Looking for thread where OP made their own hardwood flooring.

[shoot summ]

I'm having a senior moment, dealing with a new poster on a woodworking forum that wants to make their own flooring from rough mill material. I distinctly remember a thread here where the poster made an absolutely stunning floor, tons of work cutting and machining, and very detailed install. I can't find the thread, but I remember the person at the time was also a regular poster, any of you remember and have some bread crumbs to help me find it?

 

[Model A Fan]

There is a YouTube channel named Matthew Cremona and he (I believe) harvested his logs, milled them, and then made flooring from the wood. It is quite an involved process.

 

[jar944]

I don't recall anything here on GJ?

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

When I was a kid my Dad took out a shelter belt along the driveway of Maples. They were a pain in the winter drifting in with snow. He pushed them all up in piles and took diesel fuel and a match and lit them up. Years later I thought that would have made an amazing floor, even if it would have been a gargantuan undertaking.

 

[OccupantRJ]

I think that may have been AP_Mech? John Paulding or Paulding hammer for search attempts might get you there.

 

[PCustoms]

I think that may have been AP_Mech?

Had to use Google and a few different keywords, but I think you're right

A Herringbone Parquet Floor, From Scratch

A Herringbone Parquet Floor, From Scratch I alluded to a big project coming up a while back in my Do-All saw thread. I hoped to get started on it over the winter, but other things got in the way. Now that it's finally nice and warm out, I'm ready to begin the next phase. This project...

www.garagejournal.com

 

[Fav Onefour]

When I was a kid my Dad took out a shelter belt along the driveway of Maples. They were a pain in the winter drifting in with snow. He pushed them all up in piles and took diesel fuel and a match and lit them up. Years later I thought that would have made an amazing floor, even if it would have been a gargantuan undertaking.

I wouldn't worry too much about missing the opportunity. Most of the time shelter belt maples are junk soft maple.

My uncle had a cabinet shop with all the tools needed for milling etc. One critical step was drying the wood before doing anything. He had an old 40 X 60 cattle shed stacked with wood drying on racks. The shed was full with rough cut and next to the shed was a monster storage area for logs. He didn't use kiln drying so the process took years. In the end there was also a fair amount of loss.
I used to hang out around that shop during summers and helped with the rough cut and milling. It takes quite a few steps to get from a log to finished product. I did countless hours on a home made belt sander just cleaning up after planing. The sander was pretty impressive in those days with a 10" W by roughly 7-8' belt. The hand held pressure plate was maybe 10 X 20 inches so it covered a lot of surface. It was still a time consuming process. It looks like there are newer wide belt machines that are basically automated, but wow they're expensive.

Flooring also needs a lot of tongue and groove work. That's a crucial step as well. Sloppy edges will bite you down the road.

I guess the lesson I learned was the process needed patience and a lot of tools.
Funny thing, I'd still give it a shot with the right tools and time. There is a level of satisfaction from making wood chips and then using the end product every day.

 

[jar944]

Unless you already have a 5 head moulder (I'd try it with a 4 head) a straight line rip saw and free wood I wouldn't try to make flooring.

 

[LOW1]

Your local Restore/salvage type places will likely have used hardwood flooring. This is still a lot of work to clean up and install but perhaps is more manageable.

 

[shoot summ]

Had to use Google and a few different keywords, but I think you're right

A Herringbone Parquet Floor, From Scratch

A Herringbone Parquet Floor, From Scratch I alluded to a big project coming up a while back in my Do-All saw thread. I hoped to get started on it over the winter, but other things got in the way. Now that it's finally nice and warm out, I'm ready to begin the next phase. This project...

www.garagejournal.com

That is it!!!

For all of the other comments regarding the effort, I am not doing this, nor would I undertake it. I am using it as an example for someone who thinks they want to. They have been told by many that this is a lot of work. They think their time is free, they don't understand the massive time consumer this is, plus they don't have commercial grade tools for the milling. Cutting T+G(accurately and reliably) on 100's if not 1000's of linear feet of material on a router table is madness....

 

[duneslider]

Let's also drive home the point that in that post the guy was making flooring to do a Parquet floor that was all Short Boards and all the same size. Trying to do the same with long and shorts and everything in between is a huge challenge without the right equipment. I just have a hard time imagining there is any way this makes sense, even if your wood is free, most areas that have this sort of wood available for free are also in areas where there are mills and I am sure you could find a mill to mill it for way less than it would be worth doing it yourself.

