Behind the Scenes Look at Wooden Boat Restoration: On-site Milling

will be showing museum visitors how lumber is milled for building and repair of wooden boats.

Slater and his project volunteers will be milling a local Douglas fir tree into lumber for the restoration of the historic fishing vessel "Shenandoah," on display in the Harbor History Museum’s Maritime Gallery. 

Using a band saw mill, Slater and his project volunteers will quarter saw the log. Quarter sawing involves cutting the logs into quarters and then cutting the adjacent faces of the timber.  This yields the maximum of vertical grain product which is more stable than flat sawn material.  The material is then stickered and stacked to air dry.

The lumber will be used in the restoration efforts of this 1926 fishing vessel, built at the Skansie Ship Building Company in Gig Harbor. The restoration is supported by a Washington State Heritage Grant.

For more information, contact Nate Slater at (253) 307-7605 or e-mail: nslater@centurytel.net.