My New Sign Post

[The WoodButcher]

Hi All, I'm giving it a shot at timber framing. Just making my sign post for now and we'll see how that goes. 8) For my first attempt I'm using a 8x8 syp for the post.

 

[Trent Mason]

Randy,

Wow, those are some mortises! :gar-shock 8x8? Did you lift that yourself (sounds like a hernia waiting to happen)? Looks great so far, can't wait to see how it turns out! :eusa_clap:eusa_clap:eusa_clap

Trent

 

[The WoodButcher]

:rotflm: The mortise's are 2"x6". the Post is 8"x8"x12' I use the forklift to move them. Hope it all goes well with this, we'll see :eusa_danc

 

[WoodWrangler]

Holy Mortise! :notworthy:

Lookin' good, Randy

 

[Gotcha6]

There is a demand for that type of building system, but it is very 'nichey'. Mostly mountain & lake homes. I tried to sell log home kits in the early 90s but couldn't get past the tire kicker stage with any customers. The products are similar in needs. You will get a better job if you are selective about your logs using lumber with minimal grain slope to avoid twisting. If you've got the location to do it look into Sodium Borate treating for rot protection.
Looks like you've learned to go elsewhere when someone moves your cheese. Good luck. :icon_thum

 

[dancam]

Hey Randy,

Looking good...that's going to be one good looking sign. I have a timber-frame home (we built it in 04/05) and just love it. In fact the building experience was so good I became fairly good friends with our builder (Blueridgetimberframe.com) that I now work for him P/T...helping w/some sales & mkt'g.

There are a lot of tire kickers but there are also a lot of folks (mostly boomers) that are heart set on a TF home. The problem we see is that builders tend to shy away from getting involved w/a TF. They would rather just do a stick build and put up some faux timbers to make it look like a TF.

My advice would be to get known by some of your local architects and builders and let them know what you can provide.

Good luck.

Dan C.

 

[jeff...]

Randy if you want to get into log home construction it's pretty easy. Throw SYP log on the mill measure up 4 ~ 6 from the small end pith take a slice roll the log over with freshly cut face down set the mill head on 8 ~ 12" take another slice peel off the remaining bark and you ready to cut the next one. The actual "thickness" between the two flat is dependent upon what the builder wants. You can rip through a boat load of these in a short amount of time and the money is a lot better than sawing lumber, providing you got a good pine log supplier and a good builder.

Later

 

[Gotcha6]

I tried to sell for a top end company - Real Log Homes Inc. They advised AGAINST all this (probably why they didn't sell many homes). Their kits were precut with single 2" wide t & g top & bottom to avoid water trapping & borate treated for bugs. They used non memory foam between boards & screwed the logs together. Door & window jambs were splined to the logs to compensate for settling. Top notch stuff. You can sell logs like Jeff says, but you'd better not try & give any guarantees. There's more to log homes than debarking & cutting a log if it is to last.

 

[Travis Porter]

TIme for a chain mortiser!!!! argh, argh, argh!!!!

Good Luck!!

 

[The WoodButcher]

Hey Gotcha6, hook me up :gar-La; . Hey Mike Davis, I'm figure'n on hanging a Big slab from it. I have a pantagraph for my router and I going route the word's H&W
Sawmill
into it. Not sure how this is gonne work this is fresh sawn SYP, is the mortise gonna dry smaller or get bigger? :dontknow: Or am I wasting my time? :gar-Cr Not that it matters, I'm just doing it for something to do any way.

 

[The WoodButcher]

:gar-La;Hey dude give me a link or something, don't just come in here and start listing tools I know nothing about and then leave. :rotflm: Thanks Travis Porter

 

[The WoodButcher]

:icon_thum Yeah Mike I'm gonna paint the inside of the letters black. I think it's gonna look great. My wife say's it's rather large. I think it should be. It show's people they can get things here that the homedepot can't touch. Ya recon?:gar-La;

 

[Gotcha6]

Sorry, I lost all my contacts there when they went from commissioned sales to regional (Southeastern US) sales reps. Their main office is in Missoula, MT, and they have a plant at State Road, NC just above Elkin. Other plants are located in the northeast & midwest. All their SYP kits are cut in NC, White Pine in the NE, WRC in MT. Here's their website: ttp://www.realloghomes.com/ They engineer, cut, mill, & treat their logs at the plant & a customer gets a complete numbered log package. Logs are available in tradtional, 'D' profile, Swedish cope, & dovetailed rectangle. FWIW, I'd stick to timberframe unless you have a large supply of logs to work from. You'd stand a better chance of finding a REAL customer. I dealt with tire kickers from Long Island, NY to Orlando, FL that wanted to build anywhere from Linville Falls to Southport.

 

[Travis Porter]

Sorry.;-) Chain mortiser is what it is, a chain driven mortiser. I have only seen them on TV and ads on the web. They are used to cut LARGE mortises and have a chain similar to a chainsaw.

 

[jeff...]

I tried to sell for a top end company - Real Log Homes Inc. They advised AGAINST all this (probably why they didn't sell many homes). Their kits were precut with single 2" wide t & g top & bottom to avoid water trapping & borate treated for bugs. They used non memory foam between boards & screwed the logs together. Door & window jambs were splined to the logs to compensate for settling. Top notch stuff. You can sell logs like Jeff says, but you'd better not try & give any guarantees. There's more to log homes than debarking & cutting a log if it is to last.

I just cut customer logs to specification and have done it twice now. They brought me the logs and I cut them how they specified and debarked the rest. There is always a better way to do things, some people like the old ways just as well as the new. You have to admit a lot of old hand hewn log cabins are still standing and were built way before non memory foam & borate. Both times my customers we very pleased, I got the second customer from a good reference from the first. Both times the logs went to build rustic hunting cabins.

Thanks

 

[LeftyTom]

I dunno, if it gets windy in Waxhaw, you better go heavier on the post. :rolf:

 

[Steve W]

Heck, Randy, you should be able to hang a Volkswagen from that post!
:rotflm:

:kermit: Steve

 

[The WoodButcher]

Hi All, I just found me a new toy. I think everybody with a sawmill needs one of these. This is gonna be a very cool addition in my timber framing adventures.