You two are some of the luckiest people alive, you've found each other, you're building your own house in a beautiful place and you've not had any accidents

Just watched this. I've been sawing on my Woodmizer for almost 20 years and I find it easiest to saw with the small end of the log facing the sawyer. Starting at the small end allows for more wiggle room because you're always working towards a diameter that gets larger rather than smaller. That way you give yourself the best chance to get what you want out of the log. When I have the logs delivered I always have the driver place the logs small end towards the head of the saw so I'm not wasting time flipping logs around. I've sawn a lot of timbers for timber frames and it's always critical that the 2nd face is always sawn perfectly square to the first face so you'll end up with a square timber, otherwise you'll end up with a parallelogram which no timber framer wants to deal with. It's great that you both have the ambition and willingness to learn and make mistakes building your own house. Enjoy the process!

I like the clean 'city ' look. There is so much beauty in this project: the project itself, the setting and the people.

Superb! You guys took a TREE...and made a beautiful and precise structural building component from it that will last as long as the house stands. And it will be a constant and visible reminder to you of the knowledge, determination and skills you acquired along the way.

"Bugaboo, get up and do something with your life." Haha!!!! I love Bugaboo!! Stay safe. Dust masks might be a good idea?

You want the center of the log to be parallel to the bed of the saw, leave the thick end fixed and raise the thin end till both ends are the same height from the saw bed. (Level is not what counts, parallel to the bed is what counts).

I think this is the best episode so far. Wood machining is so satisfying you will get it dialed in.

I'm scratching my head and asking myself "How and when did your channel become so addictive? "

Don't worry about planing or sanding. The saw cuts smooth enough and with the heart included in the post it will develop a large crack on the surface when it dries anyway. Be aware that the log will flex when a cut is made due to internal stresses in the log. In general the sap wood is in compression and the heart wood is in tension. When you make a cut and remove the sap wood as a slab, the remaining log will likely flex and not be straight.

I have alot of respect for you guys milling your own lumber. I tip my hat to you both.

Jesse - replace at least one of your hooks with an oversized hook. That way when you lift, it will tighten up on the log and the log can not shift/slip. The equivalent using rope is to make a bowline around the standing part of the rope.

Going to be interesting when the "Wood Frame" guys show up. Measure with a micrometer, level with a laser, cut with an axe !!!

Trees twist as they grow due to correlis effect so you will never align the grain at each end. You need to clear out your log deck and put two logs at right angles to your mill deck. All the logs then get stacked on these two logs, no more lifting logs up onto the mill. Simply roll them onto your mill. Loving the videos all the way in New Zealand

Bugaboo would have to be the coolest cat on KZread.

Awesome video. You folks are better entertainment than anything else on KZread.

With all of the milling that you are doing, I suggest collecting as much of the sawdust as possible. It can be made into "pucks" that can be burned for heat.

I have done a lot of turning logs into timber over the years. The easy way for you is make one 1/2 inch shim and shims in one inch increments up to about 5 or 6 inchs. measure from saw mill frame to center of log on thick end Ditto on thin end. Shim the difference on thin end secure log and cut

I don't know if you're going to paint these posts, or stain them ,but oh my goodness what a beautiful woodgrain. Love your videos

Alyssa - I hope you learned that you always need and exit route when dealing with heavy items, especially over your head.

Jesse, you should start cuts on the small end first to maximize what you get out of the log. also adjust log on opposite end for vertical height based on centers of the log. So you can jack up or lift the far end away from your starting cut. so centers are level and cut will be on the correct plane from the center. More material will come off the end of the cut which is what you want.

You guys have come a long way so far! Be proud and enjoy this next phase! I'm happy to be able to follow your progress - thank you!

Please cover your building materials and supplies, even if it doesn't rain, the moisture in the night will cause the wood to swell while its surface would sink in pressure points, causing symmetry problems later on.

Just an FYI, when you're moving heavy stuff with equipment and aren't completely confident with the weight carry it in as close as you can and low as possible, if you do end up lifting wheels they can only go as far as your material is from the ground at most.

