Having flooring made from raw trees

[will]

Had some large trees removed and was considering having planks cut by a guy with a portable sawmill. I was going to store it for about 18 months in my garage to dry before beginning my project. At that time I would bring the wood into the building where I am going to install it so that it can finish equalizing moisture content as I prep the surface. Maybe about a week or so. Then I would get the jointer and planer after the planks to make them all 3/4 x 2 1/4 with t&g on 2 sides.

Am I crazy for doing it this way? The trees are silver maple which based on my research is almost as hard as rock maple. I think it would be neat to buld the floor from trees out of my back yard, but is it cost effective and will the lumber be ready in 18 months?

The sawmill guy was reccomended to do quality work and he estimates that about $500 in labor will cut up about 1000 board feet of 1 inch planks. I priced maple and that is waaay cheaper than rough maple from the mill.

[Rich]

At the very least I think you're doing it right. 18months still may not be long enough to air dry. Make sure to sticker them with at least 1" between the boards all the way around. You may want to purchase a moisture meter to check them at 18months. You will want them to be around 8-10% MC (moisture content). Your typical framing lumber will be around 12-19% MC but it's not edge to edge with another board and it will typically shrink a little. I don't think you're crazy to do it but look at the big picture before taking this on. Not only do you have the $500 to dimension the lumber you also have your time, equipment, etc..etc. Right off the bat you have .50 / bf which is excellent. Now depending on how you look at it your time will be worth something also. If you really want to do it I say go for it.
I would maybe oversize them when you plane them down in 18months and let them sit for another week or so and check MC again.. if it's good then go ahead with final sizing and t&g.

[will]

I own a table saw and a thickness planer already. I saw the prices for rock maple and about croaked. $7.99 per sq ft! I have almost 1000 sq ft to cover and I think that would cover the equipment. I have plenty of time and don't mind the work. I just hope I am not overlooking something big.

My plan is to have the rough cut 4/4 and plane them to 7/8 after dried. I am trying to talk the wife into wider planks with a little more character than plain blonde maple and that might be the biggest challenge of the whole project. I guess it depends on what I get from the logs.

Thanks for the info.

[Rich]

Right on.. good luck with it and take some pictures.

[will]

BTW: Where would I go for good tools like the moisture content checker, good stains or coatings and the like? This part I am completely unfamiliar with and could use some good advice. I want to have a finish that is unmatched in durability, won't turn yellow, and looks awesome. Hopefully it will not cost too terribly much, but I'd rather spend a little extra now and never have to touch the floor again.

[Rich]

Probably the best place for hard to find tools and finishes would be www.leevalley.com and www.woodcraft.com. You may also want to look for ironwood finish - I'm not sure if they have a floor finish but their log finish is excellent for durability.

[joeyfun]

Several companies make good moisture meters. I bought mine from Lingomat and have been pleased.

Joel