saw mill

[dragoncarver]

the cost of wood can be greatly reduced if you mill your own i bought Alaskan saw mill a 55cc huskavarna i made a red oak tree into over $1000 worth of lumber


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[locovalley]

Here's a picture of a mill I built last summer just before hurricane Ike hit East Texas. I milled a lot of fallen oak with this thing, somewhere around 2000 board feet so far. I've also cut a lot of pine that I use for construction projects on the ranch.

I'm air drying the oak now and hope to have a plentiful supply of wood for my CW in the near future.

I'm starting to get calls from people in the area with cedar, walnut and other species they want removed from their property. I've found that sweetgum is a nice wood for carving. It has a great grain pattern and is tight grained. Very little finish sanding is required before finishing.

With this mill I can set up right next to a log and cut it on site. It'll handle 16 foot logs up to 23 inches in diameter. As you can see it uses a chainsaw instead of the normal band saw for ripping the logs.

Joe

[Ken Massingale]

Cool! I have the Huskie 55 rancher too. I've been considering an Alaskan Mill, which model do you use? I would think you use a ripping chain?
Thanks

[Ken Massingale]

That's a neat setup, Joe.

[DocWheeler]

Joe,

That is a good looking mill, nice design. How long do the chains and bar last?

[Digitalwoodshop]

I miss my saw..... I had to sell it to pay the bills...

Bummer..... I retrospect.. It was the wrong thing to do.... I had it to quarter big logs that my band mill couldn't handle....

AL

[locovalley]

Hi Ken,

I'm still using the same two ripping chains I started with. One of the chains is more worn than the other but that is due to a sharpening error on my part. I keep the chains sharp, touching them up on the grinder after every few hours of milling. I also try to clean as much dirt from the log before milling which helps keep the chains sharp.

The 36" bar was used when I got it but it shows minimal wear. The trick to extended wear is to keep plenty of oil on the bar and chains. I'm installing an auxiliary oiler which adds oil to the cutting side of the bar where lubrication is lacking. I hope this will extend the life of the bar.

Joe

[dragoncarver]

i bought a ripping chain and it was the wrong size i ended up cutting the whole log with regular chain i now have the right ripping chain for my saw. i have my eye on 2 oak trees

[dragoncarver]

hey joe i want one like yours ? i have heard that you should sill the ends of the boards when drying to prevent cracking and splitting by using wood glue or wax i lost a lot of board feet due to cracking

[James RS]

If I bought one of those now, I'd better build a place to live with it lol wish I had one a couple of years ago. My dad downed to large walnut trees, I'd still be carving walnut now.

[dragoncarver]

al
you have the same one i have granberg alaskan saw mill

[Dan-Woodman]

I know nothing about sawmills so bear with me on this question. Why would you want to use a saw that you had to put lots of oil on the chain while cutting wood for fine lumber. I would think it would stain the wood.
later Daniel

[locovalley]

hey joe i want one like yours ? i have heard that you should sill the ends of the boards when drying to prevent cracking and splitting by using wood glue or wax i lost a lot of board feet due to cracking


I seal the ends of my boards with several coats of any latex paint I have on hand. There are products available for the same purpose like but I have to go the cheap way. There's still a little cracking at the ends but with boards rough-sawn at 20+ inches I rip them into smaller boards for projects anyway.



Dan,

All chainsaws require oil to protect and cool the bar and chain when sawing. I've never had any staining from chain oil and I end up planing the lumber in any case.

Saw milling requires that the bar is mounted sideways (flat side of the bar parallel to the ground). The majority of the oil remains in the channel that the drive links ride in and is injected at the top of the bar and excess oil gets thrown off the end of the bar so I just added the auxiliary oiler to inject oil into the cutting edge (bottom) of the bar, mainly to get more life from my chains and bar. Hope that clears it up some.

If you look closely to the second picture al posted of his Alaskan mill you can spot an aux. oiler on the far end of the bar. (little black tank)

Joe

[dragoncarver]

my saw is only 22" so the most i can get is a 16" board my planer only takes 13" of course when usineg really wide boards it is best to make blanks to avoid warping except for those few quarter sawn boards

[locovalley]

When I'm cutting straight grained logs I don't get much in the way of warping. Any board that may be prone to warping I try to place on the bottom of my stack so that the weight of the other boards keep it flat until cured. Most of my lumber is rough cut to 1 to 1.5 inches which I plane when dry. But even with warped boards I can usually cut small pieces that can be machined into good boards for carving.

