I may have a chance to mill a very large oak, but don't have a mill/bar big enough

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CountryBoy19

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My parent's neighbor had a 127 year old 56" DBH red oak cut down from their field. We have aerial pictures going back to the 50's, there was never any indication the tree was part of a fence-line. The neighbor is trying to find somebody with a saw large enough to cut it into firewood. I have other ideas. I ran Doyle calculations, over 1500 board feet in the log. I would like to mill it at least into slabs that can be resawn later.

I have a Dolkita 7900 (6401 with 7900 P&C) that I'm putting together and my dad has a Dolmar 7910. I would love to have a 72" double-ended bar to mill it but it's a budget breaker for 1-time use.

Would it be tacky to post up in the classifieds asking to use/rent one?
 
Doubt you'll hey any hits. Not many people own a 5 or 6 foot bar let alone a 7 ft.
 
Some wide live edge oak slabs may recoup your bar investment pretty quickly. May be something to consider. If you just want standard lumber, maybe look into a local portable bandmill to come to you.

Sent from my Moto E (4) using Tapatalk
 
My parent's neighbor had a 127 year old 56" DBH red oak cut down from their field. We have aerial pictures going back to the 50's, there was never any indication the tree was part of a fence-line. The neighbor is trying to find somebody with a saw large enough to cut it into firewood. I have other ideas. I ran Doyle calculations, over 1500 board feet in the log. I would like to mill it at least into slabs that can be resawn later.

I have a Dolkita 7900 (6401 with 7900 P&C) that I'm putting together and my dad has a Dolmar 7910. I would love to have a 72" double-ended bar to mill it but it's a budget breaker for 1-time use.

Would it be tacky to post up in the classifieds asking to use/rent one?
Well I think not. I have a 72" Cannon dual powerhead bar that has not been used. My thinking was wrong. I thought it was like a super bar which wood have a six foot cut. Actual cut is closer to sixty inches. It comes with a helper handle $550+ shipping. PM me if you price red oak from Menard's to determine the value of the lumber available to you. Also as stated above " live edge slabs that wide do sell at a premium". Very good money can be asked for slabs half that width because of the cost of a bandsaw mill with a cut that wide. The primitive furniture maker in town knows of a BSM with a 24" capacity. I have a cutting capacity of 69" just in case. This bar has .063 groove.
Tony
 
Unless you want live edge I would just mill off opposite sides slabs and the remaining wood would be something less than 40 inches (probably). What board dimensions do you want to end up with?
 
Well I think not. I have a 72" Cannon dual powerhead bar that has not been used. My thinking was wrong. I thought it was like a super bar which wood have a six foot cut. Actual cut is closer to sixty inches. It comes with a helper handle $550+ shipping. PM me if you price red oak from Menard's to determine the value of the lumber available to you. Also as stated above " live edge slabs that wide do sell at a premium". Very good money can be asked for slabs half that width because of the cost of a bandsaw mill with a cut that wide. The primitive furniture maker in town knows of a BSM with a 24" capacity. I have a cutting capacity of 69" just in case. This bar has .063 groove.
Tony
I'll think on it. I'm going to have dad check to see if the neighbor will let him have it for sure. If I recall correctly, the Cannon & Granberg both come with bushings for the bar mount studs so just about any powerhead can be adapted right?

Is there a chart to figure how many drive-links are needs on the chain for that?

ETA, I also have a line on some white oak logs nearly this size that are coming out of a fence-line so I would cut high and hope for no metal. Plan for that wood is to cut it into smaller cants and run it on my buddies bandsaw mill to make the lumber for my hardwood floors. ETA2, I would only do that if I owned the bar & chain. I have more respect for other people's equipment than my own, which is the way it should be.