You need to line up the middle of the log at each end. Take the diameter at each end and then put a wedge under the small end that is the difference divided by 2. This will make the center at each end line up on the same horizontal plane.

Keep up the good work, Very encouraging and inspirational, Good or bad right or wrong is not important Working as a team Learning and sharing your journey is a blessing to watch. May God Bless your efforts and bring you and the Family Great joy for many years to come.

It is easier to mill your logs if you place the small end toward the mill.

I'm fortunate to have rolling and adjustable toe boards on my woodmizer. However even without them I always put the smaller diameter end of the logs at the sawmill carriage end. This allows you to take your measurements from the sawmill bed . Using a short stick as a tool I lift that end so the log is level and put a wedge underneath to secure it there. As you mentioned in the video its essential to have the center of the log level from end to end. Starting the blade at the smaller end gives you a better picture of what the log will yield. Your grappler hook attachment will allow you lift and spin a log to place it on the mill bed. Its a lot of messing around but that tip alone saves you walking back and forth several times to check the alignment. Cheers

Love watching your progress! We are building a small dog kennel on our homestead and we gained a lot of knowledge from all of your foundation preparation and your concrete work and pour. Thanks!

Just a tip because this is something I do know about. In the long run you will be so much happier if you go head like your doing and plane and then sand because when it's left rough, even when you seal it it will get full of diet and grime and dust over the years. The smooth with a nice tung oil is so pleasing. Anyway, you guys are great! Keep up the great work and thanks so much for all the hard work on your videos also!!

@byonbill9499

6 жыл бұрын

Seems like that advice only applies to cured and dried lumber!

That wood is gorgeous.

You have stated the answer to your problem with the saw several times. Most likely your soil under the saw is moving (shifting over time) under weight of the logs and equipment. The ends of the sawmill carry all the weight and the leveling stones are being slowly pushed in the ground. A suggestion is to pack down the area of the sawmill. Not only where the mill sets, but the area around where you drive the backhoe next to the sawmill. Drive the tractor over it until there is no tire tracks. Get 8-10 inches of your rubble you were going to haul off and spread it over the area next to the saw mill.Pack it down too. Then move the sawmill over to the packed area. Pack down that area where the saw was setting. Then move the sawmill back next to the log pile on on the leveling stones and the new stable ground. Nice to see that your safety has improved by going back to the chains and not using the yellow jaws of death. Get your Helper a rope to position a dangling log. No direct contact with the log. Have fun. It is nice to have family projects this large that you both believe in.

If you paint those beams the wood god's will take your deserts away from you for life.

the sawdust is awesome for gardening, and after you use the firewood you can add that Ashes to your garden as well or you can use them to make soap

And you wondered if buying the backhoe was a good idea. It makes moving logs so much easier. Great buy.

Alisa, PLEASE use a tag line or a pike pole when you guys are swinging timbers around. Never trust the rigging...

It's exciting to see your progress on the house.Love how you two work together and it is a big help to have another person to help.It seems i 've always worked alone and yes you have to be creative.Can't wait till the timber frame starts to go up.

if the beam is rocking in the middle your saw bed is not straight. Try to sight down it and you should see the bend in the track.

Really enjoy following you make your dreams become reality! I would suggest that clearing out all equipment etc. that is not used in your current activity will make it less likely that an accident and damage to equipment or injury occurs. Always keeping the job site completely clear for footing as well as equipment swing space pays off.

A suggestion- if any of those logs are cedar and you have some extra, line the inside of a closet with it. You can store your winter/summer clothes there and not about moths or whatever

Great job guys! I hope im not reapeating a previous comment but on my sawmill i always put the small end towards the head of the mill. It works for me because I don't have to make as many cuts to get where i want to be. I also agree with a past comment about pouring a slab. You will be very happy you made the investment😀 trust me lol. It gives you a good reference to measure the pith elevation on both ends and gives you something flat and sturdy to jack up the end you need to raise.you guys are doing great keep up the good work

Haha "It's like lifting water jugs all over... oh crap!" Nice save.

