Milling with a 372xpw

[liberty]

This is my first post in along time. I moved north and picked up some land. I am in the process of bldg some trails an need to cross some low boggy areas. Don't worry it is not wetlands. My plan is to build a bridge out of three hemlock log stringers in the round about two foot apart. Then top it with a full 2" hemlock board that i would mill with my saw and a Granberg g777 mill. Total width 7'. I did some reading about the mill and it seems well liked. I woild use 2x4 for the first cut or a ladder I can take apart. What do you think of the bridge and the mill idea?

 

[SDB777]

It'll be good for the short term, but New England is very nice to timbers left untreated in the wild. I'd say it'd be safe for snowmobile or 4wheeler traffic for about three to five years....heavier vehicle, eh....I'll sit back and have a cold one while other people drive over it

Go thick to have a longer lifespan.



Scott (BTW, I grew up in Maine) B

 

[mdavlee]

Hemlock is pretty bug resistant but not sure on rot out in the open air.

 

[mt.stalker]

Hemlock lasts a very long time in the open air . It is one of , if not the longest lasting , natural wood species in the Northeast . Just don't foot it in concrete , it will rot quickly there . The Huge masts on the Revolutionary War ship Old Ironsides , were cut from local Hemlocks .

 

[Timberframed]

Great wood to work. No sap but watery the 3 I felled some years back. Wonder what the jenka hardness test is on a Hemlock knot?

 

[liberty]

I was looking at northern tool. They have the Granberg alaskan MkIII-24 on sale for 179. I plan on setting the stringers on flat rocks. The deck boards will be milled to 2" thick. Just not sure on the stringers if i should strip the bark or mill a square beam or leave as is and set in place. I never milled before but my guess is that my 372xpw(75cc)with a ripping chain should handle the hemlock easily.

 

[zwoehr]

Hemlock in contact with the ground will actually rot very quickly. If you can set it on some kind of footing you'll be better off. Your 372 should be able to mill it without too much trouble, but if you want to keep milling after you build the bridge start looking for a bigger saw that will not be as stressed. I'd mill the tops of the stringers flat at least. that will make it a lot easier to build a flat surface plus you'll get more bearing on for the deck boards.

 

[liberty]

My idea for the chainsaw mill has been put aside in favor of a small portable bandsaw mill, I presently have two hundred acres and just had the local power co take down some 24" diam oak trees. I would like to mill them into some nice useaable 3" slabs . I also did some further thinking and will need alot of lumber for some future building projects (chicken coop,barn lean-to). I have plenty of hemlock around that I could mill into all the lumber I would need. I was looking at the Woodland mill from Canada. They seem to have easily obtaianble parts and with the exchange rate at 30%in the US favor, the price is $2099 for their 22" mill. I looked at Hudson and their mill is $1000 more. What do you think?