar player's name, and the video was done by another good friend Fred Robbins who has an amazing archive of recordings of the best of the best in Bluegrass and beyond spanning back 40 years.
Rushad has a habit of acrobatic moves when he is playing and would actually be a good test of the bench. I have a funny story about that, but some other time. Anyway, 'my crew' back in 2013 when times were simpler:
Campsite Jam 5 - Foggy Mtn Special, Jerry's Breakdown - Grey Fox 2013 - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3XKthImI7g)
Enjoyed that one, you can post more. Looked like a good time. Congratulations on the teaching gig as well you have much to offer to other people.
I enjoyed that one, it was great!
Get wv's 500 lb brother to dance to some kick@ss bluegrass on it and I'll give in
The world that these high end musicians move in changes fast, that seems like such a long time ago but they were wonderful great memories and I am still close with Rushad and follow his life turns, Ron is traveling a different path for the time being and I look forward to when we can ne together again.
Rushad is a fascinating guy, he plays everything fluently from classical, through heavy metal. Folks who like one genre can't seem to tolerate the others. He can has and often played hanging upside down from a tree branch, played while crowd surfing on his back, jumped up on speaker stacks, hung from rafters, and a few other 'odd' things. I have been with him walking into a new performance space and he looks around for things he can use, or perhaps hang from. When I hosted him for a house concert on short notice I knew I would have to build a stage. I framed it with 8/4 maple and decked it with 2 layers of 3/4 ply and supplied him with a 40" 4 legged maple stool I knew he could stand and dance on, and he did, of course. I made the mistake of using 1/4 round filtches for the corner posts on the stage to hold the lighting up and told him he could NOT hang from those. Instead during the show he took some bites from the bark on the filtches to make a point in the story he was telling the little kids in the audience. When he arrived and saw the stage he said 'Aw man, you didn't need to do that for me, it's beautiful!" I said "Ru' I know your shows, if I didn't build you a strong stage my homeowners insurance would never cover the costs." He looked at the ground and said "Yeah man, I guess you are right." :D :D Anyway, it was a night I will remember for a long time. I could post some of his other stuff, but a lot of folks here would likely not care for it at all. ;D By the way, for anybody that knows something of modern Bluegrass, Rushad was one of the founding members of Crooked Still. You can find very many videos of his work on you tube, just search 'Rushad Eggleston'.
This video was shot the day before Rushad arrived in camp. More really good players. Big Scotia is a standard we all like. I am actually sitting in a chair in the background on this one. Staying out of the way is the least I can do when good folk are playing.
Campsite Jam 1 - "Big Sciota" - Grey Fox 2013 - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S3W9DUPubs)
Quote from: beav on November 17, 2020, 10:11:08 PM
Get wv's 500 lb brother to dance to some kick@ss bluegrass on it and I'll give in
I'm only 183 but if I jump up and down on it and wiggle a lot will that work for ya? (It may not look to pretty.)
Ah, you guys threw me down the rabbit hole looking for videos and I got sucked in. Reliving some very good moments that will always be dear. I found this one, Farewell Blues, which is one of my favorites and I remembered that I was suffering from the heat and taking some recovery time in the camp while this jam was going on. I am in the background of this one too which is how I remembered my issues that day. Average temps were 95 that week and I worked out in the sun for much of it. SO I took an afternoon off, had a shower and sat in camp. Most of the time I miss this stuff while I am put working. That was a superb year.
Farewell Blues:
Campsite Jam 3 - "Farewell Blues" - Grey Fox 2013 - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pg5Vc-xzOnQ)
Tom, neat videos. good music. Congrats on the teaching gig. I bet you are going to enjoy that. My wife retired a little over 10 years ago from her high school band teacher job when she got an offer to take over a local college and community band as an adjunct professor. She did that then asked them to let her teach photography classes and they agreed and set up a class or two each quarter. She had a real free hand with them and the students would help pick where they'd go for their "labs". Once they went to a local State park with an old water powered grist mill in a snow storm and met a well known professional photographer working on a Travel Magazine article and he had waited a year or more to catch the weather right for that shot. He talked to the class at length sort of like a workshop or such. Another time they visited a local junkyard and took pictures of trees growing through old wrecked cars and such. She had a blast with that job. The kids wanted to be there and were interested and anxious to learn and no small town politics to contend with. One quarter the college called the day classes started and asked her to teach a photoshop class as the teacher quit that morning. She did and had 3-4 ex-cons in there as part of their program to learn to be tattoo artists. She called them her jailbirds but they were all respectful to her and were good in her class. The college folded and sold out and the new one who took over did not offer those classes but it was good while it lasted.
Well, that test bench isn't finished but nearly so. I figured out how to get the leg bottoms final trimmed so it sit with no rock and a dead flat floor. I may put some thin glides on it when it is done, just because. I keep doing some small epoxy holes and cracks (I can't seem to let it go) and those are still curing in a few areas. but it is looking pretty good.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201118_204548238.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1605752582)
It is rock solid stable, very pleased with that.
I could wait to see if/how the ambrosia colors would come through with some tung oil, so I did most of the top and sides. The camera messes with the colors whether I use flash or not, but it looks pretty nice.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201118_205232652.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1605752598)
The flow of the grain came out pretty spot on and flows nicely.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201118_205158218.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1605752568)
I still have a lot of sanding and finishing to do on this one after the epoxy finishes curing (I am done....I think) and I sure would like to find a different finish to put on this besides urethane. I'd like something more clear.
Anyway, I also was filling tiny cracks on the cherry slab and tomorrow I will likely start cutting on that now that I have some things figured out.
We have a new fridge being delivered tomorrow, so I figure that will take a chunk out of my day. There will also be a fella in my shop welding on one of my son's plows so I have to get some stuff covered up. All in all, it looks like a lower output day than normal, but tomorrow is another day, we shall see how it goes.
How did you do the trimming to get it dead flat with no wobble?
Quote from: jeepcj779 on November 19, 2020, 01:33:42 PM
How did you do the trimming to get it dead flat with no wobble?
Well, I fell back on my machinist ways. I don't have granite surface plate big enough to handle this bench, so I used MDF on my table saw to give me a flat reference plane. I flipped the bench over and shimmed it to take out the wobble (top has a slight twist, remember, it's a test bench), then I took a vernier height gage and checked it, turned out one leg was just fine but the other had slipped during gluing/clamping and was out almost a 1/4" on one corner.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201118_143047142.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1605811130)
SO using the gage I scribed a line to fix the errant leg, I flipped the bench up on end and carefully aligned it in my RAS and clamped it in place then cut to the line.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201118_143053415.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1605811126)
It came dang close, but still a tiny bit of rock, so I just worked with the belt sander on the high spots, checking, sand a little more, check again, etc. This last part could drive a boy crazy, but this time it took only 5 minutes for it to set solid. When I was sanding, I did relieve the center sections of each leg just a tiny bit so there is only contact at the 4 corners. Not my finest hour, but it all came out OK. I think I mentioned, I may still add some glides depending on the end user needs.
Would it need feet or the centre of each leg scooped out a bit or the floor it sits on will have to be perfectly flat too?
I lightly mentioned in my last post that I relieved the center while sanding leaving 4 basic bearing points. Yes a 4 legged thing will almost never sit flat so I am considering some thin plastic glides to absorb a little of imperfections in the bench or the floor.
Your right, I seen the words but it did not register in my brain. ;)
little brain... got it! :) :) :)
I don't want to hurt you architect and engineering expert's feeling but when I want my bench legs to sit flat I turn my bench upside down on my mill. clamp it securely, set my band height at 17" (my normal bench height), open my blade guides out past the maximum width of the bench and make one pass. For me this cuts all (2, 3, 4, 5 or more if used) the legs exactly 17" high and all at the same angle and they will sit square on a level concrete or wood floor every time. No fuss - no muss. Hey, but that's just how us laymen do things.
Well Doc has his box method with the pull saw and that obviously works for him, but I have never tried it, and you have your sawmill method, which I have used often and plan to continue because it works well (until it doesn't). However, in this situation it seemed to me that it required a different approach. With stick legs I don't think you can beat the sawmill method, but these are 2" thick slab legs being end cut. I thought (first) that this would cause chatter on the mill either in the blade or leg movement, and second, as these legs have a parallel set of edges (the top edge and the bottom edge) I could could easily run them against the fence on the table saw to make them identical, and third, It was dang cold outside (20°) and 70 in the shop, so given these choices, which way would you go (not withstanding your close relationship with tables saws ;D (sorry, I could not let that slip by))?
.....
Today was a very productive day all around. I went out early and stoked the stove, it was 52 in the shop and my epoxy from last night didn't cure fully. >:( Came in the house went over the daily plan with the boss, and read some forum stuff before getting to work around 7:30. Tried sanding the test bench, no joy with that soft epoxy so I put it to the side and threw more wood in the stove. ;D
I brought the Cherry slab upstairs and start laying out my cuts but something was bothering me. It looked like, because of the curve in the wood, it might tend to tip over backwards (or forward depending on orientation). This bothered me enough that I kept laying out CG diagrams in my head and looking at it from all angles. I finally used my option to 'call a friend' and got hold of @nybhh (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=38169) and we had a zoom session so I could show him my concerns in living color. We talked it through and came up with some options in case it turned out 'not so well'. I had to cut the call short because of new fridge arrived, and I helped those guys get it in after getting the old one out. Then I went back to the shop and laid out my real cut lines, went back in the house for lunch and after lunch I went out and did the sanding on the test bench. I took off all remnants of the Tung Oil I tested last night. Didn't like it. I applied a full nice coat of Watco Danish Oil and like that better, then I set that aside with a loose cardboard cover over it, for dust. Then I did the basic cuts on the Cherry. My sons welder showed up as I was getting ready for the joints cuts and I knew he would be grinding and welding and I was trying to minimize anything that would land on my stuff. I hooked up a dust collector for him to use. He liked that a lot. I got through most of the cuts, but had to run in the house at 5pm to help the wife re-load the new fridge (don't ask). Went back out, finished the miter cuts and set up the router for the mortises. Got all of those done but one by dinner time. Went back out after dinner and finished the last one and dry fit the bench. Looks pretty good, the miters are about 1° off but I have an idea that will deal with this and if it works, it is a non-issue (remember, its epoxy, not glue, some gaps are needed). Just with the bench dry fit and no clamps I can sit on it and it's rock solid. There is very little rocking issue, so all that worry was for naught (mostly), but worth exploring. Tomorrow I will make the clamping blocks I have in mind, trim the legs (on the table saw, sorry) before the glue-up and get it done. Didn't want to start that tonight, so I pulled the test bench out and put another coat of Danish oil on it and it is beginning to look pretty good. Looked at the Cherry one again and realized I will have an issue with the long leg clamp because the legs are not parallel to each other. I will figure that out in the morning, just make some fitted blocks to match the angles. There is a chance I won't need that clamp, but I want to be prepared. I can't 'wing it' when I have wet, but rapidly curing, epoxy.
Photos for the day. You can see my clamping issue here.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201119_200034856.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1605837710)
The front (or back) of the cherry bench.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201119_194005160.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1605837678)
The Back (or front) of the cherry bench.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201119_193957486.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1605837635)
The test Bench is looking pretty nice, still not sure what finish I will put on it.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201119_195915999.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1605837670)
The colors don't show too well here and they are subtle, but the ambrosia is there.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201119_195939960.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1605837729)
I cranked up the wood stove during the final work session of the day and had it cooking and finally got the temp upstairs over 70°, then I choked it down and filled it, hoping I can manage to keep it warm so that the Danish oil works in. I should have moved that bench to the back of the shop where it is warmer, but I ain't going back out now.
In general I am really happy with the test bench, it is super strong. and starting to get pretty. I am fairly happy with the cherry thus far. Not concerned anymore about that rocking and it depends on which face is the front. Personally I like having the bumps (some have another term they use for those, but I won't use that on this forum even though it fits well) in the front, I expect they will be the 'features' on this bench and in that case there is zero issue of rocking it and falling over backwards. In the other direction, it is a very minimal risk.
A good solid 14 hour day and I have been on my feet all day, so I am a bit tired. As I was typing this post my daughter called. They have an acrid odor coming from a downstairs closet near the service panel and it's getting worse. Wondering what they should do? I told her to call 911 and gave her the details she needed to give the dispatcher over the phone then hung up and turned on my radio. It took a little while for the dispatch to go out, but the Chief called out responding in under a minute. I called my daughter back to tell her who the Chief is and what he needed to know when he pulled up. She said 'He's already here'. I noted his response time as under 2 minutes. I told her to 'say Hello to Chris for me' and I hung up knowing she was busy. It's been 20 minutes and all I know is that they have canceled the FAST team on standby and have 2 Firefighters working in air packs. I assume they have a TIC and are checking walls looking for a source. I also assume in a few minutes I will hear they found the source and mitigated it. I further assume I will be making a drive out there to help them fix the issue in the next day or so. ;D Here's to hoping my assumptions are accurate to some extent. I know the Chief there, he is one of the best and very sharp. He has a great crew, I worked with them many times on major jobs, structure fires, swiftwater rescues, etc. Finest kind of folks with big hearts. BUT, this waiting is a tad stressful and now I am thinking of all the times it was my job to make the calls and be thorough and make folks wait and felling just a tad guilty. But now I am just another bystander. Dang but I hate getting old. It's been 40 minutes now, so I guess they are tracking it down and figuring it out. AT least I haven't heard a second alarm. That would get me in my truck pretty quick. Here's hoping.
Tom,
I don't think the sweep in your cherry bench is going to be severe enough it is going to give you any stability issues as to tilting over backward or forwards. It looks real good to me.
Remember when we are talking leg cutting techniques I am making primitive benches while you guys are crafting high end, gallery worthy, furniture pieces and also that free advice is worth wat you paid for it. :D Keep that fire stoked, the coffee warm and spirits high. smiley_bouncing
Aw shoot, you just reminded me, I don't think I brought the coffee pot in from the shop for washing and prep for tomorrow (no running water in the shop, on the list for 2022). I wash it in the house in the evening and fill it with water in the morning, then bring it out to the shop when I stoke the stove and put coffee in it, takes about 40 minutes to reach perking temp, then I notice it when I hear it boiling over if I don't notice the smell of fresh coffee perking first. ;D
It's 11pm, it can wait until the morning. :D
As for the bench, it is what is is. You pays your money, you takes your chances. :D I just like to try new things, and this is new to me. It's all good. Someday maybe I will develop some skill at this stuff, but for now, I just make do.
Tom by the looks of that bench you are making do just fine. Work like that and that cookie table you just did should put a little "walk'in around" money in your coffee can. Nice work.
I think they both look amazing and I really do love that look of the clean simple design (not simple to build though) coupled with the organic flowy shape of the live edge slab. The whole thing is just very attractive to me and I think your idea to do a single waterfall with a pin leg on the other end would be very cool too. Perhaps that is an option for the "brother" slab? (That one is clearly the female ;)).
The sap wood/heart wood of the cherry really does remind me of a river as well so I think the waterfall effect of that corner detail will look amazing if the finish is able to bring out that contrast in the wood.
Hope everything is ok at your daughter's house. Looking forward to my tutorial!
Update on my daughters place: They are all fine. It took the FD over an hour to find the problem even with a TIC, It turned out to be a crack in the wall thimble where the woodstove chimney exits the basement. It was likely a defect in workmanship on the chimney builders part (who happens to be the same guy the owns the place and rents to my daughter and SIL). The crack was allowing heat to leak out of the thimble and into the sill, the gasses traveled along the sill until they reached an uninsulated closet where they entered the structure. Had they not found it, the sill would likely ignited at some point. Close call for sure. The building inspector condemned the chimney until repair and inspection, but the house is safe to stay in.
They have lived in this house around 10 years and are trying to buy it, but the landlord/owner/builder really didn't know what he was doing when he built it and there are a lot of critical errors around it's construction. It's a log cabin. Add this one to the list. In these COVID times, they are having a hard time getting by and having to use propane just adds to their expenses and makes it tougher. I am dubious that their landlord will be fast acting on this.
But everyone is safe and will live to fight another day.
glad all is well. can you make a couple blocks that match the angle. stick on with double sided tape to give just a little force on glue up. If you get a joint you do not like, after it has set up, you can run a saw or router to create an even space to fill with epoxy, and "accent" the joint. yours look good, but if you ever get and uneven joint gap, this could be a fix.
Waiting on my partner to say he got the lull to fire and I'm out the door. I've run into something kind of similar recently, in this case the builder violated clearances. Take a look at, I think, a UL 1777 rated liner. I was on Rockford Chimney's site when I found a kit, there are others. That work is way down the road for me and I need to talk to the inspector about it beforehand so put it on the back burner.
You haven't been able to inspect my work up close, but uneven joints gaps are a consistent feature in my work. It's kind of like my signature. :D
8)
if the landlord goes slow, can you buy parts and fix it, and take it off the rent next month. then you know it is right. It is part of the heat and essential. In Ks we have provisions for that.
I know you are staying busy, but what evidence do we have that you are staying out of trouble? :snowball: been meaning to ask. :) :) :). sounds like you are the leader in your family. lots of experience and skills. your projects are looking great!
I'd rather not get in the middle of that. We will see how he proceeds. Not sure when I will get up there to take a look at it and what can even be seen before the tear out. I believe it is a thimble issue, but now that the building inspector is involved, best to let this follow the proper course....until it doesn't.
Don, I could not find 1776, but I did find 1777 so I think that's what you meant. First we need to see what the problem really is and how much needs to be re-done the right way, a recurring theme with this house.
Doc, right now, I don't have the time to get in trouble (nor the funds) so all I do is keep things going and warm and try to get work done everyday. I am starting to bore myself just a little nit being able to sneak in a gig here and there and I suspect some kind of urge may be welling up inside me. For now I will keep that cat in the bag. ;D
I thought the same only with less detail, as Don on the liner. I have used them in the past with great success. I am thinking this may be a very quick and easy fix. I really think a stainless steel liner should be mandatory on all chimneys. Makes them lots easier to clean too.
Yup UL1777, I caught and edited it just before DB called to say he was rolling.
Here's the code reference, its a good chapter to review as well for anyone working on a chimney or fireplace. Pretty much stock language in most state codes.
2015 VIRGINIA RESIDENTIAL CODE - CHAPTER 10 (https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/VRC2015/chapter-10-chimneys-and-fireplaces)
The UL 1777 callout is section R1003.11.1
Unrelated to absolutely anything I came in the shop the other morning and found that somebody had put this magnetic sign on the back of my Mule.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201121_112150230.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1605975851)
Yeah it was my son who is finally learning the art of practical jokes. Pretty funny I thought. So then I thought about my neighbor who just got a new triaxle log log truck with a grape. I wonder if I could sneak that on there. Just picturing somebody following that truck down the road. :D :D
One of the best practical jokes I ever heard about was a lady bought a new car and her next door neighbor would sneak out and add a gallon or two of gas every day or so. He asked her one day how she liked her new car and had heard they got good mileage. She said she loved it and it was getting 90 mpg. Then the neighbor started sneaking out and taking a gallon or two out. He asked her again a couple weeks later about her car and she said it was only getting 12 mpg. He told her "Yep, you took it in for service and they found they had left one of those new experimental carbs on there and they replaced it with the regular one." He heard later the lady went back to the dealer and raised Cain with the dealer demanding they put that experimental carb back on and of course the dealer had no idea what she was talking about.
do they have a caution for elderly retired machinists? :)
I hope not
Quote from: doc henderson on November 21, 2020, 12:11:03 PM
do they have a caution for elderly retired machinists? :)
Hey! I fit that description! Actually maybe I should have a caution sign. :D
Quote from: doc henderson on November 21, 2020, 12:11:03 PM
do they have a caution for elderly retired machinists? :)
They probably need a bright flashing strobe light and siren for that one. :D
Nah, machinists do everything with precision, we don't know any other way.
Today I took all the clamps off the cherry Bench and am pretty happy, the legs are dang square and there is no rock that I can see, so I avoided all that after glue adjustment. But as happens with epoxy, there are always gaps to fill and I want this perfect.
So I rough sanded all the corners to blend with each other and that looks pretty good, actually real good. Then I masked it and set it up on a 45 to allow the epoxy to lay in the crack and perk on down. Poured the first joint and went onto other stuff.
The maple test bench is looking pretty good and all I have on it is Danish Oil so far, which has now set, so I decided to go ahead and just wax it.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201121_115534461.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1606004706)
It's going to take a few sessions to get the wax right, I am not so good at it and I keep getting wax blobs here and there. It's either technique or the right buffing rag, I will figure it out eventually. That little bug defect came out fairly nice for bringing out the waterfall effect.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201121_115546072.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1606004710)
After that the Cherry bench epoxy was cured enough that I could flip and pour on the other inside corner joint. Unfortunately, that one had a small leak and I tried too late, to *DanG it up. Will have to wait until tomorrow to see how bad it is, I might have to do it over after some cleanup sanding. Not a big deal, just lost time. Anything worth doing right is worth doing twice, right? I want this right, I think it is going to be a sweet piece. I spent a good chunk of time researching finishes for this bench today. I am figuring it is time to kick it up a notch and try something better. So I found that minwax makes a product called Grain Highlighting Finish Wax, which is used before their Soft Touch Finish Wax. This is supposed to make the grain pop. It is not cheap (by my reckoning) but it is not really expensive either, so I started looking for a distributer. Lowes carries it, but is out of stock locally. As I need to make a harbor freight run anyway, I will drive up to Catskill and do harbor freight then head to the lowes up there which has it in stock and pick up more epoxy too. Going to be an expensive day for me. So that's the plan for tomorrow morning anyway, but the wife wants to 'keep me company' for the drive, so it might take the better part of the day.
after I put wax over Danish oil, I use 000 steel wool for a light rub and to make it all consistent. It was the final step on my favorite walnut bench I ever made. the grain wax I am not familiar with, and it may just have stain or color added, so do a test piece first I would say. looking great.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/51041/643A2CE1-BD0E-4F74-B226-4C8197E7A5EF.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1546307810)
wedding bench for my cousin.
OH thanks for that Doc, great idea! I will give that a try this afternoon.
If you search the name, you can find a video tutorial on its use from Minwax. I think it is worth a try because I have other projects I would like to use this on if it works. Besides, knowledge is power and even knowing what doesn't work has value.
Well today was mostly a lost day, as planned we made to the drive to Harbor Freight and I stuck to all the stuff on my list and only made one extra purchase for an angle gauge I saw and needed (can't find either of the two I already have, for months now). I was tempted a few times to grab other stuff, but there is a budget. I could easily blow 500 bucks on general supplies in there. Then we went to Lowes and wow, that is a much bigger and nicer store than we have here, cleaner too with lots more stock and items. I got the two waxes I wanted and a new can of linseed oil (mine is 50 years old and a tad 'stiff'). The wife browsed and as if by magic, she 'found' some stuff. :D So between the 2 stores, our wallets are lighter by about 250 bucks. We got a cheap lunch at a drive through, don't do that often and did the hour drive home. I unloaded and put stuff away and it disappeared into the woodwork, mostly I just got cheap throw-away supplies and some bar clamps which I never have enough of....ever, 6,12, and 24". Got a bunch of moving blankets to cover my finished projects, some chip brushes, carpenter pencils (they always disappear), that spray gun that Rob recommended, paint filters, rags, and some other stuff. By the way I have to check with @tule peak timber (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=25190) and pick a bone with him, He said "get the purple one for around 16 bucks", so I did, but there are 3 purple spray guns and 2 of them are 15 and 16 bucks. Hope I made the right choice. ;D
So when I finally got down to work I did some cleanup sanding on the Cherry bench and poured some more cracks and tiny holes in joint edges. Then I got the drops and started doing some finish samples. I tried the new wax treatments on bare sanded wood, and also on a sample that had Danish oil on it. I had already done one in plain wood with just paste wax. Photos don't work for squat with this stuff, but here are the samples:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201122_155458408.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1606084331)
In the photo, the top sample is with the Minwax Grain Enhancer and it's associated wax, the middle sample is just minwax paste wax on bare sanded wood, and the bottom is Danish oil with the grain enhancer on top. I have discarded the Danish oil from consideration, don't like it. That leaves the top two and there is only a very subtle difference between the two, but even after laying out all that money for the 'grain enhancer' I think the plain paste wax looks better, but it's a toss up, they are so close. (The cost of education ain't always cheap.)
Unless something else comes along ( I have not tried the linseed oil yet, tonight or tomorrow) I will pick one of these. I am thinking simpler is better. My daughter is a kitchen designer and install project manager and she has done a lot of Cherry counters and cabinets and she tells me I have to be patient. Every cherry job they have done looks like this wood does when installed, then when she goes back in a year the deep dark cherry color is coming out and it looks totally different. The first time she saw that, she thought the client had new cabinets made because they looked so different and she had just reviewed the installation photos before her visit. So I guess this wood requires a little faith. ;D My daughter has never lied to me (that I know of). :D
I'll get back out for a little bit after dinner when I fill the stove.
Not much of a day, but progress continues.
The difference in price is a meter and valve for pressure adjustment. Also they sell a little water inline desiccator which work pretty well a good idea.... I have no idea how they produce and market a gun that is at least as good as the big$$$ ones for 16 dollars ?? Cheers Rob
Thanks Rob, I will check again and see what I bought. ;D I was just searching for where you recommended it to see what we are taking about so I could go find the finishes that would go through it, but I haven't found that yet. I have been reading the instructions on every can of finish I see in the stores now loooikng for spray application instructions and the all say 'brush or wipe', so it may be a while, but I have to find that section of the thread now that I think I have narrowed it down to the right thread.
Thanks again, will let you know how badly I mess this up. ;D :D
Quote from: doc henderson on November 22, 2020, 07:43:51 AM
after I put wax over Danish oil, I use 000 steel wool for a light rub and to make it all consistent. It was the final step on my favorite walnut bench I ever made. the grain wax I am not familiar with, and it may just have stain or color added, so do a test piece first I would say. looking great.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/51041/643A2CE1-BD0E-4F74-B226-4C8197E7A5EF.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1546307810)
wedding bench for my cousin.
Doc, stick some scotchbrite fine or medium grade on an orbital sander,,,and start smiling. Nice looking project :) Rob
OGH,
Sounds like you had a good day. I like to go to our local HF and the moving blankets, magnets, 97 cent shop brushes (They may be more by now). 6 packs of work gloves and cheap nylon tarps are some common items I get there. One of the managers is a customer of mine. he repairs old spinning wheels and buys cherry slabs to use for that and last time he spotted a handful of cherry stickers I had saved when edging some boards and he bought several of them. If he is on the register I get employee discount although I never ask for it and have told him it is not necessary.
I made this as a prototype coat rack after seeing something @alan gage (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=36602) made and showed on his retail store thread. I took an approximately 24" long live edge 4/4 black walnut "cookie" (?) with a lot of sapwood and marked and cut it roughly in half with a circle saw. I planed it to a consistent thickness between 5/8' & 3/4" I guess. I quartered a walnut cookie and in the end only used one quarter of it as a brace. I had extra length on the hanger screws so I screwed them on to the top half of an ash board I had ripped at a 45* angle to make my first ever French cleat. I hung it on the end of my barn as a test and realized I had the cleat hanger backwards so I removed the screws and rehung them. I wiped all exposed surfaces with tung oil.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/38064/IMG_2268.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1606087142)
I decided one brace was plenty and attached it with a long screw through the back. I did not attach to the top. I did have 2 exposed screws on the top and next time I may use a 1"X1" sticker on the back and attach to the top and back from both directions. Also cutting with a circle saw was a mistake - I need to make some kind of sled and cut my. next piece on a tablesaw for a more accurate cut so they fit better. I added a small spacer block so the rack mounts flush against the wall with the French cleat.
I started 2 walnut benches but will list that elsewhere.
Quote from: tule peak timber on November 22, 2020, 06:18:10 PM
Quote from: doc henderson on November 22, 2020, 07:43:51 AMDoc, stick some scotchbrite fine or medium grade on an orbital sander,,,and start smiling. Nice looking project :) Rob
ARRGH! Another neat trick from the master.....
After my shopping trip. ;D I will have to look and see if I have some laying about, I should. I like scotch brite better than steel wool.
ARRGHHH AGAIN!!!! I was just planning my week out and planning on finally getting to the county clerk now that things seemed calmed down. We have the boys tomorrow, so I figured Tuesday I would go down. As I am reading my email a few minutes ago and learned that just today they have closed the county offices again because of the spike in positive cases. ARRRRGGGHHH! I should never have delayed when it smoothed out. I confess it's hard to understand why the county offices deserve more protections than the cashier at any grocery store, but oh well. I will give them a call tomorrow and see if anything can be done. Otherwise, I wait some more. Geez this 'new normal' is getting old.
Disclaimer: in the following post it should be clear that I am not boasting about this piece. There are so many others here on the forum whose skill and deftness far exceed what I can offer on my best day. By comparison I am but a bumbling hacker. I am simply tickled pink that I didn't screw this up too much. :)
So this morning I sanded all the little tiny epoxy fills on the Cherry bench, then I worked my way through the grits down to 320. After that I hand sanded any larger epoxy areas (there are only a few), with 800 thru 3000 grit to make it as clear and smooth as possible. About that time as I was letting the blood back into my finger tips, @nybhh (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=38169) showed up for a visit. I walked him through all the finish samples I had done and got his opinion on a winner. He came down to the same 2 I picked and we settled on a final winner. Hand paste wax over linseed oil. I showed him the test bench too, and he didn't hate it. ;D
He seemed to like how the Cherry came out, so while he was here, I laid down some linseed oil and we both like the way the grain started coming through. I think we both got a little excited to think how this will look when it ages a little and darkens up. After he was gone, I finished the first coat. It was warm in the shop, so it soaked in in short order. A while later I did a second coat. Of course, oil raises some grain and I found some spots that need re-sanding and of course the whole thing needs another fine sanding before another coat, but it is looking fairly good. In a NYC market, this would probably be a $750 bench or better. The joints were what I was sweating and I wanted to see what Brandon thought of them. He gave them an 8 out of 10. I had given them a 7. I'll work on that with the next one.
This wood brought a lot of character to the table. Keep in mind that all the cracks you see have been filled with epoxy so it is glass smooth all over. That is not clear in the photos. So in no particular order:
One of the branch bumps, maybe I should have cut these back to the bench profile, but I left them as found and just smoothed them off.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201124_165707616.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1606263153)
The long view.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201124_165656855.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1606263137)
The other long view.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201124_165644895.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1606263128)
Bottom side.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201124_165356737.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1606263090)
Corner joint, pretty happy with the even epoxy line on this but I know it is not perfect.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201124_165457808.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1606263076)
The grain is starting to show and it is young yet.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201124_165721197.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1606263170)
Anyway, I am pretty happy with it. Looking forward to the final sanding, then getting some wax on it. This should be real pretty. Wish I had an NYC outlet for it, but we can work on that down the road. Now I am thinking about the next project, I will play some more with these blind spline joints until I get it right. Pretty soon I may be half competent at this.
I may do another oil coat tonight, then tomorrow is another day.
Here is one of the pics I took that shows the nice contrast between the heartwood and sapwood during that first oiling and as you mentioned, this should increase and become even stronger as it ages.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/48169/F5843EA8-80FE-4974-AD78-EFF4E694D20D.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1606266193)
Seems like most projects that use cherry try and avoid this heartwood/sapwood contrast but I feel like this piece is really enhanced by it as it seems to reinforce the waterfall effect. It really does look like its flowing over the edge. Great job!
I did not mention it the first time but I really like those cut off limb stubs. I think they add a lot of character and I really like the way they finished in your photo. smiley_guitarist smiley_trap_drummer thumbs-up
Quote from: nybhh on November 24, 2020, 08:12:10 PM
Here is one of the pics I took that shows the nice contrast between the heartwood and sapwood during that first oiling and as you mentioned, this should increase and become even stronger as it ages.......
Seems like most projects that use cherry try and avoid this heartwood/sapwood contrast but I feel like this piece is really enhanced by it as it seems to reinforce the waterfall effect. ...
Well, right or wrong, my philosophy in this stuff is to keep it as natural as possible and show the beauty nature has taken years to present. Trying to hide the sapwood in this case would make it look like something it is not. Likewise taking off the branch bumps. I figured if they presented problems or looked ugly during the finishing process, I could trim them back and blend the shape into the curve of the bench. I also think doing that might have presented a very cool looking effect and I still may try it on another slab. But keep in mind, as you take them back, the heart size decreases and will eventually disappear, so it becomes a gamble. (Do you feel lucky punk? Well .. do ya?) Howard, I figured I would finish them out as presented and it turned out to look appealing (to me) so I just smoothed and rounded them for effect and comfort on the eyes (and calves).
Maybe the next one will look better, maybe it won't. One day at a time, right? It's just another bench. :D
I just came back in from the shop and added another coat, colors are darkening and I am keeping the temp as warm as I can overnight to allow the wood to soak it up. (it's 72 out there now.) Did I mention I love the smell of linseed oil? It brings back my youngest memories. Pop used linseed oil often and in the last two days I began to appreciate why. He used it on gunstocks, ax handles and a lot of other stuff, actually any 'important' wood. I think I still have the last can he never emptied somewhere around here. I love the smell and the feel. (It makes my fingers and hands feel silky and smooth. :D) He used to wipe it on a gunstock all over and get it slick, then put down the rag and continue to rub it with his hand. Said said the warmth of your hand and the friction on the stock caused a localized heat that would hep the oil soak in and penetrate and keep the wood 'alive', that is, keep it from drying out. He would spend an hour massaging a new stock he was fitting to a rifle adding a few drops once in a while, then do it again the next night and repeat for a week or so. Linseed oil and Neatsfoot oil are two of the most powerful memory smells from my childhood.
But I digress.....and tomorrow is another day.
Looks great guys 👍
A very frustrating day today. I guess I was due. I got a text this morning from a previous customer. He is the one I gave a healthy discount to, threw in some extra wood, and he still chewed me down on the price crying poverty. Then I messed up my back putting my pile back together after he picked through every board. The resulting Chiro appointments were not even covered by the money I made for the sale. He promised me at least a half days work at the mill to make up for it, never heard a word, and he never checked to see how I was doing. All that kind of soured me on his business. He contacted me a week or so ago about needing more wood. I was direct and said "send me a specific list and I will work up the price". "OK" he says, " I will send it tonight"....nothing. This morning I get a text from him " Hey! Are you available at all today? I'd like to come pick out some maple both for dance boards and some home projects ... but I am getting kind of stumped without being able to see it in front of me. Maybe I can pick some stuff up and place the order for the rest since I might need some cuts made / prep work ". I sent him back a text and this time made myself clear, this is my exact text, name omitted "[Name] I really thought you were just going to send me a cut list. Going thru my piles was an exception last time. It made a mess and the Chiropractor visits cost me more than the lumber I sold. I gave you a great price with extra wood thrown in besides and then you 'offered' me even lower. You said you would come back and help me mill but I never heard a word. Yes, you can come look, but I am watching my Grandsons today so there may be some distractions. The maple I have is mostly accessable, but we are not pulling piles apart so you can look at each board. I am not sure when I will have time to mill to order now and I do not believe I have any maple logs on hand. Let me know when you are coming. Around mid-day is best. "
The rest of the morning I am getting sporadic texts from him. First was the apology. Then stuff like this: " I'm not sure how the quarter system or pricing in boardfeet works, but I need the following in maple:
SHELVES
• 2 pieces; 6ft x 10" boards, any acceptable thickness for shelving
DANCE BOARDS
• 48 board feet; 3/4" thick by 3" wide
• 24 board feet; 1" thick by 3" wide.
The most important dimension for me is the thickness of the floorboards. If you have nothing at the 3/4" thickness, what could be done?
No Add'l planing.
If you have only "x6" width, that's fine. I have a cheap table saw that I can use to rip the pieces to be 3" width
What would be the total for the above? Can you break it out so I know how much for each item? "
I know what he is making and the numbers didn't sound right. There is no way this guy is gonna pay for 48 + 24 BF of maple, and it is WAY over what he needs for his little build project. Lots of texts back and forth with questions and confused responses separated by hours some times. Finally after a lot of teaching he seems to understand there is a big difference between Board feet and Linear Feet. He finally shows up at 5pm and buys 2 1x10x6' boards. Whoopie.
In the meantime I was trying to put some wax on that cherry bench and it is not just coming up the way I had hoped. Try as I might, it is still dull. I may be working at it too hard. So that put me in a foul mood. I will go give it another shot after this post.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201125_174729626.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1606350457)
It's smooth and flat with a very nice buttery look, but I just don't know. I had hoped for a little more shine.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201125_174709684.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1606350451)
I think I have 4 or 5 good coats on the top and it is improving slightly but still seems dull. Maybe I am just too picky, but I don't think so.
Yesterday I came across some roadkill firewood, nicely cut and stacked by the highway guys from a storm blow down. Took me about 2 minutes to fill the truck. Today I split and stacked it, about a half cord, and also discovered a flat tire on the splitter that I have to address on another day. First time the splitter every gave me a hard time starting. Don't know why.
We also had the 3 boys here today and they decided to play hide and seek in the shop this afternoon. Just about drove me crazy. By the time they got picked up I was just about out of patience.
Tomorrow is the holiday and we are not having the usual big family thing. Just the boys and their Dad are coming over. My Daughter and SIL will be staying at home, and my Sister will be with her 2 kids. Always next year.
Time for the evening chores.
Greenhorn sounds like you have definitely had some excitement 😂. Next time tell them you got a bad back and if there going to pick through they need to stack it back like it was since you got a bad back
It looks good and has that natural look. you can always go back to a lacquer or poly. I have done the Danish oil and wax, but mostly on walnut. as the wood darkens, it may look closer to what you have in your mind.
It looks really nice with the natural finish. Put it in a sunny spot for a couple weeks and let the cherry color come out. I use the Johnson's paste wax and with about 2 coats it looks good but put too many coats on and it can get cloudy so more wax doesn't always help. Cherry is my favorite wood. Good job.
I dunno Doc, I am hopeful but...
I am sitting here reading this book that Brandon loaned me called 'Understanding Wood Finishing' by Bob Flexnor. Had I read this before I went with the Linseed oil, I never would have gone there. I think maybe I made a mistake. This book goes into great detail on exactly what is in these finishes and how they work with and on the wood and it dispels a lot of myths, ones I have held for a long time and now feel foolish about.
If tomorrow weren't a holiday I might be out in the shop early sanding all this off to see how I can salvage it. Right now I think I will finish this beer and head to bed and try to think about something else.
Yes, this piece could come out looking fine if I stay the course and give it some time. But the resulting finish will do nothing to protect the wood and the finish itself. I have not gotten to the section on waxes yet but I am pretty sure the news there isn't going to be good either. This is why I am not a woodworker. ;D
I think this is how you become a woodworker. someone will love it. the wax may cause trouble with a water based finish. if you want to start over, maybe wipe it down to debulk the wax. you doing great. smiley_beertoast
Oh man, You spent so many years at your craft before retirement and became such an expert at what you did, you just forgot what its like for the rest of us to be figuring the crap (life) out as we go!
You had your 10,000 hours or whatever it is to be an expert and that knowledge and familiarity becomes comfortable but it also gets boring as he!!. Now you are doing something new and learning through trial and experimentation, which can be uncomfortable at times, (especially for perfectionist 😉). I for one am super impressed by how this has turned out and don't really see that anything has changed. If it was good enough for your father's gun stocks, it is certainly good enough for this bench and it seems to me like the silky fingers and walk down memory lane alone was worth it.
Its your bench of course and your decision but if I recall, there is a sister slab that can be used to try a different finish so think about keeping that as a comparison piece to see how wears and ages before sinking a lot of time into refinishing. I personally prefer the look of this more natural, less glossy finish. Shiny doesn't equate to better IMHO.
Well the issue is, as I am reading I have come to learn that Linseed oil does nothing to create a finish. It does allow for a little bit of growth/shrinkage protection because it fills the fiber gaps preventing some moisture vapor from taking up the space, but beyond that, not much. As I said I have not read the wax section yet, but that ain't lookin' too good neither. ;D It's certainly not a failure, but I don't really like the way it appears. The piece should look better than that. I am already very used to 'starting over' with many other pieces and sanding it all down. I don't believe I can sand all of this out this time because of the penetration depth but I believe it will lighten.
On a technical level, I believe that only 'mistake' I made was in not giving the linseed oil more time (a few days at least), to cure up. That book sure is learning me up a lot on the technical side of things and I may need to hang onto it for a couple of weeks to get through the whole thing. Knowledge is power.
I look at it as I made a tiny mis-step and am now going to correct my path before I go further down that road. No big deal.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Enjoy it as you can.
I get that you want the bench to be perfect in form and finish. There's no flies in that finish that I can see, and it's a beatiful piece as I see it. I can't imagine someone not being happy with it. Have a great Thanks Giving.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.
Hang on to it as long as you need. I'm in drywall finishing mode for the foreseeable future and don't expect it to help much with that 😉. Its a good book though but I don't know squat about finishing. Maybe a day or two off will give you the perspective to make a decision on it.
Well I am happy with it Nebraska, or I was until I saw the finish. It's all just a little adventure to get it right. It is pretty. But I think I can do better.
I just came back in from tending the shop stove and I took 40 minutes or so to sand off the underside of this thing. The wax and linseed oil filled about 15 of my somewhat worn-out sanding discs. I should have just gone to 80 grit and started over, but at least I can finally throw those discs out. I am 'frugal' and save the worn ones to either use for hand sanding or some other downgraded use before disposal. They had been building up.
I will spend some time with the book today and see if I can come up with a new plan. It's part of the trail and in no way am I not happy, just extended the length of the trail a little bit. :D
I am not so much looking for perspective as I am knowledge Brandon. It looks good no matter what I do, but I would like to see if I can make it look better and 'discover' the right way to do this.
sounds like you are learning a lot more, having been a little disappointed with it.
be sure to read my DSDT post, should cheer you up!
One of the tricks working with oil is to add a SMALL amount of Japan Dryer. This dryer will "set" the oil fully hard overnight-works well with linseed or tung oil and their blends.Linseed will darken over time but is cheaper than tung oil and easier to find.
Look at adding a small amount of solvent based poly top coat to your oil and possibly some color (brown or cherry) as a tint and you will be styling 8) This will leave you a finish to bounce the wax off of.
The bench with the two branch knobs sticking out is VERY nice looking. Cheers WOC
Well with the holiday I backed off for the day to read and think on it, then I would go out to the shop to tend the stove and go look again and think some more. As I said, I sanded the undersides this morning, this needed re-sanding anyway, some stuff showed up after oiling that I had missed when it was white. But I didn't touch the top and outsides. I read a bunch more. Funny but what you said in the previous post Rob took me about 3 hours of reading to grasp. I went out to the shop a few times to do some label reading and did some online lookups of various products I already have. The veil is beginning to lift from my eyes, slowly, but it's lifting. Now I am looking at everything I have, or have already used in a new light. Most of it I was using incorrectly and did not understand how it worked.
My new plan is to go with the Watco Danish oil finish, which is an oil varnish blend. Do a coat a day, sanding between coats. Give it an extra day after the final coat, then maybe some wax. It should stay as a satin finish, not real shiny, and have that buttery effect. I do not think I need the Japan dryer, but what do you think Rob? If I did use it, I am not sure what you mean by a 'SMALL amount'. I figure about a shot glass, maybe 2 will do a coat on this whole bench. How much dryer would you add to that? Drops? 5%? could I do it by weight? I don't have any japan dryer and the closest I could find it actually closer to Brandon than me, but I could take the ride if it would make a significant difference.
I went out there an hour ago and took another look. You know, it really looks pretty nice and if it looked like this yesterday I might not be fretting. But still, it is not what I was shooting for and as I already have half of it cleaned and re-sanded, I am going to continue and do the rest, just because I can. :D
Watco has the dryer built in already. We use 1oz per gallon on oil blends and that is considered very strong. WOC
OK, I will forgo it then. I have been satisfied with how this stuff dries anyway and now I know why, but like most things, that is not clear on the label. ;D
I am considering that poly wipe too, but would like to see how it looks after 3-4 coats of the Danish, then decide. Considering how often my plans changed for this in the last 24 hours, I think I will wait. :D
By the way, speaking of Danish, do you know that all Danish Boy Scouts are required to have a tattoo? Yeah, it's their Den Mark. :D ;D 8)
(Sorry, been hanging out with Doc too much.)
Tom,
Sounds like you have been in the OR with him breathing too much of that happy gas. Be careful. Stay safe guys. :D
Quote from: WV Sawmiller on November 26, 2020, 08:49:12 PM
Tom,
Sounds like you have been in the OR with him breathing too much of that happy gas. Be careful. Stay safe guys. :D
Last time I was in an O/R I was neither happy nor breathing well. (pneumothorax, 1976) If I ran into Doc it would be in the E/R where he is most comfortable and I am a lot less uncomfortable. :D
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on November 26, 2020, 08:27:35 PMBy the way, speaking of Danish, do you know that all Danish Boy Scouts are required to have a tattoo? Yeah, it's their Den Mark.
That's a good one but to be technically correct, that would be the Cub Scouts - they have Dens, the Boy Scouts have Patrols.
yes, I know. 30 years in Scouting served as a den leader, cubmaster, MC, ASM, SM, and many other position in several packs an troops. Just trying to put it out in a way the general public might get it.
the walnut bench (my fave) was watco Danish oil with wax on top. burnished with steel wool. so to be sure, you used the boiled linseed oil? the boiled means it has some chemical dryers in it. as I am sure you know. Denmark... Denmark... that's funny :D :D
Yes, boiled. You should get a copy of that book I mentioned above. Teaches you about all these finishes, how they work, what is in them, and how very poorly they are labeled. Raw linseed oil can take a very long time to dry, hence the added dryers. Turns out, that oil really does nothing to protect the wood at all but take up some space in the fibers, add nothing to the surface. Neither does wax except to deflect some spills for a short period. Hence my re-thinking of all my choices.
I have added steel wool to my repertoire', it works good as does the sscotchbrite Rob recommended. Of course I lost my scotchbrite source when I retired, so now I have to buy it. >:(
So I bit the bullet and stripped the bench this morning and got the whole thing back to the white state.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201127_105009541.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1606498352)
I blew through a lot of sanding discs loading up with Linseed oil even after I washed the whole thing with mineral spirits. Finally after a while it came back through. Then another wipe down with mineral spirits and a tack cloth and allowed to dry for a while, I applied the Dansih Oil Finish. It would be easier to follow the directions if they all agreed. Watco application data sheet says one thing, and the can says another. They don't agree. Then there is what my new favorite book says, which makes more sense, gives a better result than I have had in the past, and I am going with. It kind of splits the difference. One coat and I am liking it so far.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201127_115340787.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1606498348)
It seems to be bringing out a little more of the Cherry colors, is not nearly as yellow, and has that buttery look to it. Unless something goes really wrong, this is what I am sticking with. I believe this looks good so far and it should get better after this first sealing coat. Keeping the shop at a steady 70° for this to cure up right today. Next coat goes on at about 4pm after a light sanding.
OGH, check out any of Buckin Billy Ray Smith YouTube about some of his axes that he re/hangs a handle on. I saw that on quite a few that he was sorta slightly burning the wood with a propane torch first and then would go back with the wotco and apply. OH man, did they look good.
Something to check out. You might like, you might not. Just information.
OGH, you can also do a wet sanding with the oil. it is the combination of prep. and finish,(obviously) that give you the final product. If you like your dad's technique of hand rubbing, see if you like wet sanding with Danish oil.
I would apply the oil until it does not want to soak in, maybe 3 coats. let it stand a few days then add the paste wax. looking good!
Yes Todd I have seen his video and that one in particular, its a nice technique and I use some of that in other projects, but that really doesn't apply to this one. But thanks for the idea. In fact I have another table I will be starting on soon (I hope) and that has burned edges on it.
Doc, I have read of that technique, I was thinking of trying it on my last coat. If I am of a mind, I can do the 3rd coat at 9m tonight. Looking good after the 2nd one.
After that second coat, I turned my attention to that Woodmaster planer I picked up last month. It is in very rough shape. All the lead screws are rusted badly and so is the platten. I figured I am going to need some parts, but the only way to find out is to try it out and see what doesn't work. I rolled it over by hand trying to see if the drive rollers moved, but no deal. I couldn't find a brake or disengage or anything like that. SO finally I plugged it in and fired it up to see what was going on. To my surprise, it all worked and then I realized there is a reverse planetary inside one of the pulleys which also has the gear reduction. As I said, that screws are badly rusted, but I had been hitting them with WD40 for a couple of weeks and I could move them, just not easily. SO I used a brute force tool to get the platten roughly adjusted and ran a board through. Planes out pretty nicely, there is a bit of ripping and chipping here and there, but in general it works fairly well and it never groaned.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201127_161235177.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1606522143)
As you can see, I have a lot of work ahead of me here. But bolstered by the good results, I spent about and hours going over and over the lead screws with a wire brush and WD and working the screw up and down. It is freeing up quite a bit, but has more to go. Then I worked on the paltten with WD and some sctoch brite. I made some in-roads there too. I will slowly take it apart some more and clean some stuff up and get it more workable. I have to make new threaded pins for the roller adjusters, the existing ones are all rusted and just threaded rod and easier to make new than fixe, two are bent anyway. Normally I would take it ALL apart and do a complete rebuild, but I am pressed for time. If I can get the platten clean and smooth, the rollers working smooth and the feed tables sanded and repainted (they are a little blistered), then I think I have a functional machine. I need to get the replacement adjustment handle or make one, cut the hole for the dust collector duct, and get it going. This seems to make nice boards mush faster than that lunch box planer I have. Can't wait to get that on C/L and get it gone.
Tomorrow is another day.
Do not use steel wool on oak. The iron reacts with the tannin in the oak and you will get black spots/streaks in the earlywood pores. Don't ask me how I know this.
One thing that is kind of educational is to put a few drops of several finishes on a piece of clear glass and let them dry. That will kind of show the surface characteristics of the finish. I'm not a real fan of wax, it makes it hard to do anything else later without serious removal.
On the planer bed, get the loose rust and the rest will pretty much clean up to a smooth patina with use.
Quote from: WDH on November 27, 2020, 08:38:38 PM
Do not use steel wool on oak. The iron reacts with the tannin in the oak and you will get black spots/streaks in the earlywood pores. Don't ask me how I know this.
Danny,
Now you have me worried. :( I guess I better go back and check those oak benches where I drove steel sledgehammer wedges into the tenons to tighten them. ::) I can't help but wonder if I will have the same issue. And why just oak? Aren't there tannins in locust and maple and ash and such - maybe not as much as oak but still there.
I don't know about your other woods but I've done it to oak several times. The worst was the tile folks cleaning up their grout alongside of oak trim, big nasty black splotches. I used deck cleaner that had oxalic acid in it, or you can find straight oxalic acid, that will bring it back. Western cedar is another one that iron stains bad.
WD 40 has a rust removal product at lowes in about a gallon, for soaking parts. works good, and less need for the elbow grease. yes and @WDH (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=4370) , a grainy wood can snag fibers as well. paste wax is good on planer beds if you get them clean. were they painted in the past. I have cleaned rusty cast beds with a sander as well.
WDH, good to know, had not thought oak would suffer from that. Other species yes, but would not have guessed oak.
Don regarding the sample dot on glass, yes. In fact the book I am reading not only mentions that but has photos showing how these finishes come up when dry. Fascinating and EXTREMELY useful education.
Tannins are in most trees as far as I know, but the levels vary by species. We here in the Catskills are very aware (well, those of us that learn from history) because ,most of our muntains were stripped clean to supply the hide tanning industry when it was in it's hey day. The is even a town between Barge and I called Tannersville and the entire community was a 'company town' involve in tanning leather complete with company stores and company housing. Prattsville, even closer to Barge was founded by Col. Pratt for the same purpose. The mountains around here are filled with old 'bark roads'. the trees would be cut and the bark stripped and layed onto sleds and dragged out on those roads. Hemlock was the most desired species. When that industry dried up (the mountains were mostly bald at that point), the chair industry picked up on a smaller scale making chairs from maple and oak and what ever else was left.
Hemlock has a high tannin content. Still I had not realized that in a finished state there would be a visible reaction between the tannin and steel. Powerful stuff, that.
Doc and Don, I have done many many dozens of machine tables and machine beds and ways in general over the years using everything from a quick couple of licks to complete regrinding on a surface grinder, then hand scraping (a black art). I don't use the WD for rust removal, I use it as a lubricant as I run the scotch brite on, it keeps the junk moving off and not clogging the pad, also very good for a quick cleanup of a table with just a little light rust, it's all you need, then wipe clean. In this case I wanted to get the dirty ugly stuff (and mouse poop) off so I could see what I have. I actually made more progress than I thought, but between hand sanding on that bench and all the wiping, and then really putting my back and shoulders into the planer table, I had enough today. It was more of an assessment cleaning. I will pull off the infeed and out feed table, just sheet metal, and sand them nice and flat and re-paint. The cast table I will likely hit with the orbital sander, more scotchbrite to shine, then wax. I also have to do the blade carrier, it has a lot of rust too. The blades are in very good shape, but need some honing on the cutting edge. Rust pits really cause havoc on a clean cutting edge at a microscopic level. I need to fix that right off. While I am at it, I should also clean, sand, and repaint the cover after I cut the dust hole in it and make it all match.
All I needed to learn today is that the machine is worth the time I will put into it, and there is no doubt this machine is worth it. I had been concerned the 200 bucks I paid would pale compared to the amount of time and cost needed to get it functional and was questioning my decision. I do however, wish it had grease fittings for at least the main bearings or the lead screw nuts, or anything else for that matter. :D It's all just part of the adventure, right?
Tomorrow is another day.
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on November 27, 2020, 09:54:33 PMI do however, wish it had grease fittings for at least the main bearings or the lead screw nuts,
I find oiling or greasing the lead (lift) screws to cause more problems. It attracts the sawdust the causing binding and that attracts water that leads to rust. I've been slathering on paste wax then running the table up and down once to even it out. Makes it slippery but dry. Also, on the sheet metal in-feed/out-feed tables, I just sand them down and wax. The paint is just going to rub off in time and potentially mark up your nice boards.
Quote from: ljohnsaw on November 27, 2020, 10:22:59 PMThe paint is just going to rub off in time and potentially mark up your nice boards.
:DYou are making quite the assumption here. Have you seen any of my work? :D ;D
to make sure, they make a product just for rust removal if you are interested. :)
Verify your identity (https://www.walmart.com/ip/WD-40-SPECIALIST-RUST-REMOVER-SOAK/21969741?wmlspartner=wmtlabs&adid=22222222222015876456&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=e&wl1=o&wl2=c&wl3=10358691546&wl4=pla-1105785496860&wl12=21969741_0&wl14=wd%2040%20rust%20remover%20soak%20lowe%27s&veh=sem&msclkid=ddb7d739401a1b6471b288f8858d33b6)
it is good for complex parts and or screws ect.
As far as the steel wool reacting with the tannins in oak, it is more of an issue in raw wood. Many times after I have sanded a piece, I will polish it with steel wool. This step is where you can get iron staining issues in oak. It might be just the steel wool iron particles getting into the coarser grain in the early wood in oak and not a chemical iron reaction, but it still will affect the color of the oak piece.
When I have applied a film finish like varnish or lacquer, the wood is sealed and using steel wool between coats to knock down any rough spots does not present a problem. So my comment about steel wool causing iron stain in the early wood pores only applies to unfinished oak.
WD 40 will actually pull moisture out of the air and rust your machinery. It is "ok" as a wipe down solvent/cleaner but should not be used as a protectorate film. WOC
Quote from: tule peak timber on November 28, 2020, 08:43:11 AM
WD 40 will actually pull moisture out of the air and rust your machinery. It is "ok" as a wipe down solvent/cleaner but should not be used as a protectorate film. WOC
I truly have never known it to do that. It is an anaerobic material. I used to put a layer down on my machine tables in the summer and it worked well to keep them clean, however it attracts dust like mad! AT least, that's my observation, but mostly I use it as a cleaning lubricant and light oil.
But my big question is, what does WOC stand for? I have searched all over and am fairly certain you don't mean 'Women of Color". 'World Order Control', or 'Water Only Company'. If you tell me it's your initials, how does a guy named 'Rob' have the first initial 'W'? This is beginning to keep me up at night. ;D
WOC stands for Wizard Of Crap.
Years ago I did testing on my own of various chemicals on raw steel in the marine environment - sort of a do it yourself destructive testing. From that knowledge I picked what was best----and WD 40 was the worst.
Do a little research on who developed WD and why........... ;D WOC
OK, that definition of WOC is not in any online reference I can find, nor is it in my Machinists handbook or my Engineering handbook. But it does make sense and fits.
Yeah I had read the WD story a few times, but it has faded beyond memory now. I do not doubt what you say of course, but I just know what my experience has been. Of course climate has a huge impact on such things and salt water can be the worst killer there is. I worked on a job to build an environmental test chamber for a client one time to specifically test and certify the effects of road salt conditions on the equipment they built to make sure the electricals and electronics were sealed fully. I recall seeing some of the 'failed subjects', wow.
I use my friend, Jack Forsberg's method on rusty cast iron tool surfaces. I don't bother to trim the Scotchbrite pad to any shape other than the one it comes in.
Keeping cast iron tops clean and rust free the easy way - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uMrVusnaEg&feature=emb_logo)
Yup, been doing the exact same thing with either that setup or a random orbit sander. Works great and pretty fast too with a little WD or kero for lubricant.
Well, this morning I did coat number 3 and it is looking better. Very satiny, smooth and buttery. Brandon thinks I should put up a new photos, but you folks have to be sick of photos of the same bench by now. The photos do not show the differences I see between coats which is mostly more consistency in the finish throughout the piece and smoothing between patches. Just look at the last photo and imagine a smoother finish. :D I wanted to do a 4th coat this afternoon when it should have been ready, but it was just not ready. I never got the temp in that corner of the shop much over 68 today and I think it needs more time. I am determined to do this right and not rush it. It will happen when it happens.
I have lots of other stuff to do. I needed to clean some things up from the messes I have made on the last couple of projects and I cleaned out some cluttered shelves to make them usable because I just throw stuff up there and it is now a useless mess. Then I took some finished projects cluttering my space and wrapped them in moving blankets and stacked them in a corner. That will make it tough to show them to visitors, but at least I can work now. Still have a lot more cleaning up to do, but today's little bit made a big difference.
After I did coat 3 this morning I called the bank about getting something notarized. I have never really registered the business and I need to get that done. SO I am finally moving on that. With the virus issues the county offices just 'closed' again but they have a drop box set up. SO I filled out the paperwork and got it notarized, wrote a letter to the clerk and set up the envelope with the fees to drop off Monday. I'm gonna get this done. I also sent off an email to a gal who could help me with the logo design work done (I have 'people' ;D), just waiting to hear back. After I hear back on the business name being locked in, I can move on the artwork and getting the domain name registered. I have another friend who offered to host my site on his own server, saving me more bucks. I really want to see what I can do with a website because FB ain't cutting it. But that means I need better photos and a nice website setup which will take a lot of hours. I have 3 or 4 different folks offering to do the photos, but I have to set up a 'spot' in the shop and get backdrops, etc. I also have to re-finish or just finish some current or previous projects. AT some point I should probably set up a business checking account (assuming the will be money to handle), and I need to pick some kind of a spreadsheet software to keep track of all these expenses I have. I'm looking for something simple and free to get started. I don't mind buying something better when I need it, but for now I have to be super cheap with everything.
So I didn't waste the day (at my age, you can't waste days) and progress is being made, but I don't have much to show for the day.
Tomorrow is another day.
Cherry doesn't take on its true color until a year or two after it's finished. Can be speeded up a lot by sitting it in strong sunlight. Just something to keep in mind.
Looking good, OGH.
i made the mistake of paying a rustic compliment of "that looks like crap" which was the intent to look old and worn. and it triggered some sort of PTSD, and now it seems to of stuck. of course it was intended as the highest of compliments! oh "Wizard of Crap"!
Yes, and as I recall, that design by committee thing did look like crap. :D But he did do a whiz bang job with it.
it was a pine mantel, that started out looking new, but he distressed it in a way that made it look authentically old.
oh, wrong project. Sorry Rob.
Tried to give an update from my phone in the shop but I lost it when trying to do the photos. Take two:
Well I set the woodstove to 'cook' in the shop and gave it time to bring the temp up a bit, then sanded my previous coat and slapped coat #4 on. Only 2 words came to mind when I looked at it:
OH YEAH BABY!
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201129_101555523.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1606663865)
I am not dis-pleased. ;D
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201129_101427788.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1606663877)
Now Brandon, before you get upset, this is the wet view. After I let it set up and wiped it clean we get this:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201129_104350061.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1606667894)
I think it is pretty close to what we had in mind, it's a buttery satin finish, not glossy at all. Pending the dried appearance, I think I am ready to call this one 'done'. I don't think I want to wax it unless somebody gives me a good reason to. I need to see how it feels. If it has some drag or tackiness I may do one light coat of wax to keep it from attracting dust and dirt but not for a glossy shine. 72 hours should tell the tale.
Gearing up for the next project as this dries today.
Haha, you know me too well. It looks really great. Can't wait to see it in person soon. Probably best to lay low for a week or so after Thanksgiving get togethers but I'll try and get over before too long. Perhaps I'll bring the biscuit joiner to mess around with too.
Greenhorn your fit and finish has evolved much better over time. Great job 👍. Persistence pays off
the wax will make it easier to clean and or dust. but the owner can also spruce it up now and then with another coat of Danish oil.
Walnut, thank you. All I can say is that accidents happen ;D.
Doc, I figured that it is up to the new owner. I can wax it for them if they like or leave it as is. I will see how it feels in a few days, but I like the appearance as is, so if it is slick enough I will leave it. If it feels a little sticky I may go with wax but would rather not. I am glad I stripped off the linseed oil and started over, it was worth it.
Brandon, I was thinking maybe I could bring this over by you and it could hang out at your place for a few months? Stick it near a window where it can get some sun and watch the color grow. :D
Well this afternoon I did some more winter prep chores, moved the snow blower out to the garage, shuttled the tractors around and some other stuff, then my son called for help cleaning his chimney, so I went over there and did half of it, but the stove was too hot to pull. He can finish another day. While I was there I poked around my Dad's stuff and found a long forgotten carpenters saw box, a vise, and some other little stuff I brought home.
The box had some surprises in it.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201129_171129843.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1606692655)
Those top two saws are a pair of Disston's (cross and rip), the third is an Atkins, two no-names, and I can't read the name on the bottom one, but it is a very heavy thick saw, kind of odd.
There was some goodie3s in the tool drawer:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201129_171155212.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1606692706)
Some are in great usable shape, others need work and repair. That nice socket chisel has been beat on pretty hard without a handle and I don't know if I can fix the socket but I need one that wide. The real treat in the box was this spoke shave:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201129_171211609.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1606692690)
It's made of wood and the blade setting method is pretty unique to my experience.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201129_171304453_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1606692716)
Lastly, I brought home this vise, which is also seldom seen these days.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201129_170931576.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1606692629)
Both of those funky jaws rotate individual and they are mounted on a turret which also rotates. Good for holding odd shaped pieces. I don't think you can buy these anymore. I found a couple for sale used at over 500 bucks a pop. Handy little thing.
SO anyway, it was a day, I got some things done. Tomorrow is another day.
It was a rough day inside my head. ;D
I got up before 4:30 (I know this because the coffee pot goes off at 4:30 and it had not started yet). I came down and checked on my FB page and finally discovered that FB had removed a function which excluded about half the content on my business page. I spent an hour tying to figure out what happened, where the files went and how to get them back. By 7am I was seething with rage when it became apparent that they just decided it was 'going away'. I wasted more time when I found my files trying to save them locally and did the beast I could but the formatting and photos are pretty much toast.
So I went out into the shop at 7 and was in a 'not so perky' mood. Got the stove fired up and started working on a lamp table for the house. I have a badly cupped, but pretty nice RO slab I don't want to cut up for firewood. We have a terrible lamp table in our living room I can't stand and the other night I asked the wife, if I made a table the same size, could we get rid of that 'thing'. She said 'sure'. So this slab is not likely to turn into something somebody would buy but I am still exploring this waterfall joint thing. Now when a slab is not flat, it is really hard to get the cuts right for that 90° miter joint.
So I looked at it and looked at it and told myself I was a fool to even try to make this work. But this other part of my brain said "what the heck, lets see how far we can push the joint and the epoxy". This joint for sure would need epoxy because the gap is bound to be huge (in places). It's an experiment in the truest sense in that I expect it to fail. There is a low chance of success here. But I have always been a long shot guy and I never tire of laughing at the stupid stuff I try. If, by some small chance it works, it will be the first piece I have made that makes it into my house.
