# Haven't been in the Milling section in a while, been too busy to mill...



## jimdad07 (Jan 17, 2011)

and have been doing a rebuild on my 044. How is everyone faring this winter? Anyone gotten into some nice wood?


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## 820wards (Jan 17, 2011)

jimdad07 said:


> and have been doing a rebuild on my 044. How is everyone faring this winter? Anyone gotten into some nice wood?


 
Picked up four oak logs this past Monday and I've got a line on another oak that just blew over in a storm because the ground just was too wet.

jerry-


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## Hillbilly Rick (Jan 17, 2011)

got a nice walnut blown down in a storm,40'+ to the first limb.
I really like some of the mills the guys here made and I'm debating on whether to take them to a local mill I always use or do it myself.CSM wastes more wood though, it will take me a while to get one together or buy one and I don't even know how to start. Downside to a local mill is sometimes it takes months.


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## BobL (Jan 18, 2011)

It's too hot to mill here and early on the cooler mornings I've been working for a few hours each day on the retaining walls and concrete pad of my new home shop.






The new shop is 20 x 13' and is built right next to my existing 17 x 11' shop. Once my new shop is built I will transfer everything from the old one to the new one and then rebuild the old one to blend with in the new one - ie connect the two with a wide opening.

The limestone block retaining wall consists of 32 - 20" x 10" x 14", and 32, 20" x 8" x 14" blocks. This all then has to be filled in with 300 cuft of sand. The shop sits on top of the sand pad to make it level with my existing shop floor.


The bigger blocks weigh 160 lbs and the smaller ones weigh 135 lb. I can lift them OK but I use a hand cart to get them close and then roll the big ones into place. The smaller ones I can lift.

I see it as good weight lifting training for working the new mill!

Everything has to be carried 50 yards into my back yard by wheelbarrow or hand cart. So far have put down 36 blocks.

Adventures so far include removal of a vicious Bouganvillia that nearly took my right eye out and getting rid of a wasp nest.


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## huskyhank (Jan 18, 2011)

That looks like work!


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## 820wards (Jan 18, 2011)

BobL said:


> It's too hot to mill here and early on the cooler mornings I've been working for a few hours each day on the retaining walls and concrete pad of my new home shop.



Looking good there Bob, keep up the good work!

jerry-


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## BobL (Jan 18, 2011)

huskyhank said:


> That looks like work!


 
It is! Especially mixing the mortar with a spade in a wheel barrow. I've just gone around to a mates place to pick up a cement mixer so that should speed things up a bit.


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## Timberframed (Jan 18, 2011)

This is how I do it Bob. Mix right in the bucket for a smooth uniform mix and just the right amount before it starts to set.



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## jimdad07 (Jan 18, 2011)

Timberframed said:


> This is how I do it Bob. Mix right in the bucket for a smooth uniform mix and just the right amount before it starts to set.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
That is the only way to do it!


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## Timberframed (Jan 18, 2011)

Haven't been doing much here either except chipping ice and shovleing snow. Did get up to the shop last few days. Didn't feel like doing much after digging out the front door. Just lit up some lanterns and had a few frosty ones.



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[/URL][/IMG] At least those Colemans can warm the place up.


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## betterbuilt (Jan 18, 2011)

That's quite the collection of Coleman lanterns you have there Timberframed.


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## Timberframed (Jan 18, 2011)

You can mill at night with these things strung about the site. I plan on it. These three here were made 1953 and like new. Just look on the bottom. Month/year are stamped.



[/URL][/IMG]. After the glaciers recede in the Spring check yard sales and such. Pick them up cheap that way.


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## jimdad07 (Jan 18, 2011)

Hey Timberframed, I love your shop. What are the dimensions of your shop?


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## BobL (Jan 18, 2011)

jimdad07 said:


> That is the only way to do it!


 
pretty nifty. I got the cement mixer fired up this morning - so now we're cranking. I mixed the mortar and laid 6 blocks in about and hour so now I'm taking a break .


