In the spring issue, we wrote the article, “woods to the mill-where quality starts.” Now I want to explain how the wood goes from the planer-mill to your dream home site.

After the cants and lumber are sawn at the sawmill they are sent to the log home planer mill facility. (Cants are rough-sawn square timbers that will be milled into log home stacking logs; and lumber is rough-sawn boards that will get milled into 2x T&G for second floor decking, and1x T&G for solid wall and ceiling paneling.) First, they are put on stickers by hand and moved back to our air-drying yard on top of a hill where there is plenty of air movement. In the winter, when building in general has slowed down, our inventory grows until it covers a two-acre area with bundles stacked four high. The aim is to have enough cants to do about 100 log homes at any given time. In the spring and summer the inventory dwindles somewhat as the orders come in. Finally, in the late fall and winter the cycle starts all over.

After the cants are well air-dried for about 9 month to a year, they are ready to be put in the dry-kiln whenever we get an order. Dry-kilns have large chambers where the environment can be controlled to maximize the drying process of lumber and at the same time minimize the drying defects. Inside the kiln the cants are taken up to 140 degrees. This assures that any larvae and insects that have entered into the wood are dead. Also, it kills any fungi and hardens or “sets the pitch,” thus the likelihood of seepage of sap after installation is virtually eliminated. Finally, towards the end they are conditioned which stabilizes the lumber.

At first, like most start-up companies, we had to depend on outside contractors to dry the log home material for us. While they did a good job, we feel we have better quality control now that we operate our own kilns. We have three kilns. The two that we mostly use are the SSI Dry Kilns. An SSI kiln is a second to none, high-performance kiln well known for its superior drying capabilities. Hot water passes through fin pipes

with fans blowing air through them to put out heat as needed. Misters keep the humidity controlled throughout the drying process. We use a very clean burning propane motor that runs 24/7 to power them. A heat recovery system captures the heat off the radiator and the exhaust to heat the water for the kiln. Our hot water boiler runs very little, making for a very efficient kiln operation. The other kiln, a Nova, does a good job too, but we use it mostly for drying miscellaneous material.

Through the years, we have concluded that the very best log home logs are both air-dried and kiln-dried. There is some advantage in air-drying (slowly dried down) and there is some advantage in kiln-drying (kills the insects, larvae, sets the pitch, stabilizes and dries them down more.) We like to think, that way our clients get the best of both worlds. The kiln takes the moister of the air-dried cants down farther to the desired dryness which, in turn, gives our clients peace-of- mind that they don’t have to be concerned with excessive settling and maintenance like in the old days.

We often get asked how long they are kiln-dried. This all depends on how long they were air-dried before they went into the kiln. If they were green it would take about 45 days. However, if they are well air-dried it can be in as little as 10 days. Our goal is to get them down to an average of 18% to 19%.

After they are sufficiently dried they are brought over to the main shop where they are stored on the inside until we are ready to mill them into tongue-and-grove, log home logs.

First, the planer knives are sharpened that are needed for the particular log profile that our clients have ordered. We sharpen all our

Fall 2017Living the Log Home Lifestyle

This has been a wet summer here in the eastern Midwest. All summer we have struggled in keeping enough raw logs on the ground to keep the sawmill running. Hopefully the weather will turn around some, so we can get a few logs ahead this fall. We aim to have the log yard full in the fall before the early winter mud. In the summer we have to keep our raw log inventory rather low so that the logs don’t blue stain on us. Check out our Sikkens (renamed ProLuxe) stain or coatings sale. In addition to our 10% disc, you receive $10 off per gallon! There may never be a better time to buy your needed coatings then now. Several years back Sikkens exterior translucent coatings was bought from Axzo Noble by the Pittsburg Paint Co. PPG. Because Axzo Noble still uses the Sikkens name for other coatings PPG could not buy or use the Sikkens name. That is why you may have noticed the change over the last several years. Same high quality product, only the name has changed. As of yet, we as a company haven’t found anything that looks better or lasts longer than PPG ProLuxe Log and Siding. See maintenance article in summer 2015 Mill Direct News. Late last year Joseph Miller, a long time past employee, came back to help us with our logistics management. We welcome him back with a “hearty” welcome. I’m sure our clients will notice the added improvement as well. This past June our 2nd oldest son, Samuel, married a local girl. He is our log home mill production manager. We wish them well and trust they will have a happy married life. So long.

PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE

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ZIP CODE 46711PERMIT NO. 43

Hochstetler Milling, LTD552 Hwy. 95Loudonville, OH 44842800-368-1015

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From the Planer Mill to Your Home Site - By Levi Hochstetler

Hochstetler Milling, LTD800-368-1015

www.HochstetlerLogHomes.comcontinued on page 2

VIEW FROMTHE MILLBy Levi Hochstetler

Air Drying Yard

Loading kiln

2 • See Mill-Direct News back issues at www.HochstetlerLogHomes.com

ManchesterFEATURED FLOOR PLAN HERITAGE SERIES

Sq. ft. 1844

3 BR / 2-1/2 BA

The Manchester is one of our most popular floor plans and unlike most models, has the master bedroom on the second floor. This home offers the traditional full-length front porch, open-concept great room with exposed timbered ceiling, attached garage, and full-length shed dormer. Plus, it has convenient contemporary touches like the first-floor laundry room, master bedroom with walk-in closet and large master bath, and spacious kitchen with pantry and an island for the chef of the house. And, for the growing family, a fourth bedroom could be added in the loft. This traditional beauty offers both practicality and convenience.

profile and flat knives ourselves; this gives us flexibility and helps improve the quality. For one, if we get a nick or if the knives get dull we can take them out and touch them up again before we continue. This also gives us the flexibility to make various different profiles, though it is quite expensive to make new knifes to do a small run or one log home.

After the knives are sharpened, they are installed in the planer. Our planer, a Yates American is one of the best machines known for milling log home logs. It has 6 total cutter heads: 2 on the bottom, 2 on top, and 1 on each side. It can plane large timbers and logs up to 10x16 and as small as 1x4 trim. It was originally designed to run up to 700 feet per minute; however, we never run it faster than about 100 feet per minute for small items like 1x6 T&G, and the log home logs never above 30. We bought and installed it in the year, 2000. It does an excellent job in producing precisely-milled logs. Our customers, and particularly the builders, appreciate our accurately-milled logs which makes their job so much easier.

It takes us about one day to mill enough logs and material for an average size, 2000 square-foot home. This includes the heavy structural timber and beams as well as the tongue-and-grove log home logs. The Douglas fir structural timber and beams are procured from western sources. They are dense, free-of-heart center- literally the best structural timber available for log homes. They arrive at our shop rough-sawn green, where we sticker and kiln-dry them to our standards before we finally plane them. White pine is a very good choice for log home logs (the stacking logs) but it is not suitable for structural timbers. It’s not that white pine would not perform nice enough; it’s because of how its knots are structured. With pine, every 2 to 3 feet the branches grow out at the same level all around the tree, causing what is referred to as knot clusters. This makes them weak at those areas which is why they are not recommended for structural purposes.

From the Planer Mill to Your Home Site - continued from page 1

SECOND FLOOR

FIRST FLOOR

OPEN TO BELOW

STORAGE

WIC. BATH #2 BEDROOM #313'2"x10'

MASTER BEDROOM15'7"x 20'2"

LOFT10'x13'11"

40' SHED DORMER

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UTILITY9'8"x6'8"

REF.

PAN

.

KITCHEN 14'6"x9'

UP

DOWN

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CLO GREAT ROOM

20'x18'

COVERED PORCH

DINING14'9"x9'

DECK12’ x 8’

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24'

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28'

24'

8'

LIN.

