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Flooring

Started by clintnelms, August 13, 2016, 04:04:47 PM

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clintnelms

The wife wants hardwood or laminate flooring installed in the living room, kitchen, and hallway. The living room and kitchen are open so basically one large room. We've got carpet now and vinyl in the kitchen. We've also got two English Bulldogs and a cocker spaniel. We're looking at about 600 square feet of flooring. So for laminate we're between $1000 to $2000. Laminate was my thoughts at first due to the dogs scratching the floor. However I don't have that kind of money right now, but I do have oak or SYP I could mill into flooring. Still new at milling, but thought I might could give it a shot. I know Oak would be a harder wood to use than SYP and may not get scratched up as much. But I haven't had very good luck milling oak. But I also haven't tried milling it into flooring either. Kind of wanted to get y'alls inputs and see if it's something I should try. What draws me to milling my own flooring is the thought of the accomplishment and having something to look at that I did myself with lumber from my own property. But at the same time I think I might be biting off more than I can chew. Thoughts?

muggs

I made my own oak flooring. What tools do you have to work with? Shaper?   Muggs

clintnelms

Just my sawmill, saws, hand tools, the usual. My brother in law is a cabinet builder and I'm thinking I might could get him to take the boards to his shop and finish the boards once dried. But that's if he can. Not sure if they'd let him. But also thought it might give me an excuse to tell the wife I'd have to have a planer and some other toys. Figured by the time I spent the money on flooring I could probably buy some of the equipment I'd need to finish them.

clintnelms

I read everything I could find on here last night about milling lumber for flooring, but didn't find a whole lot. From what I read I should cut it a little over an inch thick right? How wide and how long should I cut the boards? Just how hard is it to do your own flooring?

cliffreaves

I was told, but have not experienced this, that cupping is a problem if you go over 6".  If you're doing oak, are you able to quaternary saw it?

woodman58

I have been a hardwood floor installer for 32 years. In my opinion it would be your best bet to find someone with a 4 sided molder to mill you flooring. According to National hardwood flooring association any floor over 5" should be glued and nailed to prevent cupping.To do the routing yourself would take a long time. After planning to thickness you would have to route a tounge on one side, a grove on the other, and releif cuts on the underside to help prevent cupping. I know some will disagree with this process. but, in my opinion this is the best way to make a good floor. If you like real rustic you can do it without the relief cuts. If you use pine be sure and set the pitch.
i LOVE THE SMELL OF SAW DUST IN THE MORNING.
Timberking 2200

jaygtree

a friend of mine made his own oak flooring and instead of tongue and grooving  he grooved both edges of each board and made splines. not sure how he nailed it down, must've been through an installed spline. the advantage of this is that it can all be done on a tablesaw.
i thought i was wrong once but i wasn't.   atv, log arch, chainsaw and ez boardwalk jr.

Den-Den

I would consider the bare minimum of tooling for this job to be; jointer, planer and tablesaw.  A shaper with power feed would be a great addition.  It would still be a lot of work but you would be proud of the result.
You may think that you can or may think you can't; either way, you are right.

Brucer

When I looked into this a few years ago (for a friend, not for me  ;D), I came across something interesting. If your flooring is edge grain it will:

  • Expand and contract less.
  • Have less tendency to cup.
  • Have better wear resistance.
Any experienced flooring people, please add your thoughts.
Bruce    LT40HDG28 bandsaw
"Complex problems have simple, easy to understand wrong answers."

Satamax

My opinion, if you haven't got the tools, haven't made any in the past. Ouch.

I like thick flooring. 30mm is good for a start. You end up with an inch thick flooring.

But you need a jointer and a planer. And a shaper at least.

I don't know about the milling time. But to make 600sqft of flooring, count three days i'd say, with the proper tools.

Make it out of oak. Remember that you have to spend money on the finish too.

But with your figure of 2000$ for laminate, you should be at least there buying secondhand machines too. And you need the room. And the electricity supply wich goes with it.