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## Timberframed (Jan 18, 2011)

The area of the shop in the images is 28' x 25'. Getting ready this Spring to open up to the carriage barn. Overall when I'm done shop size will be 60' x 28' Forgot to add. Those lanterns give off heat. Helps to dry damp wood.



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## BobL (Jan 21, 2011)

Well that cement mixer certainly made a BIG difference - I finished the 64 block retaining wall this morning, now I got to move 300 cuft of sand!


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## jimdad07 (Jan 21, 2011)

That's going to be a nice building Bob. You milling lumber for it or are you doing metal?


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## BobL (Jan 23, 2011)

I was advised to rip the lawn out so that took up most of Saturday morning, Then with the help of my nephew we moved the 300 cuft of sand. Now the sand has to be leveled compacted and refilled.



jimdad07 said:


> That's going to be a nice building Bob. You milling lumber for it or are you doing metal?


 
I'm building above the edge of a 350 ft long termite nest that runs between two blocks of houses so I'm going for Galv steel frame and colorbond cladding. We've had multiple termite attacks on our house in the 30 years we have been here so this has made me really nervous.


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## Timberframed (Jan 23, 2011)

I would think that every method know to man has probably been attempted to thwart those destructive insects and chemicals only worsen the problem. Anyone down under ever try a steam injection into the ground then into their tunnels via tubes? Kill on contact, cool, then settle into the aquafier if not evaporate. On second thought...that just might stir and surface other critters like those formidable funnel webs. Thinking....


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## BobL (Jan 23, 2011)

Timberframed said:


> I would think that every method know to man has probably been attempted to thwart those destructive insects and chemicals only worsen the problem. Anyone down under ever try a steam injection into the ground then into their tunnels via tubes? Kill on contact, cool, then settle into the aquafier if not evaporate. On second thought...that just might stir and surface other critters like those formidable funnel webs. Thinking....


 
It's the sheer size of the nest that stops this from happening . City block consists of ~180 homes and it is impossible to get everyone to agree to attack the blighters at the same time. Some home owners refuse to have any poison used on their property but this has meant others have used WAAAY too much old school poison to the point where the whole block is contaminated with poison. Can't run chickens in a back yard unless they're on 6" of concrete, Vegetables should be grown on raised beds etc.

BTW - did I tell you we also have ~5 layers of leaded-paint inside and outside our house?


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## jimdad07 (Jan 23, 2011)

Wow Bob. When I hear things like that I am glad I live in a place that has cold winters, it eliminates a lot of pests and dangerous snakes in my area. People always have a tendency to over use just about anything, it's a shame they have done it with the chemicals.


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## BobL (Feb 9, 2011)

*Home shop progress*

Went away for a few days and got back this afternoon and looks what had sprung up! Due to lack of time I'm having it built for me - It's all steel construction because the termites are rampant at this spot on our property.






New 20 x 13' on LHS and Old 17 x 11' shop on the RHS.
Gap shows a 48" wide door. I'll eventually clad the old one to look like the new one.





This shows how the shops are touching each other. Once the new section is complete, the RHS cross beams are unbolted and the old wall between the two shops will be removed. Still debating whether to keep the upright. I might build an archway and remove it. Gap between old and new roof will become a south facing skylight.





Proposed metal working end of the shop. I'm planning on a small vented welding booth in the middle of that wall and a couple of grinding stations either side..

So far I'm quite pleased with it.


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## mtngun (Feb 9, 2011)

The roof truss wouldn't handle snow loads very well in Idaho. You might get away with it in Oz, though. :msp_cool:


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## Timberframed (Feb 9, 2011)

Looks Good BobL. Twice as much space now. Looks nice and warm there too. Not so here. Ice and snow snapped a branch on the Apple tree. I'll make charcoal from some of it.



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## BobL (Feb 9, 2011)

mtngun said:


> The roof truss wouldn't handle snow loads very well in Idaho. You might get away with it in Oz, though. :msp_cool:


 
Yeah our minimum angle rooflines here are 4º. It has never snowed since the British settled here in 1827 and only goes below freezing about a couple of hours a year. The nearest snow to make a snowman falls about once in every 10 years about 220 miles away. The nearest annual snow is 2500 miles away to the east.


