Since no one is reading this blog I guess maybe it is therapeutic for me to write about this. I am constantly asking myself why? I guess because when I tell people what I am doing they ask me, Why? As I look at the floor system I am currently working on I still have to cut out the dovetail mortise for my current sill which shouldn't take too long. Then I have three more sills to cut and make fit and then there will be all the dovetail tenons for the 6x6 floor joist. Then when I get everything to fit and all squared up on my test fitting I will have them all numbered and then stacked. I figure I will have a stack of wood which will weigh about 3500 lbs. cost somewhere in the ballpark of $1300, not to mention all the $$$ I laid out for the tools. Can't forget about the new truck to carry and pull this stuff. I will then have to get a tag for my dual axle trailer and drive it down from Georgia, about 8 hrs. I will then load it up, drive back to Ga. and stack it neatly (somewhere), and out of the weather until I can assemble it at some later date. That is if it hasn't warped to the shape of a pretzel. All of this for a basically small building of about 11' x 20' inside with an 8' porch which will have a loft accessible from the inside via a ladder. To complete the barn look there will be a wing on each side. On the north side will be a shed for my tractor and wood storage, and on the south will be the future greenhouse for my wife. Boy is this going to be alot of work.
Here are some of my latest pics. In the first pic you are looking down the full length of the sill on one side. It is 28' total in length. I am almost finished with the whole floor and will assemble it and hopefully have photo's. I am planning on video taping the assembly.
Testing, testing and more testing. I believe that the only way these beams won't fit together after all this testing (on assembly day) is I end up with some unexpected shrinkage and warpage. My fear is when it comes time to put it together and it doesn't fit. I'm almost tempted to assemble it myself to save myself some embarrassment. I've actually read about guys who have done this with old fashioned gin poles. I intend to make one anyway to help with the lifting of the bents whether I do it myself or not.
I made a testing tenon for the post out of scrap wood. This turned out to be a great idea. I ended up having to do quite a bit of work on the mortise of the upper and lower portion of this joint. I just love the way the post tenon goes through the top and then the bottom and locks it all together. Once fully assembled and pegged this will be an incredibly strong joint.
Chloe our mini Australian Shepard is ready for a trip to Pine Mountain Ga. It was a very quick trip due to we had to deliver a bike to our daughter at college in Gainsville Fl. She left her old bike unlocked for about an hr. and it just rode away!
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