Mind you,  the machines will stay with you. So they're not a bad thing to get, if you have a sawmill.
French CD4 sawmill. Latil TL 73. Self moving hydraulic crane. Iveco daily 4x4 lwb dead as of 06/2020. Replaced by a Brimont TL80 CSA.

terrifictimbersllc

Suggest you read this thread through:  https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,84781.0.html

I  won't repeat using router bits to make strip flooring.  It looks good until you try to lay it down and compare it to commercial products, the fit & tolerances aren't as good. Plus it's a huge amount of work.   Maybe if I had a shaper with stock feeder I'd be tempted again.  But probably just take my boards to someone with a 4 sided machine instead.

I saw a lot of rough flooring, always 1-1/8", except in a few cases where it all was quarter sawn then I talked them into 1-1/4.  Intention was for finished at 3/4".  One might have problems with matching thicker flooring to adjacent existing floors.   Width is a preference which brings with it different fastening techniques.

DJ Hoover, Terrific Timbers LLC,  Mystic CT Woodmizer Million Board Foot Club member. 2019 LT70 Super Wide 55 Yanmar,  LogRite fetching arch, WM BMS250 sharpener/BMT250 setter.  2001 F350 7.3L PSD 6 spd manual ZF 4x4 Crew Cab Long Bed

kelLOGg

I felled, sawed, air dried and kiln dried my oak flooring. Having lifted that tree enough, I took the lumber to a flooring plant for milling and T&Ging and then got someone to lay it for me. I didn't want to screw up the fine work. It ended up 3.5" wide and looks great. I still got the "milled it myself" feeling. It took over a year from felling to laying but it was worth the wait. Doing it this way all the tools I needed was a mill and kiln.
Cook's MP-32, 20HP, 20' (modified w/ power feed, up/down, loader/turner)
DH kiln, CatClaw setter and sharpener, tandem trailer, log arch, tractor, thumb tacks

Brad_bb

So does a 4 sided shaper mean you don't have to joint the edges of the boards?  So If I'm hiring someone else to do the shaping operation, does that mean my prep will only have to be milling, drying, Sawing the edges to eliminate any crown from drying, and planing?  Or do I still need to joint the boards too?
Anything someone can design, I can sure figure out how to fix!
If I say it\\\\\\\'s going to take so long, multiply that by at least 3!

Satamax

Quote from: Brad_bb on August 14, 2016, 08:34:25 AM
So does a 4 sided shaper mean you don't have to joint the edges of the boards?  So If I'm hiring someone else to do the shaping operation, does that mean my prep will only have to be milling, drying, Sawing the edges to eliminate any crown from drying, and planing?  Or do I still need to joint the boards too?


Well, the right answer is, it all depends.

How much stress does your wood have in the begining? How dry it is? How twisted or bowed?

If twisted or bowed, with stresses etc.

You can feed it to any 4 sided machine, the board will always be troublesome. But if you have a fair bit of matter to munch, and a jointer, you're sorted.  But not necessarily in all cases. If you have an inch of bow, this is just not possible.

The problem with 4 sided machines, is that they press on the wood, laying flat all bows before the board gets machined. Then the machined board gets back out, it either had way too much stress and the middles and ends are  machined a bit more. Or the board bends back in it's previous shape; and won't fit anywhere.

But if you feed perfectly straight and uniform boards to a four sided machine, then you're sorted.

And also all machines are not equal. You can have short machines, like the moretens/logosol. Or longer type of the roofing machines like Kupfermuhle. Don't expect those to be fantastic at straightening wood. Then the long type 4 5 or 6 arbors, which are four sided planer and one or two sided shaper. Usualy, those do a better job, but take a good 40 to 60sqft of  workshop floor, plus infeed and outfeed space. And the dust extraction needed is not a small one either.
French CD4 sawmill. Latil TL 73. Self moving hydraulic crane. Iveco daily 4x4 lwb dead as of 06/2020. Replaced by a Brimont TL80 CSA.

Brad_bb

I'm just trying to understand what I can do to prep my boards with what I've got and what to have someone else do secondary.  I've got my mill, and my planer, and my table saw.  I probably should get a jointer, but I've been holding off because I'm going to move my shop soon and better off getting it after the move.  I'll probably have time to work on flooring during the winter so If I really need the jointer, I'll get it.
Anything someone can design, I can sure figure out how to fix!
If I say it\\\\\\\'s going to take so long, multiply that by at least 3!