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## DRB (Feb 9, 2011)

BobL must be considerably cheaper to build when you don't have to worry about snow load or a 4 foot frost depth. Although you probably have to insulate just as much as us up hear just to keep the heat out. I don't have to worry about my engineered roof truss crushing under the snow load. The 6" walls will buckle first.

Congrats on the new shop. I bet you can't wait.


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## jimdad07 (Feb 9, 2011)

Looking good Bob, I still haven't been milling in quite awhile, going crazy. Busy time of year for me. My place is looking like Timberframed's.


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## BobL (Feb 13, 2011)

Well the major construction of the new shop is complete.

Next is the electrics, then I will insulate and line it and I am also going to install a sink. I have plenty of time to do all this because it's going to be a while before I start moving major machinery in because I have to wait 12 weeks for the concrete floor to dry/cure so I can pant it with concrete paint.









I was really pleased with the contractors that put it up. The building contract stipulated that there would be at least 3ft of clear access on all sides during the building phase which meant removing the two small Chinese tallow trees in front of the shed. Instead I left them in the ground and when the contractors came I negotiated with them (ie beer) to leave the trees in the ground - which they did very willingly. I was not there when they finished but they left behind a heap of colorbond wall and roof cladding, a couple of rolls of insulation, plus a BIG bag of bolts and various tek screws. There are in fact almost enough sheets of colorbond for me to reclad the old shed.

Here's some shots of the inside,




The large MDf box is effectivey the first project. I'm taking the opportunity while I have the space to help my son build a racing car simulator cockpit. It will be upholstered and have a lid so it can live in a living room and act as a sort of giant footrest - I'll post some pics when there's a bit more to see than a box. I don't like working with MDF since I'm allergic to it but with my new big blue dust collector (DC) available I was prepared to give it another go.

The industrial strength 3HP DC is a celebratory present to myself for finally getting the shop this far. Longterm the DC is not staying inside the shop but going outside in it's own enclosure when I get the new ducting set up but just for now it's inside. It has 5 micron dust bags which is overkill for being located outside but just for now it's good for working with MDF and the neighbors will probably appreciate it when I start up a thicknesser.





Here you can see I've opened up the window thru to the old shop. Eventually that whole wall will come down so the two individual shops just becomes one. It was a real surprise to see visually what length of shop wall I will have to play with (30.5 ft) The gap between the tops of the sheds will become a skylight and vent.






This shows the gap behind the old shop ( 4 ft). The pile of RHS on the left up against the fence is what I'm planning to use for a welding bench and some serious internal shelving. The transparent lean to houses my old DC and I will be rebuilding that to hold the new one. The 3HP make a tad more noise than the old one so some mild sound proofing will be needed as well.


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## huskyhank (Feb 13, 2011)

Congratulations on the new shop!


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## jimdad07 (Feb 13, 2011)

Glad to see you'll have some more room Bob, I bet with all of the tools you must have it must get very hard to move around.


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## BobL (Apr 23, 2011)

*Home shop update*

Day job plus lousy warm weather really overwhelmed me for a while in these last 2 months so no milling action. Plus I have been working on the new half of my shop.






Here you can see the miniorb metal lining of the metal working end of the shed. The insulation under that is rockwool. The white lining is gyprock and that has plastic bubble wrap and ally insulation under it. The wiring was finished yesterday. The run from the house to the shop is 3 phase with a 40A breaker on the line. Inside the new part of the shop there are 4 circuits with 11 double power points, one single 15A (3HP) point and 4 lights. Outside there is one 15A (3HP) for a compressor and one light. When I revamp the old part of the shed that section will have a similar number of points.


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## jimdad07 (Apr 23, 2011)

I know your pain Bob, I have never been so busy as I have been the last six months. Now that I am slowing down, the weather is playing nice. Oh, well, I 'll get out when I can and then I can finally have more to contribute again.


