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Starting My First Build, a Cook House for Family Gatherings

Started by Woodmonkey, April 15, 2016, 05:57:00 PM

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Woodmonkey

Got my sawmill on order, a Woodland Mills HM126 with a 6' extension which can handle logs up to 16', it should arrive next week? Started cutting down some poplar and slash/longleaf pine for construction (these are the trees I have the most of with more than enough for this job).

The cook house will be 14'X24' with a 24' wide by 5' deep covered porch across the front. It will have a small bathroom, but otherwise, it will have an open floor plan. Other than for family gatherings, this building will be unoccupied. I plan to use pier construction placing the house about 2' off the ground, leaving the underside open. I do not intend to insulate. Heat will be a small gas heater, and cooling will be a window air conditioner.

Framing will be pine, and for flooring, walls, ceiling and exterior I'll use the poplar. I intend to saw the poplar first, stack and sticker it so that it can air dry while I saw and construct the frame. I plan to use board and batten outside, and ship lap on the walls, floor and ceiling. I don't plan to kiln dry anything, since there will be no insulation or vapor barrier. Roof will probably be corrugated steel.

I have very basic carpentry skills. I have constructed sheds, dog houses, porches and other small projects, but nothing on this scale, and never with green/air-dried lumber. I have a circular saw, cut-off saw, router, and a pneumatic siding nailer in addition to the sawmill.

The reason I joined this forum was because of the knowledgeable members who seem willing to help the beginners. I have looked at some of the other forums, but I liked this one best for its format and the number of responses a thread starter would get in reply to his/her questions. So, thank you in advance for your help, and I will post periodically with pictures and updates on my progress.

First question: What dimensions should I cut the flooring, siding (boards and battens, and what gap), and ceiling lumber?

Please feel free to comment on any of my plans at any time. I intend to check the thread daily for posts.
Woodland Mills HM126, Kubota GST 4240 with grapple bucket, Ford 8N, Husqvarna 455 Rancher chainsaw.

Magicman

My Pine flooring in the Cabin Addition is 6, 8, 10, & 12" T&G.  The Ash flooring in the bedroom project is 6 & 8".  I would use 6" on the ceiling.  For B&B siding I have always used 12" boards and 4" battens with ~¼" board separation.  You could easily go more narrow with the battens, but I like the 4" look.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Upper

With green lumber is a quarter inch spacing necessary?I am about to do the same,thanks   Upper
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Ljohnsaw

Sounds like fun!  I'm no expert but I've heard that Poplar is not so weather resistant.  You would need good overhangs to prevent rain from hitting it or splashing back on it.  Why not use pine?
John Sawicky

Just North-East of Sacramento...

SkyTrak 9038, Ford 545D FEL, Davis Little Monster backhoe, Case 16+4 Trencher, Home Built 42" capacity/36" cut Bandmill up to 54' long - using it all to build a timber frame cabin.

Woodmonkey

Quote from: Magicman on April 15, 2016, 08:39:04 PM
My Pine flooring in the Cabin Addition is 6, 8, 10, & 12" T&G.  The Ash flooring in the bedroom project is 6 & 8".  I would use 6" on the ceiling.  For B&B siding I have always used 12" boards and 4" battens with ~¼" board separation.  You could easily go more narrow with the battens, but I like the 4" look.

What thickness?
Woodland Mills HM126, Kubota GST 4240 with grapple bucket, Ford 8N, Husqvarna 455 Rancher chainsaw.

Woodmonkey

Quote from: ljohnsaw on April 15, 2016, 09:47:50 PM
Sounds like fun!  I'm no expert but I've heard that Poplar is not so weather resistant.  You would need good overhangs to prevent rain from hitting it or splashing back on it.  Why not use pine?

I can do pine. I will probably decide when I start sawing.
Woodland Mills HM126, Kubota GST 4240 with grapple bucket, Ford 8N, Husqvarna 455 Rancher chainsaw.

Magicman

Quote from: Woodmonkey on April 16, 2016, 06:38:28 AMWhat thickness?
All of my flooring, walls, and ceiling lumber was 1" and planed to 7/8.  My target thickness was ¾" but it cleaned up at 7/8" so that was what I used. 

Quote from: Upper on April 15, 2016, 08:46:50 PMWith green lumber is a quarter inch spacing necessary?
Thinking back, we actually used a 12d nail for spacing.  Just tapped it in until the board was up.

Quote from: ljohnsaw on April 15, 2016, 09:47:50 PMI've heard that Poplar is not so weather resistant.  You would need good overhangs to prevent rain from hitting it or splashing back on it.  Why not use pine?
Splash need to be prevented with any species.  Pine and Sweetgum will work fine for siding but Poplar is the goto siding lumber species.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Ljohnsaw

Quote from: Magicman on April 16, 2016, 10:12:11 AM
Quote from: ljohnsaw on April 15, 2016, 09:47:50 PMI've heard that Poplar is not so weather resistant.  You would need good overhangs to prevent rain from hitting it or splashing back on it.  Why not use pine?
Splash need to be prevented with any species.  Pine and Sweetgum will work fine for siding but Poplar is the goto siding lumber species.

You learn something new every day here!  Thanks, MM.
John Sawicky

Just North-East of Sacramento...

SkyTrak 9038, Ford 545D FEL, Davis Little Monster backhoe, Case 16+4 Trencher, Home Built 42" capacity/36" cut Bandmill up to 54' long - using it all to build a timber frame cabin.

