Back To The Land Again

Haven't been posting as much lately because we're pushing hard now to try and get the roof on while the weather is still good. Made a lot of progress on this long weekend. Making fewer cutting mistakes by drawing out each piece before cutting. Feeling confident that a project like this can be completed on weekends in a season.

Haven't been posting as much lately because we're pushing hard now to try and get the roof on while the weather is still good. Made a lot of progress on this long weekend. Making fewer cutting mistakes by drawing out each piece before cutting. Feeling confident that a project like this can be completed on weekends in a season.

First roof beams going up on a glorious Fall morning! All lumber so far has come from the bush. We'll have to purchase some for the infill, as we're running out of time to get things closed up before winter, but looking forward to a future project to be 100% off the land.

First roof beams going up on a glorious Fall morning! All lumber so far has come from the bush. We'll have to purchase some for the infill, as we're running out of time to get things closed up before winter, but looking forward to a future project to be 100% off the land.

A magnificent cedar right next to our build site. About two feet in diameter at the base, over a hundred years old for sure. Beautiful old trees never cease to amaze with their beauty.

Wasn't the craziest of productive weekends, but progress was made. Sometimes when you're doing something new, it's better to take two steps back, and then one step forward. A couple of cross beams were changed out that were going to be bolted in and replaced with half lap joints. This meant going back to the bush for a couple more 10 foot 5x5's. Luckily. We have the slope that keeps on giving, a beautiful Spruce grove on a steep hill where the trees grow straight and tall.

Our high tech off grid setup, lol. We don't get a lot of Sun in our location, but a 100 solar panel adds a bit to the battery, ad well as the generator when it's being used to power tools.

Cutting a beam for a half-lap joint.

After a grey, wet week, it's nice to see the Sun! Going to be cold tonight, a reminder that we need to work on our winter's wood supply as well!

Oh baby, it's a wet week, we've had over 3 inches of rain in the past few days. But the show must go on! One of the challenges of working with chainsaw milled lumber is that your widths and square are often a bit off, so it takes a bit of guesswork and trial and error to get things to fit together. It's not perfect dimensional lumber, but I think some of the imperfections add character. What do you think?




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Oh baby, it's a wet week, we've had over 3 inches of rain in the past few days. But the show must go on! One of the challenges of working with chainsaw milled lumber is that your widths and square are often a bit off, so it takes a bit of guesswork and trial and error to get things to fit together. It's not perfect dimensional lumber, but I think some of the imperfections add character. What do you think?

My top 5 chainsaw mill tips. Got a chainsaw mill tip? Please add.

I've been at it for a few months now, most of my weekends this summer involved some time in the bush. A few things I've learned so far.

1. Get comfortable with your saw doing less demanding work before attempting to cut lumber. You should be proficient at felling, bucking, and limbing first.

2. Be prepared to spend plenty of time sharpening your chain. Ripping a log against the grain requires your chain to be in top condition.

3. If you're using a Haddon Lumbermaker, or one of the knock-offs, bolt it to your bar. If you use the gripping screws, sooner or later, it will slip, and your chain will cut into the clamp. Thus will ruin not only the guide, but your $30 chain.

4. Watch out for stones, especially if you're working on hills. You can cut firewood with a less than perfect chain, but not lumber.

5. Let the saw do the work. Don't push into the cut, you'll just wear yourself out.

Made great progress today! All the beams are in place, up next is to build the knee wall.

Posts are leveled and braced, Wagonhaus is starting to come together!

It's great to have help when putting up posts!!

A Vegan hunting for tonight's dinner. Vegan+ is what I would call it, no "torture" animal products. Pastured, happy animals and wild game, good to go. And vegetable spaghetti squash!

Slab ends make great material for a work camp shelter, and Spencer is hard at work planing the beams.

One of the big advantages of chainsaw milling is that the lumber can be cut and processed in hard to reach areas. Like a steep slope, which would be difficult or impossible for equipment to get to. It also allows for a much lighter footprint in the forest, selectively harvesting a couple of trees here and there, without any trails or roads required for heavy machinery or even an ATV. Once cut, the lumber is simply carried out by hand.

Main beams (4x10x20) are cut, getting the rest of the lumber to the site.

Everyone paints in their boxers, right? Great job, Spencer, looks as good as new!!

There she is! Long neglected, but not for long. 10 ton running gear with HD ag tires in very good shape. Will need a bit of paint, but other than that, looks good!

Today's haul:
2x 5x5x10
2x 5x5x8
2x 4x4x10
2x 2x5x 10
Plus lots of end slabs for bracing, temporary structures, roofing, etc.

I'm bushed! LoL

First step is to get some lumber! I'm cutting a Spruce log into a 4x4x10.

Wagonhaus. It's an agricultural vehicle for people!

- Using a heavy-duty wagon frame as a base, a post and beam construction using modern timber framing techniques.

- Wagon "running gear" can be purchased relatively inexpensively, and can carry a lot of weight.

- Lumber will be harvested off the land using a chainsaw mill.
DIY, on the cheap, always!

- Building on a portable base will allow the dwelling to be relocated, sold, or moved to a community of tiny houses.

- A second story knee wall will provide for double sleeping lofts on either end.

- Wagonhaus will be wired for solar, generator, and hopefully micro hydro electric power.

Spencer and I took a trip up to Northern Ontario this Spring, spent a weekend around Cochrane and went as far as Long Lac. It was beautiful in many ways, but there was something missing. Trees like this. I knew beforehand of course, but knowing and feeling are two different things.

Site selected under a beautiful Sugar Maple. Brush cleared out, it was a dense thicket of saplings the day before.