Old wood, the hard way

No one can say I don't do my part for conservation and 'using up' all of a resource. I'm working on more of the shelving, for the kitchen and the pantry, and since we wanted to have 1 inch thick shelves, I have to make that lumber.

a long time ago, I wrote about 'the tree in the valley', how I cut it down:

http://journeyinthewoods.blogspot.com/2008/01/leaning-tree-obession.html

and then how I got it out of the valley:

http://journeyinthewoods.blogspot.com/2008/01/giant-tree-project-update-now-that-ive.html

and how my neighbor came to help mill it up:

http://journeyinthewoods.blogspot.com/2008/05/milling-big-log-our-neighbor-and-friend.html

well, after all that, the thing ended up being too full of bugs to use as a structural element. I had cut the thing up into about 6ft pieces (for some stupid reason) and milled them into square beams. There they sat for what looks like 2 years.

Then this shelf project came up, and I noticed those chunks sitting there. So I got them up on the mill. I had to rebuild my jig to hold them properly:

Then mill them up into planks (I cut the short way due to cracks that would compromise the plank if I cut the long way)

then rip them straight with the table saw:

then mark them all out

cut them to shelf length (they'll be like the other shelves, notched in)

THEN, start a fire in the earth oven and let it burn for 3 hours or so,

Then BAKE all the pieces at 400 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes, to kill any possible bugs that still might be in there. (I did see a few during the milling process)

THEN glue them together to make the 9" shelves and the 13" shelves.


Still have to plane them all as well. By the way, I'm working on 18 different shelves.