So I suffered through the cuts on the table saw and blew the breaker 4 times when the blade bound up. Then I got through the mortise cuts on the router and surprisingly did not blow the breaker again, but it sounded like the router might blow. I wound up with some parts that look like this:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201130_204931825.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1606789191)
That one photo should pretty much tell the whole tale right there. :D Ignore the white tape, that is in anticipation of major epoxy leakage and other issues. ;D I looked at it a while longer and decided to wait until the morning to do the first epoxy work when I am fresh and can handle the disappointment better;D.
Somewhere in the middle of doing the cutting work I took a break to run into town, pick up a couple of necessitates for the household, and drop of the registration papers for my business in the anonymous drop box at the county office building. Hopefully they find the paperwork and cash in order and that shows up in the mail very soon. I need that to move other stuff forward.
We got (so far) close to 3" of rain today. The place is a giant swamp, standing water all over. It's depressing and having an effect on me. Between the FB crap this morning, the inability to have done any of the shows I had planned on for the summer, the virus, not being able to go out and enjoy some live music created by good friends that is such a big part of my life, the home online school thing with the grandsons that creates so much stress for the adults, and all the other stuff going on because of this virus, and I am depressed. Just not a good day for my head. It's not the way I had always hoped this would go. My retirement was a few months earlier than I planned because of the virus, and everything else just went to crap in a cascade. The SS income is barely cutting it and I had hoped for better by now. I guess I should have done a better job at figuring out the changes in the game as they happened, but I didn't. I will figure this out and we will get through it fine, just as we always have before, but I know the next 6 months at least are gonna be tight, with lots of miserable weather and me trying to figure out how to maximize my time and effort. Do I plan for some good shows in the spring summer, or assume it will be mostly another wash and find other outlets, if there are any? I need to develop a web page, I need to figure out this bookkeeping software, I need to do a lot of things I am lousy at. All this was running through my head all day. Some days are like that, my Dad would say. You just have to carry on, and so I shall because there is no other option. Get through it.
Tomorrow is another day.
Well a long day for sure today, just finished up. I woke this morning to find the swamp out back was flooded more than I have seen it in 20 years. I thought it was just all the rain, but man, that was a lot of water. All my lumber racks were islands surrounded by water. and it was more than puddles, it was shin deep in most areas. The water was all the way up to the back fence and didn't seem to be going down. The rain had tapered off last night. This was worrisome.
You should not see water in this photo, the creek runs through a culvert right underneath this ground.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201201_094654399.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1606875140)
I don't ever recall getting this kind of water around my cold storage shed. The floor would have floated if there was nothing in there. The water is ankle deep in front of this.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201201_094740079.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1606875085)
AN investigation revealed the issue. A culvert section (plastic) downstream had been eroded around the front and the front floated up allowing almost not water through. Quick fix. Things started flowing like mad. It took about 5 hours to drop the water level of about 1/2 acre of water around a foot. The creek was back in its banks by about 3pm, but I still have a lot of water coming through from 'the pond' that ding dong next door 'built' 2 weeks ago. Anyway, that pretty much took the first hour or so of the day.
When I got in the shop I started working on that lamp table corner glue up. I got everything laid out and ready to go before mixing the epoxy. Just before I started to mix, I got a call from the county clerk about my business registration. Seems there was a small error in the way I filled out the form and she wanted my permission to fix it. She said everybody makes that mistake, the form is confusing. She assured me it would go through and go out to me in today's mail. So I am good. :)
So I mixed my epoxy and glued my joint and got it clamped. I has stuff left over, so I took a block and started messing with colorings in the epoxy. I just did a bunch of sample blobs with different colors as it was setting up just for practice. I just came back in a few minutes ago from taking the clamps off and given the huge gaps I had because of the cupped wood, it came out better than I hoped. I do have some secondary fills to do, but a lot less than I expected. More work on it tomorrow.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201201_170159493.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1606875175)
While that was curing I got back to work on the Woodmaster. I got the platen cleaned as well as the infeed and outfeed table. I put a quick coat of paint on those tables.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201201_160932487.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1606875118)
Then I pulled the head apart and cleaned all that up as well as getting the bulk of the rust off the roller itself. I had stoned the blades. They are in pretty good shape and careful working on a bench stone worked very nicely and they are 'quite sharp' and I did it without putting a single slice in my body parts. ;D I lack a gage for setting them and will work on that, but hopefully they are pretty close (I didn't touch the adjusting screws). I also has to make one new feed roller pressure adjustment screw to replace one that was badly bent.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201201_162026245.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1606875156)
That all made for a full day and all that standing was wearing on me. So I 'quit' for the day, came in the house and went and bought my domain name, had a consult with my internet/hosting guy and spent two hours watching YouTube instruction on using WordPress. By 9pm I was cross-eyed. Long day. The boys are coming over at 7:30 tomorrow morning, so I just filled the shop stove, have to do the house stove, then off to bed. Hopefully I can do some work on the cover for the woodmaster tomorrow. I have to call them and get some stuff for it, but I was waiting until I went over to see what else it might need or broke off as I worked. I also have yet to read the manual on it, so maybe I should do that too. ;D
Tomorrow is another day.
Yesterday was pretty much another steady work day but intermingled with the boys being here and 'needing stuff' and messing a little with my domain name re-assignment to a different server/host. As I am heating the shop full time now, I hate to let that heat go to waste.
I did some sanding on that table now that it has cured from the first glue up and set it up to start doing fills. The dang gap is smaller than I thought and it is a real bear to get the epoxy to perk down into the tiny openings and perk the air out. I tried to do some fancy masking to keep the epoxy up on top as gravity did it's thing.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201202_093406204.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1606998232)
Mixed results on that. ;D Anyway, I let it set until about 9 last night and pulled the tape (always a good idea before final hardening). I moved on (bac) to the planer. It's been a while since I did any cutting with a disc grinder to pencil lines but I managed to get my hand back into it. It really empties my compressor fast, so I alternated with a jig saw to get the corners square. After I cut the hole and deburred it I laid the hood on an drilled my holes. One of the screws that holds the top on was coming up right into the edge of the hood. I am sure the pattern was for a 712, not a 612 and nothing is going to be perfect when you are trying to make one add-on match several generations of changes. I made do by adjusting that screw so it registered in the hole, but did not protrude all the way through the cover. After some ditsing around here and there and making adjustments, I stuck it on.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201202_151021668_BURST001.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1606998249)
It doesn't look half bad. I finished off by putting some wax on the bed of the planer. Now that I am looking at the photo, I really need to paint it. I wasn't going to bother, but clean paint just looks good, or at least better. I don't have any gray and I am not running out to spend money on more spray paint, so maybe I will go with an orange? ;D
I also really need to do something about those caters which are cracked and broken and do not roll in the slightest. I will look around today and see if I can dig something up in the shop. I think I may have something somewhere. :D UPS tracking tells me the knife gage and handle should arrive on Tuesday. I am hoping for better but can wait. Anxious to try it out.
After all that standing and bending my back was a bit sore and it was around 3:30. I checked and saw that my DNS transfer had gone through. So I came in the house and did the initial setup on WordPress then poked around. I am not familiar with this software at all. It has been decades since I made a web page, things have changed a bit and I feel like a dinosaur. I have a lot of learning to do and I know this will be painful for a while. I just need to buckle down and learn it. I figure there are some bad weather days coming along here somewhere and this would be a good time to sit by the woodstove and develop a decent site. I know I could pay somebody to help me do this but the way I look at it, the web page is another tool. Just as if I added a jointer or some other machine to the shop, I would have to learn how to use it in order to maximize my capabilities. I will just have to put the time and effort in. In addition, I don't have the cash to start paying folks to do stuff for me unless it is something I just don't have, or can't develop the skills to do. To that end, I have an artist that will help me with a logo design. She makes amazing stuff in short order and I can't touch those skills. I'll get through it even though I know I am in for many hours of frustration. Right now I am at a de3a stop anyway as I wait for my DNS provider (another friend, hosting my site for free until I get settled in) to give me a FTPS user account. Can't do much without that but look at tutorials and try to figure out my way around this 'thing'. I was up messing with it until 11 last night. I foresee many late nights until I figure it out.
Well the creek is inside its banks and running a little slower to drain, but still flowing steady. We are entering winter now. I got below 30 last night and I got out and restarted the shop stove at 6am. It was 60 in the shop. I did a little cleanup sanding on that table and will have to do more teeny tiny fill pours today to finish filling those cracks. Then flip and do some more. This may go on for a few days.
I am beginning to get a feel for home the shop is holding heat now and think the wood heat is do-able. I do wish I had a bigger stove that I could load more in, like the one I have in the house, but that will have to wait. For now I seem to be able to keep it around 60 overnight and can get it up to around 67-70 in about 2 hours. On really cold nights it does get down to below 60, but not by much. Getting that stove packed full is the tricky part. I am already getting a little tired of filling that stove every night after 9pm, it's like going out to tend livestock, you have to do it like it or not. Same thing in the morning, I have to get out the as early as possible to fire it up again. That idea I had about pulling down attic heat seems to be a bust. Glad I waited until I collected data. Even on a sunny day if it's cold out, its cold in the attic. At best, there appears to be about 2-3 weeks where I might be able to draw some heat in for a couple of hours a day, then it just doesn't work. So I might do something quick and dirty, but I'm not going to put a huge effort into it, it's not worth it. Maybe a simple fan with a closable register. when the temps are right, I can flip it on then shut it off when they drop. After that short usable period, just seal it for the winter.
Anyway, today is another day, time to get at it.
Planer looks to be coming along nicely. Let me know when you get ready to dial everything in. I have the A-Line It dial indicator kit you can borrow. I actually need to retune my stuff as well since I moved everything to the new building but everything is tarped in the middle of the space now until I can finish the drywall, on to the second coat now so its coming, slowly.
Tom,
Sorry about your flooding problems. I feel your pain! Several years back neighbors installed a new drive to their lot and put a trailer on it. The drive was either incorrectly installed on simply placed in the wrong spot. It constantly washes out and I wish I had the muffler concession for all they have torn off various vehicle trying to go in and out. Lots of the time they park on the road and walk up to their home. I feel for them but they have made my life miserable because the run-off comes down the road about 50-60 yards to a street drain under the road right at my mailbox. The heavy leaf fall washes down the ditch and clogs the 36" square drain cover then water gets up to 6" deep in the road, crosses over washing out gravel off my drain and in some cases flooding my log barn on my lot instead of running through the culvert under the road to the creek on my side of the house. I have built all kinds of dikes and ditches to divert it with limited success. If I am home and see it in time I can walk out with a shovel, punch the leaves through the drain creating an instant whirlpool effect. I move leaves around to ensure they all wash through and the water in road drains down quickly. The culvert seems to be sized correctly but the leaves stopping the cover creates dangerous and annoying flooding. I try to mow and chop up the leaves ahead of time and remove any limbs I see to help prevent the blockage. It is amazing how quickly the water can rise and do damage if you don't spot and correct it in time. Seems to be the same in your place. Good luck on getting a permanent fix.
The flooding was no big deal, I am used to it, but it has been a very long time since it was near that bad, so it was a surprise. Another reason I say I need a lot of fill to regrade the entire area behind that back fence where all the lumber racks, mill, and Storage sheds are. No real damage at all.
Brandon, I have a planer gage on the way. Maybe next week I will have time to run some wood through it. ;D
Well I don't have much actual work to show for yesterday but I worked all day. :D I started by doing some rough sanding on that lamp table and setting up for another small corner pour. Got that done and the whole time I was working on it I am looking at that planer down on the floor. That cover looked terrible to me, so I hunted and found some paint of a 'not too bad' color, kind of a puke beige/brown thing. I cleaned it up a bit more, masked the decal and slapped a coat on it. Looks better now, but now the rest of the planer needs paint. ;D That's not something I will do on a whim. It will have to wait.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201203_154645563.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1607081796)
In the meantime I was back and forth with emails to my web hosting guy about issues I was having getting SSL going. It took a good part of the day to get that straight on the server, but by 2pm it was working. I had to get FTP working so I needed a password for that, more emails. Then I had all kinds of other issues with the WordPress configuration files that were preventing things from loading or working so I set into figuring it all out and fixing things one at a time. I had some good success and by 11pm I had made progress, but I was cross-eyed. It's been more than 20 years since I messed with this stuff but some of it is coming back. Other stuff is SO different I am learning anew. I have many hours ahead of me to figure this out, but I am making progress. It can be 'somewhat frustrating' though. ;D
I got back on it at 5am, but I don't expect to get much done today. I have a chiro appointment, then lunch with the boss, then have to help a musician friend make firewood. (Nothing like the last minute!)
Today is another day, time to get at it.
OGH,
Did I miss or not read closely enough how you cut your 45's to match you ends of the legs and tops on the benches? Oil on the last turned out nice!
Sam, you have to go back a ways to see the test bench. Replies 573 to about 580, and then I think 610 should cover it. I used the same jig for the miter cut and then flipped each piece and used it for the mortise. The splines were planed out of the same material as each bench. 3/8" thick.
Well I didn't get squat done here yesterday. I worked on the web page stuff in the morning after tending both stoves, then we had the monthly chiro appointment and lunch date. I managed to learn a little more about the web software and get a proper email box set up with the business domain name. By the time I got home it was 1pm and I changed, fixed a flat tire on the splitter, loaded the saws and stuff, and headed over to a friends house to help him buck and split a huge maple an arborist was just finishing taking down. Probably around 42" DBH. I think there is 2 cord in it. We quit when it was too dark to work safely. I left the splitter with him because he was having fun and only had about a cord split.
Got home, unloaded, tended both stoves again, made some dinner and tried to get some work done but I was pretty pooped. Messed around with this and that but was just shot. So I bagged it and went to bed before 10. Hoping for better today. I have to drop off some steel splitting wedges for my friend to make some more manageable piece out of those huge rounds. Right now you can barely flip them. I also forgot to leave him my splitter gas (I don't let folks run any fuel in my stuff unless it's the stuff I bought and treated).
My business registration stuff showed up in the mail yesterday, so I am official now.
Today is another day.
That planer will be a nice addition, it's looking good. The bench turned out beautiful. I hope we have a normal summer, and you can get your music festival fix and enjoy your retired life more as you envisioned it.
sounds like you got a ton done, just not all for you. i would hate to have a day that you would consider busy. :)
X2. And 3😱
Quote from: doc henderson on December 05, 2020, 01:53:32 PM
sounds like you got a ton done, just not all for you. i would hate to have a day that you would consider busy. :)
Well Doc, having worked a little in an E/D in the distant past during 'routine times' (is anything routine in the E/D?) I can say that my days at their most hectic and lengthy are still a lot easier then your easy/short days. I just do what I can then have to stop when the gas tank is empty. ;D ( I am still surprise3d you have energy to post here these days given what your workload must be.) Besides, if you can't do stuff to help friends, what is the point of it all? I was a little surprised when my friend, a musician who I know darn well is not having the most 'flush time period' in his career along with his lovely wife trying to raise two good kids, offered me some cash for my time. It took a lot of refusing, but I did take 10 bucks for the gas in the splitter (mostly to just end the discussion). Funny, but it has been a couple of months since I have done any heavy woods work, and last night I was having spasms in my both my lower legs all night long from working on that steep side hill dragging down big rounds for just a few hours.
I stopped back over there today to drop off the gas can I forgot to leave yesterday and a half dozen steel splitting wedges, a maul, and a sledge hammer so he can work on those huge rounds to break 'em down so they can be maneuvered into the splitter. When I mentioned in passing that I was pretty pooped last night, he laughed and said he didn't feel so bad then because as soon as we left, he went in the house, took a warm bath and some vitamin I, had dinner and went to bed. ;D I just had some leg cramps, but went to bed by 10pm, so I don't feel too bad. :D
Today off and on I worked on getting my mail client configured so it could download email from my new domain. It was broken up as I got details of information from the guy hosting my site. He is a Mac guy and I am a PC guy, so there is a language barrier. ;D We finally got it figured out and working, so now if you send an email to Tom@woodsmanforestproducts.com it will wind up in my inbox here at my desk (I think :D). Small victory, but another step, having my own domain email just seemed important to me, I don't know why.
Interspersed with that, I did another pour on the table project. I am trying to get the epoxy to perk down through a tiny paper thick cracks and it goes really slow. By the time it drop in enough, the epoxy is already entering the early curing stages. SO I did a pour first thing this morning, and a second one in the later afternoon. Too soon to tell but I think the last one finally got it and filled the last remaining voids. I'll check it when I do the last stove load tonight.
The caster I ordered for the planer showed up today and they are fine, but the way they made the legs on the planer stand will not tolerate the weight on a single stem caster, so I had to conjure up a different idea. I grabbed some 2x2 RO drops from table legs and screw then into each leg to bolster up the sheet metal, then drilled a hole up the center and tapped the hole and screwed the leg in. It took way too long but when it was done it worked very well, it rolls around like a dream now and I am happy with that. Just waiting for the rest of the stuff to give it a proper run through. Hopefully it will show up soon.
Funny little story: when I was in the truck today, I ran to town to pick up beer at Beer World (my favorite vendor, I should open a company account there) and part of that run has me cutting through a parking lot onto a road behind all the big stores to avoid the massive number of vehicles on the main road. This back road runs along the railroad tracks and as I made the turn onto this road I thought I caught a kayak in the corner of my eye laying along the track. I was paying attention to my driving and the traffic, so I let it go, but as I am going down the road I am thinking: Kayak? Along the tracks? How could that happen? How did it get there? It looked new didn't it? Maybe it fell off a train? SO as I went in the beer store all these questions are going through my tiny brain and after I got my stash I HAD to go back. So I get back there and yeah it's a full sized 1 person kayak! So I swing around and park on the shoulder and look at it, it DOES look new! So I get out and pick my way through the weeds and vines and as I look at it I realize, 'yeah, it does look new, because it is raining this is wet and shiny'. It was NOT new, it was beat and had a rip in the side about 18" long that you couldn't see from the road. If you were good with fiberglass patching materials and epoxy AND you retally wanted a kayak, you could have saved this and used it. I am neither of those things, so I just stood there and laughed at how I got sucked in. I flipped it over so the tear could be seen from the road to save the next guy from climbing through the brambles. Still can't figure out how or why this was laying by the side of the tracks.
Sorry, no photos today, just work. Tomorrow is another day, but first, I think I will try to do a little more web page learning. The wife also has plans for me to accompany her on a shopping trip. Oh, the joy of it all! I can't wait. ;D {Sarcasm is my first language.)
Been 2 days since a post. I have not taken time off, just distracted by this webpage thing and all the frustration I knew it would bring. No surprise there. This ain't my first software rodeo. :D
I have been working on this lamp table for the wife. No chance of a sale there for sure, she gets what she gets. ;D I have been interjecting work on that with the agonizing periods of trying to learn this software and making things work.
It was around 20 here last night and the shop was about 55 when I got out there. I think I am finding where the comfort limits are on wood heat with that stove. No matter, got it fired back up and went to sanding on the table because the pours are done. Worked through the grits and it looks OK, so I put on a first coat of tung oil finish. That took about 2 hours. The boys were here today, so I checked in on how the studies were going.
Went back out after lunch, fed the stove, did another coat. Came back in the house and watched another software tutorial, this one filled in some gaps for me and I made some good headway...until I hit another hitch. ;D I spent most of the afternoon and evening working on the page, mostly still learning the software.
I just came in from feeding the stove for overnight and I did another coat on the table. It is starting to look fairly acceptable.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201207_140753943.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1607395776)
The waterfall effect seems to be OK also.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201207_140649155.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1607395750)
Now to be clear, this slab is not flat, it has a cup and a little twist, which is why I am making a table for the house from it. It is going to hold a lamp and my wife's sewing do-dads she keeps by the couch so she can quilt while she watches TV. Not a heavy usage. I am using it as another test on how RO looks with this joint style, how the burned edge finishes up (it's live edge with the layer of cambium burned off) and to try using wipe-on poly finish over tung oil finish.
I'll be back on the web stuff tomorrow, but I can only work on it so long and I have to walk away when I get frustrated. The stuff for the Woodmaster showed up today, so I'd like to do at least a test run tomorrow after checking the knives to see if they are set right. I will do another coat or two on the table and some light sanding, and maybe a run to get that wipe-on poly. In between all that I will suffer through this software nonsense.
Tomorrow is another day.
It has been a while since I built a site with wordpress but do maintain a bunch of servers running it and have to get in there sometimes to help the web folks frigger things out, if you are ever stuck shoot me a PM we can probably take care of it out pretty quick.
Really liking the tables/benches and want to copycat it for sure
Copy away, knock yourself out. :D
Yeah, I know the deal with new software, you can either fight it and cuss at it and get really frustrated, or you can sit back and work your way through the learning steps over and over until you can get done what you need to do. I think I have about 10 hours on it today and made some progress. I am getting to the point where I can find and fix about half the problems without help, but I need a lot more hours before I get useful at it. It was good enough to leave it live tonight so that a few friends could look it over and give me feedback. Right now the layout is not that good, but it is coherent and functional, all the buttons work, etc.
No time to keep up with the forum today dang it, but tomorrow is another day.
Well today was a poor one. I got out to the shop and found that the stove had gone out with a full load of wood in it. So there was no heat from around 11pm last night until 7am and it was 48 in the shop. I fired it up, but that stove takes a long time to bring the whole building up 20°. There was no way I could finish that table because the finish was all gummy and had not soaked in and dried properly. I decided to hunker down and stay on this web page thing but went out to check the stove until I lost track of time and it burned all out again around 4pm. Very frustrating. I started it again and this time kept an eye on it. When I have it full open, the wood goes down in just a couple of hours.
SO I spent the whole day fixing stuff that my proof readers found on my pages and adding a blog page, and that last tid-bit took pretty much all day. I don't like the way it looks, but the function is proper. I think I may put a note up here on the new website forum to get some opinions. But I am not happy with it yet.
Tomorrow I hope to shake all that off and get a day in the shop to get to work on some 'stuff'. One day at a time, right?
Quote from: tule peak timber on November 26, 2020, 12:45:20 PM
Look at adding a small amount of solvent based poly top coat to your oil and possibly some color (brown or cherry) as a tint and you will be styling 8) This will leave you a finish to bounce the wax off of.
Just a shout out to @tule peak timber (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=25190) for this little tid-bit. Whereas I do not yet have the courage to start mixing finishes (coming soon), I did just do this lamp table for the house (see above) and am finishing it now. I did trees coast of Tung oil FINISH and then tried wipe-on poly for the first time. Holy cow, this is looking nice. I just put the second coat on. Sanding and final coat tomorrow. I think the wipe-on poly was a piece of the formula I was missing. So THANK YOU ROB! 8)
The table is nothing to write home about (maybe final photos tomorrow) because the slab had a twist and cup. Essentially I made a test piece, but will use it in the house because it's better than what we have now. But the finish was a new approach and I am really pleased. Wipe-on poly is a new stable here.
in the last week or so I've retrieved a 100 foot wind blown shag bark hickory and chunked it into logs .Got three weed wackers and two blowers running .
Got two Makita DCP 7321 concrete saws running but they need carb kits, in transit as I type .Lastly fired up my Husqvarna 2100 CD chainsaw which had sat for at least 8 to 10 years .That surprised me because it fired right up after a couple of primes and tugging on the rope for about 5 minutes .Talk about an arm breaker, that's one .
You're making me feel like a lazy lump. :D ;D :)
It's okay Tom, sometimes our 372's are enough 😄
I come and go .If I get a spark of ambition I hit it a mighty lick .Go at it tooth and nail non stop .Other times I sit around in my uniform of the day, PJ's .Drinking coffee non stop and annoying people on Face Book .Which is great sport without giving any details .I am retired you know . 8)
Dang it, I fat fingered my reply and lost it. OK, cliff notes: I finished the lamp table for the house:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201211_160046185.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1607744352)
I like the edges:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201211_160127221.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1607744372)
I just burned the cambium layer off.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201211_160120652.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1607744344)
I am happy with it, such as it is. That wipe-on Poly does a nice job. Not sure if I am going to wax it yet or not. Sometime this weekend I may present it to the wife and get rid of that wobbly table that has driven me nuts for 15 years. ;D (With extreme prejudice)
Did odds and ends the rest of the day, tried to clear some culverts with mixed results. Washed out a 20 quart pot getting ready for a cooking project on Sunday, assembled one of those big fish pot burners for the same project, and sanded and painted the top of my work cart for the same project. I also did a bunch of fixing on details on the web page that I got from folks who were kind enough to spend time and find my oversights. This is going to take a while to get right. I edited some of my Ramblings (blog posts) too. Kept my day full, but not a lot accomplished, just another day.
And tomorrow is another day.
OGH
Nice job on the table it certainly does look good.
So are you making up a batch of beer with your 20 quart pot .I figured with you being semi retired that making a batch of all grain would keep you in the suds five Gallons at a time .
UM Yeah, that's it. Maybe. But lets just say that's it.
Not too much to report here. Sunday was wasted spent on a cooking project with a neighbor that took the entire day. Monday I wasn't feeling so hot, no energy, so I slogged thru. By a strange freak incident I hooked up with this guy on FB and wound up selling him my metal shaper I have had for a very long time waiting for a buyer. Nobody around here wanted to buy it, and it is a honey, even if it's old. My Dad did a full museum quality rebuild on it back in the 60's and only ran it an hour after that to tech me how it worked. I used it once a few years later and it has sat ever since. I was not going to sell it for the 50 bucks I was offered once. This guy stepped up with a fair price and is driving up from Nashville to pick it up during the holiday week. I have a small Logan lathe he may also want. So Monday was not a total waste. I dug the machine out, emptied the tool cabinet of my other stuff and made sure all the parts were there for it and sent him some better photos. He is very happy. I brought in a few loads of wood to stock the shop. Storm coming in Thursday evening so I am trying to get a little ahead on chores.
Today was all storm prep. I cleared all the plowing paths of stuff that had been put in the way with all my cleaning up, building, and rearranging this year. Felt just fine today and was at work by 6:30. For some reason my head got messed up and I thought the storm was starting this evening, not tomorrow. So I was feeling a little urgency. Finally figured out that I had another day, but kept at it. My son was here for a little while and pitched in along with one grandson. Everything outside is pretty much ready, but I did overlook a few things I can take care of tomorrow, no big deal. After lunch I hooked up the plow and brought it in the shop. Usually I am doing this stuff after work in the evenings, now I have the luxury of daylight and more time to work (along with good heat in the shop :)) and I am taking advantage of that time. I looked over my plow lift Z rig and re-did it into a much better arrangement to avoid the occasional problems I have had with jamming in the past. Liking that a lot, it should be about perfect now. Every year I seem to have a slightly different setup, sometimes 3 until I get it working right. I also went over the Mule and glad I did, it was very low on oil from sitting and seeping, so that is topped off, needed water too, so I did that. Cleaned the windshield and got all the crap off the dash. Also remembered to put a charger on the battery this time BEFORE the storm. The winch takes a lot of that battery power and with the lights, interior defroster fan, heater fan and other stuff I wind up killing the battery during long storms. If I start with a full charge I am usually fine. But the Mule has not been working anywhere near as much as past years, so charging it makes a difference. 2 years ago I had put a backup light on it, which helps with all the backup work during plowing. It never worked right and was always intermittent. Drove me crazy, but not crazy enough to stop and fix it. It would always fail to light when I REALLY needed it, as if it knew. ;D Today was the day, just before dinner I started on it and got far enough to confirm it was a bad ground, I had to run a direct line to the engine for a good ground. So after dinner I went back out in the shop and made that happen. Now it works like a charm, that will be handy. I fed the stove early and came in, hope it holds. The temps are supposed to drop to 15 overnight, so I had to bring my beer inside to keep it from freezing. Times are hard. ;D
SO i came in the house and checked the forecast and it has changed just a bit. That had been calling for 8-16" around us, now they are saying 16-24" with local areas up to 30". I checked the detailed snowfall prediction map and we are smack in the middle of the bullseye on this one. Barge is northwest of me and he will probably get the same, or more but I don't think so this time based on the track, still this may shut him down for a little bit and he'll focus on stuff other than cutting. I am sure he can find something ;D. It is supposed to remain pretty cold, they say light fluffy snow :), but I am worried about the high winds they predict for overnight weds-thurs, that could cause some issues. But, we get what we get and we (I) will deal with it. If the forecast holds, we haven't gotten a snowfall like this since March of 2017, but whatever, I'll believe it when it happens. I will be curious to see how all the weekender city folks, going through their first winter storm as full time residents here will do. I think my neighbor behind me doesn't have a plow guy lined up yet. So there is humor to be found everywhere if you seek it out. :D
We have the boys again tomorrow morning and I still have a couple of outside chores to do, then maybe in the afternoon I can get a little done in the shop before the snow starts falling. Thursday will likely be shot to heck with snow cleanup, and as long as nothing breaks, I will be a happy guy. One day at a time.
And.. tomorrow is another day.
Benn a week since my last (your welcome), but the snow kind of killed things here, production wise. Since the last post I firmed up a deal with the fella buying my shaper and on a whim I said "Hey, have any interest in a small lathe?" One thing led to another and now I have that sold too. He is making the drive from Nashville, so I guess he really wants them. I spent good part of Tuesday going over the mule and getting the plow hooked up.
Then the snow came and we got 18" or so, hard to tell with lots of drifting. It was heavier than the 'light fluffy' stuff they predicted, so clearing took a lot more work. My quick and dirty wood rack covers took the biggest hit. Only one survived with minimal damage, but there was so much wind that even if they had, I would have to get in and shovel off the stacks.
One blew out all the guy ropes but one, it looked like it split right down the ridge line but after 45 minutes of shoveling I saw that it just pulled over the ridge. I put the tarp back over the ridge but saved the rest of it for another day, I was Shot.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201219_112820019_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1608637827)
One filled with snow and just layed down as it tore the tarp down over the fore and aft masts (gotta add a ridge pole on that one now).
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201219_112805269_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1608637747)
The 3rd one shed the snow pretty well, but tore off a spreader bar.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201219_112759043_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1608637705)
I think I did the initial cleaning and assessment on Saturday, but didn't get to work on them until yesterday. I got the first one restrung and got most of the snow off the wood, there is a limit).
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201221_115144905.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1608637863)
The second one was the toughest, I could either cut the tarp and yank it out, or shovel all that snow off. Being as part of the tarp is nearly in the creek, it was difficult, but I shoveled it all off, it just took time. I got the tarp up as is, but I really have to take a half day, cut and lash a ridge pole, and put up a new tarp. The problem here is all my 'natural materials' Hemlock poles and smaller piece to make stake out of are all buried under the snow.
The 3rd one I fixed the front spreader and shoveled off the wood. It is what it is.
I plowed out the mill area as best I could, but I think milling is off the table for a little while.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201219_112903213_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1608637805)
On the first day of cleanup I had to snowblow the entire 'road' for my commute to work. ;D
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201219_112724600.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1608637760)
Between the plowing, snow blowing, fixing stuff (mostly things I found with the snow blower), feeding 2 stoves, hauling wood, and all the other stuff, I didn't have much energy for anything else. I did piddle on a few fix-it jobs on the bench while I was warming up in the shop. I still have to work on that one tarp if I can find a ridge pole.
I heard back from the machine buyer and set a pickup date for Monday, so yesterday I pulled out that lathe and broke it down for safer shipping. Also wiped off a few years of dust. ;D Today I will do a little searching to see what other parts I may have tucked away for it. It will be nice to have just a little more room and a little more operating cash.
I have also been working on tweaks and edits on the web page. Yesterday I stalled the analytics plug-in and am trying to figure that out now. Man THAT has changed a lot since I last used it 1o years ago. I have to start over, it's quite confusing and appears to be slow going. There is not enough traffic on my site to give me anything useful yet but maybe someday. I just figure it should start collecting data now so I can see how it progresses.
Anyway, today is another day and we have the boys today. Time to get at it.
Well, at least is doesn't look like you are bored yet. Hang in there. this too shall pass.
that looks frustrating. for the winter can you put clear plastic directly on the wood, to keep blowing snow off? sorry mother nature took her toll on your structures.
Tom, When you sign off at night with the saying Tomorrow is another day it always brings a smile to my face as I have also went by this saying myself. Back in the early 1970's my at the time elderly neighbor gave me this poster which I framed have had it displayed every since. It is now on the wall in my shop. Its kinda faded but the message is still there.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/35110/tommorrow_is_another_day_.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1608653359)
Nah, it's not frustrating at all, it just part of the game, We love this stuff, it's why we pay higher taxes. ;D
I could put clear plastic but I would have to shovel snow off that too, and the clear stuff gets really brittle in the deep cold and just breaks.
Yeah, there were many years when "tomorrow is another day' was a sarcastic expression I used meaning "Today sucked and tomorrow is going to be at least as bad as today, but tomorrow is another day and I will just have to get through it without hitting anyone." Now it means more like what it is supposed to mean, so I brought the expression back into my consciousness with a more positive meaning (for me).
I am back in the shop today refinishing some table tops that moved when I turned my back for a few months. :D So getting back to work is helpful too.
Interesting little quirk today. Somebody I don't know put up a general request for help on a local FB bulletin board page asking where he could get "an Oak Log". Somebody else threw my name in the hat for me. Gee thanks. The guy called me. Turns out he wants a 6" diameter log by 1 foot long. :D I asked him what he was building, and he tells me it is to go with a Christmas gift kit he bought for a youngster who has an interest in growing Mushrooms. I told him he really wants a White Oak log because that's all the growers around here look for. I also gave him some leads on good educational videos about mushroom growing for fun and profit. He said the instructions state "Red or White Oak will work". I told him the smallest Red Oak log I have is 12" on the small end. He said he would look for WO.
Well I don't grow mushrooms, nor do I like them in any way. But after I finished the sanding I was doing I had a few minutes and I did some quick research and texted the guy to tell him I was wrong and red oak should work fine depending on what spores he was using. He texted back and said "great, can I come get a piece tomorrow?" :D Normally I would say 'NO', but it is Christmas, and it is for a kids Christmas gift (and its not a dang video game!). So tomorrow I will likely go out and dig a log out of the snow and whack off a piece for him. I have no idea what to charge for something like that so I probably won't even charge him. It's not worth it. Merry Christmas.
The rest of the day was spent on more useful stuff. I pulled two tables I made earlier in the year that has moved a little and I sanded the finish off and leveled out the movement between the different woods as they are table tops, RO alternating with soft maple. SO I got those done and found some tiny new cracks on one. I did Danish oil finish on all except the one with cracks and did a tiny epoxy pour on that to fill the cracks. I might do another coat on the one tonight if I'm bored.
That was my day, tomorrow is another one.
I hate re-work. Your tarp covers could be a whack of re-work for you over time. Have you given some thought to a different type of roof for the sticker stacks?
All the time! :laugh: :D ;D
It's just a question of what I have time and materials for. I have so many infrastructure projects yet to do, it a long list. So the tarps are temporary for a year or 2 while I get other stuff built. I know I am not saving steps here, but I am getting other stuff done. It's a dance and I bet you know the deal as well as I do.
The other issue is once I put a hard roof on, it becomes permanent and I can't move it. Right now a I can move these with 4 people. I am holding out so that maybe I will make enough money to fill and grade the giant wet spot, then I can have a proper layout. It's a dance 🩰.
We are getting some snow right now, it won't be 18 inches, probably just a few, but the wind is howling pretty hard it will make seeing later on pretty tough.
I like your lamp table btw, I will have to imitate that project sometime, wife needs a night stand on her a side of the bed up at the cabin, something like that would fit the bill nicely.
Well @Nebraska (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=45256) Hopefully you won't get hammered too hard, just be careful while the event endures and then clean up the mess afterwards. The height of the storm is usually a good time to test your inventory of brown and green bottles. ;D
Yeah, that table is working out fine, it's a little deeper than what the wife had before and I have heard no complaints yet. ;D It was a defective slab with a cup, so not something I could really sell. I just did it as a test to see how the joint would come out (the blind spline is about 12" long) and try out that wipe-on poly the the WOC recommended. I like it a lot and am going to use it on the two tables I am refinishing now.
Lunch break is over, back to work.
Well they have us in a blizzard warning but it's supposed snow itself out by about dark. So by Minnesota standards this isn't anything, haven't had too much bad weather this winter so far so I suppose they have to be excited about something.
Winds blowing like we are in a hurricane 😂
Well, I just looked into those little pings I have been getting on my phone all day. They put up a flash flood warning for Christmas eve through Christmas morning. That ain't good with the foot of snow pack we have. But as I just came into the house I read the storm breakdown from a local intendant weather provider (these guys are pretty good and give you ALL the details as they know them). They are predicting 2.5-4" of rain here. It looks even worse, they are saying wind gust at my place could top 60 mph and adjacent areas could see over 70. This ain't good at all. Yes, I am concerned about my culverts clogging with snow and backing up water, but I am more concerned about these winds. The first thing that popped into my mind was "Gee, I hope we have power Christmas morning, I don't want to miss the FF Christmas Contest Drawing. :D
But seriously, this won't be a happy Christmas night. I know that wind is going to keep me up with worry. It howls over this ridge when it hits 30. Behind the rain is artic cold, so everything will re-freeze and the are will be a skating rink. The temp should stay above freezing until just before dawn on Saturday, so that might allow time for runoff. But I can see I will have to be out on Christmas day checking the creek and culverts and pushing water where I can. I think the graound may be just frozen enough that it won't thaw and soak anything up.
"Tis the season, Ho HO HO.
Sounds ugly. Sounds like a recipe for uprooting a lot of trees too. Stay safe. I hope you come through unscathed.
Well, just thought I would take a few minutes to catch up here. Not a lot of excitement or even anything interesting here. I'll try to keep this in order. The winter brings unplanned chores along with the weather so I spend a fair amount of time on those and it eats into everything else. When I was younger it would just mean a longer works day, but I can't seem to do the 16 hour days anymore, I guess I should work on that. Last Wednesday I pulled the Mule out and tried to yank an Oak log out of the pile for that fella that needed the Mushroom log. I hooked up a chain and log tongs and gave it a good yank, no soap. I tried a few times but everything was frozen in solid. There was a big Red Oak on top of the log I wanted, so I came around at a right angle to that and put my magic hook on it and tried to roll it and break it loose. I twisted my magic hook like a pretzel, so now I have to fix that. I did get it loose and came back around to give another yank on the log I wanted. I keep yanking at it thinking it would go any time now and when I finally gave it a good solid jerk, I broke my log tongs.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201226_124520230.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1609241524)
Looks like there was already a crack started in the gullet of the bend, but I should have known better.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20201226_124612507.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1609241514)
Anyway, I got a little mad at myself and just poked the saw between to logs in the pile and cut out the piece he needed without damaging the adjacent longs. Turned out, under all the snow and ice, it WAS a White Oak log, which was exactly what was needed. I forgot I had some. But this was a pretty expensive log (for me) because for 5 minutes effective work I had acquired a few hours of repair time, assuming those tongs can be fixed properly.
So the fella showed up on time and was tickled pink with his 'log'. When he asked 'how much' I said, 'you know, that piece cost me a lot more than it was worth, just take it, have a Merry Christmas, and send me some photos of your mushrooms'. He wouldn't have it and handed me a $20. 'tip'. I guess that might help with the welder's charge. ;D
Christmas eve I spent the whole day bringing chairs out to the shop from the house and re-gluing and clamping joints and doing repairs long overdue. Old chairs, all dried out, some damaged from large teenagers sitting in them sideways or leaning them over backwards. Time to play catch up, and I did 3 chairs and a lamp table. I am getting better at this now that I understand more about how they were originally built. Some of those chairs are on the third repair and they were old when we got them. I also brought one of my benches in the house to have enough seating room for the boys.
Christmas was very quiet and then our 2 kids came over in the early afternoon, and of course the Grandson's. We have a nice buffet dinner and relaxed, then they were gone in the evening.
The storm was not too bad, but lots of folks without power Christmas day and the next. A few structure fires from downed wires. One Department was running calls from 6am to 5pm, back to back. Most folks had their power back by Saturday afternoon.
Sunday I helped a neighbor with an all day task and by the time I got home after dark my toes were pretty frozen. In the evening I noticed I had not seen one of our cats (we have two) lately, but it si not unusual for one or the other to find a quiet hole someplace in the house and sleep for long periods, especially the female. But when I woke up at 3am and she still wasn't on my bed I knew something was wrong and I could not get back to sleep. Neither of these cats has been outside. The male did sneak out at night once in the summer, but was back at day break shivering like a leaf, the female never. She would shake when she got near an open door and look outside with great caution.
I searched the entire house on my hands and knees thinking she was ill or had died and was curled up in some little nook. We are not the neatest folks and have lots of nooks. By 7am I had covered the house 3 complete loops checking every closet, laundry basket, under table, behind and under all furniture, etc. I was getting sick thinking what might have happened. Then I remembered that on Sunday my neighbor came up with me to help take something from my house to his and we had the side door opened for just a minute. It is possible the she freaked when she saw him, felt trapped in the corner by the door and escaped out the door, fearing him more that the unknown outdoors. To be sure, it was a very long shot of a guess, but I was grasping at straws. I walked around outside calling her for a while, looking everywhere. My wife was also looking. I did another full sweep of the house, this time looking for her body. No soap. In spite of that fact that this cat was a pain in my butt much of the time, she was devoted to me. She did give her brother a hard time quite often and would swing from being totally sweet with him to whacking and hissing at him in the space of just a few seconds, she also did not like to share. But she would sleep on me every night and follow me everywhere in the house. I really did miss her and was worried for her. She is only 5 years old, but did have a heart murmur as a kitten, not sure if it is still there. All this stuff was running through my head and I would walk around the yard and adjacent properties through the day calling her. I was pretty sure that was a waste of time because I figured there was only a 2% chance she got outside in the first place. I did another house sweep last night with no joy.
In the meantime I had that fella coming to pick up the 2 machines he was buying so I got those queued up by the door and ready to go. He arrived on time, was tickled with what he saw, happily paid me and we loaded him while we chatted. That took a couple of hours and after he left I did another sweep of the yard.
I spent the evening worrying about what happened to her and had no motivation to do anything else. It is one thing to have an animal pass, but to just 'lose them' without knowing where they are is a lot different. Of course I thought if she died in the house we would find her eventually, the hard way. One thing is for sure, Whether she got out, or curled up in the house, I was sure she was 'gone' and that really made me miss her. It has been way too cold outside and she has no real winter coat to withstand that. Also she lacks any survival skills outside. When our male got out he came back with some battle scars as one of the other local outdoor cats found him and whopped up on him a bit. I am sure he gave as good as he got though, he is a powerful little mynx. I could hear the fight off in the woods and it was ugly.
So this morning I was up too early again and did another loop, but I have lost all hope at this point. I sat down to write this out and try to get my mind back on a normal day. As I am typing I thought I heard a little guttural 'meow' like she used to do when trying to locate her brother or us in the house. Sort of her 'General call, where are you?' type of sound. So I got up and looked around to see if I could locate where it came from. I called her and got no response. I figured I was loosing my mind (short trip) and went back to typing and thought I heard it again. I got up again and looked and called. Nothing, then I thought hey, maybe it was outside the door? So I looked and there she stood looking up at me. Fully intact, no apparent damage. I opened the door and she came in very tentatively. I picked her up and gave her a checking over and found nothing wrong with her. She didn't even feel cold. Now the 2 cats are getting re-acquainted all over again, she acts a little bit like she doesn't know him, and he wants to smell her to see where she's been. She is having none of it. So they will play this game all day I guess. That's about as normal as it gets with these two.
I have no idea where she was for almost 2 days but I am glad she's home. Now maybe I can get some work done, because today is another day. Although frankly, I feel like I need a nap. I have not slept much the last two nights. Pretty silly, right?
Not silly at all, glad she is back safe and sound. Especially these days pets can be a great comfort!
We have a cat that goes outside during the day and comes in at night, last year he disappeared for a few days and we were worried sick. Wandered the woods looking for him and eventually found him stuck way up in a cherry tree. I was as happy as it sounds like you are, he is my buddy and was my mom's cat before she passed. Would be lonely(er) here without him for sure.
glad she made it home. Pets are like our surrogate kids. Maybe a neighbor kid got her in the house for a few days? never know. We lost my daughters blue point Siamese a month ago, and I walked the neighborhood and looked in out buildings, thinking she got shut in. she never came home. she was about 16.
Sorry about your Siamese Doc, all the cats I had as a kid would go off somewhere when it was time to die and I never found them, except for one that was very ill and we had to put down. 16 years is a long time for a cat. None the less it is very sad when it happens and you don't even get to say goodbye.
I don't do well with animal suffering, it is my Achilles heel. Of all the stuff I did in the fire service, animal rescues would destroy me. I did the job, made the save or recovery, then packed up and left the scene without talking to anyone and I would ignore those who talked to me, I was choking back a lot of emotion. I'd go straight home and curl up inside my head. I never got past that and I don't understand it, but that's the way it is. So things like this are a trigger for simple minded folks like me.
Anyway, all good now. I just cooked myself a first class breakfast to celebrate while she curled around my legs. Now I gotta get some work done and get my head back in the game. I have new space in the shop now, so I'll do some cleaning and re-organizing.
Yeah, I understand. My little cat is referred to as my cat-dog. A female Tabby, that's even her name (how original but hard to forget), she will even follow me around almost like a dog does but a lot calmer and much more self-sufficient. She's even MY personal heater, we share our body heat. But she does not like it when she sees a vehicle that is running or if anybody is in one, but she sure likes to explore them! My wife has a little dog that to me his appropriate name should be PITA, but alas, she wanted something else! It's funny, my cat of 4 1/2 years is the runt of the litter. The dog, rescue. The cat weighs more than the dog and when she's had enough of his getting in her face, she puts him in his place! That's worth keeping him around just for THAT entertainment. He will run off. She will not. No collar needed for her, she knows where home is. Him, well, I'll not get into my disgust of his actions.
TOM, I'm glad that she came back unscathed from wherever she was. I know exactly how you feel!
I'm not even going to get started on cat tales or the one that hated me and did not want me in "her" home and would crap in the shower every night while I was home then use her litter box once I left. We don't have one now after our old 18-19 year old tortoiseshell died. We tried a few since then and I'd love to have one or two in the barn and around the wood stacks but the coons and coyotes won't agree to that. Glad you got yours back.
Apparently she kept you busy and out of trouble, whether she knew it or not. Glad to know she's back and OK. I also have some fur kid-ties, rescues.
We've been pet sitting for my oldest son and his significant other, Mick the mouser, and Vlad the hampster. Paranoid Mick the city apartment cat will sneak out and 1-get beat up by Carl the barn cat or become coyote food, or 2-Bug the indoor cat will eat Vlad. Today is the last day they wil be home this evening, just hoping to stay on her good side. Glad your friend came back with no issues.
I inherited two "step cats " which amuse me .Indoor cats they love to watch the birds .That is until a big black northern raven landed near the back door. I mean gone like the wind .They didn't want to have anything to do with a bird that size .BTW this portion of Ohio is about the farthest south as a northern raven will travel and they are seldom seen .
Yeah, all cats are 'different' some are really weird. This little gal has been hanging really close to me the last 24 hours, but she is still a b**ch to her brother, who outweighs her and is much stronger, he takes it all, I don't know why. Things are back to normal, mostly. (Don't tell them, but the Manx is still my favorite, the only cat that has ever played 'fetch' with me when SHE isn't around.)
Haven't got much done this week in the shop, but between the machine sale on Monday and the small lumber sale I had today, this has been my best 'income week' since I got started. So there is that.
Also got a load of firewood and a couple of sawlogs dropped off tonight so that was nice too. I can't wait for this year to end though. Still working the mushroom log angle and we will see if anything develops.
Tomorrow is another day, and the last of this bizarre year.
Okay now a story of mushrooms and white oak .My buddy, RIP had a bunch of spores in a pile of oak limbs etc . behind his garage. He wanted me to scatter in my woods because I have white oak trees .So I gathered up a bunch and did that .After that task was over I noticed an odd scent, smelled .--now the rest of the story .
For years a bunch of us would gather and sit in Denny's garage ,shoot the breeze and drink beer .You can only rent beer and due to the design of nature you need to discharge it obviously .It just happened to be on that pile of white oak limbs ,mushrooms and all .I'm not certain if the mushrooms ever grew or not .For all I know the recycled beer might have killed them just like old Blue the coon hound hiking his leg on a shrub . :D
OH that is rich! I am trying to avoid cross-posting between here and the mushroom thread, but that is funny no matter where it is. :D
e have a similar 'issue here with regards to behind the shop as I often have folks stop by, and I keep a couple of beers in the shop fridge for the evenings or good company, either we sit outside or around the woodstove (I hope that never goes out of style) depending on conditions, but nature does intervene and I have no facilities in the shop beyond the natural ones. If it's light out you can pick your target, but in the dark (and it gets really dark in these hills) you can't see your feet or your hands, let alone the ground. I finally added some motion lights to help myself and others know where they are. One day I will bury a leech barrel with a pipe. ;D Maybe even put a wall around it. :D The neighbors are opening up the trees.
It may help mushrooms grow, and I guess it is organic! smiley_beertoast
But only if you drink organic beer, right?
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/18975/Photo_on_2020-12-31_at_12_04_PM.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1609430658)
I've done my best to keep Budweiser in business for decades . :)
Well it has remained quiet around here, not much going on. We spent a few hours at the neighbors across the road last night testing some local hooch and playing pool. Home by 12:15 and right to bed.
Today I started some repair work on a couple of benches I made and gave away 2 years ago when I was starting this 'stuff'. It is amazing how poor my work was, but to be fair, the point of those benches was to see if I could even do it. The finishing didn't really matter much so now I am doing them completely over. Wow that was poor work. I will make it good, or at least a lot better.
I have also been doing a lot of thinking about this last year, the changes that have taken place in our lives, and my life in particular and where I sit right now. More importantly, where I am going and how I am going to get there. On the one hand it is pretty good, and on the other, a little scary. One day at a time, right?
So about an hour ago, I got a message from the guy who picked up those machines on Monday. Turns out he has Covid, well at least all the classic symptoms, fever, loss of taste and smell, etc. He can't get a test until tomorrow, but I think its a moot point. We worked together for an hour and a half loading his trailer and talking but never closer than 5 feet. The garage door was wide open for most of that time. Neither of us wore masks. >:(
I had to think of who I had contact with since then, it's a very short list. I have contacted them all to make them aware. We will be staying home until next Friday and not allowing any visitors, self imposed quarantine. I would hate to think I had shared or passed this on to anyone else. The wife and I have no symptoms, but time will tell. In the meantime I will sty in touch with the guy and see how he is doing, hoping for the best for him.
Its funny how something like this changes your perspective on day to day life pretty quick. Seems like it's always something.
you are too mean to get covid. >:( :) If he was asymptomatic, then he was not very contagious. and sounds like he is not tested yet. loss of taste and smell are very predictive, but folks are also getting a little paranoid, so many still test negative, who have all the symptoms! good luck.
Well he was here on Monday, asymptomatic as far as I could tell. He stopped at his cousins nearby, before driving home. He got hit with the fever, loss of taste and smell on Wednesday and feeling really sick. So I don't know, but it sounds like he's got it to me and we are taking all precautions not to spread it. He could not get a test until tomorrow, which is scheduled. I figure 3-5 days for a result, so we just have to wait and see. I don't see the point to testing when you already have it, by the time you get results, it's too late to make any difference. The only places (2 or 3) around here you can get a rapid test is charging around $150. a pop. Somebody really dropped the ball on this testing program, that's for sure. I don't have any plans on getting a test unless something changes in our situation.
Incubation period between exposure and onset is still 3-10 days, right Doc? Or have they refined that?
Tom,
I've got my fingers crossed for you but I agree it is better to err on the side of caution and the isolation can't hurt. Let us know how it turns out.
prob. 5 to 11, but hard to nail down if you do not know exactly when you were exposed. It is so prevalent now, you may only narrow it down to a few dozen possibilities. as well, many are asymptomatic so hard to say since there is no "onset of symptoms". I think your exposure the way you describe it is low risk. but it is what it is. there should be free test sites, but often you have to wait to get your confirmed negative. you are doing this right.
Well, this little Covid experience has been interesting. Just in case it's needed, I checked into getting tested. HAH! for all the nonsense the one-eyed monster tells us and the politicians saying "get tested, get tested, the tests are available everywhere". I have found that all to be untrue BS. Closest place I can find that has testing appointments available 3 days out or less, is 40 miles away, then 3-5 days for results. Useless nonsense. The county and state have apparently stopped doing it around here and dumped it all on CVS. I find no usable information on our county websites, just political BS. They talk a good show, but the reality is very different.
I heard back from 'Patient zero', he had to wait 3 days, but got a rapid test in Nashville (good for them) and he is indeed positive and suffering miserably, but no respiratory issues, yet. He isolated from his family who was not home when he returned and they are well, so far.
Now here is the part I don't understand, maybe @doc henderson (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=41041) can chime in, the testing place told him that the first day has was contagious would have been the 29th. How can they know this? How accurate is that? He was here on the 28th, so in theory, we are safe, however I do not wish to risk passing this on to someone else so we will lay low until the weekend at least, which is about 11 days. I figure if I got it, I would see signs by then. We have my son dropping off the little essentials we run out of like milk, etc. So all should be good until then.
Ah well, I am just going to head out to the shop and re-do that bench repair which I fully botched up yesterday with an epoxy blow out. The other bench fix came out pretty good so I have sanding and refinishing to do on that one also. I am starting to learn more about these bench leg fits than I wanted to ever know. ;D These were early on and I should have used Howard's wedge technique on these, but what did I know back then?
viral load is less in asymptomatic folks, but it is a guess. the whole mask thing is that asymptomatic people can walk around and spread it unknowingly. you are doing the right thing. If you make it to the big city, you can get tested. or give blood in a few weeks and see if you have the antibody.
The big cities are even worse Doc. 5 hour wait lines. There are 4 CVS's that do testing within 20 miles of me, all are loaded up. But I did find a clinic that only has a 2 hour wait line.
Not really interested unless I have a reason.
And yeah, I thought it was 'a guess'. The way he told me was that he said "they told me I wasn't contagious until the 29th" which seems a little misleading to me, hence my suspicion. I realize the likelihood is probably lower, but there are no promises. Ya pays yer money, ya takes your chances. ;D
did I ever mention, you are too mean to get covid! :)
I found out my neighbor who is a registered nurse and works on a COViD ward tested positive .Georgia texted her and she says she's already getting better from two days ago .She's in her early thirties and grew up on the farm .Country girl , healthy ,active so she probably will be fine .
Quote from: doc henderson on January 04, 2021, 08:18:30 PM
did I ever mention, you are too mean to get covid! :)
yeah Doc, you did mention that and I hope I am, but I am not going to rely on that alone. ;D
Al, sorry to hear about your neighbor and I hope she gets through it easy, but I think we know that being healthy and young does not always guarantee an easy outcome. Everybody is different. It's a scary thing.
I'm not a medical person but I believe some people genetically have the antibodies in their genes to ward off certain infection type things .Case in point historically the native peoples of Alaska and the intrusion of the seal hunters .A common cold could kill the native people who lived in a nearly pure environment .The seal hunters had every disease known to man kind and it didn't kill them .On the other hand the native people could live on seal blubber and grow into their 90's .That most likely would snuff the seal hunters .
It is true that different groups, have survived or been eliminated by characteristics that have developed over many generations. dark skin helps survive in the sun, no sun burn and less skin cancer. This has resulted from a survival of the fittest, so move to a new environment or if it changes, your characteristic may be your downfall. even changes within a group, can make the difference, like genes that prevent or promote cancer. can be a mutation, but may have conferred advantage at some point a thousand years ago. sickle cell trait helps prevent malaria. If a group had heard immunity, or immune to like biological entities, the group will survive. with no natural immunity, the whole group is devastated. think Covid 19...
Quote from: doc henderson on January 05, 2021, 08:51:06 AMThis has resulted from a survival of the fittest, so move to a new environment or if it changes, your characteristic may be your downfall. even changes within a group, can make the difference, like genes that prevent or promote cancer. can be a mutation, but may have conferred advantage at some point a thousand years ago. sickle cell trait helps prevent malaria. If a group had heard immunity, or immune to like biological entities, the group will survive. with no natural immunity, the whole group is devastated. think Covid 19...
Gee Doc, you sure know how to sugar coat things, don't ya? It is what it is and all we can do is our best. I'll say no more here lest this thread take a bad turn.
I put in 2 good hours in the shop so far today making headway on those bench repairs and doing refinishing now. Between coats I will be here in the 'office' taking my first stab at proper bookkeeping and logging all my receipts. This is something I have been dreading for months.
At the moment I'm doing battle with a concrete saw and loosing .I just have to walk away at times but I always win in time .Because a concrete saw is so shrouded up to attempt to prevent it from locking up because of dust ingested they are not the most user friendly things to work on.
:)
I always disliked working on the concrete saws, something about the feel of the concrete dust I guess.
Cutting concrete is too much like work. I leave that to the young guys.
I have been in a funk lately, between the holidays, then the political nonsense and national unrest I have been so distracted I really haven't kept strict working hours in the shop. I go through the motions of maintaining the heat out there, moving wood, filling the stove, but frankly I am not getting out there until 9 or 10 am and by the time the temp is up in the 60's it is 11:30. I have been glued to the news, which is no good. I have done some work trying to understand the bookkeeping software and entered all my receipts and sales for the past year. I did some work on the website to add the mushroom logs, no takers so far. I also spent some time corresponding with my logo artist who is doing a custom logo for the business for web, print, and advertising use. She is very good and also very busy, I have been on her list since November. We may work out a barter deal, but either way, I need to make sure she gets paid well. I met here and her husband through one of the festivals I work at every year. We have been working together over 6 years, I have bought her books, and always wanted to get her to do some art for me.
But as far as work goes, I have been slogging. I did get to it on the 2 bench repairs I need to do. I made those benches as a learning tool and gave them to a neighbor as a gift with the understanding I could visit them and he would let me know of any issues. Well they both developed a loose leg and I took them back (under warranty ;D) and looked them over. Terrible workmanship on the gluing part, and not very good on the finish either. At first I thought I would just re-glue the legs but when I looked at the job I had done... well, there was no way I could do just that. So on the one I managed to break 3 legs loose and clean them up, on the other I could only get the one leg out. I sanded both benches down to fresh wood on the tops and sanded the finish all around to remove drip marks and high spots. Then I jigged the benches up to get the legs aligned back to where they were so that there would be no rocking when finished. I poured epoxy in the oversized joints. It took a couple of pours over a few days to get it right. I had one big blow out (never trust blue tape alone on any gap bigger than a crack).
This one ripped out a chip when the glue broke. I filled that in with epoxy.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210101_134806905.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1610103315)
This one I managed to get 3 legs out and reset them all with epoxy this time because of the large gap.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210101_134737600.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1610103281)
This is the one with a single loose leg, all done. I didn't get photos of the other yet, just forgot.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210101_134825285.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1610103312)
Yesterday I started messing around with a 3 legged stool idea because you guys keep talking about them. I need something in the shop for squatting down to work on machines and other stuff and I have this twisted Maple that I cut into 3 slugs, all will be stools.
Bottom:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210107_143605517.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1610103557)
And top view:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210107_143556085.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1610103568)
It's about 15" tall which is about as far as I want to squat. I have not glued the legs yet, but it is stable to sit on and I can stand on it with one foot if I have the ball of my foot over the 3rd leg, but I could wobble it over. When I get the finishes on I will glue the legs and see how it flies. The other two will be done with 4 legs, possibly shorter.
I also put a coat of urethane on the two table tops I am refinishing, today I will flip and do the other side.
As I write this, our Manx cat is keeping an eye on me from his secure location.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210108_051125762.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1610103939)
Today I got up at 4, and to break the cycle I went out to the shop and stuffed the stove before 4:30 and even before my coffee. Headed back out soon to get to work.
Time to get at it, its a new day.
I had a long post prepared but then it was eaten by the delay in posting. Good to hear you got it going early today, the shop will be nice and warm and it is better to be up and about. Re our nation: chins up, we've been through much. From the wars and skirmishes on slavery to the anarchists in the turn of the century, from the World Wars to the wars to end colonialism and contain communism, to civil rights movement, to the environmental movements. We've been a nation of revolutionaries. Today despite the horrific scenes in DC we are on the cusp of some major changes that will alter humanity. Keep up the hope!
Energy : Solar (and wind too) and batteries are ending our dependence on carbon based fuels. Finally we separate a developed society from burning dead plants. This is going to be great for the environment and human health. It will launch new billionaires and break others. It means that in 10 years you'll have the ability to generate an awful lot of your own energy right on your roof and store it. Utility and automotive companies will be upended, fossil fuel companies updended, new things happening. Disruption and revolution...American way. I need to replace my roof and for kicks got a price on a solar roof from Tesla, not panels but where the shingle has solar cells. Not only looks great but lasts a long long time. The price was not much different than a metal roof. In 2 years I bet it will be 20% less. When that happens my energy costs will be almost nothing. If I had my barn and garage covered I could power my own cars. Second order change impacts will be amazing.
Self Driving: Very little discussion on what's really going to happen but we'll have nearly ubiquitous transportation for anyone at anytime. Elderly will go to dinner in the dark if they want to, drunks can get to a bar and not kill someone, etc. Lots of lives saved and a big boost to economy. Insurance will be upended by the massive reduction in accidents. Not a good time to own a body shop and a good time to have a business supported by the elderly.
Space: We're going to Mars. On the way starlink sats will be deployed that will make high speed internet available to anyone anywhere This will be amazing. Of course the fact that we are going to setup a permanent colony of a million people on Mars...well that will be a whole new world of amazing.
Chins up!
Nativewolf, I really like your positive outlook.
But I remember watching films in grammar school in the early 60's where by the 70's atomic energy would provide free electricity to everyone. And power all our cars, lawnmowers, and household appliances... :D
Well it's been a few days here. I have been trying to get myself back on track while being glued to the TV and doing some internet research and watching 'alternative' news shows as well as C-span. I am trying very hard to get both (actually all, because there seems to be more than 2 'sides' here) points of view at some level of honesty and reality in a fair balanced way. It isn't easy and is wearing on me. It wears me out and I'll leave it at that. I was always taught that Citizenship is a responsibility and it obligates us all to to keep an open mind and find what is true and best for our society. At no time in my life has that been harder to do than it is right now.
In the meantime, work needs to move forward and get done. I have been emailing back and firth with the fellow I am supposed to 'help' teach a GD&T class at the college. Lots of details required which he is short on, very frustrating. Today I found out after hours of emails and re-study work, the class might not even happen due to low enrollment, which is why they have not yet sent me a contract or told me what I am getting paid for all this nonsense. The academic world is so much unlike the real world. I have long maintained that if these folks had to work for a living producing a deliverable product, they would starve to death in 6 months. This experience hasn't changed in my mind. ;D
But in the shop, work goes on here. A few very late nights kept me from early starts, but I am slugging it out with longer days.
I delivered those re-finished benches a few days ago and the client did not even notice I did a full refinish. Not surprised. Doesn't matter, they weren't up to my current specs, so I brought them up to a minimum that I was happy with.
I had two pieces that I nearly finished months ago and they warped and had other issues. I re-sanded and refinished those last week. For the first time I tried pocket screws and they work really neat! I am addicted, I guess, in the right application. Anyway, I screwed the tops on the legs with them, which I had not done before. The tops aren't flat, but I will sell them cheap.
Here's the lamp table:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210110_154521438.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1610503328)
And here is the matching coffee table:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210110_154600856.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1610503309)
I have also been working on those 3 stools I made out of the same twisted slab. The three legged one came in the house last night for 'testing'. I can't sell that, too tipsy, the cats don't even like it, but I do. It is the perfect height for a leg rest or squatting in front of the woodstove. I like it, but won't sell it. The other two I am working on a better finish for the buying public. They were a little rough for my taste so this morning I gave them a lick with some 320 and hit them with a very light coat of spray urethane. Much better.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210112_203522062.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1610503415)
The one (on the right) has some nice spalting.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210112_203532622.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1610503393)
I don't know what that red stain is on the end, it is NOT on the actual piece. Some kind of photo error or whatever. It's not there.
I also took the time to take photos and put an ad on CL to sell my Delta lunchbox planer. Might as well get rid of it now that I have the woodmaster. As of this writing I have my first 'reading impaired' reply ('Is it in good working order?' even though he ad reads 'Delta planer, in good working order with extra set of new unused knives'). ARRRGGHHH!
