Any chainsaw mill folks out there?

[formariz 11,987]

@pullstart Just a thought if you indulge me for a minute. Not claiming that I know your thoughts about things in general or know you personally  but from your posts and photos I can see that you are a man that likes his independence and self sufficiency and I commend you on that. This new thing you are getting into will only add to that. I don’t have to tell you that there is nothing more satisfying and rewarding than using something that came from your own hands from the very beginning of the process , something I happen to know a little about. In today’s world where most people have no clue or desire to know about how things happen ,there is more need of that type of thinking and willingness to learn. More important than it is for your own satisfaction,is the example you set for your children . Good luck with it.

[posifour11 723]

28 minutes ago, WHX24 said:

Getting back on topic here Kev check the logs with a metal detector if possible. Even then you can still miss things. These guys don't mess around they hit metal it's lights out with these rigs. Even then it happens. 

Yes! That's actually one of my " crazy deployment Money, spend that bonus before the wife sees it!" Buys. 

 

I have enjoyed so many hours with my Ace 250 besides the time I spend going over every single slab I want to saw! 

 

I'm sure you know, fast hard metal against hundred year old "real" metal is bad!

 

Be sure to run a detector over anything you want to saw! It's an easy preventative swipe, plus you get to look around when you are done. 😁

[JAinVA 4,619]

formariz

   There are very few posts that i agree with 100% but yours struck a cord with me.The 2019 show was a high point for me and one of the reasons was Kevin came up and introduced  himself .I follow his threads and would be proud to call him son.Kev has a smile that is a joy to see and your thoughts about his resourcefulness,I think are spot on.

Edited April 29, 2020 by JAinVA

[Pullstart 62,801]

Guys I feel honored to have such comments.  I love to find ways to be self sufficient and have a good time connecting with the days of old. Mind you, a modern chainsaw is in no way comparable to days of old, but to know that I’m within a year of being able to build something from my own lumber is awesome!

 

Once the mill arrives, I’ll start setting up shop.  The metal detector is a great idea.  I’ve sunk a brand new chain into a piece of wood only to find the heart of an old cleat in my first cut before.  It’s a wrench in the gut for sure!

[JAinVA 4,619]

Kev I think i got that beat.I hit a square screwdriver shank in a log.Ruined a good band.Customer was not happy I charged him for the band but I wasn't about to eat it.Keep us up to date on your experiences.You know we have your back.Luck buddy!

[WHX?? 48,795]

No doubt JA.. Kev has got an outside burner so slabs and ends would not go to waste .

[posifour11 723]

1 hour ago, JAinVA said:

formariz

   There are very few posts that i agree with 100% but yours struck a cord with me.The 2019 show was a high point for me and one of the reasons was Kevin came up and introduced  himself .I follow his threads and would be proud to call him son.Kev has a smile that is a joy to see and your thoughts about his resourcefulness,I think are spot on.

I don't mind being the nephew you won't talk about. 🤣 I know what you say is right, but I'm going to keep doing what I can with that chainsaw mill for a little while until I get my bandsaw set up. Then, you can laugh at that until I learn how to weld and build a better one. 😔

[JAinVA 4,619]

posifour11,

         Didn't mean to make you feel unappreciated.You have been on this forum long enough to know we all have your back as well .We are all family here but just practicing social distancing.Luck JAinVA

Edited April 29, 2020 by JAinVA

[posifour11 723]

14 minutes ago, JAinVA said:

posifour11,

         Didn't mean to make you feel unappreciated.You have been on this forum long enough to know we all have your back as well .We are all family here but just practicing social distancing.Luck JAinVA

I was being a smartalec. I agree with the advice you've given. 

 

But, at the moment, I'm the nephew that has to do things "for the moment". 

 

No offense meant and I'm not offended on my end. 

 

Edited to add- 

 

Most of anything I say is always meant in the "best friend" way or a "respectful nephew" way to everyone! 

Edited April 29, 2020 by posifour11

[posifour11 723]

9 minutes ago, posifour11 said:

I was being a smartalec. I agree with the advice you've given. 

 

But, at the moment, I'm the nephew that has to do things "for the moment". 

 

No offense meant and I'm not offended on my end. 

 

Edited to add- 

 

Most of anything I say is always meant in the "best friend" way or a "respectful nephew" way to everyone! 

 I never want to be the bad nephew, though.  More like a bad court jester, if anything. 

 

Nothing I'll ever say will be mean. 

[JAinVA 4,619]

Thanks for the comment.I am a grumpy old man at times but I truly the appreciate the folks on this site.The last thing I ever want to do is hurt someones feelings here.Looking forward to your future posts.Luck,Jim

[formariz 11,987]

You can also build a solar kiln to dry some of it a little faster. I have here somewhere a simple easy to build design. It’s really effective .

 Remember to paint ends of logs as soon as you can with a good oil based paint to prevent checking.

