Milling in the woodlot

[Ianab]

Its certainly true there is no "one size fits all" sawmill

This thread has lots of pictures of how I operate with my mill. For me a small bandmill would be next to useless, the logs I get to saw would squash it flat IF I could even load them I usually saw logs where they fall, in this case we had to move the logs out of the swamp first, but it was all a 12ton excavator could do to move them. Usually I dont have that luxury.

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=40707

It's true the swingblade does limit the width of boards you can cut, but with the Peterson the double cutting is simple. Remove a guard and move the carriage to the opposite side of the log. You dont miss the guard because the log is now between you and the blade.

Now if you want REALLY big boards , saw 2/3 of the log, flip it over and saw the other side.

Cheers

Ian

 

[Matildasmate]

No one size fits all

Its certainly true there is no "one size fits all" sawmill

This thread has lots of pictures of how I operate with my mill. For me a small bandmill would be next to useless, the logs I get to saw would squash it flat IF I could even load them I usually saw logs where they fall, in this case we had to move the logs out of the swamp first, but it was all a 12ton excavator could do to move them. Usually I dont have that luxury.

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=40707

It's true the swingblade does limit the width of boards you can cut, but with the Peterson the double cutting is simple. Remove a guard and move the carriage to the opposite side of the log. You dont miss the guard because the log is now between you and the blade.

Now if you want REALLY big boards , saw 2/3 of the log, flip it over and saw the other side.

Cheers

Ian

Hi Ian ....... Nice slab mate , Absolutely right mate , no one size fits all . Cheers MM

 

[woodshop]

...I am, however, planning to mill the beams and dimensional lumber required for a timber frame home. Although the hard plans have not been drawn yet, I've got enough experience to surmise that the maximum dimensions of any timbers in the frame will be around 8" x 10" x 22.'

I know I will ruffle some feathers saying this, but just keep in mind that any kind of chainsaw mill, including the Logosols, are just not designed to mill lots of lumber quickly. They are just too slow for that. Same with the chainsaw powered Ripsaw bandmill. No speed demon itself and a fair amount of setup before you mill board one. My Ripsaw will run down a log a good 2 or 3 times faster than my 395 powered csm will, but still slower than even a low end full frame bandmill would if you have the room for one and don't need the portability. If you do indeed have something to move logs to the mill, do yourself a favor and look into some of the lower end bandmills. Norwood for example. If you're going to be slicing enough lumber to build a house, I just think it might get pretty old pretty quickly for you milling with a chain and bar. JUST my humble opinion.

 

[woodshop]

Now if you want REALLY big boards , saw 2/3 of the log, flip it over and saw the other side.

Now that's nifty. I tell ya I really like those swingblades for their ability to be taken right to a huge log and set up "around" it and mill. Since I lack the room for full carriage bandmill, and since the way I mill portability is one of the most important factors... if I had the money for one I would surely own one.

 

[Matildasmate]

Absolutely I agree mate

I know I will ruffle some feathers saying this, but just keep in mind that any kind of chainsaw mill, including the Logosols, are just not designed to mill lots of lumber quickly. They are just too slow for that. Same with the chainsaw powered Ripsaw bandmill. No speed demon itself and a fair amount of setup before you mill board one. My Ripsaw will run down a log a good 2 or 3 times faster than my 395 powered csm will, but still slower than even a low end full frame bandmill would if you have the room for one and don't need the portability. If you do indeed have something to move logs to the mill, do yourself a favor and look into some of the lower end bandmills. Norwood for example. If you're going to be slicing enough lumber to build a house, I just think it might get pretty old pretty quickly for you milling with a chain and bar. JUST my humble opinion.

Hi Woodshop Absolutely , I agree mate . For me though mate I want one of your toys mate , the ripsaw .

 

[cantcutter]

I liked the MB because it cuts true.... circle mills don't have drifting issues as bandmills tend to have. Also its blades can be sharpened right on the mill and when the teeth are too worn you can replace them right on the mill. They also come with the sharpener which most bandmills do not. For the 128 all I would need is the three blades that it comes with and an extra set of teeth.
With the bandmill I have to take the bands in to get set and sharpened. I already have ordered ten extra bands and will be ordering more within a few months. I feel like I need to have about 20-30 on hand. I don't want to buy a setter or sharpener because I have enough of a learning curve right now just learning to mill. I feel like if I spend a year or so watching somebody else sharpen my bands I will pick it up faster when I am ready to buy the sharpener. My short term goal is to learn to mill well.... I am headed into custom milling and eventually want to buy a woodlot and build a house.

