Is this something that you’ll keep our over the winter?
Craig,
The Spar, boom, and rigging will stay out, the donkey will be put away.
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Building the boom.
Most but not all booms were built from logs not squared timbers, however using squared timbers makes it a lot easier in the model. I’m always up for easier 
.
I first cut the 7/8ths side timbers from Sugar Pine and located the positions for the cross timbers. I then built up my Dado blade stack to cut the 7/8th dados but when I placed it on the saw spindle I only had room for about 2 threads on the holding nut.
Now I’m not the most cautious guy in the world sometimes but even I wasn’t going to spin 5 pounds of stacked blades at 10,000 RPM with only 2 threads holding them in place. so back to the old fashioned way, multiple cuts and wood chisels.
I placed a shim on the one end so that the cross timbers would be 90 degrees to the angled side timbers, made my cuts and cleaned everything up with chisels and rasps.
Figured out the lengths needed for the cross members, cut the Spar Tree saddle in the back one and glued everything up.
It’s coming along.+
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Guess it is time to catch up a little here.
I drilled 5/8ths pockets in the bottom of the boom and filled them with lead shot to add weight so that the cables would look tighter when strung.
Next I used a small gouge to simulate the hand broad ax hewing of the beams.
All the bolting plates were made from lead sheet to add more weight to the boom.
The boom after being distressed and stained.
Next the rigging, that ought to be fun.
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Love the lead shot idea Rick. Scale rope and wire is hard to get to look right if it’s not taut.
Cheers
N
Rick,
The South Fork Sawmill has been bothering the back of my mind for a while now. Are the owners by any chance related to J.R & Sue-Ellen Ewing?
No, not at all. Add letters for fluff.
The boom completed and ready to hang.
Top view
Bottom view
In place and ready for rigging.
getting close to finished.
6 Likes
Looks beautiful Rick.
How do you paint your hardware?
That’s awesome!
So how long after it’s installed do we get to catch it on fire so we can send your fire train out?
Cliff,
Look here.
and here
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Dave,
lets hope that doesn’t happen, I would hate to have to build another one.
But the fire train is always on stand-by in the Summer time.
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OK, Project all finished.
I couldn’t resist setting up the scene to get a feel for how it will look when we are running.
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Looks great!!!
Will be a nice photo op !!!
Thanks Pete, we thought so too. I have added a few more details since these photos were taken.
