Milling elm part 2 and some ash

[Juicemang]

This weekend I got to attack a big red elm log. It came from the same tree I posted crotchwood pictures of a month or so ago. I thought the tree was an american elm but someone pointed out it was a red elm in my last post. I had never heard of a red elm before so I checked it out on google. I'm not sure I would be able to tell the difference between the 2 species without cutting into the wood or having a book right in front of me to compare bark and leaves. So anyway on to the milling. All went well except for hitting a few nails. After making my third cut I pulled off the slab and swept off the log to discover that I had cut right through a couple of nails. I didn't feel anything making the cut or notice a loss of speed going down the log. So I continued to go at it without sharpening until about the 7th cut. This time I hit a bigger nail and It really yanked the saw when I hit it. The chain was instantly dull. I pulled out, touched up the chain and finished the log without a problem. I got 9 very nice slabs and I can't wait for them to dry.

My favorite slab

Nails

Moving slabs the easy way

Just to prove I can do more then slab I cut 2 ash logs into about 250 bf. All 8/4 and 8' long. 6 boards 12" wide, 10 boards 10" wide , 6 boards 5". I really need a bandsaw

 

[irishcountry]

Beautiful stuff you got a nice setup there I gotta hook up with you one of these days i'm still planting and didn't get the lul I was hoping for!! May not matter if spring never gets here HA!! Thanks for the pics!!!

 

[extraspecialman]

That elm saws out some pretty lumber.Back when I worked at a saw mill,all elm along with some other species,were all sawed into 7x9s,and all the 1 and 2" lumber sawed went into the chipper.Quite a waste I always thought.

 

[820wards]

This weekend I got to attack a big red elm log...

That wood is really nice, and you did a super job milling. Hope your chain didn't get to messed up with the nails. You kind of wonder, who in their right mind would ever pound nails into a living tree...

Can't wait to finish my mill and start making saw dust.

jerry-

 

[BobL]

Hey, nice pics Juiceman. love the grain, and the boards are just stunning!

I'm not sure your pics of using a front end loader and chain across the middle like that to move slabs is what I would call easy. If the slab has brittle heart wood, picking them up like that can sometimes just snap them clean down the middle. If you are going to do this on a regular basis, a pair of forks for the loader might be worth considering. I also use a large sack trolley and a cant hook to move slabs that big. Heaving them up onto a stickered stack is of course another issue.

Cheers

 

[Juicemang]

Thanks for the tip Bobl. I don't usually move them like that. I was low on man power that day.

 

[woodshop]

Very pretty elm... nice job milling all that lumber. Take the time to dry it right so it doesn't become elm firewood