 

[woodshop]

Hi Woodshop Absolutely , I agree mate . For me though mate I want one of your toys mate , the ripsaw .

That Ripsaw has served me well for years to the tune of several thousand bd ft a year. It's a bit pricey, and little more of a learning curve all around than my csm was, but how much would 1000 bd ft of custom sawn cherry run me? Comparing the Logosol type mill to the Ripsaw, if you include the cost of the huge saw needed for the Logosols, neither has a big price advantage either way. Of course many here already have a huge saw, and thus only need to put out couple hundred for a 36inch csm to mount it in and they're making lumber with a ladder and a few screws. Nothing wrong with that at all... bottom line is it works and doesn't break the bank. In your case Matildasmate you went the extra mile along those lines with your mill, like Bil and some others here. But... if I had space I would own a full blown bandmill. Of course then I'd need some way to get those logs up to the mill, so I'd still use the csm/Ripsaw combo for all those places where you need to carry the mill to the log, which is where it really shines.

 

[TedChristiansen]

Guday mate ....... I Built myself a Logasol type sawmill , mainly out of used steel I had laying around in my shed . Sadly , after watching the Logosol dvd about 30 or more times and every now and then still watching it , I was less than impressed with their dvd...

Your Logosol style mill looks like a cost effective duplication. However, if I understand the pictures correctly, you have to raise the log and add shims underneath the log after each board cut. Is that correct?

I don't disagree that the Alaskan style mills are lower cost - I started that way with the Logosol TimberJig. However, it is murder on the back, and you get tired very quickly from pushing the saw through the wood. With the Woodworkers Mill, you just turn the crank - you don't get tired nearly as fast, meaning you can cut longer and get more wood from the day. Also, there is less log handling and more actual cutting, so the output is higher.

There are many solutions to this problem (cutting wood) - isnt interesting to see the different perspectives? I sure enjoy it.

Regards,

Ted

 

[woodshop]

There are many solutions to this problem (cutting wood) - isnt interesting to see the different perspectives? I sure enjoy it.
Ted

Exactly, too many variable for one size fits all... very well said... I enjoy seeing the different perspectives also

 

[Matildasmate]

The Freyer Mill (pronounced Frier)

That Ripsaw has served me well for years to the tune of several thousand bd ft a year. It's a bit pricey, and little more of a learning curve all around than my csm was, but how much would 1000 bd ft of custom sawn cherry run me? Comparing the Logosol type mill to the Ripsaw, if you include the cost of the huge saw needed for the Logosols, neither has a big price advantage either way. Of course many here already have a huge saw, and thus only need to put out couple hundred for a 36inch csm to mount it in and their making lumber with a ladder and a few screws. Nothing wrong with that at all... bottom line is it works and doesn't break the bank. In your case Matildasmate you went the extra mile along those lines with your mill, like Bil and some others here. But... if I had space I would own a full blown bandmill. Of course then I'd need some way to get those logs up to the mill, so I'd still use the csm/Ripsaw combo for all those places where you need to carry the mill to the log, which is where it really shines.[/QUOT ................................................................................................................................................................................... Hi Woodshop My mill the Freyer mill (pronounced Frier) may look simular to a Logasol , thats where the simularitys end though , a lot like 2 different brands of cars , yeah both cars , but really nothing a like . After a lot of research , including csm's , bandsaws , Logosol and a number of others , I decided to make something similar to , but better than the M7 , for my personal preferences . I built my mill , then started using it and found a number of bugs and difficulty's I was not impressed with , thats when I really started doing a lot of research , including picking ???? out of the Logosol Dvd , but I now have a much better for bugger all dollars . I still want a rip saw , looks like fun. What size saw do you use on yours . Cheers MM

 

[Matildasmate]

Yeah I had a timber jig too mate

Your Logosol style mill looks like a cost effective duplication. However, if I understand the pictures correctly, you have to raise the log and add shims underneath the log after each board cut. Is that correct?

I don't disagree that the Alaskan style mills are lower cost - I started that way with the Logosol TimberJig. However, it is murder on the back, and you get tired very quickly from pushing the saw through the wood. With the Woodworkers Mill, you just turn the crank - you don't get tired nearly as fast, meaning you can cut longer and get more wood from the day. Also, there is less log handling and more actual cutting, so the output is higher.

