Ross; i know that you do a lot of home improvement/restorations. here's my problem. I live in a circa 1750 log house that still has the original floors. some areas have a lot of wear on the floors, to the point that the groove has worn so thin that the top portion of the grooves are breaking off. i want to fill these areas but the problem is that since the boards are random width, 5 to 12" wide they have a lot of movement with the season changes. standard fillers won't stay put since they are ridgid and then crack away. do you know of any crack fillers that have a lot of flexability that might stay in place. BTW replacing the boards or putting down new floors isn't an option. Thanks in the hope that you may know of a material that might work. S/V Que Pasa?
this one's for Ross, and not boat related.
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Tack a guide strip to the floor and using a router
plow out a groove about 3/8 inch deep and insert a strip of wood of the same species with a little titebond glue on it. When all is dry, you can scrape, plane or sand to get everything even. Edit to add : I am working over at Bulle Rock today. If you really are in HdG I can come by and have a look . no charge.
plow out a groove about 3/8 inch deep and insert a strip of wood of the same species with a little titebond glue on it. When all is dry, you can scrape, plane or sand to get everything even. Edit to add : I am working over at Bulle Rock today. If you really are in HdG I can come by and have a look . no charge.
would be a little tough for you to stop by!
my boat used to be at Owens, but is now in middle river. for some unknown reason the site won't let me change the home port of my boat. I live in se Pa about 18 miles due East of Lancaster, pa. do you think that the filler they use on the plank joints on wooden hull boats might be flexable enough? finding a like species would be a tough one. I don't know what it is, but i know what it's not. not a hardwood such as oak,chestnut,poplar,maple etc. I'm sure its not pine, not enough knots. I think it might be hemlock. other problem is new wood would'nt have the same or even close to the same patina. I may have to steal some floor planks from the attic to get something close. that's what i had to do to replace a couple others that i had no choice but to replace. thanks. P.S it's a bitch to get any planks up also, because they are nailed down with 3" long hand mades, and the suckers don't want to let go without splitting the plank. oh the fun of living in an old house. jim
my boat used to be at Owens, but is now in middle river. for some unknown reason the site won't let me change the home port of my boat. I live in se Pa about 18 miles due East of Lancaster, pa. do you think that the filler they use on the plank joints on wooden hull boats might be flexable enough? finding a like species would be a tough one. I don't know what it is, but i know what it's not. not a hardwood such as oak,chestnut,poplar,maple etc. I'm sure its not pine, not enough knots. I think it might be hemlock. other problem is new wood would'nt have the same or even close to the same patina. I may have to steal some floor planks from the attic to get something close. that's what i had to do to replace a couple others that i had no choice but to replace. thanks. P.S it's a bitch to get any planks up also, because they are nailed down with 3" long hand mades, and the suckers don't want to let go without splitting the plank. oh the fun of living in an old house. jim
Jim they often used tulip poplar for flooring.
Oak,ash and chestnut and sassafras look a lot alike. The floor is not likely as old as the house. In the mid 1700's they face nailed floors. You could pick through a stack of framing lumber to find the color and grain you want. Linseed oil, pine tar and turpentine will go a long way to helping with the appearance. You didn't by chance save the boards that you replaced some time ago? Edit to add: you can't go by the number of knots 100 years ago we still had old growth forests.
Oak,ash and chestnut and sassafras look a lot alike. The floor is not likely as old as the house. In the mid 1700's they face nailed floors. You could pick through a stack of framing lumber to find the color and grain you want. Linseed oil, pine tar and turpentine will go a long way to helping with the appearance. You didn't by chance save the boards that you replaced some time ago? Edit to add: you can't go by the number of knots 100 years ago we still had old growth forests.
pretty sure of the not species
poplar has some greenish tints in places. these don't have any, plus they are softer than poplar. the floors are definately original and they are top nailed. thats why they are such a bitch to get up. i also know there not chestnut as all the logs are chestnut as are the wall studs. as you can imagine they are hard as a rock. the pieces that i had to replace were so warped that they wer'nt able to be reused in any way.
poplar has some greenish tints in places. these don't have any, plus they are softer than poplar. the floors are definately original and they are top nailed. thats why they are such a bitch to get up. i also know there not chestnut as all the logs are chestnut as are the wall studs. as you can imagine they are hard as a rock. the pieces that i had to replace were so warped that they wer'nt able to be reused in any way.
Wood Species
The US Forrestry Dept can steer you in the right direction as to where you can find what species you have. Usually it will be at some college or university where all you have to do is give them a sample.
The US Forrestry Dept can steer you in the right direction as to where you can find what species you have. Usually it will be at some college or university where all you have to do is give them a sample.
one other item
the boards were sawed on a water powered recip saw. saw marks are fairly even in cut but not much progress in each stroke. also the planks that i took up there wern't any signs of previous nails in the floor beams. btw the first floor doesn't have beams. the're trees that had one side adzed flat.
the boards were sawed on a water powered recip saw. saw marks are fairly even in cut but not much progress in each stroke. also the planks that i took up there wern't any signs of previous nails in the floor beams. btw the first floor doesn't have beams. the're trees that had one side adzed flat.
