# bmans timberframe



## bman (Apr 9, 2007)

About two years ago I started a timber frame house project from trees felled on my property. At that time I sought and received some great advise about chainsaw mills from the chainsaw forum as this forum wasn't even on line at that time if I remember correctly. Got some great advise and started milling with a 36" Alaskan and a 3120XP. At the time someone suggested I post pics and I am finally getting around to it. From the time the first tree was felled to the final building inspection was 20 months and in that time I milled about 15,000 bdf of doug fir (timber frame, roof decking, loft decking and lower floor) cut all the timber joinery, assembled and finished the house. The Alaskan mills really do work! Thanks for the input guys on getting started in chainsaw milling.
bman


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## 00juice (Apr 9, 2007)

Very nice. Great job


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## aquan8tor (Apr 9, 2007)

WOW. Nice pics, and nice work!!! I can imagine the beaming sense of satisfaction you have in your (quality) work!! You have a beautiful home.


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## woodshop (Apr 9, 2007)

Excellent post, excellent pics... great job. I love to see this stuff. Man walks into the woods with chainsaw and a little Alaskan mill and builds a house out of the trees on the land. They should write you up in an article in a mag somewhere.


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## Adkpk (Apr 9, 2007)

Great job! 
Here is my attempt at timber framing. I am also using trees from my property. Not anywhere as elaborate as yours but I only have a weekend here and there to do the work. No running water or electricity. But I got to tell you I love the work. I love being out in the middle of the woods with no one around. Hope you can appreciate the pic I certainly did yours. 

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l299/bdouglass_2006/cedardown9-27-06011.jpg?t=1176155996


By the way the joinery looks really professional do you do that for a living?


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## Adkpk (Apr 9, 2007)

Great job! 
Here is my attempt at timber framing. I am also using trees from my property. Not anywhere as elaborate as yours but I only have a weekend here and there to do the work. No running water or electricity. But I got to tell you I love the work. I love being out in the middle of the woods with no one around. Hope you can appreciate the pic I certainly did yours. 








By the way the joinery looks really professional do you do that for a living?


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## rb_in_va (Apr 9, 2007)

bman said:


> About two years ago I started a timber frame house project from trees felled on my property. At that time I sought and received some great advise about chainsaw mills from the chainsaw forum as this forum wasn't even on line at that time if I remember correctly. Got some great advise and started milling with a 36" Alaskan and a 3120XP. At the time someone suggested I post pics and I am finally getting around to it. From the time the first tree was felled to the final building inspection was 20 months and in that time I milled about 15,000 bdf of doug fir (timber frame, roof decking, loft decking and lower floor) cut all the timber joinery, assembled and finished the house. The Alaskan mills really do work! Thanks for the input guys on getting started in chainsaw milling.
> bman





Adrpk said:


> Great job!
> Here is my attempt at timber framing. I am also using trees from my property. Not anywhere as elaborate as yours but I only have a weekend here and there to do the work. No running water or electricity. But I got to tell you I love the work. I love being out in the middle of the woods with no one around. Hope you can appreciate the pic I certainly did yours.
> 
> http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l299/bdouglass_2006/cedardown9-27-06011.jpg?t=1176155996
> ...




Awesome work both of you guys! I think that is every man's dream!


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## Railomatic (Apr 9, 2007)

*Tops*

In a word fantastic.


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## dustytools (Apr 9, 2007)

Very nice job! There has to be a lot of satisfaction from milling your own lumber and building your home from it. Congratulations!!!!


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## MikeInParadise (Apr 9, 2007)

Wow..Nice!






I love the dovetail joinery... Great job!!!


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## BC_Logger (Apr 9, 2007)

Im very impressed did you take any courses in timber framing ?.

Im a carpenter by trade and do have training in timber framing 
your notches are perfect , did you do the exterior finishing ?


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## aggiewoodbutchr (Apr 9, 2007)

Very impressive!


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## dustytools (Apr 9, 2007)

MikeInParadise said:


> Wow..Nice!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I agree! My eyes were drawn to the joinery instantly.