STOR.

BATH #1

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See Mill-Direct News back issues at www.HochstetlerLogHomes.com • 3

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Certified graders, carefully trim and grade the logs as they come through the planer mill. They go in the planer rough-sawn and come out smooth on the other end, ready to stack, in one pass! After the logs are graded and inspected they are stacked in bundles, wrapped in lumber wrap, banded and moved to our inside storage area. Sometimes, depending on the order, the logs get hand-hewn, dovetailed or saddle-notched before they are bundled. In the storage area, the logs wait to be

loaded onto trucks and delivered to the job site. The lumber wrap helps in keeping the material clean and dry once it gets to your site.

When the builder or home owner is ready to receive the logs, our logistics manager orders a truck to which the logs are loaded on to deliver to your site. We normally, depending what all is included, ship sub-floor, logs and fasteners with the first load, and timber and beams along with roof panels and tongue & grove on the second load. The third load might be the windows and maybe the 2x6 loft decking, with the final load containing the interior trim and doors. Depending on the size of home there can be as many as 6 loads and we have had one home where it took 5 loads for the logs themselves. Our men count and recount the different items to make sure that the right amount is being shipped, especially the timber which cannot quickly be replaced when missing.

All our shavings off the planer mill are blown up into a storage silo or shavings bin. Horse farmers then pick up the shavings for bedding. Clean dry pine shavings are a luxury bed for horses. After the air runs through a cyclone, it goes through a filter and back into the shop. This saves a lot of energy which otherwise would be lost. Our shop is heated from the radiator of the diesel engine, a Cummins 450. The heated air from the radiator is simply blown in through a duct with a baffle that can be directed into the shop in the winter as needed, or onto the outside in the summer. Cutoffs and other larger scrap material are sold as firewood to campers and other individuals. We try to be a good neighbor by taking pride in being as environmentally- conscious as possible in all aspects of our operation.

Loading Truck

Joe and Kris Sokol’s log home journey began years ago while on vacation in the UP of Michigan and staying in a timber-framed cottage with tongue-and-groove walls. Although small, both were immediately drawn to the “welcoming” ambience of the structure. It was so inviting and relaxing. A visit to Hochstetler Milling’s Log Cabin Days rekindled their interest and they started gathering information, attended a log home show, visited the Hochstetler models and soon “set the wheels in motion.” Their two-year search for land centered around the Wooster area, since that’s where Joe worked. One home site in particular attracted them, but they were told that getting water back to their proposed building site a quarter mile away from the main road could be a problem. Undaunted, Joe checked with the water department and the engineer assured him that would not be a problem. So they purchased the land in 2013.

The idyllic 11 acre plot was partially wooded, had a rough drive in place, and a cleared building site overlooking a pond. So far, so good. They first approached Mahlon Hochstetler, owner of Buckeye Builders, about building their “dream home,” and later consulted with Steve Lykins about designing it. Joe and his son-in-law put in the water line and the foundation was laid in 2014. Their primary goals were threefold: to have a large open floor plan including the great room, dining area and kitchen; two bedrooms with timbered cathedral ceilings; and a large, covered front porch with extended entryway. Future plans were to add a man cave, kitchen, and two more bedrooms in the basement.

The home was completed in July, 2015 and features 8x12 hand-hewn square logs with dovetail corners and a large entry with huge timbers, and towering, timbered ceiling in the great room. All the walls are either log or tongue-and-groove, since they both love the warmth and character of wood. No drywall anywhere! There is a unique blend of mahogany in the custom bookcase, hickory in the kitchen cabinets, and oak and maple in the antique furniture. Repurposed items include a large grocery cart with heavy metal wheels (which became a coffee table), and a sliding barn door in the great room. A five-foot tall replica of an Indian chief (Chief Wahoo), stands just outside the sunroom. This is a cherished gift from their kids and, no doubt, a real conversation-starter. Numerous items like antique scales and irons, vintage books, and vases are scattered about and compliment the rustic decor.