There are many solutions to this problem (cutting wood) - isnt interesting to see the different perspectives? I sure enjoy it.

Regards,

Ted

Hi Ted Yeah Ted I had a timber jig too mate , I thought it was a heap of crap and as you said too hard on your back . Yes your right about the shims , I have two 8 ton jacks built into my mill (they were cheap) I use them to lift my logs and slap another shim under each end , a very simple operation . Csm's are slow anyway , you can cut all day with my mill and no back problems . Cheers MM

 

[woodshop]

I still want a rip saw , looks like fun. What size saw do you use on yours . Cheers MM

I use a 59cc Stihl MS361, which is plenty of power for the bandmill. With that saw, the mill weighs about 50 lbs.

 

[BobL]

However, it is murder on the back, and you get tired very quickly from pushing the saw through the wood. With the Woodworkers Mill, you just turn the crank - you don't get tired nearly as fast, meaning you can cut longer and get more wood from the day. Also, there is less log handling and more actual cutting, so the output is higher.

Ted, I started CS milling on bigger logs only recently and I was dreading the "murdered back" but after a weekend of milling and a sore back I followed aggiewoodbutchers lead and raise the starting end of the log up about 2" above the other end and I am amazed at how little physical exertion is then required. There is no pushing, you just lean lightly onto the mill and guide it down the slab. I can cut all day without breaking into a sweat and have very little back soreness at the end of the day. Some of the logs I am cutting are 3ft diameter seriously hard timber with gummy resin that quickly gunks up the chain - with these it just takes a little longer but there is no more actual effort required.

This slope method works best for short logs (< 10ft, which is mainly what I have access to at the moment) - above that length, the slope generated is too shallow so one does have to push a bit more, but after taking off a slab you can continue to lift the starting end of the log to make it easier and easier.

For one longer log (about 12ft long and 2ft in diameter) I lifted the whole thing off the ground so I did not have to bend over at all and found it easier than bending down onto the mill to control it. I realize that sometimes it is not always easy to lift logs on site and that it could be much safer to leave the log on the ground. I'm lucky that in the yard I am working in there is a fork lift to do the lifting, but a car jack has done the job almost as easily when the forklift was unavailable. I am in the process of modifying a high-lift jack to lift the ends of trees that I work on off-site - I'll post some pics once I am done.

I agree that CSMs are not the most efficient ways of getting wood out of logs and it disturbs me a bit to see so much of the tree ending up in sawdust but if I didn't mill these logs they would nearly all end up as firewood.

This weekend I did not do any milling instead I had to do a couple of hours of light gardening, now I have a really sore back.:biggrinbounce2:

"My wife says she knows why I get a sore back - it's because it's too far from my front"!

 

[Matildasmate]

Top idea Bob

Ted, I started CS milling on bigger logs only recently and I was dreading the "murdered back" but after a weekend of milling and a sore back I followed aggiewoodbutchers lead and raise the starting end of the log up about 2" above the other end and I am amazed at how little physical exertion is then required. There is no pushing, you just lean lightly onto the mill and guide it down the slab. I can cut all day without breaking into a sweat and have very little back soreness at the end of the day. Some of the logs I am cutting are 3ft diameter seriously hard timber with gummy resin that quickly gunks up the chain - with these it just takes a little longer but there is no more actual effort required.

This slope method works best for short logs (< 10ft, which is mainly what I have access to at the moment) - above that length, the slope generated is too shallow so one does have to push a bit more, but after taking off a slab you can continue to lift the starting end of the log to make it easier and easier.

For one longer log (about 12ft long and 2ft in diameter) I lifted the whole thing off the ground so I did not have to bend over at all and found it easier than bending down onto the mill to control it. I realize that sometimes it is not always easy to lift logs on site and that it could be much safer to leave the log on the ground. I'm lucky that in the yard I am working in there is a fork lift to do the lifting, but a car jack has done the job almost as easily when the forklift was unavailable. I am in the process of modifying a high-lift jack to lift the ends of trees that I work on off-site - I'll post some pics once I am done.

I agree that CSMs are not the most efficient ways of getting wood out of logs and it disturbs me a bit to see so much of the tree ending up in sawdust but if I didn't mill these logs they would nearly all end up as firewood.