Since @Brad_bb (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=6191) 's thread on tool bags I have been a little obsessed with all the ones I have. This afternoon I grabbed 3 (actually 4) more of mine and totally emptied them of junk and gave them a good working over with the vacuum and air hose.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210112_203405339.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1610503351)
These are all big bags in the 22 to 24" length range (except that little flat thing on top I inherited). I am thinking I will take all the stuff I have in the bed of the mule and move it from plastic totes where it gets wet in the rain, into these bags so at least I can close them and it will keep the leaves and branches out. Gotta do something with these bags. I also have the smaller ones floating all over. Tool organization is a nightmare for everyone and I don't know anyone that has really solved it yet. :D
In general I have been adjusting to 'winter' in this first year of retirement. I am finding it a real challenge. Getting up at 4 or 5am in the pitch dark has no point for me. It doesn't get light here until 7:30 and I just can't get motivated. I have never liked working outside in the cold weather unless I really need to. It makes you work in a hasty manner and you get sloppy or hurt, or at least I do. For YEARS I have been looking forward to overnight snowstorms that I don't have to plow and clean he truck so I can get into work on time, that was a major goal for me, I had done it for so many years, getting up 2 hours early just to make the boss happy, even though the boss showed up 3 hours late. No more. And that part has been good but we have not had much snow... yet. But dealing with days on end (2+ weeks now) where it was overcast and steady cold temps is boring and depressing. I just have to adjust my attitude and get used to it. Before I had the distraction of being in the shop with people and phones ringing and emails with ridiculous requests, and meetings and all that stuff that takes your mind off the lousy weather. I still have some adjusting to make. ;D The weather is leading me toward me to spending more time at my desk in the house where it is warmer and do desk/computer work, which I avoid/ignore at all other times of the year. I return phone calls and focus on the business plan which I suppose I should be doing.
Ah well, tomorrow is another day.
I hear South Texas is nice this time of year. Winter just stinks with the short photo period and the extra hassles of snow.
It is blowing really hard with just enough snow to make it a bother. Visibility in spots is pretty bad.
Sorry the teaching thing isn't moving forward like you wanted. I thought it sounded like a good deal for you.
In six weeks the day light will last longer and it will get better.
When it comes to any engine I'm usually good at troubleshooting but every so often one comes along to really be a challenge. Now once again I have a pair of them with indentical problems .The carbs won't pump fuel and it's driving me bonkers .
I've lost track of how many small carbs I've rebuilt and never had this problem. Usually a rebuild kits fixes them .Because of the use of these things on concrete saws some dust may have plugged things up .However the type of air filtration is far superior to a chainsaw because of the fine dust
So something I've never had to do before , a soak in acetone .If that doesn't get it done I'm out of ideas .
Well Al I am not intimately familiar with those carbs, but you know better than I that you start with the fundamentals and work through them all. Sounds like it didn't work for you on the first pass, so it's time to start again and look in deeper detail. You could trey throwing it in an ultrasonic tank for a while, adding heat to that can help also. Is that a vacuum pump on that carb? maybe no vacuum to the carb? You know how to do this, you've done it so many times before, you are just missing something. Back off, drink whatever makes you think, and ponder it for a bit, you'll get it yet. ;D
As for me, its been a few days. I did sell that planer after a dozen or two emails with 3 or 4 guys of questionable reading ability. ;D One guy told me I was asking too much and told me what it was worth. I posted it for $215, he said he would 'give' me 175 for it. I said 'no thanks', then he replied I should contact him when I was ready to take his price. a day or so later I had 2 guys that both wanted it. I made arrangements to meet one, last night and as I was leaving I got another email from Mr. 'Meet my price; and he agreed to pay what I asked. I told him I was on my way to deliver it and I would let him know if it didn't sell but there was another guy in front of him first. :) SO I went to the meeting point and they guy was nearly a half hour late. He apologized a LOT and was a nice guy and handed me $25. more than my asking my price because he was really late and I waited. I gave him back 20 bucks. Fair is fair. I got home and emailed the other guys that it was sold and I told Mr. "meet my price" that I sold it for $240. which was what the buyer actually handed me. (I didn't tell him I gave back the 20.) I just wanted the guy to think twice if I put another listing up. ;D I have never been good at this 'selling thing' and usually wind up with regrets, but this one went ok.
So around the shop I was distracted by all the emails quite a bit. We had the boys on Friday and I took the youngest out to the shop because he is not in school yet and we built the wood car kit he got for Christmas. I did the middle boy 2 weeks ago. It amazed me that once I shoed him how to follow the instructions (good photos) he picked up on it right away and kept looking at the next 'correct' step. He did a great job and the only thing I did for him was drive a few nails home that he couldn't quite finish. Later in the day I repeated the process for the oldest one (7) after school was done. I am learning that the biggest benefit of these simple kits is learning to follow instructions to get the desired results. Something lacking in this age of "just google it or look on you tube".
The gray weather, going on 3 weeks now, is really getting me down and I have not been really productive. But I am out in the shop most of everyday trying to clean and organize (which is what led me to selling the planer). I am also spending a little more time on paperwork and organizing my business because I know in good weather I won't take the time for this. Add to this that I tweaked my back again and saw no reason to push it and I guess you could say I am exercising my prerogative as a retired person and slacking off. ;D
Bolstered by my successful sale of the planer, I have this other piece in the shop that I have not used in 40 years for more than 15 minutes total.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210116_094819260.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1610831490)
I checked it out and this thing has value, tin knockers and custom bike builders love them. It's a Beverly #2a throat less shear. Not something that would grab interest here, for sure, but to the right audience this is the one. The imports and knock-offs just don't work the the Beverly and the one I have is tight, has good edges and cuts like a dream. I just don't do that kind of work and don't need it. SO I took photos and put it up on Ebay for the same price as one that sold last week. You can find them, but not very often with the factory stand. So we will see what happens. All of these sale things are just adding to the shop kitty and who know but I might work my way up to enough for a decent 16" planer at some point. Even if I don't, it has taken some pressure off on other things that are badly needed and very necessary, like a Logrite new cant hook and some other basics I have been getting by without.
Anyway, things are progressing and I am trying new things all the time which is what I always like to do.
Tomorrow is another day, good luck with that engine Al.
Tom,
Well I just fat-fingered a response off into cyber space. I've got to find which key I am hitting to do that and remove it from my keyboard!
On the selling I worked so much overseas where all prices were negotiable and it was expected and accepted. I'd ask "How much discount?" at the counter of a department store and you'd be surprised how many times I'd get it and if not I'd just laugh it off. If you did not ask for a discount in a Saudi gold souk you would probably offend the dealer as he expected and enjoyed it. If I was in a hurry I would sometimes tell the vendor "Give me your last price and I will buy i tor walk away" then I did. If it was reasonable I'd say "Done" and pay the man. If not I'd say "Sorry" and walk away even though they were usually lowering the price as I walked away. I never went back and took their other offers.
One thing I will not do, ever, is pay one penny more or take one penny less than we agreed on once we do agree. No matter how far I had to drive or other issues if I get there and he tries to jack up the price or starts to offer less I turn around and load up and/or walk away and I will never buy or sell to that person again. Nobody should ever benefit from his misdeeds. Some people seem to think once you have committed they can renegotiate for less. Wrong!
In Africa I would visit the local markets as the minute this fat old white guy walks in the price typically doubles or triples. I found one technique was to find a stand with a kid running it for his/her parents. They did not know to jack the price up and offered it to me for the same price as to a local person. I found a little girl in a market in Cameroon selling okra. She spoke no English and my French was not enough so I got out a 500 cfa coin (About a dollar) and told her "This much" and gave it to her and turned around to talk to another vender. The little girl was all excited telling her friends about her "big sale". I finished with my other vendor and turned around and found the little girl had me a bag with a couple gallons of okra. Normally I'd have gotten a quart or so.
Anyway congrats on moving the planer and I hope you do as well with the rest of the items you want to unload/convert to cash.
Awww, now you're making me fell bad for taking an extra 5 bucks from the guy. ;D The truth is when I gave him back 20 he argued with me a little about it, because he was late, sent me a lot of emails, asked for videos of it running, then didn't look at a map to see if he could find the place we agreed to meet at (to save him about 1/2 hour driving) and I had to give him directions (3 times). So I 'talked him down' to just taking 5 bucks.
It's true I have never been good at the 'dickering thing', but over the years I have learned to always be polite. For me, there is a big difference between asking 'what is your best price?' or 'will you take $xxx?' and telling me what I should be asking for or what it is worth. The former opens a conversation, and the latter shuts me right down. Probably I still have a lot to learn. I have been shafted more times than I have walked away from a fair deal is selling stuff face to face. Frankly, I have never done much of it at all. Maybe I just need practice. Since I don't 'need' to sell this stuff, I am in no hurry. I can list it, and if it doesn't sell I can un-list it, or list it somewhere else, or whatever. no pressure and no rush. Maybe that is the difference.
With all the stuff my son has sold in the last ten years and the few things I have sold, we have seen a lot of bozos that show up to buy things and don't know what they are buying, ask you how it works, play with it for a while, then leave and say they will think about it. Others (very few) know exactly what they want, look it over for 30 seconds to check the important stuff, ask 1 or 2 questions, reach in their pocket and pull out the cash, load and go. One guy came and bought a roached out F350 dually flatbed that my son had bought for parts. He was selling it with the seized engine in the truck and another engine that was good but needed a turbo, and a third engine strapped to the bed for parts. They guy came and paid him, then came the next day to pick it up when none of us were here and he took the truck with the parts engine and left the other engine. never called and never came back. After two months my son finally sold that other engine so I could use my firewood trailer again. ;D ;D
Tom,
I see nothing wrong with taking the extra money for the delay. Just like taking a tip for lumber or something you made. It makes the customer feel better. I had a customer come get some 1X10s then called me the next day and needed 4 more and was trying figure when he could get them. I told him I had a dentist appointment the next morning where he lived and I'd bring them and he jumped on that and was waiting in my dentist's lot. Was $35 and he gave me $40 and insisted I not make change and said call it delivery. I'd just saved him an 80 mile trip so he did well and it really was no extra trouble for me but we both left happy.
Dickering should be fun with lots of laughing and joking. A long time customer of mine came a few days ago and bought $30-$35 worth of lumber. I told him my New Years resolution was never let a customer leave with money in his wallet. He laughed and said he figured that and had gone and cleaned out his bank account before coming.
I have dickered people down then paid them what they first asked in Africa and such.
One time I was going to buy a bunch of finger bananas for me and our project doctor and saw a lady at an open air market with some and I asked her how much. She said 350 cfa and I asked if she'd take 300 and she said yes but then an old lady with a bunch nearly all green like I really needed came by and I asked her and she said 350 and I paid her. My wife was saying "See if she will take 300" till I told her "Becky, she is an old lady and we're only talking a nickel so she agreed.
Good dickering is like a good barter or trade - when you are done both sides should be happy with the transaction.
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on January 16, 2021, 04:26:03 PMNot something that would grab interest here, for sure
I beg to differ! If you were closer I'd be right over!
smiley_curtain_peek Checking in.
I have sold a few things on fb market place but have found it can be bad for my attitude. I once had a women pestering me with a ton of questions and more pictures of a day bed I had up for free. When she asked if I would come down on the price I lost it and told her I'd burn it before I'd PAY her to take it! Yesterday I had a great experience as a buyer of a like new side by side. We agreed on a very fair price a couple hundred bucks less than they were asking. Then the seller asked how I was going to get it home. I explained I had to go borrow a trailer as mine wasn't big enough and he volunteered to deliver it about 30 miles. He did and I gave him 50 bucks for his trouble and we were both happy campers.
Quote from: ljohnsaw on January 17, 2021, 12:18:08 AM
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on January 16, 2021, 04:26:03 PMNot something that would grab interest here, for sure
I beg to differ! If you were closer I'd be right over!
OK, I guess I didn't think that through, given all the highly skilled fabricators here. If somebody here did have an interest I would be sure that the Forum got the proper cut out of the deal. This was NOT intended as an offering, but just in case and to be clear:
I have read, understand, and agree to the terms of posting an ad on the Forestry Forum. Just to make sure everything is on the up and up.
I still hate selling stuff as Breederman noted for those same reasons. 16 years or more ago when the family had needs I could not meet I tried selling a bunch of my re-loading stuff on ebay and the bozo quotient was just too high. One guy bought a scale from me and then after the auction closed he asked how he was to pay me. He didn't even have a paypal account and he wanted me to walk him through the steps of getting one. (The add was very clear on payment terms.) I always state the exact shipping costs in my ads, and one guy complained because I charged $5.50 shipping on an item and when he got it, the stamped shipping cost was only $4.25 on the box. He gave me a really nasty review so I had to explain to him that 'shipping cost' included buying the box (2.50) packing it properly, taking it to the post office, etc. It seemed every sale had some kind of nonsense and I saw new lows manifested in the human condition.
Having somebody asking you to go lower on the price when you are offering it for free is a new one on me. I think that would blow the governor off my sarcasm throttle for sure.
I get to see the true colors of humanity on a daily basis at work. I was schooled in college, that if you offered it for free on the curb and no one wanted it, put a "5 dollars" sign on it, and sure enough, someone will come back that night and steal it. :D
Doc,
I had an outboard motor mechanic in Albany Ga who used that concept. He had trouble getting rid of old rusty fuel cans because of environmental regs and such so he would "forget" and leave them out and people would steal them and sell them at flea markets and such. The icing on the cake was people would buy them cheap at the flea market, get the rust in their outboard motor carb and have to bring them to him to fix.
When I first moved here to WV I thought about putting out signs to the effect "Anyone caught stealing the rocks and multiflora roses will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law." I finally got goats who cleaned up the roses and mostly learned to live with the rocks.
I guess if you like to eat goat, you can sentence them (goats) to death and have a cookout. :) . at KU, four of rented a house. the garage was so full of rental house junk that we could not use it. the landlord lived out of town, and often paid us in rent to fix things. he said if you want to haul that stuff to the dump, you can use the garage. it was an old 2.5 sized garage with a single car sized door. so we had a garage sale, and sold nearly everything, one group from another country bought a roll of carpet for 5 bucks. they cam back with friend and another Datsun 210 or something, and made offers on the other 7 rolls. we sold the rest for 20 bucks since they were such good customers. :D I think we ordered pizza for those of us manning the sale. I think everyone was happy. 8) oh then we got to park in the garage. I had a woodshop in the basement of the house. 1985.
I have sold many items on craigslist and the best one was when I posted a small dump trailer. Within 5 minutes I got a call then the guy showed up at my house handed me 3 grand a hour later. He took the paperwork to register it and said he would be back the next day to pick it up. Well over a month later he finally came back for it. Said he blew the tranny in his jeep on the way to pick it up and it took a month to get repaired. He couldn't call because I pulled the add and he never wrote down my number. I had no idea what was going on. If you post a reasonable price tell lowballers to get lost and many times they will change their mind.
Yeah, that's weird but at least you had the cash in hand, so no worries.
My best experience was on a purchase. I was sitting at my computer early one Sunday morning and a new listing popped up on marketplace. I messaged the guy within 2 minutes of the listing coming up. It was a 12V boat winch for 20 bucks. One thing led to the next and 20 minutes later we met at a parking area near his place. He told me he hadn't even had time to test it, but when his son put it away a year ago it was working. It was clean and I said I'd take it. Because he hadn't tried it, he only took 15 for it. It never occurred to either of us we could have just connected it to the truck battery. ;D It did work like a charm and I installed it on my skidding arch to pull in logs. Easy and quick doesn't happen often.
Man, these winter doldrums are getting to me. Overcast for almost 3 weeks now. I see sun when I get up some days, then it is gone in 10 minutes, not to be seen again for the rest of the day. It's really damp, and even though the temp is in the high 20's to mid 30's, it feels a lot colder. Depressing for sure. It reflects in what I get done. I move wood and feed stoves, shuffle around doing other things, fix something here or there, clean a little in the shop, put stuff away but nothing accomplished of note. This depresses me further. I watch too much news during the day and that doesn't help either.
Last night I decided I had to fix myself a little bit, so I brought out an old habit I gave up when I retired. I used to go to bed every night and when I was falling asleep I would form a plan for the next day. For many decades I HAD to do that to get through the next day and make headway. When I retired, I gave that up and pretty much took each day as it came and boy is that fun and a true joy! But now I just can't seem to get myself lit up. So I brought back the old habit and thought about how to make the day productive. As I layed in bed I thought, 'you know, you really should take advantage of the slow winter and get all those blades re-sharpened and ready for better weather. That thought alone perked me up, good idea! Then I thought, hey, not much snow on the ground, how about milling the floor boards for the loft? Good Idea too, but I remembered that I have to go over the mill and I may not have put antifreeze in the blade lube jug, it may be frozen. So my day was planned out.
So I did just that this morning. I checked the mill and pulled the lube jug off. Yeah, it was frozen but no damage, so I brought it in the shop to thaw. While that was going on I collected all the dull blades and loaded them into a blade clip (cow ring thingy) and put them in a box (that was fun! I finally figured out how to do it without ripping my face off). I tried to use the prepaid return label from Woodmizer with bad results (it was out of date). I had 2 nice phone conversations with Floyd at my regional Wood-mizer resharp house, got it straightened out, he emailed me a new label and 20 minutes after I filed the pickup request, my UPS guy showed up. Turned out he was on the next road over when he got the notice and of course, he had his daily delivery at my neighbor across the road so he didn't have to drive one foot out of his way. :) :D I sent them 18 blades. OH and the best part? When I talked to Floyd I asked him if there was any chance they could re-sharpen my 10° blades into 4° blades feeling stupid for even asking, but he said "Yeah, we can do that". 8) That lit my fire big time. So I tied some clearly worded tags on the blades with redundant contact info and off they went.
I had to replace all the wireless landline phones in the house because the old system finally bit the bullet and had a squeal on every hand unit (4). We replaced it with a 5 unit system, so now I have one to put in the shop. I took care of that after lunch. After that, it was 'sort of' nice outside and close to 40°, so I pulled out the mule and dragged 2 EWP logs back to the mill, rolled one up on the bed for milling tomorrow. Then I went back to the lube jug and it still had a big ice ball in it, so I started putting hot water in from the stove, (I always have a pot of water on the stove for things like this, or cleaning, or washing hands, whatever, it's free heat) letting it sit until cool, dumping it and putting more hot water in. Eventually it all thawed and I rinsed out the jug and put it back in place, ready to go for tomorrow.
We needed milk and I don't like to waste a trip, so I checked my needs list in the shop. I haven't picked up supplies in 2 weeks. I ran to HD and picked up pocket screws, windshield washer fluid (tomorrows milling) a gallon of WD40 (tired of those expensive spray cans), a new pair of winter work gloves (all mine have holes and I have no spares), and a bunch of other little stuff. Stopped and got beer, then stopped for milk, and home.
Not a bad day and certainly better than most lately. I am sitting at my desk after dinner and my left thumb feels like I slept on it in an odd position, but it didn't start bothering me until around dinner time. 3 hours later it is getting a lot worse, to the point that operating the TV remote is very painful. I could not figure out how I did this. Now I am noticing the color coming up around the joint, kind of a blue-green tint. Finally, it dawns on me. When I carried all the stuff from the truck to the shop (about 150') I grabbed the 2 jugs of washer fluid with my left hand and one jug just hung from that thumb. I must have hyperextended it. Dumb, but I never felt it at the time (well, maybe just a little). I can say that it is surprisingly dang painful now (and I am out of Advil). I have a feeling it could be useless by morning at this rate of decline, but we shall see. I was looking forward to getting some lumber made and cleaning off a few more logs. But I kind of need that hand. ;D Well, I'll just have to see how it goes and make the best of it. Maybe I can use the hand and not the thumb?
Tomorrow is another day.
I used to be able to work all day and pick up a list in my brain. I would not waste a step. even if a trip in the house to do something, would result in a step for another task on the return trip. now I will write it all down, cause on my trip to the house, I forget the first task, let alone the second. not that bad, but I am not doing 3 things at once like I used to. still feels good to cross things off the list. my son helps me, and he prefers a list rather than checking with dad when something is complete. Or worse I stand there and cannot remember the things I thought he could do. remember ICE the thumb. (ice, compression, elevation). and you were right. today is another day. :)
Sounds like a pretty productive day. I may have to call Floyd to send my next batch of re-sharps as I am trying to consolidate on 4 degree blades and bought a bunch of 10 & 7 when I got the mill. I have been phasing them out over time with any bad blades replaced with 4 degree DH but when I asked if they could resharpen all to 4's they would not as they said it took too long.
I am pretty good at consolidating my work projects so I only make one trip. I just figured it was old age and laziness and not wanting to retrace my steps. :D
Funny how sometimes the most insignificant actions (like those jugs you carried) we can do sometimes make us pay physically later.
Well, yeah. I was trying to save a trip and stuffed my pockets and then my hands. I am paying now. Last night I saw an old wrist brace form a long forgotten FD injury and I figured it would at least keep the wrist straight and take some load off. I woke up a few times through the night and the thumb seemed to feel better. This morning it was fine until I tried using it. ;D I tried but doing simple stuff like feeding the stove using that hand are impossible, let alone holding a coffee cup. SO while I was out in the shop I checked a mini-trauma bag and found a tongue depressor and put a splint on it to minimize the motion. That is helping to take the load off, but making me fairly useless.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210119_100958610.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1611074554)
t would seem that I never tire of finding new ways to do dumb things. :D Just to complete the effect, my back is screaming at me today also. SO much for milling today. >:( If this doesn't help I will go to the ICE method as you recommended Doc. Yeah, I know I should have done that first, but this one snuck up on me over hours and I kept thinking it would subside. It didn't. :'(
Howard, Floyd works at the WM re-sharp facility in Hannibal NY. Maybe their crew is a little more 'game' to do re-grinds like that? I dunno, lets see what they say when they get them, they have a real mixed bag there including one 1-1/2 inch blade. It will be great if I get a dozen or more 4° blades out of the batch. Some were WM blades I bought from an aftermarket seller before I knew what was up. The welding on those was not so square. I am not hopeful for those.
be careful using the splinted hand to add wood to the fire. you know what happened to the scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz. He is from Kansas you know. :o 8) :) :D
Funny you post just now Doc, as I am just finished following your advice. That splint was a pain in the ash, but it seemed to let it heal and feel better. I couldn't do much today, heck pulling up my zipper after taking a leak was quite and adventure in jolting pains, but the pain did subside quite a bit through the day. So I tried filling the lube can on the mill and setting up and clamping a log. Dumb. So I came in the house, pulled all that junk off and iced it for 20 minutes. That helped a bunch. Then I went through no less than 4 trauma bags looking for a compression wrap. No joy, I guess I have used all mine up at festivals, barbeques, work, and other fun stuff. Nobody ever replaces them. ;D I finally found an old one up in my dresser. So I have now followed your recommended ICE protocol. To wit:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210119_164539725.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1611093138)
I chose not to observe the BUF protocol I used to teach for Wilderness Medicine (Big, Ugly, and Fat) which mostly applies to splinting suspected breaks. It is however maintained in a Position Of Comfort (POC) or as near as I could get. As a New York City Mayor used to say "How am I doing?" I can say that without the splint my hand does wrap around a beer can just fine now, which had been a real problem with that splint.
Geez this dang thing does hurt and has now radiated down to the juncture with the wrist as well as the very minor bruising. It centers right at the capitate, Scaphoid, trapzium area. I think I just stretched those muscles beyond what they were prepared for. Likely it's a flexor tendon, but I can't find the name of it. My references aren't that detailed.
Highly technical medical question: Why do they call it 'ICE', or more directly, why didn't they call it BICE (Beer, Ice Compression, Elevation)? :D
I tell you I am really missing my advil right now. I have not used much in the last 8 months at all and I thought I still had a backup bottle, but when I opened the bottle yesterday found I was down to just one with no backup. Between the hand and the back, I am glad I have a good beer supply. That's all I'm sayin', be happy with what you have. :D
This too shall pass.
Can't keep a good man down 😂. I hope you heal up soon 👍
Quote from: Walnut Beast on January 19, 2021, 05:36:17 PM
Can't keep a good man down 😂. I hope you heal up soon 👍
Well of course that is true, but myself on the other hand will take another day or two to get back in the swing. :D I used to say I am as good (once) as I ever was, but now it's more like every other time.
We had the boys here today, so that means I don't really get much done anyway but tomorrow I have to get some things done. I might just shift gears to paperwork mode which I HATE, but does have to get done, so...
Tom,
I shared a house with a co-worker in Saudi for nearly 2 years who was also a former Marine. The index finger on his right hand was bent in a permanent curl. An NVA in Viet Nam jumped up and shot at him with an M-79 grenade launcher, I think it was. The only thing that saved Fred was he was only 15-20 ft away and it did not have time to arm itself but it did take his finger off. He raised his rifle to shoot back and could not make it work so he looked down and realized why and reached over with the next finger and completed the conversation. He picked up the finger and they flew it to the rear on a chopper while they sent Fred back on a truck. ::) When they reattached it that told him it would be permanently stiff so he could have it straight or curled so he chose the curl no doubt so it would fit better around a beer can. :D
Quote from: WV Sawmiller on January 19, 2021, 06:39:30 PM
Tom,
I shared a house with a co-worker in Saudi for nearly 2 years who was also a former Marine. The index finger on his right hand was bent in a permanent curl. An NVA in Viet Nam jumped up and shot at him with an M-79 grenade launcher, I think it was. The only thing that saved Fred was he was only 15-20 ft away and it did not have time to arm itself but it did take his finger off. He raised his rifle to shoot back and could not make it work so he looked down and realized why and reached over with the next finger and completed the conversation. He picked up the finger and they flew it to the rear on a chopper while they sent Fred back on a truck. ::) When they reattached it that told him it would be permanently stiff so he could have it straight or curled so he chose the curl no doubt so it would fit better around a beer can. :D
Never underestimate the courage, conviction, and clear thinking of America's fighting men and women. As far as I know there is no such thing as a 'former Marine' BTW. ;D Not any one that I have met for sure. Kind of surprised his finger got the chopper ride, and they sent him by truck. I could understand if it was the middle finger and they wanted to send a report back to the rear echelon, but an index finger? Seems they should have kinda traveled together. But I wasn't there.
So anyway, how did that finger fit a beer can? Asking for a friend. :D
It seemed to fit fine but evidently it must have required almost daily Physical Therapy to maintain his grip. :D
I think what you mean is there is no such thing as an "Ex-Marine". Probably right on the "Former" too.
One of the cutest advertisements I ever saw was a glue commercial. It showed a bunch of young nuns in training. They had a statue of Michaelangelo's David and were very concerned about a midship mishap. They wrapped the broken off "member" in a cloth and took it to the Reverend Mother for advice. She put on her schoolmarm reading glasses, reached in her desk drawer for a tube of glue and they all marched over to the work table. She put a tiny drop of glue on the "member" and put it back in place then stepped back and exclaimed "Perfect" and she and two of the young nuns walked away. The third young nun looked at the departing trio then the repair and reached over and rotated the repaired member 180 degrees. The next shot was of the same young nun kneeling at confession in front of the priest.
The whole advertisement was so innocently done it was very cute.
Another on Norway TV was of 2 teens riding bikes in the country and they stopped at a country store. The girl walked to the back to get something and the boy evidently thought the time was right and was trying to buy some condoms but was embarrassed because it was an old lady running the counter. He would point to the rack behind her and evidently to help embarrass him she would put a comb on the counter. He would shake his head and she'd put a pack of chewing gum on the counter. He shook his head and pointed again and finally the old lady put a condom on the table and he nodded that was correct. About that time the girl came and put a box of tampons on the counter. The boy and the old lady looked at each other and he pushed back the condom and picked up the chewing gum. Again - all very innocently done and really cute.
Two very good stories. The first one I have seen, the second one I had not. I never watched TV when I was in Norway except Saturday morning cartoons with some very young (3 and 6 y/o) cousins and those were in German (apparently the little curmudgeons speak Norsk, English, Danish, AND German).
I was told by my senior cousin when I asked about watching a little TV one night to get some local flavor that "we don't watch TV in the summer, only in the winter. There is much work to do when the weather is good. If you are not working or eating, you are sleeping." ;D :D
Well some days just don't go as planned and today was one of those. ;D I woke up this morning and the hand felt great! Even better, it felt great an hour after I was up and about, which is much unlike the day before when I couldn't hold a coffee cup. OTOH, the back was killing me. No way could I mill today as I had hoped, pushing that mill would have finished me off.
I had heard some 'funny noises' coming from inside the woodstove in the shop yesterday, kind of like a little tornado someplace in the top of the stove and it gave me pause. As this setup is all new, I have no idea how it behaves and thought I should really open things up soon to figure out what that sound was.
As it turns out when I went out to the shop this morning the stove was cold, the fire had died, so I figured today was the day. I cleaned it out, pulled the chimney and wow, it was nice and clean considering the 3 months or so of burn time. However, in the stove top hat I found a pile of all the stuff that was precipitating down the chimney and settling on the inside shelf. Eventually the pile was beginning to restrict the air flow a bit and that was most likely the sound I heard.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210120_114845129.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1611188242)
I cleaned everything and put it all back together. Except for the small pile on the shelf I took very little out at all and I swept all the sections from stove to chimney cap. :) But now I know how the chimney performs. It will be a simple task to remove the screws at the stove top, slide the telescoping section up and clean out the stove shelf. It should take about 10 minutes and be back to 'running'. So now I know. The chimney was clean enough that I couldn't start a fire in there if I wanted to and that gives me a lot of peace of mind.
After lunch I did something I have wanted to do for a while but never took the time. I took all the tools and 'stuff' I carry around in the back of the mule and put them in tool bags WITH labels on them. I have a bag with my felling belt, muffs, loggers tape, and surveyors tape, another bag just with extra gloves, another one with chaps, hardhat, safety glasses, and another with extra wedges, chap suspenders, hard hat liners, etc. I made labels to hang on the handles and covered them with plastic tape to keep the rain from ruining them too quick. I hate having loose stuff in the mule, I hate when it gets wet in a passing rain or snow and I like being able to just grab the bags I need and throw them in the truck for a road trip. Makes it nice and neat, just a pile of tool bags. The open tub I had them in was collecting a lot of twigs and leaves as I drove through the woods. A good way to use those bags that are not seeing other use right now, like the give-away's you get from Dewalt with a new tool purchase and never use (those are great for gloves).
Anyway, the back still hurts like crazy but I got something useful done today, actually worked up a decent sweat.
On another front, I got an 'offer' on that shear I put up on eBay. I listed it for 750 and the guy offered 425 because he would have a 4 hour round trip to pick it up. I thought about it for a while and I am not so sure his driving distance has anything to do with the value of the unit or my price on it. He also says that he can buy a new one for 850 and I checked that supplier. It is 870 without the stand (which that supplier doesn't sell). The stand goes for 150 bringing the cost new to 1,020. So I am still thinking my 750 is not that far out of line. There is nothing wrong with this unit, it is in great shape and ready to work. I countered with an offer of 675 BUT only if he picked it up. I figured my time and materials for skidding it are worth something and I considered it in my asking price. Now I am having second thoughts that I dropped too much. This is why I hate this stuff. No reply on my counter yet. We will see. I really don't need to sell it, but I could really use the money for the business.
Tomorrow we have the boys and Friday the boss informs me we are doing our monthly food shopping. Looks like I won't get much done until the weekend.
BUT, tomorrow is another day. ;D
Tom,
I would be real polite, like I usually am even with hippies and tree-huggers :D, and tell the caller "Thanks for the inquiry. If you happen to be up this way in the near future and I have not yet sold you are welcome to come buy it and that I will even include the stand which is not available with new ones from the supplier for $750."
I have cleaned out my stove pipe in the past and once removed I would add some accelerant (Like a cup or so of gasoline) and burned out the residue in my yard or other safe and convenient place. It seemed to work pretty well for me.
Quote from: WV Sawmiller on January 21, 2021, 12:19:28 PM
I would be real polite, like I usually am even with hippies and tree-huggers :D, and tell the caller ...
Oh Howard, I was polite. He countered my offer and cam up a bit to 575, but I replied that I had given him my bottom line for pickup only and that an identical unit had sold on ebay last week for my original asking price. (I know these are not easy to find, and my 1st price was a fair one. This is a very good, highest quality tool.) I left my offer at where it was and wished him luck in his search.
Well, today I get a note and he asked if he could come take a look at it on the 30th. I said 'Sure, I can even meet you at [a point that saves him 45 minutes of drive time], and he thanked me and said that would be 'awesome'. But then I realized it was still 'for sale' on ebay, so I sent him another note and pointed that out and told him if somebody paid the full price, they owned it and I had no choice but to take the deal. I was just trying to make full disclosure in case things 'went in an unpredictable direction'. About an hour later I get a 'ping' that my item had bee sold. Turns out the guy bought it at my lowered offering price. ;D I guess he really wanted it. So I will meet him next weekend and hopefully close the deal. I may throw some other things in the truck that might interest him. :D
The back is still killing me, in fact it is getting worse, but we did the monthly food shopping today, so that is done. Yesterday I went up and finally opened up my business checking account and opened up a Venmo account attached to the checking so I can accept funds that way. Several folks have asked about it and I would like to to be able to take their money. ;D (so to speak) I still have to look into creating a new PayPal account for the business. I want to separate that from personal expenses.
Anyway, I am temporarily disabled (and testing out a new cane), but getting some stuff done anyway. It was killing me today because the thermometer crossed 40° for the first time in a while and I SO wanted to get the mill making some floor boards, but no way could my back handle it. It was such a nice day and I wasted the weather. Such is the price we pay when we get old I guess.
Tomorrow is another day.
Well, a little update on the shear sale. Last evening I got a phone call from the buyer. He very politely asked if he could back out of the sale because he found a B3 model closer to him. I was none too happy, but what am I going to do? Make a stink and whine about it? At least he called me right away, was straight with me and ASKED me, he didn't TELL me he wanted out. So I told him a I wasn't real happy, but sure, we could undo it, but I did not know how to handle the transaction on eBay without either of us looking bad. SO we chatted a bit about what he was buying and why, I remarked that the unit he found was a good deal for the price, and would hold it's value and then some for a long time. He started thinking he didn't need the bigger one and could maybe flip it at a profit, which should easily be the case I said. Well we talked about other equipment he was buying and went through the list I had available, but nothing stuck. I learned he is in his 30's and getting started in sheet metal and a career Firefighter and we talked about that a bit. Finally he says to me "Look, you sound like a really nice guy who is being great about this whole thing and giving me a lot of free advice and now I feel terrible about backing out of this thing. Why don't we just leave the deal as is and I will buy yours, and maybe the other one too, then flip the one I don't want? Don't change a thing and I will be up next week as we agreed. I am sorry now that I even asked you, it wasn't fair of me." You just can't make this stuff up.
So you see Howard, even a crusty old grump like me can be very polite. ;D :D The saga continues and it ain't over until that money is in my bank account.
You are a better salesman than you think you are. :D
Well I had tentative plans to go pick up the sorely needed jointer from a buddy of mine depending on his availability today. We consulted this morning via text and decided to put it off to next weekend just because it was too dang cold to be doing all that loading and chaining on the trailer outside and the amount of ice around his shop. I have been meaning to pick this up for 4 months now and I have work backing up waiting for it.
The back was hurting something fierce yesterday so last night I forced myself to sleep on my right side, which I never do, thinking the shift in weight might help. Well, it did somewhat, but I still walked funny when I got up. I fed the stoves and the fact is I felt better moving than sitting and I am going a little stir crazy. The sunshine which is relatively new here, inspired me. We've had very little in 3 weeks. So even though the temp barely broke 25 today I decided to see if I could get some milling done. I got the lube to flow but starting the engine was a no-go. I finally gave it one small shot of either it it fired right up and ran fine. I already had a log up so I got to it. I did have some trouble with snow that had packed up close to the rails and froze hard so I couldn't make the full stroke I needed. Lots of chipping with a crow bar. I got one log finished for about 100 BF. Certainly not a big deal by any stretch, but I made progress and all the wood is stickered right in the shop and the shop smells good now. ;D I did have to get out a maul and do some serious chopping on the ice for the final low cut because the blade guard was obstructed by the ice. About 21 1x6x9'.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210124_172821430.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1611530255)
This puts me just a few boards short of what I need for the floor upstairs. This was an old pine log, fairly dry, but is has sap (or will when it thaws). It was my first time milling frozen logs and it is interesting to see ice in all the bug holes.
My back held up great (except for the ice chopping part) and I nearly worked up a good sweat, but the fingers and toes were pretty cold most of the day. I think I may just do the other log tomorrow. :D
The goal is to make shiplap out of these for a thin floor layer on top of the 5/4 hardwood in one of the lofts. I have never made shiplap, so I need to try. I will plane them all to the same thickness and joint them when I get the joiner and then figure out how to cut that notch in. Either on the table saw, or using the table router, not sure. Any thoughts? That's about 400 linear feet of joint, so I am thinking a router bit will be slow. I am wondering if there is a way to do this on the joiner? I don't know anything about joiners (yet).
Tomorrow is another day, right?
Quote from: Hilltop366 on January 24, 2021, 06:18:35 PM
You are a better salesman than you think you are. :D
Well accidents happen.
I admit a year or 2 ago this would have flipped me out and got me pretty mad, a deal is a deal, right? But these days I don't see the point in getting worked up over something that is a minor inconvenience at worst. So I just accepted it and went with that. He was the one who changed his mind, not me. He may have expected a fight and when he didn't get one he didn't know how to handle it. I dunno, people are funny. :D
some jointers can do a rabbit. I would use a router before a table saw, just cause they are 9 feet long.
Quote from: doc henderson on January 24, 2021, 07:37:51 PM
some jointers can do a rabbit. I would use a router before a table saw, just cause they are 9 feet long.
Yeah, I did a little research. I don't have the model number of this specific jointer, but I think I know which one it is (37-220). Interesting that the manual does not mention doing rabbets on it, but based on the table shape it appears it can. I did see some you tube videos of how this is done and they all show taking the rabbet in several passes. With the amount of footage I have to do, I want to take it in one shot. I may setup a dado blade on the table saw because I think I have a set, but I have never used them. (They scare me a little bit ;D)
I got a deal on a 6 inch set made by skill. I have a 10 inch set made by Oldham. I like the 6 inch set best, lots of room and more torque on my 10 inch saw. I was thinking of 2 passes on the table saw, and that is why I did not want to recommend it, but the dado sound nice. if they are sharp the are fine to work with. how much overlap. I think you could do a lap in one pass, and flip the board 180° and do the alternate side.
I am thinking 3/8 x 1/2. The overlap would be 3/8 and the boards are 1" (nominal) so 1/2" deep would make each one fit.
Well overslept this morning, guess I needed it. I also guess once in a while doesn't hurt much. Besides, it's winter, what's the rush, right? ;D The low got down to 10 last night and was about 14 when I got up. It was 48 in the shop, so I fired the stove up and came in for my second cup of coffee.
The goal for today was to figure out how to cut dado's for shiplap efficiently and hopefully mill that pine log by the mill before the snow comes tomorrow. SO I dug out the dao blades sets (turns out I have two sets) that I got 40 years ago when I bought my RAS used. I have never used any of them, they scared me. I matched up a set for the 3/8" slot width I wanted and put them in the table saw. First problem, the blades won't fit through the slot in the table blade plate (or whatever you call that thingy).
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210125_110747979.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1611615501)
I did some research on that issue and decided I could solve that today, so I moved the blade set over the the RAS and set it up for ripping, measured and set everything as close as I could, grabbed some 4/4 scrap and let it 'rip' (See what I did there?). :D
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210125_113713047.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1611615559)
Not nearly as scary as I thought. :) SO I zipped off some pieces of scrap to see how it would fit up. I am happy. 600' or more to run through will give my back and shoulders a workout, but it's just work.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210125_113629596.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1611615536)
By then the shop was nice and warm (I had to kick on the oil heat for 15 minutes), so I headed out to where where it was much colder. ;D I loaded up the other log which was one long 9' sweep. I lost a lot because of that sweep but I got more than what I needed to have for the floor and cleaned up and stacked it in the shop.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210125_145359051.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1611615515)
The winter milling is not nearly as bad as I expected. Today my right foot only got a little frozen. Seems when I was milling in the woods I could never stay warm, even with the fire burning nearby. No problems today and my back was a bit sweaty. I may do some more of this instead of avoiding it.
Tomorrow is another day, right?
You can make plywood inserts for your table saw to run the dado blade or a regular blade then raise the blade (saw running) through the insert it will make a Zero clearance insert. The zero clearance will also help reduce tear out especially on splintery wood and plywood or MDF.
Shim the insert with tape to get the height just right if needed.
Hmmm.. Two dado blades you say, now if you could get the two saws lined up just right you could do both cuts in one pass. ;D
Hilltop beat me to it. match the thickness, and then trace the outside. then raise the dado up through. I have a dado insert, but it leaves a lot of space if you are doing smaller items.
at least it was not your wrong foot that got frozen! :D :D :D 8) 8) 8)
Two saws?! Man you are crazier than me! OTOH maybe not a bad idea. If I ever have to run a few thousand feet it might be worth it. Right now I'd rather have a power feed to save my back like Alan got his self.
As for the plate, mine does not screw down, so feeding the blade up through it is 'tricky' ;D. I can work on that obviously, but I am in no rush. The RAS setup works pretty nice and is about as fast as I think I can go with the gear I have.
Quote from: Hilltop366 on January 25, 2021, 06:19:47 PMYou can make plywood inserts for your table saw
My little 8" saw I use as a dedicated dado saw. It has a dado insert that has a wide cut out (too wide), so I made one out of plexiglass. Very slippery for the wood to glide over.
Now THAT is a neat idea. I think I have one of those little contractors saws over at my Dad's house I was going to yard sale off. That would be perfect! Great idea, thanks! (Now watch I go to get and find out I already got rid of it.)
go slow and hold it down with a stick. most of the force is trying to throw it at your groin, but it cannot if it is in the recessed area of the saw. so hold it down in the recessed area. the difference in the two saws, is if there is a warped area the RAS will take a little more with the blade on top, and the table saw takes a little less if the board is not tight to the table. so do not let it throw the wood at your groin!!!!! you are in charge and you are not afraid!!!!! :) :) :) :) Be safe. Doc
OK, lemme see if I got this Doc: "Don't let the saw throw it at your groin", did I get that right? :D ;D
Actually after a half century of running all kinds of machines that are out to kill or maim me, I never put any body parts that I find important into the line of fire. This usually includes my groin. :D
Being pretty wary has kept me from picking up the nickname of 'Lefty' whilst others of my co-workers have not been as lucky.
My Dad told me once "between you and any machine, one of you has to have respect for the other, and NO machine respects any human, so it's up to you."
I suppose I could clamp a piece of scrap wood on the table to hold the thingy down.
The fence or a block of wood clamped to the fence will hold a wood insert down while slowly raising the blade. I like the insert to fit snug so I will make it slightly thin then put a layer or two of duct tape across the bottom and wrap it up the sides until it jambs in tightly so it will not rattle and want to pop out while in use.
I also drill a hole in it so I can pop it out with my finger, not a big issue with a dado insert but for a regular blade it can be hard to remove the tight fitting insert.
Yeah, I have been looking at these but I am cheap, so I believe I will just make one myself instead of buying a blank. For what they charge, it is worth my time and it is winter. ;D
Well long day today. We got some snow and I didn't even have time to put the plow on, I'll do that tomorrow. My only plan for the day was to call Log Rite and order a proper heavy duty cant hook. Never got around to that either. ;D
When I got out to the shop I decided it was time to set up that Woodmaster planer and give it a decent test. I think @alan gage (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=36602) was right and I put the hood on backwards so I took it off and tried to flip it, but it turns out the hole is not symmetrical so I will have to do some shifting around and re-cutting. I figured I would try it the wrong way, so I set the blades with a proper planer gage I got from Woodmaster. One blade was .02" too high and it took and hour or so to pull all the adjustment screws, clean them and start from scratch, setting is very tricky on those because when you do the final tightening on the wedges, the blades move a little. My machinist eyes were not happy at variations of more than .002" form blade to blade or end to and, but I finally had to settle for having them all within .005" or I would still be at it. Wonder what everybody else shoots for? I probably should have looked in the manual but didn't think of that until just now. ;D
Anyway, I set up the planer and dust collector and started running stock through to get it all the same thickness. I was trying to get the feel of the new machine and what it would take. Problem was I was running pretty wet EWP through it. I figured planeing it would help the shop drying time. I ran about 175 BF through on 4 passes. I did have problems with some sap pockets in a couple of boards and had to open up the machine twice to clean it all up, the feed rollers and table were a mess. But I got through it. The finish on the boards is first class with no complaints. I was pretty dang happy with my milling because out of the 36 boards, only 3 were not matched close in size, most came clean on the second pass and almost all of them were flat. Much better than I have done in the past. After they get drier I may run them through one more time, but they look good. I had to empty that dang little dust collector 4 or 5 times, even filled up the upper bag twice when I wasn't looking. :D The machine doesn't sound like it is working hard at all and the chips aren't flying out the sides, so I thought I wasn't taking much and lost track. Gotta get the bigger grizzly unit hooked up soon. Gotta run that 220 line over to it then put in all the ducting work. Still thinking on the planned layout.
I got in a good 10 hours today pretty much non-stop so I guess I am figuring out this 'winter work thing', I had been in the doldrums. My back is tired, but not sore, just tired. I still have to haul wood for the house and shop and feed those stoves for the overnight, then tomorrow I have to clean up all the snow. Maybe then I can make time to call Tammy at LogRite and FINALLY get that cant hook I have needed for too long. Tired of getting by with the cheap one I have, it slips at the wrong time, every time.
Tomorrow is another day.
I'm happy to hear the planer had a successful first run. It's amazing how quickly planer shavings add up. When I recently planed my flooring I blew it directly into a 12' dump trailer so I wasn't having to constantly empty the 20 gallon bin.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/46602/20210107_182030.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1611757474)
Alan
You know those cheap can't hook handles really hurt whern they let go and it whacks your chin, scrapes your cheek then grazes your ear on it's way up. It happened and I said that's it and went into the house and ordered a 60" log rite and it's AWESOME! It was one of those moments where it was plum obvious it could've been lots worse. Buy a 60 or the longer one, money well spent.
Also the price is much cheaper than dental work or a concussion and stiches.
Couple years ago I finally broke the handle from my cant hook that was old when I was a little boy .I replaced it with the sapling of a shag bark hickory I draw knifed into shape .It's around 48" I think .
Yeah Al, as far as the planer chips go, I am thinking of rigging up a pipe thru the window blowing right into a small modified garden trailer or something. I use the small dust collector down on the shop floor and have yet to hook up the big 220V grizzly for upstairs. Work in progress. still figuring it all out.
As far as the cant hook goes, I knew a long time ago I needed a better one, but cash was short and not very long ago, this was a hobby. Now I have a little to work with and am sick of that other slipping. It's been quite a while since I whacked myself in the face, but if I keep it up, my number will come due. :D I have been calling @Tam-i-am (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=1461) for a couple of hours but keep getting the voice mail. Glad to hear they are busy! I am planning on the xtreme 60" hook, but I also want to order some blue kreeper and try it. Not sure if I can order both on one web page. I also need a couple more rite leg brochures for clients to peruse. I will get it done this time. Today is the day.
OK, just to make it official, I got through to Deb at LogRite and ordered the 60" Xtreme and some blue creeper. I'll have pictures when It gets here and I put it to work. Might be a couple of weeks, but I have waited this long so...
8)
you know the blue creeper is for use on rusty bolts and stuff, it is not underwear! :) :) :)
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on January 27, 2021, 02:05:13 PM
Yeah Al, as far as the planer chips go, I am thinking of rigging up a pipe thru the window blowing right into a small modified garden trailer or something.
I have a large stationary Oneida hard plumbed all over the shop but for blowing into the trailer I have the blower from one of those ubiquitous roll around blower with bag setups. I think mine is a 3hp shop fox but I'm sure they're all the same. They were selling just the motor at a local auction so I got it cheap and mounted it to a base with wheels so I can easily move it around. When I blow into the trailer I run 4" duct and with a short section of 6" pipe and 6" whye where it empties into the trailer to drop the velocity so it doesn't just blow all over the place. I aim it into the far corner of the trailer and every 30 minutes or so it will fill that corner up in a sort of ramp shape which lets it blow shavings over the side. So I just take the scoop shovel and push the shavings aside to clear the corner and go back to planing. It works better than I expected and I really appreciate not having to stop and empty the barrel, which probably loads up every 10 minutes.
A small port ducted through the wall would be nice but I've just been running it out the walk door as I can back the trailer right up to that. I just make a point not to do that work when it's 0 degrees outside.
Alan
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on January 27, 2021, 02:05:13 PM
Yeah Al, as far as the planer chips go, I am thinking of rigging up a pipe thru the window blowing right into a small modified garden trailer or something. I use the small dust collector down on the shop floor and have yet to hook up the big 220V grizzly for upstairs. Work in progress. still figuring it all out.
As far as the cant hook goes, I knew a long time ago I needed a better one, but cash was short and not very long ago, this was a hobby. Now I have a little to work with and am sick of that other slipping. It's been quite a while since I whacked myself in the face, but if I keep it up, my number will come due. :D I have been calling @Tam-i-am (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=1461) for a couple of hours but keep getting the voice mail. Glad to hear they are busy! I am planning on the xtreme 60" hook, but I also want to order some blue kreeper and try it. Not sure if I can order both on one web page. I also need a couple more rite leg brochures for clients to peruse. I will get it done this time. Today is the day.
Sorry Old Greenhorn, but I am home sick with COVID and can't answer my phone. I do check messages and wish you had left me a message. Glad Deb was able to help you out!
Quote from: Tam-i-am on January 27, 2021, 04:13:53 PMSorry Old Greenhorn, but I am home sick with COVID and can't answer my phone. I do check messages and wish you had left me a message. Glad Deb was able to help you out!
Aw snot! I am so sorry. Funny, when Deb mentioned in passing that they were a little short handed I made a comment something like "well I hope nobody is
really sick, it's a full time job for all of us these days to stay healthy". But she didn't respond with anything.
I maybe should have left a VM but now I am glad I didn't. You need rest and lots of it. That's your main job now. Deb helped me out just fine. I did forget to ask a question on my mind: You folks make a lot of neat products and I have seen all of your videos on you tube (I would LOVE to get that big arch!) but I am wondering why these videos aren't linked on your web page with the respective product listing or even just a tabbed linked to the you tubes videos? Wouldn't that help your marketing a bit? I send people to you pages quite a bit and since they don't know you I think the videos would help a lot, especially with all the little 'alternative' uses some of your products have.
Please, you get rest and heal up. This is a miserable thing going around and a bit dangerous. Let us all know when you are feeling better.
Tom
So just before I got cover and had to stop working I was in the process of loading all our new videos. I was tired of Youtube placing ads for competitors on my videos so I am switching my video hosting to a company that will not do that. They will also be hosted on our Youtube channel for those people who use that service.
Currently, every arch has a video tab with a video of that arch. The Junior, Buck, and Fetching arches along with the BTS Hauler all have new videos made this fall.
I can't wait to get back and post the new tractor arch video as it has some nice footage taken with a drone so you can see what is really going on.
I should be back in the office Monday!
See I missed those tabs and I was kind of looking for them, will have to go back again.
SO are you saying you are on the healing side of the virus? You must be if you are going back to work? Many I know who got it said it took a long time before they were feeling 90% or better again. I am just glad you survived it ok. 8)
Worst of it is over. No symptoms for 24 hours!
Interesting time.
Quote from: Tam-i-am on January 27, 2021, 05:04:15 PM
Worst of it is over. No symptoms for 24 hours!
Interesting time.
Symptoms are one thing, but how are YOU feeling? General health and strength are important because it is also flu and cold season. Just take good care of your self and know you have a good staff there taking care of business. :)
I did go and check for the videos and of course, easily found them now. DUH. I think I subconsciously added that T36 on my MUST HAVE list. I love the way you guys designed in the receivers on both ends of the top tube, that is genius and doubles the usability and function of the arch. Your design guys and gals are pretty skilled.
Well, yesterday wasn't a real productive day, but I did get some things done. Even though it was only a couple of inches of snow, I had to plow in light of the very cold weather on the horizon, I don't need more ice, thank you. That took a couple of hours, but nothing broke. ;D I piddled with some stuff in the shop, and placed the above discussed order with LogRite, I think I had delayed on that hoping for an excuse to make the run over there some day and just pick one up, or meet them at a show in this past year, but obviously, all the shows never happened. So I got that done. I got a sale email from tractor supply and they had low end work boots on sale. I need to replace my light duty ones that I just wear when working in the shop or going out to feed the stove. No point in spending a lot of money on them because the are just light and general use. SO the wife wanted to get out of the house and we went and I found something comfortable on sale and also got a few pairs of wool socks in what I would call a medium weight for general use. I have to get away from those white cotton socks in the winter because my feet, especially the right one, are always cold. The rest of the day was spent catching up on the forums here and looking at some upcoming projects. With the upcoming cold weather for the next week or so I really wish I had gotten that jointer last weekend and am not looking forward to loading it and messing around with loading and unloading when it is in the single digits. >:( We will play it by ear this weekend.
It's another day, so time to get at it.
Tam-i-am, glad you are on the mend!!!
OK it's getting cold. Single digits last night and the wind blew all night. Cooled the house and shop pretty well. Kind of cut back on my motivation, but I did manage to close out that ebay deal and hand off the shear to the buyer and he is quite happy with it. Having trouble getting my money out of ebay though because they have no proof it was 'shipped'.
When I got home I was surprised to see that my Logrite order had arrived, I only ordered on Wednesday and figured it would be at least a week, but less than 48 hours later it was here. I bought the 60 Xtreme hook and figured I would finally get on board with the Blue Creeper so I got a bottle of that to try it out on some 'stuff'. ;D
As promised (BY EVERYONE) this hook grabs real well and is much more secure to use, what a pleasure. I think its the extra detail in the hook point design, but there might be a little in the geometry that helps also. I will figure that out as I use it.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210129_133042997_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1611969649)
And no, I could not break those frozen logs apart. :D
As a retired designer of tools, fixtures, and mechanisms I have this habit of evaluating every gizmo I get for the way it is designed and made. Usually I find some source of disappointment, sometimes minor and sometimes major. Rarely I have the pleasure of being surprised by something I never would have thought of that is a small design detail which makes a big improvement in the way something functions. Today was one of those rare days.
To Whit:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210129_133333446.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1611969626)
You see those 2 pins located fore and aft of the hook pivot? They limit the travel of the hook so that when you hold it as I am in the photo, the hook does not come down on your hand and whack your fingers. I cannot count how many times this has happened with my old hook and it hurts like the dickens EVERY time. I found this to be very impressive because few people would think of this or take time and add expense to include this little feature. These folks are really good!
I can't wait to see how the Blue Creeper does, but I don't have anything to test it on just yet. I'll come up with something though. ;D
Single digits coming here for the next couple of nights will make it harder to keep the shop warm with just the woodstove and the wind chills are pretty dang low. I won't be doing anything outside for a few days yet. I am working on the duct run for the dust collector system but I am lousy at that stuff so I am working slow and doing a lot of overthinking. Today I just laid the pipe around and looked things over figuring where the machine drops would be because once I cut holes in the floor, I am committed. After that is in I have the run the 220 line and I am still planning that out too. This Grizzly unit I bought has never had power to it, it's brand new but was sitting around for 10 years. Sure hope it works. ;D
Tomorrow is another day.
Nice looking 👍
OGH,
I think the LogRite cant hooks should be listed in every reputable safety supply catalog. If you've ever tried to turn a heavy log with an old dull point and had it slip or the handle break at a critical moment you will know what I mean. From my experience if my LogRite slips it is nearly always because the wood gave way and not because the point refused to grab.
Fairly chilly today here. High of 26 and a low of 6. At least the mosquitoes weren't much of a problem. ;D I finally got my act together and made arrangements with my buddy to go and pick up that jointer he gave me. We picked the coldest day of the year so far to do it. Really the machine is only about 250-300# so it wasn't a big deal except for that stretch of un-shoveled snow we had to drag it through. My buddy was walking backwards with the weight, I was along side balancing, he tripped and went over backwards in the snow and the machine was following him but I had it by the table and I could just hold it long enough to give him time to get his feet and push it back up. I got lucky I guess and had a good grip on it or it would have landed on his chest. No harm done. Loaded and chained into the trailer, easy trip home and in the shop.
I did some cleanup work (minimal) and looked at what it might need. Then I tried it and it worked good. SO I had lunch then began jointing the edges on all that flooring wood. I am still trying to get the hang of the jointer and it's quirks but it's a nice solid machine. It's a Rockwell 37-220 (in case anyone is taking notes) with the cast iron base. There are some things in need of repair but it has a 3/4 horse replacement motor in it and it cuts great. I did get to try out my Bluecreeper on one of the cover bolts that was rusted solid. I tried wd40 first with no luck, then remembered the Bluecreeper, so I tried it out and danged if I couldn't work that nut off! Guess that made up my mind, if I had any doubts. ;D Anyway, the machine works good and now I can get some stuff done I have been waiting for.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210130_174759302.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1612056700)
Also, as long as I made the hour drive to my buddy's shop, I brought along a slab I have for a custom bar order. It's 3" thick Ash about 26 x 65 and it was a bear to wrestle thru his planer but it peeled wood like it was plastic. :) I think that slab weighs pretty close to 100#, at least it felt like it. So I can get going on that soon too.
Still, it's been cold all day and only about 14 now and expected to drop to near zero tonight. It's getting harder to keep things warm. Time to go fill the shop stove, bring in some wood, then fill the house stove and bring in some wood.
Then tomorrow is another day, right?
Take the time to set up the jointer properly to make sure that the tables are parallel and that the knives are set correctly. Also, go ahead and purchase a spare set of knives. Absolutely a critical piece of equipment in a wood shop.
Yeah, this was the one major building block I was missing, the rest are 'nice to have's'. My buddies shop is not good for my ego, but it gives me a reality check every time I visit. His shaper is huge and he paid $9k for it used back in the 90's with the power feed unit. His planer is about 30" and takes over 1/4" at a shot, full width. He still has 3 jointers after giving me his little 4th one. His biggest is 12" x 8' I think. Dovetail machines, drum sanders, and all kinds of other goodies for production cabinet work, and none of it is 'small'. It's not where I am going, his skills far exceed anything I could do or would even want, but boy, those toys are nice to have.
I'll get into the jointer soon enough, like I did with the planer, but I like running some stock to see what I need to learn and where any machine issues are. This jointer needs some millwright work done on it to make it 'as new' again. First I have to figure out some more of the original design before I start tearing into it.
HSS knives are cheap. I have four sets for my planer. I got that number before I had a sharpener. It is nice to sharpen when my brain is there. when needing a sharp set, it is in and out, without having to sharpen the set to put back in. Is it a 6 or 8 inch. I assume it uses a standard 1/8th inch x 1 inch by X.
Well, I haven't pulled the knives yet to check them, knowing the previous owner I wasn't too concerned. Yes, they are cheap, but when you pull them to change or sharpen you still have to set them with the planer gage so it take almost the same time. Still it I need them I will buy them because they are some cheap. These blade have a different locking scheme than the woodmaster and I am hoping it is easier. I can say I ran 6-700 linear feet through it yesterday after I got it squared up and it leaves a mighty fine finish on pine. I tried some Ash also ands it is like glass! I can't wait to run a bunch of bench and table leg stock through it. It is going to be so nice to start with square corners all around. 8)
well I looked and they are not as cheap as they used to be, like everything. about 50 bucks. I wonder if your buddy had extra knives for that machine. I have sharpened with a homemade jig and sander. I now have a dedicated grinder. It is clunky and you have to hold your mouth just right. thus the reason you are not always in the mood to sharpen. If you have to change in a pinch, it eliminates the time to sharpen in the middle of the process. not mission critical.
Well I don't have a grinder, but given my background I really prefer to hand hone these blades. Grinders can develop heat. As long as I sharpen in a timely manner and they have not been abused, it isn't too hard to keep them sharp. As time goes on and things progress and work load increases making time more valuable, I may add the grinder, but for now, I find sharpening most precision tools to be a zen-like experience that I enjoy with a pot of coffee and a warm woodstove. Nothing feels better than a razor sharp chisel. :)
Zen maybe I will send you mine. :) the dedicated Grizzly knife grinder is a mess.
I was thinking of the Foley-Belsaw one that several of our members use. There is one on CL right now for 100 bucks, but it's 2 hours away. Not sure I am ready to make that drive just yet.
I used to go years without sharpening, but with a saw mill, no more. I agree with not getting in a big hurry. I plan to modify, with the help of my machinist cousin mike, to make it more stable. at the outside edges the holder can rock a bit, so you almost hold you breath. it was cheap, and you get what you pay for. could not source anyone to sharpen stuff locally.
Been a couple of days of slow plodding 'learning by doing' with mixed results. Sunday I planed some 2x10 EWP planks and they looked really good until I butted the edges together and all the edges had a curve, no way to glue these. I thought planers made straight edges? Guess I got that wrong. Monday I spent a bunch of time going over the planer setting and reset the back table but I think the damage was done. I have to glue these planks together so I had to com up with a way to make them straight.
I finally landed on an idea to screw a piece of 1/2x1x12' aluminum bar to one edge and use that as my guide on the table saw, then remove it and rip the other side.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210131_164649539.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1612306347)
It was a long package to handle alone even with the runoff rollers.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210131_164642618.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1612306364)
Anyway, it worked pretty good and I can now cut them to a closer length and do a glue-up. But frankly the whole operation put quite a load on my shoulders and I was hurting a little. Yes, I am looking into a track saw, but given the pricing, that will have to wait until a few more sales roll along. ;D
Then it started snowing. SO I got ready for that and did some different things in the shop. Today I spent the whole day doing snow. We got about 18", so not too bad.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210202_105801278_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1612306391)
That was the house driveway, I also had the shop driveway which is twice as wide or more than twice as long, around the log pile, around the mill, and a bunch of other stuff. This snow was deep enough that I even plowed the path for the shop to the house rather than shovel or snow blow. We are looking at a little more coming Friday and then maybe something on Sunday or so. When I plow I try to think of what's coming next and make room for that. Anyway, that cleanup took all day and somewhere in the middle I found I had a leak in my finger.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210202_112349998_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1612306403)
I have no idea how that happened, never felt it, but I peeled the knuckle off in a clean deep slice that wouldn't quit bleeding, so I finished the area I was working on with a napkin wrapped around it, then hit the FA kit in the shop and taped it up.
Yesterday while it was snowing I found a sheet metal screw in the front right tire on the truck which explains why it has been losing air regularly and I have had to keep pumping it up. SO I tried pulling the screw and putting a plug in but with the cold (about 14 at the time), the wind, the blowing snow, etc. I just could not get the plug to set right. I made a second attempt and thought I had it. Pumped it up and left it. This morning it was again low, but I wondered if it might hold until I replace the tires this week or next. So I made a run to town this afternoon and it was holding good but 2/3's of the way in it began to drop pressure and it got faster and faster. I pulled into a convenience store that I knew had a pump. The leak was bad at this point, no way to make it home. So I repositioned the truck to get a better angle on that hole, pulled the plug and put a new one in. This one took pretty good. I get one tiny bubble every 15 seconds. Good enough to get me home. I bought what I needed there, checked the pressure again, and headed home without it losing a pound all the way. Lets see how it looks tomorrow.
Just before I was going to make my little test run a fedex guy was knocking on my door. Turns out there was some white stuff on the driveway across the road and he was afraid to go down because (he said) he would never get back up in his (little) stepside truck. That driveway was as clean as a whistle (my son plowed it 2 hours before), but I said sure, leave it with me. Turns out it was food and had to be delivered now. SO I carried it to my truck and drove it down on my way out to town. I stepped out of the truck and my heel never took any purchase and I went down like a sack of milled corn and landed on my left elbow...hard. But I broke nothing. Still it didn't help all the other aches I had from the day. It sucks to get old. I think I'll be sore in the morning. My Chiro is going to have his hands full when I see him on Friday.
Ah well, tomorrow is another day.
a planer makes two faces parallel or "planer" a jointer makes the edges 90° to the faces and the length of the edge straight to join them in gluing. your table saw idea was great. a planer cannot remove a twist in a board, but one face on the jointer and the other with the flat side down in the planer. :)
Yeah, working in steel verses working in wood are two very different things. Still trying to work this out.
