Green Oak Porch

[MikeG.]

Hi Mike, I hate to be a pain but could I ask how you squared up your posts for accurate joinery?......

I don't make any attempt to square them up. That would rather destroy the the look, for a start, and is not what was done traditionally. No, I just clean up the faces with an electric hand-held planer, then a belt sander (40 grit, across the grain first, then with the grain). You simply need to adjust the shoulders of the tenons at the first dry fit to allow for the out-of-square timber. And remember above all, with green oak framing you bring your tools to the timber, and not the other way around. Unless you have absolutely massive equipment it is impossible to use fixed machinery (such as planers, circular saws, bandsaws etc) for oak framing. Take a look at the third photo on the first page (right after the drawing), and you'll see the raw timber in place on saw horses, and the planer ready to start the cleaning up process.

Funny you should revive this thread, as I started the doors and spandrels for it yesterday. New thread to follow in the next few days. Look out for that, as it shows me cleaning up a flat board 480mm (nearly 19") wide in the way I just described.

 

[Froggy]

Thanks Mike, you've been a massive help on this project for me. I have never done anything on this scale and am very nervous about it, but you thread is like a template for me. Look for to your next piece. By the way that was the answer I was hoping to hear!! I might post some pictures of mine, depending on how it turns out!

 

[MikeG.]

Pleasure. Good luck with your build, and I'm happy to answer any questions. Mind your back! This stuff is heavy.......

 

[Froggy]

Funny you say that about the back......

 

[Farmer Giles]

Lovely job there, you must be well proud.

A neighbour dropped around at the weekend, he has a green oak construction business. He spotted the Wadkin bandsaw I've been working on and got his tape measure out. He said "cool, it will take 200mm easily". I somehow feel I will be seeing him again soon......

 

[will1983]

Hi Mike, I hate to be a pain but could I ask how you squared up your posts for accurate joinery? I picked up my wood about 3 weeks ago but have only just got round to starting my porch and squaring up the beams can't be done on my little Kity planer! I have started hand planning them but think this is going to be a very long process. If that's what it takes then I'll do it, but I don't want to find out later there is a much quicker and simpler way or in fact you didn't square them up at all!! Cheers Mike. I have read your WIP (several times) and couldn't find any reference to that.

Froggy, check out Mr Chickadee on YouTube. he does a lot of green wood timber framing and shows how he establishes reference lines on his beams to account for the twist/out-of-square nature of the material.

Will

 

[Froggy]

Thanks Will I already have done. He's an amazing fellow but I wish he would speak in his native tongue, I understand French better than his version of English! He's very hard to understand and I couldn't follow what he was doing, but loved watching it any way.

 

[Froggy]

Thanks Will I already have done. He's an amazing fellow but I wish he would speak in his native tongue, I understand French better than his version of English! He's very hard to understand and I couldn't follow what he was doing, but loved watching it any way.