Joe

[dragoncarver]

the oak i am milling does not have a straight grain it has curves and loops this is i why i like it it makes for very interesting carvings and furniture if i need a very wide piece i glue up a blank alternating the grain

joe how big is your planer how do you stack the lumber for drying

[locovalley]

My planer is only 13 inches. If I need to plane anything wider I use handplanes. (I actually like handplaning wood)

As far as stacking, I build a bed of concrete block piers and level it across the top and side-to-side, then put 2 4x6x16' beams on top of those. I then place 4' 2x4s across the beems every 2' with the first and last 2x4 within six inces of the ends of the boards. I lay a row of boards across that, and I keep stacking rows of boards with 1x1x4' "stickers" in between rows and directly over the 2x4s. On the very top row (usually no more that 5' high) I put a metal cover, like tin roofing, and pile as much weight as I can on top of the whole shebang. Then I use the waste wood and lean that against the pile all around to keep light and water off while letting plenty of air in. Each board in a row should be about an inch apart and the spaces should not be directly over the space below it to prevent smokestack effect. Air should circulate slowly through the whole stack.

One inch boards are usually ready to use in six to eight months depending on weather and how bad I need the wood. I keep planning to get a moisture meter to actually test the water content but haven't done so yet.

I hope that wasn't too confusing.

Joe

[dragoncarver]

not at all actually very informative. i have been to saw mills and seen similar technique. i do not have enough wood to get 5' tall. i had some boards come out looking snaky i was putting the cross pieces 6 " apart. i had the stack on saw horses. i will build some blocks next time, with the alaskan saw mill it takes me about 30-45 minutes to cut each board so it took me 2 days to cut up one tree 13' long

[liquidguitars]

I think what you guys do with the small saw mills is way cool. I worked in the woods as a tender when i was a young man.

cool stuff..

LG

[locovalley]

Jeff,

With my mill I can saw through a 20" log 12 ft long in about 5 minutes. I use a Stihl MS660 Magnum which developes 7.2HP. It really screems when cutting. Very little effort is required, just open the throttle wide open and gently push the saw through the cut. The hardest part is rolling a log that big up onto the mill by myself, but I've figured out some methods that take a lot of the work out of it.

I'm including another view of the saw mill.

Joe

[SAA3840]

I recently aquired some Oak slices, fresh cut from a live tree. The limb we cut had a lot of rot in it so the owner wanted to remove this limb.

What I'd like to know is, how long would a 2" slice take to dry? They're sitting in my garage on the shelf.

[pine acres woodshop]

I have heard 1 year per inch.


Mark

[dragoncarver]

joe
did you say you made this saw mill your self? if so can i get a detail? my saw is 55cc. i do not know what that is in hp. if i could cut a board in 5mins i would have a stack 5' :D i live in nw florida we have live oak,(branches out before it gets very tall)some other oaks that i can not remember the name of hickory,pecan,cypress, red cedar are all native trees and of course pine that i am not interested in milling

the 55cc is a huskavarna i went threw 3 homelights from home depot 46cc (the plastic housing would start melting) and they said they would not take another one back so i got a refund and went and bought the huskavarna from lowes it is the biggest chain saw they sell

joe what neck of the woods are you from

[Digitalwoodshop]

al
you have the same one i have granberg alaskan saw mill


I bought the Alaskan when I was in Philly and had 2 Popular Trees taken down. I had planned to Quarter the 36 inch trees but when it came time to do it I lost my help and it all went to firewood for the neighbors.

Sadly Sold it on eBay recently, never ever started it.... Got more than I paid for it, I had it for over 5 years.... Still have the Band Mill but since I started my business I have not had time to cut in 2 years....

I get big oversize pallets from my Lumber Yard and use them to stack my wood, placing blocks under the wood. To get Stickers, I was getting 1 x 4 from the Truck Cap Store in Philly as they ship Truck Caps with a piece of 1 x 4 to protect the bottom seal. I rip them into 3/4 x 3/4 strips.

I paint the fresh cut log ends with left over paint. I got some bad mix stuff from the big box stores for cheap. Yes the wax stuff is better but I don't do that many logs.

I must build a solar kiln someday using the solar powered attic fans to move air during the day.