This weekend I did not do any milling instead I had to do a couple of hours of light gardening, now I have a really sore back.:biggrinbounce2:

"My wife says she knows why I get a sore back - it's because it's too far from my front"!

Hi Bob top Idea mate!

 

[Rodney Sinclair]

MM

Rodney: I'm assuming that you use the Logosol mill? Have you cut beams in the 8" x 10" x 22' range with it? I'd love to hear more from you if you have.

Handlogger, I have no need for a beam that long. But if you will go over on the Logosol forum and look for a guy named "Raphael", he has a lot on this subject. He also has a lot of pictures on his website from building his timber frame home and a lot of them show how he handles the logs that size.

Rodney

 

[MJR]

Alright I couldn’t take it any more and have to jump in.

This whole thing started about a question on low cost mills for New York State (NYS). A swing blade looks like a fun machine to run. In NYS we do not have that many trees to feed a mill like that. A CSM will handle the occasional big stick. I personally feel living on the East coast you need a small/mid-size band mill and a CSM. I always laugh when I read about people discussing mill prices with heavy equipment or $9000 ATV’s pictured in the back ground. The saw mill is the cheapest piece of equipment in the board making process.

Lets’ see, how much does it cost to run a small band mill. The blades are about $20. Let’s say you can sharpen a blade seven times at $10 each. If you are cutting hard wood maybe a three hour average band running time. Throw in gas money and the cost per hour should be a little over $5. These are all estimates.

Lets’ see, to run a CSM the chain is not that expensive and with someone with more skill than me can be sharpened on the saw (I am not that good with a file and is the main reason for my band mill). I know my one gallon gas can is of no use running my 385CSM. With gas at about $3 a gallon I would guess a CSM and a band mill cost about the same to run per hour. I sure others here can cost this better than me.

Lets’ see (if) the cost running a band mill and CSM per hour is about the same. If you cut the same species and same size boards with both mills, the band mill will be faster. So I guess one could ague the cost per board hour is cheaper on a band mill (those are fighting words).

Lets’ see portability; hands down the CSM wins this. Well maybe. A CSM is still a system. You need to pack in what ever you are using for your first cut, gas & oil, and spare parts. A CSM will fit is the back of a truck nicely, but so will a small/ mid-size band mill. I spent most Saturdays this summer moving my little band mill by myself. Hell, I even saw a band mill on a pontoon boat not long ago (very cool). Bottom line a CSM is more compact. You can easily put your CSM system on your $9000 ATV and go out to the back 40 (poking a joke).

Lets’ see, the cost difference between a CSM and a small band mill. I have about $1000 in my CSM. Now I am not sure if that is a fair statement. Everyone needs a good saw. It is a basic tool of life. I use this saw a lot for logs for the band mill…My band mill I have about $3000 into it (LL24) and have 20’ of track if I need it and is set up most of the time with 12’ (If I had the equipment to move 17’ logs around I would have a bigger mill.). Just to keep things simple there is about a 3:1 difference in cost. Will I get three times the life out of my band mill – I do not think so. I do get a lot more boards per hour with it.

With all that controversy stated above, if I were planning on building a house I would use the CSM for the timbers (make a custom jig) and mid-size band mill for everything else (to be honest the band mill would most likely be used for every thing). Let’s see, he did state he was a logger and one would hope he had the equipment to move his logs around. After the house project is done sell the CSM and band mill and still get 90% ….I would expect the human body would be about spent after a project this large on the cheap.

BTW I have never liked the looks of Hemlock beams. I just don’t like the way it checks. I have had good luck using wet lumber. If it is all the same wetness there are little problems. The problems seem to creep up when you mix match.

Well there is my $0.02.


Best of luck.

 

[HandLogger]

Swingers and such

Ian: I've had the pleasure of operating a Peterson in the past. In fact, this was the mill that was at the top of my list for a good long while. But, alas, the realities of transporting the finished product set in rather quickly at some point. In other words, beams are beams -- they have to be moved somehow. Once you factor in the cost of moving this type of product around (safely), there goes most of the mill budget. By the way, transportation takes precedence because maintaining the farm requires a tractor anyway. Nevertheless, thanks for another fine post, mate!