If you do the looking you can find ready to go hardwood flooring very very cheap/affordable.

 

[mike93lx]

That is it!!!

For all of the other comments regarding the effort, I am not doing this, nor would I undertake it. I am using it as an example for someone who thinks they want to. They have been told by many that this is a lot of work. They think their time is free, they don't understand the massive time consumer this is, plus they don't have commercial grade tools for the milling. Cutting T+G(accurately and reliably) on 100's if not 1000's of linear feet of material on a router table is madness....

Learning the hard way can be incredibly valuable.

 

[JohnX14]

Had to use Google and a few different keywords, but I think you're right

A Herringbone Parquet Floor, From Scratch

A Herringbone Parquet Floor, From Scratch I alluded to a big project coming up a while back in my Do-All saw thread. I hoped to get started on it over the winter, but other things got in the way. Now that it's finally nice and warm out, I'm ready to begin the next phase. This project...

www.garagejournal.com

Great find. I just read it quick, great thread. Going to read closer tonight.

 

[jar944]

That is it!!!

For all of the other comments regarding the effort, I am not doing this, nor would I undertake it. I am using it as an example for someone who thinks they want to. They have been told by many that this is a lot of work. They think their time is free, they don't understand the massive time consumer this is, plus they don't have commercial grade tools for the milling. Cutting T+G(accurately and reliably) on 100's if not 1000's of linear feet of material on a router table is madness....

Reminds me of a guy on that forum that went out and bought a bunch of benchtop tools, and construction lumber to build passage doors, with no basic understanding of the tools, process or woorwork in general. When told it wouldn't work out he got very defensive.

He thought he could easily and cheaply build a house full if doors, having no idea what goes into a door.

 

[duneslider]

Reminds me of a guy on that forum that went out and bought a bunch of benchtop tools, and construction lumber to build passage doors, with no basic understanding of the tools, process or woorwork in general. When told it wouldn't work out he got very defensive.

He thought he could easily and cheaply build a house full if doors, having no idea what goes into a door.

I would love to build a door, they seem so simple but yet so out of reach...

Heck, just building new jams for a door is not a simple process. Speaking of which, the wife brought home a door and wants it hung, I'm dragging my feet getting to it...

 

[jar944]

I would love to build a door, they seem so simple but yet so out of reach...

Heck, just building new jams for a door is not a simple process. Speaking of which, the wife brought home a door and wants it hung, I'm dragging my feet getting to it...

Like a lot of thing's neither doors or jambs are hard to build once you understand how to build them, and have all the correct tools to do it.

 

[cpakalolo]

Unless you already have a 5 head moulder (I'd try it with a 4 head) a straight line rip saw and free wood I wouldn't try to make flooring.

My dad and I used to make flooring for his house. A couple years ago, he made the hickory into flooring. In the bedrooms he used red cedar, which is too soft, but he did it. It is a lot of work, but he was a carpenter who never took no for an answer even after he lost the use of his legs.

 

[jar944]

My dad and I used to make flooring for his house. A couple years ago, he made the hickory into flooring. In the bedrooms he used red cedar, which is too soft, but he did it. It is a lot of work, but he was a carpenter who never took no for an answer even after he lost the use of his legs.

It's certainly possible, but if you value your time and don't already have the tools you would be better off not doing it.

My parents had the local amish run 5" cherry flooring last year for less than I could buy the material.

 

[cpakalolo]

It's certainly possible, but if you value your time and don't already have the tools you would be better off not doing it.

My parents had the local amish run 5" cherry flooring last year for less than I could buy the material.

I have an Amish friend who has a small sawmill. It is great to have a friend like him. He does good work and is not unreasonable at all. You have to take your worst trailer there, though. Mr Yoder and his sons are strong enough to get the logs off of the trailer, but they roll them over the fenders. They are not vain and won't understand wanting to keep the paint on your fenders. Back to flooring, I have to take the equipment to him to have him do it. Last time I had some done, I left the knives and the shaper. I set my father up with a set and I don't know if he used them. I used a dado stack and blades that I modified for the shape of the cut. Just a small bevel was needed. Can you imagine using sawblades for a cordless saw on a dado stack on a shaper? I did it and I don't even know how. The problem now is that I would have to use that flooring and I am not ever going to do a floor again. We don't have the farm anymore, so all the hardwood that was drying for years is in the hands of the new owner. That is a painful subject.