I've only milled one hemlock so far, making several passes at 2" & 2 1/2". Is there an optimal thickness that hardwoods and softwoods should be milled? Thinking of projects like live edge table, bench, etc. Maybe some cherry milled for mantle, 4" ? Is thicker better and more valuable after it's dried?
How thick to mill?
- Thread starter tater_51
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LonestarStihl
Addicted to ArboristSite
Beautiful grain
Beautiful! I don’t think you should hold back on it to break in. Saws are made to run wide open. Others might reply. When I bought my 660 people said milling would void the warranty, so I asked. He said no, mill all you want. Then I asked if I had a break in period, he said no, it’s ready. Then I said I want a 25” bar, a 36, and a 42. He said he couldn’t sell me the 42 with the saw, that would void the warranty. The saw was only warrantied to 36. Come back later if you still want the 42.
As far as how thick? Depends on the project. I put live edge side boards on my dump trailer. The side board standards were 2X2 angle. Milled Oak boards at 8/4. Fit perfect. I had a bunch of Red Oak I wanted to make live edge shelves for my saw collection, milled at 10/4. Would have made nice benches, still might. They were way too heavy to lift over my head by myself. Had to use my 10/4 Dawn Redwood. Play it by ear.
ML12
ArboristSite Guru
It depends on the wood species and final dimensions once dry that you are aiming for.
For us, wood like cherry warps a lot when it dries, (we just air dry, and use straps to hold the stacks together) so in order to deal with the warp, we mill at 3" so when we flatten the slabs later with a router sled we get a finished thickness close to 2". That's pretty typical even with end sealers for us.
Some large slabs 3ft+ wide, need the thickness to look "right" so it just needs to be taken into account.
For us, wood like cherry warps a lot when it dries, (we just air dry, and use straps to hold the stacks together) so in order to deal with the warp, we mill at 3" so when we flatten the slabs later with a router sled we get a finished thickness close to 2". That's pretty typical even with end sealers for us.
Some large slabs 3ft+ wide, need the thickness to look "right" so it just needs to be taken into account.
This is my mini-stack so far, hemlock & cherry. It is a lot of work but it's also very rewarding. Every time you flip that milled board it's like "WOW", like treasure hunting. What species of wood produces the most exotic grains?
Live edge- 2 1/2 “ works great, it can be easily cut with a skill saw.
Consider the weight if moving the slabs by hand. I milled some Ash 27" wide / 3" thick / 8' long. It was all my brother and I could do to get it on my truck. I backed down to 2" for live-edge. As for exotic grain, sugar maple and cherry usually have nice grain. Catalpa and Gray or American Elm can be nice as well. Catalpa is also very stable. Wood near the base of any tree will often have curly grain. Look for trees with irregularities in the bark and crotches but remember, crazy grain may also mean warping/twisting.
I think it really depends on what your end product is going to be . These are 9/4 some I do at 4 inch for mantles
Brent Nowell
Addicted to ArboristSite
Wow what a score!
I find more knots the better but a real pain to plain smooth. Up here poplar (Cotten wood)tends to mill nice with quite a few large knots
I've only been doing a little while . Still learning but there are a lot of variables. Specially for a mantle small fireplace in a small room you dont want an 8 inch thick mantle . I did one for my bil a sister . Red oak it's about 5 inches thick and 8 ft long . He wanted rustic so after it dried a bit I huwned it a little with an axe
Mine is a 66
