Moving the lumber racks

The part of the move that we most dreaded is upon us. Even though the electrician is not finished installing our lights and power, if we are to be out of the old building by month end (and we must be), we had to begin dismantling and moving the huge lumber racks. The means cutting them into pieces and forklifting a section at a time from the old into the new. Our first section came apart before arrival, the result of some rot and wobbliness from not being built to move. We fired up the nail gun and reinforced every joint that time had loosened and got the rest of the largest rack entirely moved. Tomorrow we tackle the smaller rack. Here's Joe cutting a section off like a slice of bologna (if you sliced bologna with a chainsaw). Do you think the chainsaw makes Joe's butt look big?

Once moved, the racks will need to have sections repaired and then we can reload them with salable lumber. We also hope to provide some improved displays (which still need building) for shorts, crotch boards and turning and carving blanks. It is enough that I can confidently say it will not all be done by March 3rd, our next open-for-retail date. Please pardon the inconvenience this will cause. I'll keep you posted on our progress right here!

Our new building looks like this:

We chose green because Joe's preference (Barbi pink) was unavailable.

These pictures are before the 14' overhead door was installed. The height will let Joe back the truck into the building for the occasional welding repair. As mentioned before, air drying will occur under the lean-to section and dry lumber for sale will be inside the building.

Electrical work is being installed over the next few days and Joe and I are focussed on getting EVERYTHING OUT of our old building and off that lot. Moving IN has not really started yet.

about this weekend

Since this coming weekend includes the third Saturday in February, we will technically be open for lumber buying. But realistically it will be much more difficult to find what you want than normal since we are now 70% moved OUT of our old location and 0% moved IN to the new one 200' south.

The building structure is complete. Electrical work begins this week. If you can lend a hand this weekend and want $15 of lumber per hour of help, please call Tom 314-570-1175. It's like those free tickets on the radio: first two callers wins!

Photos coming soon.

need 2 for Saturday

Joe and I could use two helpers this Saturday from 9 am until maybe noon. Please call Tom 314-570-1175 (between 9 am and 9 pm only please) to volunteer. We will exchange $10 of lumber of your choice for each hour you work. If you own and can bring a portable table saw, you will immediately go to the top of the list and become a true hero. We plan on screwing some boards from the outside of the new structure (photos coming soon) at the bottom of the walls where the sheet steel does not quite reach the ground. No critters will be welcome inside. We will certainly have a few other tasks, including moving the bandsaw.

The structure is complete except for the big overhead door and electricity. Until the electric work is done we will not be moving large piles of wood inside.

We will be open for sales Saturday the 18th but it will be difficult to sort through the piles to find what you want. If you can wait until the first Saturday of March it will be easier to locate what you want.

More building news

Here is a picture that tells you where we are moving to relative to where we are. Stand at our current entrance and walk 200 feet south:

(I just realized how difficult it is going to be to improve on the first impression our entrance now makes).


The steel started up this week:

Above you see the four 20' bays of the building that will house dry lumber. Also note the columns for the lean-to that goes the whole length of this side; it is where we will air dry our lumber before we run it through the kiln. This should be slower than before so we can dry thicker oak. We already have some of that cut.

Here is the view from our new entrance on Farlin Ave:

Joe has already moved all the air drying wood to the new lot:

The building crew should be working through mid next week.