Back at work... on my cabin!
This is a brief update for those who are interested- I am still working on getting my foundation piers completed. I keep running out of concrete. I estimate I need maybe four more bags. (Yeah, I know- I've said that three times now! But this time I just might be right.) Once I complete the piers, they will be very accurately aligned and "level" to each other, ie. each one's top will be at the same height as all the others. This is necessary to build a house that won't collapse, particularly when you are contemplating building a timberframe!
I received my first order of lumber last Saturday from the local sawmill. I went with them because of the great savings in cost, rather than simple love of timberframing, though now I see that the two are not uncomplementary! I received nothing smaller than a (true) dimensional timber measuring 2 inches by 6 inches by 10 feet long, and nothing larger than beams of 4x6x16 feet. I got almost 50 timbers for under $500. I estimated the same lumber (assuming the changes to conventionally sized lumber- ie. 2x6 to 1 5/8 x 5 1/4) would cost over $1500 from a lumberyard. Despite the extra effort required (roughcut timbers are bigger, wetter and much heavier), I am going with roughcut from here on out. My cabin will be a simple (no fancy joinery!) timberframe built of 2x6s.
I made one mistake when ordering my lumber- I very much overestimated the size needed for certain support beams in the floor frame. 4x6 inch beams are massively overkill for such a small cabin! But this is one of those mea culpa type mistakes- something that turns out to be even better than you planned. I will now use smaller 2x6 beams, and save the larger ones for use in the walls and ceiling. So I haven't made an incorrectable mistake as much as I have ordered lumber ahead of time.
I have to mention this- my lumber is beautiful! It's white pine wood, smells wonderful, and unlike most roughcut, it's dry wood. The trees were cut down last winter, and stored under a shed off the ground before being recently milled into the sizes I requested. Therefore, the wood is dry and will be less prone to twisting and cracking. The nasty sap of pine is non-existant- you rub your hand over the timbers, and all you take away is a fine yellowish sawdust. No gooey sap to stain clothes and cake up hands. (Though I wear gloves when handling it anyway, it does have a splinter or two!) The little sap I've seen is on the ends of the timbers, already hard and crystallized.
I finished work on the cats' playhouse. They are already using it to sleep at night! I put an old quilt in there and they love it! To avoid jokes based on redneck innuendoes concerning "cathouses," I am calling it the "Cat-thedral" and indeed it does look a bit like a church. It's long and narrow, with a gable roof, and neat round windows in a celtic cross style. It has a big front room at one end, with a large door and two windows, and a smaller, enclosed room in back with a small door and no windows. This is for cold winter nights. Above the back room is a loft in the gable. I put two wood "runners" under each edge of it, so two people can easily pick it up and carry it. Did I mention it's heavy!? I can carry it myself, but the size and weight make that difficult. I can drag it by holding one end of these runners a bit more easily. I still need to install a piano hinge on one of the roof sides. Then, the roof will be covered and yet I can open up one side for cleaning and such. Meanwhile, it's under my tarp tent shed, so any rain won't harm it. The cats don't mind me waiting to complete their house- they like it already!
Okay, I've got a lot to do today, so I'll sign off. I'll be back later this week, hopefully with some pics of my progress!
I received my first order of lumber last Saturday from the local sawmill. I went with them because of the great savings in cost, rather than simple love of timberframing, though now I see that the two are not uncomplementary! I received nothing smaller than a (true) dimensional timber measuring 2 inches by 6 inches by 10 feet long, and nothing larger than beams of 4x6x16 feet. I got almost 50 timbers for under $500. I estimated the same lumber (assuming the changes to conventionally sized lumber- ie. 2x6 to 1 5/8 x 5 1/4) would cost over $1500 from a lumberyard. Despite the extra effort required (roughcut timbers are bigger, wetter and much heavier), I am going with roughcut from here on out. My cabin will be a simple (no fancy joinery!) timberframe built of 2x6s.
I made one mistake when ordering my lumber- I very much overestimated the size needed for certain support beams in the floor frame. 4x6 inch beams are massively overkill for such a small cabin! But this is one of those mea culpa type mistakes- something that turns out to be even better than you planned. I will now use smaller 2x6 beams, and save the larger ones for use in the walls and ceiling. So I haven't made an incorrectable mistake as much as I have ordered lumber ahead of time.
I have to mention this- my lumber is beautiful! It's white pine wood, smells wonderful, and unlike most roughcut, it's dry wood. The trees were cut down last winter, and stored under a shed off the ground before being recently milled into the sizes I requested. Therefore, the wood is dry and will be less prone to twisting and cracking. The nasty sap of pine is non-existant- you rub your hand over the timbers, and all you take away is a fine yellowish sawdust. No gooey sap to stain clothes and cake up hands. (Though I wear gloves when handling it anyway, it does have a splinter or two!) The little sap I've seen is on the ends of the timbers, already hard and crystallized.
I finished work on the cats' playhouse. They are already using it to sleep at night! I put an old quilt in there and they love it! To avoid jokes based on redneck innuendoes concerning "cathouses," I am calling it the "Cat-thedral" and indeed it does look a bit like a church. It's long and narrow, with a gable roof, and neat round windows in a celtic cross style. It has a big front room at one end, with a large door and two windows, and a smaller, enclosed room in back with a small door and no windows. This is for cold winter nights. Above the back room is a loft in the gable. I put two wood "runners" under each edge of it, so two people can easily pick it up and carry it. Did I mention it's heavy!? I can carry it myself, but the size and weight make that difficult. I can drag it by holding one end of these runners a bit more easily. I still need to install a piano hinge on one of the roof sides. Then, the roof will be covered and yet I can open up one side for cleaning and such. Meanwhile, it's under my tarp tent shed, so any rain won't harm it. The cats don't mind me waiting to complete their house- they like it already!
Okay, I've got a lot to do today, so I'll sign off. I'll be back later this week, hopefully with some pics of my progress!