Sawmill, power tools, and other equipment

[Christofori]

Like many other newbies, I have some ideas and some tools and materials that could or can be cross purposed between there current usage and log cabin building.

I have searched, but so far not found a definitive answer or even start of an answer that satisfies my questing brain.

I have looked at a couple of mobile band saw sawmills, and even been to see one running, I'm fairly sure of the size, model that I'd like.

Is there a list of equipment, sawmills, wood planers, shapers, chainsaws, drills, routers, hand tools, scaffolding, lifting gear, forklift, telelifters, ropes block and tackles, etc

I'm drawn to the look of machined logs, 8x8 D double T&G, but might also look at 8x12 D D'T&G, is there an easy method of turning logs into plain sawn lumber, and then the plain sawn lumber into into milled lumber /timbers? This question is mainly because I will want to do as much of the felling, shaping, cutting, building, trimming out and finishing myself... at the end of the day I want the house that Jack built, (well that Christofori built), anyway!

I understand it will all be explained in the class and on the other half of the members forum, but I'm one of those that likes to work out a whole load before stepping off the diving board.

I have an inheritance coming... apparently not likely to be soon enough to buy into the September class, though definitely before the next class is scheduled, so I'm asking those questions as they form in my mind, and not waiting.

So has anyone posted or seen as complete a list of useful materials and equipment, that may answer my many questions, shoehorned into this one post?

[hammerhead 67]

They go over materials, tools, and how to start accumulating them. Some members even swap stuff out on the members side of the forum. Its a pretty comprehensive list.

Once you go to the class, you will loose interest in the milled lumber "logs". Not that there aren't some cool looking houses made from "D" logs, but you will most likely decide the negatives of that type of construction outweigh the positives.

[Christofori]

Alaska saw mill / Bark spud / Block and tackle (6" triple block)* / Brace and bits (if you don't have electricity)* / Calipers / Carpenters level* / Carpenters square* / 10" 'C' clamps / Chain saw* / 100' of chain (3/8" in 10' lengths)* / Chalk line* / Chisel set* / Construction knife / Digging bar* / 1/2" electric drill* / 30' extension ladder* / Hand level for shooting elevations (or Abney level) / Hand winch or come-along* / Hammer* / Log dogs / Mortar board* / Peavey / Pick and shovel* / 600' polypropylene rope 1/2" diameter / Post hole digger* / Portable concrete mixer (nice to have but not required) / Portable generator (if no electricity avail)* / Plumb bob* / Putty knife* / Rebar cutter / Scriber / Sledge hammer* / Swede hook / 50' tape measure* / 1000' white string*

Well I found a list while looking for other things, 22 out of 35 tools already, so it looks like I'm heading in some sort of the right direction from the start!

[loghousenut]

Christofori,

I like Hammerheads answer but I'd add that you don't want to get ahead of the next step. If it were me I wouldn't buy any tools yet. Your notions, and your way of looking at what you're going to be building will all change sometime in the first 6 hours of class. I suppose you could pick up a sawmill if a steal of a deal came along but you'd end up with the wrong mill and you won't need it til you get a ways into your build. This is a different way of doing things and you won't understand it til you're into it a bit more. There is no hurry.

[Christofori]

I hear you and I do fully understand that when I'm sitting on the other side of the class, I'm not going to be the same person that sat on this side of it.

But as with many things that we tackle in life, or dream about, there are lots of the newbies on the open forums, scratching for every morsel of information, because like me they are planners and dreamers, and I will be looking at as much information until I take the class as humanly possible.

I don't want to get to far ahead of myself either, but again the dearth of solid information makes it hard for the dreamer / planners, to do either.

So with the exception of the Saw mill, which I'm tempted about anyway, because I love working with wood, I have built cabinets in the past and I'll no doubt build more in the future, especially if I can build them into such a great structure as my own log build.

There is a certain amount of work that can be planned out ahead of time, some of the reading I've already done, makes suggestions about felling, moving, storing under shade, turning and rotating the logs, surveying and clearing land, laying the lines out for laybacks etc. But if I knew there was a better way of getting my log stock built up, or that for most of us those things are not necessary I'd be able to concentrate on those other methods.

I can hear some of the minds clicking on both sides of the forums, some may agree with me and some may want to shoot me, I'd rather that everyone agreed with me, than that everyone wants to shoot me.

I get that there's a system, and that for success inside the log home builders membership organization it starts with the class, there are those of us, (newbies), that want to build and are straining at the leash to get going, with our teeth in some pertinent information, and one of the hardest things, is to get the advice, (sound that it is), wait tilll the class.

Deep breath... I'm going to sleep on it, there's no hurry!

p.s. Is the next class date on the horizon yet, because I'm pretty sure I won't be able to make this next one, so I'll be looking at the one after the next one anyway?

[Christofori]

The other thing I'd like to say in my defense is... I believe that this site and the class will without a doubt save me from making some, (hopefully most), of the common errors that 95% of the log builders make because they didn't wait for the class, and I don't want to make those mistakes, and I do want to be constructive on the forums! (pun intended).

