Morning all! I have a potential source of some nice cherry, Eastern Red Cedar and other hardwood species for the taking, and was wondering how effective are all those “Turn your chainsaw into a lumber mill” gadgets. I’d be working pretty much solo out in the field if I would use such a device to rough-mill the green wood into manageable pieces. If so, any insights/recommendations about them? Also, how good is Eastern Red Cedar as framing lumber for joints, beams, rafters, etc.? Many thanks for your help and suggestions!
Replies
They work, people use them. But there is a draw back. Chainsaw blades need to be reconfigured to rip and they have much more waste then a traditional mill.
/--/- cross cut (standard cut looking down made for x-cutting)
|-|-|-| Rip style (needs to be re-ground)
Bill, I didn't mean to leave you out on my appreciation for your input!
Thanks again,
Bench Dog
Hi Scott! Thanks for your input - I'd be starting from scratch IF the investment is worth it. As I said in the post, I have access to large amounts of free wood, and I only have a small pick-up truck, so, since I know nothing at this point about the various rigs you mentioned, is this even feasible for a small-scale operation out in the field??? What cost do these various units run? I figure the investment would be worth it, since I'm fantisizing in my mind that I would rough-mill pretty much all the lumber I would need for a modest, but very cool house I'd like to build in a couple of years. I definately would like to mill some large 6"x6" sized beams. Diameter of the trees I would work with would probably be < 15" - only what I can haul over on my own muscle...Looking forward to your reply, and thanks again!
All the best,
Bench Dog
Wow you may want to rethink your plan of milling up that much lumber. Me and dad ripped about 200BF of 4/4 lumber in about 6 hours and we worked for it. We use the beam guide show in the picture to square up the logs in the woods and then I will then let mine dry for about a month or two (you have to seal the ends) and then I resaw with the bandsaw. Dad will take his to board right away with the Alaskan Saw mill. We have two saws the smaller of the two is a 351 Husqvarna with a 20" bar and the larger is a 288 Husqvarna with a 36" bar. You need the bigger saw if you are going to be doing any amount of resawing though you can use a 24" bar with no problems. Both have purpose built carbide rip chains and you will have to learn how to sharpen the chain or you will have to work almost twice as hard. You can get a bandsaw attachment that replaces the chainsaws bar. They do a good job and you get a higher yield of lumber but they do add a bit more weight to the saw. I have seen adds for the bandsaw attachments in FWW mag.
If you are planning on sawing enough lumber to build a house than you may want to look at the Wood Mizer or other similar bandsaw type setups.Scott C. Frankland
Newfoundland Wood Worker
I've got both a beam follower and an Alaska mill; both have their uses although I prefer the Alaska setup. I salvage any interesting wood I can, but it is labour intensive and I wouldn't want to mill wood for an entire house - I'd go woodmiser band mill for that. A strong chainsaw with a minimum 24" bar is a must. You can use standard chain in a pinch but ensure it is skip tooth. You will develop good sharpening skills as that is the single most important aspect in efficent milling, especially hardwoods. You will also develop a strong back if you have not already done so. It is hard work, but very satisfying.
Will Malof (?) put out a book called Chainsaw Lumbermaking. It is well woth tracking down as he gives a fairly thorough overview.
Find someone with a portable band saw mill. Wood Mizer makes such a mill and they can tell you who in your area does commercial milling. There are several ways they charge.
1) it will be cheaper if the logs are cut and all drug up to one area.
2) will be cheaper if you want them to slab cut as oppose to quarter sawn.
3) will be cheaper if you are there to receive the cut slabs and do the stacking yourself.
4 there is a limit to the log size they can take.
5) tell the guy to change blades frequently and that you will reimburse him for the extra blades.
PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy
PlaneWood
Any thoughts on the "Haddon Lumbermaker" system listed for sale in the classified of FWW? It's the little adaptor attached to your chainsaw that follows a 2x4 nailed on the top of your log...Thanks for your input!
Bench Dog
If you go back and look at my picture that I posted it shows you the rig in question. What we have done is to build two uprights to hold a 2x6 over the log. One end is fixed and the other slides in a grove that allows for different lengths of logs. The logs sit on the base of the jig are are held in place by driving two nails into each end of the log. Once the two sides are slabbed then it is just a matte of rolling the log onto its slabbed sides and a repeating the cut. The saw will cut about 3/8" outside the jig so by using a length of 3/8" rope we can see just were the saw will cut.
By doing it this way the guide lumber stays true to the log and does not follow any defects in the log. Also the largest log we can saw in this jig is 20" dia and 15'6" long. The saw in the picture is the 88CC Husqvarna with a 24" bar and rip chain.Scott C. Frankland
Newfoundland Wood Worker
Hey Scott - thanks for your reply! So...what I'm reading is that a "Haddon" -style lumbermaker ($79.95 found in FWW) and a good chain saw with a 24" bar and rip-chain is really all that I would need to rough mill lumber out in the field? Sounds pretty cool/relatively easy, if that is the case - give me a confirmation on this when you get the chance. Many thanks again to everyone's advice on this,
Bench Dog
Yep that is all you need. The Beam Machine is good for squaring timber but no much good for making board. The one we have is like the Beam Machine but will run on a 2x6 or with a insert a 2x4. The 88cc Husqvarna we have was bought used off a logger who found it to big for the type of work he was doing. My neighbor has a 128cc that he bought new and it is over kill. Neither saw bogs down while cutting, but the 128cc engine cuts a little faster but the weight will wear you out faster. The two links below are worth checking out.
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.asp?SID=&ccurrency=1&page=20127&category=1,41131,41139
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.asp?SID=&ccurrency=1&page=20126&category=1,41131,41139
Scott C. Frankland
Newfoundland Wood Worker
Excellent advice/info - thanks for your knowledge/experience with this, Scott! Best regards (and wish you were my neighbor!!!!!!!!!!),
Bench dog
No you wouldn't. I am up till about 10:30 at night with the chainsaw going either cutting up wood or making lumber.
ScottScott C. Frankland
Newfoundland Wood Worker
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