Come back next week for more.
logging and milling
The Land Speaks
A Portrait of the Workshop in April
The provision for me in my shop this past week: cutting dovetails in black walnut for a chest, some goat-milk and lime paint for the butcher block legs, and finishing up the milling of the mighty locust.
Prospecting and Process
Big Bear of a Locust Log
We cut this big dead Honey-Locust (Gleditsia triancanthos) at Boaz last fall. I cut him in half out there free-hand, which took nearly 3 hours, then hauled him home. After some flattening I cut the halves into 3.5″ slabs. I still had to use the tractor to move them.
Black Walnut: Stock Preparation
Wide Black-Walnut stickered and acclimating since September
Flattening with a router and jig
Cutting to over-length (with a badly neglected Diston. I sharpened and set the teeth and she cuts quick and true, though in need of a polish and new handle).
Acclimating once again and awaiting final dimensioning.
Oak, Iron, Copper, Pine, and Walnut
Wood-rick and Dressing Oak
Here is my small woodrick inspired by the folks at Plimoth Plantation. With a small door to admit the chickens. 
From the top.
From the west
Dressing a plank of red oak. The radius of the iron leaves tracks.
The iron with a pail-bottom radius takes heavy shavings.
Chainsaw-milled and well seasoned,
Cut just north of the heart with enough character to remain functional.
Prairie Clover and a Sawmill
Round-headed prairie-clover (left) and White prairie-clover from northwest pasture – good forage
Custom-built sawmill bought at an action last month
Another view of the saw
Good label
New lean-to built on the west side of the shop
Scribed rough sawn walnut panel for a chest
Sawing Locust
My 5 year old son Obediah helped me document the sawing of a hefty locust log yesterday. The creative shot above is one of his.
The School of the Transfer of Energy 