Timber Framing Saw

[TomG]

That looks like a serious thumper Greg. Is the aggregate limestone? That's probably what we call 21A road gravel, a mix of different sized pieces down to powder.

Tom

[f350ca]

We sit on the edge of the Canadian shield here so there are lots of gravel pits around. This is crushed from a local pit so would be igneous rock. Think A gravel here is 3/4 to powder. Makes good cement aggregate, decided to be stupid and pour my own floor to save some money.
The minimum load here is 3 meters at $185/meter so well over $600 with taxes. Then probably 4 or 5 hundred to get a crew to pour it.
At 20 feet wide I can't screed it and know I'd never get it flat trying to trowel it myself. So I'll pour it in 3 sections. Then its too small a pour for a redimix.
I need 3 1/2 yards total, about 5 bags of portland / yard so 18 bags at $13 / bag is about $260 with the taxes in. About 1/4 the price so good wages for 3 days work.

[DaveH]

3.5 cu yds - that's a lot of mixing.

DaveH

[f350ca]

Well thanks to my trusty side kick, and a couple of friends and the young lad we got the floor finished. 24 30kg bags total.



The steel for the roof finally arrived too.



Now time to start sawing some siding and material to build doors.

[LJP]

This looks great!

[f350ca]

Sawed some 1 x 10 for siding and closed in the sides of the blacksmith shop, had o the snow was blowing through.





Not sure if Ill get the doors built before spring.

[stevec]

Ah, good ole board and batten. Looks good Greg.

[DaveH]

Does look good Greg

DaveH

[f350ca]

Smells great, the lumber is SO fresh it was freezing together on the pile after I sawed it. You can put board and batten on green which is probably why it was originally used. The board (wide part) only gets one screw or nail in the middle of the board, the battens hold the edges from curling out but allow the board to shrink as it dries.

[f350ca]

During an over zealous moment I tore this apart before I got a photo.
The blower for my forge, need to get a photo of it too.



It was on the verge of seized, you could turn the handle but it was some stiff. Tore it down and cleaned up the gears and brass bushings in varsol.
Turns free as can be now.



Quite a gear train, four stage giving about a cazillon to one ratio.
Interesting use of materials. The gear attached to the handle is bronze, then some steel, with the large gear in the final stage being aluminum. Maybe for weight to make ut easier to spin up? When did they start using aluminum? I was surprised to find it in a forge blower, can't imagine these have been made in the last 50 or 60 years.
Would like to try cleaning up the castings using electrolysis, first try, will the brass (or bronze or what ever they are) bushings be safe?