The area outside is put to good use with a chicken coop and seven inhabitants, a fenced-in herb and vegetable garden and the stocked pond. Several varieties of chickens provide fresh eggs and an occasional chicken dinner, while the garden provides fresh cucumbers, peppers, radishes, garlic, and tomatoes, and the pond has a growing population of tasty bluegills and bass.

When asked what they liked most about their log home they agreed on the overall feeling. Kris replied, “It’s very relaxing and so quiet. We love to sit on the front porch, especially in the evening, and just enjoy nature.” Joe added, “Every day seems like you’re on vacation.”

On Vacation24/7

by Bill Dinkins

For additional information about the home of the Sokols please contact Hochstetler Milling at 800-368-1015.

6 • See Mill-Direct News back issues at www.HochstetlerLogHomes.com

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See Mill-Direct News back issues at www.HochstetlerLogHomes.com • 7

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R RLODGING DIRECTORY

My Uncle Jonas loved the outdoors and spent endless hours exploring the family farm, located near Nappanee, Indiana. He practically knew every inch of it, whether it was in the fields, pastures or woods. Now in his 70’s, he still recounts in amazing detail the experiences he had while growing up there. One such experience happened when he was a young lad of 12.

The Indiana Division of Natural Resources had initiated a program to restore animal populations in specific areas by trapping them and transporting them to other areas where there was a declining population. One of the targeted animals was the raccoon which had been plentiful at one time. For each raccoon that was trapped unharmed, a fee of $3. was paid. For young Jonas this meant a little spending money and perhaps some ice cream or other treats for his brothers and sisters. He was well-equipped, having trapped and hunted animals on the farm since he was knee-high to the family dog, Shep. He carefully baited each of the live traps along various routes that he knew the raccoons frequented. The next day, bright and early before school, he checked the traps. No luck. He needed to try something else and decided to try peanut butter ... not just any peanut butter, it had to be his family’s favorite: Jiff extra crunchy.

Next morning, at precisely 5:30 a.m., with the sun just peeking over the horizon, the alarm sounded and he quickly jumped out of bed, got dressed and raced to the first trap. He was greeted by a large raccoon, still smacking his lips and savoring every bite of that peanut butter. He managed to capture two more ‘coons that day and placed each in a large burlap bag and hung them over his shoulder, pausing periodically to add up his “reward”, as he headed home. Let’s see, 5x3 is $15 bucks. That’s more than he had every received selling pelts - plus, he never had to skin ‘em. This seemed to be a lucrative venture, especially for a young man not yet in his teens. His older brothers made a little more but they had to work the fields and it was hard work.

One day, while checking a trap in the cow pasture, he was surprised to see another visitor, a plump groundhog. It wasn’t too happy to see him though and barred its 1/2” teeth when Jonas approached. “I wonder if the folks at the IDNR would be interested in this fine specimen and, if so, what would it be worth.” He quickly dumped it into a burlap sack and threw it over his shoulder. No sooner had it landed when he felt a sharp pain in his back. More specifically, his lower hindquarters. That critter had bit him through the burlap sack!

He continued homeward, holding the sack out as far as he could, but noticed each time the sack would brush his side the groundhog would try to bite him. Finally, upon racing home he decided to let Shep have some fun. Well, the groundhog had other ideas and when he tumbled out of the sack he immediately latched onto Shep’s ear. The startled dog yelped, shook his head and quickly pounced on the menacing varment. In a few minutes all was quiet and Shep looked up with that familiar ”grin” on his face, knowing he had done his job.

Toll Free (888) 549-2524 7598 TR 652 | Millersburg, Ohio 44654

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• Large Selection of Woods and Sizes• Numerous Stain and Finish Options

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“Shep’s Revenge” by Bill Dinkins as told by Levi HochstetlerCABIN FEVER