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## john taliaferro (Apr 24, 2011)

Bob i was jealous of the new shop ,as mine was still a pile of steel ,but now i am smoking .You got 3 phase to your shop ? thats only available here in industrial areas . I have to run inverters to make my own.


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## BobL (May 7, 2011)

I'm still around and just pop in from time to time to check out the action.

Progress on my home shop has been steady.
Over easter I added reticulated compressed air.
Last weekend I did the plumbing and yesterday I started moving in. Well at least got the heavy wood work machines off the back veranda so SWMBO is well pleased. The mills are still on the back patio and will be there for a while yet but I want to eventually be able to get them into the older part of the shed





Next is fully opening up the 13 ft connection between the two sheds. This requires a fair bit of construction of roof beam support before I can remove the supporting poles.


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## john taliaferro (May 7, 2011)

Bob whats in the big gray box ? . shop sure looking good . what kind of air compressor ? . ok thats all my ? for now.


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## BobL (May 7, 2011)

john taliaferro said:


> Bob whats in the big gray box ? . shop sure looking good .



Cheers john, The big gray box is a set of plan/chart storage drawers. It's gonna be useful for small tool and fixing storage. When I get around to it I will build a bench for it to sit in. There will also be enough room to store stuff (lumber offcuts etc) underneath. 

I have already set up a couple of drawers with stuff, here's the measure tools drawer.
View attachment 183204

The drawers are 56" wide so a 4' level and T-square easily fit inside







> what kind of air compressor ? . ok thats all my ? for now.


 
I currently have a 2.5 HP single cylinder cheapie that I will look at replacing sometime with a multi cylinder unit.


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## jimdad07 (May 7, 2011)

Looking great Bob, that is a very well setup shop you have there.


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## BobL (May 7, 2011)

jimdad07 said:


> Looking great Bob, that is a very well setup shop you have there.


 
Thanks JD, that's the new half - eventually I have to transfer all the stuff out of the old shop into the new one and then renovate the old one.

This involves;
- jacking up one corner of the roof. One corner of the building has slumped ~4" over the last 35 years and the easiest thing will be to jack the roof up.
- replace the cracked and slumped floor with new concrete
- rewire it
- reclad and line it

At this stage you might well ask why not trash it a build a new one?
The reason is if I build a new one the city council will enforce the latest building regulations, whereas if I renovate I can stick to the old regs. The main difference is how close I can be to property boundary. There's only one foot of difference in the regs but on a small inner city block like we have every sq ft counts.


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## jimdad07 (May 7, 2011)

That is very understandable Bob, it is the same over here with the building codes. Thank God I live out in the sticks and can do pretty much what I want when I want to. Your milling holidays must be even more special because you truly do get to get away.


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## 820wards (May 8, 2011)

Bob,

Glad to see your finally getting to move into your shop. I'm sure it will be a great feeling for you to say "I'm in!"

Keep at it.

jerry-


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## BobL (May 23, 2011)

I'm still working on my new shop. I spent last weekend on old shed electrics and installing a single to 3 phase converter box of tricks (VSD) in the new part of my so I can run my 3 phase Southbend metalwork lathe from a single phase - that's now done and it all works good.

The other thing I have been working on is some bench tops to top off a pair of cupboards I picked up from an old lab at work that was being renovated. The cupboards are made of an Aussie Eucalypt that goes by the name of Mountain Ash (but it's not really an Ash at all).

The bench tops are Western Australian Red Gum. I planted this tree 33 years ago in our pocket handkerchief back yard and 13 years ago it had to come down due to a home renovation. Anyway now part of is now in my shop as bench tops, literally 5 yards away from where it used to stand.

Although they are quite different woods the Red Gum and the Mountain Ash seem to blend together OK. I will also place another redgum slab top on top of the cupboard to the right of the sink so they will be like a matching pair.





I've left the natural edges on and removed the bark using a wire brush on an angle grinder. The ends have been left rough sawn with the original chain saw marks on them. The many cracks are filled with epoxy, less for looks and more to prevent losing small things down the cracks. The plinth at the back covers a half bench length 1.5" wide gap resulting from the natural curve of the trunk at that point. 