I love natural wood...gorgeous.

YAY!! Sub since the hotub. Viewer since the septic tank. Been waiting for this since I moved to Colorado. I know Jesse dosn't read these comments, but I've been rooting for you both since the beginning. I get it all. Now (2 weeks ago) it's getting real. The haters will hate. Push on anyway. Woop Woop!!

I wanted to see the Claw, than I remembered this was videoed before. Looking good!

great recovery on the water can trip you are one gutsy woman hang in there

Linseed oil is the best stuff, it keeps the natural wood look and protects it

Level your mill bed with string lines....I know you guys can do that!

@kansascountry970

6 жыл бұрын

String lines?!? That's so 2005! They have that fancy dancy expensive laser! We don't need no stinking string! Note: this was sarcastic...

I remember from wood shop, only sand with the grain wood, # 2 when debarking a log, take a shovel, and run it up the log, from fouch-o-matic off grid, the curve of the log will all most match of shovel.

Hey Alyssa, great save on that controlled fall with five gallons of water in your hands. Very athletic and graceful.

One way to get the pith level is to raise the blade above the log and measure down from it to the center of the log on both ends

Find center on both ens. Use a scribe and strigb to find center level throughout the length of the log. Raise the smaller end until it is level with the cutting plane of the mill.

Thanks for sharing. What I liked most about this video is your communication and teamwork. A+++

Very much enjoying your exploits in house building. Glad to see you are doing everything you can to keep your standards up. Up where we are on the wet coast, we had 30 red cedars milled up and stored most of them including the waned pieces. All the good stuff went into exterior trim etc., and from the other stuff I have put in over 1000' of deer fencing. and have almost run out. Throw away nothing, you will use it all, even if it is fire starter. The same goes for the Douglas fir. Used the best lumber for columns (cedar) and the best fir for treads and trim etc.

You got that fancy Bosch level, tack a stake on each end, mark 12 (or whatever works, as long as it’s the same on each end. Level the small end to the big end and the center cuts will be parallel/as straight as possible.

You two are so awesome. We really enjoy watching the progress.

You gotta talk to Matt Cremona or whatever his name is. Dude with a sawmill. Mills bigassed slabs and stuff. Has a KZread channel somewhere around here. I'm sure he's ruined enough lumber to know *exactly* how to center a log by now. I know he uses adjustable pegs and whatnot, but I never bothered to remember what gets aligned where when running the mill because I don't have a mill.

I would pick 2 really nice logs, and only put small squares (pegs) at the top and the bottom to attache to the brackets, leaving the rest of the entire length of the log with the bark on it. That would be a really cool look in the lower level. If the bark look isn't your thing, the bark could be peeled off leaving a round post with all it's character.

And never drag ur hand planer backwards unless u feel like replacing blades every other day

I skipped ahead in my time machine and checked out their Instagram page where we can see the video future! I think that’s about 2 weeks ahead if anyone is interested.

Alyssa! You scared me when you lost your balance on the mill. Man!! Jesse seems really happy after measuring in the garage...lolol Excited, every episode.

Sounds like Alyssa is getting the bug, the beauty of the wood is what makes it worth it. Wait till later when you start picking out certain pieces because of the look of the grain and saving them for special projects.

@brownsnake0400

6 жыл бұрын

ray nall got that bug in high school wood shop. Haven't shook it since

@raynall3593

6 жыл бұрын

so did I, still amazes me sometimes when you see some different kinds of wood.

Winter is coming!

Beautiful wood!!!

Has anyone suggested skimming the logs with a metal detector ? Cheap insurance, you will hit metal of some kind eventually.