It's relatively easy to make steel "grow" while you're making it to dimension but you can't get the wood to grow except while it's in the ground ::)
Quote from: Tacotodd on February 03, 2021, 08:08:24 AM
It's relatively easy to make steel "grow" while you're making it to dimension but you can't get the wood to grow except while it's in the ground ::)
That must be a trick I never learned. Once you cut it undersize it is done as far as I ever knew.
If the edges are curved after planning it usually means the tables are not perfectly parallel or outfeed table is not aligned with the top of cut on the head. Get a good 4 ft straightedge and adjust them flat in all planes. It can take some time but is definitely worth it. Start by getting the outfeed parallel to the cutter head and perfectly inline with the high spot on the blades. I find that usually you can get a board that is 2x the length of the bed perfectly straight for glue up every pass once adjusted. I had good luck sharpening my blades with a Makita wet wheel before switching to an insert head.
Thanks fort that. I was trying to straight edge a heavy 2x10 which is 3 times the table length and between the weight and the length and working alone, I think I just lost the battle. I ran through a piece of ash abut 24" long and it came out really straight and square. Maybe I will give it another shot when I cut these to length (about 61"). I did go through all the alignment steps again after my screw up. Some skills come at a price. ;D
@Old Greenhorn (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=42103) I guess maybe I do not know for sure what you mean by "curved". Since you are getting answers based on interpreting the problem. I assumed you were want to edge glue these together, and the curve that you were taking out with the saw, was to get rid of a gap in the joint. If the curve is along the face, and the boards were just not aligning along the edges, that can be overcome with biscuits. My experience with a long board that has a bow is that a planer set up perfectly will never take that out, but just keep making the wood thinner. You prob. have this concept down, so please forgive me if this is obvious to you. It took me years to have a full realization. I too hoped I could run a board through a planner and it would magically come out perfect on the other side. A jointer has and off set table with the cutter on the same side. the outfeed table is in line with the cutter, and and parallel to the infeed table. If you keep working on a flat spot, eventually the board on the side you are working, will be as straight and flat as your jointer. If you flipped the board over and ran the other side on the jointer, it would eventually be straight and flat, but not parallel with other side. that is when you run it through the planer. @YellowHammer (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=11488) likes to dry his wood flat so he does not waste much wood, trying to fix these issues with a jointer and planer. this is why I am considering a 12" wide jointer. on a planer, the cutters are opposite the table. many would run rough cut lumber through a planer to decrease sanding. If a board needs to fit a dado, you want the board and all boards to fit the same dado, to be of equal thickness. also the point of the planer. My apologies again if I am stating the obvious. :)
I'm not sure which surface you are working on, the face or the edge?
If edge jointing long heavy boards, then there can be some issues when the balance of the board crosses the cutter head and shifts position if a full bite was not taken on the leading edge. So it's important, if possible, to always take a deep enough bite to remove all the jacked up curve of the leading edge on the first pass, at least enough to get the leading edge to set down firmly on the outfeed table so that when you shift down pressure to the outfeed table, the board cannot rock as you feed the board through. There is a shift of downforce technique that must be done to insure a straight edge on a long heavy board on a jointer that is critical. Otherwise the board just keeps being shaped into a curve. Also, depending on the length of the board to the jointer, the curve edge either smile up or smile down can have quite an impact.
One of the worst things to get straight edges on long boards using a jointer is to take too shallow of a bite. On a long board, it's not unusual for me to take 1/4" off in the first pass.
Certainly, cutting boards shorter will greatly help the issue. The general rule is that for every time a board is cut in half, the edge gets 4 times straighter, which significantly helps when straightening on a jointer or table saw. I haven't derived the math on the rule myself, (I'll get around to it someday) but it does make a difference in ease of edge jointing.
Conversely, every time a table saw fence length is doubled, it will create a 4X straighter edge. I had a clip on auxiliary aluminum fence that attached to the table saw fence, that was 6 feet long that I used to straight edge thousands of long boards, before we bought our SLR. There is an unusual technique for that also, but it's easily mastered and will get the job done with out having to attach a straight edge to each board.
A track saw is pretty nice.
From my own experience you can plane the twist out of a board .Of course it takes a zillion passes and you end up with a thin board and three bushels of planer chips .They burn well though .
I found that a piece of MDF shelving makes a pretty good board sled for the table saw, it is straight, does not warp or change shape much and it slides good. I made a couple of hold downs out of hardwood, carriage bolts and wing nuts. The hold downs could be refined with cams or toggles if I was using it often but I don't use it much.
OK, first, to make it clear: I am trying to get the edges straight for gluing. The boards were flat when I planed them but then I made the stupid mistake on leaning them against the wall standing up for a few months and they took a little twist which just adds to the issues. I probably did not get that good full cut on the first pass, so that is helpful. I think I will cut these closer to final length before moving on. Today I am working on the dust collection duct work, but I can only handle so much frustration in a single day. ;D We have the boys too, so I can't run out for more parts when I need to.
Thanks for all the hints. BTW, that is a long piece of MDF on my fence in the above photo that I am using to extend the bearing surface. I am going to have to put my machinist hat back on and check exactly what it out of whack, flat, or straight on my table saw before I can do better I think. It is not exactly a high quality machine. :D
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on February 03, 2021, 08:34:30 AM
Quote from: Tacotodd on February 03, 2021, 08:08:24 AM
It's relatively easy to make steel "grow" while you're making it to dimension but you can't get the wood to grow except while it's in the ground ::)
That must be a trick I never learned. Once you cut it undersize it is done as far as I ever knew.
From my machinist days there are "spray-on" metals and of course welding but then again wood workers have epoxy, none of these are what I call easy.
Again, thanks for all the help on the straight edging issues with my jointer. I think Yellowhammer pretty much nailed it. I will revisit the whole thing in a day or two when I get back on it. Right now I am fighting to get the dust collection ductwork up in some usable form. As usual I am taking a somewhat non-traditional approach. The unit is going upstairs with the duct work run along the ceiling directly over the loft edge rails so I don't have a head banging issue (never liked that music much anyway). But I am adding one of those 'pre-extraction barrels' and I wanted that down on the shop floor so I don't have to carry it up and down the stairs and it is closer to the door. I don't know if this is going to work, but if it does, life will get easier. This is a poor photo taken as I was just working on the layout, I will do better tomorrow.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210130_174830683.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1612402356)
You can get the basics here anyway. The dust unit is up on the loft, it sucks UP from out of the barrel on the floor, then from the other side of the barrel, the suction goes up through the floor to the duct network which runs off to the left and right in this photo. Anyway, its a lot further along now than the photo shows. After dinner I was trying to make more progress, but took a short break and had a beer and conversation with Doc about a bunch of stuff, which made my day. He is a lot busier than I am, I don't know how you do it all Doc.
Well when I get the basic ducting done and move everything back, I can either run the 220 line to try this thing out (I haven't had it running yet), or work on that kitchen table bench I have an order for, or get back to laying the floor in the loft, or get started on that bar I have an order for. I guess it's nice to have choices. :D
AT least it's been warm, it hit 33 at one point today. 8) A little more snow coming Friday, and maybe a storm Sunday night. Well, it's winter. At least the bugs aren't a bother.
Tomorrow is another day, right?
Well today was fairly productive in a roundabout sort of way. It's a little confusing because I have so many things going at once and I keep jumping around. I started exactly where I left off last night working on the duct work and got the joint together that was fighting me, then it started clicking along and I got the rest of the mainline plumbing done and taped up. I still don't have a 220 line to the main dust collector so I cut into the duct line with my little roll around unit to test the system and see if the dust would make it through the circuit and wind up in the barrel on the floor instead of the dust collector bag. Not a lot of suction with the little unit, but it worked. So I pulled that out and put it all back together and let it set. Here's how the system looks, funky, but functional:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210204_075824687.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1612490261)
I slid the RAS back in place, set up a chop saw down on the floor and cut that floor wood to length. I'd cut 4 or 6 and throw them up into the loft. Then go upstairs and run them through the RAS to put the dado cut in both edges. Then I set them in place on the floor, then I would go cut some more to length and repeat the cycle. I don't have the room to do each step complete before moving on, too much mess with the other projects. Here is the ripping setup with the dado blades on the RAS.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210204_142905682.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1612490176)
So none of the floor is screwed down yet but I do have some side bow in a few boards. I made up a little driving wedge to hold them up tight while I screw them down in the next day or so. Works like a charm.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210204_152513236.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1612490259)
The floor is gonna look pretty good too. No more sawdust falling thorough the cracks onto the workbench below. That was getting really annoying. I still have a bunch more boards to cut and dado, but so far so good.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210204_152502523.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1612490230)
I tell you what though, I have so many things going on at the same time this shop is a mess. There is no way I could pull a truck in the bay if I needed to without a lot of cleanup and moving first. Geez, what a mess.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210204_142946625.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1612490202)
(That photo is backwards by the way, I don't know why.)
I did get a lot done today though. In fact I was at it for a few hours and finally looked at the clock thinking it must be close to lunch time, turned out it was only 10 o'clock. :D I was full into it before 6:30 this morning though, blowin' and goin' as we used to say. Just before dinner I ran into town to get a 20A 220 plug and after dinner I found a section of SO 12/3 AWG cord and ran a temp extension cord for the new dust collector. I had to see if the dang thing ran. Works like a charm, or should I say, It really sucks! Long day, feels good to make some headway on 2 different projects. I still have to secure the dust collector bags in place, they are just propped up now, and I will have to do the detail ducting to each machine as time goes on, but that can go as time permits. At least the system is usable.
Tomorrow is another day, but we have the monthly chiro visit for both of us in the middle of the day and a lunch date right after, so I don't expect to get much done at all. I really need that chiro visit this month, between all the jointing lumber, the dado ripping, table saw work, and falling on the ice the other day, I have been pretty, um, uh, old feeling this month.
OGH, you can always do what my 52yr buddy says, my brain thinks I'm 19 but now my body knows better! :D
Man, long day today. Frankly I am having trouble keeping my eyes open right now. Finished cutting all the floor boards and did all the long dados before lunch and got the last third of the floor laid. After lunch I cut the short stuff for the transition area and setup and cut all the end dados for the but joints and the little transition ramp from one floor level up to the new height.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210206_162643295.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1612664966)
Not many photos, half the area is stacked with the stuff I moved off the other half as I worked along.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210206_162638161.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1612664950)
It's all cheap, lousy, bug eaten pine, but it's a shop floor, right? These logs were on my list to head down the road to an OWB, so I got something out of them and hopefully, no more sawdust floating through the cracks onto the workbench below.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210206_162716481.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1612664975)
It's done, that's all I care, projects are waiting. The dust collector is working pretty good and the bulk of the material is being caught in the barrel down on the shop floor as I had hoped. Very pleased with that. I did start on the cleanup this evening and as I was scooting along on my knees vacuuming up sawdust and chips I turned my head and took the end of the guide fence right into my left eye socket. Man that hurt. Fortunately I had on a felt hat (which was why I didn't see the fence) and the hat padded my eye socket, otherwise it would have been a day stopper. As it was it smarted pretty good and set me back on my butt.
I went back out after dinner and looked at re-arranging that part of the loft as long as I had it all torn apart anyway, but came up with nothing new.
On another front, I have had this strange inflammation that showed up on both my forearms in the last 3 days.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210205_182209226.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1612665661)
I can't figure out where it came from and I have never had anything like it before. The only thing I can think of is that I have been working exclusively with all this pine for a week or 2 now, but this rash thing just showed up a couple of days ago. I am hoping now that the floor is done, it may fade away over the next few days.
Ah well, tomorrow is another day and more snow is coming. I have to get the shop cleaned up and ready for the next project. It is a mess.
I've heard about people working with wood developing an allergic reaction to it from the repeated exposure. They have almost always been the pine guys. This may or may not be the issue. A few days away from it will help you to decide. You can always have an allergy doc run some tests on you. I've seen them and they don't look like fun, not painful (for the most part) but not fun.
My arm would have to swell up like a balloon before I would spend all that time and money asking Doctors about it. Right now it is just an amusement, no big deal. I have been into the pine for a week or two now and it is a bit sappy still with dust everywhere form running all the floor stock through Planer, joiner, TS, chop saw, and RAS. I am assuming it is that. Today I will try to get a lot of cleaning up done, then it's on to the next project, which unfortunately is also pine but much drier. then back to hardwoods.
I will just keep and eye on it. If my hands turn blue I might just call a Doc for an appointment, which will probably be in June or so.
I get a bad case of the sneezes from running red oak through a planer or table saw .I can't remember if white oak does that or not .Ash doesn't bother me .The black cherry or walnut is so infrequent can't remember those either .
I can work you in immediately OGH, but with the 22 hour drive, it would be tomorrow! :)
Is it itchy or panful? try some topical hydrocortisone if you like. If you want to be scientific, do one arm and not the other. looks fine like a sun or wind burn vs contact dermatitis. do you work with your sleeves rolled up?
Have you signed up for medicare? Know it is not free, but between that and a supplement, I can afford to go to the doctor. And these old folks procedures are pretty well paid for. Am recovering from having a hernia repair, did not realize it would be this bad, but getting better pretty fast. Doc told me I have to be careful for most of a year afterwards, or it will just rip out again.
Gee Doc, what happened to telemedicine? :D
Yeah I work with my sleeves rolled up, its a safety thing, unless it's too cold. No pain or itching at all..... until I just put on this 'stuff' my wife calls a skin cream that 'should help'. Well it didn't and it started to burn a bit. Seems to be subsiding now, but much more sensitive to contact. Maybe I should go read the bottle? ;D I'll try cortisone a little later. Can't be wind or sunburn, been in the shop for a couple of weeks now and covered up when outside (kind of chilly here). You are right in how it looks, if I had been TIG welding I would peg it on that, it is exactly what it looks like. Made that mistake once and paid the price for a couple of days. Nobody told me that would happen. :D
Doing a lot of cleaning today and vacuuming lots of sawdust. After today I expect it will calm down. Not gonna put that skin cream on again though! ;D
@farmfromkansas (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=36643) , yes, I have medicare but I don't care to use it unless I need it. My Doctor will send me to a specialist and that appointment will take 1-4 months to come around, by then I will have forgotten what the issue was. It will be fine, I'm sure.
Old Greenhorn would the blower and bag fit down stairs near the can?
The floor turned out great.... other than the possible reaction to the pine.
Yeah the floor 'feels' a lot more stiffer and comfortable. I think screwing down another layer 45° to the exiting 5/4 floor really firmed it up a lot. It looks prettier and has less cracks to leak through. Just worried about the softness of the pine holding up. We will see, and it's how I learn. Its my shop and this is the place to learn, not by doing something for somebody else.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210207_151929874.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1612754887)
Yes, Moving that bag down below would save some more steps and I had thought about it in the original design but I let it go at that time. I needed to prove to myself that the pre-collection barrel would work first. It does and rather than moving the bags downstairs, I am considering adding another barrel down below. I had another one of those covers that was given to me, but now I can't find it. Wondering if I gave it away to someone who needed it? I have to get the right garbage can to match the cove and they are available at lowes for 25 bucks, so it would be fun to try if I can find that dang cover. Just another 30 bucks or so to change the piping. I am still thinking (and looking for that cover ;D ).
Today I spent the whole day cleaning and I used that dust collector as a vacuum for a bunch of it. I did upstairs and down, moved the joiner and planer off to their storage/staging areas and put the chop saw in its corner. Swept and vacuumed the entire shop upstairs and down and moved everything back in its place on the new floor. Near the end of the day I noticed the upstairs bag seemed to be collecting more dust and chips. It has about 3" in the bottom. So I checked the barrel and found that it was full. So the system works as hoped and planned. :) I am happy with that. I have ordered some blast gates and a collector cone for the table saw. Still trying to figure out what would be best for the RAS and I have to figure something out for the sanding bench without going crazy. I have to get back on a couple of paying jobs. Spending more than I am making right now. ;D
So the shop is clean and my mind has calmed ( I HATE a mess and disarray, it is disturbing to my thought process, which is already very disturbed). Tomorrow I start off clean and I have no idea what I will get into. I ignored the snow today, but I really should shovel the walks. It was just an inch or so, but I know it will get packed and slick in the coming cold days. We also have the boys coming tomorrow, so productivity will be limited.
But tomorrow is another day, lets see what happens.
That bug chewed pine looks pretty good to me as a floor. You should make some more up to sell to the city folks. :)
Quote from: Nebraska on February 08, 2021, 10:42:26 PM
That bug chewed pine looks pretty good to me as a floor. You should make some more up to sell to the city folks. :)
:D :D :D :D :D :D ;D
Yeah, it looks great in a photo. Maybe not so great us close. ;D Lots of holes clean through. It would have been OWB wood, but I needed to log and I needed to extra floor layer after all the hardwood dried to keep the dust from falling through the cracks. It is a nice solid floor though, just about 2" think at this point.
I never went back to re-check my math but I messed up someplace. I calculated I would need 24 boards and I cut 36. I only wound up with 3 boards left over. I think I left out the loss for the dado joints and apparently that adds up. ;D
I did learn a lot about making this type of material and what happens when you don't get each step right as you go and that was a big part of the goal. :D
Yesterday as a final part of the full shop cleanup I decided to empty the bag on the dust collector and found it extremely difficult to get it out. Thank goodness it was only a partial bag, I would have never gotten a full one out without moving the saw first. So I swapped the positions of the bag and the blower and adjusted the plumbing and found a better fit. Only problem is access to the on/off switch is very difficult. I plane to move the switch up on the post anyway, but was waiting until I settled on a final location first and then ran permanent wiring. I think I have the setup now and will live with the funky switch location until I am sure. I also plan to add a remote switch when the income picks up. Still waiting for the blast gates to arrive.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210208_110736673.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1612869357)
Then insteas of getting on projects with the boys in and out of the shop (always a distraction) I decided to finally fix that top step on the stairs before I or somebody else gets hurt. After 33 years, I figured it was due. ;D Originally there was only one loft, to the left as you go up the stairs, so the original builder did this.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210208_161355343.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1612869368)
That worked OK, BUT when coming down the stairs from the new north loft, one sees this:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210208_161329575.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1612869337)
It can make for an awkward first step, especially if you having a table in your arms. My wife has a lot of trouble with it and will only go down from the south loft. SO yesterday I changed it to this:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210208_170035121.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1612869415)
ANd it seems pretty comfortable and solid, so I will live with it for a while and see how it tests out. At least I now have a full step from the north loft:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210208_170104283.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1612869401)
Next time I have a can of paint open I should slap some on, the color difference is distracting.
Its been snowing since 4am and they say 8 inches today, so I guess I can't ignore this one and will have to plow after lunch. Not sure where I will start this morning but it's another day, so I'd best get at it. Carpe Diem, right?
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on February 09, 2021, 06:31:33 AMOnly problem is access to the on/off switch is very difficult.
What you need is a remote switch. I didn't like the price of the ready-made units ($100-200!) for the amp rating needed and good reviews. So I found a hard wire version I built into a electrical box with a pigtail lead - 40 amp rated. It came with two remote control fobs that have little key chain clips on them. I hang one off my table saw switch box and the other I clip to me when working somewhere else. Click on/click off - very convenient. I spent $22.99 on it with the help of my junk pile. On Amazon search
"
VONVOFF Wireless Remote Switch,AC 110V/120V/240V/ Relay RF Remote Control Light Switches for Pump Security Systems etc with 328ft Long Range(Black)"Plus, it works for 120v and 240v equipment. Being my setup is plug in, I can use it wherever I need when the power switch is not easy to reach.
Quote from: ljohnsaw on February 09, 2021, 09:57:00 AM
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on February 09, 2021, 06:31:33 AMOnly problem is access to the on/off switch is very difficult.
What you need is a remote switch. ,,,,,,,
On Amazon search
"VONVOFF Wireless Remote Switch,AC 110V/120V/240V/ Relay RF Remote Control Light Switches for Pump Security Systems etc with 328ft Long Range(Black)"
Plus, it works for 120v and 240v equipment. Being my setup is plug in, I can use it wherever I need when the power switch is not easy to reach.
Yes, I mentioned in an earlier post somewhere that its on my list but the 75 bucks or so they are asking put it on the 'get it soon' list and off the 'buy it now' list.
Then BOOM, there you went with your find. I found it on amazon (who I prefer not to buy from) for 39 bucks, then ebay for 22 and thought OK, then. I'll order it tonight and put it in my watch list. About an hour later I got a 10% off offer from the seller, so I bought it for about 18 bucks or so plus tax. Thanks for the lead!
I think on that top step I would join the two together and get rid of that small space between them.
Quote from: gspren on February 09, 2021, 06:26:04 PM
I think on that top step I would join the two together and get rid of that small space between them.
Yeah, thats plan 'B'. I will live with this for a while and see how I like it. That space in the middle seems to be working good right now. Time will tell, and the wife's opinion. She has been complaining about the old one for about 5 years now, that and the handrail, will I will fix 'sometime' soon.
I was thinking my size 14 boot might get stuck in there :o my wife's foot wouldn't be a problem.
My size 11's have no problem. :D Coming up the stairs that hole being in the middle gives you a nice big area to place your right or left foot depending on which way you plan to go. As I am often carrying heavy stuff up and down and can't see my feet, this was an important issue. But your point is valid and I will keep an eye on how this really works and remain open to changing it again. The question you raise is the main reason I have waited so long to make a change, not being able to decide the best way to do it. Ripping out the old old turned out to be the real chore because the rear header was attached to the block wall with a dozen cut nail. Who does that? The only thing that header was supporting was the 3/4" plywood step plate. Geez. ;D
Well, it's been a few days, thought I would play a little catchup here.
Work continues to progress on the dust collection system. Unlike the folks who make a design and follow their plan, I have been building it as I go because I don't know what I am doing. ;D When last we spoke I had re-arranged the blower and bag upstairs and that is working better. That day I also ordered the remote switch along with some hoods and blast gates to get to the next level of refinement. I will just continue to add levels of 'finished' as I go along working through the issues of where to run hoses and pipes for each machine hookup. I should get all the new hardware mid-week and fit it in as I can. Gotta do that switch first.
But I had to get back to producing stuff so I went to work on that farm table bench. I got all the pieces cut for two benches. The client only wants one 'for now' but I am not going through all the steps for just one bench only to repeat them later because they love the bench. Also, I want to make sure they match. If they don't take the second one, I will just put it in my show stock. So after cutting the parts to rough oversized length I of course learned that all the straight lining problems I had with the full length boards 'just went away' as everybody here told me. ;D :D So I retrimmed everything and did my glue-ups.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210210_164238468.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1613224141)
Then I decided on a leg design but was lacking enough leftovers from the main stock boards to make the top and bottom straps on the legs. I found some nice dried rough cut in the rack and it was SO NICE to just take it downstairs, pull the planer away from the wall, hook up the dust hose and make what I needed, then put it all back with 2 minutes of cleanup and I was back at the saw. I can't tell you what a joy it is to have all the equipment in ready condition and functional and accessible. All the prep, planning, and acquisitions are beginning to pay off.
So I got the straps cut and when I put them in piles on each bench with all the parts I wondered if maybe I could just sell these as "Bench kits, Most assembly required". :D
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210211_153657106.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1613224151)
The legs were dried enough by that time to do the angle and top/bottom trim cuts on them. I mocked one up on the bench.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210211_153708622.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1613224212)
So I have some issues with this: The seat (top) has a slight twist in it and I am not sure how to get that out, but as is, it is no good. Could be a show stopper, but I continue to think on that.
My question for the real woodworkers is 'how do you know where to set the legs?', that is, how far in from the ends do you position the legs? i.e., the dimension I am measuring here:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210211_153815372.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1613224176)
I suppose I could just set it on the floor and sit on the outside wing and find a spot where I am not likely to make the bench tip with my weight on it, but I was wondering if there were a more proper way to do this? Thoughts?
Now after all the saw work and wood handling, that rash I mentioned the other day has gotten a LOT worse and I am now certain it is contact dermatitis from the pine. I had a similar rash on my legs last summer when milling pine but never made the connection, I just thought it was from the heat and excessive sweating. I am seeking professional help and following Doc's recommendations which are showing results. So I stayed out of the shop yesterday and did very little but feed the stoves. Frankly between the discomfort which got really bad after the Thursday work, and the very cold weather, I didn't feel up to much anyway.
BUT! I did sell that Cherry bench to a client who had seen it months ago and decided he wanted it. He picked it up yesterday and used my newly installed Venmo account to pay me, which I really like because I could move the money to my checking account in a few seconds. Pretty neat stuff, that. ;D I didn't see that sale coming, now I have to make another. I am loosing a lot of my 'show stock' and as I look at the shows coming up in the spring and summer (assuming a few happen) I may find myself in a panic to get some stuff made. I had better get on the stick!
While I was out in the shop waiting for his pickup, I got a visit from one of the Grandsons, who was keeping his Dad company for the workday. He wasted no time jumping into my chair by the woodstove when I got up for a second.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210212_121754903.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1613224207)
Thursday I got my first batch of blades back from Woodmizer re-sharp service. I sent them out on 1/18, and they were back on 2/11. A little over 3 weeks, not bad. Best of all they re-sharpened them all at 4°! 8) I do have trouble understanding the way they do their paperwork and can't tell if they discarded any. I forgot to keep notes on how many I sent, but I got 18 back so I am in good shape when I clear off the snow. They shipped on Wednesday afternoon and I had them Thursday before lunch. 1 day shipping, how about that?
It's still pretty chilly (8 last night, 12 right now) so I am not sure what I am doing today, but I'll find something. Time to get at it.
your 8 inch offset looks good. I do not have a "rule" but most adults do not stand and walk on the bench. It is the kids that you sorry about and in the great scheme of things, they weigh less. i would want the leg to center under "where the good lord split ya" for most adults. :) . you can use winding sticks to take the twist out, but I would only do that if I then had a planer to finish it off, after the twist is out. you can muck around till there is not wood left if you are not careful. the sticks are how the old guys did it with hand tools ta-boot!
Winding stick - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winding_stick)
HMMMM, interesting Doc. I had not considered this, or even knew what these sticks are before right now. Knowledge is power. ;D
So just to be clear, you are suggesting that I make a pair of these sticks and work one side (face) of the seat flat by hand, then (power) plane the opposite side to bring it into parallel? My skills with a hand plane (I have plenty) have not been tested since I was a boy, and that experience was not pretty. ;D Hence my distance from them in the intervening decades. They only hand plane I lack in my collection is a really long one, which is what I thing I would want here.
Let me go out and take a look at this. Perhaps I could do one and see how badly I mess it up before working on the second one. I should have never let those boards stand on end in the shop during the final drying. Lesson learned, once again... the hard way. :D
ideally you would have a huge jointer. my comment was hand tools by the old guys... the ones even older than you and I. I personally would use a hand power planer. the sticks make it easier to see the area that are bad. how wide is the seat? the plan I had would be to get one side flat enough to run through a planer. the main thing is that the legs set stable and flat on a floor. having a perfect flat seat top, does lend towards the final product feeling well done and stable. you could also make a sled to support the seat to run through a planer so it does not rock, and make a flat top, leave the bottom alone if you like, or flip it over and make parallel. trick is if you planer is not wide enough to run it through. wood looks great. carry on! may need to take it to your buddies shop if perfection is desired, and your planer is not big enough. I would only take the time, if the wood is dry and therefore stable. only thing worse is if you take the time to get it flat, only to have it continue and re-twist.
The seat is 14" wide (customer requirement) so it will fit through the 15" loaner planer I have. I am thinking the sled idea might work. Headed out to the shop to evaluate these options now. Today is a good day to think about it and piddle with it slowly. Obviously I want to take off as little as possible. Thanks for getting me started.
Winding sticks are old school and still new school. Couldn't exist without them here.
When you putthem on your bench blank you can sorta mark the high corner to see how much material needs to be removed. You can use the same measurement to mark the opposite corner (diagonally) the same amount. Then connect the marks on the edges and ends with a chalk or ink line and you'll see what you'll have left for a finished thickness. That also gives you a reference to handplane to on one face. (That is old school). A thick piece can end up pretty thin btw when all the twist is removed.
If you don't want to handplane, which takes practice and time, you can make a sled for the planer and block up one corner of the workpiece and use the planer to do the first face.
Twist is evil. A nice 2" piece can end up as 3/4" thick depending on the amount of twist. But dealing with twist is part of the deal with woodworking. Too bad they haven't perfected the delrin tree. :D
Add: looks like Doc covered this while was typing on the ipad one finger style. I left off the jointer technique because most of us don't have a 20" oliver, although i hope to one day.
Sure "they" have! :) It's just going to be so long in making the raw material that we don't have enough time for it, at least not in OUR lifetime!
if the twist is enough, you can put it back on the mill and flatten it, and then re-plane it. you can shim equally under each high end.
many of my dimensions in a project, correspond with the limits of my equipment.
Quote from: doc henderson on February 13, 2021, 11:17:23 AM
if the twist is enough, you can put it back on the mill and flatten it, and then re-plane it. you can shim equally under each high end.
many of my dimensions in a project, correspond with the limits of my equipment.
Roger that Doc. A man has to know his limitations! As stated by Clint Eastwood.
or "go ahead punk, make my day, and flatten that slab" lol
You guys are kind of kicking the bar up way high for me! I need to look at it and think on it. In the meantime, my remote switch for the dust collector just arrived, so I think that gets done first while I ponder the other issue.
Thanks again. This think tank that is the FF continues to keep me from straying to close to the edge. ;D :D
Have you ever thought about building a simple router sled for flattening slabs? I have used one for years and they cost basically nothing to make. Whiteside makes a lower cost 2 inch bit that works good but I have also used simple 1 inch router bits that are a little slower.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/55256/20200601_212251.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1591111579)
Tom you could make a sled to ride your mill rails, granted it's not handy to use this time of year. But it does work to flatten things wider than my planer will.
I have done a stump table with 2 x 4 rails and a plywood sled, with a router. good idea. can be inside. if the mill is out of service due to the weather.
Yeah, I have thought of that and it is on my mind. But in this case it is not a slab, it's planed boards. But between slight imperfections in the wood twist, edge meetups, etc, it all added up and shows up at the end. The chickens have come home to roost. ;D (Somehow the chickens always get involved, why is that?)
Anyway I took a shot at the method Doc proposed today taking the higher corners with a power planer then sanding out the lines. It worked fairly well and I reduced it by half (the rock) on one side. However about 3/4 of the way through this exercise I realized there is more than one way to skin a cat. To put it another way, sometimes you don't need to raise the bridge, you can also lower the river. So I have another idea I think will work just fine.
I am having some difficulty working on this job now with the dermatitis which I had knocked down yesterday. Todays work flared it back up even with gloves and full forearm coverage. (I guess I have to escalate my response to this dang rash.)
But as soon as I feel up to it I will start on the other idea. I have two benches in work, I need to deliver one, so I have a safety factor built in. Stay tuned on this one.
Tom.
You may ask your doctor for some (Triamcinolone Acetonide Cream USP .1%) steroid cream. I get mine in a 1 lb tub but my wife has some in smaller tubes. It did pretty good on mild dermatitis but I am trying Dupixent for some heavy duty dermatitis/Eczema. Good luck.
Yes, Howard, the creams are helpful and I am using cortisone cream a few times a day which helps a little. But this has gotten beyond the 'mild' stage. I am washing regularly and changing clothes at least daily, and covering every area I can when in the shop, but I still have gaps between gloves and shirt cuffs and things like that. Last night I pulled the trigger and started a course of Prednisone. Strong stuff, I hope it works. I hope to have the benches done before the med course runs out. I have to get this pine bench done and out of my life. :D I am running the vacuum like Felix Unger. ;D (maybe that reference is too old for some?)
I seem to now have irritation on my forehead and neck, but no rash showing (yet).
This too shall pass, I just have shorter work sessions. Today I am working on the router table, we shall see how that goes. Quitting is not an option, at least not yet. :)
Anything for a laugh, right? Today is another day. I got up at 4 and the shop is already over 63 because the stove is cooking since 5 and the outside temp is a balmy 20. I note that it has been a good while since I have seen any ticks.
Well not a bad day today. That prednisone kicked in and seems to be working, plus with my heightened awareness and vigilance of keeping my arms covered, vacuuming everything as soon as I finish a step all seems to be helping. I see some redness in the rash when I am working but it clears after washing and calms down quick. I think I can get through this.
SO today I took that homemade router table that came with my table saw and put it to use. I made a quick fence to clear a corner rounding bit.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210214_133847080.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1613352911)
A few months ago I read a comment, made in passing by some body (I think it was one of the 'Don's' but I have no idea what thread or forum) who wrote that when making tables he always took the time to round a corner rounding bit around the edges rather than sand because it looked more professional. Like many of the seemingly small things I read here, it stuck with me as a solid idea. So on this bench it fits and rather than just using the router on each of these small straps and parts, I set up the fence and ran them all through in no time flat. I also put the reliefs in on the bottom of the feet straps using the router for the internal radius and my new found skills with the dado blade set on the RAS to take the rest of the material out. Worked like a charm, all good looking wood. I also ran the corner rounding bit around all the seat edges and dang if Don, or whomever it was, wasn't right, it looks nice.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210214_161730657.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1613352918)
We have the boys tomorrow and I have to get across the road and give a lesson in proper soldering techniques for electronics to my neighbor and his son who are planning to build a lot of sound equipment components for their recording studio. I dunno, they bought a boatload of tools and kits, now they need a little help to figure out how to put them together. :) If I have time for my own stuff, I will be laying out and drilling all the assembly holes in the bench parts and maybe do a test assembly before I do the final 'adjustment' to get it to sit flat. I have a feeling that may not happen until Tuesday. One day at a time. We have more weather coming in this week too, I hope that doesn't pull me off task too much.
And... Tomorrow is another day.
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on February 09, 2021, 05:59:51 PM
Quote from: ljohnsaw on February 09, 2021, 09:57:00 AM
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on February 09, 2021, 06:31:33 AMOnly problem is access to the on/off switch is very difficult.
What you need is a remote switch. ,,,,,,,
On Amazon search
"VONVOFF Wireless Remote Switch,AC 110V/120V/240V/ Relay RF Remote Control Light Switches for Pump Security Systems etc with 328ft Long Range(Black)"
Plus, it works for 120v and 240v equipment. Being my setup is plug in, I can use it wherever I need when the power switch is not easy to reach.
Yes, I mentioned in an earlier post somewhere that its on my list but the 75 bucks or so they are asking put it on the 'get it soon' list and off the 'buy it now' list.
Then BOOM, there you went with your find. I found it on amazon (who I prefer not to buy from) for 39 bucks, then ebay for 22 and thought OK, then. I'll order it tonight and put it in my watch list. About an hour later I got a 10% off offer from the seller, so I bought it for about 18 bucks or so plus tax. Thanks for the lead!
Just a follow up on this. The unit came yesterday and is clearly marked and the paperwork states "12-72v DC". I went back and check the listing which just as clearly says "110/115/260V AC" so I complained to the seller, that I can't use this. He finally answered me tonight he will give me a full refund and I don't need to send it back. I have no idea what to do with it, but I will find something. As soon as his refund comes through I will buy the right one I found for 29 bucks. I figured that the other one was a little too cheap, didn't think he would misrepresent it though. Oh well, it just adds another week of pushing the switch button with a 4' stick. I am still have for the hoods and blast gates I ordered. The I can start doing proper hookups on each machine and eliminate most of the 'overblow' I am getting with makeshift duct tape setups. It will get done.
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on February 14, 2021, 09:37:39 PMThe unit came yesterday and is clearly marked and the paperwork states "12-72v DC".
Wireless remote for a winch on a tractor or truck?
Quote from: ljohnsaw on February 14, 2021, 10:11:06 PM
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on February 14, 2021, 09:37:39 PMThe unit came yesterday and is clearly marked and the paperwork states "12-72v DC".
Wireless remote for a winch on a tractor or truck?
Yeah, that would be a good use (and it's also on my to-do list) but this one is only on or off. I am sure I will think of something. Everything on my Mule is 12v, truck too obviously. Something will pop into my head... eventually.
The battle with the two Makita concrete saws needs to be postponed until this spring it appears .They both run and they both smoke so I assume they had sat a long time and need some run time .Gummed up !
They are both low on compression ,one being 75 pounds the other a tad over 100 .It could be gummed up ring or just plain worn out .Single ring piston .I need a pre filter and screen plus two blades, metal and concrete which most likely will be carbide or diamond tipped .They both are set up to run water .
I've got some more sandstone work to do on the patios (three ) and these would certainly a better option that an 8" masonry blade in a framing saw .
Maybe dump some 'stuff' down the plug holes to soak while you wait for warmer weather? It might soak in and loosen things up. You probably won't notice the extra smoke when you start them up again. ;D
If it's got residual oil say down in the crankcase the new arrival of fresh mix will eventually blow it out .I've revived enough old saws that might have spent several decades on a barn floor. Smoked of course but then healed themselves .
Fact I've got a McCulloch 700 that was stuck tight as a bulls behind in fly time .I did soak that one and it freed up .Still stiff but limbered up after some run time .
If they don't come around I'll pop the cylinder and rering them .I don't know the history of those things. They could have been rental units .Cosmetically they look good yet might have sat for a winter and would not start .A guy I think in Virginia who sells a couple hundred saws etc a year probably picked them up for a song and sold them to me for next to nothing sight unseen and still made money on them . In good running order I could likely get three times just for one .In new condition these things go for around a thou .
I'm sure you will figure it out Al, you always do, right? :)
SO I didn't get much done today. I did some tiny epoxy pours in the morning on the bench seats to firm up some of the knots and a few tiny cracks. Tomorrow I will flip and do the other sides.
We had the boys today, but at 11 I went down to the neighbors and gave him and his son a lesson in soldering and assembling PC boards. Took longer than I thought, but they are off to a good start. Late lunch then back to the shop. The youngest GS followed me out and spent an hour or two helping me drill all the assembly screw holes in the bench leg parts. He learned how to use a drill press and follow instructions, he did real well!
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210215_172812255.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1613439528)
These still need sanding and the holes to screw them to the bench top, but are just about there.
That killed the day and after dinner I sat down and checked email etc and see that the fella driving me crazy with his lumber requests a few months back has started a side business making dance boards with my lumber. ;D
Check this out: Leo Dance Boards (https://maxrainwater.com/leo-dance-boards/?fbclid=IwAR3Rfa3UCVlsEyUY91gsN6xyuWjbKppig9tR--fvkZTyGA835NJyhsT3468) He never told me this was his plan, but now he is soliciting orders.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/dance_board.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1613440088)
I sure hope I have enough dried wood for him on hand. This is some of that ambrosia maple I milled a while back. I wish him well. Guess I had better look for some more maple. ;D
Ah well, tomorrow is another day with lousy weather expected, sleet, freezing rain, and rain after a week or two of very cold temps, it will all freeze when it hits untreated ground. ;D
That's pretty cool. Maybe you can bounce a few ideas of each other on a few other things you could both benefit from 👍
Quote from: Walnut Beast on February 15, 2021, 08:57:07 PM
That's pretty cool. Maybe you can bounce a few ideas of each other on a few other things you could both benefit from 👍
Well, I would be happy to remain his supplier, but I think I will hold it at that. He has some habits that make it difficult to get past. He gives me a list of what he needs, I pile it up and give him the price, then he tells me what he will pay. I say 'that's not how this works' but wind up giving him some kind of break anyway. It annoys me every time, his cut lists change 3 or 4 times and then he only buys half of it. He tried to get me to plane his boards to an exact size, but said he could not pay for that planeing. He took them raw. I know where there is a planer he can use for free and directed him there, but he didn't go. I have my limits.
He is taking orders now, which should translate down, but I don't know if I will have what he needs if he gets a bunch. I do have some more logs, but that will take time to dry of course. It will be interesting to see how this goes. Stay tuned. I think the next episode will be around the first week of March. ;D
Well, just catching up here. The dance board fellow contacted me the very next morning telling me to 'get ready for an order', but of course his size requirements have changed. :D He didn't know how much he would need, or in what sizes, but he wanted to know if I had enough. :D I reminded him I was not home depot...again. More exchanges back and forth and I finally let it go. I finally said let me know what you need. He would like a lighter product and I suggested Basswood for the frame, but he went off on tonal responses in maple and how it had to be maple and he needed the rigidity, etc. I asked him "You do know that Basswood is a tonewood, right? used in guitars all the time, right?" he had no idea. I suggested he do some reading. Time to move on.
So yesterday the remote switch for the dust collector showed up, the right one this time. So I wired that up and OH what a JOY it is! I also got some of the hoods and adapters in the mail and messed with those. Nice to have something pulling up sanding dust, especially with the issues I am having with this pine affecting my skin.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210216_152804118.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1613605535)
Also nice to be able to turn it off when I'm done without moving. So yesterday I did a bunch of sanding and some small epoxy pours. I don't trust this pine to stay stable enough, mostly because I have little experience with it, so I am going around and dripping epoxy on any and all knots that look like they might dry and get loose.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210216_152859282.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1613605520)
After sanding the epoxy is gone to the eye, but hopefully holds that knot in place. This is on the seat plank where I am most concerned. Don't need no butt scratchers there. ;D I also poured some on the upcoming bar slab, it all adds up, timewise. The cracks in the bar slab settle as it dries and I have to go back and fill again. Nearly done on the first side (bottom) one long crack which is fairly thin.
Today we had the boys so my time is limited. I did flip the bench seats and epoxy the other sides, and did more on the bar slab. I also did some more sanding on the seats before the pour. I am at the point now of putting on nitrile gloves, then pulling my long sleeve undershirt cuffs over the gloves, then putting on a pair of light work gloves. Plus I put the dust collector hood right along the work. I am trying to get past this and find a way to work with it, but even with the meds I am just staying even. I want this done and out of the shop. ;D hopefully tomorrow I will get closer to the end.
After the morning session and lunch I headed over to NYBHH's place to see his build progress on his shop. Wow it is looking good! Actually it seems almost too pretty to make a mess in. Nice clean flat sheet rock walls and ceilings. one wall is a pretty plywood, and the details he is putting in just blow me away. I also drooled a little on his new router table, (Sorry Brandon, I think I wiped it all up) very fancy. Every time we visit, the time just vaporizes and I realized I had to get back to help with the boys, figure the wife would be pretty mad at me (again), but I think she has figured out when I go out to Brandon's we start talking and thinking, and postulating, and figuring, and the time just shoots on by. So what I thought would be a 20 minute visit turned into, well I don't know, but I left the house here at 1:30 and didn't get home until 5:30 (it's a 15 minute drive).
Anyway, got home and it was all good. I have an understanding wife. I found that my Blue Creeper Prize had arrived after just one day ship time! Many thanks to Blue Creeper, Rite Log, @Tam-i-am (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=1461) , The Forestry Forum, and @dustintheblood (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=28203) for passing the prize along. I fell guilty taking it because of shipping costs, but I promise to put it to good use. I love the little needle applicators, very handy. Thank you all.
And tomorrow is another day, at least I hope so. ;D
I'm only on page 17 of your adventures, OGH, and you are an inspiration to me to get out and work a bit harder! I'm going to make some comments as I go along. I was waiting until I got caught up but that seems silly, so don't be surprised when my comments are way out of context for what you are currently doing...
Right now I'm reading of your struggle to keep up with fire wood from last year and your first year of wood heating your shop, from the sound of it...
That being said, I saw this on the heavyequipmentforum, and it seems like it'd be handy for you! Yeah, it's likely a $40k excavator log splitter and out of the question for most, but it's pretty slick. https://youtu.be/iEMIkCnkUBA (https://youtu.be/iEMIkCnkUBA)
Quote from: aigheadish on February 19, 2021, 06:47:27 AM
.... Yeah, it's likely a $40k excavator log splitter and out of the question for most, but it's pretty slick. ...
Yeah, it's out of the question for me. :D I also don't think that would be a good choice for me for firewood, it is VERY SLOW GOING.. It would be EXTREMELY handy for me to fix up my swamp and make more usable ground, also doing some pond cleanup across the road and set some needed culverts. I am even thinking of renting one at some point for these chores. Having a thumb would allow me to move logs too. but the cost is way out of my little business model.
Except for the fist 20 years of splitting by hand and moving with a wheel barrow, I have tried to make an improvement in my firewood chores each year. I have managed to reduce my working time/cord by a fair amount, but I have also increased my requirements from 1-2cord/yr to over 10cord/yr. That 10 cord took me an awful lot of time hauling, bucking, splitting, and stacking. This year, if I can work it out I am going to try to spend my time up front just gathering the logs and yarding them, then bucking it all up and then renting/borrowing a commercial splitter from a buddy. He will just park it here for a few weeks and only charge me for the hours of actual usage. He has a timberwolf, but I don't know what model. He has it for sale for $18k right now so that might give you an idea. But I have to renew my search for logs once again. I surely love to go back to having all my firewood put up by June 1st again. Last year the virus got me started months late and I was at it all summer into the fall. I have a few more weeks before I start worrying about that.
..................
Well nothing special yesterday. I completed the construction of the first bench (not sure if or when I will finish the second). The last thing I had to do was mount the seat to the legs and get the whole thing to sit flat. I took all the wisdom and advice offered in the conversation about this and came up with a plan. I used the power plane to take off the high spots on the bottom face about halfway down to making it flat. That meant splitting the total twist in half. In other words, if you weighted over corner of the seat and measured the gap on top of the opposite leg (the legs are 54" apart), you got 1/2" of twist. Split that in half and you have 1/4". I hand planed about 1/8" off each of the opposing corners and it was measurably better without being visibly tapered or skewed. This left me 1/8 gaps on each end. I set it all up and checked this three times, then took it apart and cut the top surface at a matching angle to remove that 1/8" on one end each leg. When assembled these tapers are opposed, not parallel. When re-assembled, the remaining twist is so small that the weight in the bench alone makes the whole thing sit flat on the floor. It's probably out about 1/32".
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210218_162522796.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1613741634)
This photo below makes it look like you can see the twist, but the actual twist is opposite of what the photo might tell you. What you think you see here is just a trick of the perspective. (an optical seclusion :D)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210218_161327456.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1613741644)
Now I just have to take it apart, do a final light sanding, glue the legs together and do the finishing. I can't wait to get this out of here. I still continue to fight the rash issues daily and am doing the gloves and long sleeve shirt and dust collector and vacuum directly on the tools, etc. Its getting old and I only have two days left on the course of meds, which is working wonders. Looks great every morning but it the evening, not so much. ;D
....
Been snowing since 5am yesterday, quit last evening then started again at 11pm, now we have about 4" and it is steady fine snow. Hopefully done sometime this afternoon, but the weather guessers say it should go until into the evening. I just want to get it cleaned up and move on. Even 4" means 3 hours of cleanup covering all the areas, walks, doorways, sawmill, etc. Getting weary of this distraction.
........
Well my dance board guy contacted me again last night with another request to pick up a vaguely described list of unclear thickness boards in an unspecified quantity, but at the specific time of 3pm on Saturday. :D So I can plan on wasting more time today telling him what I have available and figuring out what he will actually buy. Also have to chip some ice on the lumber stacks to fetch it out. BUT, it is business, so I can't complain (much). ;D
.........
I got a hard lesson in Ebay selling yesterday. Apparently they have severely changed their selling terms since I sold stuff there 20 years ago. Used to be the fees were small and reasonable, but I guess over time they figured out how to really make some serious cash. I post this tale of "I should have known better" as a cautionary note for y'all. They used to say 'buyer beware', but eBay has now changed that into 'seller beware'.
In a nutshell: I posted that shear for $750. and accepted an offer from the buyer of $675. and there were no shipping costs (pickup). When he sent me the payment through PayPal, there was just about $20. taken as a 'fee'. That was not a surprise, I thought that was a fair fee to handle the sale. All good right?
Not so fast. Yesterday I get an invoice from Ebay for $67.50 as a 'sellers fee'. After a lot of aggravation trying to find my way through all the help screens, FAQ's, Policies, and fee structures (Wow they have a LOT of fee structures!) (ebay does everything they can to prevent human contact, there is no way to call them, at all) I finally figured out what the deal was.
Paypal has minimal fees, BUT they do have a fee special for when YOU sell something. It is around 3%, so that 20 bucks they took was just for the honor of taking money from the buyer and giving it to me. My mistake was thinking that
because PayPal is owned by ebay, this was the 'seller's fee'. Not so fast! The invoice I got yesterday (weeks after the sale was done) was the actual selling fee which is 10% of the full sale price (including the shipping value!) with a maximum fee of $750 (nice guys). I won't go into my concerns with both eBay AND PayPal applying fees based on the full sale regardless of the fees each other already charged or that ebay thinks they deserve a cut of the shipping cost they neither pay nor support in any way.
Bottom line is the sale cost was 675 , minus the payal fee (20) and the ebay fee (67.50), left me with left me with 587.50 from the sale. 13% in fees strikes me as a tad high. Now of course I should have looked into this first. I am fully responsible for the outcome, no question. (I think I mentioned I hate selling stuff, here is yet another reason why.) I paid the price for my education and I do feel like I was burned a little (albeit at my own hand). I know better now. I would not have taken the lowball offer, or at least not as much, and I might have offered it at a higher starting price. What really ticked me off was that I took most of this sale and transferred it into the business account calling it a 'personal investment' in the company. I left some cash in the paypal account for purchasing a bunch of stuff for the dust collector system as I go along. That cash is gone now, so I had to take money out of the business checking to pay off the invoice and that really ticked me off and messed up my book keeping. Why they don't advise you of the fee at the actual time of sale is beyond my comprehension and seems very shady.
Anyway, I post this here in the event that somebody may read it some day and be saved some grief. In addition, it also points out that the fee for selling right here on the FF is a lot better than you will find out there in the world. Next time, I come here first. :)
OK, today is another day and I gotta get something productive done. Later folks.
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on February 19, 2021, 09:36:54 AMWhy they don't advise you of the fee at the actual time of sale is beyond my comprehension and seems very shady.
Yeah, I became very disillusioned over eBay/PayPal
fees extortion. I don't sell there anymore - just CL.
Wait till you sell those benches. The feds get 20% plus 10% Self employment tax and NY gets 9%. Everyone has their hands in your pockets 🏛. With Ebay their return guarantee can really burn you if someone sends an item back and PayPal can lock your linked bank account if you don't agree.
Out of context reply to your Reply #350.
I don't recall you mentioning that you were using your own sawn lumber to build stuff, like you mentioned in this post. While I assumed you were using your own stuff it's nice to hear it, for sure, and I'm jealous. I've only got a chainsaw mill, which I'm not great with yet, so I haven't started milling up my insane amounts of ash to use as lumber for projects yet, but I'm terribly intrigued, and it seems like projects may come and be completed, for me, more quickly, with "free" wood and the ability to do it when needed, on site.
Really proud of you for all the progress you've made and like I mentioned a bit ago I'm only a third of the way through your journal!
Quote from: aigheadish on February 19, 2021, 10:43:02 AM
.......I'm only a third of the way through your journal!
You sir, have a very high tolerance for pain. :D :D
Are you reading both of the threads, or just this one? I had one from the prior year (there is a link is in the line of the first post on this thread) and if you were to read that one (am I am NOT suggesting you do, you have already been through enough) you will see a lot of the poor decisions, wasted time, dumb moves, and lots of doing things over that was the beginning of this bizarre trip for me.
Yes, anything I sell is from my wood. I only use store bought (usually left overs from construction jobs or salvage wood) for things I build around the shop to save time and cost.
You would think that when you can make your own wood, it's 'free' and you don't have to worry about the cost. I thought that too. But now I realize I work too hard making a good board or slab to waste any of it. Cutting skidding, milling stacking, drying, planing, joining, etc. all add time and 'cost', well, it sure ain't 'free'. So I use everything that is usable. I would rather jump in the truck and buy 2x4's than build something from my own lumber for utility purposes unless it is important. Or if I have junk logs that would otherwise be firewood, I can make some stuff out of. That was what I used to do with all the pine I got, but now with this allergy I have I am re-thinking that.
I have a very long way to go before I am even half decent at this stuff. I just hack my way through and make lots of mistakes. Still after many hours or re-doing things I often wind up with something that somebody else likes enough to take off my hands. Accidents happen if you are persistent enough. ;D
I don't know if you seen my business web page, but there are some ramblings and photos there. There should be a little website button down below my avatar on the left over there <--------
Please don't read too much of my stuff, at least not in long sittings, it can't be good for a person to take in that much. :D
Back to snow cleanup, then chipping out lumber from the stacks.
I'm currently only reading this thread, but it's been enjoyable and sometimes I have the time to read a fair amount. I have similar financial issues regarding expensive, but handy, equipment. I bought a backhoe a few years back, that ate up about $25k which has left very little money for other projects I'd like to get into. Man, that thing gets some work done though.
Ha! I put the free in quotes because I'm well aware that it's not really free. For me it'll end up being a bit more free as I still have a day job and plenty of wood, but I may rethink that after a few logs worth of ash 2x4s.
I'm learning from your stories and again you are an inspiration to me. I have a decent job, working for the man, and it's getting tiresome. Reading through your posts and some of the others really makes me consider stepping out on my own to work for me and my family, rather than some mega-corporation that isn't concerned with me or my advancements as a human and family haver.
I know there is security in my current position and it's paying the bills but it is terribly soul stealing and not what I feel like life should really be about. I have some money in the bank which could give some runway but it's a very scary flight. As the temperatures warm up and I can get into the shop a bit more I hope to start seeing what I can do and if it can make any money. If I can get about a year ahead, cash wise, I'll likely quit my job. I just need to start working with your zeal to make it happen, meaning regular 12-14 hour days...
Thanks for your journey, man. If I ever get up your way I'm giving you a shout and bringing a case of tasty ipas for you.
Quote from: aigheadish on February 19, 2021, 04:28:10 PM
Thanks for your journey, man. If I ever get up your way I'm giving you a shout and bringing a case of tasty ipas for you.
Come anytime, but bring 2 cases so we can both have some. ;D
----
Yesterday was a full day, added up I think I got 12 hours of work in, which is a nice change. I took the bench apart, chatted through texts with the clients and they settled on a stain color. (Glad it didn't turn out like THE WOC with 100 shades of brown.) I finished 'negotiation' of sizes with the 'Dance Board Boy' (kinda catchy, don't ya think?) and we settled on a coherent cut list finally. Then I did some final sanding work to take all the pencil marks off the bench and just get my hands on all the surfaces looking for anything I may have missed. I did about half of that and switched to plowing when it got tedious. That took a few hours and I hit the neighbors driveway to open it up because my son was running behind and the neighbor 'had to get out' (which they never did).
At the end of the session I backed the mule around to the stacks and loaded the order in 2 trips. I have to do a better job of ground clearing so I can plow better back there. I came up short when I started finding small hemlock stumps with the plow. ;D
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210219_141108928_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1613820944)
The snow that slides off the cover is about 2-3' deep now and packed. I have some plans to harden up this tarp structure for next year to eliminate the drifting onto the wood until I can build a proper roof. They are holding up better than expected.
After that, lunch, then run into town and pick up the stain we settled on and yet more connectors for the dust system. They were out of stock on the bigger boxes of the brass screws I needed for the bench so I had to buy a bunch of those silly '2 packs'. (Selling samples, I call it.)
When I got back I flipped all the wood in the shop and broke more ice off. This was the stuff on top and the last 4 storms with melt and thaw made a mess. By evening the ice was gone and I flipped them again before bed time. Pretty much all dry at 5am today. Anyway, this client is pretty confused and particular on understanding what he is paying, how much, and for what. Also the concept of 'Board Foot' calculations vs. lumber size continues to elude him. So I have this accounting program which I am learning and I thought I would try to create a detailed invoice for him to remove all doubt (it's a reach I think). It worked out pretty well and should be as clear as possible for him. Looks very professional (even has my logo on it!) and it allows me to have a better record than a hand written receipt book thing. Tax is calculated in and I could add in a custom discount I called a 'Good Luck with your new Business" discount. That way he can see I cut him a break, rather than a last minute verbal thing that he forgets about down the road. I believe I got that little idea from the guys here also. After dinner I finished up the sanding and stain prep, hopefully today I get that part done. I finally quit around 9pm.
Today I have to lop some of the boards to length as agreed so they fit in his vehicle. Today is also the monthly food shopping day, so I am up early to get some things done before we leave, it will kill half the day, at least. Gotta get at it, it's already 7.
what is your plan for not letting the stain be blotchy? will you start with sanding sealer? I know you read the book on finish.
Ummmmm. Plan?
I am still trying to figure out "dance boards". I went to his website, looks like he could turn into a good client.
The forum has a good program you can use instead of creating one go to extras and use Board Foot-Lumber Tally Calculator (http://forestryforum.com/calcs/cookiecalc_new.htm)
Quote from: trapper on February 20, 2021, 11:52:12 AM
The forum has a good program you can use instead of creating one go to extras and use Board Foot-Lumber Tally Calculator (http://forestryforum.com/calcs/cookiecalc_new.htm)
Well thank you for that, but honestly I don't need a program for it and one is wasted on him until he stops talking and starts listening. He does not understand the basic concepts and is not making the minor effort to learn. He uses terms like linear foot and board foot unchangeably as if they mean the same thing. I lay out all the math for him, and even even give him the basic calculations
in written form, twice and he still aske me 'how much. I tell him "its all the same price, $2.50 a board foot" Then he asks "well what if I get a 1"x10"x 8' instead of two pieces 4 feet long, which is cheaper for me?" No concept. Yet he continually questions me and makes it seem like I am trying to pull a fast one with the math. AT first its just a little frustrating, but going through this with a dozen texts for every purchase is starting to get pretty frustrating. Almost always the same questions trying to figure out how to get a 'better deal'.
Tell him 2 cents a cubic inch. ;)
Quote from: Nebraska on February 20, 2021, 11:46:37 AM
I am still trying to figure out "dance boards". I went to his website, looks like he could turn into a good client.
Dance boards are used mostly for the transitional dance styles to acoustically amplify the foot sounds. Used a lot by individual cloggers, soft-shoe, Celtic, and other dancers. You often do not even know one is being used when it's on a stage it blends in pretty well. Mics are sometimes added for the more subtle dancing so the scuffs and drags can be heard. I have seen Celtic dancers that can nearly make their feet sing a song with the various sounds. There should be a demo video on his website, did you see that? He just added it this week I think.
Yes, he could be a good client, if he succeeds, and if he learns how to build a relationship. He does a lot of talking but seldom hears what is said in response. He makes a lot of assumptions about what I can or will do to satisfy his requirements without talking to me about it, then is surprised by the result. He couldn't understand why I gave him a flat out "NO" when he casually asked me to re-saw some 5/4 wood down to 4/4. Then he tried to talk me into it, forcing me to explain the details of why I said 'no'. He does this with a lot of stuff and has no idea that he is hurting himself. If he finds another source (and I very much doubt he can) I wish him well. I have even suggested that he should always be keeping his eyes out for other sources. (When he whines about the expense, I suggest he checked the prices at HD and the other yards around here and let me know if he gets a better deal. ;D )
I like the guy, he is a nice guy, but he really does not understand what a working relationship should look like. AT this stage of my life I really don't have time for that. Its up to him.
Quote from: Nebraska on February 20, 2021, 12:34:15 PM
Tell him 2 cents a cubic inch. ;)
Right after his head exploded, he would still have lots of questions. Bedsides I am cheaper than that, I charge 1.7 cents per cubic inch. ;D :D
Was it @GAB (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=18738) that said: "I can explain it for you, but I can't understand it for you."
Just giving you a raise. :)
Quote from: Andries on February 20, 2021, 01:12:19 PM
Was it @GAB (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=18738) that said: "I can explain it for you, but I can't understand it for you."
I just wrote that on the whiteboard in my shop as I am sitting here waiting for him to show up. Just in case I need it.
Quote from: Nebraska on February 20, 2021, 02:11:30 PM
Just giving you a raise. :)
Thanks for looking out for the new guy. ;D
Quote from: doc henderson on February 20, 2021, 10:26:46 AM
what is your plan for not letting the stain be blotchy? will you start with sanding sealer? I know you read the book on finish.
Thanks for the save Doc! Being as I rarely work in pine this little detail escaped my studies. I will head down and flip a coin to see if I get the water or oil based. The stain does not specify.
Quote from: Andries on February 20, 2021, 01:12:19 PM
Was it @GAB (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=18738) that said: "I can explain it for you, but I can't understand it for you."
Andries:
I have said "I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you."
I do not remember if it was on the FF or not.
I do not know the originator of this jewel, but it wasn't me.
OG:
In a post you mentioned about some people needing some AA (attitude adjustment).
I've met a few in that category and I suggest restraint. I know that that can be extremely challenging.
Sometimes it is best to inform them where the road is and to suggest they get on it and go and that you do not care what direction they opt for.
Gerald
Tom, let the guy know when he asks for a deal that he already got it, and more, for your time he continues to waste with his unwilling to educate himself in what he wants for materials. Tell him your time is not free for the amount he wastes of it, so it will reflect the price he has to pay for his materials you provide for him.
Yeah, GAB I do like that quote and am keeping it. ;D :D
As for the AA, probably my tone didn't come through well on this whole thing. I am not angry with this guy in any way. He is a nice gentle guy, just not very 'attentive' and yes, it does frustrate me greatly to get the same questions over and over and so many order changes on a small simple lumber order. In fact partly because I do like him and would like to help him along is why I get aggravated. But long before I would read him the riot act I would just tell him he needs to look for another source of material because mine is not suiting his needs. Gone are the days where I am forced into doing stupid things for stupid people because I was somebody else's employee. That, in and of itself, is very freeing.
You heard that old joke:
Potential Employer: "What would you say is your biggest weakness?"
Retire seeking a job: " My honesty"
Potential Employer: "I don't think that's a weakness"
Retire seeking a job: "Who gives a flipping fart what you think?"
On the other hand he arrived today all smiles and had nothing but good things to say about the material even though it was not the prettiest stuff in the world he was happy. He also mentioned when it came up up that 'yes, he had looked at the prices of this material elsewhere' and said "it's crazy. I could never do this without you as my source." So he is beginning to 'get it' and he didn't blink at the invoice total or ask any questions, he liked how the format was layed out for him and gave him a clear record. I don't think he was here 3 minutes before and SGU dinged into my account on my phone. :) (I really like this 'Venmo thing'. Modern technology is great.) SO it looks like in some manner of something we are working on that relationship. I asked him to let me know of any material changes he might make and pointed to 3 large maples on my log pile and told him he needs to let me know what he might be looking for when I start milling them. He seemed to 'get it'. So we are making progress and I guess that's all one can hope for.
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Doc, thanks again for that save. I really didn't pay any attention to the pine stuff when reading that finishing book and completely missed it. Everything is 'conditioned' and ready for stain. Probably in the morning, its been a long day. Got about 3 hours work in before we left for food shopping at 8:30. I notice all the Easter candy is out in the stores now and Home Despot has their Barbeques out and the snow blowers are all gone. Hope they know something we don't. ;D
And tomorrow is another one.
Quote from: RAYAR on February 20, 2021, 07:05:00 PM
Tom, let the guy know when he asks for a deal that he already got it, and more, for your time he continues to waste with his unwilling to educate himself in what he wants for materials. Tell him your time is not free for the amount he wastes of it, so it will reflect the price he has to pay for his materials you provide for him.
Yeah, actually I nipped that one in the bud on his first purchase visit and was polite but very direct. In addition, the back injury I sustained pulling piles apart to get what he wanted (my fault, not his, no blaming here, but it did happen) cost me more in Chiro bills than the sale did, and I mentioned that once. That was enough.
Nah, I think we have turned a corner on this and are headed in the right direction. Believe it or not I plan to give him some basswood to try for his frames, just because I have an interest in his project, but I have to check and see what sizes I have before I offer it, and I want to see that he has done his homework on the wood first.
Now that I know what exactly a dance boards purpose, that basswood ought to be just the ticket. :)
Quote from: Nebraska on February 21, 2021, 09:48:59 AM
Now that I know what exactly a dance boards purpose, that basswood ought to be just the ticket. :)
That was my point. It would not be good for the surface because it is too soft, he gets very good acoustic response from my Maple, but to lighten up the frame and add a little more response from the thicker frame profile, I think it (the basswood) could work quite well. It came up in our visit yesterday and he said he plans to do some reading up on it. If I find suitable stock in my rack I will give him some to run through while he is making the others and do a test. I much prefer that we work with each other than just have a simple buy/sell thing going. That's what makes it enjoyable.