Unless you want live edge I would just mill off opposite sides slabs and the remaining wood would be something less than 40 inches (probably). What board dimensions do you want to end up with?
Flexible. My brother wants a table slab, I want some lumber to make hardwood flooring. I have other sources for that lumber though. I just don't want to see such a beautiful log go to firewood. It has a 9' long butt log that is pretty clear. It's solid at the butt and the tree was alive and healthy when it was cut down. Above the butt log it gets pretty knotty (lot of character). I'm thinking of sawing full length slabs (I didn't measure but I estimate 18' log length) and seeing what we get. If we get people that want the clean end only we can cut a slab in half but from my casual reading, if we plan to sell table slabs there is high demand for 13+' long slabs of this width.
 
I'll think on it. I'm going to have dad check to see if the neighbor will let him have it for sure. If I recall correctly, the Cannon & Granberg both come with bushings for the bar mount studs so just about any powerhead can be adapted right?

Is there a chart to figure how many drive-links are needs on the chain for that?


Flexible. My brother wants a table slab, I want some lumber to make hardwood flooring. I have other sources for that lumber though.
IIRC 213 dl's of 3/8 and it may be 196 of .404. I have had loops made by Madsen's which is where the bar came through, they know how many links for the bar. I have the adapter bits for Stihl 661 series of mounts. If I was making my own I'd use the right thickness of 6061 aluminum from my experience as a custom metal fabricator.
Another thought; that is a very tall tree. Dad's place had/has an oak 29" DBH x tall enough to figure @ about 700 bf. The length of your slices is only restricted by the length of the guide bar if you are using an Alaskan style mill. Or ability to move the guide under the stopped mill. If a big corporation wants a table for the board room!!! Just opening possible direction.
Stay safe and enjoy
 
If I was making my own I'd use the right thickness of 6061 aluminum from my experience as a custom metal fabricator.
Good idea, seems simple enough.

Another thought; that is a very tall tree. Dad's place had/has an oak 29" DBH x tall enough to figure @ about 700 bf. The length of your slices is only restricted by the length of the guide bar if you are using an Alaskan style mill. Or ability to move the guide under the stopped mill. If a big corporation wants a table for the board room!!! Just opening possible direction.
Stay safe and enjoy
I think we'll have to make a guide out of something heavy; may have some I-beams laying around. The good side of this is that the log is currently laying in the field right across from my parents driveway. It should be fairly easy to use dad's backhoe & skidsteer to move the log over into the ditch along the road and mill parallel to road, using forklift or skid-steer on the road to lift the slabs off and/or move the guide if we build it that heavy.

Dad is checking with the neighbor to see if they will let us mill it.
 
Good idea, seems simple enough.


I think we'll have to make a guide out of something heavy; may have some I-beams laying around. The good side of this is that the log is currently laying in the field right across from my parents driveway. It should be fairly easy to use dad's backhoe & skidsteer to move the log over into the ditch along the road and mill parallel to road, using forklift or skid-steer on the road to lift the slabs off and/or move the guide if we build it that heavy.

Dad is checking with the neighbor to see if they will let us mill it.
Take a long look into milling 101. The guide only needs to be stiff straight and parralel. Once it's fixed in place for the first cut, it is used to keep supplies like wedges used to keep the bar/chain from being pinched and a mallet to tap tham in on following slices. I use sections of extension ladder for my milling. Spaced between the rungs are the wedges, the I beam sides prevent my clumsiness from pushing them off the side. We each find our own best way.
Good luck, stay safe
 
There are videos on you tube of folks plunge cutting and packing in black powder and splitting logs. I guess it would not get you to super wide slabs to mill later but that is another way to approach the situation.
My buddy does this all the time. Plunge cut, powder and fuse and smack a wedge in. Makes quick work of the big ones.


Sent from my Moto E (4) using Tapatalk
 
I'll think on it. I'm going to have dad check to see if the neighbor will let him have it for sure. If I recall correctly, the Cannon & Granberg both come with bushings for the bar mount studs so just about any powerhead can be adapted right?

Is there a chart to figure how many drive-links are needs on the chain for that?