Satamax

Brad, i've been hanging around the internet for many years. First connexion to the MIMF was in 95.


What i have noticed about most of the Us based shops i see. Is often the lack of serious machines. Over here, in mainland western europe, even the small DIYers shops usually have at least a combination machine. Often a cast iron one.  Jointer planer on one side, where you lift the tables to plane. Then a shaper,which often can act as a tenonner. A saw arbor next to it on the table. You can also see a morticer on the end of the planer arbor.

I mean, your small shops are far ahead than us on the CNC machines in small shops. But it seems that cast iron jointers are a few and far between. This seems mad to me.

Even madder, UK, they have metal lathes and milling machines in most every DIYer shop. I can't remember having seen a single proper woodworking machine. And i did my city and guilds of guitarmaking in UK. I even have a friend, who did his woodworking apprenticeship in UK, and didn't know where to buy planned wood when he came to live in France. This is bonkers to me.


So by any means, get yourself a jointer. Get yourself a shaper. They are the basis of woodworking with the planer.

He"re's few pics of my workshop, so you see a French one. Most machines are ranging from 1949 for the dewalt, to mid late seventies for the most modern ones. Exept the morticer. With is a 90's machine.




Morticer, shaper with variable arbor speed and variable feed, a 1959 planer (thicknesser) with variable feed and three blades.




This is a vague view of the double sided jointer.


A vaguely better view with light.

Took me 20 years or so to gather all this. Modify, resell, buy some more etc.

French CD4 sawmill. Latil TL 73. Self moving hydraulic crane. Iveco daily 4x4 lwb dead as of 06/2020. Replaced by a Brimont TL80 CSA.

Kbeitz

Quote from: Brad_bb on August 14, 2016, 09:35:30 AM
I'm just trying to understand what I can do to prep my boards with what I've got and what to have someone else do secondary.  I've got my mill, and my planer, and my table saw.  I probably should get a jointer, but I've been holding off because I'm going to move my shop soon and better off getting it after the move.  I'll probably have time to work on flooring during the winter so If I really need the jointer, I'll get it.

Check out Grizzly Tools jointers...

http://www.grizzly.com//jointers
Collector and builder of many things.
Love machine shop work
and Wood work shop work
And now a saw mill work

Satamax

And i'll back up Kbeitz by saying, get at least a 12" Mine is a 16,5. I rarely wish for more. May be once or twice every year.
French CD4 sawmill. Latil TL 73. Self moving hydraulic crane. Iveco daily 4x4 lwb dead as of 06/2020. Replaced by a Brimont TL80 CSA.

Joe Hillmann

That sounds like a huge job if you don't have the right tools or big enough tools.  Is your planer heavy duty or more like a lunch box style?

I would recommend doing a small amount, maybe enough for a closet to see just how much work it will be, then go from there.

I were to make flooring from lumber I cut my self I would plane it all one one side to get the right thickness.  Straight line it on the sawmill then face nail them rough side up onto the sub floor with an 3/32 inch gap between each board.  Then rent a floor sander to run over it really quickly just to even out any joints that aren't level but not enough to remove the rough saw marks.  Of course I realize a lot of people would like a more refined look than that.

Satamax

Rough sawn floors and wood panneling are the craze in euroland at the moment.  Posh people want that back to earth looks.

Circular saw sawn being the most expensive i think! ;D
French CD4 sawmill. Latil TL 73. Self moving hydraulic crane. Iveco daily 4x4 lwb dead as of 06/2020. Replaced by a Brimont TL80 CSA.

clintnelms

Thanks for all the advice. Makes me rethink wanting to try and do it myself. I'll have to find out if my brother in law will be able to help me out at his cabinet shop. Otherwise it'll probably just be saving up for the box store stuff.

ozarkgem

Bass Pro in Springfield has some wide plank flooring in the men's clothing section. Maybe 8" wide with circle saw marks. How do they get it to lay flat? That is what I want to do on my next build. Goes down faster.
Mighty Mite Band Mill, Case Backhoe, 763 Bobcat, Ford 3400 w/FEL , 1962 Ford 4000, Int dump truck, Clark forklift, lots of trailers. Stihl 046 Magnum, 029 Stihl. complete machine shop to keep everything going.

