HEY BOB! What's steel, sharp. . .

[Metals406]

Nate what are ya doing for a backing plate or are ya using washers? Countersink holes for washer so the nut remains flat is kind what I'm thinkin? Or make a thicker threaded backing plate and using round holes instead of square ones... thoughts?

Wes

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A guy has a couple options. I figure most folks have a spade bit in the least, and some forstners if they're fancy like me. :msp_biggrin: LOL

Drill the holes backwards. . . Meaning, pick your washer size. Lets say they're 1" dia. -- so start your holes (on the back side of the board) with a 1.25" (1 1/4") bit as deep as you want the countersink.

Then switch to your 'through' bit for finishing the bolt holes. 1 size over for 3/8" bolts, or 1 size over for 1/4" bolts, whichever you chose for your shoe. Doing it this way means you have to take a little more care in your layout (everything is backwards), but the counterbored holes give you guides (the center point) to finish drilling the holes all the way through the board.

Anyone who has tried to do a flat-bottom counterbore after they've drilled their holes can attest to how much it sucks doing it that way, as opposed to the way annotated above.

Hope that's not too confusing? :msp_scared:

 

[OlympicYJ]

Nope follered ya every step. That be the way to do it. Try in to countersink after the through holes is a pita. Any thoughts on a threaded backing plate? Instead of a whole nother plate maybe just bars... dunno if there'd be an advantage than just not having to have a bunch of nuts. Get appropriate bolt size (head wise) so they cab be tightened with a bar wrench. As for boards should be gettin some ash for the mill soon. Or just use good ole df.

Wes

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[Metals406]

Nope follered ya every step. That be the way to do it. Try in to countersink after the through holes is a pita. Any thoughts on a threaded backing plate? Instead of a whole nother plate maybe just bars... dunno if there'd be an advantage than just not having to have a bunch of nuts. Get appropriate bolt size (head wise) so they cab be tightened with a bar wrench. As for boards should be gettin some ash for the mill soon. Or just use good ole df.

Wes

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

I reckon a guy could put a fancy pants backing plate on there, but then you're just adding weight.

Of all the pictures I've seen of the old timey boards, they all had between 2 and 3 bolts through the shoe and just stuck out the bottom. A guy ain't holding much on there, so 3 bolts and a nut/washer combo should do just dandy.

 

[Metals406]

Willy, yer shoes should be in yer paws Saturday? Monday at the latest.

 

[Cfaller]

Willy, yer shoes should be in yer paws Saturday? Monday at the latest.

Nate, the shoes look great. I'll post some pics when I get them all together. Thanks again.:msp_thumbsup:

 

[Metals406]

Anyone carve out a nice piece of 1/4 sawn yet and make their board? opcorn:

 

[Gologit]

Not yet. The only thing getting carved on is my right hand. I'll spare you the details but it looks like I'll be typing one handed for awhile.

Meh, it's a blessing in disguise. I'll have more time to look for just the exactly right piece of wood.

 

[Metals406]

Not yet. The only thing getting carved on is my right hand. I'll spare you the details but it looks like I'll be typing one handed for awhile.

Meh, it's a blessing in disguise. I'll have more time to look for just the exactly right piece of wood.

Surgery eh? I hope it fixes what ails ya!

Yeah, put a bug in the ear of your milling guys to look for a nice tight fir that a guy can 1/4 saw a 10" plank from.

They can look while you're healing up. :msp_biggrin:

I'm kinda getting a hankerin' to make one myself. . . Like I need another project.

Looks like Southern Montanny is on fire already -- One fire was 200+ acres in a few hours last night, pushed by strong winds. It's windy again today.

I guess Butte got 1" of precip all winter, so they're dry, dry, dry. I bet Cody gets on a fire before I do. :msp_scared:

 

[Trx250r180]

customer was in here yesterday dropping off some scrap ,was telling me of an old growth cedar stump on his property ,and could still see the springboard holes in the stump ,back from the hand sawn days

 

[Trx250r180]

Not yet. The only thing getting carved on is my right hand. I'll spare you the details but it looks like I'll be typing one handed for awhile.

Meh, it's a blessing in disguise. I'll have more time to look for just the exactly right piece of wood.

do you have a way to mill your own board ?

 

[Gologit]

do you have a way to mill your own board ?

No, I wish I did. I tried free handing boards and the only thing I got was a good lesson in not being as good with a saw as I thought I was. :msp_biggrin:

I did wind up with some nice fence posts and a good pile of firewood, though.

When the pile of saw chips and noodles was bigger than the pile of useable wood I gave up.

 

[Sport Faller]

Surgery eh? I hope it fixes what ails ya!

Yeah, put a bug in the ear of your milling guys to look for a nice tight fir that a guy can 1/4 saw a 10" plank from.