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## 59Billy (Apr 9, 2007)

woodshop said:


> Excellent post, excellent pics... great job.  I love to see this stuff. Man walks into the woods with chainsaw and a little Alaskan mill and builds a house out of the trees on the land. They should write you up in an article in a mag somewhere.



Took the words out of my mouth! I'd love to do that oneday.

Beautiful and impressive work there.


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## CaseyForrest (Apr 9, 2007)

Very nice indeed. Beautiful house as well.

Did you let the timbers dry any or put them up wet? I know you are supposed to put them up still green.


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## 2000ssm6 (Apr 9, 2007)

Wow! reped ya!


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## wdchuck (Apr 9, 2007)

Well done, and thank you for sharing.:rockn:


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## LarryTheCableGuy (Apr 9, 2007)

Nice, really nice. It's a shame that you have to cover it up to keep the elements out!

How about some pics of the interior!

.


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## bman (Apr 9, 2007)

Thanks all. Cut the frame from a set of production plans and shop drawings. The internet is a wonderful resource for just about any pursuit. Timbers were worked green but did dry out some over the course of cutting all the joints (about 5 months) Heres a couple of interior pics.


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## aggiewoodbutchr (Apr 10, 2007)

*drooooooooooooolll*

Well, there goes another keyboard.




Very nice floor. You mill that as well?


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## rb_in_va (Apr 10, 2007)

bman said:


> Thanks all. Cut the frame from a set of production plans and shop drawings. The internet is a wonderful resource for just about any pursuit. Timbers were worked green but did dry out some over the course of cutting all the joints (about 5 months) Heres a couple of interior pics.



:jawdrop: 

Nice work bman!


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## Adkpk (Apr 10, 2007)

bman, thee man. As I mentioned before my next move on my cabin is the 45 degree supports. Can you tell me how you attached yours? Are they just nailed up there? It would be a piece of mind for me because I am thinking to give the best support I have to notch them in but if nailing them is the method, great.


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## bman (Apr 10, 2007)

rb, I cant say for sure what is best for your project but I would guess that some sort of notched in bracing would well surpass a nailed in piece. Bracing is primly to stiffen the structure but can also help to break the span of long support beams. I got a ton of help from a timber framing forum over at "The forestryforum dot com" They have an excellent discussion board on timber framing. Additionally check out The "Timber Framers Guild" web site, they have a discussion board as well. Also you may want to invest in this book "Building the Timber Frame House" by Tedd Benson, I would consider that indispensable for what your building. one last web site, Woodweb, everything you ever wanted to know about wood (drying, characteristics, shrinkage etc) Keep you shoulder to the plow, measure twice cut once and don't look to far ahead, just keep focused on what you need to get done today. Best of fortune-bman


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## wdchuck (Apr 10, 2007)

Beautiful, just beautiful.

I'd love to show my wife these pictures, she absolutely loves interiors like that. I like the kitchen layout myself. But I don't know if I could handle that kind of addition to the honey-do-list. :jester: :jester: 

Although it could require another/newer/bigger milling saw.


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## dustytools (Apr 10, 2007)

Very nice work! Thanks for the pics. and information.


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## woodbine (Apr 11, 2007)

*seriously impressed*

probably the most impressive piece of work I've ever seen on this site!


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## bman (Apr 12, 2007)

*The Alaskan in action*

a few more pics.rrrrrreeeerrrrreeeerreeeeerrrrre...saw dust, exhaust fumes, numb hands. Nobody said chainsaw milling was easy, but it beats a day at work !


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## SmokinDodge (Apr 12, 2007)

Amazing craftsmanship!

Got any more pics?


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## curdy (Apr 13, 2007)

WOW!!! This has to be one of the coolest projects I have ever seen!!! And some of the best craftsmanship too!

Very well done!


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## dustytools (Apr 13, 2007)

Well done bman!


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## ray benson (Apr 13, 2007)

Hats off to you bman. Very impressive joinery.