I also discovered late last night that he put a photo up on his Business FB page of the lumber stack I had on the cart ready for him in my shop, he gave me a plug and Thanked me for the wood. So in turn I did the same for him on my page, directing my readers to check him out.
He seems to be coming around just fine, and that's all I was hoping for. To be sure I am also learning to understand his manner of speaking and thinking a little better so that helps us both too.
Its all good. Now I gotta get some stain laid down. ;D
Tom
I like the idea of posting referrals and such for our customers. I figure if they succeed they will be back. I've had customers who were building contractors and provided their names and contact info to others looking for someone to build a cabin, shed or extension on the house. Even if they can't do that kind of work or are too backlogged at the time they seem to appreciate the boost and often they can recommend someone who can do the work so the other customer still gets his need filled.
Yeah, he saw my FB post this morning and I just told him "We are all in this together". I think he is getting it now. :)
It all takes a village.
I disagree. It takes a family.
Quote from: WV Sawmiller on February 21, 2021, 05:58:46 PM
I disagree. It takes a family.
How about if we just say "we are all in this together"? Either way makes no matter to me. I never got hung up on semantics and barely understand what 'they' are. ;D
I agree it takes a family first.
OK, I give up! As long as we all agree its a group deal I am good. :D ;D
Mixed bag for me today. Got a solid night's sleep and didn't wake up until 7, rare. Piddled and diddled around before I went out to feed the stove, I wanted to get the shop warm for staining today. When I raked the coals in the stove, something popped up through the ash. It was a chunk of the catalytic combuster. Well, I figured, that was bound to happen a little since it hangs down inside the roof of the stove, but then I found another chunk.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210221_145659525.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1613963491)
It was tough to get a photo of a across a fully functioning coal bed but if you look at the round thing in the upper left, you can see that nearly 1/2 of the combuster is gone, from being whacked by wood as I load it. My bad, but it is hard to avoid when you are trying to stuff a stove for the overnight burn.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210221_145722992.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1613963503)
Man that was HOT. The combuster burns at 800° or more when it kicks in, so I will lose some efficiency, but what can I do? I have to take the whole stove apart to replace it and cut new gaskets and re-seal. That combuster is nearly 200 bucks if I recall. I will wait until next season and ponder it a bit.
Anyway, I shook that off, made breakfast while the shop warmed up, then got to work on the staining. I piddled with some other stuff like shoveling off the mill in case things might melt (hey, it could happen), some cleanup, and then some sanding on one of the next projects after I had done some small crack pours on the bottom.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210221_150153532.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1613963334)
Shown is the top. This is going to be a 'pond and stream' bar, as opposed to a river table. It is a commission job. Before I get into the artsy parts, I have a lot of cracks to fill so that they are stabilized and I can sand it flat, right now they have feather edges sticking up that move as you sand. The slab is planed except for a few minor defects I have sanded out. I sat and contemplated the direction this project will take and then called it a day. It is Sunday after all. I came in to work on reconciling some accounts in the book keeping software to fix my mistakes, but never got to it because I was reading the forum, adding a response, then reading the other new posts, adding another reply, and the evening just vaporized. :D
Tomorrow is another day, and we have the boys and snow coming. It's always something around here.
Well since I am nearing the end of that pine bench and it 'feels like' we are getting a little snow almost every day that needs cleaning, and I am loosing track of what I am doing. So some random catching up is in order I guess.
-------
When I am doing the finishing work on a project I try very hard not to do other stuff in the shop to raise dust. I finish upstairs then try to do other stuff downstairs or at least at the other end of 'upstairs". So as I have been applying coats of sealer, stain, and urethane to this bench. I have been doing other little things that need doing. Today, first order was to clean up yesterday's snow which I had ignored. I was up at 5:30 and at it fairly early, still took a couple of hours and I did a better job around the mill (always hopeful) and some hand shoveling the reduce the 3 foot pile along the drying rack which has been neglected the last 3 storms. Got the two driveways done and all the rest, then came in the shop to do some sanding and lay another coat of urethane on the bench, but I was so hungry I couldn't focus. I had made breakfast and figured if I was hungry it must be near noon. Looked at the clock and it was 10:30. I had lunch anyway. ;D Then I sanded and layed that coat down. It's coming along nicely I think.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210222_200621839.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1614118839)
And this will be it for the bottom side of the seat plank, I think.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210222_200615630.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1614118809)
Anyway, that was the main goal for the day.
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A while back I had asked my son's welder for a piece of hot rolled steel to make a poker for the shop stove. I asked for 3/8 and he gave me 1/2" cold rolled. No matter, it sat in the corner for a few weeks, but one day at the end of last week I was sitting there and shoved the rod in the stove embers for a while and got it cherry red and grabbed a cross pein hammer and did some shaping on the business end. This afternoon I did the handle end. Nothing fancy in any sense.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210221_160615376.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1614118783)
I didn't get a photo of today's playing around with it, just a loop. But it will be nice to have a tool that reaches to the back of the stove. I long for the day that I decide to pull the forge out of the garage and move it over to the shop, get the anvil setup on a nice RO block, dig out the tongs and oil them up, then start playing around. This is something that has been on my list a very long time and I just have not had time yet. I have what I need to start and play, so no excuses, just permitting myself time to do it. But, I know me, and once I start it will be hard to stop. But this is something I want to show my Grandson's before I am too febble or weak to do it. My Dad worked both as a Blacksmith's helper and a farrier's helper and he would often make stuff from red iron whenever the need arose. He rebuilt that Buffalo Forge to museum quality and never put a fire in it because he couldn't find the right coal he wanted. For him AND me, I need to make that thing cook again. Anyway, this silly poker was another way of me reminding myself it's time to get off the stick.
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I lost another chunk out of the catalytic combuster today so I guess that is not functioning at all now. An expensive lesson. I will think on this for next year.
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Given that problem I have had working with the pine and all the nonsense I am doing to avoid contact I had ordered a pair of arm sleeves. These things cover my forearms down to the middle of my hand where the gloves take over. I had been using nitrile gloves and work gloves and pull my long sleeves down, but the wrist was still getting exposed and taking a beating. These make sure the wrist is covered completely. They look silly, but they do the job. I may order another pair (3 bucks on ebay). I had ordered them in 'Black" but they sent me a very light shade of black.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210223_123307417.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1614118845)
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Last thing I did today was mix up a half cup of epoxy with a green/blue dye to start filling surface cracks on the bar. I took a guess at the amount and thought I would have too much, until I started pouring and one crack alone took the entire half cup. :o Never saw THAT coming. :D I guess these cracks run deep?! But the way I do these is I do some pours to get a feel and take my time as I work on other stuff. I can see I have to place an order for a gallon jug of epoxy for this one pretty soon.
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I sat down at the end of the day and started thinking about some of the things I've learned over the last year and trying to decide, based on that, what I should be milling in the coming months to anticipate needs for the next year. I made a cut list, but I am not done, that was just a start. Last year I wanted to spend more time milling, but cash on hand had an effect on blades I could burn up and my time was consumed with a lot of projects that HAD to be done: the water tank system, building drying racks, installing the chimney and stove, etc. all of which chewed up time and money. This year is a bit better and I need to have a plan. Still working on that.
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I think that pretty much catches me up. I did put in a lot of time yesterday working on the book keeping software and trying to get that squared away. Spent 3 hours trying to figure out why invoices were showing the sales tax, but not adding it to the total but eventually I figured it out and got it fixed. It took a whole 6 pack though. ;D (Is that deductible?)
Tomorrow we have the boys again. The snow that was coming today never showed here, but it looks like Barge got his daily half a foot. They say the weather will trend calmer and warmer for the next little bit and I grabbed my new 60" cant hook and tried again the break the log pile loose, but it is still frozen. I guess getting above 32° for a few hours is not quite enough after the long cold we have had, but you can't blame me for trying. ;D I will say I think I heard a crack as I was hanging and bouncing on the hook handle. So either it was my back, or the logs were thinking about moving. :D
So tomorrow is another day, we shall see what that brings us.
It's in the 40's finally .I think those single digits froze the fuel line on my old Jeep ,no start .If so it wouldn't come as a surprise as northern Ohio can have a lot of humidity in the air at times and sitting for nearly a year could have introduced moisture to condense in the gas tank .If it will light off I will get some dry gas to dump in the tank .It's just something I didn't think about .On the other hand those who don't mess up usually don't do much of anything they say .
Out of context reply to Post 472.
I love that you figured out to chain up your log arch so you could back it up easier! So simple and smart! That's the kind of thing I wouldn't have thought of for a long time too and it's always exciting to see little fixes to minor but annoying annoyances. Good job!
Mixed bag today. We had the boys and the wife wasn't feeling 100% so I was in the house a lot off and on. I assembled that bench and stood it up, I didn't like the way the top of the seat appeared, color wise. So I light sanded it, wiped it down and layed on another cot of stain, just to the top. Between runs in and out I found some nice dry stock in the rack and decided to make some bookshelves that would fit in the corner of a kitchen counter. Ever notice how some of those cookbooks are tall and never fit anywhere convenient? I figured I would use up some nice smaller pieces of stock I had in the rack taking up space and add to my show stock. At the same time, I remembered that my magic hook was twisted beyond use and needed a tune up and as long as the wood stove was working I might as well get on that too. So I shoved the hook in the bed of coals and left it for a half hour. The stove poker I made worked out OK and functions like a charm, just what I needed.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210224_085108417.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1614212553)
So I alternated between planeing, cutting, joining, running in the house, and black smithery, moving in a circle. Eventually, after about 3 heats I got that hook pretty straight, a lot straighter than when I first got it anyway. To go further I will have to pull the anvil out so I have a better work surface than beating on the back of the bullet vise. Maybe tomorrow. But as it is, it is usable now.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210224_173912557.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1614212585)
I would like to get it better though. It is pretty soft steel and also pretty old. I might get it flat, then get it to a good heat and try water quenching to see if it stiffens up a bit. I have to try and avoid side loads on it. It can't handle it. Probably should reshape that point too, it's an old style.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210224_173839982.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1614212593)
I do have to say now that I have the planer and joiner working it is a true joy to grab a piece of wood, run it through both and have a fine piece of lumber to work with, having square clean edges, flat and true. Set up time is minimal, and cleanup is about the same. What a pleasure! It's the small things, although for me, this is a big thing and a long time coming. Both machines are cutting well and my skills using them are improving, I think.
So I did all the cutting on those simple shelves but like most spur of the moment jobs, I didn't think about how the exposed dado's would look on the front edge. So I thought I might make some cherry veneer strips to cover the front and top edges and run some sot of router shapes over the face. I grabbed some 4/4 cherry stock from out in the drying rack, planed and joined it and ran out of time. But I made a good start on it.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210224_173629129.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1614212553)
One of these has RO uprights and shelves, the other is Maple uprights and shelves. We'll see hos they come out. Once I get that pine bench out of the shop, I will start making a bunch of this small stuff and get it off my list. Spring, and hopefully a few shows are coming.
It hit 50 today! 24 hours of above freezing temperatures is something we haven't had in a long time. Hopefully this is a good sign. At any rate, it was 58 in the shop at 5:30 this morning, so that too is good and I had no trouble keeping it around 63 all day with little effort and wood.
Better days are coming, and hopefully tomorrow is one of them. (Of course, the temps will be back in 30's again.)
Out of context reply to Post 555. Man, your "weird cookie" epoxy table consignment is absolutely beautiful! Very inspiring for some of the chunks of wood I have laying around! I just read through the post where you pretty much had the epoxy evened out, so you aren't quite done with it. I'm excited to see what happens next!
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on February 23, 2021, 06:49:26 PM
I lost another chunk out of the catalytic combuster today so I guess that is not functioning at all now. An expensive lesson. I will think on this for next year.
With some stoves, the combusters only purpose is to meet EPA requirements. You may not see any differences in your stoves performance with or without the combuster.
Quote from: Larry on February 25, 2021, 02:17:55 PM
With some stoves, the combusters only purpose is to meet EPA requirements. You may not see any differences in your stoves performance with or without the combuster.
Well Larry, there are 3 benefits to having the combustor in this stove that concern me. 1) improved stove efficiency (more heat), 2) Cleaner flue gas (less sweeping), and 3) Cleaner output from the chimney (mostly water vapor), and I consider these important in that order. The way it works is when the stove reaches a good steady heating point (around 325° or better), something magical happens with that combustor and all the flue gasses from the firebox have to pass through it where they are burned again at a much higher temp of around 800-850°, this process obviously throws more heat that would normally go up the chimney as particulates and condense on the chimney walls in the form of creosote or make it out into the air as floating junk to drop down in the area when it cools. When it is working the stove temp is around 350 or more and the cat chamber is as I said around 800 or more, and the chimney 10 inches above that is back to 350.
So without that gizmo in there, I lose heat and have to clean more stuff out. It's one of the reasons I like that stove. Why I don't like the stove it because it is slightly too small for the shop. In it's previous life it heated a one story insulated shop of about 600 sq ft. and did a super job and I never had to think about replacing the cat until about 5 years in. Now it is heating two open stories in a block building of 1,000 sq ft with 17 foot ceilings. So I try to stuff it every night and that is why I am whacking that thing to pieces.
I just wish the stove had been designed a little bit differently.
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aigheadish, your continued tolerance for pain astounds me. :D
As far as flue temps a few years ago I stuffed a 7 inch single wall stainless inside a 9" clay lined flue .It's Lopi class front insert inside a fireplace chimney and would cause that type of creosote about like road tar that will catch fire .I bought heavy wall,22 gauge stuff and that cured the problem .It's only the top 4-6" about the top that creosotes and that's the pyrolited type that won't burn . Worse part was moving a 5-600 pound stove out of the way to do the install .
I bought the stuff through a builders supply about 14 feet of it for I think less than $125 .I'd have had about three times that amount through a so called stove and fireplace shop .I try to avoid that .Frugal you know--- ;)
Random catch up as I have been managing consistent 9 hour or so days lately.
I finished flattening up the magic hook the other day and filled a pail with snowmelt coming off the roof, heated the whole hook to cherry red and water quenched it. I doubt it will make a difference. Then I slapped a cost of paint on it and called it done. Stuck the bucket of water on the stove just to see how hot it would get and by that after noon it was pretty warm. ;D SI I took it out and poured it down the load side rail on the mill to 'encourage' some of the ice that grows up there to 'go away'. Now I can actually see the mill bed and am getting antsy waiting for the log pile to thaw, but it keeps freezing at night.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210225_150254839_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1614424787)
Thursday I spent a fair amount of time making the trim pieces for those bookshelves. I had to figure out the process and mess around with setting on the table router a bit, but came up with just running 2 edges of a 4/4 planed board down the router table then ripping a strip off on the table saw, then repeat. For a first attempt, it didn't come off too bad.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210225_153506305.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1614424824)
Now gluing cutting the angles and gluing those strips on the sides was a bit more challenging. It took me a while to dial in the angles with a lot of 'test and measure' cuts. Gluing presented it's own challenge and I was looking all over for large rubber bands and finally settled on some bungees after buggering up the first attempt.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210226_145110899.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1614424869)
On the whole I am pretty happy with how the joints came out given all the oddball angles, gluing, etc.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210226_171708443.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1614424883)
So I managed to give everything a sanding to clean up the glue and pencil marks and do another dry fit before I glue the shelves. There is something very satisfying with having the joints hold well with just a single tap of a leather mallet to set the piece square.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210226_162045197.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1614424855)
Today I will glue those shelves, then sand again the get any remaining glue off, then figure out a finish. I had ordered a steel scraper blade weeks ago for cleaning this type of stuff up, but apparently it is lost in the mail someplace in MO.
I also put a second coat of urethane on the farm bench and it is looking better. Going to go over that today and look for any defects or needed touch ups. That should just about be done. Only thing left is to figure out a price and for me, that is the hard part.
Well, it's another day and I have to get at it and figure out what I am working on next. Trying to use up stock drops and make some small stuff for markets, etc.
the book shelves look great. sometimes I will glue up an angle and let it dry, then glue it to the piece so the joint is tight. can you pull your logs apart in the mid afternoon, and pull a prospective log in the shop to saw the nest day. after you hit you rail with hot water, would it help to spray some oil/atf on it. (to inhibit rust, and keep water from sticking and freezing.
Quote from: doc henderson on February 27, 2021, 08:42:38 PM
the book shelves look great. sometimes I will glue up an angle and let it dry, then glue it to the piece so the joint is tight. can you pull your logs apart in the mid afternoon, and pull a prospective log in the shop to saw the nest day. after you hit you rail with hot water, would it help to spray some oil/atf on it. (to inhibit rust, and keep water from sticking and freezing.
Yeah the bookshelves are finishing up OK. I glued the assembly today and tried using a cabinet scraper for the first time to smooth out some little issues. That worked pretty good, more skills to work on now. ;D I laid on a coat of tung oil finish, they look better in person.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210227_164634050.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1614478446)
And, Yes, I did glue progressively, but I kept the clamps on the previous piece just because I could.
I just keep checking the log pile to see when I can get a log loose. If I could get one to move, that's all I need to know, it's about time to pick a good day and get started. I am sure if I brought the mule out and gave a yank I could start getting logs off, but frankly I am not ready yet to mill in the cold with the snow still all around and ice down below it. On the other days it is mud.
My rails are all painted and the water doesn't hurt them and it runs right off. Mostly it is the ice just next to the rail that builds up and when I cut that last board the blade guard
just gets caught and won't pass by. When I ran off that pine last month I was hacking at it with a maul and a shale bar to chip the top off. It's about 8" of sawdust I built up into a log ramp, and when it soaks and freezes it is pretty formidable. ;D :D
I spent the day today doing the work on those shelves and some deeper cleaning in the shop (that rash is still with me, but on a lower level and I am being as careful as I can) and messing with the dust collector to attach a vacuum hose to do the floor with and doing experiments in computational fluid dynamics when it wasn't working quite right. Apparently I can't put a 25' 1-3/4 vacuum hose on the end of the system and get it to suck worth a dang. No matter, it was play time for me and the shop is cleaner now and I put a lot of tools where they belong.
Late in the afternoon I looked at that homemade router table that came along when I bought the table saw. I have used it on several projects now and find it very useful however this thing was not well made at all, mostly the top is not flat which causes all kinds of problems. So I decided I would rebuild it. It had 4 different kinds of screws in it and some screwed into nothing (?). As I got it apart I started wondering if I could pull this top flat enough to make me happy and all the pieces I would need to make for it. Then I started thinking wider and realized it was much bigger than I needed and I should cut it down too. When I had it all apart, I finally realized that I was really only re-using the top and that top was two pieces of 3/4 plywood that had been edge glued together (yeah, I know) with a hole through it for the router bit and some Formica glued on top. It needed flattening supports in a pattern underneath, new legs, and wheels. So Then I looked around the shop and remembered a piece of 1-1/4" high density chipboard desktop that I had cut off to make something and the remnant has been floating around here for years. It is laminated with formica also. I found it and it is pretty close the the prefect size, very flat, and rigid. I will need to rout out a pocket in the bottom because it is so thick, but at least when I am done I will have something more usable that I can move a LOT easier. I can re-use two of the legs off the old one, the router, and maybe the router mounting screws, but that's about it. So I guess that is the plan for tomorrow because after all my cleaning today, I now have this thing spread out in pieces all over the floor. :D Sometimes I don't look for things to do, they find me as I walk blindly into them.
Tomorrow is another day.
They came out nice. One thing I use a lot for keeping moldings from slipping when gluing is a pin nailer. They leave a barely visible hole that disappears if I put a drop of water on it before finish sanding. Chances are seasonal movement will pop the glue joint on cross grain like that over time and the pins will still hold it in place.
That's a pretty good idea, I just went and looked into that and I will have to add it to 'the list'. I had thought about driving in some small brads but didn't want the holes, plus, driving brads on hardwood can ruin it if something goes wrong, and for me, it usually goes wrong. ;D I am hoping these hold up ok, if not, there is the lifetime Guarantee (my lifetime) that I offer with everything I sell, so that's a backup plan. :)
Couple weeks ago I ordered a compression gauge just to use as a reference .It wasn't a very good one, gave low readings .Like 110 PSI on a modified Stihl saw .I bought a better one which came in a day or two ago .On a check with that one it blew 195 PSI .That's more like it ;D
Man there are few things worse than having a gage that is off. It will make a man crazy in no time. ;D
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Today was a long one for a Sunday, never got off my feet all day except for a 30 minute lunch. I wanted to get that router table built and I wanted it functional by the end of the day so I could get back to work tomorrow. First I trimmed that old desk top to size, then I laid out the router location, popped that in with a hole saw and traced the profile of the router base and free-handed router in a pocket to set it further down in the table. That came out pretty good.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210228_100707820.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1614569090)
That set in nice. Then I got involved in making the legs, planing up pieces of Ash to stiffen and flatten the top and putting it all together.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210228_154128853.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1614569139)
That worked out OK also. It is sufficiently stable. Now I need to work on the fence. The one I had put the clearance cut for the bit in the wrong place, but it is a nice piece of Ash and I wanted to re-use it.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210228_154128853.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1614569139)
So, I flipped it and routed a new notch and screwed on another block in the back so I could make a chip collection pickup. I also put a carriage bolt as a pivot point through one end and found a nice red knob that I can use to hand tighten and keep it flat on the table when it is set.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210228_160010386.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1614569139)
So I used a holesaw to make an entry point for the vacuum line at an angle, then routed some clearance for the bottom and with a little hand-eye trim work with the router I made that hose a hard twist fir into the 'port', no glue, epoxy, or fasteners required. :)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210228_174543525.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1614569164)
I am really pleased with how that hose fit.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210228_174548830.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1614569181)
At this point I had pushed my limit on the work day and knew dinner was about on the table, but I had to run some test stock through and a 1/4" rounding bit. It worked like a charm and not a single chip made its way onto the table or out on the floor. 8)
I still have to make a 'clamp thing' for the other end of the fence, but that is easy and I might let it go for a few days while I get back to work. But for today, it is done, it works well and I can move on and depend on this thing when I need it. It's not some fancy store bought thingy, but it does the job, and at my level, that's all I need.
Tomorrow is another day, but I have pooped myself out today. ;D
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on February 28, 2021, 10:57:35 PMI still have to make a 'clamp thing' for the other end of the fence
Add a block of wood under the right end of the fence equal to the depth of the table top and support. Then, in between the two, place a block of wood loosely attached to the block on the fence and under the tabletop support board. Put a carriage bolt up through this piece and through the fence with a wing nut on top. Hope that is clear...
Not only is it pretty clear, it is also spooky, like you read my mind. :o ;D I think, if I got you right John, that is exactly what I had in mind but I have to poke around the shop a little and see if I can't find some kind of cam or toggle clamp to fancy it up a little. I don't think I have another one of those threaded balls and I am not sure if that would make it tight enough anyway. More piddling is in store. :D
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I forgot to mention, but I think it may be of interest to some: I had ordered blast gates for my system from an ebay seller that pretty much defaulted on the sale and I have some of my money back, but not all. While I was waiting I went to re-order and shopped all over again. Just for the heck of it I also checked out HD's price and found they were cheaper than ebay AND they had some of the more hard to find items like 2-1/2" blast gates and 4 x 2-1/2 wyes. Of course, none of it is stocked in the stores around me. So I had to order it. I thought I was ordering it to be shipped to the store for pickup but eventually learned that it had been shipped to me direct. That was fine I thought. Then I got a ship notice on Saturday that it was due to be delivered on Sunday. SO still not clear on where they are shipping it, I figured it was going to the store, but nope. Around 11am yesterday (Sunday) the box showed up via Fedex! I am kind of liking this system they have. Since I signed up for their ProXtra account (free, no credit card) and collecting 'points' or whatever they call them maybe they are throwing in the free shipping, I dunno, but I think that shipping is for anyone. I do like the purchase tracking which is very simple and helps me reconcile the books a bit easier. I will have to inquire about a commercial account, but frankly when I go to the store I pay with the company debit card which is quite easy and gives me that paper trail, so I am not sure what the commercial account would do for me.
Anyway, that Sunday delivery was a nice surprise. Now if they could just put a person at the registers in the store I would be very happy. ;D
Time to get at it.
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on March 01, 2021, 07:05:56 AMI have to poke around the shop a little and see if I can't find some kind of cam or toggle clamp
You can take some hardwood and a scroll saw and make a toggle... You don't need a lot of pressure if you glue a strip of sandpaper to the bottom of the fence at the clamp end. You could also cut a handle out of hardwood (circle saw) and then add lobes to it by cutting out sections with a scroll saw. Drill and insert (press fit) a T-nut and you're done.
Yeah, I am still rolling that around in my head but there is a lot of dead space in there, so it may take a while before something gells. ;D I had thought about a hardwood cam but still working on the idea.
In the mean time I am back on dust collector hookups with the blast gates and firmer connections. I have the router table and table saw done, now that lunch is over and the mail came with the RAS hood I will work on that one next.
Back to it.
Holy socks! I'm caught up! Quite the adventure @Old Greenhorn (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=42103) !
Good work across the board and I'm thrilled to watch it continue.
I'm interested in a table for a router as well but really don't know much about them. The first time I really used a router was just last spring, so I'm still learning how they work, and I don't find things that need routed too often, yet. Any chance you can share a picture of the underside of your router table? I also assume it's good to have a router in the table and another available for random uses not in a table?
I have two palm routers (a Bosch and a Ryobi) and a rotozip for sheetrock. and then 3 regular size routers (porter cable) with a variety of HP and size, 1/4 inch collet, 1/2 inch collet. and a plunge base. not counting my dad's old porter cable and my first router a Montgomery wards. cannot really have too many, and I leave my favorite bits in some like a 1/8th inch round over in the Bosch colt, for almost any project that needs a consistent professional easing of an edge. I bought a table back in the day that folded up, and you could mount a router, jigsaw, or skill saw to have a router table, table saw or table jig saw. lots of time spent changing stuff for a project. I have been doing this for almost 50 years. you have to start at the beginning, and see where you end up. 8) :) @aigheadish (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=53516)
Just a quick reply, I have to get to work. First, I am glad you survived reading all that, I was a little worried about you for a bit. :D
If you look at the first photo in the post on that table you will see the bottom side pocket for the tool. I only did that because the table top is 5/4 thick and I wanted to move the router higher so I didn't loose as much of the adjustment stroke. If you use some like 3/4 stock, you can just screw the router to the bottom of the table. I will try to get some shots of the bottom arrangement finished up, but it is a hack 'n chop job for functionality and not real pretty. ;D
Doc is right, routers are handy and having several is helpful. I have 3 but seem to use mostly 2. I leave a 1/4" corner rounding bit in the table one for very fast edge clean-ups and then the hand help is for other stuff. I do not have a small palm type...yet, but when one presents itself I will like pick it up if the price is right because it is only to save me having to change out bits.
More later, time to get it on.
Thanks, no rush, and hack and chop jobs are about all I can do as I learn patience.
One good thing to add to a router table is a starting pin for freehand routing. It can just be a simple hole 2 to 3 inches from the cutter with a tight fitting pin that helps the part engage the bit without allowing it to kick it back. I use mine all the time when the fence can't be used.
21incher, I am not quite sure what this would look like, got a photo? I might be interested in trying this.
Short post tonight, I did a few things out in the shop and spent a bunch of time reading a new book I got to help me with these new book keeping chores so maybe I can understand it (Bookkeeping for Dummies), but it might be over my head. ;D
Here is the photo of the underside of that table you wanted aigheadish:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210302_092026044.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1614730724)
I put two fixed wheels on it that just touch the floor. They take the weight and allow me to roll it around when I lift the other end. I can also flip it on its side and roll or store it that way.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210302_091838909.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1614730722)
Also, here is the bottom of the fence where the chips are sucked in.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210302_092248643.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1614730750)
I didn't have time yesterday to give an update either, but I did hookup the router table, the TS, and the RAS permanently to the dust system in a functional way and put the blast gates in.
The RAS got two ports, but the smaller one isn't balanced well to suck enough, so I have to work on that.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210301_153510264.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1614731342)
The TS I did a straight pull form the bottom, gets 90% of it.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210301_153547947.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1614731383)
And the router gets 99%.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210301_153557572.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1614731385)
Still have to do the sanding bench and I have not figured out a good way to do that yet. Always lots to do around here and tomorrow is another day.
Thank you, sir, for the pictures, that helps!
I assume you've seen the sanding boxes that people build? I've never used one and I imagine the suck would have to be substantial unless you close it in like a sand blasting chamber.
Yeah, but that's hard to do for a 5'+ slab. I suppose I could do that for the smaller stuff, perhaps make a second purpose for that router table and add a removeable box. Not a bad idea actually. :) Then use it for a mini spray booth to keep the dust off things as they dry, which is also an issue sometimes. Lemme think on that, thanks!
Here is a pic of the starter pin I mentioned. My finger is pointing at it. Makes freehand routing safer. Finger boards are also very helpful on a router fence.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/34694/IMG_8079.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1614795559)
You mentioned a sanding area so I included some pics of the one I built using 2 cheap box fans and furnace filters. It's on a 4 ft table and I have another table I can roll up on wheels in front of it for longer and larger parts. Really helps keep sawdust out of my face and Home Depot has cases of filters online that work good and are reasonably priced. Led strips help me see defects in the workpiece. The second pic has the filter removed to see the fan. Wish I had room to go one more fan wide but I have another single fan with filter that can be placed by individual tools.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/34694/IMG_8081.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1614795816)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/34694/IMG_8082.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1614795817)
@21incher (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=24694) Do you actually change the filters out frequently or just blow them out backwards? I really like this design, do you have any vacuum attached or is it just the draw of the fans? Have you burnt up any fans in the process?
Quote from: aigheadish on March 03, 2021, 02:48:26 PM
@21incher (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=24694) Do you actually change the filters out frequently or just blow them out backwards? I really like this design, do you have any vacuum attached or is it just the draw of the fans? Have you burnt up any fans in the process?
I change them, filters like this can not be reused. I have had the best results with Rheem dust and pollen filters on Homedepot.com and usually go through 2 cases of 12 a year. Fans have been going a couple years now. If you change the filters before they plug the fans should last a long time. I don't want to tie this thread up with details and there is a video on my youtube channel about making it. I also just leave it running to clean my shop air when sweeping up.
I have to say I like that fan idea and you are not tying up the thread at all. I may use that idea on my big sanding bench because it fits my issues better.
I may be a dunce but I am still not understanding the starting pin thing. Is it like a steady rest so you don't lunge the work into the bit? There has to be more to it than that.
This is a basic explanation for freehand template work Back to Basics - Starter Pin on the Router Table (https://www.rockler.com/back-to-basics-mdash-starter-pin-on-the-router-table) and If you do a search you will see many descriptions about how one can make any freehand router work a little safer.
OK that link helped me understand. I have never had an issue with this, but I can see where certain types of work might be problematic so that is something I am going to keep in the back of my head for the day it is needed, Thanks! Looks like a 5 minute job to add. The fan idea though, that is something I gotta work on sooner, much sooner.
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Yesterday I didn't get a lot done. re-did the top finish on that farm bench, too many holidays I didn't like and I put another coat on the bookshelves. So I wanted to keep the dust low until things cured up pretty well and just did odds an ends to keep me on my feet and productive. I did start work on a sign I have wanted to make for a while now. Since I have been ordering more supplies and stuff I have this one delivery company (that rhymes with FedEx) which leaves boxes in odd places that I often miss. Usually not a big deal, but the other day it was about 15 out and he/she delivered a gallon kit of epoxy that sat out there for several hours until I got the 'delivered' notice and went looking for it. That made up my mind to get a little sign made up. More when I get it further along.
......................
Today is our monthly Chiro tune-up appointment and lunch date. But more importantly we go in for our first Covid Vaccine shot right after the Chiro visit! Don't ask me how I scored the appointments for both of us, it will just get me worked up all over again, but lets just say I have had it with local, state, and federal politicians of any stripe that are telling the public what a great job they are doing, but failing miserably in the last mile through what can only be called incompetence.
Anyway, it feels like an important day and as we haven't had anything to 'go out' for in the last 12 months or so and I got a little excited. I did a full shave last night (it's been a while) and trimmed the beard. Took a nice long hot shower this morning, put on the new jeans I got for Christmas, and heck, I even used deodorant (which I gave up for lent last year :D). Also, because the vaccine folks request you wear a T-shirt, I donned this beauty I was gifted last month for the first time.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210304_071659946.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1614862085)
This was sent to me by @trimguy (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=47881) as a gift along with a set of jointer blades for my new to me jointer (also a gift). You meet the nicest folks on these forums. In a month or two I expect I will have something headed back his way. ;D (I really like this shirt Arnold, can't wait to show it off!)
Well, time to do the rounds and feed the stoves.
I LOVE that shirt. :)
Quote from: Nebraska on March 04, 2021, 02:38:07 PM
I LOVE that shirt. :)
Yeah, I do too, once again my thanks to Mr. Johnson for the gift. Kind of a strange feeling to be wearing short sleeves again after months without them. I almost felt nekked standing there waiting for my shot.
Glad you like the shirt. I certainly didn't do this to get anything back. For the record, I'm a hobby guy, not a business. These are just some shirts we had printed up. I Have the name for it.😁
On those box fans, I mounted one upside down, so I could reach the controls, in my cellar. It runs steady, never shut it off. It had hung there for years!!! Seem like one died after 5-6-7 years of running steady, must be going on the same amount and maybe more on this one. I had this house built in 2000. I ran a dehumidify for years down there and than the fan.
Yeah, I have a ceiling fan in the shop that has run continuously for 33 years (except power failures). It keeps the air churned up. Before we moved here it ran for 5 years in my third shop. I guess that fan doesn't owe me anything. ;D
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/51041/76963BFC-515F-4CDE-978C-B44364E38E5E.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1614870658)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/51041/326EE29A-0407-4D16-A5E3-28BE48CEDBDB.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1614951156)
I have shared this before, but this is my paint booth using a fan that exits through a window. I use a cheap HF small dust collector fan. you could do a down draft to your collector but I would not send paint through it. I use the same fan for my engraver and you get an occasional ember so mine all just goes outside. I would not send paint and or engraver exhaust into the collector full of dust and a fan blowing on it. :) bon_fire :o
note the blue creeper in the upper left screen.
mini down draft paint booth in General Woodworking (forestryforum.com) (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=107840.msg1682464#msg1682464)
@Old Greenhorn (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=42103) so what's the result of your frozen epoxy? I don't know anything about that stuff though I think I'll get into it in the future. Is it ruined?
@doc henderson (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=41041) is that an old boat chair you are using for the paint booth? Pretty slick design regardless...
It didn't freeze, I got it in time. I really don't want to take a chance and find out what happens, maybe nothing, but it can't help things. At 90 bucks a gallon, that would be an expensive lesson. I am working on something to prevent that from happening again. ;D
that is a 5 gallon bucket and a 270 gallon ict tote. aprox. 3.5 x 4 x 4 feet.
Not sure if this has been posted before but if there is anything anyone ever wanted to know about dust collection, Bill Pentz website has it, including designs for a down draft sanding table you can attach to your dust collection system. Pleased be advised though that there is some unpleasant data there and quite a bit of stuff most of us probably don't really want to hear. Prepare for the rabbit hole...
https://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/downdraft.php (https://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/downdraft.php)
Quote from: nybhh on March 06, 2021, 07:35:57 AM
Not sure if this has been posted before but if there is anything anyone ever wanted to know about dust collection, Bill Pentz website has it, including designs for a down draft sanding table you can attach to your dust collection system. Pleased be advised though that there is some unpleasant data there and quite a bit of stuff most of us probably don't really want to hear. Prepare for the rabbit hole...
https://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/downdraft.php (https://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/downdraft.php)
Wow, that sounds like an ominous dare! ;D Ok, I'll bite, but being forewarned I will wait until I have a few minutes to see what it's all about. I have thought about downdraft tables, but that would take on the shape of a major project because of my space issues. Something would have to be removed and replaced with that table and there is the issues of getting the right fan(s), etc. I used to have a gorilla fan but that was 3 phase 480v and it moved an awful lot of air for a 10" muffin fan. Sounded like a piper cub taking off. ;D Dust seems to be a never ending battle. Looking forward to spring when I can do some of this in the yard.
Very curious to see what " unpleasant data" might include? ???
Hey Brandon, how did those lighted beam cover boxes come out?
I finished building them last week and am sanding/filling/sanding today, hoping to prime tomorrow. The hope is I can have them prepped and ready for final paint so I can bust out the airless on Wed/Th when we finally have a few days with temps above 50F and can spray them outside.
We'll see how my hands feel after about 600 SF of orbital sanding today. 😷🤧
Well, catching up a bit here. Been kind of knocking about the last few days with nothing special going on. Finished that pine bench to my satisfaction, now lets see what the client says, think I will see them Tuesday. Been doing some little things I wanted done, and thinking about smaller projects to sell at shows. I have those little signs I am making and the paint explosion kind of set me back on that for a little bit, but it's back on track. That is just taking up room as the finishes dry. This is the first of 3:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210305_154049548.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1615111372)
I really have to make a space someplace else in the building to do that finishing so I can keep working while finishes dry. That spray/sanding booth discussion above was very helpful to get me thinking.
Anyway, some new tools have found their way into the shop, at no cost to me. ;D I was out in the shed looking for fasteners or something the other day and saw a box on the shelf. The label said "Stanley #59 Dowel Jig" so I figured it probably had carriage bolts in it. :D But I opened it up and found this barely, if ever used beauty, complete with all the paperwork and the original display card.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/stanley_dowel_jig.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1615111541)
Nickel plated and all, a perfect gem with all the parts. I was so impressed that I used it on that sign above to joined the two halves. Worked like a charm.
A couple of days later, my son comes by and he had been doing a basement cleanout for one of his clients. Seems she wanted to send these to the dump:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210305_154649881.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1615111409)
That is a Craftsman carbide dado wobble blade with very little time on it. Tricky to set up, but pretty handy. I decided to save it from the dump. ;D
And this one is a molder blade set, un-used at all except for evidence on one single blade.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210305_154645944.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1615111424)
Now these certainly aren't production tools but for the single project here and there they can be quite handy and I really can't justify buying something like these to make a shelf or a small bookshelf. So these finds are very nice indeed. Of Course, the price was just right also. Guess I have to get working on cleaning up that second table saw and making throat plates to fit these things.
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A few days ago I got a call for a consult job, my first, I think, and yesterday I went to meet the clients and look it over. (If you are following Jeff's 'New Hat' thread, this is the "Mom' & 'Dad' in the first hat story I told there). As their touring year looks to be a bust until at least fall, for the first time since they were teen-agers they are looking at spending the season working from or very near home. They decided to finally reclaim some fallow ground and make it usable space. They want to use this as a learning experience for their kids. Grape arbors and re-planting the grapes they already have everywhere, then cleaning out a lot of other wild grapes, brambles, dead or diseased trees, and a bunch of other stuff. I helped them focus on it a little and gave them a roll of flagging to begin marking stuff with some very basic guidance. They also want to try their hand at Mushroom growing and as it happens, I have some properly cut Maple they can use for their starter logs. ;D When I got home I sent them a bunch of links with good mushroom how-to videos to use as part of their education program.
The plan is to start on it and work a day or 2 a week around their schedule and mine. They will do a lot of the hand grunt work and I will do the bigger stuff, trees, etc as well as arranging anything that requires equipment. They want a pond in the wet spot, but we need to talk more about that and getting a machine in will be very tricky because their neighbor is unpredictable. One step at a time. Work is work, right?
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Temps here are still cold, holding in the 20's but it might hit 32 today. The wind has also been higher than normal in the 10-20MPH range during the day, so it feels cold. They say a warming trend is coming in this week. We shall see. I'd like to take that first tree down on the above job before things start sprouting, maybe Thursday. Looking forward to warmer temps for sure and working outside more.
And today is another day. I've been up since 4, so I might as well get at it because I think I might poop out early. ;D today.
The package delivery sign is NICE!
Well I like to make Sunday a Funday, but during the winter that can be hard to do. Just another work day today. Up at 4 and in the shop at 6 after cooking a nice breakfast and I knew it would be a 2 pot of coffee day, so I put a pot on the stove in the shop (lest I drink all the coffee before that wife has her 2nd cup, and let me tell you, THAT is unacceptable and makes for a miserable week, yes week, she has a long memory with regard to her morning coffee). I need to make some small less expensive stuff for shows like coat hook racks, small bookshelves, knick-knacks, or whatever to clutter up the table and draw some folks in to chat. So yesterday I found some very dried stuff in my racks that keeps getting passed over for the issues it has and I decided I would either make it into something or make it into firewood. Some of this is leftover from the shed build of what? 3 years ago? Split, cracked, uneven thickness, whatever. I pulled some pieces out and moved them down on the floor. Today I planed them out until they looked good (about 3/4") and as long as I had the planer set up I grabbed a bunch of the cherry that would fit which I got from NYBHH and planed that off for tables and did the long slab that will be another double waterfall bench. By noon I had a bunch of stuff planed down, had a 55 gallon bag full of chips and had worked up a good sweat. It was 58 in the shop. I had lunch then cut and ripped some of the thin stock to make a couple of coat hook racks. After that, those signs were in my way so I went out and hung the two that were done and dry.
This one is right between the two garage doors at the head of the driveway where that dang Fedex driver leaves stuff all the time and I never see it.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210307_134748175.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1615169923)
And this one I put by the side door, just to provide a good target. (We rarely use the front door.)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210307_134735860_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1615169922)
The third sign was still too sticky, so I went back to the coat racks. I ripped down the pieces and wanted to do a 90° dado joint. I didn't feel like setting up a dado blade for just 4 linear feet of material and figured I would use a straight 3/8" bit in the router table. Well I was only about 1' into these cuts when I burned up the HSS bit I had. Ticked me off because I hardly had any time at all on that bit and I bought it BRAND NEW from Sears just back in 1974. It was like new and sure didn't last long today on Ash. ;D It kept pulling up out of the router and spoiled my work pieces. SO as much as I did NOT want to go to a box store on a Sunday, I checked my needs for other stuff and had to go to Lowes because they sell the brass screws I need in a bulk box that Home Despot does not carry. I had a short list and wound up making substitutions on most stuff or not getting it at all, also wound up paying more for the target router bit than I wanted to. My local store is a mess right now, they are re-arranging everything to fit their 'national standard'. I am a good shopper, I look up the items here online in the shop, make a list which includes the aisle and bin number, check stock, then I go and get what I need and get back home. Not this time, none of the aisle or bin numbers matched the computer because they are moving everything and not updating the locations. I wasted a lot of time and was pretty ticked, and I told them so, in my very best grumpy old man fashion.
Anyway, I got home with the bit that was the right size, but not the one I wanted (cost more, they didn't have ANY of the others they claimed to or at least they weren't out for folks to buy, can you say 'bait and switch'?), set that up and managed to screw up some more pieces, just too much cut, so I broke it down into passes but I lost some stock in the process and things were just not going right at all. I was getting frustrated and I think I made some expensive designer firewood.
So I changed gears one last time and grabbed that last sign which was almost dry and hung that one on the front of the shop between the two garage doors. Folks coming for the first time can't figure out how to get in (please don't question the mental acuity of my clients ;D) so I thought I should help them out.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210307_181210780.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1615169946)
That was it, I called it a day. Tomorrow is another one, assuming all goes well.
The problem is that SO many people are handicapped, they can't READ!
It pithes me off when I see people parking in places that they have no real reason to park where they do.
I need to get off of my soapbox because I can feel my BP rising.
Well, I can't fix 'stupid', but I will make one attempt at it, then move on.
Well very mixed bag today. Follow up on the signs: I am running 50/50. Yesterday I package was delivered right under the sign where it was supposed to be, but a client came to pick up a job and was standing right in front of the 'Use Side door' <------ sign and chose to walk all the way around the other side to the back door. ;D
Oh well, I can try. :D
We had the boys today so I mixed up my bouncing in and out of the house. I worked on some smalls for future shows using up odd pieces of stock. I have two coat hook racks almost done, basically from scraps and spent some time looking for 'keyhole hangers' well mostly for trying to find out what they are called and ordered some for the next smalls I am planning.
My clients did come and pick up the pine bench and they seemed pleased. Cash in hand. :) Now she wants to know about a 2nd one. :o
Had a problem with the woodstove rolling smoke into the shop every time I even cracked the door, not normal at ALL. I had smoke coming out the chimney, but not as much as I thought I should. It had to be a blockage. I shut it down to cool it off and by early evening I pulled the chimney out of the stove and sure enough, the shelf was full of creosote chips. I scooped out about a 3rd of a pail, put it back together and was good to go. I think I have the buildup because the catalytic combuster is not burning that stuff out like it used to. Guess that answers the question of whether I have to replace it or not.
SO I was at my desk having a meeting with the staff to contemplate future direction for the company (ok, OK, I was taking a sitting nap). Anyway, the phone rang and it was a CA number, but I figured what the heck and I answered it. Turns out is wasn't a spam call but a guy who wanted to buy mushroom logs, first bite on those I have had in a while. "Sure" I said "how many?" He wants 600 logs plus a few larger than standard. That's a lot. more than I planned on selling in a full year. I explained it is late in the cutting season and I will have to make a bunch of calls and see if I get lucky finding a source and he didn't leave me much time. So I spent the rest of the day contacting the most local guys first because this looks like several trailer loads. I also visited one who is sitting on a burn pile before the ban goes into effect on Monday. I figured he would mind the company for a while, and he, and his dog didn't mind a bit. He had nothing working right now, but said he would make some call in the morning. There is another outfit cutting locally that may have what I need but it remains to be seen if I can work on their site. Its all in the details. We'll see if I can turn this into anything. I have to hustle if I am going to make it happen.
Well, tomorrow is another day and we have the boys again. Lets see what develops. Oh and the log pile is still frozen solid. I pulled the mule out and tried to roll a roll off with the magic hook, but no go, no how. Solid as a rock. ;D It was 60 today, but that cold seems to go deep I guess.
can you wrap a chain so it twists/rolls it and not just pulls. prob. hard if they are frozen tight together. just a thought, that you prob. would have already had, if it would work. ;) :)
Quote from: doc henderson on March 09, 2021, 10:52:48 PM
can you wrap a chain so it twists/rolls it and not just pulls. prob. hard if they are frozen tight together. just a thought, that you prob. would have already had, if it would work. ;) :)
Yeah, that's exactly why I used the magic hook wrapped around the back side to just get a roll going. No joy. I started by just putting log tongs on to do and end yank as I normally do and I just about knocked my remaining teeth out of my head. I am patient. I have lots of other stuff to do. ;D
600 logs! Whoa!
I guess you could spray a light coat of saline on them if you need to go now. on the mushroom logs, will you be drilling holes for plugs or just as is. is this a distributer buying that many. what size is ideal of the logs. can you load a goose neck and price delivery? is it oak or maple. asking for myself as it sounds like you have been doing research.
Quote from: doc henderson on March 09, 2021, 10:52:48 PM. . . . . if they are frozen tight together. just a thought, that you prob. would have already had, if it would work. ;) :)
Ice cracks easily, but when it's one big solid chunk, nothing will move it.
I had to roll about 30 oak logs yesterday and they were not co-operating. A good knock with a sledge hammer works well.
A four pounder on a long handle will crack the ice and then there're good to go.
Quote from: doc henderson on March 10, 2021, 08:10:29 AM
I guess you could spray a light coat of saline on them if you need to go now. on the mushroom logs, will you be drilling holes for plugs or just as is. is this a distributer buying that many. what size is ideal of the logs. can you load a goose neck and price delivery? is it oak or maple. asking for myself as it sounds like you have been doing research.
No I just supply logs. Species varies by the buyer and the species of mushrooms they are growing. The 'logs' are called 'bolts' in the trade and they are 4-6" diameter and 36-48" long. A 'Shiitake Cord' is 36x48x96 and averages about 150 or more bolts to the cord. Usually bolts are priced by the 'each' somewhere between $2.00-3.50/ea. (Comes out to a LOT more per cord than firewood by a long shot.)
All the work has to be done by hand, cutting moving, loading, unloading and stacking, because any scars on the bark decrease the production life of the bolt. These buyers can be very particular. I do no drilling, that is entirely up to the buyer based on species and growing conditions. I have some of this basic info on one of my web pages and there is also a good reference on mywoodlot.com (search there for 'Mushrooms' and they have a very good how to video series).
AN order like this will likely be for somebody setting up a new operation. It's a LOT of logs to start in one go when you know the prep work and handling required. My spidey sense tells me the buyer is either a seasoned pro, or somebody who spent his winter reading and now has a big plan. ;D
Either way, money talks. :)
On the log pile I am not in a rush, but I keep giving it a try every few days hoping I can get back on the soon. I may try some encouraging whacks with a persuader, but it looks like I have been distracted by the other possible order. AT this point there is no visible ice, but the logs are frozen deep I think and inside the log pile would make a good beer cooler on a sunny day. ;D
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on March 09, 2021, 10:31:48 PMI have two coat hook racks almost done, basically from scraps and spent some time looking for 'keyhole hangers' well mostly for trying to find out what they are called and ordered some for the next smalls I am planning.
You have a router so there is another (cheaper) option. Buy a keyhole router bit. It is a straight cutting bit that has a larger diameter just on the end. You plunge it in and move it up an inch. I never used one but I would suspect you turn it off before attempting to remove it so you don't bunger it up.
Quote from: ljohnsaw on March 10, 2021, 09:55:32 AM
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on March 09, 2021, 10:31:48 PMI have two coat hook racks almost done, basically from scraps and spent some time looking for 'keyhole hangers' well mostly for trying to find out what they are called and ordered some for the next smalls I am planning.
You have a router so there is another (cheaper) option. Buy a keyhole router bit. It is a straight cutting bit that has a larger diameter just on the end. You plunge it in and move it up an inch. I never used one but I would suspect you turn it off before attempting to remove it so you don't bunger it up.
Yeah John, I did consider that, but I am afraid with the thin section of wood it might break out when loaded. For the screw-on's, just just make a straight pocket and if they do rip out, it's an easy repair. The next ones will have coat hooks and could weigh as much as 30 pounds. It's a learning experience. ;D
OGH- Did I read that the 600 mushroom logs would be going to California? I saw CA?
I know around here we have theoretical rules about moving wood to keep invasive species at bay ("Don't move wood, it bugs me!" is the slogan), I don't know if that's regional or a federal thing? After looking at your website some more, just now, it appears as though you are aware of this, so I can't imagine you didn't think about it. The site looks great, by the way.
Ah yeah, sorry, my bad. He had a CA number but he was across the river and north of me, about an hour drive each way. I wasn't very clear on that, sorry.
On that front, I made a handful of calls and found my local logger friend is doing a big TSI operation on a large estate just 15 minutes away. Looks like he can leave his tops and I can cut where he isn't. This might work out just fine. I am trying to get up there to check it out. I missed a window yesterday because we had the boys here. I have had a few more emails back and forth with this client as we narrow down the requirements. Seems like he has grown a bunch indoors over the past year and is now expanding to an outside grow system, but I think he is felling his way leveraging the knowledge he has. Which means he is taking the safe way by picking the best materials based on his reading. He does however look into suggestions I offer and has changed his mind on a thing or two when I told him I just couldn't get it. Looks like we are now up to 660 logs. 60 of which are larger diameter (7-10") for totem style inoculations growing Lion's Man and Turkey tail, whatever those are. :) So I continue to get this figured out while working on his details like delivery or pickup, etc. I have to move fast though, the good weather is closing in and the window is closing quickly.
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We did have the boys yesterday and one of them has about had it with this online schooling and we have had to sit with him all the time and keep him participating. It is a battle of wills and wearing us out. Yesterday we put one boy downstairs and the other up. This seemed to help. What doesn't help is the one boys teacher who is trying to carry a 'full normal workload' without recognizing the child's attention span or the need for parent involvement to keep things on track. She has chastised us for trying to help him stay engaged, insisting she handle it herself. She also rubs me the wrong way with her pet names for all the kids: lovey, sweetheart, cutie pie, she has a long list and it is constant, not just once in a while. I wonder if she knows their names. It occurred to me yesterday if an adult did that in a professional setting (say a college professor in his class), would that be acceptable? I think not and it ticks me off. We are just Grandparents and try to stay out of the decisions the parents make, but we also feel obligated to let the parents know what we are seeing. They saw it to and lodged complaints. Through this we learned that several other parents filed similar complaints and that her fellow teachers aren't too thrilled with her either. It's not just the nick names, its the workload and these kids are toasted and have given up on trying to stay on track. Yesterday she kept my Grandson in a private session to get him up to speed right through lunch while she was also heard working her in-school kids through lunch and sending them out for recess as she is driving my GS through this writing exercise. He wound up with 10 minutes to eat lunch before his next class. I can't wait until they go back to school. This is bad for the kids, and this teacher isn't helping him at all in the way he most needs it. She just follows her lesson plans and ignores the kid in front of her. It's starting to make me pretty angry. The other boy, with a different teacher is doing just fine and enjoys his classes, just has an off day once in a while. I think this is normal and apparently so does his teacher as she works WITH him.
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So with the 2 hours of time I had for myself yesterday I got out the saw and hacked up a bunch of sugar maple trash I had here. I snuck about a dozen mushroom logs out of it and the rest, until I ran out of gas, was firewood. I just wanted to get an idea of how cutting these logs would be and let me tell you, it is time consuming. No wonder my neighbor charges $5/bolt. Find a section with no branch cuts, measuring out the length, cutting, then finding the next one. About 10% the time you find a scar on the bottom side when you go to stack it, and have to discard it. Yeah, the money is better than firewood, but there is a reason for that. ;D
I didn't get much else done beyond the normal chores. I was worn out from dealing with the classes all day and hit the rack early.
Waiting to hear back if I can do a site visit today but at this late hour I don't think that will happen. Also have an afternoon appointment on that consulting/ clearing job.
Best I get at it, it's another day.
since you do not have big equipment to move pallets, seems best for both of you to load as you go onto a trailer and work a deal to bring them on the trailer and let the buyer help unload. make a little something for delivery, and have less handling.
Yeah, this is all part of the dance Doc. My only time constraint is getting the wood cut before the buds begin to open and that does not give me much time at all if this heat wave continues, so for now I am treating delivery as a separate thing. I know it makes for a lot more handling and there is no easy way to handle these logs except by hand, (palletizing would increase bark bruises) but if I deliver each load as it is cut, that kills a half day. He is an hour each way and by the time you unload and all it is easily half a day shot. hard to get back into the woods and cut more. But I am keeping an open mind and if there is a way to do that, I certainly will. I am hitting him up with a $75/trip delivery charge and no indication how he feels about that yet. I was very open in encouraging him to check around for borrowing/renting a trailer or truck to pick them up and perhaps that extra $200.+ charge (3 trips) might help him find something. ;D
First I gotta get the wood. I just got a call from another guy and am headed over to his yard right now.
More later......
I am getting about 450 cubic feet and I would think this could be a car trailer. not sure of the weight. but 7 x 16 x 4 feet tall. or that dump trailer. 8) so maybe 2 trips. :o
Well, the delivery is the easy part, even if I had to make 3 trips, there is no real time crunch on that, getting the logs cut before the buds swell is the tough part with tight constraints. They are already budded, but still tight. Never thought I would wish for a cold snap. ;D
I visited 3 sites today where I might get logs. Nothing was very promising, a few here and a few there. They all said the same thing "man, if you had told me in December I could have been putting that little stuff on the side all winter. It's slash. You can HAVE it." Yeah, I know. I tried pushing this thing around the first of the year asking for orders, nothing. Now at the last second, this guy comes up with this request. I want to cultivate the opportunity, but I can't make his demand. So as I left the last job site (where I could have filled the whole order 2 weeks ago, but it went in the chipper) I called the guy and left a voice mail telling him it wasn't looking very good and we needed to talk and that I was following the last logger down to his yard to see if he had anything I could cull out there. Yeah, he had some small stuff here and there, but still a lot of picking and choosing and waste for firewood. BUT he had just bought a new piece of property and had a road planned that would have to be cleared. All pecker poles of Red Oak, White Oak, and Maple, exactly what I need. He gave me the rough lines and said, clear it all, I don't care. Then he has to hammer a cut in the cliff to make a road. It's a mile form my house.
SO after dinner I had a phone call with the client to let him down. I told him frankly I didn't know if I could even muster up 100 logs, and if I did that, would he even want it? Well we had a heart to heart and I found out a bunch more about what he knows and doesn't, he learned the same of me. He has, by his own choice, decided that whatever I can supply will have to be good enough and he was frank in admitting he grossly mis-planned his timeline and did not consider that these logs would be cut to order, he thought he could just make a call and get them. He now knows better. We talked for an hour and he is interested in my sawdust from the mill for making spawn. How much? I was thinking 5 gallons bags. He currently has and order enroute to him of over 1,000 pounds. Yeah, that is a 'pile' of sawdust, for me. So OK, we will work something out there. How about wood chips? "Well yeah, I need bedding as long at it is 98% of the target hardwoods we talked about". How much? "Well, a lot for deep bedding". SO I guess I start filling 55 gallon bags when running the mill or planer.
So the logs may not have worked into any kind of serious cash, but added together with an outlet for stuff I could not formerly sell sounds like another little incremental improvement in the client list. He even said he will let me know what his bill is for the sawdust he is buying and as long as I can meet it, he would rather buy local. I must have dumped a pickup load of planer chips into my compost pile over the winter, be better getting cash for it. ;D
Maybe it's something, maybe it will go flat, but I can live with either. The ride is interesting and kind of fun. Today I had a visit with the clients I am helping reclaim some of their ground and they had a friend there who is very experienced in mushroom growing and has a formal education in that stuff and is an active grower. He is helping them get started. He knew his stuff, plus had the hands on experience and I had the opportunity to pick his brain and find out the difference between what all these folks read on the internet and what really worked in reality and get specific answers to questions and roadblocks I keep running into. The knowledge I picked up helped me quite a bit in the phone call this evening with my new perspective client. Knowledge is power.
Tomorrow is another day and I have no idea where I will be. I may be working with my logger friend, or I may be in the shop. No idea. It is what it is. I can wait for the phone call.
Well, lets see, Friday was kind of a bust on getting those logs so I worked in the shop and looked around at other stuff. Got a new tire and wheel on order for the splitter because I am tired of fixing the old one and frankly the rubber is so cracked now it isn't worth it. Also ordered some other supplies I am nearly out of. Finished a couple of coat hook racks. On Saturday I set up and took some photos of those and the finished bookshelves. Sometimes I forget to do this.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210313_110833602.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1615810819)
This shelf is 6.5" deep, all maple with cherry trim.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210311_110757557.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1615810710)
This one is 8.5 deep with RO sides and Maple shelves, cherry trim.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210311_111126643.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1615810751)
Saturday I spent the day trying to hook up with my buddy to cut logs, but he was tied up again. So I grabbed that cherry slab and draw knifed all the bark from it, getting ready to make another waterfall bench.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210312_165101388.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1615810743)
Yesterday we finally hooked up on trees. It was a pretty morning too. I went down to the new parcel my friend bought and started marking trees that we had discussed on Thursday, but I had a copy of the parcel map in my pocket and felt like I was awful close to the property line. I knew he (they) were having a quiet Sunday breakfast and I didn't want to disturb them, but I also didn't want to cut something from the wrong place. So I drove up to the house and was invited in for coffee. We watched the kids play on the floor and talked about everything from politics to neighbor's bad habits. ;D My friend said he would ride back with me to make sure all was OK, but then his Pop showed up (he lives across the road from me) and we had another round of coffee and more talk. Then it started snowing...again. By the time I got back to the trees it was nearly noon. The nice morning turned into sleet, snow, and the wind increased through the day. Nasty stuff. Sometimes whiteout squalls, sometimes sun, always wind. I lost some time on a hanger, but finally got it down and put a fair amount in the truck. It was rough slipping and sliding on a steep little side hill and having to lift and hand carry each log into the truck took a toll on my out of shape legs, they were burning up. Got back home around 5:00 and was glad to learn the neighbors we were supposed to have dinner with had canceled. I was bushed and hadn't had breakfast yet. I was wet, cold, and dang hungry. I did not get everything that was marked, but I got a fair start considering the 50 foot hand carry with each log to the truck. I gotta get better tires so I can get in further (and get back out).
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210314_162152384.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1615810806)
We have the boys today, so I won't get much done. But it's another (cold) day and the wind held at 20 or more all night long and still blowing. Still 17°. Gonna take a while to get the shop up to temp with this wind.
Tom,
Nice work. How are you hanging the coat hooks/shelves? I built one out of live edge walnut and made French cleat hanging system.
Are those mushroom bolts in the back of your truck? If so how good is your market for them?
I spent most of the day with my wife and I driving over to look at a double axle trailer I found on Craigslist. It will be a great deal for somebody but I reluctantly backed out. It was either that or face a divorce trial as my wife hated it. The bed was a little over 14' long X 7' wide, looked like it was an old mobile frame and likely the axles and 2-5/16" hitch came from there. It had a decent plastic tool box mounted on front. I could not get my truck down to it when I tried to back through their gate but really could have hooked my tow strap to it and pulled it out. One tire was flat but I had cigarette lighter compressor that likely would have filled it. The wheels had 6 lugs. There were no safety chains and I'd have had to tow it 110 miles through some pretty steep hills. The seller would have let it got for $200. For someone 20 miles away that would be a spectacular deal even assuming they needed to replace the tires, wood, rewire it and add electric brakes.
I have made little coat hook boards like that, and I spaced the hooks 8 inches so I could find 16" on center studs to put a 3 inch screw into. then cover that counter sunk screw with the hook.
Quote from: WV Sawmiller on March 15, 2021, 09:39:21 AM
Tom,
Nice work. How are you hanging the coat hooks/shelves? I built one out of live edge walnut and made French cleat hanging system.
Are those mushroom bolts in the back of your truck? If so how good is your market for them?
I spent most of the day with my wife and I driving over to look at a double axle trailer I found on Craigslist. It will be a great deal for somebody but I reluctantly backed out. It was either that or face a divorce trial as my wife hated it. The bed was a little over 14' long X 7' wide, looked like it was an old mobile frame and likely the axles and 2-5/16" hitch came from there. It had a decent plastic tool box mounted on front. I could not get my truck down to it when I tried to back through their gate but really could have hooked my tow strap to it and pulled it out. One tire was flat but I had cigarette lighter compressor that likely would have filled it. The wheels had 6 lugs. There were no safety chains and I'd have had to tow it 110 miles through some pretty steep hills. The seller would have let it got for $200. For someone 20 miles away that would be a spectacular deal even assuming they needed to replace the tires, wood, rewire it and add electric brakes.
That would have been a nice trailer, but yeah, if the wife is dead against it there isn't much you can do. I would have jumped on that, add a winch and you are in good shape.
These cost hook racks I have no mounting planned. I am leaving that to the user. They can screw them to the back of a door or wall, or add their own hangers. I do have some keyhole hangers coming in and will try that on a piece or two. These are small and light, so they have options. Doc, I like your idea on that, assuming you know it is going on a wall. I may just give that a tumble sometime.
Yes, that is yesterdays load of bolts. About 40 of them. White and Red oak mostly. The 'market' is odd. I am learning you really need to hook up directly with a buyer/user and take an order, then build a relationship. There are so few suppliers, we can be hard to find. This sale I got from listing myself with the cooperative extension Mushroom group. The buyer had called them out of desperation. At this late date, I can't get him all he wanted, but I will get him at least 100 logs. I did underprice them by a lot based on his initial request for 600+. That was a mistake and if he balks when I adjust for a smaller quantity I will stay with the original price but never do that again. The cost of education is steep.
Tom,
Maybe you need to set up your own mushroom log supply corporation. You can call yourselves "Friends of Fungus". :D
Based on what I am learning, the time and heavy labor involved in these things is not really worth the money. The same guy that owns the property I cut on yesterday is buying over 50 acres across the road, a large part of it is flooded swamp. It is full of pecker poles, mostly maple that get to about 5" diameter, then die. Might as well cut them when green and the swamp is frozen solid, right? That might work out better, but it is still a lot of manual labor for not a lot of money.
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on March 15, 2021, 12:46:22 PMBased on what I am learning, the time and heavy labor involved in these things is not really worth the money
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on March 15, 2021, 10:08:52 AMThere are so few suppliers
It all makes sense now.
I see two answers to the issue, (1) Charge enough that its worth it or (2) Don't do it.
:)
Well, its not that bad. I am just out of shape from spending all my time in the shop this winter. Getting out and hitting it hard yesterday on sloped terrain had my thighs screaming and on fire. I did make a mistake on how I priced this, because the initial order was large. I should not have done that. Now that we have downsized the order I am trying to adjust the price accordingly, but I am not going to hold a hard line. I would like to keep this fella as a customer for next year with an order in December I can work on through the winter.