Hemlock was the dominate species before the lumber barons came through Pennsylva
They cut everything that would make a 2x4 and left a barren waste land. Black cherry took over along with birch, other species filled in. The folk that built the house wouldn't have traveled very far to buy the lumber. All of the chestnut that I have used was softer than oak or ash but the grain is quite course.
They cut everything that would make a 2x4 and left a barren waste land. Black cherry took over along with birch, other species filled in. The folk that built the house wouldn't have traveled very far to buy the lumber. All of the chestnut that I have used was softer than oak or ash but the grain is quite course.
thats why I'm guessing hemlock
I'm sure that the only wood they bought was for the second floor joist and attic floor joist. thats the only sawed lumber in the house.except for maybe the 50 or so wall studs.
I'm sure that the only wood they bought was for the second floor joist and attic floor joist. thats the only sawed lumber in the house.except for maybe the 50 or so wall studs.
I'm sure it was'nt a pit saw
hand cut pit saw boards don't have even parallel cuts. edit/add I don't believe they would be elm,boards too big and way too long and i don't think elm was a native species to this area at that time.
hand cut pit saw boards don't have even parallel cuts. edit/add I don't believe they would be elm,boards too big and way too long and i don't think elm was a native species to this area at that time.
well I've got to get my ass busy.
Living,/dining room won't get done with my sitting here. if your interested I'll post a couple of pics this evening. jim
Living,/dining room won't get done with my sitting here. if your interested I'll post a couple of pics this evening. jim
I also learned a lot!
I have no problem with the post! By the way, a lot of the older homes in Greensboro, NC have chestnut in them. Beautiful! Jack
I have no problem with the post! By the way, a lot of the older homes in Greensboro, NC have chestnut in them. Beautiful! Jack
Saw mill
Hi Jim, Try Hearnes Hardwoods in Oxford, PA, they may be able to help. Make the left off of Rt 10 at the John Deere dealer, they are back there. It's right on your way to the boat. Lots of different rough sawn woods. Tom s/v Orion's Child
Hi Jim, Try Hearnes Hardwoods in Oxford, PA, they may be able to help. Make the left off of Rt 10 at the John Deere dealer, they are back there. It's right on your way to the boat. Lots of different rough sawn woods. Tom s/v Orion's Child
use a different wood
Why don't you just use a totally different type of wood? The contrast might be very attractive. Even if you get the same type of wood, it will look slightly different. In that case, it looks better to emphasize the difference.
Why don't you just use a totally different type of wood? The contrast might be very attractive. Even if you get the same type of wood, it will look slightly different. In that case, it looks better to emphasize the difference.
john
using a totally diferent wood isn't an option. while it might look cool or nice, we want to stay as authentic as practical. we don't really own this property, we are meerly caretakers for future generations. Its amazing that this house has survived this long, most have had major termite and rot damage to make them unsalvagable. altho i must say that within a 3 mile radius of me there are at least 6 or more that I know of, are still intact. I did a little research and ross is probaly right. the floors are probably eastern white pine. the habitate needed for the natural growth of hemlock just isn't near here. I do know of some natural stands along the susquahanna above the conowingo dam, close to the holtwood dam. given that in the 1700dreds one isn't going to move lumber by horse drawn wagons on roads that are nothing more than paths thru the woods, i doubt that they went more than a few miles to get the lumber. Tid bit of trivia: did you know that in colonial times trees over a certain diam wern't allowed to be cut because they were reserved for the kings navy to be used for ship building. those rottin colonial rebels as a sign of protest would cut them down and use them for floor boards in their barns. I used to own a 1750s barn near west chester,pa that had floor planks 3' wide, yes i said 3 ft. p.s yes there is a certain cross over between houses and ships. pps land old boats and houses are a lot alike, they both require a lot of sweat equity. jim
using a totally diferent wood isn't an option. while it might look cool or nice, we want to stay as authentic as practical. we don't really own this property, we are meerly caretakers for future generations. Its amazing that this house has survived this long, most have had major termite and rot damage to make them unsalvagable. altho i must say that within a 3 mile radius of me there are at least 6 or more that I know of, are still intact. I did a little research and ross is probaly right. the floors are probably eastern white pine. the habitate needed for the natural growth of hemlock just isn't near here. I do know of some natural stands along the susquahanna above the conowingo dam, close to the holtwood dam. given that in the 1700dreds one isn't going to move lumber by horse drawn wagons on roads that are nothing more than paths thru the woods, i doubt that they went more than a few miles to get the lumber. Tid bit of trivia: did you know that in colonial times trees over a certain diam wern't allowed to be cut because they were reserved for the kings navy to be used for ship building. those rottin colonial rebels as a sign of protest would cut them down and use them for floor boards in their barns. I used to own a 1750s barn near west chester,pa that had floor planks 3' wide, yes i said 3 ft. p.s yes there is a certain cross over between houses and ships. pps land old boats and houses are a lot alike, they both require a lot of sweat equity. jim
My Dad grew up in a house in New Hampshire
that had white pine boards for wainscot three feet wide and many feet long laid horizontally. You read some of the old boat building books and learn that dories were three board boats one plank each for the sides and the bottom. For Landsend : get a life and make a positive contribution once in a while. ;D
that had white pine boards for wainscot three feet wide and many feet long laid horizontally. You read some of the old boat building books and learn that dories were three board boats one plank each for the sides and the bottom. For Landsend : get a life and make a positive contribution once in a while. ;D
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