An Old Pine Log

[Sawyer Rob]

Quite some time ago, I scrounged a 16' pine log, I forget who even gave it to me or where it came from??? Now, I'm a big time fan of firewood scrounging, but I won't burn a log that's good enough to be used as a saw log! To me, that's just plain wasteful of what nature gives us.

Anyway, I needed some 2x8's and I remembered that FREE pine log that was "suppose to be" a firewood log, so I loaded it on the BSM with the tractor. It sure doesn't look like much, sitting there!

Once there, I could see that leaving it at 16' would really cut down on the quantity of 2x8's I could get because of some "sweep" in the middle, so I buzzed it in half right on the mill and started milling both logs at once,

I milled the four slabs off it and took a couple low grade boards to sit the 2x8's on,

The slabs will be chainsawed up for firewood,

With the "cant" the size I wanted for 2x8's, I started taking off 2x8's two at a time,

Until I was down to splitting the last of the two cants to get the last four 2x8's,

to leave me a nice pile of 2x8-8 footers for my building project and some firewood from the slabs too!

I'm sure glad I didn't waste that ugly pine log by burning the whole thing! lol

SR

 

[Boon]

Nice work, here most people think of pine as junk wood but I like it, easy to cut, light in weight and versatile.

How long does it take your bandsaw to do 1 run?

 

[IanB22]

That's a great haul...nice work!

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Nice work, here most people think of pine as junk wood but I like it, easy to cut, light in weight and versatile.

How long does it take your bandsaw to do 1 run?

I didn't time the cuts but I'd say 15 seconds or so ?, (per cant) it goes pretty fast, and with a sharp band, the band goes through pine like it's butter!

I just work at my own speed, like always, there's no rushing going on over here! lol

Thanks guys,

SR

 

[Big L]

"I'm sure glad I didn't waste that ugly pine log by burning the whole thing! lol"

Nice work Rob!!

 

[Dave Boyt]

That's about as close to free lumber as you can get! Nice setup on the mill. Reminds me that I need to get some extensions for mine, as well. I notice that you use a hand winch for loading. The Harbor Freight 3,000# winch fits on the Norwood winch post with very little modification and will run all day with a deep cycle battery. I'll post some pictures if you want to see 'em.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

That's about as close to free lumber as you can get! Nice setup on the mill. Reminds me that I need to get some extensions for mine, as well. I notice that you use a hand winch for loading. The Harbor Freight 3,000# winch fits on the Norwood winch post with very little modification and will run all day with a deep cycle battery. I'll post some pictures if you want to see 'em.

Hi Dave,

I don't use the hand winch for loading, only for turning the logs and I just don't need anything faster for turning than the hand winch.

My hand winch came from Norwood and it's a thousands times better than the cheapo china junk hand winches you see sold at harbor freight ect... In fact the USA made Norwood winch works so easy, I made an adapter for my cordless drill to turn it,

But, I rarely use it. If I was loading, using the winch I probably would use it then... That winch has two speeds and in low gear, you can "easily" lift the whole log right off the bunks, even a big log...

I am slooowly setting my sawmill shed up for an electric over head hoist, so maybe i'll use that to turn logs, later on??

Thanks Dave,

SR

 

[Dave Boyt]

Pretty cool with the drill! You should post that on the Norwood Connect forum. How many batteries do you go through in a day?

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Since I made that adapter, the Dewalt batts have been upgraded, I got two of them, along with a reconditioned 1/2" drill and I don't go through even one a day, for "turning", but in the last year or so, I forget to even take the drill out to the mill, so I haven't been using the drill for that.

SR

 

[Hddnis]

Nice lumber in that log.

I've got an old pine that was standing dead, access is limited but I'm thinking really hard about milling it up with the CSM just to see what's in that old tree.



Mr. HE

 

[Mike Van]

A few things about white pine I've learned - It does not hold nails well, not like doug. fir, larch, or even hemlock. Screws are a better fastener. #2. it is not very strong when used as a plank. I tried a few years ago, some nice pine 2x12's for staging planks, I had to double them up, as I was pretty sure just one would fail, even with my narrow butt on it. It does make nice fast drying lumber for other projects though, but saw it fast or get the bark off of it before the sawyer beetles go to town in it.

 

[Dpown]

Hi Dave,

I don't use the hand winch for loading, only for turning the logs and I just don't need anything faster for turning than the hand winch.

My hand winch came from Norwood and it's a thousands times better than the cheapo china junk hand winches you see sold at harbor freight ect... In fact the USA made Norwood winch works so easy, I made an adapter for my cordless drill to turn it,

But, I rarely use it. If I was loading, using the winch I probably would use it then... That winch has two speeds and in low gear, you can "easily" lift the whole log right off the bunks, even a big log...

I am slooowly setting my sawmill shed up for an electric over head hoist, so maybe i'll use that to turn logs, later on??

Thanks Dave,

SR

Don't you find that using the hand winch laps on itself? That's what I used use (minus the drill, that was a smart idea) but eventually I couldn't handle it and bought a Portable Winch instead.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I don't know what you mean by "laps itself"? Do you mean that it crosses over on the log or the winch drum itself?

I did cut "some" of the cable off my winch, as it just doesn't need a long cable on it, to turn logs.

SR

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I added a little to my lumber pile today, see the "broken off" top log in this pict.?

Well, I milled it today and it made the (11) 4x4's and (6) 2x4's, on the left side of this pict., I also got a couple 5/4 boards. (not shown)

Not bad, for such a low grade log!

Looks like i'll get started building boxes to put firewood in S N

SR

 

[SDB777]

I have actually started turning Pine on my lathe! Low quality pine logs can have some amazing character!!!

Scott (milling is fun...no matter) B

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I really like pine, it makes GREAT construction lumber and when I ran my cabinet shop, I used a lot of it for projects.

I just had a few more pine logs given to me, so i'll be milling it for a while yet...

SR

 

[Dpown]

I don't know what you mean by "laps itself"? Do you mean that it crosses over on the log or the winch drum itself?

I did cut "some" of the cable off my winch, as it just doesn't need a long cable on it, to turn logs.

SR

Where the wire crosses over on the winch drum, kinda limiting the pull.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I've never found "anything" limiting the pull with the Norwood winch I have. In fact, in the low speed, it's so powerful it will easily lift, even a big log right off the bunks. Like I said, I did shorten the cable some, as I just don't need a long cable to turn logs.

SR