Questions about chain saw milling.

[Glaze]

I plan on milling yard trees using a Granberg or a GB chainsaw mill. I wanted to be able to cut all the way through a big sycamore tree log completely in half, then cut it into four equal quarters and cut quartersawn lumber out of the quarters. I'm not going to just cut slabs out of the whole tree. I wanted to use the biggest Stihl MS 880 saw made with the chainsaw mill, but the price of that model of Stihl saw is very expensive. I'd like to cut all the way trough a big sycamore tree here while milling, but couldn't I use a smaller Stihl model of saw with a smaller mill and cut 1/2 the way through the log on each side to cut it in half? Is the chainsaw mill good to use for cutting the quartersawn wood out of the quartered pieces of the log or is there a better piece of equipment to use?

Please feel free to educate me on what model of Stihl saw, equipment and techniques I should use to safely mill quartersawn lumber out of large logs.

Thanks guy's

Mike

 

[skwerl]

Check out a place called Forestry Forum. Google it. Lots of good folks there and lots of milling knowledge.

 

[DanManofStihl]

I would say minium would be a 066 magnum you could use a 36 inch mill on that. It would take a bit longer but in would be cheaper. You could also look for a nice used saw to mill with. Just be sure you are not getting some one elses milling saw. Milling is really hard on a saw besure to keep clean air and fuel filters and good rich mix. I would personally try to find a good 084 the predecessor of the 088 or an 088 to mill with. You would be glad you did but a 066 will do the job pretty well to.

 

[bugfart]

We might be in a parrallel universe thread here. I have 2 huge (to me) Sycamore trees and be darned if I can figure exactly what the wood is best for. But anyway, I'm looking to try it with a Homie super 1050 and then maybe trade it all in for a good carburetor kit from Simon.

 

[oldsaw]

Mike:
I use an 066, and would not want to go smaller for any decent sized logs, like the ones I have spent most of the time in. Sycamores grow big, which is a good thing since Qsawn sycamore can be quite beautiful.

Now to do the job, mark a perpendicular "+" on the log end, place your guide board, then adjust it to hit the horizontal line on your "+". Start your cut, then place a couple of wedges at the beginning of the cut. Cut until you are 6" or so from the end, wedging every few feet. When you have reached that point, back the saw out, removing the wedges as you go back. When you get to the last (first) wedges, bring the saw out to them, place two wedges behind the saw, remove the first ones, pull out the saw, and screw a couple of short 1x4s or 1x6s across the cut. Roll the log 90 degrees, cut through. When you open the faces, you can take one board off each face before you cut through your remaining bit holding the quarters together. Then, depending on the size, and figure, you keep rolling, blocking and cutting. When the quarters are small enough not to kill you, you can screw them together "mirror faced" with the boards used before to cut two quarter faces at one time to speed the process and help stabilize the mill. Clear as mud?

Bugfart, again, Qsawn sycamore can be beautiful, is very prone to spalting, which can make it even more so. If not quartersawn, it isnt much to look at.
A big old saw like your Homie would be great for milling, more torque than the modern stuff. I need to keep the chain speed up on my 066, that would be less of a problem on an old Homie, or an old 075/084 which I also first considered. However, I needed a saw for all occasions. If I did more of this, I would love to have an 084/088/090 tied to the mill full time and my 066 for felling and bucking. It's that dang budget that gets in the way.

OS

 

[Glaze]

We might be in a parrallel universe thread here. I have 2 huge (to me) Sycamore trees and be darned if I can figure exactly what the wood is best for. But anyway, I'm looking to try it with a Homie super 1050 and then maybe trade it all in for a good carburetor kit from Simon.

Sycamore trees can live something like 300 years and they are a very nice hardy tree that grows very large, so if I had some in my yard I would not take them out unless I had to. Actually I do not have any sycamores in my yard, but I am going to plant two in my backyard next year.

Sycamore is a good wood for woodturning on a lathe once it is seasoned properly. Fiddleback sycamore is used for violin backs. Sycamore is not tough like hard rock maple. Sycamore is very similar to soft maple concerning strength and crush properties, so you can use it for many wood projects. I plan on making some furniture out of sycamore and using blocks of it for turning projects on a lathe. I only want quartersawn material for furniture with sycamore and the trees can get very large. Some sycamore trees have a nice fiddleback figure to the wood and I can tell which ones have the most figure just by looking at the tree due to they have a ripple going randomly here and there down the bark . Sycamore trees are planted all over in my state in peoples yards, so I plan on milling yard trees that I get from tree service companies. I also plan on using a metal detector to try and avoid nails in the trees as best as I can.

Mike

 

[Glaze]

Mike:
I use an 066, and would not want to go smaller for any decent sized logs, like the ones I have spent most of the time in. Sycamores grow big, which is a good thing since Qsawn sycamore can be quite beautiful.

Now to do the job, mark a perpendicular "+" on the log end, place your guide board, then adjust it to hit the horizontal line on your "+". Start your cut, then place a couple of wedges at the beginning of the cut. Cut until you are 6" or so from the end, wedging every few feet. When you have reached that point, back the saw out, removing the wedges as you go back. When you get to the last (first) wedges, bring the saw out to them, place two wedges behind the saw, remove the first ones, pull out the saw, and screw a couple of short 1x4s or 1x6s across the cut. Roll the log 90 degrees, cut through. When you open the faces, you can take one board off each face before you cut through your remaining bit holding the quarters together. Then, depending on the size, and figure, you keep rolling, blocking and cutting. When the quarters are small enough not to kill you, you can screw them together "mirror faced" with the boards used before to cut two quarter faces at one time to speed the process and help stabilize the mill. Clear as mud?

Bugfart, again, Qsawn sycamore can be beautiful, is very prone to spalting, which can make it even more so. If not quartersawn, it isnt much to look at.
A big old saw like your Homie would be great for milling, more torque than the modern stuff. I need to keep the chain speed up on my 066, that would be less of a problem on an old Homie, or an old 075/084 which I also first considered. However, I needed a saw for all occasions. If I did more of this, I would love to have an 084/088/090 tied to the mill full time and my 066 for felling and bucking. It's that dang budget that gets in the way.

OS

Oldsaw

Thanks big time for this information.

Mike