# How do you create the rough cut mill looking texture?



## Danestar

Without running boards to a mill are there methods used to create the rough cut and rough scraped wood. Similar to the texturized hard wood flooring seen in custom homes. Was curious how people are achieving this on hard wood. Anyone know the process?

Thanks


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## lew

How about sand/soda blasting the surface?


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## Danestar

Ahhhh now that makes sense.


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## uffitze

There are probably a lot of different systems all of which give a slightly different look.

Some ideas …


When you flatten the initial face of a board on the jointer, take just enough passes to get the board to sit flat. (That's proper jointer technique anyway.) Then when you plane the board to thickness, take all of your passes off of the other side. This will leave a board with some mill marks, and some smooth spots on your show side. The obvious drawback to this idea is that the board cup/twist/bow due to the taking all of your planing passes from the same side. But, then again, if you T&G it, and nail it to a floor, it's probably not going anywhere.
Build yourself a "surfacing" machine not unlike the drum sanders that some of the guys here have built, but with a circular arbor, and some sort of cutting or grinding attachment to give the sawmill look. (Sounds dangerous.) Joint/plane as normal and send your boards through your surfacing machine.
A variation on the surfacing machine idea … get yourself a crappy table saw with a dull blade that will leave lots of marks, set up some featherboards so you can run your stock through on edge, put the guards on the saw. Again, joint/plane as normal to get even stock.
Use standard distressing methods (chains, rocks, hammers, sandblasting) in conjunction with whatever idea you use to get the regular "sawmill" pattern.


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## GregD

*How* do I achieve rough cut and rough scraped wood? I've been working for the past year or so to *not* achieve rough wood when I work it. Making good wood look bad is no-problemo for me. I must be a natural!


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## a1Jim

You can make the rough cut look buy setting up your fence on a band saw and running the board backwards so it rubs against your blade.


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## SCOTSMAN

please write this down carefully, whack the wood at regulo mark 99 for twenty four hours beating constantly with a sock full of cold grits ,and the rub down with an elderly naked lady for four hours on both sides .Then when allowed to cool down,a final wipe down with a dirty diaper full of wet sawdust and donkey fur .Then a final pass over with scalding hot leg irons or chains to texturise the surface, then soak the completed project red beetles urine about forty gallons should do for a week,then leave over the next forty years to dry out in the desert sun.And if that doesn't work I really have nothing better to suggest.PS please don't block this message as it may one day save a few bucks to someone.and as a half live morphined Scotsman this is ultra important. Alistair


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## a1Jim

Your great Alistair!


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## SCOTSMAN

I always new it but am too shy to shout or proclaim it from the rooftops .That is till I discovered Morphine loosened the tongue somewhat, or in this case the keyboard LOL .Alistair


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## a1Jim

Keep shouting it works


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## Danestar

Thanks guys… I am trying to find the image on my phone showing what I'm talking about specifically. As soon as I locate it I will post up.


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## Porosky

I have to say the old circle mills are becoming a thing of the past. First off the running of one and care for the saw (Sharpening, Hammer, Swedging) are becoming a lost art in this modern era of band milling. Also Circle saw mills not being able to compete with modern efficiency are slowly going out of business or upgrading to band saw. Lumber with circle saw marks from the saw mill surely are harder to find. This will become more of a prominent question as time continues to pass.


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## DanLyke

For the scraped floor look, several of the power planers actually have alternate blades to help with that. Not my aesthetic, but perhaps a tool you could use.


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## GaryC

Hey fellow Texan…...come home. We've got lots of mills where you can buy it that way!!


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## LesCasteel

In the past I've taken an old 10" sawblade, laid it on the bench and tapped down one tooth just a little with a wood mallet. then skip 4 or 5 teeth, bend another, then run the wood through and it somewhat simulates the old sawmill look. Of course the sawblade is useless for real work after that so mark it in some way.


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## TimLawson

Go back to the original surfacing method - a hand adze? It's on my agenda to make one and learn to use it. The demonstrations I've seen are remarkably fast. Not rough cut but still a random hewn look. Wouldn't scale to production but could be fun (and quiet) in a smaller shop.

Tim


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## BOB67CAM

ive used a wire wheel and a drill alot for this type of look, if u want it to follow the grain pretty well anyway…


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## rance

I've used Jim's method with the bandsaw for a while now. It works great.


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## MattyMeyero

I do it alot- I like to just take my Electric Brush-chainsaw and run the Bar flat to my surface. Give it a whirl. Looks excellent all said and done- with excellent control. Heres a pub sign i did where it's on the lighter side.


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## MattyMeyero




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## BurlyBob

Bob67, has a real cheap method I've seen used with great results.


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## patron

i got a cheap block plane
and slightly rounded the blade
just skip run it with the grain
it leaves hills and valleys
that come out nice too


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## firefighterontheside

I used an angle grinder a few weeks ago to take paint off of some timbers before I planed it. Have the grinder wheel running as you slide it sideways . It make marks like that of a saw, though the marks will only be about 1" long. If you keep doing it over the who,e board it looks pretty good. Also if you go back and forth flipping the tool around the arcs go one direction and then the other.


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## Danestar

For those who know how to do it can you provide examples? The one above looks great!


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## Hammerthumb

Anderson Hardwood Flooring Company came out with the first hand scraped, prefinished flooring on the market. It is called Virginia Vintage. It is done by hand with hand scrapers. I can tell you more of the story of how this is done, but don't want to bore anyone. There are several companies in southern California that will do custom hand scraping of hardwood. If you are in So. Cal, contact Virginia Hardwood Company in Azusa, California.


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## lumber_jerk

I've used a homemade jig in the past to get imitation mill marks. Using a 1"x12" and a large compass (3' wood scrap, nail & pencil) I made a slightly curved mark on the board that would pass as being an appropriate curvature for a large river mill saw blade (having never actually seen one, I felt that 5 feet seemed dangerous enough for child laborers of the industrial age). Then cut the board with a jig saw and screwed on a small scrap to serve as a guide ledger (think: speed square…that's kinda qaurter-rounded). Then I slid the jig down the birch board I wanted distressed, and made scratches and gouges of various depths along the curve with rasps, chisels, etc. It looked great after a coat of stain…still, i wanted it to look more abused; like it had come from some civil war surgical gurney…. that's when things got weird…I busted out the chains and beat the sap out of it. Then hooked it to my bumper and dragged it through town, stopping to let pedestrians stomp on it's knots and their dogs to chew on it's grain. Finally, I torch-tortured it while destroying its sense of self-worth with insulting observations about its weak size and density…those scars can never be filled and sanded, but I digress


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## lumber_jerk

I've used a homemade jig in the past to get imitation mill marks. Using a 1"x12" and a large compass (3' wood scrap, nail & pencil) I made a slightly curved mark on the board that would pass as being an appropriate curvature for a large river mill saw blade (having never actually seen one, I felt that 5 feet seemed dangerous enough for child laborers of the industrial age). Then cut the board with a jig saw and screwed on a small scrap to serve as a guide ledger (think: speed square…that's kinda qaurter-rounded). Then I slid the jig down the birch board I wanted distressed, and made scratches and gouges of various depths along the curve with rasps, chisels, etc. It looked great after a coat of stain…still, i wanted it to look more abused; like it had come from some civil war surgical gurney…. that's when things got weird…I busted out the chains and beat the sap out of it. Then hooked it to my bumper and dragged it through town, stopping to let pedestrians stomp on it's knots and their dogs to chew on it's grain. Finally, I torch-tortured it while destroying its sense of self-worth with insulting observations about its weak size and density…those scars can never be filled and sanded, but I digress


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