Smoky Mountain Outpost

The Homestead is being upgraded to a Power System that's solar and we give a Breakdown and Overview of the DIY Kit from Signature Solar. Everything except a few pieces of hardware to mount the panels is included.

This video begins our journey with Solar. Pt1 begins with clearing the ground and then How we are going to Build Our Solar Array. All of the Solar equipment is here and its time to put it together.

We are Setting the Deflection on the WoodMizer LX150 Sawmill. The deflection is set at 1/4in below original height with blade under tension. The saw cuts good but the blade dips now and then. This should help keep the blade in the cutting path.

We are beginning our Solar Project by clearing an area beside the sawmill and using our new WoodMizer LX150 to mill the materials. The LX150 is a nice machine and has much more to pay attention to while cutting than our last manual mill. We hope to have this project completed before fall.

Need help in Choosing The Right Axe for the job? It depends on the job. Some Axes are made for felling "crosscut", some for splitting (with grain) and others for removing material (hollowing). Today's video covers a few scenarios on choosing the right axe for the job.

We have the WoodMizer LX150 Sawmill ready to go with two more adjustments. The Debarker and Tension on the Drive Belt needs dialed in and we are off and milling.

We have went through the Woodmizer LX150 Setup steps in the manual and are close to milling again. The LX150 is more sensitive than other manual mills with many adjustments to make. We also reengineered the lube cutoff valve and moved it closer to the operator. It is a heavy duty sawmill then the much smaller manual mills.

We finally found Fork extenders to Move the Sawmill. Saved money by borrowing a pair. We also found the Best Blade Lubricant available. Its mainly used in commercial farming and industry to keep machine knives, blades and moving parts that acquire pitch build-up. Made from cotton seed and chemical detergent additive. This saves time and money on broken parts.

Our New Wood-Mizer LX150 Sawmill Is Here! The foundation preparation is completed and ready to install the LX150 track. Wood-Mizer has been a great company to work with and the quality seems to be something they take serious. Most of the framework is very heavy duty for portable bandsaw mills.

We have built a Beast. We needed a Heavy Duty Sawmill Foundation for the New Sawmill. We have ordered the Wood-Mizer LX150. We have taken extra measures on the New Sawmill Foundation. This is the most important part of any building project. We have designed the pillars to have a larger base than the top portion, double wired steel inside the footer and 10 inch anchor bolts to make sure we have plenty of grip for the pressure treated 6x6 rails the mill will attach to and used 10 inch timber screws to tie them together every three feet.

We are finished with the Best Sawmill Foundation On Youtube. The Foundation is most important to any structure and the same for a Sawmill. We want to make sure it holds the load of the size logs that the sawmill is able to cut. Therefore the weight of the material is also a factor for the foundation.

We have ordered the Wood-Mizer LX150. We have taken extra measures on the New Sawmill Foundation. This is the most important part of any building project. We have designed the pillars to have a larger base than the top portion, double wired steel inside the footer and 10 inch anchor bolts to make sure we have plenty of grip for the pressure treated 6x6 rails the mill will attach to.

These are Tools I use for Woodworking. We all need Tools To shape and form the Wood we are Working with. Sometimes it works out better using hand tools. Also, hand tools give wood an appearance of "hand made." Our new Beaver Craft Bearded Hand Axe is very useful in Woodwork.

We have received our New Off Grid Solar System. The EG4 Hybrid 48 volt split phase Solar System by Signature Solar. Part of the package is (16) 400 watt bifacial panels. We are excited about getting power to the homestead.

We are making More Plans for the New Sawmill. We share the Plans of the Sawmill setup and discover an important layout factor on the sawmill feet. We also update our future projects.

We are making Plans for the New Sawmill. We share the Plans of the Sawmill setup and get a Fathers Day Surprise at the same time.

We are building our New Sawmill Foundation. The Foundation is most important to any structure and the same for a Sawmill. We want to make sure everything is correct before pouring concrete.

So we are still putting Siding on the Timber Frame Workshop and are starting the Foundation for the New Sawmill. It's been a long time coming but having a better sawmill and solar system will improve the homestead substantially.

We are Saying Good Bye to the Sawmill. The sawmill has built everything on the homestead. Having a sawmill is almost a necessity living off grid to create the infrastructure needed to survive and live a comfortable life. We finally have the walls completed and will be starting the foundation of the Sawmill next. Its been a long time coming but the end is in sight.

Building The Last Walls Of The Workshop. We finally have the Walls near Completed and will be starting the foundation of the Sawmill next. Its been a long time coming but the end is in sight.

We finally have the Roofing near Completed and have started Framing the last wall sections of the New Workshop. Its been a long time coming but the end is in site.

Thank goodness the NEW METAL ROOF is ALMOST FINISHED. It has taken time to mill the sheathing and lattis for the roof on the last section of the Workshop. But once you have it the Game Is On. We finished all but the front side with New Metal Roofing.

Milled up several logs to make boards for the roof over the last section of our workshop build. We used the trees that were just cut down a few weeks ago, and the wood grain really came out nice! We had some family and friends come up to help with putting the panels on, and as we were really getting going...it rained...again! All good though...we ate some food together, laughed, and worked. Hopefully you enjoy today's video.

We have a solution for our Water Problem, Bug Problem and the Roof on the Workshop. The intake hose on the water pump cracked over the winter so it needs repaired. Co-op recommended Bifen to treat many different types of bugs and we make a DIY wooden wrench to maneuver rafters while roofing the last section of the Workshop.

We have been working on Felling, Logging and Milling Roofing material for the Workshop. The last and largest stage of the build will take a lot of board feet to cover the roof, siding and flooring.