It is a learning experience and I am doing that. ;D Going through the process of visiting log sites looking for logs gets my face out there. It also gives me a chance to let these folks know there is use for that small stuff that gets chipped. Lastly I found a swamp plot that is filled with 5" diameter trees. The soon to be new owner sees not reason I can't cut those next February when it is frozen over. They just die when they get to 6".
All these things add up and get me in the right direction. I am not afraid of hard manual work but I had underestimated the toll it takes on my body hand carrying each log to the truck ands stacking without throwing.
But having said all that, I will be doing OK if we can get that price up a bit and if we can't, well I can live with that too. Every job can't be a winner when you are starting. All I have into this beside my time is about 10 bucks in gas an oil.
Well, no photos to catch you up because I haven't done a dang thing in 3 days worth reporting. Between Sunday night and Monday morning I had some emails with the mushroom log buyer and he agreed to raising the price to $3.00/log because it is too late to pull the quantity he asked for. So I am good with that, this makes it a fair deal for both of us. Monday was spent getting the boys through their classes which gets tougher each week and they get weary of this online thing. Can't wait until next month when they get back on the bus for a couple of days a week. I piddled the rest of the day and thought about how to get to the pig roast.
On Tuesday I broached it with the wife and we had some discussions off and on all day as I gave her time to think on it. I also went in an made an appointment to get the truck brakes and tires done. By the evening, she was pretty much on board, but I didn't want to rush her and gave her until Wednesday afternoon to be sure she was good with it. (but in my head I was jumping up and down!)
Wednesday morning we dropped off the truck, she picked me up and we did the monthly food shopping. I got a call that my discs were all shot and the usual nonsense, 'well its gonna take longer, we gotta get the rotors, and the cost is...." yeah, they always do this. No surprise. Anyway, we finished up and after unloading went back to town and got the truck. When I got home I looked at the bill and realized they hosed me on the tire cost over what they quoted. Called them and they admitted they made a 'mistake', so I will go back Friday and get it straightened out.
In the meantime while we were shopping and driving we talked about the pig roast trip. It was settled. So when we got the truck home I made the reservation and then started looking at routes, sightseeing opportunities and ways to make the wife's trip as enjoyable as possible. I also read the threads from previous years for any pointers I might pick up. Yes, I am very excited and want to maximize the experience. This is our first vacation without kids in over 35 years. I had a little party by myself last night. ;D Yeah, I am really looking forward to this, big time. I (we) don't get out much.
Today they had 60° predicted with rain in the afternoon so I planned to get more (maybe all) the rest of those mushroom logs harvested. Got up this morning (later than normal) and they had adjusted the forecast to a high of 40 and rain all day, which is what it did. I blew the whole morning between internet research and the forum postings, interesting stuff going on. Got out there after lunch and piddled in the shop, pulled some stuff out of the stock racks and started whittling it down to usable sizes for 'something' useful. Trying to clean up the rack and make room. too many odd sizes with split and warped stuff here and there. I am also thinking about something to bring to put in the door prize pile and have come up blank so far. I will think of something though. ;D
Late this afternoon I got another order for 20 mushroom logs. :) This puts me about 60 behind the curve. They changed to forecast for tomorrow also with 39 for the high and strong winds until mid-day. Not ideal conditions, but I plan on getting out to cut some more unless the landowner has an issue.
Tomorrow is another day, time to get back on track.
Tom,
Sounds like our weather is heading your way. Was drizzly rain all morning. Finally broke for a couple hours about 4 pm so I went out and built a raised planter out of my scrap walnut. I tried to turn the white wood in and show as much heartwood as I can. It went together pretty well. I urgently need clean up all my debris around my table saw and under my RAS as it is getting unsafe to work around.
I came in and right about dark we had a serious thunderstorm pass with lightening and thunder over us but it seems to have passed.
I have to load up tomorrow for a mobile job 11 miles away on Saturday if the weather holds as predicted but we have wife's cousin and her husband stopping by on their way to Fla. I may saw one small poplar log to show him how the mill works and might even ride over with him and set the mill up so we are ready to saw first thing Saturday. All that will depend on what time they get here.
Yeah, there is a pattern over Charleston that appears to be headed our way. Hope the rain runs out overnight, they are calling for it to change to snow soon. Whatever. I need to get out and cut before it gets too warm. As long as it isd not steady rain like today, I will get out, I have to. The cold snap reatarded the bud growth and gave me a few days, but the window is closing quick.
Well I got out this morning and hit the woods to try to finish off this mushroom log order. New tires worked great and I was able to back in over the dozer swale and get right up close to where i was cutting (if you read other threads, you might say I got too close). Lost count but I dropped 4-6 trees and got about 50-75% yield out of each. Without the landowner there I wasn't going to venture into too many other trees without his OK. So I cleaned up my mess and then headed out of there down to his log pile on the other end of his property past the house driveway. Man, with yesterday's rain the swamp came up and flooded the road, which is normal, but I could not see the holes and some of them are DEEP! How deep? Lets just say I was using my running boards as ice breakers. No kidding. I would have taken a photo, but there was no way I was stopping my forward motion when I had it. 4WD worked very well along with the new tires or I would have been cooked. Well I pulled past the pile, went down the road a ways to turn around and came back and backed into the pile. It was poor stuff all scared up from the feller buncher and skidding. But I started in on it anyway. The deal was what I couldn't use I would cut into 16" pieces for him to throw in a firewood load. As I did this I started to expose some stuff I could use and some borderline I threw in anyway. Some of the stuff dropped into the swamp as I cut it...gone forever. ;D But I got about 20 logs out of it, then it happened, my back went out.....again. I left one 24' log untouched, cleaned up the pieces into a pile and loaded my gear for the return adventure through the holes, trying a different path this time that only put the passenger side running board under water. All blind driving because the whole road is water and you have to guess or memorize where the holes are. There are no clues. ;D My back was screaming.
I got home and took the tools out, then came in and layed on the floor for a 1/2 hour. That helped a tad. Then we had lunch, more floor time. Then I needed to move it a bit so I went out, moved the tools in the shop, moved the truck and slowly unloaded it.
We had to go to town to resolve a billing issue (they overcharged) on those tires, then a stop at the accountant to sign all the income tax forms. (I got excited at the returns we are due thinking it would pay for the pig roast trip nicely, but the wife informed me it would just cover the taxes due in the fall. >:() Then we came home and I logged some more floor time. I tried counting the logs and had reckoned I had 130 but when I counted I come up with about 116. Not sure how that happened. Still it will be enough to make everyone happy, I think. I won't know until pickup time comes.
Tomorrow is another day and I sure hope this back issues resolves itself. I am taking the inside out approach with advil and alcohol both taken internally, and some rest alternating with gentle walking about. I sense a very hot shower in my future also.
Oh, and here is my modest crop:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210319_162948696_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1616190753)
If anybody wants to count them, be my guest. I guess Jeff could make a contest out of this but I am not that evil. ;D
Take care of that back. It's no fun to deal with.
Well, it's better today, but I am still a hurtin' unit by any measure. Not gonna do anything to make it worse, just give it another day and take it easy, but with the nice weather I am dying to get to work. I can feel something stupid coming on. ;D It is depressing to waste a day.
But around mid-morning a little surprise 'cheer me up thing' happened by way of an unexpected package in the mail.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210320_122359229.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1616258623)
Doc had asked to see the artwork I had done for my logo a while back. I didn't have any idea there was a motive behind the request. ;D
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210320_122503210.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1616258680)
These are tough to photograph, but they look beautiful! He made 2 for me and I will have a tough time finding a proper place to display them that is worthy of the craftsmanship.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210320_122342186.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1616258619)
Interesting that the resolution is so fine that that the artist's mark actually came though as clear as a bell. She normally does not sign custom commercial work, but I insisted as she is a friend and I wanted to have her credit on there. (if anybody needs a logo designed, I can hook you up. :D She is local to me, but we did everything through email.) See the V F?
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210320_122433253.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1616258692)
Boy you do nice work Doc! Thank you SO much! It's hard for me to tell, but in every different light this wood takes on a different appearance. Is this ERC? Very pretty!
So I not so hot day turns into a pretty darn good one!
-----
While I was typing this I got a call form my logger buddy I harvested all the mushroom logs from. He has a RO to take down by his house so tomorrow I will go and help him 'clean it up' and take a few more logs off of it. It will be a lot easier with heavy equipment and a chipper at hand. :D Just got to heal enough to get it done. Better go sharpen my saw again. That I can do.
[edit to add]: I sent a couple of photos off to the designer to see what she thought. I bet she gets a kick out of it. Her work and books are displayed and published all over, but I'll bet this is the first time it found it's way into a wood product!
That's beautiful! Good work doc!
I hope your back gets better quick ogh! I know that junk is no fun!
Like Like. I could not like it twice with the button so I did it this way.
Quote from: Hilltop366 on March 20, 2021, 03:48:32 PM
Like Like. I could not like it twice with the button so I did it this way.
YEAH, me too! It has had me smiling all day. I walked all around the shop trying to find a place to hang one, but nothing is classy enough. Think I will put one in the garage door window, but I have to wash all the windas first, then paint the doors. ;D :D
I really like the logo and Doc's cedar based etching of it. I did not initially notice the trunks of the trees were the teeth of a cross cut saw. Really great design and the etching really makes it come to life. Good job by the designer and of course by Doc.
Yeah, well Sam, that's why I hired an artist. I knew I wanted the trees and I knew I wanted the bucking saw, but I wanted to saw teeth pattern to be accurate. I have several bucking saws in my shop. I chose the Lance Tooth Pattern because it is a very efficient saw and a nice design besides. There was a little back and forth because my artist didn't understand there was an arch in the blade or why it was important to me. So we worked together and it came out fairly nice, I think. Here is the actual artwork as she did it:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/woodsman_1_transparent_full.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1616381198)
Doc added the other info to fill it out. I hung one of his plaques in the shop window this afternoon but it is really tough to photo with the reflection off the glass.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210321_172729983.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1616381623)
So I sucked it up today, back pain wise, and went down to my buddies place to cut a couple more trees in his yard and pull off some few last mushroom logs and the rest was for his fire wood (OWB) We kind of messed around a lot, had some coffee, looked at the new chicks he got in the mail and fed them, and did a few other things. It is Sunday after all. He had a cam lock up on the log truck yesterday and he dragged a flat spot on two tires and blew them out, so I helped him get those off the truck so he could put new rubber on.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210321_122554759.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1616381523)
His places always amazes me. This is a quick shot from his shop level looking down over the log yard, which is really off to the right of the photo. Under the green roof sits and LT50. He is in contract right now on the 50 acres across the road in this photo. There are a lot of mushroom logs that could be harvested next winter. He would like them gone because in that swamp they grow to about 5" diameter then die anyway.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210321_122139332_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1616381588)
Well I finished up there around mid-day, then headed home and unloaded. This looks like my entire harvest for this winter.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210321_170440986_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1616381628)
Certainly not much at all, but a start on my education in this little niche business.
So after that I put a new wheel on the log splitter, hung Doc's artwork up and did a couple other things. The back is still tweaky (NOT twerky Doc) but I think the moving around today was helpful and I didn't do anything dumb all day.
Tomorrow I am back in the chainsaw pants and off to do a little consulting and a little cutting, I have 2 jobs to look at and mess with. The weather is BEAUTIFUL! I spent the day working in a t-shirt ( @trimguy (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=47881) 's T-shirt, just because) and am hoping for the same tomorrow (with a fresh shirt).
Your time and effort with the artist was well worth it. The design is eye catching. I was an ah ha moment when it registered with me the trunks on Doc's work were the saw teeth. Very nicely designed and executed. The 'back and forth' on the saw was well worth the result!
😂 I like your design.
Quote from: trimguy on March 22, 2021, 07:32:00 PM
😂 I like your design.
Yeah, thanks. Maybe I should put it on a shirt? :D
--------------
Well yesterday was a fun day and the weather was perfect. I met a client at a 3rd parties house to help them harvest their own mushroom logs from some newly downed trees. They don't have the saws, etc. So we explored the property a bit and had a lovely time getting some nice WO logs.
From there I headed in another direction to look at what might have been a simple TSI job as it was told to me. Hand work I got a referral for. They had power lines down about halfway up the hill to east nowhere and I had to take a detour of about 6 miles. Anyway, I got there and saw that this was not for me. ABout a dozen mature 70' red oaks all within spitting distance (or less of their house). I explained what was involved and told them I had a guy, but he was not available for a 'while' because he is good and all the good guys are busy. I promised to hook them up and did a walk around with him making suggestions for getting to the goal they wanted. After the big stuff is out, there is a bunch of smaller TSI work that can be done. SO you never know, but I am not taking jobs that don't fit my skills.
So I left there and stopped by the first clients place and dropped off the logs and looked at the drawing they made of their future plans. Their road map, if you will. We discussed a little about how to get going in that direction and where to start. A very nice visit in the warm sunshine.
Around 8pm last night my computer dingled and told me that my client had sent me some money in my venmo account, more than I would have asked for, but they just sent it. ;D I guess I shouldn't argue with them about it. :D
I got home and unloaded, had lunch, then had to use the truck to finally yank my first log off the pile. It was jammed in really good. I cut a few cookies off one log that the wife suggested with mixed results. Today I will try to get the first one down by the mill after I have a morning of 'other chores'.
Today is another day.
We must be sharing weather because it's about as lovely as it gets, here in Dayton, as well!
What is TSI?
TSI= Timber Stand Improvement
In the case of the very small woodlot owner it usually means deciding what they want it to look like and removing dead, diseased, invasive, or unhealthy trees and other growth to allow the desired species to thrive better. In his case, he needs to open it up more to get some sunlight on the ground, remove a lot of the overpopulated hemlocks choking everything else out and possibly do some soil prep. Most of this can be done by hand on small plots like this, but I don't know how much 'hands on' he really wants to do.
Some people are 'doers', some have good intentions but fall in the 'pay a doer' category.
Well, getting used to the season change and feel like I am already behind. Funny how you can spend a few days doing 'thing' after 'thing' that has to be done and then looking back and not seeing anything really being 'done'? I hooked up the water system Wednesday to start collecting again and that is working well, pretty close to full already with the little overnights rains we have had. Hooked up the pump yesterday in the fog and mist and re-plumped the air supply to it so I can turn the air off from the mill and also put in an air hose while I was at at for blowing stuff off. All from junk parts, hose, and hardware.
Had the boys here for school wednesday and never really got much done. I did plane and join some short boards for the sale rack (idea blatantly stolen from another thread here ;D). In the late afternoon when I was done with hall monitor duty I did get a log over to, and up on the mill.
Yesterday was an interesting day full of more 'doing', but not a lot of 'getting done'. As mentioned I did the pump in the morning, then uncovered the mill and went over it got out my first fresh resharp from WM to test it out, cleaned and checked everything on the mill as I went. WHen I got to oiling up the blade backer bearings they just pretty much fell apart. NO-go, and I have never ordered the spares last year so I was dead in the water. SO I remeasured everything and came to realize that my mill, "MADE IN NEW YORK, USA" had metric bearings! What possessed them to do that is beyond me. Everything else is english but these 2 bearings and their 10mm mounting screws. Ordering them would take days, but I remembered an industrial supplier I did work with in my previous life and sure enough they had them, but just two, just enough. SO I drove into town and the wife came along to get stamps for all the bills she had been paying all morning. We got the bearings, mailed the bills, then stopped at a dairy to get an ice cream because it was a lovely day and also her Birthday.
Now, as we were about to leave for our big trip to taon, I got a call from a gal I tried to contact at the Cornell cooperative extension back in January. SHe is a Mushroom expert and I had met her briefly when she did a talk during a silviculture class I took. SHe was the one that lit the spark for this mushroom log idea I have. ANyway, we talked a lot about log cost, supplying logs in my region, the confusing information available on the web, and lots of other stuff. Bottom line is she admits the log costs that have been published are based on erroneous anecdotal information. Her work supports the agricultural industry and she specializes in supporting medium to large mushroom growers. SHe is trying to get a grant to study what it actually costs to harvest, handle, and deliver logs to growers. SHe asked if I would be interested in working with her on the study (as a paid participant). SHe also asked if she might have me participate in some of the training sessions she puts together to educate folks on the actual work involved. Lastly she told me that the original reason she called is that she is putting on a new series of training webinars and expects folks will be looking for logs after that. SHe wanted to know if I was a viable supplier they had on their list. ;D
So while I thought I was done with mushrooms for the year, I might have to get back out and find new sources. :D Good news is, maybe we can work that price up into a profitable range and get the word out. Things are looking up.
SO we got back form the visit to town and I put the new bearings in the mill, tensioned the blade, and the mill fired on the very first pull! I got 3 sides done on that log after cleaning when my son showed up with a bucket of floor leveler left over from a job across the road, so we changed gears and filled some floor cracks in the shop and I never finished that log. I had to come in, clean up, and take my bride out to dinner.
We have the boys again today and it is still drizzling out. lots to do and not enough hours in the day or muscle in my back to do it all. Just keep pressing forward!
Today is upon us, gotta get something down before the boys show up.
Your networking game is strong OGH! Sounds like you may be a full-time mushroom logger before you know it and an expert in the field!
Happy Birthday to Ms. OGH!
Quote from: aigheadish on March 26, 2021, 01:08:36 PM
Your networking game is strong OGH! Sounds like you may be a full-time mushroom logger before you know it and an expert in the field!
Happy Birthday to Ms. OGH!
In for a penny, in for a pound, right? Yes, I have been collecting contacts for years, now I am beginning to get hold of them as the need fits.
Full time? No thanks, I think that might kill me. ;D It could be a nice augment to my other stuff if I handle it right, but that remains to be seen. AT this point, it is still a 'wait and see project'.
According to her, shs did have a nice birthday, thanks, I'll pass that on.
Well as predicted, Friday I didn't get much done, little odds and ends, some planeing and trimming on the scrap wood to box it up for sale, but other than that, we had the Grandson's for schooling and one of them was a real PITA all day with his behavior and classes. By the time school was done, I was so tweaked and PO'd that I didn't get much else done. I even wound up going to bed before 9pm because I was so worn out.
Today I got up at 4 (because i went to bed so early) and puttered around. I worked on some stuff for the web page for the mushroom side of things based on my lessons learned (next year it's 4 bucks a log) and things I can share with buyers and also log supplier sources. It's not up there yet, still a work in process. I sent them off to a mycologist for some proof reading. I was out in the shop around 6 and these days I don't really need to stoke the stove and come back in until it warms up. now it's 62° or so in the morning and I just throw a log or two in to hold it. So I piddled some more on those scraps and got them in a crate. I still have to find a home for them in the shop where I can make them available. I kind of gave up trying to put prices on each piece. I am just gonna call it $6.00/BF and be done with it. All planed and joined. 95% clear wood.
WHen it was light I went out to the cold storage shed and put a new fuel filter in the lawn tractor. Been trying to get it started off and on since wednesday but it would not suck fuel up. The battery is weak, so I charge it, then give it a try, put it back on the charger and come back in a couple of hours and try again. The new filter allowed fuel to get pulled into it faster, but it just wasn't making it to the carb (long line). So I put it back on the charger and went to work on the mill.
Finished squaring off the cant I left the other day. There is some rot in this sugar maple, but also some interesting figure.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210325_162920608_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1616886730)
So I got a mess of 5/4 boards out of it for my dance board guy (even though he never got back to me and told me what he might need), and I also took some 4/4 jacket boards. It was a tough log because there was no way to follow the pith, it was diagonal through the trunk, so I kept flipping and what remained got cut into 6/4 squares for plant stakes. I don't care where the pith is in those. If they survive the rest of the processing (pointing and cutting to length), they are fine for driving in. So I got those boards trimmed and on the rack. My legs were a little wobbly from milling and hand carrying all the green lumber (the ground is too soft yet to risk using the trailer) and as much as I wanted to keep milling I knew it was time to pick something else. So I decided to try out the new labeling system and start the season off right.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210327_134533949_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1616886727)
I marked some stuff from last summer, then did today's work. If these tags hold in, it will make it easier to remember what and when I milled stuff as I move it on the racks. So far, so good with these. Thanks to 21incher for the lead on these tags. I may need to use 3/8 or 1/2" staple instead of the 1/4" but time will tell.
I did a hose down on the mill and cleaned some other stuff. Then I went back to the tractor and this time I dumped some gas down the carb. Of course it fired, but died quickly, I did it again, and this time with the high running revs it managed to pull the fuel up and stay running. So I cleaned up those tools while it warmed up, then hooked it up to the roller and dragged that around for a while taking tire tracks out of the lawn and all the deep footprints from my 'commute to work' path in the backyard. I did get it mired in slime once and had to yank it out with the mule. I'll wait a few weeks to re-visit that area, and others. ;D
Lastly, I figure as long as the Mule was out, I might as well drag that next log up. It was a big gulp for my little arch and planty heavy. I could only get the front end about an inch off the ground.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210327_160652314.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1616886786)
So I got it along the mill, took a chainsaw and whittled down one big flare that won't produce lumber anyway. I am not sure how to mill this one. There might be one or two nice slabs in there, otherwise I need 5/4 mostly, for the rack. The last log from this tree is long (12'?) and kind of skinny. I am thinking some 5/4 and the rest as plant stakes. But I have to get through this one first. Tomorrow is predicted as a washout, but we will see.
As I was cleaning up I took my hard hat off and thought about another thread here on the FF and decided to check and see when my hat 'expires'. Turns out, it expired 6 years ago. ;D >:(
So I put everything away, came in the house and did some shopping and bought myself a new hard hat, the one I always wanted this time. I could never spend $70. for a hard hat when I was a hobbyist, but now that I am selling some stuff and bringing in a few bucks, I figured 'what the heck'. This is the last hat I will buy (unless I take a good hit) so I got a Skull Bucket and it should not expire before I do. ;D :D I bought it from Westech, and as long as I was there, I wound up ordering a couple of small odds and ends (spare screen, sweat band, chiN strap just in case I want it) bringing me up to about 100 bucks. Seems like everything these days is a hundred bucks. Ah, what the heck, right? I mean, why compromise on my safety? :D
Anyway, I'm properly pooped for the day, I got a few things done, and I have no idea what is next. But tomorrow is anther day, right?
I like the tag system, looks like you had a productive day.
Well, you know how it goes, you have an issue, you try to come up with a solution and try it. Maybe it works for you, maybe it don't. ;D My problem is that I haven't figured out exactly how to do things yet. I mill small amounts compared to most others here. Some gets sold as is, and some winds up in my shop. It gets moved on the racks as it dries or is sold. If it goes in the shop, some gets used and the rest goes in the rack there, I have stuff from 3 years ago I milled and I am not very good at identifying all my wood or remembering when it was milled. I have a whole rack to go through, re-saw to clean off useless live edges, and consolidate. I have a pretty good memory on the stuff with live edges, but once I cut them off, all I know is the species, at best. When it gets planed I have trouble with species. So this is my attempt at trying to track what I have and hopefully, keep it going down the line. Time will tell.
As far as my day went... well, I never feel like I got done as much as I should. Still wrestling with this 'getting old thing' and it frustrates me no end that I can't work a 14 hour day when I am making good headway. But the legs get tired after several hours, or I just get tired. Mixing tasks only goes so far. At the end of the day I think "what did I do to generate income?" and a lot of days it ain't much. Today was 'OK', but nothing special by any stretch. Then again, it is early in the milling season for me, and I do have to get my muscles back in shape. So I pushed it a little with the lumber carrying today. Tomorrow it will rain heavy, I think, so I have the day for shop or computer work. Hitting the balance and maximizing output is the goal without killing myself because that would not be the preferred outcome. ;D It all has to get done.
I fixed the long crank time after setting a while with my Wheel Horse tractors by installing an electric fuel pump in the line close to the fuel tank. The tank is lower than the engine and at the rear of the tractor. there are pumps made for small engines with the proper fuel pressures. Do not leave the the OEM pump in the circuit, if a diaphragm in the OEM pump was to rupture it would quickly fill the engine with fuel. You need a filter between the tank and electric pump to keep trash out of it. I wired mine into the ignition circuit with a relay. All I have to do is turn the key on and listen to the pump change sound as the system is pressurized then turn the key to start. Bingo.
Well, yesterday was another wash out and today with the high winds and cooler temps, I am not sure where to start. ALso, we have the boys today, one tomorrow for a Doctor's appt, then the 3 again on Wednesday, so the next 3 days aren't going to produce much. I'll figure something out.
Yesterday I bit the bullet and worked on the web page, backing it up, then adding new pages to provide more info on Mushroom logs for the buyers and another for loggers or sellers. I needed to have that up there in time for a seminar Cornell Small Farms is doing on Wednesday to talk about finding logs for growers. I wanted the links available in case they can refer to them in the session. That took a longer time than I wanted, but it is done.
My logger buddy (his name is Billy) down the road I always refer to has his wife and little girl off on a vacation to family in FL for 3 weeks, and as I knew the day was shot for him except for shop work, the wife and I invited him over for dinner (Chicken Scampi over rice which was really good, and he brought some fancy beer, Guinness Coffee stout with nitrogen balls in it, weird, but OK). Anyway, we talked away the evening as we rarely get a chance to do. He just got around 3 dozen more chickens to raise up, added an edger to his machine lineup, and might be buying a log cabin kit that is half built and he has to remove from the property to make into something else on his own land. Always something with him. I am working on a plan for clearing mushroom trees out of his swamp when he closes the deal. (I call it 'the swamp' but in reality it is 50 acres and around 10 of it is under water which fronts the road, there is usable ground and a quarry pit in there, but I have never gotten back to see it....yet.)
He has an LT50 to make his lumber, but long beams were a problem for him, so he recently bought a new LT15 to set up with a 40' bed just for squaring beams. It's been in for a few weeks and he asked if I wanted to take a drive to pick it up at WM in Hannibal, NY. "Sure, why not?" So now we are waiting for a rainy day to make that trip (about 7-8 hour loop). Wednesday would be good, but we have the boys and I have that seminar. Maybe thursday, then it looks like clear weather for the following week. >:( Never thought I would be wishing for rain. ;D I may bring one of my resharps with me and ask them about the issue I am having with uneven set on the teeth. It's not consistent and has a lot of drag marks on the boards, more that I have ever had before, but these are my first re-sharps.
Ah, well, today is another day, I hope these 30mph winds die down.
Yeah, man, the winds came by us too and they were pretty rough. We only lost a couple dead trees out in the woods but it can get a little scary when you hear everything creaking and groaning around.
Well, today is April 1st, my day, APril Fools day. ;D The last couple of days have been slow, Thought we might make the run up to WM Hannibal yesterday, but my buddy had to cancel. Given the rain we expected, I didn't bother opening the mill in the morning, instead I went out to the pine pile and grabbed a mess of 2x4's into the shop and commenced to making a pair of sawhorses in the style of the WVsawmiller models. Quick and dirty, I liked that design and wanted to try it since he made some last year. I am tired of throwing heavy slabs on the ground, only to be picked up again later the be edged on the mill.
So I winged it mostly and whipped them out pretty quick without a plan. I nearly ran out of 3" screws (had one leftover). They came together pretty quick.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210331_175358544.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1617284547)
I may add lower bracing, but they are sturdy enough that I would like to try them without first. They are for use outside, so they will take a bite in the dirt anyway. I may paint them, just to make them last longer, but will wait until I can just spray them outside on a nice day. So thanks for the idea Howard, I like 'em!
I did open another maple log on Tuesday and am trying to decode if this is worth trying to save for a table of some sort:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210330_133651715_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1617284569)
There are some serious voids that will take a lot of fill. ;D
Yesterday afternoon I attended a zoom/webinar thing on sourcing Mushroom logs I was invited to. Interesting. There were about 3 educator types for growing that were putting this thing on for new growers, just about the logs. There was about 8 attendees and another supplier and myself. They went through the whole process, but the information they presented I found to be very flawed and conflicting, especially end user prices (mushroom growers). I was trying to figure out how to bring this up when I saw the other supplier there was blowing up the comment screen with objections to these same numbers asking how they figured this stuff out, and explaining how far off the mark it was. I threw in a polite word or two myself. After the presentation was done they opened it up to comments and questions. The other supplier went first and started laying out real world numbers which the presenter had to agree were closer to reality but he kept saying 'close enough'. WHen my turn came I backed up the other supplier and added more points that he had skipped over. Finally the presenter said outright that the data they had was misleading and should be studied and updated. It was as if this other supplier and I had a well rehearsed tag team thing planned out. I didn't know him, never heard of him, and he could say the same for me, but I got his phone number and gave him mine. The second the session ended, my phone rang and I talked to this guy for 30 minutes. Turns out we have a LOT in common, except that he has 80 acres of his own land he maintains for his family to live off of. His website and mine look like they may have been done by the same person. it's spooky. He has a mill, cuts trees, makes some lumber, some rustic furniture, Maple syrup, Mushroom logs, whatever.
SO it was a very useful hookup. I wrote all his info in my notebook and told him I would send referrals to him for people who want what I don't have. He said he would do the same for me. He treats these logs exactly the same as I do, not a lot of money, but a little extra cash during off-times to fill in. He gets 4 bucks a log with no discounts for quantities which I had made my price as of last week. We are very much on the same page.
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I haven't mentioned Ding-Dong lately. You may recall me mentioning the ill-thought adventures of my next door neighbor? Well he is still at it. 2 weeks ago he had an abrist buddy come and drop 3 big stems on his front lawn. One was an EWP he had the same arborist skin all the branches off and top last year, but left the stalk standing for some reason. ANyway, they put that down plus two very nice red oaks that had good sawlog potential. They cleaned up the brush over the next week by dumping it in the pit he dug in the swamp back at the beginning of the winter and is just an open black mud pit. He is also collecting crates and cardboard boxes and throwing them back there.
SO yesterday I hear a LOT of banging and grinding steel outside somewhere. I couldn't place it, but I can tell it's heavy steel what ever it is. So I got out and look. There is Ding Dong (who I have now taken to calling 'the idiot', as in "What is the idiot doing NOW?"), with a mid-sized excavator digging a 5' deep pit in the middle of his front lawn. I have no idea what he is doing and I am not going to ask. I do know he is beating the crap out of that machine. Those noises I heard (felt) was all the pins whacking around as he is flipping the bucket from side to side and using the teeth as a hammer to try to break up the bedrock (that wasn't working out too well for him, the bedrock here is serious and requires a hammer). It went on all afternoon, then started again after dinner out in the swamp until 10pm last night when I was just about to call the cops. The later it went the harder he was hammering away and every time I heard that bucket slam, I cringed.
This morning when I went out and looked, he had taken all those big stems and laid them in the swamp for 'fill'. I have no idea what else he was banging away on, all I know is the more he 'works' the more of a mess he makes and it's getting pretty bad. If/when he does overfill and grade that area (2024?) it will rot and settle for the next 40 years. I don't know if I can hold my tongue much longer. As I type this now he is banging away again. I am not there type who cares one whit what somebody does on their property as long as it is not detrimental to their neighbors. My neighbor on the other side has not mowed her lawn in 35 years, trees grow up, die, and fall over. I don't care. I am fine with that. But this idiot is actively making what amounts to a dump site and it is not only driving me crazy, but everyone around is getting a little tweaked also. Enough is enough. Something is going to have to 'give' pretty soon.
----------------
ANyway, today is another day and we leave shortly for our second COVID shot. It will be good to get that out of the way. Then we will see how we fell and find something else to do....or not. :D
Oh, and a dump truck just showed up for the idiot, probably another load of broken concrete and asphalt for 'fill'.
Tom,
Sorry to hear about your ding-dong neighbor. I think I'd just call the appropriate officials and let them get involved in the new dump site situation if it is apparent it is going to result in problems for you or your other neighbors.
Your sawhorses look like mine except I do put 4/4 boards as braces on the ends and at the bottoms to increase the stability of them. I have started making them 4' long and have even made them 12-14 inches tall using cut off 2X4 or 2X6 rafter ends and such and use them to stack thick lumber/mantels and such on. One advantage of your current design is that you can stack them. Once you add the braces you can't do that. I find making sawhorses is a good use for salvaged short pieces of 2X4 and such. Lots of time a log with taper will run out and not make a full length 2X4 but you can salvage 3-4 feet to make legs or tops. Thinner stock/scraps make fine bracing.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/38064/Sawhorses.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1617289775)
If the legs of the saw horses were attached flush with the top, they should still stack with the bottom bracing.
I need a sturdy mobile work bench, will build couple this weekend.
JJ
I have a similar design. I made them 7 feet long. I used them to support my 19 foot O'day day sailor II !! so I could repair it in the covered parking spot up in Albany at the twin oak apartments. i sailed on lake George most of the time. I put the legs out on the very ends so they could stack. I used plywood for the braces so it was about 7 inches wide for more support. I tapered the bottom "web" of the I beam and the top of the leg so it rested under the top "web" of the I beam. I used glue and screwed and nailed. i still have tons of stuff on them out in my shop. our minds think alike. note no adjective in front of the word "minds"! :D :D :D
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/51041/94BFF3F4-A296-438C-9AB2-2D585399692B.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1617297078)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/51041/920DAE9F-6384-4BD3-85BA-6EA54442E557.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1617297024)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/51041/E84F3830-7BAE-45D4-B720-7032ED2D58DA.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1617297100)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/51041/1646F7DB-B841-4E22-97E0-EA1402351C8D.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1617297111)
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these are over 30 years old. used and abused.
back in the day I could stack these one on top of the other and carry them on my right shoulder. My friend Dr. Harry Miller helped me build these prob. in about 1993.
I never really had stacking as a priority for these. Not gonna stack and carry two of them, I have enough back issues. I had planned to put 1x3 straps around the bottom, and even pulled the material for that, but when I saw how solid they were without it, I figured I would give them a try. They are intended for use by the mill and will take a set in the dirt, so I don't see the feet spreading. If it proves to be an issue, it takes just a few minutes to add the straps. I think I may do as you guys suggest, make some longer and some shorter as time goes by to fit other needs.
It was also an experiment to see if my skin would react to the pine again. I put the barrier cream on and wore shop gloves, but I didn't see any issues. It's very hard to tell it the minor color in my forearms and hands is from the pine or my time outside on the mill in the sun. I see some tan beginning, so it's probably the sun and there is no rash or itching, so all good so far.
We got our second shot done without any issue, in and out. I have a little headache. Went to HD, they had some kind of a special gift for any ProXtra customers that came in today and showed their ID bar code. I got some odds and ends I ran out of and they gave me a hat, pen, and a pair of gloves. I am always looking for work hats because I ruin a few a year and don't buy many. Now that I am not working in a shop, those salesman's hat supply has dried up. Then we went for lunch, and headed home.
As I type this, the idiot is still digging or 'something'. All I know is I hear the bucket banging around on it's pins pleading for mercy. I heard a rumor somebody sent an email off to the town code enforcement office. Not sure if it's true. It's not just me I guess. ;D Looks like he buried all the cardboard boxes, crates, and skids in his yard in the swamp. I would guess about 3 yards worth by the size of the pile.
I didn't get much done today, I was just so relieved to have this vaccine shot over and done with.
Tomorrow is another day.
Tom,
When you see your sawhorses spreading in the dirt I suspect it will be too late. I'd say the risk is too high to chance it. The braces can be dirt cheap to add out of your scrap pile but if you drop a heavy load and get yourself or someone else hurt it sure isn't worth the risk. They will also want to rick from side to side if you aren't careful. A pair of 12d nails and a 3' 1X3 on each side is awful cheap insurance. JMHO.
triangles are the best! :P
Yeah, actually I made a bunch of these years ago and you would be amazed at the added strength from just 1x2's screwed on in opposing angles. Likely I will do that, but I just want to see how they do without for a little bit.
Glad you got your booster dose, hope you don't feel crummy for it.
Quote from: Nebraska on April 01, 2021, 09:32:05 PM
Glad you got your booster dose, hope you don't feel crummy for it.
SO far so good, just injection site soreness. OTOH that idiot is still banging that bucket around at 9:45 which has got me more tweaked than anything.
Without the bracing, heavy slabs will "compromise" your saw horses. Don't ask me how I know this.
Quote from: WDH on April 02, 2021, 07:47:44 AM
Without the bracing, heavy slabs will "compromise" your saw horses. Don't ask me how I know this.
No doubt, these are just for the lumber planks coming off the mill before I edge them. Don't worry, if it shows any instability at all I will whip the supports on. In fact I plan on doing that anyway, just want to run them for a little bit to see how they do before I add the stringers.
Put the braces on BEFORE it gets "loose", because it's difficult to regain "tight".
BT & DT, it was a nightmare and had to start over. I wasn't doing sawhorses, but the concept is the same.
I learned this stuff the hard way. Dad was a structural steel engineer. Need I say more? (rhetorical)
My Wife, Pam, and I, and my Mother, who'll be 105 on the 18th, got our second Moderna shots yesterday. My Mom says she doesn't feel any different than normal, but Pam, and I are running at about 20%, with all sorts of minor aches, and pains. Think it's worth it though, and we're all glad to get the vaccinations. Hopefully, we'll wake up closer to normal tomorrow.
edited to add: Sorry for putting this in someone else's thread. Out of it that much.
HEy, no problem, good news is always welcome. I am feeling kind of 'blah' today also, not very motivated after the second shot yesterday. Tomorrow should be better.
At least your weren't telling me to add braces on those saw horses! ;D
I'm not going to say any more about braces on sawhorses. :-X I'm just going to wait and see the pictures in the "I did something dumb thread". :D
My daughter is up for the weekend with our 25 m/o gd and 4 y/o gs whom we have not seen in 13 months. Boy are they a handful. I took them for a hayride in the little wooden cart behind my 4 wheeler. They seemed to have a good time and I will have to repeat it tomorrow. I think our daughter is about ready for me to add some shocks to it as she was sitting on the hay bale in the middle making sure both of them were secure.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/38064/IMG_2431.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1617400923)
OSHA probably would not approve of this form of entertainment but I've got 13 months of spoiling the grandkids to catch up on.
It's not likely you will see that in the 'dumb' thread. Obviously I was aware of it ahead of time and I think pretty much everyone chimed in with cautionary warnings, I should be good. Lest we forget these are MY sawhorses, right? :D
Now a far as catching up goes for you, you better not plan on much sleep. :) Your daughter might have a more comfortable ride if you could get that tongue height a tad lower, it looks like you are fixin' to dump her off someplace. :D I recall doing similar rides with nieces and nephews a few decades ago. Might have even done it when my grandson's were younger, but these days they are walking alongside and picking up sticks, deadfall, or rocks and throwing them on the trailer as I expertly pilot it around the yard. ;D
I hope you have a super weekend!
Well leaving behind the sawhorse discussion as quietly as possible, yesterday was a wash. We had our second shots on Thursday and I had planned on just taking it easy Friday to see what happened. I figured I would do some little stuff, what actually happened was I didn't do hardly nothin'.
I don't know if it was my distraction with The Idiot next door (more on this in a bit), the cold weather (high of 34 yesterday), my mood, or the vaccine, but I could just not get focused and moving. The shop was 58° when I went out in the morning and I had to re-start the stove, so I loaded it, piddled for a bit, then came back in the house until it warmed up. I brought in the house wood and tended that stove too which is now overloaded with ash because I keep thinking I will shut it down any day now.
The Idiot was back out whacking around with he excavator at 9am and trucks were showing up dumping broken blacktop and some topsoil. Around 10 he had 3 guys show up, one had a hard hat. They set up to cut 2 70' EWP on his front lawn. I got nervous when I saw that The Idiot was the main cutter calling the shots. He has no training or experience and is quite clueless. Simple felling techniques are way outside of his scope of knowledge. I knew it was going to be a show when I saw them fully extend a 30 ladder up against the tree and as the kid climbed it I quickly took a mental inventory of where all my trauma gear was sitting. Took him almost 10 minutes to tie the rope around the tree when he finally got up there. They put the bucket of the excavator against the backside and The Idiot commenced to making dust. Yes, I mean dust. He hasn't sharpened that poor saw in 2 years and it was screaming away making a cloud of dust. He cut a tiny notch about 4" deep on a 24" DBH tree, then came in with an angled back cut with an unknown target all the while pushing with the bucket, so they essentially snapped off the stump. nobody was holding the bitter end of the tag line, they just tied it to a tree directly in line with the fall, so I am not clear on what that was supposed to do. Then they cut it up and dumped it in the swamp. 2 hours later they started on the next one which was bigger and taller and had back lean (not a lot) toward my house and power feed. Same thing, put up the ladder, send the kid up, watch the ladder wobble, ten minutes to tie a knot and somehow they got that on the ground too. Looking at that stump makes me shake my head. All ripped to pieces. both trees broke when they hit the ground, and yes, they were healthy trees, nothing wrong with them. It was very much like watching 4 monkees trying to fool with a football. A circus in every sense that could have gotten one of them killed. All the junk went into the swamp, got blacktop spread over it and he was out there banging around until well after 9:30pm. The whole thing was very distracting and is really working on my nerves now.
When I went back out to the shop after an hour I immediately knew something was wrong. I could smell a strong odor of something burning hot and the shop was filled with a haze. As I got near the stove I could feel and taste the heat but the temp was down in the normal range, still I knew I had a chimney fire near the end of it's life. I opened the stove door and could hear the faint sound of the ocean somewhere up in the chimney. I rushed upstairs, grabbed a ladder and checked attic section of the chimney, all safe and sound. Checked all over the shop for other possible sources and confirmed it was the stove as I could see where the first section of pipe on top of the stove had reached a high heat and the paint was discolored to a shade of grey. At that point the fire had nearly burned down, so I choked off the stove to get it out and gave it an hour, then I went back out and pulled the pipe out and cleaned all the creosote that had collected in the stove top. Since that combustor went bust I have noticed a lot more build up in the chimney. I 'ring' it every morning and it has gone from a metallic ring to a dull thud lately. It was all that stuff that finally burned off. The chimney was now ringing again and I didn't need to sweep it, just clean out what burned and fell down. All good, but quite a lesson. I need to get a new combustor and a new short lower section of pipe because that one is beginning to rot out from the acid in the creosote, just around the screw holes. At least I know now that the chimney installation is solid and safe. I expect we only have a week or two left to heat and a few weeks after I will start the rebuild work. At least while I was out in the shop I could keep an eye on the 4 monkees next door.
I tried to put the monkees out of my mind and find something to do. One of those things that has been annoying me is the suspenders on my chainsaw pants. I bought them about a 2 years ago and I ordered ones that were too short. They worked, but they keep the pants up a little too tight. I had been living with them but everytime I pulled them on I'd say to myself I gotta fix or replace these. I was too lazy to return them (shipping and all the other nonsense) and they are nice Madsen's suspenders. So yesterday I found a piece of nice leather scrap and I whipped up two extensions for the back straps. They look funky, but they work just fine. I should have made them 2 " longer, but I really don't expect to get too much taller at this point. ;D
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Well, it's another day and we have the boys for a half day today. The sun is shining, but it's only 26°. I'll see what I can get done.
Don't count out getting taller, I'm a bit older than you and I think I've gotten taller each year. I know that when I fall down it hurts more and when I'm sitting or kneeling on the ground it takes longer to get up so I must be taller.
Well, I may not be getting taller, but you are right, it seems like it is a longer way down to the ground these days. Yet my legs seem to reach all the way to the ground just like they did years ago, so I dunno.
May it please the Court (of public opinion) I submit that I have dutifully added those danged straps on my saw horses today just to shut you guys up. :D ;D
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210403_114958516_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1617495291)
Happy now? ;D
My new hat came today and I put it together. Pretty much pleased with it, but have to break it in, get it dirty, and find a few decals to break up the color a bit.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210403_131720534.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1617472547)
The boys came over for the afternoon. They dug a hole to plant the apple tree in that they got for Grandma's birthday last week. It promptly filled part way with ground water. I will have to go out and get the mixings tomorrow to prep the hole and give this tree a chance.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210403_131034526_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1617495347)
The boys discovered that there is more that you can do with culvert pipe besides bury it. (video in another thread)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210403_171715261.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1617495363)
The weather today was still cool (23 last night) but better with less wind. I got outside and did a little. The Idiot only spent 4 hours or so shuffling dirt and trash around in his yard then went out somewhere. Tomorrow I plan yard work in the morning before my son comes over in the afternoon for dinner. I want to get some ground prepped and grass seed layed down. I am starting to feel a little more perky. Maybe I will sneak in some milling if I get the other stuff done.
whiteflag_smiley I'm digging a hole smiley_guitarist ban_smiley :-X
What no crossed braces on the saw horses for racking!?! ;D :D
NO.
Sam,
I think he should add a shelf but decided not to suggest it. :D
Quote from: WV Sawmiller on April 04, 2021, 12:51:49 PM
Sam,
I think he should add a shelf but decided not to suggest it. :D
You have chosen wisely.
Quote from: samandothers on April 04, 2021, 12:34:20 PMWhat no crossed braces on the saw horses for racking!?!
I did notice the one in the back looks crooked, maybe it racked? ;D
JJ
I think your eyes are crooked. Now can we move on?
JJ - you're right.
This isn't a political comment, but it appears to be a left leaning sawhorse.
Maybe we've BOTH got crooked eyes?
if you send me your helmet, with paint over aluminum, I can engrave you logo on the helmet. is that screen a little crooked? ;) ;) :) :) :D :D
Guess a crooked brace does not matter since it may correct as it racks since no cross bracing. :)
It just racked out of spite for not being braced in the beginning ;D.
Anybody else? Anybody at all?
Well,... I really enjoyed the pictures of the grandkids in the culvert. If I had been there I probably would have gotten in myself and let the kids roll grandpa around the back yard.
OK, everybody done now? For the record the ground those are sitting on in that last photo is radiused and sloped up toward the mill for right to left in the photo. The horses are square, solid, and level and they only weight they have seen yet is my butt. So lets just all move on, ok? ;D
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Howard, I had thought about climbing in, but was waiting for them to think of it. Maybe another year or two in growth and they will start thinking that way, but not just yet. Also, although I know I can fit my body through 16" studs in full bunker gear pushing my SCBA in front of me, I am not certain I can fit in an 18" culvert, so I decided to let that thought go.
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Today started cool and cloudy again. The wife and I went out, bought some grass seed, fruit tree fertilizer and some other odds and ends. Came home and I hooked up the plow to the Mule and plowed out the leaves and other natural overburden on the south edge of our main driveway. I usually leave this to nature and don't mow or tend it, haven't toughed it in 15 years except to plow snow there, but there is this wedding across the road in September and I am providing the parking, they have no room. So I came up with this parking scheme 3 decades ago for our family reunion and it worked just fine. I am revisiting the same plan. I clean all the leaves and branches and rocks out, then throw down some seed and it looks just fine by summer. I mow it and keep it up, then the week before the event I paint out lines with surveyors paint for angle in parking off the edge of the driveway on both sides. Between the two driveways I can fit 30 cars easy and anyone can get out when they want. But it requires prep work. SO I did the main driveway today and will work on the shop driveway in the coming weeks but I have to park my son's plows for the season, and I have to move my trailers and such. For now, that main driveway looks like it's off to a good start.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210404_172710396.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1617586875)
Anyway, after plowing it out I cut a few roots, dug out a few stones, and smoothed with a steel rake, then I took the rake and scratched up all the lawn areas that were bald form the winter plowing and started on the backyard, but my shoulders were shot, so we had lunch and I got back to it in the afternoon, finished all the ground scratching, spread 40# of seed all over everything, then hooked up the roller and rolled it all in. I taped off the backyard section, mostly as a reminder to me, because we did this last summer when we spread the fill but I walked on it too much and the grass never really got a good hold. This time I am determined to get it going and will have to detour around it for several weeks.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210404_172741804.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1617586881)
The Idiot didn't run the excavator all day, so that was nice. They had some company over in the afternoon for Easter so I gave up my plans of pushing back fill from the winter plow berms on that side of the yard while they were out with the kids and let it go until tomorrow. No sense in both of us being insensitive jerks. ;D
So that was the day, my son came over in the evening and we cooked up some steaks and had a nice dinner. Tomorrow is another day and we have only one of the boys coming over, so that should be fun to have a one on one helper for the day. I know he can operate a rake pretty well. ;D
Getting him to operate the rake for the day will teach him character. If nothing else, then you'll see his. And it'll also test your patience character. For a real test, see if he operated it (finished the job) as you would do it. I know that's asking bunches from a VERY young person, but wouldn't you be surprised?
Quote from: Hilltop366 on May 17, 2020, 01:21:24 PM
Not sure how someone can stay busy and out of trouble at the same time, maybe it could be staying busy or out of trouble. ;D
Well there's that and then there's how can a man stay out of trouble if they're marriad...... ???
KSAR we train in a lot of 2 foot culvert pipe. I know you can get in, the question is can you get back out.
Doc, If I can get in, I can get out. ;D
Sledge, No married man can 'stay out of trouble', that is a given. I just meant in a general sense, like staying out of jail, avoiding bankruptcy, and such. Yes, my wife reminds me daily of my shortcomings. That's her job and she has had a lot of practice. As far as the forum goes I have all these friends here to point out my shortcomings as has been shown very recently. It all keeps me humble, as intended. :D
Todd, he is no stranger to a rake and does pretty good for a 7 y/o, but still needs lots of practice in staying on task and raking in the right place and direction. Today is another training day. You may recall last year when we spread several yards of topsoil, all the boys joined in.
As long as you're happy.
Interesting day. Lots of chores with the Grandson. No excavator work going on next door. :)
We plowed out a couple of piles of years of built up bark and wood chips to spread and dry on the driveway so I could burn them later. Dig some leveling very slowly with the light plow on the Mule. We planted the apple tree the boys bought putting in potting soil and the proper fertilizer and some mulch on top. My GS watered the new grass, the tree, and the sod we transplanted.
My mushroom log client showed up and we loaded and counted logs. He was happy (no photo) but we rally loaded that 1/2 ton pickup. I even sold him a bag of hardwood planer chips.
In the afternoon The Idiot came home and started up the excavator and cut another 24" DBH oak dropping it into the swap. Some nice saw logs in that. >:( But then he started cutting away on a maple that was leaning at my storage shelter and looked like it had a fair chance of reaching it. His notch faced right at it. I figure he has insurance, he made the choice, lets see what happens. It had a heavy lean. I walked away and went in the shop. I watched him from inside as he whittled away with a very dull chain. 15 minutes of cutting and he didn't have the face cut open when he pinched the saw. I heard some cuss words and saw a helmet fly. :D Finally he asked if I could cut his saw out when I was unhooking my plow. I finished what I was doing and walked over. He had a dangerous mess. The tree was leaning hard enough to close the cut before he had the notch out. He also had a very narrow notch. I really didn't want to cut this saw out, but I thought I might be able to relieve the weight so he could yank it out. Then I re-thought and went back and got some wedges, drove two and opened it up enough for the saw to come out. Then I realized he yanked on the saw so hard trying to get it out that he broke one of the the vibe mounts on the handle and got the top section twisted and disconnected the throttle assembly. I explained it should be an easy fix once he pulled the top cover off. It's an MS-270 and I don't know Stihls. 1/2 hour later he is back on it, with, I think, a different saw. "The one with the dull chain" he said. ;D That saw would not even make dust and he was 10 minutes in the cut trying to finish the notch. (about 2" of wood) Anyway, eventually, the tree did come down and drifted to the side and missed my storage by a far piece. When I asked if he figured where it would land and he started to realize he had no plan and my storage was the target, he started to second guess. "Too late now I said, your notch is done. You have insurance, send it and see what happens. " He freaked out at that and really started to realize how dumb this whole thing was. He said "I'm not insured for tree cutting!" I said "that's OK, the lawyers will figure it out and find the money someplace." He stood there 20 minutes trying to decide, I went back in the shop. ;D When it dropped he acted like getting lucky was part of his plan. He has no clue.
It's after 9pm and all I hear right now is that bucket pounding on rocks. This is getting old.
Tomorrow is another day.
I forgot to mention, yesterday afternoon I got a text from the folks I made the pine bench for, they want another one. Guess I am going to test my new anti-dermatitis protocols and see if I can keep the rash at bay this time. I looked at the parts I had made extra last time and with the warp in the seat, I think I have decided to just make another seat from scratch and use the legs I've already made. I hope this isn't as painful as last time. ;D
Greenhorn, could you explain dermatitis? I have some new bumps on my arms, never had that problem before, wondering what I have. Not poison ivy.
Long day and I didn't get much done. ;D
Got up around 4:30 and had some stuff on my mind so was out in the shop early, fed the stove, checked lumber stock, made breakfast, then got out to work. I wanted to attack that bench and see if the rash would pop up as a problem again. I decided I needed to remake the seat section and didn't see any good 2x8's so I grabbed a couple of 2x10's, I cut them to rough length, planed and joined them, then ripped them to size and glued them up. Done and done, washed up and let it set.
I filled up the 15 gallon ATV sprayer so I could water the grass seed out near the road and found a battery for the pump. It's slow, but it works. I had a friend come over and pick up the last half dozen of my mushroom logs. The I got an email from a lady looking for about 20 mushroom logs. :D ;D I explained these are cut to order, all my logs are gone and this is the period where logs can't be cut with the sap running. She's not in a hurry and will take summer cut if I find some. Then I started thinking on sources.
I had a nice chat with Barge on the phone, it's been too long. I might go up for a visit next week Also had a nice chat with NYBHH. I think I will see him on Thursday. It was a beautiful day and I just felt like sitting in the sun and talking to some friends.
The Idiot was out bangin' away again burying blacktop deliveries as they came in. He also cut some more trees. How about if we play "rate this stump":
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210406_162341298.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1617753823)
You guys thought I was exaggerating, right? I can't make this stuff up. By the way, he 'felled' it to the right. No, I did not, and could not, watch the whole thing. It takes him 20 minutes to put the face cut it and I got stuff to do. The machine was still slamming around at 10:30 last night. I hope he doesn't do that tonight because I am going to bed early, it's been a long day. But right now he is still at it. I am letting the shop stove go out and the same with the house stove. Lets see how that works out and if the weather holds.
So things are picking up here, the bench build, more milling to get done, some TSI work coming up and possibly some more mushroom bolts if I can line up buyers. (I sent out emails to the contacts I've made over the past 5 months but it seems like none of these folks move very fast ;D. ) I just have to take it as it comes.
Tomorrow is another day.
@farmfromkansas (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=36643) dermatitis is a skin irritation like a mild rash that can get worse, It is due to a sensitivity to some substance that the body sees as an irritant. Mild redness is a light sign, itching when it gets worse, then a full blown rash that drives you nuts. Cortisone cream helps, as does frequent washing, prescription meds (steroids) if it is bad. In my case it is pine that brings it out. I got it inside my thighs last summer when milling pine in shorts, but I never made the connection. When building a custom pine bench this winter it became pretty apparent and got pretty bad, I had to finish the bench. I made the connection at that point. With the meds it was controlled and it went away after the bench was done and I completely cleaned the shop. But I am wondering now if I am also getting it form hardwoods too, although much milder, just redness, no itching. I use barrier cream before I start work on pine now and wash as soon as I can after. I had red forearms all day, but now they are cleared up. Precautions and washing helps a lot. Just observe and make notes on what you do and when it happens. Knowledge (and data collection) is power.
I was too tired to post last night. I am trying to get back in shape for the those 'work from dark to dark' days now that the weather is good. I can feel it in my legs that I need conditioning, too much shop work this winter, I guess. ;D
Anyway, the night before The Idiot was 'excavating' until after 11:30pm, I had tried to go to sleep at 10am and he worked me up 3 times banging that bucket around 100' from my bed. I have had enough. What he is doing amounts to 3 days work for a good operator, at worst. He is probably on 15 days of beating up this machine in the past 3 months, and 6 days straight in this last stretch, 10-14 hours a day, every day. It is wearing on my nerves now for sure. I heard him tell a neighborhood kid yesterday he is building a 'dirt track with some knarly turns' for them to run around. Great, so when this is done, I get to hear the dirt bikes running non-stop, which we also have now a few hours a day. I will say it is finally looking 'not too bad'. It's no longer a mud pit. But I got a call yesterday from another neighbor asking if I knew what 'that guy is doing over there?' He too had been woken 3 times when he was trying to sleep. We ended the conversation saying that we would both call the PD at 9:05 that night if the party continued. We are both sick of it. ALL day long. But The Idiot stopped at 8:30PM. Finally some peace and I went to bed at 10 and slept through the night. Hope this ends really soon, but I suspect a new chapter is coming.
Anyway, I got started around 7 yesterday morning and did some sanding on that bench seat taking every precaution I could against the rash. I don't think it's working too well but I have to try. I got the main seat sanded both sides, then put some water on a couple of clamps spots where I accidently crushed the grain with clamps and it is swelling back up nicely. I will do a finish sand this morning, route the radii all around and then set up all the pieces on a temp bench outside to put the stain sealer on. That stuff is nasty! Took 3 days to clear the odor in the shop last time, so outside it goes.
After that I did the morning watering of all the grass seed a laid down. I using an ATV sprayer tank in the mule to get the stuff out near the road, and the storage tank directly for the grass in the backyard, some stuff my wife transplanted, and the new apple tree. I do them all in the morning, then again in the evening. Then I finished off a Sugar Maple I had on the mill. I am having a lot of trouble milling this time and I don't know if it is the SM being so hard, the new re-sharps I got from WM, or the mill bed working out of alignment. I haven't allowed myself time to check the mill bed, but halfway through that log I changed blades (early, before i think it was dull), reset the blade guide shoes, and reset the backing rollers. It cut a little better and the shake is a little more controllable but not as bad as it was. I will know more when I stick up a RO log next which I know better for cutting behavior. In the meantime I threw another dozen or so boards on the trailer for stacking today and I still have a couple of jacket boards to edge yet.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210407_174114142.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1617877302)
Funny, but I have been using that LogRite hook a lot since I got it and it wasn't handy when I went to flip the cant so I grabbed one of the wooden ones that was standing there. I immediately knew why I got the LogRite. That dog point that is on the wooden ones always leaves a scar on the wood that shows up bad and in the wrong spot when I am planing and finishing something. The logrite has that foot that leaves no mark and is the BEST feature on that tool. I stopped what I was doing and got the logrite. Guess I need another one.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210407_132827734_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1617877291)
I have to get a better photo of that sometime.
Anyway, I tagged what I had milled, covered the mill, did my evening watering. Off and on during the day I was getting emails form this gal about Mushroom bolts. She is an hour and a half south of me. She is trying to organize a 'group buy' for her area so that she can get a bunch of folks together to share the cost of delivery and use her place as a distribution point. She is trying to get enough to justify my cutting and all the other work. I also got a call from another gal who heard about this effort, asking prices, timeframe, etc. She is 'in' now for 50 logs. I got an email from the other log seller north of me and he mentioned that he heard of a large number of logs needed in Brooklyn, but he could not recall who he heard it from and would try to back track and find it for me. I have heard nothing from the Mushroom folks I sent the email to...yet. I will try again today. I think there is a market here, but I have to figure out how to organize it into something workable. From everything I read hear, and see, so far it has been taken as a 'some extra cash in the pocket when somebody calls' thing. Nobody that I have yet found has tried to make a concerted effort. Maybe there is a reason for that, but maybe they just didn't have the time. For sure, time and a little effort will tell one way or the other. I have wasted my time on dumber things. ;D If nothing else, it is adding a bunch of eyes on my website.
Today is another day. We have 3 boys today, two are going in for eye checkups, the other is on me until 10am or so. I have a TSI job to go map out, some milling to do, and more work on the bench. Time to get at it.
to speed up the swelling of fibers if you want, I was taught to use a damp paper towel and go over it with an old clothes iron. you can control the area affected better. it will need sanded after. most things my wife replaces from the house, find a home in my shop. try it on a scrap chunk.
Good idea, will try that next time. I just sanded this morning and all good. Pine is so soft! Geez.
Tom,
On the LogRite I have said many times people should think of them as an article of safety equipment. It would be interesting and enlightening I think if we took a survey of how many times someone has had their non-LogRite cant or peavy hook slip and hit themselves in the head or hurt their back or had a log roll back on them or such. The only time my LogRite has ever come loose was when I used it on very old logs with deep punky sapwood and when it did break free it had a mouthful of that sapwood like a bulldog with a mailman's britches in his mouth. The log gave way - not the LogRite.
OGH, you REALLY NEED to send your neighbor to @Spike60 (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=13669) to have him turn the thumbscrews to this neighbor. Just sayin 🤔😝
I know he doesn't normally work on Stihl stuff, but MAYBE he'll make an exception in this case, just PM him first so that he'll have A "proper" heads up. Wouldn't it be justified and justice at this point?
Well, sometimes it pays to be nice to a stihl owner. Guy came in with a MS180 this afternoon. Needed a chain, file kit, some oil. Could tell he was a little green, so I asked him if he was new to chain sharpening. Yes, but had a buddy who was going to give him a few tips. Still, I offered to show him how his file kit worked in case his friend did it a different way. Very appreciative and came back in to give me a little thank you. He has a local coffee roasting shop and gave some coffee beans just roasted yesterday. They smell great! Can't wait to try it tomorrow morning. Of course, I don't own a coffee grinder. But neither did your typical cowboy in a western movie sittin' round the campfire. So, put 'em in a freezer bag, then use a hammer, rolling pin, whisky bottle. Either way, I'm having fresh ground coffee in the morning. :)
Quote from: Tacotodd on April 08, 2021, 02:59:51 PM
OGH, you REALLY NEED to send your neighbor to @Spike60 (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=13669) to have him turn the thumbscrews to this neighbor. Just sayin 🤔😝
I know he doesn't normally work on Stihl stuff, but MAYBE he'll make an exception in this case, just PM him first so that he'll have A "proper" heads up. Wouldn't it be justified and justice at this point?
You are plotting here, that is a scary sign, just sayin'. :D Around here we just let things take their natural course, it's better that way and sweeter when it happens. ;D ;D I will guarantee if that saw hits the counter in Spike's shop his first thought will be along the lines of "what did you DO to this saw!?" Then he will head the story of how it got pinched unexpectedly and Spike will figure it out. It's a small 'town' and not many guys are going to bring in MS270's to a husky dealer anyway. I figure we can all use a good laugh and Spike's turn may come up soon.
Quote from: Spike60 on April 08, 2021, 04:25:37 PMThey smell great! Can't wait to try it tomorrow morning. Of course, I don't own a coffee grinder. But neither did your typical cowboy in a western movie sittin' round the campfire. So, put 'em in a freezer bag, then use a hammer, rolling pin, whisky bottle. Either way, I'm having fresh ground coffee in the morning. :)
Spike, do you have a blender, that will do a right proper job (clean out the margarita mix first) just don't run it too long or too fast.
Well, didn't get a lot done today. Got some more sanding in on the bench trying to stretch it out and not do long sessions, but the rash is coming back and is cherry red now. Didn't get to put the sealer on it yet because I found some more stuff to smooth out and fix. I want it right, not fast. Tomorrow I think I will get it sealed before staining. Had one boy for school so that took time before Mom picked him up. Got some watering done, then the other boys showed up. My son was tossing a hot air furnace for a client and asked if I wanted the motor off of it. "YES", so I had to go fetch that. It will be my stake pointer machine when I get to it. Just like what Bruno made pretty much. Cleaned all the garbage out of the backseat of the truck, a winters worth of napkins, sandwich wrappers, water bottles, etc. The youngest helped me get it tidied up. Then I had to leave to do a woods walk with a TSI client. A nice long walk looking over the work, we sat later and talked it through to form a plan. I have to follow up about maybe bringing a feller buncher in if it fits and is available, then we have to make sure it will fit over his bridge. The devil is always in the details. While we were talking I got a call form another guy looking for 40 mushroom logs. ;D I left there just as dusk was turning to dark and it was a lovely drive around the reservoir which is glass smooth tonight with the mountains reflecting in the background. Had some dinner and when I finally sat at my desk it was 9pm. It was a good day. Oh, and the bonus, when I went out this morning that #$%^&^ excavator was gone!
Tomorrow is another one, I have a lot of follow up work, thinking, and phone calls to do after today's work. ;D I do like being busy.
Tom, I don't know how to express to you the joy that I get from you telling me that the excavator is GONE!!! And no, I'm not plotting with Bob, I just believe that this, yahoo should get what's coming to him. But I appreciate your input. If you remember, I warned you about a possible allergic reaction that you might get from long term exposure. But I'm glad that the job is almost, done?
you may need a tyvec bunny suit, for the sanding instead of for finish! :)
Todd, the job is not nearly done, but getting there. I put the sealer on it today, so I am closer.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210409_105212876_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1618015649)
The dermatitis is hanging in strong in spite of my precautions.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210408_211422627.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1618015585)
About time to use the cortisone cream, beginning to itch. but not near as bad as last time. Don't wanna wear a suit Doc, that crazy. Its not as bad as it looks.