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## woodshop (Apr 14, 2007)

curdy said:


> WOW!!! This has to be one of the coolest projects I have ever seen!!! And some of the best craftsmanship too!
> 
> Very well done!



I agree, this has been interesting to see. I love the concept, and then follow through with those beautiful joints.


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## jerseydave (Dec 19, 2010)

*Old post loved by new member*

Hi all,

I'm new here and this is my first posting.
I did a search of the milling forum and came upon this thread.

I knew I came to the right board.......... WOW!!!

Amazing craftmanship, beautiful work, georgeous home, inspiring fortitude, greatly informative.

This embodies my dream.

I have 28 acres of beautiful Oak timber in paradise (rural NE TN) that awaits me.

My dream is to build a chainsaw mill (V groove on rails) using a 10hp Briggs I have out in the garage, trailer the parts down to the land, and drop and mill a homes worth of timber.

I don't know if I'll ever be able to fulfill my dream, but this post and this site certainly gives me the inspiration.

Dave


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## TNMIKE (Dec 19, 2010)

Awesome work. I really like it.


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## mikeb1079 (Dec 19, 2010)

thanks for resurrecting this post. i've never seen it. amazing stuff.
good luck with the dream dave!


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## STIHLMAN83 (Dec 19, 2010)

Absolutely amazing work. I am glad this thread has been brought back to the top.


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## mrbentontoyou (Dec 19, 2010)

bman, if you are still around, great job. The house is just beautiful and with joinery like that it's sure to be standing for quite some time. 

Been seeing a good amount of timber framing projects/questions lately, *it would be nice to have them all in one place. *


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## gink595 (Dec 19, 2010)

Very nice, glad someone brough it back!


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## sachsmo (Dec 19, 2010)

*Wow!*

Sure am glad someone brought this back.

I am building an Ash timber framed home and barn.

Probably use my Iron Head skills to join with steel straping.

Thanks so much for the pics.


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## sachsmo (Dec 19, 2010)

some future beams;


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## TraditionalTool (Dec 19, 2010)

Great work indeed. Always happy to see folks building with trees, rather than burning them in the fireplace...or worse cutting cookies...


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## TumblebugTaylor (Dec 19, 2010)

Bman thats unimaginable amounts of talent you got there. I hope to have my band mill done by spring. I did some site work for a man that came into some money and was pretty skillful. He bought a spot of land that had a tone of limestone boulders on it. He hire a friend of mine and me to run a backhoe and trackloader and clear the site except for the big boulders. We built the road in and cleared the site and got a well drilled. He left work for a few weeks with his boom truck and went up to Pennsylvania and bought and disassembeled a large timberframe dairy barn that had one end collapsed. 



He numbered it and brought it all te way back to North Alabama and put it up over the boulders and the well. One boulder was huge he made it into the back wall some how and had cut 2 cavities into it. One was for a bed and the other was for a sink. He used a Hilti hammer and grinder to do these. He re did the loft inthe barn ven had the straight up ladder to access it. It was amazing how he did it. THe end that was damaged he made patterns and extended it a few sections. 

I havent been out there in 10 years since I changed jobs but need to. It was a neat project just moving it all.


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## Brmorgan (Dec 24, 2010)

This thread is from slightly before my time here at AS; glad to see it. It's interesting (and rather unfortunate) to note that very few of the original posters from three years back are active here anymore...  Oh well, such is life I guess.


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## rapattack (Jan 9, 2012)

very nice work , that is an impressive accomplishment.


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## RedArrow (Jan 9, 2012)

Wow wow wow wow... I love it!


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## irishcountry (Jan 9, 2012)

AWESOME ! Inspirational for sure ! Great job and hope your enjoying the fruits of your labor !


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## OH_Varmntr (Jan 10, 2012)

That is absolutely beautiful. 

That's all I can say for now...


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## kykayaker27 (Jan 10, 2012)

great job im getting very inspired ive always wanted to mill my own ,dave


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## Jethro80 (Jan 12, 2012)

Great job BMan all I can say is maybe someday!


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