As for the Oil, I hear that it is not a problem. Some band saw guys cut soft wood with Diesel fuel drip on the blade. They say it does not smell in the wood by when you talk to wood workers they say they can smell the fuel oil. Others do softwood and drip water on the blade to keep the pitch from sticking. I have yet to do any soft wood.

We are scheduled for a gas pipeline to be installed next to another one on our property and we have large Christmas Trees on both sides and many trees will be cut for the pipeline... I will process the spruce trees.

Back to work. Got a Paying Gig making Fire Tags for a North Dakota Fire Department.

AL

[bjbethke]

joe
did you say you made this saw mill your self? if so can i get a detail? my saw is 55cc. i do not know what that is in hp. if i could cut a board in 5mins i would have a stack 5' :D i live in nw florida we have live oak,(branches out before it gets very tall)some other oaks that i can not remember the name of hickory,pecan,cypress, red cedar are all native trees and of course pine that i am not interested in milling

the 55cc is a huskavarna i went threw 3 homelights from home depot 46cc (the plastic housing would start melting) and they said they would not take another one back so i got a refund and went and bought the huskavarna from lowes it is the biggest chain saw they sell

joe what neck of the woods are you from
Joe has a good looking plan for his mill; I would build the mill with a Band Saw cutting head. The one I purchased is a similar design to his. An 8 inch wide walnut board cut takes about one second for six to seven inches with a new blade. The blades for my mill cost $15.00 each. A chain saw mill wastes about ¼ inch of wood with each cut. Looks like more work to use that type of saw mill.

Mine is built with square steel tubing and angle iron. If you are good at welding and have the equipment to weld and cut iron it would be easy to make.

Here are some photos of how mine was made. And you can easily find the other parts. I have a parts list for my mill.

[bjbethke]

more photos

[dragoncarver]

wow bj that is extraordinary i would love to build one i can cut iron and i have an arc welder but where is my time:roll: mmm

[locovalley]

Mike, the rule of thumb for drying wood is 1 year per inch. I have found that I can use a 1 inch rough-cut board in 6 to 7 months, depending on the weather around here. The longer you can let it cure the more stable it'll be.

Jeff, I did build this mill myself. I bought some plans from www.procutportablesawmills.com and made some modifications more to my liking. LogMaster Sawmills' factory is only 7 miles from my house and I used some of thier ideas. I live just outside of Nacogdoches, Texas in the Piney Woods.

You can't go wrong with the basic Procut design. Visit the website and read what they have to say about chainsaw vs bandsaw mills. Each has its own pros and cons. The chainsaw mill made better sense to me but I have a neighbor who swears by his bandsaw mill. The chainsaw does take a wider kerf than a bandsaw but the chainsaw is easier and faster to sharpen and I don't worry about the waste because I collect the sawdust and till it into my garden for organic matter. There's also fewer parts on a chainsaw mill than the bandsaw...less to go wrong. You'll need to get a bigger chainsaw though, minimum 7HP like a Stihl MS660 or Huqvarna 395. A Stihl MS880 would be even better.

If you like you can PM me and give me a number to call and I'll tell you all I know about the subject. Won't take but a few minutes. ;)

Joe

[Jeff_Birt]

I don't worry about the waste because I collect the sawdust and till it into my garden for organic matter.


Do you add some extra nitrogen at the same time? Just curious as cellulose actually fixes (absorbs) nitrogen while it is decomposing; it releases nitrogen after decomposition. Adding too much sawdust or wood chips can cause nitrogen starving in the short term. Adding a bit of nitrogen rich fertilizer at the same time will help avoid the problem.

That is just something I remember from a book I read several years ago on organic gardening (OK, what exactly is in-organic gardening?). I don't quite buy into the whole 'green' nonsense that is so popular now. I just like to learn about different ways to do things.

[locovalley]

Jeff, I usually till sawdust and leaf mulch into the soil in the fall after the growing season and at the end of the winter I get a soil anaysis to tell me what to add in the way of fertilizer. Actually my sister is a Mater Gardiner and she takes care of the small details, I mostly supply the muscle. At any rate I get to eat the produce. ;)

Joe

[liquidguitars]

Al,
good to see some 8/4 thick boards..

what type of wood have you cut in this pic maple?

http://forum.carvewright.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=21335&d=1237570149

LG

[Jeff_Birt]

and at the end of the winter I get a soil anaysis

Sweet! You way ahead of me then...

