OK. So the frame is built and largely covered (I'm waiting for the snow to melt so that I can finish the walls, but the timber frame is now protected and dry).

Not wanting to damage the finished surfaces while fitting, or have to resand everything to remove staining the frame has been erected unfinished (rough sawn). I'm now faced with the slightly daunting task of cleaning it up. I would ideally like to plane all the visible surfaces. Obviously working around the pegs and joinery will be problematic, as will working around the walls. Previous attempts at sanding the rough sawn timber (Douglas Fir), both with a simple electric sander and by hand were pathetic. Hand planing is an option, but hand planing vertical surfaces won't be too easy

In terms of tools I have 2 different hand planes (No 4. and No. 5 1/2 Bailey), a cheap and old Black and Decker 82mm electric planer which will need the blades realigning before it can be used. Sand paper can be bought. As can tools which will significantly aid in the process.

Ultimately I'd like to oil the frame with Tung oil or Linseed (my preference is for Tung oil which I've heard has less of a colouring effect, but we'd settle for Linseed having already seen what it looks like).

So my questions are: Other than "I wouldn't have done it like that", what suggestions would you offer for the clean-up of this frame? Are there any tricks which I've missed which might help? Hand planing did work nicely on the timbers when they were horizontal... is there a good technique for planing vertically?

Thanks in advance.

What about not sanding, but instead using a wheel sander with a nylon cylindrical brush?



Then go back and apply oil with rag.

I assume your pegs are proud of the faces. This is indeed problematic. It would be almost impossible to get conformity without lots of effort and good luck.

How many members? Do you have a picture of the frame?

The pegs are indeed proud of the faces, and certains parts of the frame are a little "dense" in terms of the number of members. There are various pictures in the link in my signature but the best for having an overview is probably:



The rafters have all already been planed and so just require a light sanding in places to remove some staining. All of the large members and braces need cleaning. We're not looking to get a slick, glass-like finish. I have various off-cuts and chunks kicking around so there's plenty of room for experimentation.

I see. Personally, I like the rough sawn look. However, you have already planed your rafters.

Really this is just a matter of taste. If I were you I would look into a wheel sander with previously mentioned brush to knock off some of the grime from the process and oil.

I feel for you if you elect to go back and hand plane with either hand tool or power.

We too have become fans of the rough-sawn look, but the long time that it took to build the frame means that the timbers at one end are grey while those at the other end are still the rosy-brown of douglas fir. I'll look into wheel sanders, and once the frame is fully enclosed for good, we'll take a look and decide if we actually want to clean it up. I'm basically just looking into our options should we decide to go that way.

Apparently in the UK some of the oak frames are sand blasted after raising. Not sure how it work on rough fir but might be worth experimenting with. It would get around proud pegs and inside acute brace angles.

Thanks Dan. I took a look at that this afternoon, but a lot of the stuff I found seemed to suggest that it might be a little aggressive against Douglas Fir. If I can find someone with the kit, I'll try and get a sample blasted to see what it actually does.

Sand blasting tends to strip down the soft fibres exposing the grain. This works nicely on oak, but I think there might be just a little too much soft fibre on the Douglas.

Hello,

There is one tradition where a clean-up afterwords, of the construction elements is not out of the ordinary and where techniques and tools are found to do it as a matter of course. In Finland an axe is used to trim the insides of the walls of the block houses to remove soot from the cooking and heating fire and lighten the interior. I did it once in Sweden on an old way-station that had been badly marked with graffiti and it brought back the original surface texture.

But more to the realm of reality or at least the context mentioned. You know last week there was a bit of snow here combined with a wind out of the North. This happens maybe once a year and it blows snow up under the ridge flap on the roof of the barn and then it accumulates inside on the floor. This floor was pretty dirty because of normal traffic combined with the wet year and the dog tracking a lot of mud in there but after cleaning the snow off most of the dirt has come up with it and all that's left are my lay-out lines for the framing I am busy with. Probably a bucket of warm water, soap and a stiff brush will clean up that Douglas.

Greetings,

Don Wagstaff

Sometimes what I like to do on a rough frame is to hit it lightly with a sander. Just enough to take the fuzz off the beams but not enough to remove saw marks from milling. I retains the rough cut character and also lowers the chance of getting a splinter from running your hand over a timber. Especially nice on something coarse grained like fir. If your timbers have weathered a bit it can actually increase the visibility of rough cut character. Lighter wood is exposed on the surface, but the wood in the nooks and crannies stays darker. It looks pretty sharp, and takes a lot less time than a fully smooth surface. Like Don said, if the timbers have some encrusted dirt soap and water would take that off first.

@Hylandwoodcraft: Thanks for that. I've pulled some scraps into the dry and I'll try buzzing them with a sander to see what it looks like. Most of the dirt that made it on is on top of the first floor beams and will ultimately be hidden by the finished floor.