ETA, I also have a line on some white oak logs nearly this size that are coming out of a fence-line so I would cut high and hope for no metal. Plan for that wood is to cut it into smaller cants and run it on my buddies bandsaw mill to make the lumber for my hardwood floors. ETA2, I would only do that if I owned the bar & chain. I have more respect for other people's equipment than my own, which is the way it should be.


Flexible. My brother wants a table slab, I want some lumber to make hardwood flooring. I have other sources for that lumber though. I just don't want to see such a beautiful log go to firewood. It has a 9' long butt log that is pretty clear. It's solid at the butt and the tree was alive and healthy when it was cut down. Above the butt log it gets pretty knotty (lot of character). I'm thinking of sawing full length slabs (I didn't measure but I estimate 18' log length) and seeing what we get. If we get people that want the clean end only we can cut a slab in half but from my casual reading, if we plan to sell table slabs there is high demand for 13+' long slabs of this width.
A cheap metal detector from harbor freight works really well. We use one at the mill. Probably about $20 or $30. Well worth the investment. Chiseled out many bolts and nails thanks to that little bugger and saved many saw teeth.

Sent from my Moto E (4) using Tapatalk
 
My parent's neighbor had a 127 year old 56" DBH red oak cut down from their field. We have aerial pictures going back to the 50's, there was never any indication the tree was part of a fence-line. The neighbor is trying to find somebody with a saw large enough to cut it into firewood. I have other ideas. I ran Doyle calculations, over 1500 board feet in the log. I would like to mill it at least into slabs that can be resawn later.

I have a Dolkita 7900 (6401 with 7900 P&C) that I'm putting together and my dad has a Dolmar 7910. I would love to have a 72" double-ended bar to mill it but it's a budget breaker for 1-time use.

Would it be tacky to post up in the classifieds asking to use/rent one?


1/4 it with smaller bar then 1/4 saw it if you want flooring.

If you want slabs then?
 
I'd quarter it first them mill it up! There is a super simple way to quarter saw with a chainsaw mill. A 42" bar will do a 3' slab, and will be long enough to quarter the log if you cut from both sides. I have a drawing of the little jig setup I made somewhere I can dig it up if you'd like:)
 
I have the same problem. I have a 54" white oak and no way to mill it. If you were a little closer I'd split the cost of a double ended cannon with you!

I still have a dual powerhead milling bar from cannon. If you were closer I'd be willing to show up with my 50" & 60" superbars. Recent ( this last week) play with a 38" hickory IMG_20180413_183707.jpgmill safe and enjoy
 
I'd quarter it first them mill it up! There is a super simple way to quarter saw with a chainsaw mill. A 42" bar will do a 3' slab, and will be long enough to quarter the log if you cut from both sides. I have a drawing of the little jig setup I made somewhere I can dig it up if you'd like:)

Yes, please post it up. Thanks!
 
I still have a dual powerhead milling bar from cannon. If you were closer I'd be willing to show up with my 50" & 60" superbars. Recent ( this last week) play with a 38" hickory View attachment 647753mill safe and enjoy

Sweet set up! That would be cool. I've got half a mind to buy a beat up old 090 and get a 60" an go to town but I've got my heart set on trying to find a cs1201.
 
Some wide live edge oak slabs may recoup your bar investment pretty quickly. May be something to consider. If you just want standard lumber, maybe look into a local portable bandmill to come to you.

Sent from my Moto E (4) using Tapatalk
That's a good plan with hiring a portable mill, but most can't handle a log that wide. My guy can only go to 28" diameter.
Maybe you can hire a CSM mill dude to come slice 'er up for you and sell the lumber later to recoup some of the cost.
I am hiring a portable BSM guy to come cut some logs for me. Red Oak, Pine, Cedar and Poplar. It'll be about $400 he said.
Well worth the cost as Red Oak boards here go for crazy stupid prices and live edge Pine is not cheap either.
Red oak at lumber stores here are... 1"x6"x8'=$88 / 1"x6"x6'=$58
White Pine live-edge is ... 2"x24"x4'=$120
 

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