As far as the neighbor goes, I believe strongly what goes around comes around. I don't need to do anything to expedite that, it will happen on it's own, probably of his own making. Dad always taught me that people get what they deserve and you don't need to make sure, it will happen on it's own. I was once terribly wronged by someone and I waited 15 years until somebody did to that person what they had done to me, nearly exactly. They didn't enjoy it very much. ;D I had nothing to do with it, having cut off contact may years prior. He will get his, all by himself. Its not my job. ;D
The other day I was in the house and I heard a 'Boom' outside. I figured the excavator was back and went out to look a few minutes later and found this sitting in front of the shop.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210408_094653395.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1618015469)
A brand new burn barrel as a gift from a friend. I texted him to say 'thanks' and he texted back "look in the barrel?" So I did, and found this:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210408_094659668.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1618015483)
A box which contained these:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210408_094748564_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1618015549)
Very nice mid winter military combat boots with 2 pairs on liners, brand new. They are size 9.5, I take 11 and for some reason, these fit pretty well with the liners, pretty loose without. ;D
Also yesterday, the youngest grandson helped me set some decals on my new hard hat and decided he liked it and wants to wear it while I am working. (yeah, we will work on that down the road)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210408_130700035_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1618015526)
He thinks it needs more 'stickers'.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210408_130705187_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1618015571)
Today when I was ,milling I got a better shot of what I was trying to explain about the logrite design. the way this hooks around the corner of a can't I find really neat and it leaves no marks. a conventional hook has that spike the leaves a dig every time, not the logrite. I think this is dang cool and shows a lot of design skills to think this through. Simple yet elegant.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210409_151757923_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1618015625)
As you can see, I milled some ash today after I finished off some maple in the morning. It seems like all the shake I had in the mil was largely due to the Maple being so hard. I kept the same setup with the shimmy from the maple, put up the ash and had no issues more than 'the normal'.
Some rain coming in this weekend but tomorrow should be OK, I need water in the storage tank with all I have been using on logs and grass watering I am down to about 100 gallons. Not sure where to start tomorrow. I do have to re-arrange on the drying racks to make room for more wood. I might build a short rack for the smaller pieces I cut off because of obvious defects. The shorts mess me up, stacking wise. I also need to find another place for the stickers. SO maybe a day filled with little stuff to save some steps going forward.
Tomorrow is another day, I'll figure it out then.
If you had the white bunny suit, you could let your neighbor think you work for the EPA, and ask him about all the petroleum based milling he is burying underground near the aquafer. :). how about welding sleeves or cattle exam gloves. need to breech contact with the pine resin. looking good. I have been organizing in my shop. and it makes a bigger mess in the middle of it all. teaching woodworking merit badge Monday night in the shop.
Yeah, I have some sleeves showed a page or so back that I wear when sanding and cutting. I think I need to wash them though. Right now it looks pretty calm in the morning, but in the evening it's pretty bright. Not like it was last time for sure, so I am reserving the secret weapon. ;D I am beginning to wonder if other woods are hurting this too. I milled some sugar maple logs and I think it may have gotten worse. Yesterday was Ash mostly. I just use the barrier cream and wash after each session. Cortisone at night.
My shop is a mess, but I am 'diversifying' my work in the better weather and getting outside more. Note that I did the sealing outside and you can see The Idiots pile of junk and storage trailers in the background.
you might try the cortisone under the barrier and do it 4 times a day. Hate to see it get out of control good luck.
Tom,
Is it just pine causing problems or do you get a reaction to other types of woods?
I THINK its just pine, but I am tying to figure that out. It may not be.
Doc, so far it remains under control, but I may take your advice. I didn't know how combing the creams would work.
to be specific, not to combine, but keep the anti-inflammatory going in the skin (cortisone) and cover to prevent fueling the fire (barrier). each time it turns red, you taking a step back. I know you prob. know this, but hate to see you have to take a systemic steroid so I would be aggressive with the cortisone. prob. 4 or more times a day. much less side effects. 8) :o :( ... :)
spend some time in several applications each dose getting the cort. into the skin, then cover. especially before bed assuming you may sleep more than 6 hours. and first time in the am. good luck sir! after contact, wash well then re apply.
Did some odds and ends in the morning yesterday, nothing special because I was kind of tired, but in the afternoon I finally did something to help my drying rack issues. Short pieces really make it tough to get a clean efficient stack and there is a lot of space wasted. Having the bench slabs just makes it even worse. So I decided to use up some more of the box store lumber I had (clearing more space) and build a small drying rack, quick and dirty. I got the main frame and legs done by the end of the day.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210410_162052934_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1618181691)
Today was supposed to be a rain out, but it wasn't raining this morning so I started on the cover. This time I decided to do something a little better, so I put up a raftered shed roof. At some point if I mill up some pine boards or come across some steel, I cover it with that, but for now, this will work.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210411_120323304.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1618181798)
The rain was starting to dribble, so I grabbed a tarp and stapled that on. I pulled that far side down to keep the sun out on the south side. It sure doesn't look pretty and I am still trying to figure out how to maximize the space and get all the shorts off the other racks.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210411_141920065.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1618181800)
It's just 6x8' but it chewed up some more salvaged lumber and some pine 2x4's I milled back in the fall. Tomorrow I will mess around with how to best fit in the puzzle pieces. I have a lot of them. I'd also like to figure a way to put an overhead sticker rack in there and save some more space. Anyway, it's not much, but another step. Maybe it will help, maybe it won't.
Tomorrow is another day.
Tom,
I love small sheds and can never get enough. Can you generate some vertical storage in there or how about it you nail a couple of 1X4's to the posts butted up against the front and rear 2X4's with maybe a couple of hangers in the middle to connect and make a 4" gap there you could use to store stickers and such?
I got out and checked the plumb on my side supports today. It surprised me a little the 2 front ones looked like they had toed in a little. I'd have thought they would have spread outward. Not a lot but I found it was easy to adjust. Then I adjusted the blade tilt and verified the height to the rails and adjusted 2 of them. Nothing seemed to be out of spec by over about 1/8" but again it was all easy fixes. I have a funeral to attend tomorrow for my 102 y/o neighbor and may saw some stock walnut tomorrow after that.
Do you have any of the places that make the ribbed steel roofing/siding near you? I know of 2 places within 75 mile of me and they sell seconds, short ends and mis-cut or cancelled orders cheaper than normal cut to length. If you ask they may have 17 pcs of green 11'3" and 5 pcs brown 9'5" etc. I've seen some multi colored buildings near their shop.
Quote from: WV Sawmiller on April 11, 2021, 08:04:22 PM
Tom,
I love small sheds and can never get enough. Can you generate some vertical storage in there or how about it you nail a couple of 1X4's to the posts butted up against the front and rear 2X4's with maybe a couple of hangers in the middle to connect and make a 4" gap there you could use to store stickers and such?
I got out and checked the plumb on my side supports today. It surprised me a little the 2 front ones looked like they hade toed in a little. I'd have thought they would have spread outward. Not a lot but I found it was easy to adjust. Then I adjusted the blade tilt and verified the height to the rails and adjusted 2 of them. Nothing seemed to be out of spec by over about 1/8" but again it was all easy fixes. I have a funeral to attend tomorrow for my 102 y/o neighbor and may saw some stock walnut tomorrow after that.
Yeah Howard, I am thinking about horizontal storage, probably from the front. Something hung from the rafters. I went through this pretty quick with the impending rain and I see that I neglected to add some extra legs, for weigh support so I need to do that and add some blocks between the back 2 rails so I can put some stuff crosswise across the back.
@gspren (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=17800) I don't know of any makers, but I will certainly look, that would help me out a lot.
Tom,
I'm thinking you could nail a few short boards from the horizontal 2X4's and drill holes for mortises in them and use pipe or re-bar from front to rear for ribs and lay your stickers across them.
Well, a drizzly rainy day yesterday without much water coming down, cool and not real pleasant. I started a fire in the shop and the house to take the dampness off. It affected my mood and I didn't get a lot done. I did put a coat of stain on that pine bench, but in the process I found a spot or two that needs sanding and I missed, so I have to back up a little and do it right. Maybe this morning. I also cut some scraps up to make that sticker rack in the new short drying 'shed' and it is ugly, but functional and while I was in there I added cross pieces on the back section of the floor for short slabs,
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210412_095941023.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1618317996)
Putting this one up made me realize that I have room to hang one under the platform of my largest rack because that is 2' off the ground. I will have to crawl underneath it to do the work, so I will wait for dryer days. That should take care of the remaining stickers I have taking up drying space.
Actually it's kind of nice in there out of the rain and when I was done I sat there on the lumber for a bit and contemplated my layout and where I might go next with it. First I have a lot of lumber to re-arrange to make room for more and get to milling on that. The rest of the day I didn't do too much beyond thinking.
The rain stopped overnight and I am anxious to see how my water supply is now, I think I only got 70 gallons or so based on just 1/4" of rainfall, but it all helps. I had been expecting an inch, which would overfill it by a lot, so now I will have to conserve a bit until the next rain, maybe I sit at 175 gallons total now. First full year with this and I am really using it daily, so I need to keep track of how it behaves. It's mighty handy for washing logs, cleaning off the mill at the end of the day, watering grass and plants, even washing the truck (which is long overdue).
Today is non-rainy, but overcast so far and cool. I think its time I took a ride up to Conesville and see what the weather is like there. ;D Pretty sure the snow is all gone now and I have a hankering for an ice cream or maybe lunch at the Country store. :) It will be a nice afternoon for a drive.
It's another day, best get at it.
do you think you might need side braces on your sticker rack...?.... .... :). looks great. You had to know someone would say something! :D
Quote from: doc henderson on April 13, 2021, 12:37:41 PM
do you think you might need side braces on your sticker rack...?.... .... :). looks great. You had to know someone would say something! :D
I was wondering why that took so long....
Looking at your arm my wife had a similar problem and it turned out being the laundry soap she was using we think reacting with the lotion she used. It's an area that clothes are always rubbing against. She switched to a free and clear laundry soap that cleared everything up quickly. Don't know if it's the same problem reacting with sawdust but it's possible.
Concerning the sticker rack, I'll go with function over form most all the time!
Even without the bracing! :D
Catching up here as I change gears into outdoor work more and more. Tuesday I took a ride to Conesville and had the lunch special at the Conesville Country Store, man was that good! Then I went bouncing around and found Barge running the stroker up in the clearcut doing the mop up work. We took a ride and looked at some Mushroom log potential, this could work out really nice. Between finding Barge and the prospecting walking my legs were telling me they were out of shape. A little worried I am getting older. Anyway, met the landowner and roughed out some sort of plan. I took a slightly longer route home just for the change and came through Hunter, it's been a few years so I figured I would give that a look, then dropped down over Devil's Tombstone and Diamond Notch. In my hiking days I was up there a lot, very challenging hiking and in the winter it's ice axes and crampons, lots of ice climbers go there during the season.
Anyway, got home around 6 and had an email from a guy at Cornell university about setting up a 'large' buy of mushroom logs for down in NYC asking me about trucking availability, costs, etc. Problem was he provided ZERO details, like how many logs or where they were going in the city. I answered him right back asking for details and explaining some of what I could and could not do and also reminding him that time matters (something which seems to be lost on the academic types). He hasn't answered yet, ;D so I have no idea what he has in mind. These people can be frustrating to deal with. When they call you they are all hot to trot, but they always wait until the last minute even after I explain time and planning constraints, not to mention keeping a happy landowner and logger in the loop. They don't listen very well.
So yesterday I felt better than I thought I would and had arranged to go over and work at a friends place cutting trees for their property improvement project. They are using me for chainsaw work, some advice, and refences for the heavy equipment work when and if that comes along. I took about 5 trees and they helped do all the dragging of firewood and brush while I just kept cutting and clearing. All of the stems were challenging and one had a heavy lean that I tried to pull without success and it ripped the hinge and fell the wrong way. It only made for more dragging then I wanted. I didn't damage any of the save trees I was concerned about. We got a lot done in 6 hours of steady work and the property owner is pleased. At the end of the day we settled in on a day pay rate that made us both feel good. Now they will do more handwork until I can get back and finish the next bunch of dead stuff that need to come down. Things are looking much better. But my legs were getting shaky working on that side hill all day. I think I out worked the property owner because near the end he was sitting and watching me cut. It might also be why, when I gave him my proposed daily rate, he upped it by 30%. :)
While I was there I got a text form a neighbor asking if I could come by to look at a job, so I went there after finishing up. The job is not for me, a 12' stalk of a 20"dbh pine that her deck was built around. The tree was long dead and someone had removed everything above the 12' mark years back for safety reasons. She wanted to cut it off and put a table top on the remaining stub. Nice idea but the tree has root rot and I could wiggle it with one finger. Rotten or not, the stalk is still heavy and would have to be craned out so as not to damage the deck. Not something I can do, but I know a guy (she does too), except there is no way to get a rig near that deck. We will think on it and I will talk to my contact about a joint venture to get that out for her.
Got home at 6 again and after dinner wrote a group email to the folks on my mushroom log order list giving them and update on the progress.
Today the health insurance company is sending a doc to check the wife and I out. I have no idea why. They call it a 'free service', but I doubt that. I don't know why the insurance company is so concerned about our health, maybe they know something we don't? ;D So that will kill the first half of the day and then the rain should come in killing the rest of it. No rain yet, but they keep insisting it is coming. Promises, promises.
Guess I should go find something to do until the Doc shows up.
Well, that Doc came today and it was interesting. He was very thorough, took 4 hours to do screening for the wife and I, the day was pretty much shot. He wrote up some recommendations to be forwarded to our primary care Doc. I was a bit of a conundrum for him. Given my age, on no meds at all, weight where it should be, but some bad habits, no bad family history, he just wrote it all up to send on. Some I will act on and some I won't. No surprises for sure except he did orthostatic BP's on my wife and they showed a big drop. Likely she is over prescribed on her BP med, but we should check that out. I haven't seen anyone do orthostatic BP's in a long time, I thought that was pretty neat. I used that for differential diagnosis in the field not too long ago and many other EMT's and medics were not familiar. Handy diagnosis tool, that. He caught something.
Anyway, that all pretty much killed the day, along with he rain. But I got an email with some needed details on the big mushroom bolt order, they are looking for 850-1,000 logs (maybe, if they can find the funds). This little detail changed things. So I went to work doing the numbers. We are looking at 35,000 pounds of wood. Delivered to Red Hook Brooklyn, so I contacted a young local independent trucker I know about his semi setup, he can haul 50K and he gave me a price, does that run often enough. He is up for the job and we could park his rig in my driveway while I (we?) load a lot of wood. Not sure if I should palletize them (where to get pallets, how much, how many pallets, how many on a pallet?). Sent and email with more questions. Thinking through how to get these out of the woods with low impact? Its clear I need some help. Found a buddy that can bring a forklift to my yard to help out if we go that way. So I'm pretty busy trying to figure this all out and pull it off. Lots of details involved.
Between all this I get a text from a former co-worker. He went to Lowes to buy 2x12's and was 'a little surprised at the cost'. :D :D :D :) ;D He wondered if I could supply him 15 2x12x10' in pine. It was good to hear from him and catch up on shop news. I went out and checked the rack, no joy. I had a few pieces here and there, but not the quantity he needed. So I called him back and talked it through and gave him basic pricing to make sure we stayed on the same page. He has no logs, so I left it open and 20 minutes later found logs to cover the order, texted him back, and he will settle in on a specific BOM to give me for an order and he has a few weeks before he needs them (for me this is REALLY rare!).
Around 8pm I finally took a breath. I realized the collective wisdom of the forum saw this coming while I denied it. I have a commission bench build in the shop 75% done, I have an off and on property improvement job running a day or two a week for a few months down the road paying a daily rate, I have a TSI project over the hill I am excited to get started on to help make a pretty piece of land a little prettier, also brining in a daily rate a day or two a week as we work through it, I have milling to get done to get lumber drying and on the rack, and on top of all that I have this mushroom stuff that was just a 'filler' turning into a major project. Some of you told me I would be overloaded sooner than I thought and I really did not think that would happen. I thought you folks were just trying to be encouraging. It turns out you just knew. The Doc today asked me if I exercised regularly, I laughed and said "yeah, more than most". He asked what I do I just said "work" and he said well yes, that is good but you need to walk and get some cardio. I laughed really hard. "Doc I took down 6 trees yesterday and hand hauled the wood up the hill and the brush down the hill, my heart rate would challenge a race horse and my legs felt like they were going to explode by the end of the day. What did you do for exercise?" He just said 'OK, I get it" and made more notes on his tablet.
So I suppose this thing is working out to some degree, but there are a lot of emails, phone calls, and wrangling involved. I guess I am falling back into that hustle bustle of business, hopefully I can keep a handle on it and manage it and keep happy customers. I actually kind of enjoy it being a little hectic, it makes for longer days getting something done.
Tomorrow is another day, and I had better hit it a little harder to make room on the time line.
Huge order of mushroom logs! I love it!
I'm sure you know, but feel I should remind you, that you are allowed to say no to things also! That's probably not ideal when you are also trying to fund living but I think all of us here like to see you around and not completely burnt out on the stuff you are doing. That breath you took at 8pm needs to come more often and earlier!
This is all coming from a big time procrastinator and pro relaxer, so take that for what it's worth!
In my crystal ...I see your business soon owning a small front wheel assist tractor (complete with pallet forks, log grapple, and a forestry winch) a heavier trailer, and a 1 ton pickup. :) Your mushroom and TSI projects are rapidly blooming...
You may need some depreciation. Just good to see it!
The rash on my arms turned out to be poison ivy. Threw away my suspenders, they seemed to be giving it back after getting rid of it. Weird stuff. Wife even washed the things, wasted effort.
Quote from: Nebraska on April 16, 2021, 02:18:58 PM
In my crystal ...I see your business soon owning a small front wheel assist tractor (complete with pallet forks, log grapple, and a forestry winch) a heavier trailer, and a 1 ton pickup. :) Your mushroom and TSI projects are rapidly blooming...
You may need some depreciation. Just good to see it!
You know Nebraska, I fully know you comment and observation were meant in the most positive and encouraging way, but it cost me some sleep over the past few nights since you made it because that thought had been slowly creeping into my head and you went and said it out loud. ;D
As I narrow down what I 'want to do' I am also being brought to the realization of what I 'need' to do to make that happen. The prospect is a little unnerving for me. I can't do the bull work all day long anymore. I am not feeble, but neither I am 30 years old. In order to crank out the work and I would to load in the hours, non-stop and I realize I just can't do that. Yes, surely if I had a machine I could move logs and wood around. but I am not a production mill guy, I just mill a little lumber, get the racks as full as I want, then move on to other stuff. So getting a machine just for that isn't justified, it would sit a lot of the time after the honeymoon was over.
Likewise I enjoy doing the TSI/Consulting work for smaller landowners and a machine would be handy for that too, but again, I don't do a lot and it would sit too much, I would also need a way to transport it, plus attachments.
After 3 years of obsessive reading of all the folks here who are trying to decide on the best machine for their needs, and thinking of my own needs and reading the vast experience and good advice offered on countless threads, I have figured out what would be best for my needs. It has to be a ToolCat. The cheapest I see the 5600 is for 30k and there is no way I have that kind of change laying around. Most of them are in the 50k range. Plus the 6-8,000# trailer, then you need a rig to pull it all, so a 3500 is another 30k used.
The last thing I wanted was a retirement business that was a money suck and then I wind up working all kinds of hours killing myself 7 days a week to get the cash to either build up the account or pay off the loan. That just sucks all the joy out of it and I resolve to be happy doing manual labor and plugging along at whatever pace I can manage. That is, until I go out and hand carry a dozen 2x10x10' over to the drying rack after all the manual milling, then I sit and catch my breath and search CL for machines again. If I had a machine and used it to do work for clients I would have to charge the machine rate to make the payments (or pay for the machine, either way) and then it becomes all about the money. I worry about money for food and taxes, I don't want to worry about money for the business.
So yeah, I am at a mental crossroads here and I have been sitting here watching the traffic for a couple of months now. I still don't know what to do. I am waiting for that particular machine to come around that 'won't run' and I can fix easy, or reasonably so. That's how I got the Mule for 500 bucks, (complete engine assembly required). I could sell it for 6 grand now, and I would if I could find a machine. Its just a little frustrating for me. I should chill out, let it ride and see what kind of money collects in the accounts as I keep picking up paying work. Remember, I am not at the stage of my life where I am trying to build a business to make big bucks, be a success, and put my kids through college (or better yet, trade school). I am just trying to get by. But boy, some hydraulics would help me live and work a little longer.
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ANyway, while I wait for the academics to answer questions and try to figure out the weather to schedule work, I have been working on that pine bench a little each morning putting finishes on it, re-sanding an adding coats, fixing drips, etc. The trying to do some outside work, but it's been cool and snotty the last coupe of days. One of my bottlenecks is lumber storage. I built 2 decent racks last year, the first one is showing weaknesses in my design ;D and the second one is doing well with the more formal size lumber on it, one side anyway. That first rack got all the stuff I had previously milled dumped on one side the decent newer (last summer) lumber on the other side. That old stuff is pretty poor, long, live edges, with no purpose in mind and is an unruly mess. SO over the weekend I started labeling the wood so I don't loose track of when it was milled or what it is. I like those new tags, lets me mix and match and stack by size rather than when it was milled or the species.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210418_093044612_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1618872874)
I keep moving stuff around as I expand or learn stuff and it is getting confusing, Now it doesn't matter where the wood goes, I know what it is and when it was milled.
Over the weekend I moved a bunch of the short stuff to that new short rack, bench slabs and Cherry shorts. Today, after the morning shop work I started picking apart the mess on my first rack and find I have sagging damage I need to shore up when I get it mostly empty. I re-sawed and labeled a lot of live edge junk. I had no idea what I wanted or what I was doing when I milled those, but trimmed down they became usable boards. That stuff is 2-3 years dry now. It stacks better too. I picked through a lot and some went into the firewood and I trimmed a lot. If I cant make it into a usable board, it is firewood, otherwise I trim off the split ends, edge it, label it, and stack it by thickness. It is a slow process and I had to stop and cover the mill twice today as rain came in, then went away, then came back. I finally quit at 5 with a tired back and a dead battery on the mill chainsaw.
Tomorrow I am off to a TSi job that should run for a 'while' :D at least that's the plan. Just getting started. We'll see how my back holds out. The work I did last week had me sucking wind at the end of the day but my back was fine...pretty much. The landowner working with me was anxious to take a shower and sit for a while. :D Tomorrow's work is bigger and heavier though.
Goota go out to the shop tonight and get my gear together and hit the saw chain with a file.
Tom,
Good looking lumber stack. You know if it is for sale the customer is always going to want that one on the bottom. They always do. :D
I feel your pain and envy when you see others with these great labor and time saving devices that are not in your budget or can't be justified for the expected work load. I got into sawing to fill some time, make some friends and to keep me active. I love it and would love to have more equipment so I could do more but economics, time and space often dictate otherwise. Stay safe, stay healthy.
Well not a bad day at all yesterday, made the drive to a clients and spent the whole day in the woods getting started on some tree cleanup and salvage work for a few saw logs, some firewood, and general dead ash clearing. Lots of dead stuff on the ground from past years so I began mostly on getting that bucked up into movable sizes, brushing out any tops, getting hangers on the ground (I hate hangers, they are distracting and ugly and just bother me). All in all it went well and except for grazing the side of my chain on an unseen rock, it was uneventful. I had added a set of non-stretch suspenders to my felling belt the nigh before and that worked like a charm, so much more comfortable and I didn't spend my time pulling at it. Very easy to spend the day in it. Sitting is still not easy with a pouch full of wedges hanging over my butt crack, but I don't sit much anyway. ;D
The wind was a real problem, it was whipping in gusts pretty good and there were a bunch of stems I would have taken but for the wind, too unpredictable. So I saved those for another day when we do some of the bigger dead ash. I won't cut those without a spotter anyway. I marked some live stuff for the client to pass judgement on and he came out in the afternoon with his tractor and made some headway getting stuff moved around. We are working toward making a small landing to separate the various end uses for the wood and give us some working room. This is more of a salvage section to get the usable ash out and milled before it is too far gone. There are a few big trees in there and some nice straight stuff, plus a bunch of firewood. We had no plans to take any pine, but there are a couple that should go (unhealthy or poor growth pattern). They might produce a few saw logs, but mostly they are junk and taking up good space.
I made a list during the course of the day for things I should bring or change next time to make it easier. Working remote is a little newish for me so I am trying to tune things up a bit. Little stuff like a garbage bag for the stuff I find in the woods, a fire extinguisher, and some other odds and ends to make the dat easier. It's a short list.
I got home around 4pm and found an email for that mushroom zoom meeting I have been trying to set up. That's at noon today. We do our monthly food shopping this morning so I have to get back in time for the call. We will see where this goes and hopefully I can get some questions answered today. They are calling for rain today, maybe some snow overnight.
Time to get at it.
You know I made those comments in support of you and your recent successes. I wouldn't want to borrow money to build this. I see older Ford and Kubota front wheel assist show up out here for really reasonable money..I think they are usually 16 to 25 hp diesels with not much for hours on them mostly they moved snow and maybe ran a tiller and a mower. They will move a fair log with an arch. With a loader they could handle loading multiple mushroom sized logs with a grapple attachment. They make handling logs at the mill and moving sawn lumber much easier (magic hook!) and may save your back. So much so if I had to get rid of my tractors my mill would go as well. They can run your place with a pto generator... do many things...I just watch what you are doing and wish you had one and a trailer heavy enough to move it. I'm not sure of weights and widths your son's dump trailer might work fine. I know the forum is good at spending other people's money so please don't take any offense at this. I don't want you to take an uncomfortable financial step.....but if the rat hole money grows...I think your mushroom bolt project could justify it. I better go be productive hope you have much to show for your day.
Quote from: Nebraska on April 22, 2021, 08:23:23 AM
You know I made those comments in support of you and your recent successes. I wouldn't want to borrow money to build this. I see older Ford and Kubota front wheel assist show up out here for really reasonable money..
As I said in the first sentence of that replay I fully understand you meant those comments in a positive way and they were taken as such, absolutely! I also appreciate you making them. At the same time, you provided 'an outside observation' that confirmed the thoughts working into my head, that I am grossly under mechanized and it is a severe handicap.
Nothing seems to be available for reasonable money around here. The same changes we have seen in folks spending money to finally upgrade homes and yards and do projects has driven the used equipment market way up also. But I always keep my eyes open as I drive around, do research and ask questions so I understand a little more about various machine models and the strengths and weaknesses. Knowledge is power. I spent time yesterday when it finally dawned on me that I could easily carry payments on a Kubota given their financing plan, configuring a machine on their website. I figure if I can keep the full weight under 6,000# I can trailer it with what I have (and a bigger trailer, yet to be found). But when I got it to what I wanted the cost was getting a little steeper than what I was comfortable with, so I just closed out the window and walked away in frustration again. I might stop in and visit a dealer to work it through with someone who knows the ins and outs of the pricing, financing, and configuration options. If I pull the trigger, there are one or two pricey attachments I would like to add that would greatly increase my capabilities but not be used very often, such as the backhoe. Its like a full time job to spec a machine and make decisions. So I keep looking for that 'right one' to cross my path. So I drive the back roads looking for 'for sale' signs on equipment thinking I might get the best deal that way, price wise. It will happen or it won't but I will keep plugging along with an open mind and open eyes.
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Yesterday wasn't really productive. We did the monthly food shopping, got home, did lunch, and I made my zoom call just in time. Nothing conclusive on the logs but we got a better understanding of where each of us stood in the whole thing. We are thinking a moderate order this year might be the best we can do because of the logistics of lining up enough folks in the city to take 1,000 logs. (They never really had an order for that, but it was a goal for them to get a lot of growers started down there. This only became clear to me yesterday.) They will continue to pound the pavement trying to line up buyers for a group buy down there and let me know what they can come up with. I finally explained to them that a tractor trailer cost the same whether it has 600 logs on it or 1,500 logs on it, they also understood that I rental truck is limited by the weight it can carry, so even with a 20' box truck they can only haul less than 300 logs because of weight. The truck will look empty with just 300 logs in it but be over 10,000# of payload. They are now understanding my attention to the details because I don't think they realized a lot of these little things. They did ask if I would accept 'pick up's' in my yard which for me is certainly the easiest and they said they would be passing my number around to those who could collect their own logs. I stressed that they need to spread the word that putting in orders is the only way for folks to get the logs they want, everybody think we (suppliers) just 'have' these logs waiting and they forget that just like milk, they expire in a few months and become firewood. EVERY supplier I know only cuts to order, this needs to be made really clear to the new buyers. Yes, I cut extras when I cut, and I have NONE left over because I throw in a few on each order just for the heck of it and if I have some questionable ones left, I give them to some other grower that wants them before they get too old. So this is the beginning of a relationship that will take a while to mature, but I am sure it will at some point. I will focus on the solid smaller group order I have for 2 counties away and get them taken care of with good product. I got an email from one of those folks yesterday wanting to send me a check in payment for her logs and I just replied I can get paid on delivery and I am taking folks at their word. She sent me back a note telling me how unique I was and I replied I was trying to start a new trend where people's words have some weight. :)
After the call and given the snotty rainy cold weather I went out to the shop and did tool maintenance, sharpening my chain and dumping out my chainsaw bag to clean it and take inventory. I found that I did in fact have a spare chain for my 20" bar (after I just ordered one the day before) and I had bought a nice locking top plastic box I found in the dollar store to organize my chains by bar size and I tagged what each was and stored them in the proper boxes. MUCH easier to find things now. I fired up that 372 and the bar oil is really leaking badly now. and it needs more tuning again. Saving that for another day. I will have to find that leak at some point because it gets oil everywhere and it requires a diaper during storage. ;D I had the saw hung straight vertical all winter and the bar cover had a load of oil in it. Ever try to clean out a 30" bar cover? :D :D
Its another snotty rainy day here with some bouts of sun as a evil teaser. 32 when I got up, 35 now and the snow flurries just stopped for a while. The radar show the moisture passing jus to our North and I suspect Barge is getting more snow this morning and it is less 'friendly' up there today. Not sure what I will fill the day with, but I have plenty to do and there is a live webinar at noon on
Invasive Species Threats and Solutions for Healthy Urban Forests so I think I want to catch that because it could be of use and it offers some CEU's toward my logger re-certification which should be coming due soon (I should check on that). If the precip holds off I should get some more done on the drying racks so I can get back to milling, but it is slow daunting grunt work.
I pulled an all-nighter last night, which at my age means that I slept through the whole night without having to get up. ;D I also slept and entire 8 hours which is even more remarkable. Each of those things only happens about once a month and rarely together. I was pretty tired and a little depressed when I went to bed a little earlier than usual last night. Maybe I just needed the sleep.
So lets see what today brings, shall we?
So the plot thickens. [suspenseful music plays]
Yesterday the fella I was talking to from Cornell university (let's call him 'Steve') told me he would put my name out on his contact list for folks to hit me up directly if they want logs and can pick them up. I found out today Steve has over 1,000 names on his contact list. I know this because I got a email, then a phone call from a fella who is on that list and knows Steve well. This fella is also a Steve, but he is a full time grower and has been for over 10 years. He says he is the largest grower of Shiitakes in CT and cannot keep up with demand. We talked for a while figuring each other out but the bottom line is he knows exactly what he needs he is fine with either winter or summer cut, he harvests a LOT of logs himself because he only uses white oak. He is currently cutting about 5,000 logs about 3 hours from his farm. He said he will take any amounts of white Oak I can get in quantities between 100 and 5,000 logs at a clip. He will pick them up or arrange shipping. He is 1-1.5 hours from me. He as much as gave me a blanket order. My price seems fine to him. He has a large ongoing operation and he has to keep getting new logs in to fill the pipeline and increase production. He cannot meet the demand as it is.
This changes the entire paradigm for me because I can now cut anything I find (that is white oak in season) knowing I have a buyer for it, provided I hit 100 logs minimum. 100 logs is a very full pickup load, about 3,500#.
So now I have to rethink a little and change how I shop for sources. This also has an impact of how I am thinking about some sort of machine. This kind of work could help pay for that. More to think about.
It's good that you are a young man :D.
Check out LS tractors, pretty inexpensive from what I see. I have a 2003 version that owes me nothing....Tym as well... I have a friend running one getting along fine. Kioti has a dealer not that far from me and the prices look good but no experience with them. I have experience with all the other major brands at one time or another so look at all of them and find the dealer that will get you a loaner if your machine goes down under warranty. The green ones seem pretty high priced... I have 1/2 of a backhoe attachment. A friend found it for sale and we share it. I could own 1/4 of it in the same arrangement and it wouldn't be an issue. It's great for fixing a water line or digging footings but I don't need it that much. It sure beats renting or hiring someone else though. A backhoe attachment with a thumb would be pretty slick holding up logs to cut firewood.. Sounds to me opportunity is fixing to toss your irons in the fire. I think I will just call you semi retired. ;)
Tom,
Back in the old home country of your ancestors not too far removed I saw lots of log landings with small diameter, mostly birch, trees pulled up for processing. They would hook what looked like about a 16" diameter, unguarded "buzz" type cut-off saw to the PTO of their tractor and they had sets of rollers. They would roll the log up the roller to a stop of some sort then pull the running blade across as a cut off saw. Since they use a lot of 1' long firewood in Norway that was the norm. The finished firewood was loaded into pallet containers and inside a net and was sold basically by the cubic meter load. I just saw the equipment and logs at the landings and never watched them in operation so I'm assuming based on observations on some of this. Would something like that work for your planned operations?
I bought my Kubota in 2012 and took advantage of their 0% 60-month financing which also applied to a few implements purchased through them as well.
I went on Kubota’s website yesterday after chatting with Tom and I was to say the prices for the same level of L-series tractor has almost doubled. I was shocked. The only regret I have is not going one size up to get a 700-series loader instead of a 500-series loader. Also Tom, quick attach on the loader is well worth the extras if you are going to swap between a bucket, grapple, and palette forks often. I’d stick with the industrial tires for working in the woods over the AG ones and 4WD is a “must” around here.
I run all three and a 3rd function remote on the front for the grapple easily makes that the most useful attachment in the woods. Around the mill however, the pallet forks are the best IMHO and my preferred method for loading logs is to hang it from the forks with a pair of 6’ tow straps as you have the most control and lightest touch.
The forks are also great for offloading from the mill and then just driving over to the stacking/drying area makes for very little extra handling. I also built a bunch of 10’ palettes for stacking/drying lumber and keep them at loader capacity so I can move the whole palette around.
I think for your TSI work, a chipper would easily pay for itself as smaller land owners often don’t have the space or aesthetic inclination to dump tops in the woods. I run the Woodmaxx WM-8H and have been very pleased and think it is a great value for a hydraulic feed chipper.
Its a big commitment though and I understand why you are struggling with it. You are less than a year into this new business and still don’t know how it all is going to shake out. The world is about to change again too I suspect as things start getting back to normal.
Another un-desirable consideration would be additional liability insurance to use the machine on other people’s property. Kubota has their own insurance to cover their equipment while it is being financed that runs about $500 per year if I recall correctly but that obviously doesn’t cover someones truck or barn when you back into it, lol (I’ve done both).
Edit: I’ve heard very good things about Kioti machines as well as New Holland and think there is probably a bit more value with those brands as well.
Thanks fellas for all the replies. Brandon has been most helpful in sharing what he learned through his purchase and I have spent a bunch of time trying to configure an orange machine, but the monthly payments for what I would need are just too high. I am looking for something in the range where I can bank the money during the flush months and coast along on that cushion through the winter months. I don't want financing that is going to force me out to work in lousy weather or for 14 hour days. But I am keeping an open mind.
Howard, stationary equipment won't work for me, but it's a good idea. As I am a guest in every sense of the word on these landowner sites I have to remain 'Mr. Low Impact' and keep a low profile. Bringing logs home rather than cutting on site is slightly less productive because I can fit more in a trailer cut size, than in log length. Also I would have to skid those logs out and that can damage them, so it's a tradeoff. I keep an open mind on that too.
Nebraska, I just spent an hour and a half looking at the LS machines. Their website is painfully short on specs and details, so after looking at various dealer sites I collected enough to finally figure out they are 4WD (but I don't know what they mean by 'mechanical assist'). 4WD is a must around here. Also I am not sure if they have a quick attach system. They have very few attachments. Ideally my beginning setup would include a bucket and forks with a log grapple soon after. There is a dealer about an hour and change from me.
I guess the next step is to start visiting some dealers to get my eyes on some of this stuff and ask questions. It's not something I am going to pull the trigger on very soon because I have to be sure. As Brandon noted, these things are still shaking out for me.
Its always something, right?
Spending other people's money is always a pleasure.
Everything attachments is a fun website to build wish lists and they manufacture everything in the US. Remember a small tractor needs small/light attachments as that weight eats into your loader capacity. This is the best grapple for these sized machines IMHO.
https://www.everythingattachments.com/Compact-Tractor-Wicked-Root-Grapple-50-Single-lid-p/eta-cut-sl-rg-50.htm (https://www.everythingattachments.com/Compact-Tractor-Wicked-Root-Grapple-50-Single-lid-p/eta-cut-sl-rg-50.htm)
Also, this is the 3rd function remote I chose/have, the dealer bought and installed it at my request...
https://www.wrlonginc.com/vk12-vk20 (https://www.wrlonginc.com/vk12-vk20)
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on April 23, 2021, 08:47:20 AMIt's not something I am going to pull the trigger on very soon because I have to be sure.
The problem with visiting the dealers is there is a good chance there is a trade-in that they want to move and the price might be too tempting...;)
John, normally I would have my shields up against something like that as I am well aware of the threat. ;D However, in this case, if it is the right machine, a trade-in, and the financing is available, that might actually be a better fit at a lower price. The key is to not rush into anything without thinking it through. :D
Brandon I like that grapple/root rake. There are a lot of options and I think this is gonna take a while.
10 minutes ago I just picked up another log order. It is small but it is local and I like those. Easy peasey. For the local YMCA community farm project. I may have stumbled into something here. ;D The network appears to be growing as word travels.
This is getting a little crazy. I just got another order up to 400 logs. I have enough orders now that if I had 6,000 logs in my yard right now, they are all sold. (provided 5,000 are White Oak. ;D) Realistically I need to cut about 500 logs to make folks minimally happy. But if I could manage it those same folks would take that big number. Almost all of these are working into 'relationships' where folks would like a call as I find sources so they can place orders. Sort of like a standing order deal and my supply can't feed the demand. I am now connecting with commercial growers who know the game, know what they want, and are willing to wait for the right stuff.
I think I created a monster.
You better hope it doesn't get out that you don't like mushrooms! 🤣😉🤣
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on April 23, 2021, 02:31:42 PM. . . This is getting a little crazy. I just got a standing order deal and my supply can't feed . . I think I created a monster.
Or, you had a great idea and created a 'whopper-tunity' ?
Could you team up with someone you know you can work with - or has the drive to get after this and also someone that has the equipment and space to handle the volume?
Could you set this up as a business where you're more the manager and owner, and the others are happy to get paid to do the doing?
That puts you in the management chair, you decide how much retirement you can tolerate. 😆
The SAS in Britain have a motto: "Who Dares, Wins".
Andries, this is a complicated dance. I have the landowners to keep happy just as much or more than the buyers. Then there is the logger working the job, he has crews and equipment to keep busy making the payments, productivity, as you know, comes first. So there are a bunch of folks in this supply chain you have to treat with respect and keep happy and also work around their needs.
This is why I identified this as a possible opportunity. The loggers cannot afford the amount of time and handling it takes to handle these logs, let alone get them to buyers. It is chump change for them. Likewise few landowners have the contacts to make sales, nor are they interested in spending the time.
On the buyers side they have little idea where to go to cultivate relationships to get logs. On the internet they read "Oh, you can just find a landowner and many are happy to have you come and cut their thinning trees" then they find out that no landowner in his right mind is going to do that. Most mushroom growers don't even own a chainsaw, let alone have the required skills. The loggers I work with know me, and know I have the skills and take the care to respect where I am working and that there is a landowner involved. I am trading on my reputation which is mine to keep until I blow it. ;D
Yeah, if I found a landowner open to a bigger possibility I could maybe partner, but that will take time and I have to build trust and earn my way. As that trust builds, I am hoping I can do more, but for me good working relationships are more valuable than cash and I am wanting to invest in that part of the business first.
Taking on help, forming partnerships are down the road a ways. I am not looking to make a killing, just fill a niche and make some people happy while I pick up some cash to pay taxes and buy food.
Of course the opportunity for decent money in a short timeframe is tempting, but I have to check myself and go easy while I keep in mind this is not all about money, its about relationships where everyone wins. I just left the corporate world where greed rules everything and I sure want to stay as far away from that as possible.
The way you've done the analysis on this opportunity, and your description of it is really clear. You're setting your own terms and sticking to them, based on a clear understanding of your own standards.
The slow growth of a business, and easing into it is the best way forward and salutes to you for being a man of principal.
Building trust and a reputation take time and I do believe you're a patient kinda guy! 👍
Boy I had a great day today. In the woods all day doing property improvement work, took down a handful of trees, bucked up a bunch, working with the landowner, the piece we are working on is starting to look really nice. My goal this morning was to attack the big dead ash trees now that the wind has died, but we spent the day taking the stuff in front of the ashes out of the way, bucking it and either stacking it or loading firewood on my trailer. Only a couple of saw logs for the landowner in the whole bunch. Never got to the ash, but they will go on the next visit, I think. Still have a few EWP's to come down first. We also got distracted by this huge rock that was right smack in the middle of the landing and was a real pain to work around with the tractor. Like two little boys, we poked at it with the box blade, got the box blade hung on it, but realized we could move it. Game on! We rocked it back and forth but could not get it to roll. Finally disconnected the box blade and let it hang on the rock. We picked it off with the grapple, then worked on it some more and eventually got it out of the hole and slid it off to make a 'break room area table'. ;D Bladed over the hole to fill it in and now that landing is a whole lot nicer. Things are looking a lot better after 2 days of work. At the end of the session I marked the next trees to come down and the landowner added a few. :) ;D Scope creep, it's inevitable. ;D
We had a beer before I left and were just talking when my daughter called me, she was on her way home from work and somebody had a nice wet saw sitting on the side of the road with a "FREE" sign on it. all the doo dads were in a bag with it and it was relatively new and in great shape. She knew what it was and saw the value, but she had her VW and wondered if I could come bring it home in the truck. So I left my client and she waited 1/2 hour until I got there and dang if she wasn't right, it is a really nice machine with a full stand and all. So we managed to load it in my pickup even with the trailer full of logs tied on, and after a chat, we headed off in opposite directions. I got my tools unloaded when I got home (and the wet saw) and a few logs, but dinner was ready and I was pooped, still am. A good day of hard work, I'll be in bed early tonight, but no injuries or pulled anything. Just tired. I like that feeling along with having gotten something looking better than it did yesterday.
Tomorrow is another day.
On the tractor, I have 2. Well I have one, the wife has one. ;D I have a 40 hp, big tractor and she has the 30hp,small tractor, both NH. Hers is just used just for mowing and blowing the driveway out in the winter. No loader on hers. I have the 40hp with loader. This is the work horse of the farm. There is one brand of tractor that puts a 30 hp motor in a 40 hp frame, Mandra? That 30 hp NH will almost fit in the back of a pick up. Kinda of a small frame tractor. My big tractor there is no way that would fit in the back of a tractor. My big tractor has more weight than her small tractor. No way that small tractor could pick things up or pull like the big one can.
Yes you can make more trips or just not load as much. Just like my big tractor. A 70 hp could bring out more wood too. But a small tractor will not do what a big one can do. I have heard the woos of a 30 hp tractor more than once.
As you probably will as you are pouring over the details on tractors or other equipment in your search toward a future piece of equipment note the lift capability. This is lift should exceed your log/ lumber weight. The weight of your device on the front of the loader will also take up some of that capability. I use my grapple a bunch to move logs, load saw, clean brush etc. However, it weighs about 450lbs. That robs some of the log weight I can move. The forks or bucket are less weight and I could strap or chain log and move with them. I normally use bush hog or backhoe as counter balance but another weighty device of home made item will work of course. This is with a 42 hp tractor. This is a good size for me to do the stuff I want in the woods, be able to move around the mill and do the other chores around the land. Bigger would be stronger and more capable. ;D Enjoy your search!
Today was another day.
As I have written here many times before, what I THINK I am going to do on any given day can vary wildly from what I actually do on that day because, well, life happens. My plans for the day were to tune up the 372 and get it to idle correctly, work some more on that damaged drying rack and prop it up better, and get some more finishing work done on the custom bench that is nearly done.
My son texted me they (his crew) were working in the area today and would be by to spruce our place up a little more than I can do with my equipment. They do in minutes what can take me hours or more. Anyway, when they came by I was just getting started on that 372 and my son mentioned a trailer his (our) buddy had told him about being for sale. As he described it, it was just what I had been looking for. Roughly a 12,000# trailer, dual axles, about 16'. My son was thinking of buying it, but he thought too long. ;D I called the guy and as I had to bring my wife up to get her car (tires, inspection) right where the trailer was I made arrangements to look at it. The owner wasn't around, so I didn't crawl all over it, but it is in very good shape, heavy duty, electric brakes on all 4 wheels, built in equipment ramps, a nice setup in good maintenance. The price is hard to pass up. I told my buddy I would call him back later in the day.
I have been looking for about a year now for the right deal, but I don't have all the cash on hand for this deal quite yet (in my little baby business). I talked it over with the wife, seemed like a no-brainer and I can borrow some out of our savings to fill the shortfall.
Then I called one of my FF friends that is really good at parsing out stuff like this in a more detached way than I can. We worked through the pros and cons and really objectively had a hard time finding a lot of downsides to the deal. Still taking a bunch of money out of my bank account and dropping my balance way low always makes me pause.. ...twice. It's very hard to do, but in this case, I see the rebound coming fairly soon from increased productivity. So I made the call to pull the trigger and will go make a formal visit to give it a real look over with the owner there and have the cash in my pocket, probably Wednesday. Tomorrow I am off cutting on another property improvement job and may barely have time to get to the bank. It is a little sooner than I had expected to take the plunge, but the timing is right for the work I have. I am better off doing it now to improve my productivity and use that through the summer, than to wait until I have the cash on hand and wind up paying a LOT more for the same thing or something that 'needs work'. Plus, if I can sell my current trailer for a grand, that pays my savings account back. 2 guys are my son's crew were thinking they might like to buy my trailer as we were talking about this.
In between thinking, discussions, and phone calls, I did manage to get the 372 running better and while the guys were here everyone grabbed a hand and lifted that drying rack up on some blocks, now I can put on new legs and re-enforce at my leisure. No work on the bench though and tomorrow ain't looking good for that either. Maybe Thursday.
This trailer is about at the max of what my truck will pull, but I have 3 majors stepping stones: A piece of versatile equipment to lift, push and move things, a trailer to haul it, and a truck to pull it properly. This trailer is the first of those 3 things. One step at a time. If I figured it right, the trailer should have paid for itself by July, which ain't bad. Now I just have to work on replacing the cash reserve, repaying my self-loan, and banking some more for the next step. This is beginning to get complicated. ;D
And it all started with a hobby saw mill.
In other news, since I looked at my game cam photos and saw the bear and deer that are finding their way into my fenced in yard, I have built a 3' diameter perimeter around the apple tree. That dang deer was not happy with just the buds and he/she is eating the branch tips off now and I just can't have that. Hopefully the fence will help. I reset the camera a little further back too, maybe I can figure where they are coming from. And I re-baited the trap with stuff for a coon because that's the guy that likes my termaters and other hard grown food. I had hoped to rototill this week, but right now I need to do paying work on the good weather days when the wind is down. ;D
Tomorrow is another day.
8) sounds great.
Too pooped to pop last night for an update, the field work is growing and I am pushing a little harder every day. I got out early to run to town and get a 2-5/16" hitch and ball for the new trailer (needed one anyway, tired of borrowing my son's). Then I headed to a property improvement job and dropped 5 trees or so and bucked about 8 into firewood length. I put 5 tank fulls through the saw ( a new personal best since I have been keeping track) but was walking funny at the end of the session. ;D Working on a side hill can really suck it out of you.
I left that job, got to the bank, then went up and looked at that trailer. It looks like what I need and we made a deal. He has just registered it, so is waiting for the paperwork in the mail before we close the deal off, but we have an agreement. He is not in a rush for the cash, and I am not in a rush to pick it up. We both are busy old guys. ;D
I got 2 more mushroom bolt inquiries yesterday and one cancellation for an order I never got (found another source). :)
There is a chainsaw maintenance class on Friday that was on my radar but I didn't sign up, not knowing my schedule. It is also our 44th wedding anniversary and I wasn't sure how the wife would feel if I got home at 6pm that day. Anyway, I let it slip one day and she said, "we can go to dinner Saturday, go take the class". But I've been so busy I forgot to call (10 student limit) and this morning I called figuring it was either full or cancelled. Turns out they just got a cancellation this morning so I filled the last slot in the class. I could use some more pointers now that the saws are running more regularly and I really like this instructor, smart guy, funny (well sarcastic, which I speak fluently), and a great teacher. I have taken 3 other classes with him before (GOL 1,2,3) and am scheduled to take a Hazard Trees class with him is September. So that will be a nice relaxing day although its 2 hours of driving.
Today I started back on that lumber rack parsing out savable wood from firewood and made a little more progress, but my legs and back complain when I push them, so I took a break from that and washed the truck because it is filthy. More rain coming tomorrow so I can refill the water tank. Warmer outside the shop today than inside, so I restarted the stove this morning to dry it out. Neighbor wants to bring up his 4 wheeler because it is backfiring. Apparently I am his free mechanic. I got it running for him when he bought it, needed a carb and I told him only run non ethanol gas through it, but now he is not sure if he did or not. >:( Guess I will work on that tonight after hours.
Best get back at it. I have a bunch of little stuff to do today while my legs recover.
Well yesterday I tried to let my legs recover (still) from the other days work, but in the afternoon after some choke adjustments I took that 4 wheeler out for a test drive and it died and would not re-start about 1/4 mile form the shop. So much for resting the legs, it was a long push back. I took some of the carb apart and did some cleaning and now it seems a lot better, might have been bad gas. Anyway, I took it for a short ride, but it needs a new air filter. Today it rained all day today and I didn't feel like mudding around. Yesterday I did get the truck washed, I figured the water tank would refill today, and it did.
Today I went through my gear again, sharpened saws and cleaned wood chips out of everything. ;D I think I have pretty much finished off that bench.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210429_135938975.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1619738742)
I just need to get the felt foot pads for it and cut them to fit. I might deliver it next week as the customers are both about 2-3 weeks post COVID are are still pretty weak and tired all the time.
The fence I put up around the apple tree seems to be working, no hits on the camera in the last couple of nights, but I am thinking it should be higher.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210425_170951924.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1619739069)
Off the usual FF topics, I had been searching for a reasonable price on a particular record album for 6 or 7 years now and I finally found it and it arrived yesterday. I am sure for most folks here this is way off the map but in the 'NewGrass' world it was nearly as ground breaking as the Mule Skinner album. My Friend Bill recorded a track on this album and the tune turned into being one of his signature tunes for the rest of his life. The actual tune was written by Dizzie Gilespie, and a fella named Paparelli in his band. Bill did an arrangement for the banjo on it that used some pretty advanced chord progressions for the day. Slim had heard Bill was working on this and asked him to record his stuff and send it along so they could mix it into the tune for the album. Bill perfected the arrangement in the following year and played it ever since. Also playing on this tune (and album) were Sam Bush (fiddle), Joe Carr (Mando) and of course Slim Richey on rhythm guitar. This whole idea of lending a bluegrass format to jazz tunes was very new at the time and most folks thought it was downright nuts or heresy. But the proof is in the pudding and I am really enjoying this no end. I have just one or two more albums that Bill either wrote or played a big hand in and my 'collection' will be complete. This one was/is important to me. YMMv, but who knows. I cued this (if I did it right) at Night In Tunsia, the last tune on the album, which I was referring to above.
Jazz Grass [1977] - Slim Richey - YouTube (https://youtu.be/4QyHwudWyjI?t=2611)
Tomorrow is another day. I am taking a chainsaw maintenance class about an hour from here. I figure it's time I raised my skills a bit and this instructor is really good. I also want to pick his brain on some cutting techniques and other stuff I have been working on and need to fine tune. Knowledge is power.
Spent all day yesterday in a chainsaw maintenance class, it was really windy all day, spitting snow when we started the class, and rain here and there, but managed to get home in time to clean up and take the wife out for our 44th wedding anniversary. As I climbed out of the truck I notice THIS peeking out from behind the shop. Uh Oh.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210430_162750861.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1619866237)
Apparently we had winds up to 50 MPH here at the house and a diseased Maple let go. It missed my shed, by 2'.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210430_162814971.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1619866286)
But it made quite a mess.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210430_162829635.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1619866272)
Great way to end the day, I thought. >:( Not a big tree, probably 14" diameter. As I picked through it with the saw I realized it had snapped two steel guy cables supporting the west side of my 70' antenna tower. Not good. It ripped down the overhead power feed to my shed, and clobbered my little garden trailer with the balloon turf tires blowing out one of the tires. I had a mess of slab wood there yet to be cleaned up and this just added to the mess. I got the heavy weight off the trailer and most of it limbed, but it lays as it fell.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210430_163231742.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1619866629)
Yeah, I got lucky. It missed the shed on the left by two feet, and the mill bed on the right by 2 feet, clobbering that trailer square on (it's under there, you just can't see it), but somehow I didn't 'feel lucky'. ;D ;D In the process of lambing to see what I had I nicked one of the cables with the chainsaw and popped a strand. That just made the repair work more expensive. I still can't tell if the turnbuckle eyes opened up, or the anchor bolts broke, the cable ends are underwater in the creek still. I cut just enough to stabilize everything. Then I came in the house, got cleaned up, changed, and we went to dinner.
That was another fiasco. Every restaurant we went to had lines out the door with 20 minute waits. At the second place we took a wait number and they said they would call us on the phone (can't wait in the lobby), and with the wind, we sat in the truck. After 35 minutes we just left and went to our favorite diner and had a steak. Not what we wanted, but oh well.
I got home, changed again, and went out to the shop to sharpen that chain because I knew it would take a lot of filing and at least one beer. Right on both counts. the chain is not perfect, but close and it was too late and too dark to drive it in a log for a test. I had to get it done because I am off cutting one of the property improvement jobs this morning. I do have a new chain in my bag, so if this chain is still bad I will just swap out and fix it later. I'll work that job today and unload logs tonight, then tomorrow get to fixing and cleaning up the mess. Its always something.
Time to get at it, it's another day.
the bench looks great!
Thanks Doc, I had to go back and look, feels like that was a month ago. :D
Back to property improvement work today and finally we had enough stuff cleared out and cleaned up to start dropping the big dead ash. I dropped a nice sized EWP to start the day and it went right in the hole we picked. It was probably a 60' tree around 20" DBH. That was not a good tree and was in the way of the big Ash, so we cleaned that up. Then the ash was next.
This one was a challenge for me. 26" DBH at least 70' tall with a lot of widow maker material up high, we had made a pretty clear path (assuming we judged the weighing and lean correctly), but there were two leaders that were concerning as they would clearly catch another tree on the way down. I wasn't concerned if they broke and fell straight, but if they flipped back it could get dicey. I made a few small errors, hinge too thick, which I could correct to a degree, but I would not go on the bad side under that big widow maker, that would be really stupid. SO I kept whittling at it and wedging and driving. I wasn't in a hurry and we waited each time the wind picked up. Funny thing, in the middle of this cat and mouse game, a looky-loo showed up and as my client was spotting for me out on the road where I could see him and he could watch the top movement. The passer by wanted to know who was doing the work and were 'we available' to help them with their new property down the road. The client explained he was the landowner and what exactly we were doing and that I normally do not cut trees, mostly I am available for consulting and assistance work on smaller woodlots and properties. Apparently this is exactly what they were looking for. He hollered down to me asking if I had any cards with me and I told him they are under the visor in my truck, so he passed one on and finally they left. The whole time this is going on I am waiting until they leave but the conversation went long enough that I went back to pounding wedges when the wind was calm, watching the top, moving and stacking other wedges and pounding some more. After they left I thinned the hinge from the safe side as best as I could, then pounded some more and got more movement. Finally after all the little crackles and pops I heard/felt that one i was waiting for and all the wedges went loose about the same time the client hollered that it looked like it was going and of course, I boogied on out. I got well back to my planned safe spot and had plenty of time to turn and look it was still VERY slowly falling over, like in slow motion, but it kept going and then finally picked up steam and hit the ground HARD, BUT it didn't break and we got some really nice saw logs out of the stem. The top on the other hand kind of exploded. ;D It fell right in the hole we picked and the widow maker fell straight down as hoped. For once I got to watch it all instead of hearing it hit the ground as I was heading away.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210501_115038120.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1619906414)
That's a 28" bar on the saw.
Anyway, some nice logs, the next one coming down is pretty straight and just in the background of this photo. After I get another poor pine out of the way which is just out of frame to the right in this photo. That next ash top will land about 15' behind where I took this photo from.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210501_124300377.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1619906269)
So we cleaned up this tree, loaded my trailer, then hooked up the butt log on his log dolly and picked up the front end with some fancy chain rigging to his box blade to get it off the ground (which was not easy) I followed him down the road as his safety crew. That poor dolly was overloaded, but we got it parked by his mill. ;D :)
I headed home, chatted with the wife a little, then went out and unloaded the trailer, dragging off a log at a time. Then I put all my gear in the shop and started pulling off the small branches on that blamed tree out by the mill, but I knew I was out of steam. So I did some, put the mule away, tried starting the neighbor's 4 wheeler so I could work on that, but that was a no-go, so I came in the house and sat down...for a minute. I realized I could not keep my eyes open. I guess I can call that a day. *DanG I hate running out of energy when I have so much to do. I hope I can stay awake through dinner.
Tomorrow is another day.
That chain will cut like new after you sharpen it 5-6 more times. ::) I know the feeling, my thing is hitting rocks.
Quote from: thecfarm on May 02, 2021, 08:10:44 AM
That chain will cut like new after you sharpen it 5-6 more times. ::) I know the feeling, my thing is hitting rocks.
Absolutely right. I started the day with it yesterday on the pines we were clearing for the bigger trees to fall and it cut 'OK' but I put a new loop on before I started on the serious wood. I did not want to chance an iffy chain on big hardwood, I needed it to cut fast and easy. Today I am back on pines by the mill cleaning up the windblown mess and then some. More on that later.
Lunch, then back at it.
So yesterday being my 'day off' I needed to handle that blow down mess and fix the damage. That tree hit pretty hard and when I looked at my tower I could see the top 30' had a slight lean to the east and the other sets of guys were loose. That became a priority. I began with a lot of brush hauling so I could see where I was working. I found one guy end in the creek and it looked like the other cable busted. As long as I got the top guy up, it was safe. The bottom guys were a little bit of overdesign when I built the tower. The load of the tree opened up the eye on the turnbuckle.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210502_131028193.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1620041590)
There was one scraggly pine that needed gone and as long as all the overhead stuff was already down I rigged a safety rope to keep it from swinging the wrong way just because the risk was too high if it hit the shed. I didn't need more stuff to fix. I got that one down fine even though the hinge busted clean off, just snapped when it began to fall. Then I tried to get that top guy up, but there was still interference from another pine. I wanted that one down too, but didn't want to make more of a mess that day, it was a lot bigger with a lot of branches to clean up. OK< well as long as I was taking that down, there was a small one needed to come down first in the fall line. I safety lined the big one too because it has about 5' of back lean I had to hammer over and I was afraid if that hinge snapped I would have a REAL mess. By the time I was done I have 4 or 5 trees on the ground and a lot of cleanup to do.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210502_110739175_HDR.jpg?%3Cbr%20/%3Eeasyrotate_cache=1620041515)
You can see the stump in the foreground needed a lot of lift to get it to top over. The tree is only about 35' tall, but still. Anyway it dropped right on the line I wanted and I didn't need the rope at all. I fixed the eye on the turnbuckle and got the top guy back up. Then set to clearing branches and hacking stuff into sizes I could handle. A while into it and I found the other guy and turnbuckle down in the creek, fished it our and that eye had been straightened too, so back into the shop to put a little heat and fix that one, then dig out the come-a-long again and pull it in and hook that one up. All in ship shape now and the tower is straight again. :)
I cleared most of the branches but was running out of back strength. I re-hung the power line to the shed and that is working fine too. From the other end view you can see things have opened up quite a bit and it is VERY sunny there now, but no pine sap dripping on my work in progress anymore.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210502_125950966.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1620041551)
The mill is just out of site to the left in the photo behind that saw buck with slabs on it. If I put a culvert pipe in here and cover it I could drive a machine in to dump fill, perhaps even back a small dump truck in (there is a tight corner. This will put me a step closer to filling in that wet ground and making it usable space for more drying racks, a solar kiln maybe, and maneuvering room in general.
I still have those logs to pull out and do 'something' with but first I have to clean up all the cut slab wood laying in the way. My back was done in, so I changed gears. I managed to get air back in that blown out tire and it appears it has no lasting damage from the hit. Then I worked a little more on the neighbor's 4 wheeler and took it out for a long test run at highway speeds. It has smoothed out, no backfires, and I cruised his woodlot looking for more wind damage. Finding none, I put it back in the shop waiting for the new air cleaner so I can button it up and get it out of there.
Today is another day and even though I am still a bit back weary from the last 2 days, I am headed back to the clearing job I worked Saturday. There are a few more I can put on the ground, buck and cleanup without needing the landowners tractor. Now that we have done a lot of work to open it up, we have working room and I can put them on the ground and buck so that he can grab logs at his leisure. The weather is iffy with rain most of this week, the radar is clear right now and the wind should stay low until at least noon when the rain may start. I am hoping to be headed home by around 1 or 2.
Time to get at it.
Tom you've gotten quite a bit done there, you will enjoy having the space you opened up with those trees.
Yeah it was overdue and eventually I will get it trimmed up more, but no time now except for the minimum. Today is the 3rd day in a row I am dropping trees, limbing, and dragging brush. My legs are shot. Was kind of glad when the rain started.
Time to get back to it.
Yeah, it's starting to add up. Tomorrow will be a shop day with other stuff thrown in around the rain. My legs need a break, they haven't recovered since Friday.
Today was a shorter one knowing the rain was coming around noon. The goal was to get at least 3 decent trees on the ground and bucked for moving. The first was an EWP just to get out of the way, easy drop, right in the pocket. bucked that up. Then onto a big dead ash, my notch was just a little off on the aiming part ;D but I did drop it right between two little maple keepers and didn't hurt a leaf, however I did clobber the stump left from Saturday and broke the top just a little. :D But the top did land at the exact distance I thought, so that was good, because if that tree was longer it would have whacked my truck.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210503_103828969.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1620090290)
SO when I was bucking that one up I got an odd pinch because I read the loading wrong and the bar got squeezed pretty good. I got it out but the chain was jammed up tight. I tried getting the sprocket nose to turn but it was jammed tight. I work on it for a bit but was getting frustrated and time was burning and the rain was tinkling. So I swapped to an 18" spare bar and chain, got it all set and went to whacking off limbs but the second I touched the first piece of wood I realized the chain was on backwards. First time in my life I have done that (I swear). Anyway I am not getting any happier with myself, but I fixed it and bucked up the tree, ready for moving. Next was a simple straight dead ash that had to be threaded through a bunch of stuff. It had a back lean, but not a lot, and not many branches left up top to hurt me (it only takes one, right?). Anyway, routine notch and back cut, good even hinge. A few taps on the wedge and I overcame the lean pretty easy, headed right where I wanted. Another few taps and the wedge went loose. I stepped off knowing the tree was headed right through the hole, but then.....well. I had do do a little video to explain it.
Dead Ash Gone Wrong - YouTube (https://youtu.be/7XDM6hB_n9M)
I almost always know what I did wrong, but in this case i can't find anything wrong, the tree was even moving the right way and than all of a sudden the hinge just pulled out and it went sideways. I will look it over again (and again) when I go back and take the trees around it. But this enforces my attitude about never trusting what any given dead ash will do. These things just want to kill you.
