Chicken salad out of chicken shit...

6BangBronk

6BangBronk

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2005
Location
Durham
Sweet Gum hardwood flooring I installed in my living room...
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Had to do something with all the SG's I had to cut down around my house. I hauled the logs to a sawmill and had cut to 3/4, planed and T&G'd. He lied and charged me for more than I got out of it. Supposed to have had enough to do my back bedroom but was shorted about 75-80 bf after all cleaned up. Had to purchase a radial arm saw to do the job and have yet to find another purpose besides a corner filler in my shed for it. This was 4 years ago...

SG is pretty hard but I give it a 7 out of 10 at most. It still dents exactly like the heart pine in the bedroom. My floor sees much heavier traffic than most being we have 8 (going on 9) grand children and a chest of toys in the living room. Plus my office chair at my computer desk becomes entertainment at times. I think it just adds character...

I don't know of any other SG flooring in NC??? I did a google search trying to figure out what to do with my logs and found where a Hardwood Flooring Association took a challenge to floor with it and was totally surprised. What I learned was that it has to go down on a solid subfloor (not OSB or anything). You can not use a felt paper for the flooring has to be wood glued down to the subfloor. Also it swales and contracts quite a lot especially for the 12" wide boards. And being we put it down in the Early Spring, it bows some in the winter time.

Also, it's the bendiest wood ever... Was the hardest hardwood flooring 10 times fold to ever lay. Took me and 2 other strong boys every muscle with screwing leverage boards down and pulling it into place with about every nail. Also had to nail it like every 8-10 inches. It is extremely twisty wood so there are some wider gaps that were filled. Was the best we could do...

My house is 100 years old and reminds me of a circus house with trick mirrors. There's nothing square about it. I've gone with the cobbled look throughout and I think the LR floor was a very nice add.
 
Beautiful work! I know the feeling working with an older home. Our first was a "Jim Walter" home an not one square corner! Our current home is going on 75 yrs old, plaster walls and true 4by wall studs. I've come to the conclusion that square is a relative term and used by contractors to determine how green the customer is.
 
Nice.... Very nice!... I cut down about 8-9 of them from around our house when we bought it. They have done well to keep us warm this winter.
 
That's really nice. It looks like I might have to fell a few of them soon. I don't think I'll be flooring with them, but you've got me thinking about doing some other sort of project. Farm table or something, maybe.
 
Those look good 6Bang, I had a log sawn up about 8 years ago. It was a bitch to air dry. I couldn't stack enough cinder blocks on it to keep it straight. I really like the flame patterns of sweet gum lumber. So far I've made a floor transition, book case a few cutting boards, and I gave a bunch to my step dad who makes wooden spoons and salad forks out of it. I can believe how much a PIA a floor would be. How did you dry it?
 
josh m said:
Those look good 6Bang, I had a log sawn up about 8 years ago. It was a bitch to air dry. I couldn't stack enough cinder blocks on it to keep it straight. I really like the flame patterns of sweet gum lumber. So far I've made a floor transition, book case a few cutting boards, and I gave a bunch to my step dad who makes wooden spoons and salad forks out of it. I can believe how much a PIA a floor would be. How did you dry it?
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The saw mill I had cut it dried it in a box barn / kiln sort of deal. Took like 2 weeks.
 
Aparantly that's a much better way to do it. Air drying makes it do some crazy stuff. Id like to get their contact info from you. We just moved to central nc, from western nc, and I have a few white oak logs I would like to have sawn.
 
josh m said:
Aparantly that's a much better way to do it. Air drying makes it do some crazy stuff. Id like to get their contact info from you. We just moved to central nc, from western nc, and I have a few white oak logs I would like to have sawn.
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It also depends on how they cut the wood.
Quarter sawed is gonna dry flatter than if it is flat sawed.
 
josh m said:
Aparantly that's a much better way to do it. Air drying makes it do some crazy stuff. Id like to get their contact info from you. We just moved to central nc, from western nc, and I have a few white oak logs I would like to have sawn.
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I just used the dude in Rolesville that advertises on craigslist "rough cut lumber". He will short you in a skinny minute if you don't take the time to measure in front of him. He shorted me quite a bit. Twice now...

Bought a load of 1x pine for a roofing job from a guy in Stokesdale that I HIGHLY recommend if you just want something sawed. Extra nice and threw in extras. Same find. Craigslist... But well worth the drive for me!
 
thought this was going to be a trampoline rollbar
 
6BangBronk said:
I just used the dude in Rolesville that advertises on craigslist "rough cut lumber". He will short you in a skinny minute if you don't take the time to measure in front of him. He shorted me quite a bit. Twice now...

Bought a load of 1x pine for a roofing job from a guy in Stokesdale that I HIGHLY recommend if you just want something sawed. Extra nice and threw in extras. Same find. Craigslist... But well worth the drive for me!
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Who's the Stokesdale guy?
 
Harvey Friddle
Owner/Operator
Friddle's Custom Sawing(336) 210-0144
www.friddlewood.com

He sells discounted wood with some bark left on it is what I scored. No need for looks to go under a roof. He needs notice though and an amount so he can keep tract and keep them to the side.

1x6x12's at $2.20/board. That's 37 cent a bf. He loaded me up and then some. You won't find it any cheaper...
 
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