I have dozens of old pine barn timbers that I would like to make into flooring boards. Since all of them are either 4×4 or 4×6 size, it looks like i will have to just flatsaw to get the widest boards possible (I wanted the “plank flooring” look, but 6″ boards are the best i can do with what i have). It looks like each timber was cut from a single (relatively small) tree, as even the 4×4 timbers have the heartwood centers. I have my own portable sawmill, but am new to the milling operations. I am concerned with two things- 1) curling of the boards and 2) seasonal shrinkage of installed flooring.
As for curling- Since these are old, dry timbers, can I assume that the boards will not curl after I cut them, regardless of the grain orientation? Can I install them right away?
As for shrinkage- I have read that dimensional changes will be greatest where it is tangential to the grain, which means most of my boards (flatsawn through the heartwood) would be a ‘worse case scenario”…am I asking for trouble here?
Thanks
Replies
You have about the lowest quality part of a log, the boxed heart centers, gonna make horrible flooring. Tou have the origin of every check, split and pith channel.
Keeping the pith centered as you peel/slice off a useable board will be a problem, and any pith that starts on one side and ends on the other ( like most SYP decking) will behave like SYP Decking, you really wanna waste your time?
I'd venture into looking at "end grain" flooring installs ( google it) and see if maybe you could be happy with that look. Basically cut the cants to say an 1"and a half or so thick, and gluee down like tile. I personally love the look and and almost no waste, never cups..and what few checks you see will eventually fill with a sawdust/poly/oil mixture of grout that you squeegee on and buff off with burlap..its awesome.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
They kill Prophets, for Profits.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj_oEx4-Mc4
I've been looking at cutting the old beams I've saved from the dump into end grain flooring for use my in entryways. The commerical stuff is only 3/4" thick, is that not advisable for selfmade end grain flooring? Also, any more details and pictures you might have about the install of end grain would be greatly appreciated. There is a paucity of information about it out there.Z
3/4" Would be fine.
Depends a bit on the species.
They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.
Try the dreaded "Search" function here.
There have been threads on end grain flooring .
They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.
Advanced search works just fine for me, I never use the "standard" search.
I am mixing species for my floor and will be shooting for 1.25" for greater control of losses from checks, I don't want to have too many pcs. just break apart when crosscut. I already held the Ext door up to allow for that, and am transitioning to 7/8" plank in the hall and LR. The EG will be a kitchen floor.
Almost all the 4x and 6x I can get has included pith, it's all what I call "boxed", most sawyers I know, work down at 1" cuts to maximize yield of better grade. You'll have this. I could specify what I want, say, saw directly thru the pith, and sometimes get less loss, vs. a pith centered.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
They kill Prophets, for Profits.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj_oEx4-Mc4
94969.10Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible government owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people. [Theodore Roosevelt]
Keeping the pith centered as you peel/slice off a useable board will be a problem, and any pith that starts on one side and ends on the other ( like most SYP decking) will behave like SYP Decking, you really wanna waste your time?
Help me out here, how does SYP decking "behave", since I've never used it? Are you saying that if the pith is centered on the board, then it will stay flat?
I like the endgrain flooring you mentioned, but not for my project. We are building a barn home, and want a more authentic look.Shawn
If and when the heart or pith changes face. The boards tend to favor walking about, not nicely.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
They kill Prophets, for Profits.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj_oEx4-Mc4
I did my flooring out of a lot of similar timbers.. It's black walnut and I love the character of the sometimes wild grain and even knots.. I did mine out of green timbers that were air dried and I had about 15% waste as a result of curling and warpage while drying..
You will have similar issues, wild grain and knots. Understand that by doing so you are greatly increasing the work involved but you won't have a cookie cutter floor. You will have a piece of art. That isn't something pros can afford to do because of the time involved.. It's far better for them to simply buy it and nail it down..
You can look at my floor if you click over on the left to advanced search and enter 85891.1 & 94941.1 scroll thru because I don't remember where all the floor pictures are..
I greatly increased the work because I tried to save a 1/2 inch of width .. instead of doing a tongue and groove on my shaper I cut an area for splines which I made. Then I had to install the splines and align everything before I screwed it down and filled the screw holes with plugs.. It came out as I wanted but it changed the work load from hours to many long days to simply install flooring..
Now I do have some 12 inch+ wide boards that are prevented from cupping or causing any problem but the work load was massive..
I'm going to do worse.. I have some 22 inch wide oak burls (10 feet long) that I'm going to surround with brass, bloodwood,& brass. and form a picture frame( 20 feet x 10 feet) on the floor on the great room.. Those are going to have hidden fastners. That is I'll drill holes from the bottom and insert screws from the bottom side. That way people will see the beauty of the burls without being distracted by plugs or other fastners.
Surrounding and infilling the picture frame will be white hard maple up to 14 inches wide and 20 feet long. That too will have invisable fastners..
I expect that floor to take me around 1200 hours to do.. (but then I'm always wildly optomistic)..
It will take however long it takes.
In the end I will shellac that floor for the beauty shellac offers, it's durability and safety plus ease of repair, and it's extremely easy to do and cheap besides.. (ask for details if you are interested)