Packed it up after that and headed home, well then I remembered that bench needs floor pads to finish it, so I drove to town, grabbed that stuff and lunch and ate on the way home. Unloaded the gear and started working on that bar and finally got the nose sprocket running free. I hate those small radius noses but they bore good, until they don't. I sharpened two of the 18" chains that did not preform well enough for me. One is some kind of oddball chain from my 'learning the hard way' days that will remain on the bottom of the chain box. I put the 20" bar back on and sharpened two more chains, but I was pretty much 'filed out' and my hands were all cramped up. It was 6pm and I figured it was a full enough day. I came in, had dinner, took a shower, and called in an order to Madsen's. End of day, tomorrow is another one. I am fairly certain I will find stuff to do. I just want to give the legs a rest if i can.
Amen on that OGH. I just dropped over 150 dead ash here on the farm between mid-January and April as a weekend warrior. Also a large number of canker-killed beech, a few ancillary maples and some cherries. Gotta start collecting logs in advance of ordering a new higher production mill later this year :D I guess I will end up with about 300-400 saw logs of varying length from this winter's work, plus a lot of firewood.
Here in central Niagara I live in a unique area called "shorthills" right on a deep cut in the Niagara Escarpment. The terrain here is steep (very steep) short hills of sandy glacial till covered with prime Carolinian hardwoods. When I say steep, it means a lot of time you are cutting the notch right on the ground on the uphill side and at head height on the back side.
I agree that it's really a challenge to drop the dead ash, as many are decently sized 24'-40" on the butt ends and 60 feet to the first crotch in the deep ravines. Anyway, many of the ash should have been dropped a year or two ago before they got in such bad shape, but life intervenes They are real pain to get dropped correctly without the now-dry hinges snap-crackle-popping and sending the tree off kilter. Lots of hung up trees without the weight of a full canopy remaining to drag them fully via gravity though the adjoining trees, and lots of big limbs falling everywhere from height in a large radius.
Anyway, I had some nightmares for weeks about the last ugly ash left in the bush. A full 40" on the butt, with about 60 feet of stick split diagonally right to the pith from about the 10 foot mark to the 30 foot mark, and half the upper canopy sheared off this past winter. A true widow-maker.
I knew this tree was going to hang up no matter which direction I dropped it due to the close proximity of other trees. I also decided to chain the base log hard around its circumference to keep the split from firing all the way to the base. To help direct the fall, I then put the full weight of my 125HP Mahindra on 150 feet of 1/2" line to bowstring tightness.
As luck would have it, the day before, a $15.00 trip to the local Stihl dealer for a recoil handle for my MS461 turned into a CAD$1,800.00 trip when the dealer's son asked if I would like to buy the last MS500i in captivity in Ontario from the three that arrived there that morning. Wasn't too hard of decision even though I like my MS461.
This was the third tree I dropped using the new saw. I cut a beautiful hinge and did bore cuts on both sides leaving about an 8" wide strap on the backside. Perfectly. Flat. Cuts. A few creaks and groans but no movement yet. I then cut the strap and the tree dropped exactly where I wanted it to fall...to about a 15 degree angle from vertical where it promptly hung on a few small branches on an adjoining hard maple, refusing to fully break the hinge.
No problem, the hinge had mostly let loose so a jumped in the Mahindra thinking a hard tug would simply shear off the remaining brittle hinge. No such luck.
Now comes the scary part. I knew I needed to get that hinge cut just a little more... and I guess you probably know what happened next. Cut only another inch into the hinge and that tree literally exploded off the stump with a huge crack as I was simultaneously running out my safety runout. But not before it yanked the new saw out of my hands and sent it rolling it underneath the log as it fired straight back to the tractor at least 20 feet through the air. That entire log split basically into thirds and associated shrapnel for about 30 feet, with the chain at least holding it mostly in one piece. Without the chain, I am pretty sure there would have been 30 feet of partial butt log lying at three points of the compass.
Fearing the worst, I recovered the saw and to my relief, despite the plastic kickback guard having a couple of scratches, the saw was absolutely untouched. As was I, fortunately.
So, with that post, I guess it's finally a good time to say, "Hi, I'm new to the forum, and I am really liking the place so far!" I hope I can add some valuable information, solicit a bunch of expert opinions, and maybe give some advice or even a few sawmilling or legal opinions of my own from time to time. Kind of interrelated, I know.
I'll get some photos posted of the logs once I sort them into some neater stacks. They are a mess of jack straws right now, and I wouldn't want the forum to get any wrong ideas about the quality of my work habits. :D
Leigh
zippski
Well Welcome to the forum Leigh! I'm tempted to say you got lucky on that tree, but it sounds to me like you knew what you were up against and had a good plan that kept you whole. OK, you DID get lucky with that saw. ;D
I too have been 'collecting' bad Ash stories since a few years ago when I had a similar tree on steep slope come within about 2 seconds of taking me out. Since that day, I think 3 times on each tree and try to plan for all possibilities, even the ones that seem impossible such as above. In that case, it was just deciding which side of the tree was safer for my escape route and I chose wisely. I don't like wedging and driving the big dead ones if I can help it. Yes, I will tap in some safety wedges, but if I can avoid driving them I do. Split trunks would keep me up at night. The property I am working right now has a lot of big trees along the road frontage and I took a pass on those. The risk is too high if the hinge snaps or worse. The tops need trimming out with a bucket truck crew then the stems can come over easier with much less risk. Back from the road is safer, but as you know hangers, splits, misdirection, and other things can ruin your day without a good safe plan. After that tree yesterday, I decided to 'bag it' and as my Dad used to say when he was trying to teach me some thing important "Think about what just happened here and how you could have made it different". ;D Every tree (assuming I survive it) makes me smarter. The key is not to forget the lessons as they pile up. I find that the more I cut, the more cautious I get.
Stay safe and keep looking up. :) Looking forward to you photos!
sounds like you are both a couple of "bad ashes"! :). sorry been working all night.
OGH sounds like you didn't really retire, you just became the boss. Fun to follow your blog.
Yeah, I guess I did, which means I work for an ash. :D
One day wasn't quite enough for my legs to recover, still a little crampy this morning and today was a real rain day. Between yesterday and today we got 2.25" and it rained most of the day, and really hard last night. With the wind out of the SSE it blew water right under the shop doors and I had a bunch of water in there. No big deal, with the fire going it is mostly dried up.
So another day of shop and office work, not that I minded. I did cut the floor pads to finish off that bench. The water tank was full but I sure hate to lose that water coming down. Drier days are coming. So I shoved a water barrel under the overflow. As it filled, I had an idea (dangerous most times, I know), so when it was nearly full I grabbed another barrel and cut a piece of hose that would reach to the bottom of both tanks and started a siphon with the hose on the bottom of each tank. I figured that way the tanks will stay balanced as long the hose stays on the bottom. Late in the afternoon I added a third. These tanks won't provide flow to anything, but I can shove a pump on the first one and pump it into the high tank which feeds the pressure pump. I just have to pump out of the first tank and all three will drop at the same rate, the siphon should go to whichever tank is lowest until one hose sucks air anyway. 300 gallons in the main tank and 150 in reserve should put me in good shape for a while.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210505_153639228.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1620259084)
Sounds simplistic, but I get a real kick out of stuff like this. I am just a kid playing with water during the rain storm. :D
So I banged around fixing this and cleaning that but didn't really get into anything. I should have, but just didn't feel like it. But..... LOOK MA! I CAN SEE MY WORKBENCH!
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210505_102301331.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1620259063)
That bench has been covered in junk all winter and I HATE that! Finally took the time today to find homes for everything and clear it off. AFTER I spent yesterday working on that bench all day and moving stuff back and forth. At least I feel better now. Let's see how long it lasts.
I spent a bunch of time on office work writing a blog post for the web site on property management and getting that formatted and pictures selected. I seem to be getting more interest in that, so I figured I would address it. While I was in there I also updated my mushroom information with the changes I've made. All the while I was watching an online webinar on the EAB updates given by a Dr. Kelly Oten from North Carolina State University, who was apparently in Colorado today and hails from Texas. (I found this funny, I don't know why.) The class offered CEU's that count toward my logger re-certification, I don't think I need the credits, but what the heck, knowledge is power and I was curious where we stand on this pest (the answer is, pretty much where we were a year ago). Besides, my cert is up this year, so I need to get that squared away. I did learn more about those wasps they are deploying to attack the EAB and that was interesting. They are TINY little guys, about the size of a mayfly, maybe smaller, like a knat. Also, there are several other 'predators' that eat the little critters like grass hoppers and woodpeckers. I also learned they are seeing an uptick in woodpecker populations where the ash borer is infested. So on the whole, it was interesting and I got my web work done at the same time.
Tomorrow is supposed to be clear, sunny, cool and have a nice humidity drop through the morning hours. In other words a pretty dang good day for working. 60° for a high temp. I will either be at a clients taking a few trees down (more dead ash) or working on cleaning up the trees I took down near the mill and all the slab wood littering the area. It's another mess like my bench that I just need to spend time on and get it done. I never allow myself time for these things, but I always make so much more progress after it is done and I feel a lot better about things. I don't know why I do this, but it's a hard habit to break.
One year ago today is when I had a last full time day of work, then went on vacation until retirement on June 1st. SO I have had a year to get my 'stuff' together. I have made some progress and enjoyed the mellow easy going pace. But now I have a few irons in the fire at the same time and its getting hectic. For a guy that used to keep 6 balls up in the air at the same time on multiple projects I am finding this a challenge to get back into a hectic swing of things. At some point I have to decide where to draw the line, but for now I will just keep plugging along. I think I am OK for a while yet. I know several of y'all warned me I would get overloaded in short time. I also know I blew you off, (at least in my head, I am pretty sure I was polite here on the forum) thinking it would never happen. But it looks like you folks were right or soon will be.
Ah well, I'll burn that bridge when I get to it. ;D Tomorrow is another day.
When I lived at home on the farm, we used to use old water heater tanks for culverts. Might be an inexpensive way to get you started on that project. It sounds like you need another one.😂
Yeah, maybe I should consider alternatives. Good idea, but I am not quite there yet.
Right now I am sitting here cooling my jets waiting for a phone call to go look at and maybe buy a used trailer. What's that you say, "Didn't I already make a deal on a trailer?" Why yes, that's correct. But 2 hours ago the guy called and said he felt terrible but had been offered 4k for the trailer he agreed to sell me for 2.5k. He said he would sell it to me for 3.5k because he felt terrible about it. I thunk on it for a second and said "Nope, you go take that 4k and be happy you found a sucker guy with too much money." He kept telling me how terrible he felt, but I just wished him luck and hung up.
t took me 20 minutes to find a trailer better suited to what I needed, get hold of the seller and set up a meet. He will drive it up half way saving me 40 minutes of driving each way. He's gonna call me as soon as he is done mowing his field. This one is $1,850, so I saved around 650 but have to do a little work on the brakes. Suits me fine. Just wish I hadn't wasted a week waiting for the other guy to try to boost me up.
More later as the saga continues.
Last week I sold my cargo trailer setup for 2 harleys. Listed on craigslist above Book value and in 10 minutes had a guy driving 3 hours to buy it with cash. By the time he left I had 18 more emails from people with cash wanting to buy it with some offering more then I was asking to be first. Yesterday I listed my Harley and before long 7 emails with the first one buying it with cash shortly there after. Several emails offered extra to be first. All said they had cash and I was above Book value already. Next I am listing my pontoon boat at twice its value because there is a shortage and hopefully I will find a hungry fish. It's a really good time to sell but with shortages a tough time to buy. Everyone seems to have a ton of cash and is willing to pay top dollar just to get things. Sucks the guy isn't sticking to the agreed price and that's why a fast cash deal is safest these days. I doubt this climate will last much longer.
@21incher (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=24694) I just hope you're right. I know I'm a pessimist on this, and experienced with bits of life.
Well, I'll tell you, I calmed down a little on the HOUR drive home empty handed and I am still so dang mad that I could spit. Did somebody put something in the water?
This guy says he will meet me at a tractor supply around 7 and will give me a call when he is on his way. Well I have a long drive, so I left before his call, got there, browsed TS then at 6:45 I drop him a text asking how he is making out. Turns out he lost track of time, now he gives me his home address and says come on over. Turns out he is not in the town he listed on the ad, he is 25 miles northeast of there. I could have saved a lot of driving. SO now I am ticked, its dusk. I start driving his way and I get another text, a long one, so I find a safe spot to pull over and read it. Now he reveals that he has no title or registration for this trailer, just giving me a bill of sale.
That tears it. He doesn't know the axle ratings, just what he was told by the prior owner, he never registered it (yes, hauling illegally) for 5 years with it, he doesn't know the condition of the brakes or if they even operate, he doesn't know the trailer rating overall or even who made it. I told him forget it and turned around right there. He gets all defensive. I resisted sending him a one word answer, just told him he wasted a bunch of my time and money and I was done with him. Too many things 'not right' for me to go any further. Dang Blasted I was HOT. By the time I got home he had edited his ad description and raised the price to $1900. The guy is a nut job.
So it took me all of 10 minutes to find another, better one on CL for $1750, but it is an hour and a half away. I left the guy a nice VM and sent him an email just in case, but I have to go fishing with the boys in the morning (I promised), so I asked if he had not sold it by Sunday if I could come down, cash in hand. This guy's ad was clear with good photo. He said "Have title in hand, ready to sell, I bought a bigger one." So lets see if we can make a deal on this one.
The only saving grace is, every trailer I find is closer to what I would spec out and cheaper than the one before, but this is costing me a lot of time and aggravation. People are nuts!
That was BS x 2! Sorry you got stuck dealing with (descriptive terms not appropriate here). Any way hoping your tomorrow is truly a better day. Congratulations on your first year of retirement.
Tomorrow will be better , he's "going fishing with the boys".😁 Have fun and good luck.
Hopefully this next fella comes through on the trailer :D or that may be the final straw that breaks the camels back no? :D
Well, last night was almost the first night I set an alarm clock since I 'retired', but I forgot. I was concerned that this would be one of those days I slept past 5am, what with all the frustration yesterday. But I got up around 5:30 and made it out the door by 6:30 for the boys fishing derby. Kind of a neat event. There is a large contractor next town over that hosts this event at his hill top home. 10 bucks a head donations for the kids which includes a pancake breakfast (pancakes, bacon, sausage, fruit, muffins, donuts, coffee juice, and more, some worms and a 3 keeper fish limit. It's a nice pond and he stocks it with about 600 trout of several species for the event, and these aren't small fish, I saw some 16" being taken out, nothing very small for sure. It was colder, overcast and rainy, but the boys had a pretty good time. The best part is that this event is a fund raiser for a scholarship program in the name of the contractor's son. They give out about 50 grand in funds each year to young men and women graduating from the high school who are either going into a trade school, apprenticeship program, or directly to the workforce in a trade.
Everybody in our clan wore the correct uniform:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210508_080001870.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1620505915)
Except me, I didn't get the memo. I did have on a black hoodie under my jacket however. These fish were caught by the kids next to us.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210508_090217070.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1620505969)
It didn't rain hard, but it was persistent. After a couple of hours I was pretty soaked through. The boys had had enough and we headed home. When I got home I needed dry socks and other stuff.
I had ordered a new Efnem wool crusher hat from Madsen's last week and it arrived yesterday. I have been wearing these hats of and on since I was about 5 years old, and pretty steady the last 40 years. I always order a 'large' they always shrink and I have to keep stretching it (like once a week). its annoying, but I like these hats. SO this time, I took a chance and ordered an extra large. Well it is WAY too big and falls down over my ears. So yesterday I wet it down and let it dry. It shrank a little, but not near enough. SO when I got home today, I hung it out in the rain to get a good soak.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20210508_160816861_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1620505964)
I'll bring it in tonight or tomorrow and let it dry well and hope it fits. Right now I am back to ball caps because my current one got soaked this morning and shrunk again. It's back on the stretcher now, too wet to wear. Maybe tomorrow.
OK, more on the trailer saga. No return call or email from the next prospect, so I tried him again. OH, he is getting lots of calls and has folks offering over his asking price, so he is hanging in to see who comes up with the best money. He said 'check back Monday or Tuesday because 2 guys said they would pay 500 more if he would hold it until then. I said "Look you advertised it for 1,750, I have that cash in my hand right now. I can come down tomorrow morning, hand you the cash, and you sign it over. Simple, no nonsense. I can throw in a hundred bucks more, but I am not paying 500 more. Your call. It ain't right to list one price then up it by 30% when people call you." he says "I'm not asking, they are offering." I replied "yes, and you are holding off folks standing in front of you with your asking price right now. It ain't right, but its your call. If I think of it, I may give you a call Monday, but I will keep shopping."
What is the deal with people that offer something for a price, then change their mind and want more, or (in one case) shake on a deal and a week later change their mind and demand more? People suck and it ain't right. A handshake ain't what it once was.
Oh, and the first guy? ;D I got a call while I was at the fishing derby today from the guy who hooked me up with that seller. He leases the yard and shop there as he buys the business a piece at a time from the older fella. He tells me that this guy is known to play those games and nobody has come to look at that trailer since me. There is no other buyer for 4 grand and the trailer will sit there. He is going to keep an eye on it though. He says the guy had second thoughts and is trying to jack me up, just as I suspected. He is SUPER TICKED because he connected me and feels like he sent me to a bum deal. No sweat, I get it. Now lets see how long he sits on that trailer, or if he calls me back with another story and 'offer.' Part of the reason I told the guy to take the bigger money was because this is a small town. People talk, and if I gave this guy a rough time or accused him of anything (such as what he actually did) word could get out that I was a bad guy in spite of the facts. I preferred the high road and told him to take the bigger money and enjoy it. I wasn't sure then, but know now he will have to eat it because he gambled and came up short.
SO the search, and I am certain the frustration, continues. If I don't find something close, oh well, I will make do with what I have for now. It just means more work and more trips, but rumor is that I am a resourceful guy, so I'll just take it one day at a time. Tomorrow is another day, I'll worry about it then.
That's the same thing that is happening to everything I have listed on craigslist lately. I have never seen it like this before. Used to be you list something and sort through a couple days of spam before there was the right buyer. Now it's like a shark feeding frenzy a couple minutes after the listing goes live. Yesterday I decided it's time to dump anything I haven't used in a couple years and came up with a list containing almost 100 items. Listed a old diamond plate truck tool box last night to start. Within minutes had a reply and he picked it up this morning with a $100 cash. That's more then I paid for it 25 years ago. Had 2 more hits shortly thereafter last night and just took the add down. Never seen so much money flying around just waiting to be spent. I finally am going to have a clean shop with space to work if everything sells. You have hit some real losers that will raise the price after agreeing initially.
Usually I figure obo means they will take less but guess they could take more too.
I can't blame anyone who will take more but they should word the ad in a way that express that, something like "taking offers until Saturday" but once the deal is done it's done.
Quote from: Hilltop366 on May 08, 2021, 10:17:06 PM
Usually I figure obo means they will take less but guess they could take more too.
I can't blame anyone who will take more but would they should word the ad in a way that express that, something like "taking offers until Saturday" but once the deal is done it's done.
I actually like that idea. Maybe something 21incher could adapt. That is fair, it lets folks know where you stand right up front like a person should do. This second guessing underhanded "well, I don't know now..." stuff is burning my britches. I spend a lot of time looking for the right trailer, then call and get a song and dance. I just feel like I am a sucker if I fall into the trap and am feeding the beast if I pay so much more. That guy today had, what I think, is the perfect trailer, and yes I had the cash in hand to pay that extra 500, but dang it it all, that ain't right and I'm not gonna do it. That's just me and I am sure it will put me in a tight spot with the work I need to do, but I won't be a sheep. That taste would burn on my tongue a lot longer than paying too much because I wasn't a wary buyer and bought something with hidden issues I didn't see. If I get the perfect trailer, I won't need the one I have and will sell it. Right now trailers like mine are going for more than I paid for it, but I am not going to play the bait and switch game. I might just accept offers as you say for 2 days, then sell it to the high bidder that brings cash.
I firmly believe that if you advertise a certain price you should sell to the first person that shows up with that amount, if you say no it could be seen as discrimination depending on who got turned down. I have what would probably be a good trailer for you but don't want to sell until after we are finished moving which may be next fall.
Your trailer escapades sound rough OGH!
I too like the idea of accepting offers until...
I've only dealt with CL twice. Once to buy my motorcycle and it went beautifully and once to sell a couple couches and within an hour of posting the guy was at my house picking them up. I have seen lots of scammy junk happening there though. Particularly backhoes that don't exist...
Odd day, the weather is cool overcast, felt like rain all day, but the dew point was just too low. I needed to clean the shop chimney, all the creoote fell down and plugged the top of the stove up. When I did that one of the 45° joints let go and a short section was getting really thin and I realized it needed work, so I ordered the parts and will do it right. Also ordered the new combustor (200 bucks!) but that won't come until June. I'll get the other stuff replaced so it's good for the next season with no compromises. So no stove for a week or so and with this snotty weather, I miss it.
I went out back and started pulling pout the logs I cut over the weekend to get that a little more cleaned up. We got a lot more rain over the weekend than was predicted and the swamp is a mess. I nearly got the Mule stuck in there for good and made some pretty big wallows getting out, but I winched most of the logs out to workable positions and will wait until it dries some more.
When I pulled one log out it created an open water spot about 12" deep. I have been laying brush in there for two years and walking on that, now it's open again.
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I was lucky to get the Mule out of this, mud was a-flyin'!
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Not a real good comparison, but here is a shot from about a year ago when I set the mill there and you can see all the tree in the foreground.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/DSCF3366.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1575158344)
And here is how it looks today from pretty mush the same angle:
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I took out 2 trees on this side of the creek (Pines) and about 4 on the far side. I have one more that will require a high safety line to reduce the risk. It still has some life but the top half is totally dead and it needs to go.
By the time I was done I had to hose off my boots and pants legs because the mud was pretty thick. On thing, my rain collection system is full, I have about 450 gallons on hand, which is good because I have a lot of mud to clean off these logs.
On the trailer 'front' I think I am going to let it go for a bit and see if I find something later. I realized last night that with the crazy prices of these used trailers I might be better off getting something new, because the price jump isn't very much at all when you consider buying somebody's old stuff with old issues, verses brand new. I'll just keep banking money and wait a little bit. Another 1,500 could put me into a brand new trailer that is more of what I want with a lot less hassle. Actually if you look at the tractor supply prices, some of the used trailers are selling for more than the new ones, but of course tractor supply has no stock on anything now, they are all sold out. Same with all the big box guys. So I am considering a 16' Big Tex, 2022 model. Just need to earn a little more cash. Haste makes waste. I will sit on it a bit longer. I have reached and exceeded my frustration quota for the month. ;D
Tomorrow is another day.
Well yesterday I was still studying the weather and trying to make arrangements with my property improvement clients around the weird weather. SO between phone calls and emails I decided to get back to work on a commissioned bar job I started 3 months ago or so. I got some sanding and some shaping cuts done and then got a call from a fella I know asking about some property improvement work and also hbe had a lawn tractor issue he wondered if I could look at and maybe help with. I also had a chat with Barge and it looks like I will begin some mushroom log cutting at the end of next week, so time to gear up for that. Knowing what I have coming up in the next 10 days I figured I would run over and see what this new 'potential' client had in mind. He's in Woodstock, just 15 minutes away. Well, it turns out he bought the house formerly owned by Lee Marvin when he lived in Woodstock. It's a rambling place made built over decades and is basically comprised of 5 separate buildings with shared walls and foundations. A bit confusing inside, but built right by good folks and has strong bones. But I did get lost when I went back in the house to find something and could barely remember how to get out.
Just 3 acres of property on a side hill (terraced). Lots of cleaning up to do. I told him what I could and also could not do, made some suggestions about tree selection and management and culling. Like many others, this will be an 'ongoing job' done in phases and pieces. They just acquired this property last fall, so this is their first growing season. He liked my rate, said it is more than fair, then we took a look at his mower. Simple snapped belt, but he says mechanics are not his thing. SO while he went to get the new belt, I pulled the deck off and took the necessary parts apart and figured out the belt path. Turns out he couldn't find the new belt he bought. SO we put the tractor in drivable condition and I said I would come back when he got the belt, which he picked up last night.
I ran over this morning and finished it in ten minutes. He tested, all good. Then he asked if I liked a challenge? He has a commercial vacuum machine for packaging food and it seems the pump is seized. What the heck, it's an expensive machine, it should be fixable. So I took it home to work on during the next rainy day. My bench client showed up and they picked up their bench. Then I went into town and got some basic supplies (oil, advil, a new small cooler, milk, and beer), then I came home and started in on that vacuum machine. Spent most of my ti8me trying to figure out how to open it up to get access. Pulled the end off the pump housing, drained the oil, and had a look. The motor had sat for a while and was sticky, so were the vacuum blades on the impeller. Moved everything around, got it all cleaned and sliding nice then put it all back together. Put the oil back in, but need some more to make it right. I had enough for a short test and it sucks down pretty dang quick now. Good enough. Called the client and got him to order the oil. When it comes in, he'll come over, I will drain out the old stuff and refill it with new and he should be good to go. All done in under 3 hours. Glad I got it done now and won't have it staring at me every time I come in the door waiting to be done.
Tomorrow I am back in the chainsaw pants for the day. Dropping some trees.
Friday I expect I will be going through gear for working remotely and putting together the stuff I don't normally worry about, like the tools to fix whatever may break, getting the Mule tanked up and checked out and making sure I think of all the stuff I didn't think of. Normally my days at clients are only 6 hours or so, but having full days out over an hour from home means I need to think like all you portable sawmill guys that do this all the time. Having all the tools I might need and spare parts, change of clothes and other clothes for weather changes, food, water, etc. (That's why I picked up a 'right sized' cooler today to hold a food supply and plenty of water, plus a frozen water jug to keep it coolish.) I have to go through the truck and clean out all the unneeded stuff to make room for the more important stuff. Its just more to think about, but I like doing new stuff. Its a challenge to see if I guess correctly or if I forget something. Hopefully it won't be critical. I also have to check out the trailer. The prime mission is to come home with a full load of logs each day and hopefully queue some up so that at some point I just do shuttle runs all day and don't have to cut and move, just load and go. That's the plan, let's see what really happens. ;D
Anyway, Saturday I will be back on dead ash again, probably some chipping and bringing home a load of logs at the end of the day. Seems like things are getting busy for me.
Tom,
Sounds like a productive day and you are getting in the groove with this new retirement plan. You are dead right on the loading of tools for distant trips. I pretty much have a standard kit now I take and know what order to load it so it is "combat loaded" with the things I need first loaded last and most accessible. Most of the items I take I don't need on most trips but if you don't have it then you are shut down or seriously delayed for minor problems.
I started the morning going 30 minutes away to get my Amish farrier to trim the mule's hooves. Took 15-20 minutes then 30 minutes back. Picked up 3 lbs of screws for planter making but forgot to replenish my drywall ringed nails I use to make crates. The ringed nails hold better in the soft wood especially when nailed in the ends with the grain. I came back and got today's weekly local paper in the mail as new subscription and they ran an article on my mill and service. Crazy lady called soon after wanting to sell me her 10 y/o cherry boards and when I told her I had plenty of cherry in stock for my use and for sale. She said well, since I did not need hers if anybody called wanting some to give them her number. (What part of "I have plenty for sale" did not register?) I don't know where they come from?
Another lady called and wanted to know all about using her oak and cherry for flooring and I kept telling her "call your flooring contractor" as I saw lumber. He can tell you the sizes and moisture content issues. She even asked about how the fact her house was on a hill was going to affect drying time and such. I told her since we all have different comfort levels and keep our homes cooler or warmer that is likely a bigger factor than her homes elevation. I started to tell her to go back home to New York (No, I would not do that. :D).
I finished a few more crates for this weekend's flea market at the fairgrounds and used my last ringed nails. Then, while the planer was out, I grabbed a couple of LE walnut boards, cut a couple of 31" slices out then fired up the mill and squared off the backs to make a shelf/coat rack to replace one I sold last week. I have high hopes for this one and should finish it tomorrow.
My compost toilet lady called back. Her husband decided she needed a window for light in there so now I'll have to modify my design a little. I checked with my metal supplier on clear fiberglass roofing thinking that might be a better option for the light but he does not sell it so I ordered 2 galv-alum sheets to make it as my usual roofing. I'll try a trip to Lowes after the Flea Market Saturday to get door hinges and some 4' treated 2X6s, drip edge and a toilet seat.
Oh well, tomorrow is another day and I have my shelf and outhouse to work on to keep me out of trouble.
I have people that walk into the store and say loudly I need a plumper. As I say, if I was a plumper I would not be working here for these wages. ::)
I could fill a book up with questions.
Than they need a shut off valve. What size? Oh about this big with their finger and thumb. Or I don't know. ::) Or I took a picture with my phone.
But there are some people that know what I am saying and go back home and get a measurement. But most will stand there and expect me to know what size they need.
Yes, this planning to have the right stuff with me is important and takes time. I don't think too fast, so I keep it in my head all the time and when I think of something I either fetch it and put it in the pile, or write it down so I don't forget. The game is to not come up short when circumstances change. On the local property management jobs, it's not so bad if I need something I don't have, like a chain or a choker. I bring it next time and do it then. But the main thing is to keep working and not get stopped.
Yeah, people are funny. I am seeing a lot of this with the mushroom logs. I get an email from a fella or gal with 'mushroom logs' in the subject and something like the following:
"I could pickup at any location
Please let me know if this is possible"
Then nothing but a name at the bottom, no phone number. I kid you not, this is an exact and complete quote from an email. I was getting two like this every other day for a while. So I came up with a 'form response" that I send back, it lists the simple details I need as well as a little about how and when I get these logs. I end it by saying "Just answer those 3 questions and I will get you on the list" (how many, what species, preferred size), but it seems like they don't ever follow up. Maybe my questions were too hard? ;D In case of that I tell them that if they are new and can't answer those questions, just tell me what they are growing and I can give them some basic advice to get them started. I have not decided how many of these folks I will follow up on (again) when I have logs on hand. Most want 1-4 logs, that's not even 20 bucks. When I have commercial buyers waiting for 100-400 or more logs, I think I might lean their way. :D I hate those inquiries where they say "I need a few", "I need a lot", " i need some", or "I will take what you have", when they really mean "I need 2" or "a lot" means 10. Then I get a real commercial inquiry and 'A lot' means 5,000 logs. It can make you crazy if you let it.
I have been lucky in that most of my customers and clients so far are people I know. Sometimes I think they give me business just to help me get started, but they seem to be happy with what they are getting in return. Yes, I have picked up one or two who are high maintenance, but living here for so long and knowing how those folks can be I have developed an approach that dances somewhere between 'friendly dumb guy' and "grouchy curmudgeon'. I can pull out either card based on the attitude I am handed. I have also learned to be honest about what I can and can't do, as well as what I won't and will do. I don't cross those lines and make them clear. So the person that tries to talk me into or out of something to get the deal they want or expect, has a tough row to hoe. I always try to meet the unrealistic expectations with a handful of educational questions. If they circle around with the same stuff, I give up. They are the customer and need to decide what they want, if they can't do that, I move on. I learned a lot about refining this approach from reading what the folks here on the FF have shared. I was pretty good at it before, but now I think I am getting a lot more practice at dealing with 'those folks' and am getting better.
Yeah, I get a lot of those "Hey my neighbor is taking down a tree, do you want to come get it?" or "can you come get this tree and make me some lumber from it?" calls, but they are getting less and less. It's a fine line between those and the calls I get from loggers and land clearers "Hey, I just took down some nice red oak, if you can get over here with your trailer this afternoon I can load you." I don't want those calls to stop.
Its time to throw the gear in the truck and hit the road. Maybe it will break 60 today!
I think you could discount the price as the number goes up. 1 log could be 10 bucks. or 9.99 if you want to play those games. I would not get down to 3 bucks a log (or what ever the price is) till you reach 100 logs for wholesale. or then it could be by the pallet if you decide to store and ship them that way. 1 log is really almost as much trouble as 10 and so on.
Tom,
As you probably well know, you will quickly find it is easier to remember what to bring based on what you needed and did not have last time. ;) Also when you struggle to do a task you will remember things like when cutting and turning logs and such as - "this would be a lot easier if I'd brought my cant hook" or such. I store my tools and equipment together so when I see one, I remember to bring the other - like wedges and my felling ax, magic Hook and 6' 1/4" chains to use with it, etc.
I remember when I was in the USMC I graded myself when I'd set up a supply dump in the field based on what I brought that was used or what I forgot and was needed. On one exercise I got a call from one of the general's staff for an 8' fluorescent light fixture. I offered them a couple more Coleman type gas lanterns and did not beat myself up at all on that one as we were supposed to be in tactical mode and they seemed to think they were back at the CP in the rear.
It is hard to fill a customer's order when he has no idea what he wants. On over half my jobs a customer will ask me "What should we cut this log into?" I tell them "I'd cut it into whatever I needed and if I did not need it whatever I thought would sell" as appropriate.
As you mentioned most people mean well but they just don't know. I can deal with them. The ones who want to act like they know it all but don't know which end of a cant hook to hold are the ones that annoy me. Oh well, at least they teach you patience.
Doc, you make another good point (as I have come to expect from you) and I will have to give that some thought as to how I want to cut the numbers, but think on it I will.
Howard you are correct on all points and I look at the 'working on the road' thing as a challenge in logistics and planning. I too challenge myself on these things and enjoy it as part of the game. Let's just see how it goes. It's a long drive to the nearest hardware store up that way, but at least there is good hot food available not far away. :) I love that Conesville Country Store!
Now I hope you folks get a kick out of this next new development like I did. I got another email from the guy at Cornell (he's the guy that wanted 1,000 logs delivered to Brooklyn, but we have delayed that plan as too ambitious for right now). He would still like to get 300-500 logs from me for Brooklyn to be picked up at my place or something along those lines. Today he was asking when I could commit to a number (which I could not answer yet) and he offered to pay 50% up front if that would help. I reminded him I take no deposits except for custom furniture on occasion (expenses) and preferred to do business on a person's word.
Here's the interesting part. He said he was contacted by a fella with a sailing vessel that is looking for unique products to send down the Hudson River from the Catskills as has been done for the past 300 years. So they wanted to know if I would be willing (for a transport fee) to move the logs the the maritime museum where the sloop will be docked in Kingston. That's a 15 minute drive for me, 1 mile from where I used to work before I retired. They were thinking they could run a workshop on mushroom growing just before the boat launched. He wondered if I was up for something like that. ;D
Well just based on the transport payment he offered, yeah. I would have to do a couple of trips based on the number of logs, but no big deal, just work and time and the payment is fair. I could also 'maximize my load size' because it is a short, low speed run. But the whole thing sounds like fun for a one time deal, even two times. I like the fact that this process exactly reproduces the process used for 300 years where the products created and drawn from these mountains were taken from the woods or quarries, transported down the Plank Road to the water front in Kingston, loaded on barges, sloops, passenger ships, and other craft, and floated down to NYC. All the old sidewalks in Manhattan came from right around my house (Bluestone) as did the stone cobbles that made the streets. When concrete came into use (also produced up in this river valley), the industry switched to tanning leather up here and they striped the forest clean of first growth trees to get the inner bark for the tannin. The built whole towns around that industry including many around Brage (Palenville and Tannersville among others). When that died out they started chair factories all over the hills to use the hardwood that was available. So the irony I see in this is that I get these logs from up by Barge, I drive down Rt. 42 which was one of the oldest cut roads between the hills coming down from Schoharie county to Rt. 28 which was called the Plank Road back in the 1700's, they stop at my house on Stone road, which was a road laid with bluestone slabs 4" thick to support the weight of the stone boats (steel wheeled wagons) bringing out bluestone slabs headed to NYC, then they continue on via the Plank road again to the waterfront in Kingston which was a huge commercial operation going back 300 years ago and still is to a certain degree. The British landed on that same spot in 1777 when they came to burn Kingston, the capitol of the state at that time. Anyway, they get loaded on a boat and headed to the city. I think that is pretty cool.
"Sure" I told him, "I am in. I can do what you ask and give you some more of my time if it can help you out with the workshop or whatever". Maybe I can make some more local contacts for log sales, who knows? I don't care, sounds like fun and it sure is different. I have been meaning to hook up with the museum anyway on other things.
Today I was dropping a few trees and clearing culls to do some thinning at a clients place I had a lot of run-in's with thorny type stuff, even took a thorn right through the leather thumb pad on a glove and lodged hard into my skin. Had to shut the saw off, and take off the other glove to fish it out, MAN that hurt! I am seriously thinking about getting a brush saw. Interesting thing though as I was culling, I came upon a brand new Ash seedling doing just fine! Then I found an ash stump with a lot of epicormic sprouts, THEN I found a 4" diameter Ash growing straight and true with NO evidence of the borer. In fact I found 3 healthy Ash trees about 4" diameter. That not only made my day, it meant a whole lot more. Maybe they have moved on? Maybe these new trees are more resistant? I don't know, but I have to say it is SO very good to see new ash trees growing. I haven't seen young healthy ash leaves around here in ten years or more. I was SO excited, the property owner thought I was loosing it a little I think. WOW that was really neat. So today was indeed another day and it brought me new joy.
I got home after that, put my saw on the bench and sharpened it up for the next job. Rewired a bad light on my trailer so that the turn signal (both) work, and did a few more things in the shop before coming in and answering emails, etc. Every day is an adventure of sorts, and that's just the way I like it.
Tomorrow is another day, right?
Sounds like a great day and thanks for the history lesson. I think I mentioned visiting an old, working tannery in northern Cameroon one time. They had dug out pits they filled with water and bird crap and seeds and such to preserve the leather. I love seeing, hearing and reading about those processes. I did a project at Corning HQ in Corning NY one time and they told me all the supplies used to come up the river on barges which amazed me as the river did not look that wide or that deep.
In Norway we visited the last water powered steel mill. It was basically a working museum now. They used to the water to turn a bellows which added O2 to the charcoal they used before folks discovered Coke made from coal. The extra air burned the charcoal hotter and melted the iron ore. Prior to the UK discovering how to make coke from coal they used charcoal and Norway produced the world's highest quality steel. When they learned make Coke the UK could also produce high quality steel and they took over the world's steel making leadership. I had done a project at a Steel mill in northern WV/Eastern OH and knew the basics but had never thought about using water power to pump air or using charcoal instead of coke.
I wish the kids today could go visit working sites like that to help them understand and appreciate the work it takes to build things. That's why I like to do workshops with my mill and I can see mushroom workshops being a big hit too. At the end of the workshop you need to feed the students a good mushroom and sausage pizza. :D
Quote from: WV Sawmiller on May 13, 2021, 08:37:22 PM.......... At the end of the workshop you need to feed the students a good mushroom and sausage pizza. :D
As the Brits say 'Not bloody likely'. :D ;D I don't eat mushrooms. Besides I am just a sideshow at this thing (if it even happens). I will be playing the part of the 'old guy who brought the logs down from the mountains'. I expect I can do that just fine. That's all I can do. Let's just see how this progresses over time.
Dang! And mushroom and sausage is my favorite pizza. I guess I will have come up with another plan to scrounge a meal. Maybe I can call the MM and get him to give me lessons as he posts the best ones I have seen here.
Not to worry Howard, if it's a free meal you want I can easily arrange that to be something much better than pizza. Sorry, no grits around these parts (I think we have a law or something), but there are 4 very nice restaurants within a short walk of the museum where you can enjoy some fine food while sitting outside and overlooking the water. In fact, the one closest to the museum has a deck and dock hanging out over the water. One of those places used to be Barge's favorite watering hole (or so I have heard) when he worked at the marina when the boat was in for repairs, just a half mile down the creek. I myself have been known to throw back a few there during business lunches.
So, opportunities abound. ;D
Tom,
Thanks for the invite and reassurance I won't starve when I come up. I can pack grits to bring along just like any other essentials. I had an uncle stationed in Minnesota or some other glaciated clime and he kept asking the local grocery for grits. The owner finally told him to get grits he had to buy at least 100 lbs and he did not think he could sell that many so my uncle told him buy them and if they did not sell, he'd buy them himself. The man bought them and advertised "We have grits" and had so much business he had a hard time keeping them in stock.
I'm still trying to get my mind wrapped around the fact the New York Mushroom King does not like to eat mushrooms. ::) Its kind of like finding Smithfield foods is a Jewish or Muslim conglomeration or that Tyson's Poultry owner the head of PETA or such.
Well I know you are not a drinking man Howard, but try to think of it this way: Would you patronize a bar where the bartender was always drunk? ;D
The grits were probably used as a substitute for traction sand. ;D
You know Southerners will eventually inherit the earth because we are more flexible. We love our grits but we can easily accept and adapt to a diet of hash browns, home fries or cottage fries or such when none are available. The next time we have a huge potato famine like Ireland had between 1845-1849 the Eskimos up north will be dropping like flies while the highly adaptable southern gentlemen and their Belles with be chowing down on grits and leftover mushroom pizza.
We will have to revert back to the old times around here when poor people ate lobster and haddock, the poor kids were embarrassed to go to school with their lobster sandwich on homemade bread and would try to trade with the richer kids for baloney on store bought bread.(true story)
Hilltop,
Yes. I read somewhere that indentured servants coming to work for families in New England even had clauses in their contracts certifying they would not be fed lobster more than 2 times per week.
In the south the slaves were fed the lesser cuts off the pig such as the ribs and shoulders while the owners ate the hams and loins and such. They had to figure a way to make the ribs and such tender and tasty enough to eat so they came up with slow cooked BBQ and such. The owners tasted it and realized how good they were and those became prime cuts.
I remember when chicken wings were dirt cheap. Then people figured out if they cut them at the joints and fried them they were very good so they became expensive too.
I had a S. Vietnamese co-worker in Bagram, Afghaniland who had been a POW to N. Viet Nam. Another POW had been an Ag teacher or such the North Vietnamese captors put him in charge of raising a pig. When it was grown they would butcher it and the officers got the choice cuts, the guards got the next and the POWs got the offal and scraps. The teacher was also familiar with the local plants so when the pig was nearly grown he would feed it a particular plant and it would start frothing at the mouth and staggering around so he would go report to the guards "Sir, the pig is sick." The guard would look at it, concur and shoot it and tell him "You and the other POWs can have it" and they would give him another pig to raise. I don't guess they ever caught on to what he was doing.
I mentioned above why Southerners will outlast the northerners. To take it a step further Cajun's will outlast us all as there is one thing they will not eat but nobody can remember what it is.
I was born in Alabama, spent the first half of my life in Georgia and know a thing or two about grits. The second half of my life has been spent in grit deprived New York but thanks to a healthy Italian population here, there is no shortage of Polenta which, at the risk of blasphemy, is every bit as good as grits and usually prepared a heckuva lot better. :o
Quote from: WV Sawmiller on May 14, 2021, 10:02:06 AM. . The next time we have a huge potato famine like Ireland had between 1845-1849 the Eskimos up north will be dropping like flies . . .
I'm enjoying the banter between the Southern gents and the wanna-be glaciated folks, . . . But.
Our bison herds will sustain us Eskimos, just fine.
Spuds, grits and whatever famines notwithstanding. There may be a polenta famine brewing, dunno. These are strange days my friends.
Oh boy, and just when you think you know a guy!
Which American was it that said there were the things he knew he didn't know, and the things that he didn't know that he didn't know, but it was knowing that he couldn't ever know - was that knowable?
I like that guy, a thoughtful thinker! 😆
I don't know, unless, maybe I do?
Quote from: Andries on May 14, 2021, 03:39:38 PMthe wanna-be glaciated folks
I'll admit I'm in one of the warmest places in eastern Canada where after Christmas it is 6 weeks of bad snowmobiling or as I say if you want to teach a kid patients give him a sled for Christmas.
Quote from: Hilltop366 on May 14, 2021, 04:58:48 PM
Quote from: Andries on May 14, 2021, 03:39:38 PMthe wanna-be glaciated folks
I'll admit I'm in one of the warmest places in eastern Canada where after Christmas it is 6 weeks of bad snowmobiling or as I say if you want to teach a kid patients give him a sled for Christmas.
:D :D Snowmobile around here you're lucky to get one good storm to even use it
Quote from: Hilltop366 on May 14, 2021, 09:14:05 AM
The grits were probably used as a substitute for traction sand. ;D
Maybe kitty litter
Yeah, I think I am going to hold some back on my taxes until they get this climate change/weather thing straightened out. ;D
Today was a work at home day. I did some surfing that took up a good part of the morning looking at ideas for a UTV forestry trailer that might suit multiple needs. Just spit balling and thinking it through. I find a lot of these manufacturers come and go, so you find one you like then find out the company isn't there any more. I'm just kicking tires at this point and thinking. I like these conversion options a lot of them have so I could move and dump dirt, but convert it with bunks for log hauling. Still looking, lots of time. I am building my spec list.
Anyway, got out around 9 and started getting the yard ready for mushroom logs. I have a pile of bucked up sugar maple in the way so I dragged out the splitter, split all that and loaded on the trailer, then moved it and stacked it. I had my youngest grandson 'helping' me and it is pretty amazing how him just handing me up rounds saved a lot of time. He helped me stack until he got bored. ;D After lunch we all took some naps. :) then we got in the Mule and headed to the old mill shed and I got a few tarps I had stored there and some environmental cloth I wanted to use to cover the mushroom loogs. I also ha some hemlock poles cut and stacked there that I forgot about, so I took a bunch of 4 footers up. The tarps were covered in mouse poop and 'other stuff' so we stretched them out and hosed them off with extreme prejudice. Then we took those hemlock shorts and I arranged bunks where I intend to stack the logs. We moved the trailers and splitter around to make for easy access. I think I am ready to get started on the next phase. I cleaned out the backseat of the truck to make room for the stuff I just want to leave in there while doing all these remote jobs, like my spare clothes bag, bottled water, and some other stuff. For the first time I can remember I removed my trauma bag and brought it in the house. It takes a lot of room. Maybe I will rethink it in a few days, but my other bags pretty much cover the immediate needs and are much smaller. Maybe I will take a half day and try to condense stuff, I dunno. These are hard transitions. I still miss not having an O2 bottle behind my seat., but I haven't needed it in a while. ;D
Tomorrow I am back in chainsaw pants for the day taking some trees, chipping and moving logs. My legs were shot after yesterday, but this morning felt fine and got a workout on the firewood. Looking forward to a good work day tomorrow.
Oh and a little tidbit. My son found himself up at the yard where that first trailer 'I bought' was still sitting so he talked to the owner and asked if it was for sale. He said yes and my son asked the price, he said "well I am asking 4k, but I guess I could take 3,500." My son offered 2,500 and no more. The guy said "Well I had another guy who was going to give me 2,500, but he just disappeared and I never heard from him again [that would be me]. I want at least 3,500 or I will sit and watch it rot." My son just said, 'well let me know if you change your mind' and walked away. My wife talked to one of her lady friends yesterday who knows this guy for 30 years and said, 'yeah, that's Steve, he does this all the time and everybody knows it'. I am just glad I took the high road and called him on his bluff. I don't need to waste time and energy doing business with guys like that. I like to enjoy people, not do mental battle with them. However, I will say that having been railroaded by many of these hard driving folks in my younger years, I am glad that for once I finally got to take it back to one of them and let him chew on it.
Tomorrow is another day and the weather is looking good.
I fat-fingered a long reply %#@)*K^ so I'll start over.
Glad you had you GS to help. A 10 y/o kid can double the production and effectiveness of a grown man handing him tool, hooking and unhooking, holding a board while he cuts, etc.
I would never pay the lying idiot even one penny more than we had previously agreed. If I owned the pipeline the Rusky's would still be waiting instead of $5 mil richer. I'd never have caved and did not 2 years ago when they tagged me.
I'd look for a trailer I could haul my UTV on then use it behind the UTV to haul loads if possible.
A repeat customer came and got 4 buckets of sawdust to mix with wildflower seeds to plant. The sawdust shows where he has already planted. Dad used to use grits. He went to our community store and told Miz Elsie Davis he needed 10 lbs of grits to mix with his turnip seed and plant. He told her if she had any old buggy grits they were fine and he was planting them. She asked why and he told her "The grits come up first and shade the little turnips and keep them from getting sunburned." Boy was she hot with him.
Dad had a co-worker and his buddies were picking at him and told him to get some macaroni seed and plant macaroni. He asked Dad where to get Macaroni seed and Dad told him "Those boys are pulling your leg. You can't grow macaroni where you live because the crawfish will eat them up." The guy went back and told the others he was on to them and knew they were setting him up and the crawfish would get his macaroni. Boy did they get a kick out of that!
A had another repeat customer who relocated here from NYC who came and bought all my remaining RO - about 100 bf - to finish a trim work project in his house. He was speculating if it would be enough. I told him I have about 100 bf of QS RO and showed him that as a back up if he just needs a board or two.
He said his daughter is getting married this summer at their cabin in Maine and he was considering making a bench or such and have the guests sign it then coating with poly or such to preserve the signatures. I don't know how such ink and polyurethane or such work together.
I finished reorganizing and loading for my Fairgrounds flea market tomorrow and local flea market Sunday. My local dealer called and said he sold my other 2 raised planters I had on consignment there and wanted 2 more. It will likely be Sunday before I can make and deliver them. I may have to start using fresh cut poplar and use up some more of my ash. I have some maple that has not been moving that may also be an option. That's 4 planters in under a week. if he'd called an hour earlier I'd have knocked one out today.
Take care and keep juggling those projects.
Quote from: WV Sawmiller on May 14, 2021, 11:19:12 PM
....... I'd look for a trailer I could haul my UTV on then use it behind the UTV to haul loads if possible. ........
That's what I have now Howard, a 5.5 x 10' bought exactly for those reasons and it works great and I have been quite pleased with it. But now things have changed and I need a trailer that can haul more weight. In theory, the trailer I have now would be maxed out with just 100 logs on board, that's not much (35 logs 40" long). Calculating the loop time from the harvest site to the roadside for loading is short, so I could have a trailer loaded with small trips of just 25 logs/loop (weight limit on the mule) in pretty short order. Dragging a trailer through the woods won't buy me much unless I have a longer haul from the site out to the road. In addition, the damage done to running lights, etc. would be a problem as well as the terrain around here is seldom even close to flat or smooth enough for an over the road trailer.
OTOH, my loop time to get the logs home and get back to harvesting is about 3 hours minimum if I don't stop (there is unloading time not included here), so getting more logs in per trip is where I need to invest first. It will be a learning process and I will adjust as I learn more. Right now I am jsut looking for a 7,00# trailer with dual axles, 7' wide and 14 or 16' long. That will be about 'right sized' for my needs and my truck.
I was only looking at those multipurpose trailers it would allow me to get logs out of the woods on other jobs, I could use it for moving and dumping dirt and fill in my swamp, and a few other things. It is possible it would save me some time when I move over to the second harvest site and see how long a loop I have, but I do have some other options I can explore using things on hand and doing some modifications (a little Belbenizing can go a long way). :D
That guy with the trailer is already fading in my memory. That ship sailed and is sinking into the sunset. At this point the local younger fellas are just having some fun with him (my son would have never bought that trailer) because they are none too keen on his manner of conducting business and are pretty ticked off at how he treated me. It is kind of nice to see that they keep bringing up the point that his handshake is no good. I thought only us older folks cared about that. Makes me feel good to see that in certain circles, even today, a person's word is something important. Perhaps there is hope yet.
I hope you have good luck at this weekend's sales, you seem to be hammering it out. I have wanted to try those planters, but with my own little construction twist, I just can't bring myself to use up a precious log that could be giving me lumber. Also, I have no time available yet, so maybe when the summer gets a little more mature I will take a Sunday and try it out.
Well it's time to pull on my suspenders, load the truck and hook up the trailer and get off to work. Today is another day.
IMHO, the nicest trailer that meets your specifications in the NA market is this brand, which I bought after researching trailers all over the continent pre-COVID. (keep in mind these are CAD prices posted):
N&N HD Galvanized Steel 14,000LB and 21,000LB Hydraulic Dump – Action Trailers (https://actiontrailers.ca/shop/build-a-trailer/hydraulic-dump/galvanized-steel-hydraulic-dumps/nn-inno-galvanized-steel-14000lb-and-21000lb-hydraulic-dump/)
These N&N trailers have so many nice standard features. I have a 84" x 12' HD model (yeah, I should of bought the 14' model, but this one was on a fire sale) It's is a beauty in both form and function. I have had it for a little over a year and the galvanized material still looks like new, and should look like new for a lot longer than a painted trailer.
My HD model is rated by the manufacturer for 7-tons but I have a legal 5-ton sticker installed (by the factory, on request) The reason for de-rating the trailer is twofold. First, I am towing this with my Ram 1500 Limited and it maxes out at just over 11K GVW. More important, here in Ontario we have annual inspection requirements and special licencing for any trailer rated at more than 5 tons, and the de-rated version skates in just under the limit. Same physical trailer, BTW. Every jurisdiction is different however, in what is allowed and not allowed.
For us fellow Canadians on the list, I can't say enough good things about buying from Action Trailer.
Of course, I never, ever try to sneak around with more than 5 ton loads, that would not be legal.:)
Leigh
zippksi
Tom, too bad you're not closer. I've got a 7x16 flatbed 7000lb trailer I'd sell for 1500. Even got sides, front, and back that fit in the stake pockets. Sounds like what you're looking for, but I'm quite a ways away.
Quote from: btulloh on May 15, 2021, 08:25:44 AM
Tom, too bad you're not closer. I've got a 7x16 flatbed 7000lb trailer I'd sell for 1500. Even got sides, front, and back that fit in the stake pockets. Sounds like what you're looking for, but I'm quite a ways away.
Oh really? ;D
Yep. I really need a 20ft but haven't gotten around to selling this one. Just another task to fit into my schedule. I find that buyers sometimes can be as difficult as Tom's sellers ;D But that wouldn't be the case with a ff member.
Of course if you want it I'd give the FF the usual 5%.
Quote from: btulloh on May 15, 2021, 08:25:44 AMTom, too bad you're not closer.
Just haul it to the Pig Roast and he can pick it up there ;);D
OK, short reply here because my legs feel like lead right now and dinner is almost ready (I hope).
Zippski, those are very nice trailers and boy I would love to be the proud owner on one someday, but right now they don't fit the work I am doing. These are very challenging roads around here and where I am harvesting I get 12 miles to the gallon going up, and 76 miles to the gallon coming down because the trailer pushes me the whole way. ;D A 12,000# trailer on these roads is too much for my truck, just a 1500. All I need for this work is a 7,00# trailer, low sides or flatbed and 14-16' long. No more than that until the day I wind up with a 350 or 450 for work. Mighty pretty trailers. DO they have a US distributor?
Btulloh, that is a sweet offer and I would make a little adventure out of the drive, it's only 7 hours and it has been too long since I have enjoyed the hospitality of the state of Virginia, which is always welcoming. My problem is timing, I am so full of work right now that taking a couple days out to make the run is something I can't manage. I appreciate the offer more than you might guess. Also, it sounds to me like you may have generated soem 'other interest' here you may wish to pursue? :) Bringing it to the pig roast would work, but again, the timing is not right and I expect I will be in a new one by then. I am waiting to pull the trigger until I get through a couple of cycles of bringing logs home and getting them sold. I just want to be sure I have chosen the right trailer size, but not too big. SO I will tough it out for a bit with my small trailer and see how it goes. When I finish the first few weeks, I think I have a little breathing room before I start in again and should have plenty of cash on hand to make that happen. Then the next rounds will be easier. I am also looking at other purchases that might make this work easier/faster/more efficient such as handling tools and such. Adding a swing boom on the trailer that can grab up a load of logs from the mule bed with cargo straps would make loading and unloading go a lot faster and save all kinds of calories on my part. ;D
So lots of stuff going on in my head with this stuff. But I have to say I really appreciate all the suggestions and offers of help because they help me think this stuff through a LOT. This is certainly not like normal logging or sugaring or any of those long standing traditional woods work things. There seems to be nobody I can find that has done 'larger scale' mushroom log harvesting unless they have done it on their own land for their own growing operation. Well, there is one guy I have talked to on the phone, but I have yet to pick his brain. That time is coming soon, when I have my first load for him.
Quote from: btulloh on May 15, 2021, 09:09:40 AM
Yep. I really need a 20ft but haven't gotten around to selling this one. Just another task to fit into my schedule. I find that buyers sometimes can be as difficult as Tom's sellers ;D But that wouldn't be the case with a ff member.
Of course if you want it I'd give the FF the usual 5%.
Might have someone interested if you could PM me and provide more details and pics.
Tom, your schedule and the distance makes this trailer a bit problematic for you. there's bound to be a good deal waiting for you a lot closer. You've got a lot of balls to juggle and more than one thing needed, but I have no doubt you'll get it all wrangled.
VB - I'll get you some pics and some details, but it'll probably be next week sometime. Selling this trailer is a low priority for me right now, but it's not going anywhere. I haven't bothered to list or anything. Thermostat went out on the tractor while bushogging today. Gotta get that straight and finish the mowing some fields and roads which I'm a couple weeks late on anyway. Shrubs need pruning, mulching needs to get done - way behind on everything and it's hard to even find someone to come in and do it. There's such a big market for yard maintenance and such around here that people are charging ridiculous prices if you can even get them to come. Long gone are the days when a kid in the neighborhood wanted to earn some pocket money. >:( :o :( ::) :-\ :'(
Tom,
I'm misreading something. I thought you were looking for something to tow with your mule and now it seems the trailers that will haul the weight of the logs is too heavy for your truck so must be way too big for the mule. Sounds to me like you need one trailer in the woods to tow behind the mule in tight spaces and sketchy roads/trails to a landing then a bigger trailer and maybe even a bigger truck to haul the logs home. Good luck and keep us posted.
Quote from: WV Sawmiller on May 15, 2021, 11:09:54 PM
Tom,
I'm misreading something. I thought you were looking for something to tow with your mule and now it seems the trailers that will haul the weight of the logs is too heavy for your truck so must be way too big for the mule. Sounds to me like you need one trailer in the woods to tow behind the mule in tight spaces and sketchy roads/trails to a landing then a bigger trailer and maybe even a bigger truck to haul the logs home. Good luck and keep us posted.
Yeah, my mind tracks in strange ways and it's probably confusing to follow as I jump tracks from one thought stream to the other. Perhaps a little more clarity on my part will help make it straight, but you have to keep in mind I am trying to invent a new process here, I have no models to follow, so I am looking at every aspect and I jump around a bit as new ideas come into my head.
There are several small challenges. The first is all this stuff is green and heavy and I have to transport it from around an hour away after loading at roadside, and then unload at home, and repeat. What I have is a 10' single axle trailer that the mule just fits on, the mule, and me to work with. I think I can do 150-200 logs per trip.
The second challenge is getting the logs from where I cut them to the road. This is 'hostile territory' in that it is very difficult to get a 4 wheeler through most of this ground, let alone a UTV with a dump bed. Pulling a trailer through the woods is pretty much out of the question in most cases, however, the mule should take around 30 logs in the bed where the weight will max out. Then I drive them to the trailer and hand load from the mule to the trailer until the trailer is maxed out (I watch the springs). Then I bind 'em down and drive 'em home and unload, again, by hand. Then repeat the cycle.
SO goal one is a trailer that can carry more weight, but not overtax my truck and truck brakes on the steep mountain roads. This is why I settled on 14-16' and 7,000# (plus that is much better sized for bringing home logs for other work).
Goal TWO (and this is new) is a way to at least unload from the Mule into the trailer, and from the trailer to the pile at home, with some kind of mechanical assist. Loading the mule in the woods will always have to be done by hand, one log at a time, the trick being to get as close to where I am cutting as possible, not always easy or even possible. But if I can figure a way to get the logs onto and off of the trailer in 'bundles' of say 10 logs (350#) and do it fairly quickly, then it will take quite a load off my back and make the work go faster. After a long day and a long drive home, unloading the trailer at night can be a real bear.
Goal three (only where applicable) is to make a trailer (or buy one) that I can pull behind the Mule to reduce the number of trips from the woods to roadside. For now I see this as a rare, if ever, possibility because of the aforementioned conditions and the very low likely hood that I will have room to maneuver a trailer in the woods on those hills. If I had that kind of terrain, I would try to get the whole truck and trailer in there and load directly.
So I need to get out there and start doing the work to teach myself what is really needed. Likely I will tough out these first few months learning the hard way, then have some money for materials of steel to build a swing boom crane on the trailer or something like that during the early winter.
As I said, there is no model for this process, the ones I have seen are highly tailored to a specific set of circumstances and usually includes something I don't have, like a tractor.
This is heavy work on broken ground an all done by hand. Back in March I did 50 logs down the road and timed myself. It took 3 hours working on a side hill, cutting each tree, measuring, bucking, and carrying one log at a time to the truck. It's a benchmark for me to use as I make improvements. I can tell you my legs were like jello at the end of that session. Slipping and sliding and snow blowing. Great fun. SO I need to improve this system if I expect to keep at it.
SO Howard I don't know if that cleared up my wandering thoughts, but its the best I can do for now until I get that pile started in the yard.
Btulloh, since I may have just taken a pass on the prefect trailer, when you get around to taking some photos could you copy me on them so I can see what I missed out on? :D
By the way, fair warning, this thread ends tomorrow and I will start a new one. It's too many pages now and I have been ending it on Norwegian constitution day and starting a new one for the last year or two. Not sure what I will call it yet. ;D
I'm in the process of laying down another 50-60 square feet of sandstone as an extension of one of my three patios .One of those "Honey do " things . I've got another 5-700 pounds to move and hope I have enough .
I have a pair of Makita concrete /rail saws I refurbished last fall early winter to try out .Ordered a blade and water connection which should be here by mid week .I dislike cutting stone using a dry blade .I never run out of things to do it seems .If it isn't some project something needs repaired .More times than not something needs repaired before I can do the project .I may burn out but I'll never rust up .
popcorn_smiley ;)
Thanks for taking us along...
Now that my mind is fried I wonder if you could make a miniature pulp wood or log trailer (Pup?) to pull behind the mule that will break down and can be strapped down and hauled in the dump bed of the mule. I'm thinking a short axle to hook to the hitch and a rear axle about 3' long and 3-4 ft wide made of angle iron or pipe and hitch pin connection or such and with stanchions to hold the logs in place. Maybe even lay a chain or choker down first then tighten it around the logs when loaded and help keep them in a tight bundle and maybe even be used to lift the whole load and swing it into/on to the bed of your prime mover but I still don't see you hauling all this in/on a 1500 series p/u. Maybe a one - 2 ton or bigger flatbed truck with stanchions to load and haul the logs at the same time you haul your existing 5.5X10 trailer with the mule and pulp wood dolly/trailer in the bed if the load limits allow.
At home load the mule on the 5.5X10 trailer with the pup in the bed/cargo area, go to the site, assemble the pup and tow it to the logs in the woods, load the pup and the cargo bed of the mule, haul them to the landing and unload on to the truck, load the pup in the mule and drive it back up on to the trailer and drive it all home.
Remember - free advice is worth what you paid for it. :D
Well Howard all ideas are welcome because they sometimes lead to a better solution, either directly or indirectly. I just realized there is a piece I must have left out. I will be hauling the mule up and leaving it there for the duration until the job is done. I will not be hauling it each day, I guess I neglected to mention that. Hauling the mule each day would be a waste and cut production to unworkable numbers as you observed, unless I had a much bigger rig and that ain't happening unless something busts out over time. I don't know how long this will last. I am certainly not ruling it out, but it could happen this year anyway and I am find the physical work is really taking it out of me. I had zero energy today. I unloaded the trailer of firewood and that wiped me out after bucking a few logs. So I don't know how much of this I can do.
Again, that trailer in the woods deal is going to be a very limited opportunity thing because of the terrain in these parts. But if it turned out through practical application that it was a do-able thing, I would look into modifying one of those walking beam UTV log haulers pretty much as you say and add bunks so I can get 2 sets of logs (40" ea) in the front and back halves. If I add a swinging boom crane on the trailer I could lift off 10 or 15 logs bundles and drop them in the trailer as a package. Unloading at home would go the same way. Get some of those cheap 1" ratchet straps and put 2 on a bundle. Put a meat hook on the crane and lift. But again, down the road, I have to see what is really needed first.
I hope your flea market turned out well today. I'll go read the other thread and find out. ;D
Well today is the day I end this thread and start a new one. You can GO HERE (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=115334.new#new) to find that one. This one is getting large and it's time to move on.
Phew! Made it through another one! Thanks for the journey Tom! Happy Birthday!