Satamax

Ozarkgem, these boards might be laminates. A layer of rough sawn wood glued to two layers of criss cross pine or whatever. Some are even clip on, like laminate flooring.

On this stuff for example, it's wood MDF wood

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8hRjJ0nStU

I've fited some laminate from this brand in my bedroom lately. Dang easy to fit. 200sqft in 4 hours may be.


Some parquet flooring is glued too. With some neoprene, it doesn't cup!
French CD4 sawmill. Latil TL 73. Self moving hydraulic crane. Iveco daily 4x4 lwb dead as of 06/2020. Replaced by a Brimont TL80 CSA.

BigZ La

Quote from: ozarkgem on August 14, 2016, 06:41:42 PM
Bass Pro in Springfield has some wide plank flooring in the men's clothing section. Maybe 8" wide with circle saw marks. How do they get it to lay flat? That is what I want to do on my next build. Goes down faster.

This is what I want, wide plank flooring. So how can it be done???

Satamax

Quote from: BigZ La on August 14, 2016, 08:04:50 PM
Quote from: ozarkgem on August 14, 2016, 06:41:42 PM
Bass Pro in Springfield has some wide plank flooring in the men's clothing section. Maybe 8" wide with circle saw marks. How do they get it to lay flat? That is what I want to do on my next build. Goes down faster.

This is what I want, wide plank flooring. So how can it be done???

The first question, where do you want it? 
French CD4 sawmill. Latil TL 73. Self moving hydraulic crane. Iveco daily 4x4 lwb dead as of 06/2020. Replaced by a Brimont TL80 CSA.

never finished

 My opinion. I have a ph260. The absolute hardest part about getting quality out of it, is putting quality in to it. The prep work is the killer. As far as I'm concerned, if some one preps the lumber first, my price comes down. It is possible to straight line with a good table saw. I have an 18' aluminum straight edge that I use. That wasn't cheap. A person can also use a strait strip of plywood with a cleat on the end and, a helper. As far as skip planing goes. The smaller the planer the more passes.
If your not hung up on doing it your self like I usually am. Not only to save a buck, but mostly for self satisfaction. You might be better off picking up cans on the side of road and, either buying flooring or paying some one to use your boards and making it for you.       

BigZ La

Quote from: Satamax on August 14, 2016, 08:21:29 PM
Quote from: BigZ La on August 14, 2016, 08:04:50 PM
Quote from: ozarkgem on August 14, 2016, 06:41:42 PM
Bass Pro in Springfield has some wide plank flooring in the men's clothing section. Maybe 8" wide with circle saw marks. How do they get it to lay flat? That is what I want to do on my next build. Goes down faster.

This is what I want, wide plank flooring. So how can it be done???

The first question, where do you want it?

Fixing to build a camp and want to put it in the den and kitchen area. Area would have 3/4" sheating for sub floor.

Joe Hillmann

Quote from: BigZ La on August 14, 2016, 10:40:40 PM
Quote from: Satamax on August 14, 2016, 08:21:29 PM
Quote from: BigZ La on August 14, 2016, 08:04:50 PM
Quote from: ozarkgem on August 14, 2016, 06:41:42 PM
Bass Pro in Springfield has some wide plank flooring in the men's clothing section. Maybe 8" wide with circle saw marks. How do they get it to lay flat? That is what I want to do on my next build. Goes down faster.

This is what I want, wide plank flooring. So how can it be done???

The first question, where do you want it?

Fixing to build a camp and want to put it in the den and kitchen area. Area would have 3/4" sheating for sub floor.

With joists underneath?  Then probably just faced nailed with two or three nails into each joist.  If you want it to look even more rustic use square nails.

timcosby

been a many a floor put in that wasnt tongue and grove. i think if you sealed the underside of the wood it would control some of the cupping. also depend on the better half is she ok with rustic floors with a few small gaps or does she want pristine oak floors  with exacting gaps etc.

Satamax

Quote from: BigZ La on August 14, 2016, 10:40:40 PM
Fixing to build a camp and want to put it in the den and kitchen area. Area would have 3/4" sheating for sub floor.

