May 14, 2016

Homemade Posts for the Goat Barn

In our last goat barn episode, we ended with this photo.

Homegrown pine logs.

Here's what Dan has been doing with them.



The logs are held in place on the mill by

log dogs and

the log clamp.

After the log is secured the saw is lowered to cutting height.

A hand crank raises and lowers the sawing and engine unit.

Then the milling commences. The saw is pushed along the track to cut the log.



For the posts he's aiming for 6 inches by 6 inches.





And there you have it. Next, Homemade Beams for the Goat Barn.

33 comments:

PioneerPreppy said...

Very nice!! What type of mill is that and how much did it cost? If I actually had a lot of trees worth milling I would jump on one myself.

jewlz said...

exciting - and you get the by product of sawdust!

Leigh said...

We found ours on Craiglist, but it originally came from Harbor Freight. http://www.harborfreight.com/saw-mill-with-301cc-gas-engine-62366.html. They are even having a sale on it!

Leigh said...

Yes, lots of sawdust, LOL

Ngo Family Farm said...

Awesome!

Susan said...

Those are beautiful!

Mike Yukon said...

Those will give the new barn a very special meaning!

Rosalyn said...

They look amazing, and how wonderful to produce something like that from your own land! Great job, Dan! :)

Kris said...

How long will the 6x6's have to 'cure/dry' before use or were the logs themselves already dead/dry? Your Craig's list find is going to pay for itself in no time. Looking forward to more posts (get it? posts) like this. *heh*

Fiona said...

Are you going to treat them with anything? What an awesome thing! Some of the Amish run portable mills like that here for small jobs. They is nothing quite like equipment that does its job!

Lady Locust said...

Woohoo! Let the games begin. That is so exciting. Are you just antsy for that barn to be finished with each log that goes on the mill? (because I sure would be:)

Renee Nefe said...

Bonus: You get to keep all the "byproduct" wood to use for other things. :D I think I would be checking with the neighbors...need dead trees removed? ;)

Quinn said...

I once considered hiring a fellow with a portable sawmill to handle some of my trees, but it was not cost-efficient, plus I think he had a 26" diameter limit and the trees I most needed to work were over 30". Your set-up looks great for your purposes, and not for the first time, I wish we lived a lot closer! :)

Mama Pea said...

Another huge step toward self-sufficiency continues!

We used to have many small sawmills in our area that sold economically priced lumber and we used them a lot. Now, as the "older" owners are retiring, there is no one to take over. It's hard work . . . which seems to be a deal-breaker for many younger people. Sigh.

DFW said...

Very impressive!

Barbara said...

You are clever folks and I'm proud for you. Absolutely the best looking posts I've seen.

Anonymous said...

I have "post envy". How long do they have to dry and is it fairly rot resistant?

Cozy Thyme Cottage said...

Great posts! I admire what you guys are doing! Nancy

Leigh said...

Actually, they put the structure up and let it cure as a unit. Dan understands about the adjustments more than I do, but I'll blog about it along the way!

Leigh said...

We'll have to treat them for termites, which are a terrible problem around here. More on that one of these days!

Leigh said...

Oh gosh, I've been sooo wanting a better facility for the goats. Sometimes it's hard to believe it's finally happening!

Leigh said...

And there's lots of byproduct! It's too bad it isn't truly more portable, because that could make a nice little business.

Leigh said...

I think labor could knock cost effectiveness out of the box. Doing it ourselves means the machine will have paid for itself in no time and we'll have better quality lumber than what is sold locally for a fraction of the cost. When a body is on a tight budget, that means being able to put the money to good use in more tools and materials!

Leigh said...

Sad but true, the lure of the "easy" life has been the undoing of farming, small family business, and cottage industry. Or - the younger generation takes over and jacks prices way up! It will eventually be the undoing of our entire nation!

Leigh said...

Actually, they will be assembled and dry as a unit. They will have to be protected from rot and insect damage however. I'll have more on those as we go along!

Farmer Barb said...

Very NICE!

An At Home Daughter said...

So very cool. Wish we had one!
Kimberly

Ed said...

I would have to upgrade my hand cart to do that. Perpetual leaking tires a bent axle just wouldn't be able to cart those logs to the rails. I can't wait to see them installed!

Perry - StoneHillRidge said...

Looks good!

Sandy Livesay said...

Leigh,

What a wonderful setup you and Dan have with milling your own wood. Love the posts!!!

badgerpendous said...

I love it! When my father had about 25 trees removed from his place in New Hampshire, he couldn't get anyone to mill them on site for fear they "contained nails" -- I wish I could have saved all the red oak!

Mark said...

That is cool! We have trees harvested from the family farm about every 10 years, but most are 24+ inches in diameter and they go to sawmills for hardwood lumber. Makes a nice bit of "extra" cash for Mom.

Looking forward to seeing it all come together! It looks like you'll end up with rock-solid building.

Unknown said...

Very nice post. Informative, concise. Thanks for sharing.