Magicman

I like to cut the bottom edges at a ~30°-45° angle to form a water drip edge.  That way any water that runs down the siding drips off instead of wicking back and wetting the entire lower edge of the boards & battens.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Woodmonkey

Siding will be 2' above the ground at its lowest, so splash shouldn't be a problem. If it is, I'll use gutters. I do prefer poplar because I have some very nice trees with no limbs for over 30' and 20+ inches in diameter.
Woodland Mills HM126, Kubota GST 4240 with grapple bucket, Ford 8N, Husqvarna 455 Rancher chainsaw.

thecfarm

I use 10 inch boards and 4 inch batten. I had to cheat on a few boards to get the 10 inch look.



 

No need for a space between the boards,I put mine up green. Space is all done for me now.  ;D
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Woodmonkey

Woodland Mills HM126, Kubota GST 4240 with grapple bucket, Ford 8N, Husqvarna 455 Rancher chainsaw.

Woodmonkey

My Woodland Mills HM126 arrived yesterday at 3:00pm. If the rain will hold off, I'll set it up today. I'm behind the curve on storage for air drying the poplar, mainly because of junk in my way, so it may be next week before I can start sawing in earnest.
Woodland Mills HM126, Kubota GST 4240 with grapple bucket, Ford 8N, Husqvarna 455 Rancher chainsaw.

Magicman

Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

lowpolyjoe

Congrats on the new mill.   Looking forward to following your build

Woodmonkey

I got the sawmill set up, level, and running. I cut up two small logs that had some knots just to get the feel for it; these are my first impressions (I have never operated a portable sawmill before):

1.  I liked it more than I thought I would.
2.  It was easier to operate than I thought it would be.
3.  It did a better job than I thought it would.
4.  It is harder to move big logs around than I thought it would be with a 42-horse tractor.
5.  A lot of wood comes from a seemingly small log.
Woodland Mills HM126, Kubota GST 4240 with grapple bucket, Ford 8N, Husqvarna 455 Rancher chainsaw.

Magicman

Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Woodmonkey

I've got the exterior siding (boards and battens), ceiling boards, and most of the interior siding (which will also be board and batten) sawn, stickered and air drying under a pole barn. I'm still debating how I want to do the floor. I'm also still up in the air on how to do the roof; shingles or metal. It would speed things up considerably if I could finalize my construction plans and move forward, but I'm one of those people who will spend all day on the internet researching a set of tires for my old pickup before buying them; making more complicated decisions like building construction materials/methods a long, drawn out process.

I also bought a cheap planer for dressing up the interior boards, and a table saw.
Woodland Mills HM126, Kubota GST 4240 with grapple bucket, Ford 8N, Husqvarna 455 Rancher chainsaw.

Woodmonkey

I haven't been here in a while, but I'm finally getting around to posting pics of my cook house build. The project is completed. The following is a step-by-step of how it went.



The floor and foundation:

I used regular Quikcrete and treated 6x6's from Lowes for the foundation. I dug a 2' hole and added 6 inches of Quikcrete to the bottom of the hole. When it cured, I placed the 6x6 on top and filled in with dirt to support the 6x6 pine runners (2 10' runners joined in the middle and running the full width of the cabin) that will support the floor. You can see these in the above photo, one set on each side and the middle. The floor joists are 2x10 on 16" centers. The flooring is 23/32 tongue and groove OSB.
Woodland Mills HM126, Kubota GST 4240 with grapple bucket, Ford 8N, Husqvarna 455 Rancher chainsaw.

gww

woodmonkey
Quote5.  A lot of wood comes from a seemingly small log.

It won't seem like a lot when you start using it.
A really big log always impresses me with how much more wood they have in them compared to a small log.  At a certain point, big logs are a real bugger to handle.

You picture did not come up on my computer.
I can see that you now seem to have a new disiese, wooditise or sawdustalosess or something.
Cheers
gww

Woodmonkey



Walls framed up with 2x4 pine. I learned that from a youtube video.
Woodland Mills HM126, Kubota GST 4240 with grapple bucket, Ford 8N, Husqvarna 455 Rancher chainsaw.

Woodmonkey

I've got to dig up some more pics, this may take a while...
Woodland Mills HM126, Kubota GST 4240 with grapple bucket, Ford 8N, Husqvarna 455 Rancher chainsaw.

Woodmonkey



Blocking added between the wall studs, ceiling joists and rafters are 2x8 pine. Roof is 4/12 pitch.
Woodland Mills HM126, Kubota GST 4240 with grapple bucket, Ford 8N, Husqvarna 455 Rancher chainsaw.

Darrel

Hey, this is really looking good!  What an awesome place for the family to get together!
1992 LT40HD

If I don't pick myself up by my own bootstraps, nobody else will.

Woodmonkey


Right side.


Left side.


Front door.


Looking out from front.


Not too far from the house. Still working on piping in water.

The exterior is rough-cut poplar. As a retiree on a fixed income, I took every opportunity to save money, so I left nearly all the wood bare. It should last me the rest of my life. I am also working on a couple of picnic tables for out front under the awning. Since it's been enclosed it has stood up to two tropical storms with no problems. The first storm was the worst wind I can remember in the 37 years I've lived here.
Woodland Mills HM126, Kubota GST 4240 with grapple bucket, Ford 8N, Husqvarna 455 Rancher chainsaw.

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