Quote from: Joe Hillmann on August 14, 2016, 10:48:07 PM
With joists underneath?  Then probably just faced nailed with two or three nails into each joist.  If you want it to look even more rustic use square nails.

Face nailed is a solution. Countersunk screws and plugs is another. Or thin planks glued to the sheating.
French CD4 sawmill. Latil TL 73. Self moving hydraulic crane. Iveco daily 4x4 lwb dead as of 06/2020. Replaced by a Brimont TL80 CSA.

4x4American

Why not saw it out yourself on your mill, air dry it, and then bring it somewhere to be milled.  There are a bunch of places around here that will do that and at a reasonable price most of em.
Boy, back in my day..

ozarkgem

now that I think about it there were plugs in the planks. Don't know if they were real or painted . I will snap a pic of the floor next time I am down there.
Mighty Mite Band Mill, Case Backhoe, 763 Bobcat, Ford 3400 w/FEL , 1962 Ford 4000, Int dump truck, Clark forklift, lots of trailers. Stihl 046 Magnum, 029 Stihl. complete machine shop to keep everything going.

Czech_Made

Well I believe the opposite is the truth, the heavy machines are much more available in the USA than in Europe, but it is just my opinion after seeing shops in central Europe, Austria and Germany and now in the USA.

But I agree with you, old iron is the best to get a job done.

Quote from: Satamax on August 14, 2016, 10:22:38 AM
Brad, i've been hanging around the internet for many years. First connexion to the MIMF was in 95.


What i have noticed about most of the Us based shops i see. Is often the lack of serious machines. Over here, in mainland western europe, even the small DIYers shops usually have at least a combination machine. Often a cast iron one.  Jointer planer on one side, where you lift the tables to plane. Then a shaper,which often can act as a tenonner. A saw arbor next to it on the table. You can also see a morticer on the end of the planer arbor.

I mean, your small shops are far ahead than us on the CNC machines in small shops. But it seems that cast iron jointers are a few and far between. This seems mad to me.

Even madder, UK, they have metal lathes and milling machines in most every DIYer shop. I can't remember having seen a single proper woodworking machine. And i did my city and guilds of guitarmaking in UK. I even have a friend, who did his woodworking apprenticeship in UK, and didn't know where to buy planned wood when he came to live in France. This is bonkers to me.


So by any means, get yourself a jointer. Get yourself a shaper. They are the basis of woodworking with the planer.

He"re's few pics of my workshop, so you see a French one. Most machines are ranging from 1949 for the dewalt, to mid late seventies for the most modern ones. Exept the morticer. With is a 90's machine.




Morticer, shaper with variable arbor speed and variable feed, a 1959 planer (thicknesser) with variable feed and three blades.




This is a vague view of the double sided jointer.


A vaguely better view with light.

Took me 20 years or so to gather all this. Modify, resell, buy some more etc.

Satamax

Quote from: Czech_Made on August 15, 2016, 07:25:41 AM
Well I believe the opposite is the truth, the heavy machines are much more available in the USA than in Europe, but it is just my opinion after seeing shops in central Europe, Austria and Germany and now in the USA.

But I agree with you, old iron is the best to get a job done.


Czech made. That's funny. I've never been to the us. But i get that impression from all the workshop pics and videos i see on the net. I've been around the net a while. I think my first encounter with the MIMF was in 95 or 96. Guitarmakers and such. So not necessarily big tools. But i've hung around woodweb for nearly as long.

While in euroland. I know France, obviously, Swizerland too, Italy, Spain Portugal and UK. Prety sure Germany is the same, and Austria too. Since they are the countries of origin of many woodworking machines makers. I've seen old cast iron machines used prety much everywhere. Even in UK. Tho, if it's big shops. They tend to buy new machines, instead of rebuilding, or putting the electricity up to date/norms. This might be what you have seen.

About the US, i've seen lots of very old cast iron. Like from the twenties or thirties. Being still in use. Which are prety big. With bare puleys.
Or stuff like this. https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,90274.msg1389471.html#msg1389471
You know stuff from craftsman, delta and such. Not bad machines, but seems a bit more flimsy or tiny to me.