I enjoy watching your honest process. I've had a little experience working on timber frames and lots of experience moving heavy stuff. I get nervous when I see your wife handling the timber directly when you're moving the logs with your backhoe. Can you please use a tag line (rope connected to one end) to maneuver the logs when hanging from the bucket. A tag line allows one to work outside of the danger area and away from pinch points. I would hate to see a crushing accident. Great job so far! Lastly, did you prime the steel at the tops of the last two vertical garage posts? You showed it on the first, but not the last couple. It would be nice to see you prime the entire steel beam, because it will continue to rust even when out of the weather.

I really like the process and product y'all are doing....keep up the awesomeness...

I'm excited that you guys are starting the framing! :)

love it! asks for advice and comments on two week old material... hes already LONG past this. Ha! =0)

@KraftyKathi

6 жыл бұрын

Tobin Belisle he will see the comments before milling the house part...these were just for the garage.

Green timber will twist and bow. I really don't want a potential oversight on this affect the structure of your home as you have had so much meticulas checking on everything else. Just check with your engineer. Great job and love the videos !!

I'm enjoying the journey. It looks like a lot of work!

I have a suggestion.. Why don't you put either a burlap sack or a bucket on the discharge chute and collect all that sawdust?? You could make little fire starter logs or something.

@mikestevens3247

6 жыл бұрын

It mite be to fine for mulch. I think if the mix it with water or wax and press into a form of some kind, It'd make a heck of a fire starter

@paulharrison788

6 жыл бұрын

Save the sawdust if it is course. Buy some blueberry bushes (we got 20). Get 2 or three varieties that fruit earlier or later ans give them a dose of fir sawdust every spring (end of Feb.). Freeze what you don't eat seasonally. You have a year's supply AND jam. We still have sawdust under cover after 4 years.

not trying to nit pick, your probably well and truly done this task but when your shifting heavy loads like that and someone is dogging the load, its a good idea to stand well clear of the load by using a tail tied to the end. then you steer with the tail a good few feet away from the load. If your standing virtually under it, and moving in the same direction and something happens like you hit a pot hole or a link breaks, the shock loading of the weight you are carrying can both snap the chain and tip whatever your using to lift it over. The shock loading factor is multiples higher than the weight of what you are carrying, and that multiplies the further you boom out with your bucket. You've done a great job on the houes so far.

Wow...you two are getting more views than Wranglerstar! WTG!

Please get a set of turn over forks for that backhoe. I love you guys and a set of forks would save you so much time now and especially in the near distant future. Keep up the good work.

@lyndencroker5257

6 жыл бұрын

Just what I was thinking, it'd so much easier with flip. front forks.

Bear in mind that even with a straight log one side will be in tension and the other in compression. When you separate it into smaller, thinner pieces the tension will be released to some degree and cause a straight cut to twist or bow (or a combination of the two), as you can see at 18:21. If you pay close attention to each cut you'll soon learn to intuit which way a fresh log wants to move, and to make allowances for it. When it comes to straight lines nothing beats the human eye. Instead of using the engineered timber as a 'reliable' straight edge (which it isn't!) you'd be better off squatting down at one end of the sawmill and looking down the length of it. If one of those support steels is off you'll see that it pokes up a little compared to the rest. If the one in the middle is a little bit proud you might be able to simply slacken off the bolts and then retighten it, rather than swapping it with another steel.

You guys are definitely learning as you go.

Get a set of forks that attach to the front bucket. Makes moving logs and lumber so much easier.

Water tube level! Its cheep, easy, accurate, and it works over long distances! And if you put a 5gal bucket in the middle of the tube ends you can increase your distance and verticality, also with the bucket added you can more level points (tube ends).

@VC-Toronto

6 жыл бұрын

Water levels are the most under-appreciated and under-used tool in the arsenal. I used one to set the grade on my driveway, and was able to maintain the 1/8 inch per foot slope over the 100 foot length.

Buy a cheap mag base laser line and attach it to the milling head to align the log

Hey Jessie.. always have the small end of log toward you when sawing.. also you need to speed up your feed rate (push faster) and you won't have saw marks..