Woodshop: Your thoughts on the actual speed of the milling process are well taken. It has certainly occurred to us (many times ) that there's no easy way to employ our chainsaws to mill our saw logs. We would love to have a hydraulic bandmill of some sort, but we simply won't have enough money left over to buy one. Even the lower end, manual bandmills require a fairly hefty investment: additional blades, sharpening and setting in addition to the mill itself. I have more than one friend who owns a WM, so I've got some pretty good sources for bandmill experience. They all think I'm mental for considering anything other than a hydraulic bandmill, and that's one of the main reasons I'm reading your posts so intently. I simply believe that a patient, well-informed decision usually works out best. By the way, time is on our side here. We would like to complete all of our structures within the next 5 years. I've got a friend down in Virginia who built a 5,000 sq ft frame in 3.5 years, solo, so I think our goal is fairly realistic.

Cant Cutter: I timber frame with a fellow who’s a full time WM sawyer, and here’s how he does things. He has an automatic band sharpener in the shop, which he uses to sharpen his bands until they require setting. Once he has accumulated about 20 of these blades, he sends them all back to the factory (WM in this case) for sharpening and setting. He also has a pretty nifty system of using lined tags to keep track of all his blades. He simply makes an entry every time he performs maintenance, or notices anything unusual about performance, so that he has an accurate history of all his bands. This system seems to work out well for him – and he has lots of bandmilling experience.

By the way, thanks for your thoughts on the MDS. I know a guy back in my home state who owns one, but I’ve never actually had the opportunity to see one in action. As with any type of mill, I’d love to experience the MDS as well.

Rodney: If your Raphael is the same one I’m thinking about, I have corresponded with him once or twice in the past. The guy I’m thinking about built a timber frame in Connecticut, but I don’t recall which milling method he used. I’ll go over to the Logosol site and see what I can find out. Thanks again for posting to the thread.

MJR: It’s a very long story, but this is a project we hope to start this winter. Although I was raised on a farm in the deep south, and have consequently done my share of logging, this is the first parcel of land I’ve worked in the northeast (we were blown up here by Katrina). Although a tractor of some sort is definitely in our future – the parcel in question is a fairly large piece of managed forestland – we do not own one at this time. Regardless, we know that the heavy equipment must come first, which is why I’m trying to learn all I can about the alternatives to expensive mills. As I wrote to Woodshop previously, the photos I saw of him using his chainsaw powered mills are the reason I found this forum. I’ve used another forum for several years, but I really like the folks I’m learning from here. In short, you guys seem a bit less brand-oriented, which makes for more open and honest correspondence.

By the way, I was taught to timber frame using green timber so that’s about all I know. On the other hand, this will be a very slow project, so it will be interesting to see how this affects things in the end. Your thoughts on hemlock are well taken, but a lot of the large saw logs we'll have access to here will be taken from this species. I’ve got a real problem with taking trees just to get one boxed-heart timber, so I’ll use as many large logs as possible for our frame (because they should render more than one frame member per saw log). We’ve also got a pretty good selection of hardwood on the property, so splined joinery is the order of the day. Thanks for the great post!

And many thanks to all who've posted here. Please keep the great experience coming. I look forward to learning from you.

 

[Rodney Sinclair]

Rodney[/U]: If your Raphael is the same one I’m thinking about, I have corresponded with him once or twice in the past. The guy I’m thinking about built a timber frame in Connecticut, but I don’t recall which milling method he used. I’ll go over to the Logosol site and see what I can find out. Thanks again for posting to the thread.

Yeah, that sounds like him. And he seems like a nice enough person. On one of his posts, he talked about how he milled 20'+ beams on his 17.5' Logosol M7. Anyway, check out his website. He had a lot of pictures from start to finish. Hope all this helps.

Rodney

 

[woodshop]

...I simply believe that a patient, well-informed decision usually works out best. By the way, time is on our side here. We would like to complete all of our structures within the next 5 years. I've got a friend down in Virginia who built a 5,000 sq ft frame in 3.5 years, solo, so I think our goal is fairly realistic.

Definitely realistic. I'm looking forward to following your progress over the years if you stick around and keep us up to date. btw... I'm so used to NOT having the time to mill and work wood (let alone build a timber frame structure) that I often can't seem to grasp the fact that some folks actually do. My apologies. If indeed you have several years to complete this project, and your pockets like most of us are not as deep as you'd like when it comes to buying milling equipment, then I suppose I would go the simplest cheapest route that would still get the job done. Get yourself a 90-100cc saw and a 36" Mark V csm, about a grand all said and done if you go with a Husky 395. Even cheaper if you can find a good used big bore saw. Build yourself a set of sturdy dedicated milling horses that will get those hemlocks off the ground so easier on the back milling. Build some dedicated platforms to get the milled stuff off the ground and stickered for drying and storage as you mill your beams, and you're in business for less than half the cost of a Ripsaw or Logosol M7.

