Talk about fascinating to see this process happen. All the steps involved in getting the tongue and groove hardwood floors ready, installed and finished … amazing!
We opted for PINE wood in the kids closet because it looks real interesting with all the knots and being a slightly softer wood (in comparison to oak, maple or walnut), it would work well for a closet space that doesn’t get heavy foot traffic.
And a bonus … he actually got a call from a client several years ago that needed a tree cut down on his property. It was such a straight, beautiful pine that they decided to take it to Bob at the saw mill and had it sliced into 1″ boards.
The slabs have been drying for YEARS and having properly dried wood is critical to projects like this. Fortunately, we like to keep our drying piles stocked so we’re always ready for the next project.
So Isaiah brought out the boards and began prepping them for use.
Here’s where the right tool for the right job really comes in handy! The boards go through the 20″ Powermatic Planer and thanks to the dust collection system they installed, we can all breathe as we work!
Now that we’ve trimmed boards to a consistent thickness and both surfaces are completely flat … we move on to the outfeed table (yup, he built his outfeed table from maple and walnut!) to rip the planks with the table saw. Here we go!
Getting closer … boards are squared up, trimmed down, and ripped into planks. He’s cut them into varying lengths to give it more appeal when they’re laid. Now it’s time to tongue and groove! With a special bit, Isaiah heads over to the Festool router table to turn the planks into the raw, unfinished tongue and groove flooring that will soon be brought into the house.
He cuts all the “male boards” … changes the bit … and then gets to work on the “female side”.
As our stack of finished tongue and grove pine wood floor boards grows, we take a break to play with the shop dog, Daisy and pet the shop kitty, White Sox. I sneak outside for a peak at the full moon …
and before we know it ... they're DONE ... and
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If you are interested in new floors for your home or office, we hope that you will connect with us. Call or text Isaiah at 219-204-2777 or email us at benakovichbuilders@gmail.com.
Also, planting a seed that if you or anyone you know is looking to have a tree removed from their property, please contact us first! If the tree can be used for floors or furniture, we’d love the opportunity to give it continued life as a future woodshop project and masterpiece!
