My first milling

[BigE]

I bought an Alaskan mill about a year ago, but just finally got around to using it. So, here's some results of my first project.

Yeah, I know, I need more pics of the slabs, but when you're milling, you just don't think about the camera until later.

I'm doing this with a 036 and a 25" bar. Way too small and bogs down some if I go too fast, but it gets the job done. I've been looking for a 44/56/66 saw, but haven't found one at the right price. (044 near me for $340, but it has low compression and slightly scored piston. Pass....)

Milling up the cedar

Spent a little time on a sketchup model

Milled wood

Starting to layout out one of the doors

 

[BigE]

Doors done

Roof trusses cut out

Putting the frame together

Frame together

 

[BigE]

Fitting up the doors

Got the doors installed. I really don't like the way the hinges came out on the upper doors. I couldn't install them the "normal" way due to the OSB on the doors, though. Maybe I'll switch out to strap hinges. But hey, it's just a chicken coop. Starting to add the chicken wire.

 

[BobL]

Wow - fancy chicken coop - I like it.

Seems such a shame to use such nice wood on a chicken coop but hey - if that's what you have and it cost you nothing why not?

 

[BigE]

Yep, it was either mill it up or use it for firewood, and I've got more than enough cedar firewood. There's no point in buying more wood when you have wood laying on the ground. This piece had been down for almost 4 years before I cut into it.

I needed something that would withstand quite a bit of rain, and didn't want to pay for pressure treated...

 

[huskyhank]

YES!!!!!

Great work!

 

[WV Wildman]

Sweet!

I geuss that would be a "Chicken Apartment" Haha!

 

[woodsrunner]

Sweet!

I geuss that would be a "Chicken Apartment" Haha!

good one (bet the chickens will be happy)

Nice job on the milling and the chicken coop.

Scott

 

[BigE]

Thanks, everyone. It's still a work in progress - I have to add a roof, and I think I'll use cedar for that as well.

Since all the hard work is done in figuring out all the dimensions, cut list, etc., I'm planning on building another to sell on Craigslist. I figure if the cheap crappy looking A-Frame style ones sell for $350, I should be able to get $500 for something like this.

Regards,
-Steve

 

[NEP]

Nice project.

 

[mtngun]

Pretty swanky chicken condo.

Might want to cover the exposed OSB with cedar siding on the CL coops.

Thanks for the pics. Good work. Your chickens thank you, too.

 

[BigE]

Might want to cover the exposed OSB with cedar siding on the CL coops.

Thanks. Yeah, for a CL version I'll either paint the OSB, use AC plywood (painted), or just use cedar instead, at least for the exterior.

Also, although this cedar has been down for 4 years, it was still very wet. I'm a little worried about cracking. For around my house, no big deal. For something I sell, I don't want to mess with issues down the road, so I might just buy at the local mill. At around $1 a board foot, it's hard to justify the work to mill the cedar yourself, especially with a CSM. A decent BSM - that's a different story.

 

[stipes]

Great Job!!!!

Alot of people have helped me out with me startin out milling,,but I learned as I go too....The more you do it,,the more enjoyment you will get....I'm always amazed of what everyone posted on here what they made from their milled wood....It's to me the best thing I ever done with all the wood I have on my farm....I hope it brings you alot of smiles as it has me.....Congrats,,and great job!!!!

 

[Brmorgan]

Sweet!

I guess that would be a "Chicken Apartment" Haha!

Must be some trendy hipster chicken - managed to score a loft apartment even!


Sure is a lot of work for one little chicken, but at least it looks really nice! I noticed that the arcs near the ends of the joist pieces are cut inverse of your Sketchup model. Any reasons? Both look good though.

 

[BigE]

Must be some trendy hipster chicken - managed to score a loft apartment even!

Sure is a lot of work for one little chicken, but at least it looks really nice! I noticed that the arcs near the ends of the joist pieces are cut inverse of your Sketchup model. Any reasons? Both look good though.

LOL. Thanks Brad. Hey, you're the first to notice the inverse! The reason was simple - as I was digging out the sheet of OSB to cut, I found the old template I made when I was building a trellis for the front yard. I figured, might as well tie them in, right?

I had about 20 hours into the whole deal, including the SU model and cut list(5 hours), so it wasn't too bad. That included about 8 hours worth of milling the wood, ripping it to rough size with the bandsaw, jointing, planing. Bandsaw motor went belly up in the middle of it, so that took a while to solve that issue, and the planer knives were dull, so that took longer than normal.

This was originally my wife's project. She was going to do it all, just wanted me to "watch her and make sure she did it right". Except that she didn't want to run the chainsaw, bandsaw, or tablesaw. Oh, and the biggest power tool she had run before this was a cordless drill. Anyway, she helped most of the time I was working, which meant quite a bit of training time. But she now can sort of use the miter saw, jig saw, drill press, and planer. Oh, and she learned how to use the cordless impact driver for screws.

 

[Beefie]

That is one cool yard bird coop. Must have the fanciest one on the block:hmm3grin2orange:. Nice job on the joints looks A1. I say you did good for your first project.

Beefie

 

[BigE]

Got the roof on this weekend.

 

[mtngun]

Sweet.

 

[TraditionalTool]

Very nice, I like it. Looks great! (and those chickens look happy!;-)

 

[Brmorgan]

That really looks nice.

Heh, I was thinking what my grandmother would think of it. She grew up on a farm with chickens more or less running free all over, and whichever one happened to be closest to the house come suppertime had better watch out! Not to mention that the very reason she's never driven a day in her life was that the first time my gramps tried to teach her, she lurched forward and destroyed their big chicken coop and the frontend of the car. She's never sat behind a wheel since, and that was in the early '40s.