Gable Walls

Kevin & Arthur spent the past 2 days laying out the gable ends ……… this is why the stripped down  RV is full of milled wood and sitting under the carport…easy access for time efficient building.  This is also why we have the sawmill to begin with……to cut whatever lumber we need….and now Kevin needs about 7 more pieces to finish up the gables before setting…

~ Cheryl

After..........

After.....................Kevin........using no brakes mind you, using reverse when going forward and drive when backing up to slow to stop, never never put in park when in drive! Now the wood we milled for the new house is 'at' the 'house site'!  Not at the shop a block away....Yay!  


~ Cheryl

Before...........

On Tools - Straight from Kevin

Tools, Tools, Tools, Tools,

Power tools are such a scam.  You buy a name brand like Craftsman, you think you are buying a tool that will last a long time.   A friend brought me a Craftsman chain saw and asked me get it running. After breaking it down I bought Primary and secondary fuel lines, carb rebuild kit and clutch cover.

Upon further examination I discovered broken fuel lines inside the carburetor compartment and to save time I decided to contact Sears about the fuel system plumbing.

Sears told me that since the saw was not under warranty that they could not answer my question.  I was told I would have to take it to service center.

The way I see it these tools are made with given short comings that are known to fail.  A service center pays a fee to the manufacture to repair these items and is given support as needed.  So, if you want to fix you own tools don’t look for support from Sears for any tools you might have purchased

Ok I will go back to shop and figure out the plumbing without their help; it is not that difficult I was just trying to save a little time.

I bought a Stihl saw 1997 and have NO problem with it. They have an online manuals with exploded views of the products so if it does need some repair the answers are right there.

Be aware of where you shop and what you buy.

~ Kevin

Thanksgiving Morn on the Sub-Floor

LOL! If I am going to blog about building a house I need to get my jargon straight. True that the rafters are a future step; but they are not what I was standing beneath in my last post. Sub-floor boards over the basement/crawl space were what I was looking up at.

rafter raf·ter1 noun

any of the sloping supporting timbers, beams, or boards that run from the ridge beam of a roof to its edge (((Encarta® World English)))

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Onward! It was Thanksgiving morning when I came into write at 8.30. And the music I was writing to was the buzz of Arthur on the chop saw and Kevin on the skill saw with a few interludes on the compressor punctuated by the nail gun. Yes, the title of the tune was Sub-Floors.

I ran out to take a few pictures and as usual, am delighted with the progress.

~Cheryl

To the Rafters!

Now that the beams are in, Kevin immediately got busy. It took the better part of a day for he and a friend load the rafters stored at the shop into the dump truck and getting them to the foundation.

The next day the dump truck was half empty and he had these rafters set into place.

Underneath the rafters, I stand back to get a full view. A living space is coming together and I begin imagining what it will be like to live inside. Smiles and Goosebumps.

~Cheryl

1st beam conquered!

Behind the scenes boards continued to be cut and stacked for our house.

On stage now are the major crossbeams. Two 500 pound pieces of wood cut on the sawmill from discarded local trees.

I wanted to show the work in progress of how these beams were set because the progress truly was a test of patience and ingenuity.  The collage below gives you some highlights.....

This three-day moving process involved NO power tools, just Kevin, ladders, scaffolding and an overhead homemade ridge crane with straps holding the beam in place.

A tedious but fulfilling event. I must admit the precarious positions involved in Kevin’s maneuvering these huge chunks of wood kept me at bay. However, when the 2^nd one slipped into place and I realized how much closer we are to having our house and moving out of the trailer, proud excitement rushed through me.

Now on to the rafters and sub-floor joists!

~Cheryl