Lots of "milling on the cheap" experience here in this forum. Ask away. Your comment about patient gathering of facts before making a decision tells me you are on the right track.

 

[Matildasmate]

Splined joinery

Ian: I've had the pleasure of operating a Peterson in the past. In fact, this was the mill that was at the top of my list for a good long while. But, alas, the realities of transporting the finished product set in rather quickly at some point. In other words, beams are beams -- they have to be moved somehow. Once you factor in the cost of moving this type of product around (safely), there goes most of the mill budget. By the way, transportation takes precedence because maintaining the farm requires a tractor anyway. Nevertheless, thanks for another fine post, mate!

Woodshop: Your thoughts on the actual speed of the milling process are well taken. It has certainly occurred to us (many times ) that there's no easy way to employ our chainsaws to mill our saw logs. We would love to have a hydraulic bandmill of some sort, but we simply won't have enough money left over to buy one. Even the lower end, manual bandmills require a fairly hefty investment: additional blades, sharpening and setting in addition to the mill itself. I have more than one friend who owns a WM, so I've got some pretty good sources for bandmill experience. They all think I'm mental for considering anything other than a hydraulic bandmill, and that's one of the main reasons I'm reading your posts so intently. I simply believe that a patient, well-informed decision usually works out best. By the way, time is on our side here. We would like to complete all of our structures within the next 5 years. I've got a friend down in Virginia who built a 5,000 sq ft frame in 3.5 years, solo, so I think our goal is fairly realistic.

Cant Cutter: I timber frame with a fellow who’s a full time WM sawyer, and here’s how he does things. He has an automatic band sharpener in the shop, which he uses to sharpen his bands until they require setting. Once he has accumulated about 20 of these blades, he sends them all back to the factory (WM in this case) for sharpening and setting. He also has a pretty nifty system of using lined tags to keep track of all his blades. He simply makes an entry every time he performs maintenance, or notices anything unusual about performance, so that he has an accurate history of all his bands. This system seems to work out well for him – and he has lots of bandmilling experience.

By the way, thanks for your thoughts on the MDS. I know a guy back in my home state who owns one, but I’ve never actually had the opportunity to see one in action. As with any type of mill, I’d love to experience the MDS as well.

Rodney: If your Raphael is the same one I’m thinking about, I have corresponded with him once or twice in the past. The guy I’m thinking about built a timber frame in Connecticut, but I don’t recall which milling method he used. I’ll go over to the Logosol site and see what I can find out. Thanks again for posting to the thread.

MJR: It’s a very long story, but this is a project we hope to start this winter. Although I was raised on a farm in the deep south, and have consequently done my share of logging, this is the first parcel of land I’ve worked in the northeast (we were blown up here by Katrina). Although a tractor of some sort is definitely in our future – the parcel in question is a fairly large piece of managed forestland – we do not own one at this time. Regardless, we know that the heavy equipment must come first, which is why I’m trying to learn all I can about the alternatives to expensive mills. As I wrote to Woodshop previously, the photos I saw of him using his chainsaw powered mills are the reason I found this forum. I’ve used another forum for several years, but I really like the folks I’m learning from here. In short, you guys seem a bit less brand-oriented, which makes for more open and honest correspondence.

By the way, I was taught to timber frame using green timber so that’s about all I know. On the other hand, this will be a very slow project, so it will be interesting to see how this affects things in the end. Your thoughts on hemlock are well taken, but a lot of the large saw logs we'll have access to here will be taken from this species. I’ve got a real problem with taking trees just to get one boxed-heart timber, so I’ll use as many large logs as possible for our frame (because they should render more than one frame member per saw log). We’ve also got a pretty good selection of hardwood on the property, so splined joinery is the order of the day. Thanks for the great post!

And many thanks to all who've posted here. Please keep the great experience coming. I look forward to learning from you.

Hi Handlogger................... Any chance of a couple of pics of splined joinery , or does anyone have a link to pics . Cheers MM