A project... From start to finish (lots of Pics)

[Ian Abraham]

I posted this series of pics on an Aussie forum a few days back and it sorta got people thinking...

Just a series of photos about the steps to build something .. starting from a tree. I think a lot of people only see a few steps in the process.

Anyway

here goes.

Step 1 - Find a tree... This is an old Monterray cypress growing as a shelter tree on a friends farm. She wants them gone so she can redo the fence line and plant some new trees

Step 2 - Fell tree. Note - PPE being used ;)

Step 3 - Limb tree and buck log into sensible sizes

Step 4 - Skid logs to suitable location for sawing. If you can scam 1/2 an hour of excavator time it makes life a heck of a lot easier.

[Ian Abraham]

Step 5 - Set up sawmill over logs

Step 6 - saw up log into boards

Step 7 - Admire sawn boards

Step 8 - Stack boards on stickers / cover with tin roof / go home and rest

[Ian Abraham]

Several months later...

Step 9 - Plane boards.

Step 10 - Cut out parts needed for project

Step 11 - Start assembling project. Current level of woodworking involves Gorrila glue and lots of screws. Mental note to self - need to improve woodworking skills

Step 12 - Apply Poly for tough hard wearing child-resistant finish

Step 13 - Remember to stop at hardware store to get some stays to hold the lid up .

A couple of Notes
Most of the timber from the tree went into panelling for a feature wall in a friends new house, and it looks GOOD
The left overs I'm using for some projects like this.
There is about 12 more good trees in the shelter belt :D

Cheers

Ian

[Rob Russell]

Ian,

That's a nice "photo story" - thanks for posting it.

You say that you left the wood stickered for "several months" before using them. How dry were they? If I did the same thing with oak, it'd probably still be 15-20% moisture after a couple of months.

Rob

[Ian Abraham]

Rod

The Cypress is faster drying than a hardwood like Oak. We measured it with microwave / digital scales method after 3 months and it was 14%. EMC in our climate is 12%, so I said 'close enough'. The 4" boards on the wall may have moved slightly in the last few months, but not enough to worry about.

I agree, if it was oak or a similar hardwood, then 6 -12 months drying would be needed, and maybe extra drying inside to suit your conditions

Cheers

Ian

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Ian...now that's the story........the whole story.......and well documented! Great story and project!

[Frank Pellow]

Nice project, pictures, documentation, and result. Thanks!

[Ian Abraham]

A couple more pictures..

Sorry if the view upsets people :cool:

1- The house site

2 - House almost completed

3 - timber in the kitcen

4 - View from the lounge window :D

Cheers

ian

[Kelly C. Hanna]

Wow...nice story and great pics...especially the view in the last one!!

[Jim Becker]

Excellent pictorial, Ian! Thanks!!

[roy knapp]

what more can be said other than, thats beautiful!

you must just love it.:)

[Pete Harbin]

Very cool Ian! Nice job on the chest too. I guess you can really be called a documentarian with pictorals that go back several months :)

Pete

[Dave Tinley]

Ian-
Very nice!! Great way to show a project.
BTW- since you finished the chest you probally dont need the rest of those nasty old boards, just go ahead and ship them to me in Texas and I will find something to do with them ;)
Thanks for sharing.
Dave

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Ian.....I'm upset! ;) What a fantastic view! :D

[Von Bickley]

Ian,

Great story, great pictures, great house site. Thanks for sharing the pictures with us. :)

[mike malone]

Beautiful job Ian!!
mike

[Jason Tuinstra]

Ian, great post! It's good for us to see how much work goes into gettig those little sticks we build with.

It's great to see a Kiwi online. I spent a few weeks in Masterton last September. I didn't get into the mountains at all, but we did make it to Castle Point. I learned quickly that the great views come at a price - very curvy roads! :p :D

Thanks for the post!

[Mark Singer]

Very nice photos and story.....!

[Bart Sharp]

What a great story. That's kind of a dream of mine for when we get graduated and can buy a house again, get someplace with standing timber that I can harvest and build from. Thanks for the inspiration!

Bart

[James Mahoney]

Yes indeed Ian Great Story,Is that Mt. Tasman in the back ground? What a view guy! Love it! Haera ra! <<Kimo>>

[Kent Cori]

Thanks for sharing this Ian. That really is a great way to tell the story.

[Silas Smith]

Free wood and views like that out your window? I getting out of Texas and moving down south, way south.

[Brian Lindenlaub]

Beautiful pictures, thanks for sharing. I'm curious though . . . what are the diagonal dividers in the kitchen cabinet for? Wine rack?

Brian

[Ian Barley]

Great story Ian - fantastic view as well. Where in NZ are you?

I was supposed to spend a month in your fair isles earlier this year but got interrupted. Will be coming over sometime soon though. Your views got my juices flowing again.

[Tyler Howell]

Very Nice Ian. Is this your home???:cool:

[Vaughn McMillan]

Thanks much for the great pictorial, Ian. That's truly woodworking from start to finish. It's a shame, however, that you're forced to live in such an unattractive location. Let me know if you ever get tired of it, and I'll switch houses with you -- I'm sure you'd love Los Angeles. Unlike you, we have more than one mountain here. :p

- Vaughn

[Ian Abraham]

Thanks guysThe view is Mt Egmont (Taranaki)
We had to take that picture cos it's winter now, might not see if for weeks on end. The lush green grass comes at a cost - LOTS of rain.

Unfortunately it's not my house :(
It belongs to my ex partner, who I'm still friends with with. Her house burnt down about 12 months ago, insurance paid for the new one, but we cut some extra timber from the property to use as a feature wall in the house, and for sentimental reasons. Extra stuff that the insurance rebuild wasn't going to cover. I've got around 1000 bf of Monterray Cypress, Port Orford cedar and Bluegum Eycalyptus left in the shed from the job so I'm not complaining :D

Cheers

Ian

[Michael Pfau]

Great Pictures Ian! I want to come and visit! Well Done!

[Ian Abraham]

Beautiful pictures, thanks for sharing. I'm curious though . . . what are the diagonal dividers in the kitchen cabinet for? Wine rack?

Brian

Correct - simple but effective.
I didn't build that, the kitchen guy supplied that in the same timber as we were using for the wall so it would all match.

Cheers

Ian

[Jerry Olexa]

Ian, I'm GREEN with envy. Very nice home setting and OUTSTANDING view. Your pic story was well done. Thanks for doing that!! Enviously,

[Chris Padilla]

Sweet...all the way around!

[Dennis Peacock]

Ian,

Very nicely done and simply beautiful!!!!! Thank you for sharing your story and part of you life with us here on the forum. :D

[scott spencer]

Ian - I love it! What a great show and tell story. I always thought it would be neat to build something from a tree I dropped. Excellent post!