The LumberWorksForums

"Hi Harry, the beam I used is 12" x 4" x 30' (1, 20' beam & 1, 10' beam bolted and welded end to end.) I have it welded so that the roof helps it bare the load of the logs when your using it and the beam helps hold the roof up when your not using it. I've hoisted logs that make the whole building sag in the middle, then when the load is removed, it springs back to normal. The beam does have a 1" camber in it. Hope this helps."

Thanks WB I didn't want to hijack your thread so I just started this one.
Just getting started on the "cover" but here a beginning...

Must be nice to have all of that flat ground.

I hear you on that one WVU!!! When I have the mill set up at the house, it sits on the only (relatively) level spot on the property. I'd have to add fill if I wanted to add an extension on the mill.

Well thats a good start on the mill shed. Keep us posted on the progress

Moving along like a turtle.... I'm working on the top. So far so good. Haven't fallen off the ladder yet
Takes a while when you work alone though!

That looks real good, and it is very hard to do it alone.
But I can already visualize a mill under there and the green grass being covered with sawdust.

Thanks Robert... Plan on putting concrete under the entire 12 x 24 sawmill area.
Any suggestions when pouring?? I plan on a 2 inch slope from front to back to drain any water out the back side.
Was able to finish the roof today. It has rained here pretty much every day for the last two weeks. So it's going to be at least 2 - 3 weeks for dry weather to get a concrete truck back here, or they'd for sure get stuck!

Well, some more progress. The roof is done. Now for the concrete. Any suggestions??
See previous post...

Harry,
I would not put cement where I was going to be walking. Either do it on the ground or make a wood platform. Your legs will thank tou if you are working the mill alot. I do mine on the ground and if it starts getting muddy I just put down boards or slabs to walk on.

Ken

Hey Harry
The shed looks great. My mill is on the earth undr my pole barn, but my shop is infront and I work in it all day, with concrete floor,,,
The hardest thing to do is get the concrete flat,, if you use either 1x4 or 2x4 pressure treated, and divide up your pour area, into smaller sections { Squares or Boxes } you can get a much flatter floor,, after you frame out the peramiter of the form,, from post to post, then cut across from one side to the other with the PT,, nuther words, smaller frames more level or flat concrete,,, leave all the PT that is surrounded by concrete.

I agree with the wooden walkway, much nicer on the feet. I would pour the concrete at least 4" thick under the mill to the back of the shed. I would slick the floor, much like a basement floor, instead of bromming it. It can make it a little slick when wet but will broom up a lot nicer when cleaning up.

Ken: thanks for the wood walkway idea. I just found it easier to pour the whole slab
Lucky I mill just for me and the fun of it. So I don't spend to much time to make the legs hurt (yet)

WVUFAN: I agree. Went the smooth finish.

Robert: I used a laser level to make sure I had the right slope, etc. Course, I had a pro do the actual finish.

For some reason, the concrete is where I thought something may go wrong because I was depending on "other" people.
SO here's how it went. I call some of my friends who know concrete guys and they tell me who the best guys are.
I get 5 concrete guys names and proceed to call them all this past Monday. All answering machines and voice mail...except one
guy. He takes my call, comes to my house 20 minutes later, looks it over and quotes me a price. (It was within $100 of
what I thought it should be) Says when do you want it done. I say Thursday 8:00 am. He says DONE!!!
Then he proceeds to do exactly what he said. I'm thinking, OK what's bad going to happen. It is not supposed to go this smooth!!
He's here on time, the concrete shows up, it doesn't rain all week. He finishes, we part good friends.
I say praise the Lord.

What a nice job,, glad it went so smooth for ya,,
I wanna see that mill sittin there next week,, Ha

Very nice

So here's the slab all cleaned up.
Now comes the I-beam, pretty much like WB has. Always nice to copy a good idea. Thanks WB, and Robert too!

Looks good, Puttin up the I-Beam will be an exciting chore,, do you have a trolly to hang on the I-Beam ?
I actually have 2 on mine,, one is a Yale, bout a ton and a half, and I keep a chain hoist on it and tucked away at one end of the I-Beam,, just as a back up,, the other trolly is a HF and larger then the yale,, but on it I have the HF 1,300lb lectric hoist,, which has pretty much done everything I have asled it to do,, along with a pair of skidden tongs

Well, now that I'm ready to work on the i-beam set up, there are none around. (except new of course)
I went to our local metal yard two months ago and found some. Now that I'm ready, they're gone.
Wasn't sure back then if or when I would do this. Oh well, I'll just have to wait til something shows up.
Didn't get a trolley yet, Robert. Was waiting for the beam first. Probably get one at HF when the time comes.
Robert, what size is your beam? Length?

O.K. My I-Beam is perpindicular to my mill,, and the mill is in an open ended part of the pole barn that has a clear span of 20'X20' nthe I-beam is 20' long, and rest atop of its own 4x6 post, that way it doesnt put any strain on the building when loading or unloading the mill or trailers etc,, See I can back a trailer under there or partway, and actually with the tongs, drag tyhe logs off, and sorta stage them,, and then when I wanna load the mill, lift the log and roll them via the trolly to the mill,, my I-beam is located at about the center of the mill.
I have a while back built a hydrolic log loader that is attached to the mill, but very rarely use it because of the lectric hoist and trolly setup

Robert, Yes, I remember you saying long ago that your i-beam is perpendicular to the mill. So it's 20 feet long.
What the vertical height of the beam itself. I believe WB's is a 12 inch beam. The ones I saw back when available were a 10 inch beam
and I think 6 inches wide. Mine needs to be 24 feet long. It will be closer to the style that WB has. It's really the only choice I have.
Thanks, Harry