If you plant to keep poultry, save the sawdust and chips for bedding; poultry bedding or straight off the mill, you can use them in garden paths, as mulch or in hugelkultur. They contain minerals and carbon that will build and enrich your soil.

Guys I have to say I never watched a series of video like you are doing. Man the work in filming and editing on top of the work on the house built. My word is AMAZING !!!!. Keep it up, you are both doing great team work !!!!!!!! ♥

and Pleas sand WITH THE Grain. sry for being rude, but that's one rule you don't break .

when you set the large end use the mill gauge to get a center measurement then take mill to other end and set back to same reading and position log to center of blade lock in place check max finish cut small end . cut . tip 90 second set up again . cut .

keep the 20 minute + videos coming !!!!!

While it's not really recommended to use a backhoe in that manner, yes it can be done; However it would be much safer using straps instead of chains and using the bucket instead of the hoe. The hoe is not designed for that type of load whereas the bucket is made to lift. Always keep clear of the logs while moving them as much as you can anyways, and try to have a escape plan to get out of the area fast if something goes bad. Never put yourself in a area where you have no way out, machines and logs don't have feelings and can change if not end your life in a fraction of a second. After working on heavy equipment at a landfill for 10 years I have seen a fair share of failures and even ended up in the E.R. myself once. I would like to see both of you not only build your house but to enjoy it for many years to come. Safety is no accident !!!!

You should probably make 2-3 adjustable V-blocks to hold up the ends and maybe the middle of the log for the first cut, that will stop it from rolling and will let you level the log. Double check the tracking of your blade and move those blade guides in closer to get a flatter cut. If you are still rocking on the bed after the first cut, get the bottom level and shim it tight for the second cut. One more thing, since a log doesn't start flat, the weight of the log might bend it during the first cut and flipping it 180° could double that bend for the second cut if your sawmill bed is high in the middle. My experience is more cutting steel with a horizontal bandsaw, where square and straight is usually not an issue but bad tracking and bending stock happen. Wood should be similar in a lot of ways but not all so maybe do some test cuts and look really hard to figure out exactly what is going wrong. The logs I have cut were wood that had been tarped for a year or two to dry and not squared up, just debarked and sanded. I haven't cut enough green wood to tell you what is too wet but that is another thing to worry about.

On your mark, get set... Let the timber framing begin!

This might sound stupid, but attach an old potato sack or a lot of times I use plastic bag to the sawdust discharge chute to cut down on the dust blowing everywhere.

For banana-shaped logs, I turn the hump up first and slice enough off so that when I turn the hump down, it sits solid on the mill. Then I shave the turned up ends off.

To plan your beams faster maybe look into the planer attachment for your wood mizer deck

I have sawn timber frame timbers on a lt15. To center heart of log we built 2 tee shaped scales. 2x4 lays across bed rails then 2x4 goes up in center with an inch scale on it, 0 to 24 inches. Set one at each end of log on rails then leveled them to match scale on each end. Easy fast and made from scraps. No level or strings needed.

Linseed oil and beeaswax looks good on timber lots of work to buff up though

Have you used your laser leveler to check if the mill bed is straight, it might have settled more since you set it up, and each time you drop lumber on it the foundation it is sitting on might compress down more, also on a long cut shouldn't you stick a wedge in every few feet to stop the weight of the wood pressing down in the rear of the cutting belt which might cause extra heat/wear and tear or the weight of the cut wood trying to guide the belts cutting direction upward a little.

You will do it! Thanks for sharing.

Just binged watched all the way from the start of the lite forming. Was a real threat to follow along! daily 30min videos is really hard to do if you want it to be more than time lapses. Kepp it up

Beautiful looking beams. Do not paint them!! Put some oil on them to preserve them and keep the beauty.

that wood is so pretty hope you will just oil it and leave it natural

I appreciate the recognition on the Lone Ranger, good sir!! Owner/operator of a landscaping business

The beams will be nice ,the beam grane looks good . Good job an a good viedo!