Over here, an 8 inch jointer is considered a toy. Not even hobby.

There's one machine from the us which has impressed me. The delta radial arm saw. Like the actual 33-420. This one seems cool. I have an old GU, GE or GW dewalt. From the late fourties early fifties. Nice piece of cast iron. And an italian made (by omga i think) seventies dewalt. All the rest ranges between half a ton and a ton. ;D

And i'm barely more than a hobbyist ;D

Just the impression i get from here.

French CD4 sawmill. Latil TL 73. Self moving hydraulic crane. Iveco daily 4x4 lwb dead as of 06/2020. Replaced by a Brimont TL80 CSA.

Magicman

Here is a link to some of my T&G experiences: Cabin Addition

You will need to go through several pages to see the entire process.  First is the log gathering, then the sawing, then the walls, and finally the flooring on page 28.
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

Czech_Made

Please, understand I have no beef in this discussion, it is just something that caught my interest.   ;D I know in my country - Czechoslovakia - guys would buy retired machines from factories, TOS lathe and grinders and milling machines.

Your shop reminds me of a carpenter I knew, but his machinery was from before WWII, left from the time when he worked for himself only to be shut down after 1948. 

Here is something you might enjoy, back from the day when USA was making tools :) - if you dont know it already.

http://vintagemachinery.org/home.aspx

Quote from: Satamax on August 15, 2016, 08:05:15 AM
Quote from: Czech_Made on August 15, 2016, 07:25:41 AM
Well I believe the opposite is the truth, the heavy machines are much more available in the USA than in Europe, but it is just my opinion after seeing shops in central Europe, Austria and Germany and now in the USA.

But I agree with you, old iron is the best to get a job done.


Czech made. That's funny. I've never been to the us. But i get that impression from all the workshop pics and videos i see on the net. I've been around the net a while. I think my first encounter with the MIMF was in 95 or 96. Guitarmakers and such. So not necessarily big tools. But i've hung around woodweb for nearly as long.

While in euroland. I know France, obviously, Swizerland too, Italy, Spain Portugal and UK. Prety sure Germany is the same, and Austria too. Since they are the countries of origin of many woodworking machines makers. I've seen old cast iron machines used prety much everywhere. Even in UK. Tho, if it's big shops. They tend to buy new machines, instead of rebuilding, or putting the electricity up to date/norms. This might be what you have seen.

About the US, i've seen lots of very old cast iron. Like from the twenties or thirties. Being still in use. Which are prety big. With bare puleys.
Or stuff like this. https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,90274.msg1389471.html#msg1389471
You know stuff from craftsman, delta and such. Not bad machines, but seems a bit more flimsy or tiny to me.

Over here, an 8 inch jointer is considered a toy. Not even hobby.

There's one machine from the us which has impressed me. The delta radial arm saw. Like the actual 33-420. This one seems cool. I have an old GU, GE or GW dewalt. From the late fourties early fifties. Nice piece of cast iron. And an italian made (by omga i think) seventies dewalt. All the rest ranges between half a ton and a ton. ;D

And i'm barely more than a hobbyist ;D

Just the impression i get from here.

Satamax

Czech made. No worries. We're not talking hard facts, but more of our reactions to what we see here and there. I know vintagemachinery. Old woodworking machines too. http://www.owwm.org/
French CD4 sawmill. Latil TL 73. Self moving hydraulic crane. Iveco daily 4x4 lwb dead as of 06/2020. Replaced by a Brimont TL80 CSA.

clintnelms

Quote from: Magicman on August 15, 2016, 08:23:16 AM
Here is a link to some of my T&G experiences: Cabin Addition

You will need to go through several pages to see the entire process.  First is the log gathering, then the sawing, then the walls, and finally the flooring on page 28.

Thanks a lot Magicman. You just caused me to get stuck reading through your thread for the past hour or so. 😆
Beautiful work! Wish I was only half as talented as you. It sure made me want to reconsider not doing my own flooring. If I can accomplish floors as nice as yours, even if it takes me a year or more, I'll be happy.

One issue that concerns me though is you talking about not being able to stay there because of the fumes. I wouldn't have that option.

