# Milling a drawbridge for a castle



## hardhat (Jul 4, 2011)

Milled a 27" oak into some 2 3/8" slabs(thickest I can cut with skilsaw) to make planks for a drawbridge. Going to hold everything together with 3"x1/4" flat bar iron. Will have 1 on each side of the slabs so it will sandwich them together. I put everything together with crown of wood in alternating directions hoping that drying warpage will cancel each other out. Gonna put everything in place and bolt it together this week. Milling rig is 394xp with 36" alaskan mill. Baileys ripping chain. Cut angles on the end where it will sit on the ground to 10 degrees (calculated based on rise and run of entire structure). Here are pics and vids if anyone is interested. Will post pics of completed structure when finished


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## mtngun (Jul 4, 2011)

I didn't realize there were castles in Mississippi.

Nice log.


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## hardhat (Jul 4, 2011)

just decided to build something different instead of a regular house.


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## SDB777 (Jul 4, 2011)

You keep water in the moat....and the next thing you know an alligator is going to be moving in!



Cool milling photo's!!!!
Thanks for sharing!!!






Scott B


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## mikeb1079 (Jul 4, 2011)

> Milling a drawbridge for a castle



dang, i thought you were messing around with that title. tell us more about yer castle...


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## john taliaferro (Jul 4, 2011)

We need pictures ,that is nice log . I would think to put crown up to help shed water the steel will hold it flat .


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## Grateful11 (Jul 4, 2011)

Looks good so far. How about photo of the whole castle?


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## cowboyvet (Jul 5, 2011)

nice and +1 for more pics.

Nice stone work. Is that cut stone or a veneer?


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## gemniii (Jul 5, 2011)

Looks nice.
Don't worry about gators if you are in the north, but fear the turtle in the moat.
Whereabouts in Mississippi?
I'm moving to the Fulton area and plan on getting about 6,000sq ft of shop, (if this purchase doesn't fall thru).


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## hardhat (Jul 5, 2011)

Thanks, I live in the SE corner of the state about 40 miles from the coast. Castle is still a work in progress, but we are living in it now. Here are some pics I have from a couple of months ago. Stone is manufactured stone about 2 inches thick. Walls are 8 inch insulated concrete forms. Also pictured is the Bobcat toolcat (I love that thing)


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## mikeb1079 (Jul 5, 2011)

that's pretty wild man. you don't see too many castles around any more....good stuff.


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## cowboyvet (Jul 7, 2011)

That is nice. Did you put in a door to the top of the towers above your entry? That would be a neat "patio" with a view. All that concrete and stone should hold up well to those hurricanes too. Looks like the draw bridge came out looking good.


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## Rudedog (Jul 7, 2011)

I'm speechless. Man .......................... that is cool. You must not be married.


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## TraditionalTool (Jul 7, 2011)

Rudedog said:


> I'm speechless. Man .......................... that is cool. You must not be married.


LOL...yeah, most wives wouldn't got for something cool like that...hehehehe


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## 820wards (Jul 8, 2011)

TraditionalTool said:


> LOL...yeah, most wives wouldn't got for something cool like that...hehehehe


 

Wife's no, wenches yes!

Nice place your building there, keep those pictures coming.

jerry-


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## Doss (Jul 8, 2011)

Good deal man. I'm up in central Mississippi. If you want some bigger slabs, let me know. I have a few 50" wide logs that I can cut at whatever thickness you need. 

I may have to stop by one day on my way to Gulfport. :msp_thumbup:


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## smokinj (Jul 8, 2011)

Awesome!


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## irishcountry (Jul 8, 2011)

That is ridiculously AWESOME !!!!!  More details / pics if you get a chance !!


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## hardhat (Jul 8, 2011)

Happily married. Wife loves it and had input into it's construction. Will get more pics


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## irishcountry (Jul 8, 2011)

No better combo wood stone and steel !! Looking Fwd to more pics !!


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## TraditionalTool (Jul 8, 2011)

hardhat said:


> Happily married. Wife loves it and had input into it's construction. Will get more pics


Wow, the best of both worlds...your a lucky man!

That is a way cool project!


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## dancan (Jul 9, 2011)

Just too cool !


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## dancan (Jul 9, 2011)

A man and his castle !


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## jimdad07 (Jul 9, 2011)

That ranks up there with a log home in in the cool factor. That is some great work. How long has it taken to build?


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## TraditionalTool (Jul 9, 2011)

jimdad07 said:


> That ranks up there with a log home in in the cool factor. That is some great work. How long has it taken to build?


It certainly does! Stone works very well with timbers, and that stone work is beautiful.

Most log homes have a fair amount of stone work in them, and I plan to do so for the basement and fireplace of the log home I'm building.

That stone work on the castle looks AWESOME!


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## jimdad07 (Jul 9, 2011)

I live up in the Thousand Islands as some of you know. We have a couple of castles up here in the area that are breathtaking. Amazing what goes into building them. Imagine doing it centuries ago when they had no modern stone cutting tools.


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## hardhat (Jul 10, 2011)

2 years working on castle. We are moved in. 2nd and 3rd floors unfinished. There is a door on the veranda over the front door. We have rails up there now


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## TraditionalTool (Jul 10, 2011)

hardhat said:


> 2 years working on castle. We are moved in. 2nd and 3rd floors unfinished. There is a door on the veranda over the front door. We have rails up there now


hardhat,

Any chance we could get some pics of the inside?

Amazing job you've done.


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## hardhat (Jul 11, 2011)

Pic of finished woodwork on drawbridge. Got to get some chains to finish the look , but will be for another day. At least it is functional now to walk up it. I'll get some pics of the inside. Inside is not castle like. It is finished in sheetrock and has a modern look. Just like a really nice regular house


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## hardhat (Jul 11, 2011)

forgot to attach pic
View attachment 190270
View attachment 190271


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## irishcountry (Jul 11, 2011)

NICE !!


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## redoakneck (Jul 11, 2011)

That is awesome, a dude rich enough to have all that, yet chooses to mill it up himself-- YOU ARE THE MAN!!!!


So much more rewarding when you can say I did it myself, can't buy drawbridges too much anymore, at least not at HD


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## Rudedog (Jul 11, 2011)

Rudedog said:


> I'm speechless. Man .......................... that is cool. You must not be married.


 
I owe my wife a public apology. I showed her a pic of the castle and the drawbridge. She said "Sweet!" Then she asked the location. I told her Mississippi. She said "Even better!"


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## YarraValleyDude (Jul 15, 2011)

Unbeliveable mate, cant wait to see the splitter build.

There will be one right?


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