[Digitalwoodshop]

Jeff,

That whole pile is Oak in that batch, 2 trees that were blown down and hung up for a few years.

I like to 8/4 some stuff and hope to later book match it. I do have some Maple Cherry, and Walnut from the Philly Logs when I had my house there. The quality is fair to poor since they were damaged trees but FREE wood is FREE wood....

AL

[Digitalwoodshop]

I was lucky that the logs or trees were near the township road so my thin tire converted boat trailer worked well. I made this rig to let me carry the logs on my trailer, ramps with 4 x 4's and pickets to keep the logs steady. It has a high center of Gravity but the trip home was short. I would love to someday have a Forwarding Trailer with a Grappling Boom on the Trailer to lift the logs.

Used a chain and manual come a long to pull the logs to the road.

AL

[Digitalwoodshop]

More pictures of the Trailer.

[dragoncarver]

wow al you the man :-D

[badger]

More pictures of the Trailer.


lol, you got more logs on there then the last water guy did on Ax Men.

:mrgreen:

[MikeON]

Here's how I haul my logs. The John Deere does the loading. I recently got a 5,000 lb Autocrane off ebay to mount on the truck.

[jerry]

Last September after Ike went thru Indian I had Three Walnut, two Cherry and a Hard Maple on the ground, Instead of making fire wood out of them I purchased a Wood-Mizer LT10. I been looking at this band saw mill for some time and said to myself, self buy it. For anyone who isn’t going to do a lot of sawing this is what you need although it will saw 100 feet per hour at a reasonable price. See site below.

http://www.woodmizer.com/us/inside/newsroom/promotions/index.aspx

[dragoncarver]

$3000 is to high of a price for me

[Digitalwoodshop]

My toy mill was $2500.00, I wish I had gotten a LT-10. Nice mill.

AL

[Ken Massingale]

Here's how I haul my logs. The John Deere does the loading. I recently got a 5,000 lb Autocrane off ebay to mount on the truck.


WOW, can I be your new best friend???? :mrgreen:

[dragoncarver]

i am going to have to go with joe's build it yourself one because i am an underemployed construction worker:roll:

[Eagle Hollow]

Do you add some extra nitrogen at the same time? Just curious as cellulose actually fixes (absorbs) nitrogen while it is decomposing; it releases nitrogen after decomposition. Adding too much sawdust or wood chips can cause nitrogen starving in the short term. Adding a bit of nitrogen rich fertilizer at the same time will help avoid the problem.

That is just something I remember from a book I read several years ago on organic gardening (OK, what exactly is in-organic gardening?). I don't quite buy into the whole 'green' nonsense that is so popular now. I just like to learn about different ways to do things.

You're right , Jeff.

We buy rough oak by the bunk, let it stand dry for at least a year then plane it producing copious amounts of chips, shavings and sawdust. I then till it into the garden soil along with high N content fertilizer. This results in excellent tilth because of the high organic content. We do test the soil annually to determine how to amend it.

[MikeON]

Here's my 1998 Woodmizer LT40HD Super Hydraulic with 40HP diesel. I got it used in 2002. Had to rebuild the bottom of the engine due to a spun bearing, but it has been fine ever since. The red oak pictured made stair treads for several houses as well as trim moulding, etc. I also sawed out my garage/workshop with it, from pine, with board and batten hemlock siding.

[rickroy]

FREE WOOD! Kind of ... there are a lot of Wood Mizers and other brands of portable wood mills out there. There are at least 5 within 30 miles of me. I have found the operators of these mills can always use a hand and if you can be "paid" in rough cut lumber, they will listen to your proposal. When cutting a log, the first cut is almost all bark and gets tossed, the second cut however, has bark on both sides and is irregular in shape ... perfect for man projects. So, I offer to help pull the cut slabs off of the woodmill which speeds up the process for the operator. In return, I get to cherry pick those pieces of wood that would have gone to a burn pile ... it is waste to them and gold to me. Cherry, Oak, Maple, Elm, Ash, Birch ... of course you have to dry it for a year before ou can user it but if you help out say 6 days a year, you will have beautiful stacks of lumber in your yard. You will need to know how to properly sticker, seal the ends and cover it for best drying but all of that information is available on line. You can contact woodmizer to find the mils in your area. (And be prepared to be sore the day after helping!)