They can look while you're healing up. :msp_biggrin:

I'm kinda getting a hankerin' to make one myself. . . Like I need another project.

Looks like Southern Montanny is on fire already -- One fire was 200+ acres in a few hours last night, pushed by strong winds. It's windy again today.

I guess Butte got 1" of precip all winter, so they're dry, dry, dry. I bet Cody gets on a fire before I do. :msp_scared:

Hey Dammit!, don't be talkin about fire stuff, I don't wanna be wakin up at 2 am to go to work, that's whens I gets mah drankin done LOL

 

[Metals406]

Freehand milling takes a lot of practice. Luckily, I have a bunch from doing log work in house building.

I can get real close with some good snapped lines and if I take my time. Then I can throw it through the 12.5" planer to true it up, or use the handy-dandy hand planer.

A guy will need a good 24" tree to quarter a 10" board from. . . Maybe a hair bigger? Then you want some good trim for end checking and you'll wanna wax the pee out'a the ends to let it dry as even as possible.

Any heart wood in the son-of-a-gun will want to crack down the center.

 

[Sport Faller]

No, I wish I did. I tried free handing boards and the only thing I got was a good lesson in not being as good with a saw as I thought I was. :msp_biggrin:

I did wind up with some nice fence posts and a good pile of firewood, though.

When the pile of saw chips and noodles was bigger than the pile of useable wood I gave up.

LOL, took a nice 2 bushel tree and turned into a very handsome, custom made, toothbrush handle

 

[Trx250r180]

No, I wish I did. I tried free handing boards and the only thing I got was a good lesson in not being as good with a saw as I thought I was. :msp_biggrin:

I did wind up with some nice fence posts and a good pile of firewood, though.

When the pile of saw chips and noodles was bigger than the pile of useable wood I gave up.

iv'e been eyeballing my fir when milling ,its hard to get tight grains up and down for 10 inch wide with most of my second growth,they seem to turn to the right or left one end or the other milling them ,if i slab a log in the middle i get some clean boards sometimes ,what are the measurements for a springboard ?and how much taper ? if i slip a couple wedges under a plank far end i can cut taper with my chainsaw mill ,seems like my fir is harder/denser than building stud grade i buy ,i think they are slipping in hemlock and calling it fir

 

[strangersfaces]

....... I tried free handing boards and the only thing I got was a good lesson in not being as good with a saw as I thought I was. :msp_biggrin:
.......

[youtube]02QWRo1W4II&NR[/youtube]​

 

[Metals406]

iv'e been eyeballing my fir when milling ,its hard to get tight grains up and down for 10 inch wide with most of my second growth,they seem to turn to the right or left one end or the other milling them ,if i slab a log in the middle i get some clean boards sometimes ,what are the measurements for a springboard ?and how much taper ? if i slip a couple wedges under a plank far end i can cut taper with my chainsaw mill ,seems like my fir is harder/denser than building stud grade i buy ,i think they are slipping in hemlock and calling it fir

Brian, if your fir is big enough around, you should be able to flat saw a board from the center, then cut the heart wood out of it to make it 1/4 sawn.

I'd personally want to stand on a 10" board, 6" would be as skinny as I'd wanna go.

Here's a good picture Jake posted on FB that shows a side-profile of some boards, and how a guy can cut his taper.

I'd personally start with something square, and lay it out to draw knife the taper, and finish with a flap disk on a grinder, and massage it however from there.

 

[Metals406]

Measuring a piece of fir I freehanded here. . . It appears that 1/3 of it would make 1/4 sawn, then heart, then 1/4 again.

So you'd need a 30" tree to make a 10" quarter. :msp_ohmy:

 

[Trx250r180]

Measuring a piece of fir I freehanded here. . . It appears that 1/3 of it would make 1/4 sawn, then heart, then 1/4 again.

So you'd need a 30" tree to make a 10" quarter. :msp_ohmy:

i have 30 inch trees ,but the grains get bigger towards the outside ,most tight grain iv'e come across off my property is 6-7 of tight then they get wider ,it looks like from what i can see they start with a 2 1/2 to 3 inch slab then rip it down part way and can freehand a 45 cut for taper ,they are flat ,not wedge shaped planks like i thought ,i have noticed if the hearts off center i can get some tight grain ,but they seem to wanna twist when drying ,i have more stable wood with a centered heart

 

[Metals406]

Sounds like you need some good ol Montucky tight grained fir! :msp_thumbup:

It just grows tougher up here -- so the grain is tight.

And you're correct about centering the heart -- it's is more stable -- but still prone to cracking down the heartwood.

Drive over to Twisp and North of Hwy 2. . . The wood would be a lot tighter than on the coast.