Oak Porch

Discussion in 'Carpenters' Talk' started by older not wiser, Feb 2, 2007.

  1. older not wiser

    older not wiser New Member

    i have been lurking and reading the posts here for a while and I am now hoping one of you guys could offer some much needed advice.

    I am about to start work on a new oak porch for the front of our house. Its a fairly basic design with 8" square posts and exposed trusses from 6" square timbers each with a bottom chord and king post, all with doweled mortice and tenon joint. Size of timbers are more for appearance than structural needs. I am an experienced site chippy but I have never worked with Green oak before and was hoping someone could offer me some advice. It intially seemed like a fairly simple job but some recent scare stories from other people has made me a bit wary. I have been told green oak is hard to work with and I wont be able drill etc etc. If anyone with any experince with this type of construction/timber could offer advice it would be much appreciated. Especially when it comes to cutting the mortises/tenons and making fitting dowels etc. What tools to use etc?

    Many thanks in advance
     
  2. goldenboy

    goldenboy Super Member

    green oak is lovely to work with like cutting cheese. Others on here are much more in tune with green oak than me i am sure they will give you some good advice.
     
  3. yorkshireboy

    yorkshireboy Member

    Goldenboy.
    Cutting a mortice in a piece of green unseasoned oak is like cutting cheese?????

    Stick to biscuiting mdf together.Leave this kind of job to a real craftsman
     
  4. goldenboy

    goldenboy Super Member

    have you actualy worked with green oak at all yorkshireboy. I doubt it. sharp tools and knowing what you are doing makes working with it easy. green oak cuts far easier than air or kiln dried. maybe green oak is different in yorkshire
     
  5. goldenboy

    goldenboy Super Member

    What a real craftsman who cant even do a basic like hang a door
     
  6. goldenboy

    goldenboy Super Member

    maybe its just you who has difficulty working green oak that says a lot more about you than me
     
  7. yorkshireboy

    yorkshireboy Member

    Goldenboy ,I know and can identify every tree in this country and have worked most timber.
    1 Go into your nearest wood
    2 Cut a piece of green oak
    3 Admit that it does not cut like butter
    4 Bow down to my knowledge
     
  8. goldenboy

    goldenboy Super Member

    you must have something wrong in the way you work then. green oak is far easier to work than air or kiln dried. Try working green oak with a razor sharp chisel or a freshly sharpenened handsaw and it will cut like cheese. maybe you just are no good at getting an edge mate. If you attack it with brick bolster or what ever you use to chop out then you will have difficulties. Try going to a college that aint in yorkshire and you might learn something. its probably the water that makes green oak difficult to wok oop north
     
  9. goldenboy

    goldenboy Super Member

    i dont care if you are a tree spotter. Green oak cuts beautifully
     
  10. Synthesiser

    Synthesiser Member

    Hi older not wiser I found green oak easy to work with but very heavy to maul around. we built an extension for a house in 6"x6" and 8"x6" we used a hired ryobi chain morticer (and a chisel to tidy up) a chopsaw and jacksaw to cut the tenons. Pegs were 3/4" bought from a place near bath worked out about a £1 a piece (easier than making 300 yourself!) and the peg holes were drilled with a bosch sds drill with sds auger bits.The frame was held together using ratchet wagon straps to tension it up before drilling for the pegs.
    Dont use any treatment on the oak and it will weather to a lovely silver colour. Have a look at the pics below
    http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t204/synthesiser/Img0070.jpg
    http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t204/synthesiser/Img0065.jpg
    Synth ;)
     
  11. stevie.c

    stevie.c New Member

    synth,thats a really smart looking building,well done.it looks like its been built for years and when it weathers and goes silvery grey it will look the dogs !
    regards steve.
     
  12. older not wiser

    older not wiser New Member

    Synthesiser, thank you very much for help it is really appreciated and very useful. If my project looks a quarter as good as yours I will be over the moon.

    Again thank you very much.
     
  13. beechwood

    beechwood New Member

    yeh top notch work synth. you must be very good at what you do.
     
  14. makita49

    makita49 New Member

    Green oak can be easy to work with,with correct tools company i worked for manufactured oak buildings 15ft eaves beam now tht is heavy.mortises used to be cut with chain mortiser and again cleaned with chisel and tenon cut on heavy duty tenoner,do tread on it though as moisture from boot will then leave a nice black foot print which we used to use oxcolic acid to remove,it will go a nice silver colour and when it does then tht would be like tryin to drive a nail in concrete.
     
  15. makita49

    makita49 New Member

    Sorry thats dont tread on it.
     
  16. Synthesiser

    Synthesiser Member

    Thanks for the comments guys! posted a pic of the front of the building, the frame on the left is about a year old now and is looking quite old already, just been fitting the windows today and its freeeezin!
    http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t204/synthesiser/Img0032.jpg
    Good luck with your porch older not wiser go for it.
    This was only my second oak frame so still learning thanks makita49 for the oxalic acid tip ive got a few black marks to remove
    synh ;)
     
  17. Synthesiser

    Synthesiser Member

    oops missed me t in synth!
     
  18. goldenboy

    goldenboy Super Member

    You seem to have gone a little quiet on this subject yorkshireboy/treespotter. Are you still insisting that green oak is difficult to work despite others agreeing with me that it cuts and works beatifully. Perhaps it may just be you who struggles to work green oak? Maybe next time instead of suggesting that i stick to biscuiting mdf you might want to suggest to yourself to stick to commenting on subjects that dont bring into question your own skills and make you look a bit foolish. Somehow my northern friend I think we are some way off me bowing to your superior knowledge.
     
  19. makita49

    makita49 New Member

    When i used to cut lap joint on eaves beam id mark out just rip my circular saw through knock out excess with hammer then clean edges with nice sharp 2" chisel and also use to use an 18 volt cordless with auger bit for cutting peg holes.As long as its not wet should be fine.
     
  20. starlight tiles

    starlight tiles New Member

    sack the porch mate there a thing of the past now.no one has a porch fitted now,maybe 20 years ago mate.
     

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