Magicman

Thanks.  I also got myself stuck on that thread last night.   :D

The fumes were really bad and there was no way to spend the night there until the Minwax stain and poly cured.  I think both times it was several days before I actually went back.

The T&G router bit that I used made a square cornered tongue.  I finally started using a Surform block plane to ease the corners.  I later saw them listed that make rounded tongues.  The Ash flooring that I paid to have planed and T&G had rounded tongues and slipped together very easily.
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

clintnelms

Thanks I'll have to remember that when I look at buying a bit.

Satamax

One trick i've thought about, when working with a router, follow an aluminium straight edge. You know the long mason ones. Then if the edge of the wood is a bit wavy, you still machine straight.
French CD4 sawmill. Latil TL 73. Self moving hydraulic crane. Iveco daily 4x4 lwb dead as of 06/2020. Replaced by a Brimont TL80 CSA.

Knute

Several years ago I made oak flooring using my oak. Made it the standard 2 1/4" width with a belsaw planer-molder using tongue and groove bits. After planning, ran it through on edge once for the tongue and again for the groove.

clintnelms

Knute, that reminds me. I been meaning to ask the question on what the best width would be to prevent cupping and make the straightest boards after drying?

Magicman

Milling (T&G) the boards so that the finished side is the pith side will give the boards the tendency to cup downward.
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

JBlain

A few years back I had a bunch of walnut logs I cut that the wife wanted flooring for a master bath at our cabin made.  I have a woodshop and do a lot of builds but couldn't justify spending the time when a local mill work shop with huge high end equipment did it for me for .45 cents a linear foot.  It was high grade walnut so it laid down perfect and saved me a ton of time and effort.
Josh

Ianab

Those big machines are amazing to see in action.

One of our clients has a couple of big Weinig planer moulders ( six head?). Poke rough sawn in one end and planed and profiled come out the other, as fast as you can poke the boards in.

Unless you have a good planer and moulder already I'd try and hire it out too. Saw and dry the wood, then let someone fire it though a big expensive machine, and collect floorboards the next day. I don't mind machining up a handful of boards to repair a hole or replace a couple of rotted boards. You can do that with a Lunchbox planer, a router table and a couple of spare hours. A whole house is pretty daunting without the right gear.
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

Satamax

Ianab, i nearly got myself a Weinig 5 arbors. I found it dead cheap in Swizerland. Couldn't fit it in my previous workshop. And a friend bought it instead. He sold it at the end of the winter. I still couldn't fit it in my actual workshop! 600€. For a late sixties machine. That was a steal. One day thought. I want to do planed wood for local diyers.
French CD4 sawmill. Latil TL 73. Self moving hydraulic crane. Iveco daily 4x4 lwb dead as of 06/2020. Replaced by a Brimont TL80 CSA.

Kbeitz

One of those BIG 5 head planners came in to our local junkyard.
I told the owner that he was crazy to cut it up. He put it aside.
It only took around a week until someone bought it. I did not
have a space or the electric to run it and there was no way that
my little 1/2 ton truck would haul it.
Collector and builder of many things.
Love machine shop work
and Wood work shop work
And now a saw mill work

Ianab

These machines are well up into the six figures $ wise. Heck my shop couldn't power the Dust collector.  :D

But yes if you could pick up an older one for Scrap money and give it a bit of TLC it's an awesome machine.

We just look after the computer systems around the site. So we have these small Linux terminals in cabinets beside the machines that  hook into the main stock control. Has a barcode scanner and heavy duty label prieter. So they can track the packets of timber coming in, and print new tags to go with the packs of finished product.

The Optimizer and Finger jointer is a whole other world. Network connection into that from Germany for technical support, and it has about 5 computers running the actual machinery.
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

clintnelms

So what would the recommended width be to cut them down to? I assume 8 foot lengths for drying would be fine?

Knute

In my opinion, less width means less cupping, however, that also makes for more milling.

Satamax

Clintnelms, over here they do about 5 inch wide. 10ft and 4meters, which is a smidge more than 13ft.
French CD4 sawmill. Latil TL 73. Self moving hydraulic crane. Iveco daily 4x4 lwb dead as of 06/2020. Replaced by a Brimont TL80 CSA.

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