[panderson03]

glad you're here Christofori. sounds like you're one of us already :) hang in there. I firmly believe the hardest part was the wait before class!!

[Christofori]

Thanks panderson03!

[jrdavis]

christofori --

Here's the gist of the 'wait till class', as I see(hear) it.
lets say you get 20,000 for your inheritance and you spend it on all the tools on your list, but being wise, you save $1000 for class and transport.

Then you get to class and find that you could have saved $10,000 from the wisdom of the class AND got yourr logs to boot.

Just a thot from "the other side of the class".

JD

[Christofori]

christofori --

Here's the gist of the 'wait till class', as I see(hear) it.
lets say you get 20,000 for your inheritance and you spend it on all the tools on your list, but being wise, you save $1000 for class and transport.

That would be possible and I can see that.



Then you get to class and find that you could have saved $10,000 from the wisdom of the class AND got yourr logs to boot.

I can see that could be a problem, but I can also see that there are post after post from pages 70 the first post on this format 01-12-2005 09:18 PM all the way down to page 48 11-01-2007 06:00 PM there are lots of people who are more than just interested, but once the standard answer is, "wait for the class", it must drive others crazy as it does me.

Luckily for me, my inheritance will be a touch more than the $20,000 in your example above, but it's not going to get to me before November or December, I've read the "wait for the class answer in 35 or 40 posts", I've also read that there are no published schedule for another class this year, and as yet there is no published schedule for next year either... the trouble for me is that if I have to wait for a class in 2014, I might be foolish enough to try and take what I've learned so far, and build something... now the fact that there is not yet a schedule for another class, puts a much bigger cost on not waiting for the class.

I get that there are things best taught in the class.

I also believe that the best way to learn to do something is to practice it, and practice it, and practice it, but it's not often that you are told, no practice won't cut it... you have to learn it in the class first.

It's all cool, I'm just going to "wait for the class" when ever that's going to be... it would be so awful if the instructors never gave another class, (for what ever reason), because this solid building method will be lost, if those that want to learn have to "wait for the class", and there is no class to take... perhaps the method will be reconstructed in a similar fashion to hieroglyphs, I may have to wait for the Rosetta Stone of the log building world.


Just a thot from "the other side of the class".

JD

I'll be checking back in once in a while for the latest class information... thanks for the good advice from everyone!

"Waiting for the class"

[Mosseyme]

Christofori,
I know it is hard to believe but we have most of us been right where you are. Waiting for the class. I was fortunate to find the LHBA literally days before jumping into it with all fours doing everything exactly wrong as to how I see it now. I might have a log cabin of sorts built by now but with all kind of problems now and future.
The guys doing this class have been doing it for a long time and they have it down pat. It is well organized to show the flow of things as they work best. If we give out info here and there and forget some important step along the way things can get all messed up. Besides I bet there are few of us that don't have to refer to our manuals or other members or the adm. to remember some info we got in class and retained a thread to it but not quite sure just how to go about.
Besides all that, we as members could lose that very important membership if we were to make the mistake of thinking we know enough to start sharing to much info right or wrong info.
The class is 22 hrs of info given in easy to follow for anyone willing to sit and listen that long. By the time it is done you are already trying to remember what you heard at the begining. I was to eager to get the next bit of info and asked to many questions. I didn't ask one question that wasn't answered in the planned lecture already I can't remember anyone else asking a question that they didn't already have the answer to. The guys also give a lot of info and ideas from students that have already built and didn't follow the original design exactly. They are very willing to share others ideas with us. I'm sure you have signed up for the class notification. Good luck and hang in there. It is worth the wait.

[hammerhead 67]

Christofori,

I know how frustrating the wait can be. I was ready to build a dog house as a test building and everyone told me to wait. Thought they were crazy and annoying with the "wait for the class" business. After the class it made more sense. Yeah, you can do PARTS of the build fine with what you have learned. Its the little bits that you don't know that will haunt you later in the build and probably cost a bundle to fix or work around.

I ask a ton of questions on the members side, most of them start "So I had this idea" and most of them have been tried and are more expensive, harder, or cause a problem later in the build. More than anything this has been the biggest value to me. Keeping my wild ideas and "better ways" from costing me THOUSANDS of dollars in mistakes or problems.

Get to the class as soon as you can. You will really want to have lead time before you build to ask a million questions, start scrounging up tools and materials, and just get ready mentally. Our build got pushed up about a year and now we are scrambling to get estimates and will probably have to buy more stuff retail than we would like. With an extra 6 months, we probably would spend 50% less on materials buy getting them off craigslist etc..

[Timberwolf]

I'll be checking back in once in a while for the latest class information... thanks for the good advice from everyone!

"Waiting for the class"

Christofori. If you haven't already, you should definately go here: http://www.loghomebuilders.org/alert and sign up for the email alerts to let you know when the next class is scheduled.

Glad you're here. Best of luck.

J.