Enclosing it in SIPs or got something else in mind?
Enclosing it in SIPs or got something else in mind?
The hope is to be in a position when that time comes (financially, time wise, ambition wise etc...) to try a number of different enclosure options. This will serve as a place to work but also as a demonstration building for potential clients, so we may use SIPs for part of a wall, strawbale for another, wood chip/clay infill elsewhere etc etc. We have a bit of time to narrow that down but the hope is to try and pull it off such that it doesn't look like a dog's breakfast while at the same time showing folks in real life what the options look like. Always better than pictures!
B
I don't know if it's beyond your capability but if you could I would put hammer beams in the middle to support the roof so you could get away from having posts in the middle. Even if that meant putting in steel i-beams to support the second floor. A 24 foot span shouldn't be too much of an issue unless you plan on putting a lot of weight on the second floor.
Hi Alex, hammerbeams sure are nice and I've done them before but was looking for the floor space upstairs. 25x40ish isn't really a big shop, but the upstairs almost doubles the space and will be essential. Two posts in the footprint aren't a big concern for me.....they're a good place to anchor DC ducting coming down to machines, securing electrical etc.
B
Peter's mention of SIPs is a worthy thing. I remember that TOH project many years ago when they did the timber-frame reconstruction of an old barn building using them and they were the best thing since sliced bread for creating a truly efficient envelope around that traditional timber frame structure.
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
I don't own a sawmill but have done piles of milling over the years so the process of milling the timbers was for the most part, straightforward. I hired a guy with a very new Woodmizer LT40 HD which of course comes with the log loader and log turner which makes things much easier! Here's the first timber for the shop.
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As you might expect, I was pretty excited about this and it turned out perfectly.
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Unfortunately the tie beams at 25 feet were beyond the capacity of the mill so we had to get a little creative. As I recall he'd done this before and in the end everything worked out just fine but of course if we had to do it all over again it would be more efficient.
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We basically ran the carriage through as far as we could and then cut the slab off and removed it. Then we had four flat faces parallel and 90 degrees to each other we could run against the deck and continue the cut to the end. The mill has hydraulically lifted rollers that allowed us to lift the log off the deck, roll it into range of the carriage and continue on. Worked pretty well.
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Last edited by brent stanley; 12-16-2018 at 10:30 AM.
Awesome! Same mill as mine, the 21' bed is sometimes limiting without the bed extension. You found the perfect solution for larger beams, mill as far as you can and raise it on the rollers and reset the timber.
Lofty project you have undertaken. We are all looking forward to seeing the progress. Thanks for sharing you project.
Results look good. Keep teasing us!
Me too I would love to see. I think all would agree, a timberframe just screams ultimate wood shop!
Dean
I was really impressed with it. I'd used a couple older Woodmizers in the past, but what I liked about the additional features on this mill is that they ACTUALLY worked! They kinda looked a bit gimmicky at first, but the log loader arms work, the log tuner worked, the debarked really helped, the hydraulic clamp worked....I was impressed. Occasionally they might not work perfectly, but a little {playing} with it got you sorted out. It's very heavy and well made....I guess they are one of the industry leaders for a reason!
Last edited by Jim Becker; 12-17-2018 at 1:09 PM. Reason: language
So here's that first tie beam. We refined the process with this one and the rest were a breeze.
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They summer beams that run between the bents in the middle and support the floor joists etc are very big as well (8x12) and the tree I ended up getting one of them out of was rather stout!
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I believe this plus a pile of boards was the first day of sawing while getting the kinks worked out.
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Once you have a good system in place milling timbers an be really quick because there aren't many passes to make.
B
That has to be major-satisfying to be able to start with a tree and end up with an important and impressive component for the building!
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...