 You may want to do a little thinking on what you may be using material in the future to determine what thickness you want to use. Personally I am not fond of any 3/4 finished material being either always too thick or not thick enough for my purposes. I usually milled my stuff at about 3” and then later after drying  resawed it with a resaw bandsaw to what I needed. Takes longer to dry but I get less waste and have more options that way. Keep in mind also that if you keep cutting you will have material for a long time to come. Plan properly where to stack it. It’s going to be there for a long time. Make good solid level and straight foundations with cement blocks and a few beams to put stacks on. Have plenty of properly dried stickers of the same size on hand . Cover the stacks with metal roofing panels with plenty of overhang. Depending on what direction the wind predominately blows where you are going to stack it, orient stacks so it blows on side of stack rather on the ends so ends don’t dry too quick and check.

There is a lot of thinking and preparation to do before cutting any lumber so you don’t waste all the hard work it takes. With the right preparation you will have a lot of great lumber . I have seen much lumber that just became firewood because of poor planing and preparation.  
 Now a days things are a little different our children not always following our trade, but my grandfather used to say that the wood he cut would be for his children and so on. He was using what his father had cut. I am now using wood I cut 20 years ago and I am sure some of it will be here after I am gone. It’s a great feeling when you want to build something to go and pick from what you have .

[JAinVA 4,619]

Good advice! I tend to run my stock at 1" or 2".I have found that the oak I cut will be riff or quarter sawn so cupping is greatly reduced.Therei s is a lot to consider when sawing you own lumber.If you are so inclined Va Tech has a good solar kiln design on line for you to look at..

Edited April 29, 2020 by JAinVA

[posifour11 723]

14 minutes ago, JAinVA said:

Thanks for the comment.I am a grumpy old man at times but I truly the appreciate the folks on this site.The last thing I ever want to do is hurt someones feelings here.Looking forward to your future posts.Luck,Jim

Oh geez! Nobody could hurt my feelings. 

 

I like having "grumpy old men' tell me stuff. That's how everyone learns. 

 

I was once a "green" private and became a "jackass" sergeant that kept people alive because I listened! 

 

Everything you have said about sawing lumber has been spot on. 

 

I do wish you would make fun of me once in a while though. 🤣 

[formariz 11,987]

8 minutes ago, JAinVA said:

Good advice! I tend to run my stock at 1" or 2".I have found that the oak I cut will be riff or quarter sawn so cupping is greatly reduced.Therei s is a lot to consider when sawing you own lumber.If you are so inclined Va Tech has a good solar kiln design on line for you to look at..

Reading the above you may want also to research the types of cutting you can do, although with the chainsaw mill some are not that simple. If you have White Oak logs  quarter sawing would be the thing to do to get some great looking stuff. As it was said above those cuts also yield less cupping. Understanding how wood moves is another essential skill. We may just make a woodworker out of you yet.

[JAinVA 4,619]

When I was an apprentice years ago I learned a hell of a lot from grumpy old men.They didn.t care if they hurt your feelings and there was no trophy for showing up.One thing I learned was that if you showed an interest or curiousity these old guys would take the time to show you more.They wanted to teach and they picked up on who wanted to learn.That is one thing I inherited from them.If you are not in politics I will never make fun of you.Live with it!

Edited April 29, 2020 by JAinVA

[Pullstart 62,801]

Check it out!  Assembly in less than a year!

 

I stumbled upon this kit today and took a minute to assemble it.  The bar tip guard was very sharp and when I opened the package it tore my finger up.  Assembly was fairly straight forward according to the picture.  Deburr sharp things y’all!

 

 

[Handy Don 12,163]

2 hours ago, pullstart said:

I stumbled upon this kit today and took a minute to assemble it.

My son has the single-clamp version of this and we tried it out this winter. Only issue is that the saw seems unhappy with extended running at the required down angle. The clutch would start to slip. Haven't torn into it to start to figure out the issue. Did make some nice white cedar boards while it was running, though, and have a red cedar log that's waiting!

[Pullstart 62,801]

26 minutes ago, Handy Don said:

My son has the single-clamp version of this and we tried it out this winter. Only issue is that the saw seems unhappy with extended running at the required down angle. The clutch would start to slip. Haven't torn into it to start to figure out the issue. Did make some nice white cedar boards while it was running, though, and have a red cedar log that's waiting!

 

Did you modify or purchase a milling chain by chance?  I wonder if there’s an increased load by too many large chips.

[Handy Don 12,163]

58 minutes ago, pullstart said:

 

Did you modify or purchase a milling chain by chance?  I wonder if there’s an increased load by too many large chips.

Bought the specific chain. It may be a load issue--we didn't think of that. thanx.

We are running an older Craftsman/Roper that has been an absolute rock-steady performer for years. Only reason it's retired from active duty is that we both got newer anti-vibration saws.