A little millin'....

[aggiewoodbutchr]

I had a little fun today.

Started on a Sweetgum to get 2x8x15's for an upcoming barn project.

Dad showed up and we tackled the little pecan log we started at the GTG.

*LINK* http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=59563&page=5

(milling pictures and videos are dispersed throughout the thread starting at post 161)

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

More pics...

64" wide

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

one more...

The lines you see are not chainsaw marks but quilted grain.

These are going to be awesome when oiled and polished.

 

[deeker]

Looking great as usual!!! Keep posting!!! Oh GO BYU!!!!!

How hard is sweetgum wood????

Kevin Davis

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

Looking great as usual!!! Keep posting!!! Oh GO BYU!!!!!

How hard is sweetgum wood????

Kevin Davis

Pretty soft. It's technically a hardwood but it has about the same structural value as Douglas fir / larch. It mills very easy, easier than pine in fact. I'll finish this log without the need to change or sharpen the chain.

I made some more progress on it after Dad left.

Making an 8" cant.

8" cant on edge with rails to start 2" cuts.

More milling and pics tomorrow....


Oh yea, beat the hell out of BYU! WHOOP!!!

 

[BobL]

Nice pics Aggie! I can never see too much of your milling adventures.

I have an interesting sweet gum to tackle next week end if I can get over this flu bug which kept me away from milling this weekend.

Cheers

 

[wdchuck]

Making ones own lumber is satisfying, that's for sure.
What will you be using to fasten the sweetgum, is it nailable?

 

[Dai Sensei]

Fantastic Aggie

Wish I had as much room as you, and logs to mill, I'm so jealous

 

[carvinmark]

I like your log pile, lumber pile and mill. Great pics!

 

[zopi]

Sweetgum mills nice..warps easy tho...and it can be a pure ##### to split for the fireplace.

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

Making ones own lumber is satisfying, that's for sure.
What will you be using to fasten the sweetgum, is it nailable?

I'll be making trusses with these and some other SG lumber I have. I'm not sure how well it will take framing nails but I intend to use staples and PL adhesive to attach the gussets.

Sweetgum mills nice..warps easy tho...and it can be a pure ##### to split for the fireplace.

That ain't no joke! I grab the chainsaw for that chore. It's amazing how little it leaves behind though. I burnt a pile of cants and cookies from the GTG that was 90% SG. All together the pile would have filled a bobtail dump truck but I could have put the ash in 2 or 3 five gallon buckets.

 

[Nikko]

nice! And I DO like the way you set up at a comfortable working height - makes all the difference. 'course - the tractor's kinda handy too

Curious what angle(s) you sharpen your chains? With the Beech we milled yesterday I was progressing at about an inch every 2 or 3 seconds, and the chain was done after four 30" slabs (100" long). We got a nice smooth finish, and the chains made nice dust, but I was a bit surprised with how fast they lost their edge. Mind you - it WAS beech The second chain lasted 6 slabs, but the slabs were getting progressively narrower.

Chains were ground to 5° on the top plate with a 10° undercut and 10° tilt on the table.

Nikko

 

[retoid]

Beautiful! And very inspiring.

 

[Trigger-Time]

Sir, my hat is off to you........very, very nice!

 

[dustytools]

Cool pics Aggie! Man, those wide boards are awesome.

 

[woodshop]

one more...

The lines you see are not chainsaw marks but quilted grain.

These are going to be awesome when oiled and polished.

Understatement aggie... beautiful mix of grain patterns in that last slab, there is a lot going on there at once. Unique piece there. Great pics, thanks for posting. As usual I evny the room you have there.

 

[big daddio]

great millin' job there aggie. i know that pecans hard. you always make Texas big there bud.:greenchainsaw:

 

[tomtrees58]

nice Tye raps on trigger Ido that all the time tom trees

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

nice! And I DO like the way you set up at a comfortable working height - makes all the difference. 'course - the tractor's kinda handy too

Curious what angle(s) you sharpen your chains? With the Beech we milled yesterday I was progressing at about an inch every 2 or 3 seconds, and the chain was done after four 30" slabs (100" long). We got a nice smooth finish, and the chains made nice dust, but I was a bit surprised with how fast they lost their edge. Mind you - it WAS beech The second chain lasted 6 slabs, but the slabs were getting progressively narrower.

Chains were ground to 5° on the top plate with a 10° undercut and 10° tilt on the table.

Nikko

It seems you may be measuring your angles different from what my grinder reads. The numbers I use on pecan are 10 deg top plate angle, 55 deg top plate cutting angle and 10 deg tilt. I have found that 5 deg top plate angle will produce a smoother cut but I prefer faster cut speed. When I flatten these slabs I lose quite a bit off each side so smooth cuts are pointless in my case.

I wish I could get that many cuts on this stuff. I make one cut per chain and change it. I tried a second cut once and it took nearly twice as long. This is why I modified my mill so I can change the chains without taking anything off.

 

[Matildasmate]

Hi Aggie very nice mate , so do ya reckon you can mail me some of your little milling peices! as usual wonderful stuff mate , some great shots , you have some nice looking logs there mate . Cheers MM