Hey folks,
Here's my situation:
Thinkin of building a roughly 20' x 30' timberframe and using some of the timbers off our property. Theres about a dozen or so nice straight tamaracks and another 30-40 nice black spruce, all about 20-26" in diameter.
Was thinkin of using the Tamaracks for posts and beams as I've heard lots about their strenght, and the spruce for joists/supports and the like.
I've never milled before. No experience, though lotsa experience with tree cutting, chainsaws, etc. I only have weekends on which I can work, as this is a cottage property 2 hrs from my home. Not a lotta $$ right now, young children, mortgage in town yada yada yada. So, rather than buy lumber was thinkin I'd drop $1000 on a saw/mill setup and do it myself. And yes, it would be myself, my 1-yr old has a ways to go b4 he gets recruited.
The question is how much time would it take to get the amount of lumber I need via milling?? Could I get proficient at it fairly quickly?? I was originally thinkin of cutting the trees and then get a sawyer with a portable bandsaw mill to come in and mill but the trees are all over the property and they'd need to be milled where they fell.
I love the idea of using my own trees, but if its gonna take forever I'm wondering if I might not just be further ahead buying them from the local lumberyard. I still have to build the house after all!
Any ideas on this? Anyone done something similar?? Or am I getting in over my head
BTW, this site rocks. Extremely informative...
thx,
Steve
Here's my situation:
Thinkin of building a roughly 20' x 30' timberframe and using some of the timbers off our property. Theres about a dozen or so nice straight tamaracks and another 30-40 nice black spruce, all about 20-26" in diameter.
Was thinkin of using the Tamaracks for posts and beams as I've heard lots about their strenght, and the spruce for joists/supports and the like.
I've never milled before. No experience, though lotsa experience with tree cutting, chainsaws, etc. I only have weekends on which I can work, as this is a cottage property 2 hrs from my home. Not a lotta $$ right now, young children, mortgage in town yada yada yada. So, rather than buy lumber was thinkin I'd drop $1000 on a saw/mill setup and do it myself. And yes, it would be myself, my 1-yr old has a ways to go b4 he gets recruited.
The question is how much time would it take to get the amount of lumber I need via milling?? Could I get proficient at it fairly quickly?? I was originally thinkin of cutting the trees and then get a sawyer with a portable bandsaw mill to come in and mill but the trees are all over the property and they'd need to be milled where they fell.
I love the idea of using my own trees, but if its gonna take forever I'm wondering if I might not just be further ahead buying them from the local lumberyard. I still have to build the house after all!
Any ideas on this? Anyone done something similar?? Or am I getting in over my head
BTW, this site rocks. Extremely informative...
thx,
Steve