Preparing for the Earthship Build - Milling Lumber

Honestly, I thought that by now I would be posting about the ongoing Earthship build, pounding tires, and what-not. As it turns out, the Regional District of Nanaimo has still not issued a building permit, and contrary to the info I’d had, that means that no work on the project can be done, including on the foundation. However, this doesn’t mean that there aren’t a number of other important jobs that should be completed to facilitate the upcoming tasks. Having pretty much completed the shower and the kitchen for the volunteers, this means milling lumber.

When I came to Tony’s property two years ago, it was specifically the lumber mill that attracted me here, as I consider it a wise and progressive attitude to cut all your lumber right here on site, especially after having to cut down some of these massive trees to make space for the building site. Back then we didn’t have a chance to mill as much and as regularly as I had hoped, which I discussed in a previous article. The machine kept breaking down, and even Tony was new to it, so we had to tackle the learning curve together. This time it is completely different: if everything is in place, we can easily mill a good number of large logs, as it was the case today. So, since the saw-mill is the cornerstone to this Earthship build of a different kind, here’s another run-down on how trees are converted into structural lumber of all types and sizes.

When the trees were cut down by professionals, they were stacked in a pile right next to where the mill is set up. To get them in position, however, where they can be locked in place for cutting, we had to hand-manouver them using peevies. This exercise is equally physical as it is mental, since you have to devise a strategy of how each log could be rolled, pivoted, and bumped into their proper place. This can be much easier than one would expect, or super dangerous, depending on the people handling them.

Once the log is locked in place by the sharp teeth of the log-dogs, the mill can be fired up. There are three blades running up-and-down the track: one large vertical one, and two small horizontal ones. If set up correctly, they will cut of a piece on the outside corner, after which dimensional lumber can be cut out of the log, depending on the desired width and depth. This is mental aspect of this work, which can take some getting used to. Once a sawyer has the necessary experience, though, they can get the most out of any log. In our case… well, we’re getting there! At least we’re much better at it than two years ago.

The types of lumber we needed (and still need, as this job is far from being finished) is 10 inch wide lumber for making frames to pour the foundational footings of the inner greenhouse walls, and the sheer-walls required by the local building code. Ten inches are quite wide by any measure, so we are using whichever combination we can: 5 and 5s, or 6 and 4s. Additionally, we want to finish the sheds right in front of the mill, which are set up to be our volunteer kitchen, a workshop, a tool-shed, and a storage container.

Finally, we were caught by the old railroad blues. Since the driveway to the house crosses a railroad line, the owner of the property (Tony) is responsible for maintaining the crossing in order. Fortunately, with a mill like his, even this is no big challenge. We simply cut a pair of enormous, 17 foot-long 4 x 10 inch pieces (5.2 m long 10 x 25 cm) out of a fir log, and placed them in a visible location, to install on the two sides of the tracks whenever time would permit us. As for the other pieces of cut lumber, we stacked them appropriately, with stickers under a tarp, where they would be protected from the rain and the sun. Anyway, they will be used soon enough, as the construction project progresses.