This stuff is notorious for moving and checking for years after it has dried but I think 13 years under the house should cover it :msp_smile:

I started to work on getting a super smooth finish on this top but after half an hour of sanding I decided to stop as it is after all just a bench top for the shed. This top will be the place to locate a note book and writing implements as well as portable power tool battery chargers. The other bench will be my CS repair bench. Shame really but I have another dozen or so of these short slabs under my house and will just be using the worst cracked ones for the bench tops.


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## deeker (May 23, 2011)

BobL, you do great work....and put many of us to shame.

Great job!

Kevin


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## jimdad07 (May 23, 2011)

That's great work Bob. Very nice design you have there.


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## 820wards (May 24, 2011)

Bob,

As always, Great Job!

I'll bet your having fun setting the shop up, I know I did.

jerry-


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## TraditionalTool (May 24, 2011)

Nice bench, no doubt! Well done BobL!

Jim,

No excuse for being too busy to mill, take some time and smell the sawdust!


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## BobL (May 25, 2011)

Thanks Guys, It sure is fun getting the home shop something close to what I have been hankering for years. But there is still a long way to go.


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## gemniii (May 25, 2011)

Bob - 
Beautiful table, now get some dings and parts on it!
That's the way I like to work. Plant a tree, raise it for 30 years, mill it and make a table. Unfortunately I don't plan on seeing many more thru the entire cycle  But I've got several acres up in Vermont I planted back in 1978 that are just getting ready 

It's that first thirty years that's so time consuming!


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## jimdad07 (May 25, 2011)

TraditionalTool said:


> Nice bench, no doubt! Well done BobL!
> 
> Jim,
> 
> No excuse for being too busy to mill, take some time and smell the sawdust!


 
Thought it was slowing down some, but I was wrong. Was able to cut some cants a few weeks ago, they still sit by the wood pile waiting to be cut into boards for siding on the wood shed. I am working on a new mill though here and there. This one is going to be a carriage mill using my 045 and a set of rails on a good base. I'll put up a few pics when it is a little further along. Have a few things to work out in my design.


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## TraditionalTool (May 26, 2011)

jimdad07 said:


> Thought it was slowing down some, but I was wrong. Was able to cut some cants a few weeks ago, they still sit by the wood pile waiting to be cut into boards for siding on the wood shed.


Seems that less twisting takes place the larger the cant is. I'm kinda new to being a sawyer, but had a 6x6 cant of ponderosa pine that twisted like a ski, so I flipped it over on the other side and after some time low and behold it's flat again. I have yet to see that problem with a 12x16 cant, for instance.:msp_rolleyes:

They stack better when they are cut into cants.


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## jimdad07 (May 27, 2011)

TraditionalTool said:


> Seems that less twisting takes place the larger the cant is. I'm kinda new to being a sawyer, but had a 6x6 cant of ponderosa pine that twisted like a ski, so I flipped it over on the other side and after some time low and behold it's flat again. I have yet to see that problem with a 12x16 cant, for instance.:msp_rolleyes:
> 
> They stack better when they are cut into cants.



I have one at 12"x12" and another at 8"x8", there are four more good sized logs from the same trees sitting out by those cants. I am saving them for the new saw mill, the carriage mill.


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## TraditionalTool (May 28, 2011)

jimdad07 said:


> I have one at 12"x12" and another at 8"x8", there are four more good sized logs from the same trees sitting out by those cants. I am saving them for the new saw mill, the carriage mill.


Those will come in handy for 'ya! 12x12 is a nice size cant, which can go 1" slabs nicely...


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## jimdad07 (May 28, 2011)

TraditionalTool said:


> Those will come in handy for 'ya! 12x12 is a nice size cant, which can go 1" slabs nicely...


 
That one is going for siding on the woodshed. I have a chicken coupe to build and a kennel for my kids :msp_wink:. That's where the rest of those spruce logs will go, I'll stretch them as far as they will go.


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