Cheap saws and free wood - does it get any better?

[Nikko]

Had a fun day with some walnut on Sunday. I've been piecing this 2100 together over the course of the last few months and on Sunday it ran hard all day without a hiccup.

This was the remains of a walnut brought down in the wind. mostly good for turning blanks, but there was one piece worthy of milling:

So we set up the rails and popped the top off the log to see what we had:

Obviously worth slabbing, so we carried on:

Some were commenting in a different thread on the new muffler mod. For this application, it's absolutely perfect. no smoke whatsoever in the face, made a HUGE difference to how we felt and the saw has a much bigger mid-range tourque band now.

Almost the last cut:

and we called it a day:

The woods all stickered and drying and the saw's all ready to go for next time. It was a great day!

Saws in order: 444 (1 of 2 saws bought for $50), 357 ($60 auction special), 285 (free saw, now with 2100 cylinder and piston), 272 (free, with a scrounged 268 bottom end and case, now has new cylinder and piston), 2100 (bought cheap and put back together), 154 (2 of 2 saws bought for $50)

Nikko

 

[Narwhale]

Nikko,
No, it doesn't get much better, does it?
Glad to hear your "new" saw worked out good, sure makes a big difference.
I am jealous of the wlanut turning blanks though. If shipping was cheaper, would offer a trade of pecan turning blanks for walnut.
Rich S.

 

[country boy]

very nice i can see why you muffler modded your saw the way you did great pics.

 

[BlueRider]

nice $lab$

Nice looking slabs. Very diferent from what we have in California. Claro walnut usualy has close to 3" of sapwood.

 

[BobL]

Nice pics and real nice timber Nikko.

I really like the group shot at the end .

The pics that bother me slightly are:
- more than one guy within reach of the mill/saw. If you need more than one person to push the mill thru the log something is not set up right. Maybe it's just me but I won't let anyone within 6 ft of me when I'm milling, especially on the outboard side with the excess bar hanging out there in the breeze. Good to see you're all PPE'd up though.
- milling on yer knees - ouwch - I guess it's good use of excess energy for all you young'uns. How else are you going to get old and crotchedy like us!

 

[user 19670]

Nice wood

Hi

Nice eye-catching grain on that wood isn't it?
Sure like that last pic with the group. Would look real good on an ArboristSite.com calender wouldn't it?

<Hmm>calender</Hmm>

 

[zopi]

MMMMMM....Walnut.

me likey!

 

[Nikko]

The pics that bother me slightly are:
- more than one guy within reach of the mill/saw. If you need more than one person to push the mill thru the log something is not set up right. Maybe it's just me but I won't let anyone within 6 ft of me when I'm milling, especially on the outboard side with the excess bar hanging out there in the breeze.
<snipped>

Hi Bob, thanks for the comments, and you're right - the outboard side can be dangerous.

It's hard to tell with the pictures I chose, but the guy driving the throttle is the guy driving the mill, always has been, always will be. The other guy helps start the cut, adjusts the flow of the oiler and pops wedges into the kerf as we go. The fellow in the ribbed sweater has never milled before so we were stopping and starting the cut while I explained what he needs to watch for when he's doing his own cut (which as you can see in the pics, he did). I'm not sure what we were doing when that one picture was taken, but I assure you - all of us have to go back to our day jobs so we're pretty careful with our appendages. I do appreciate the extra eyes though - never can be too safe.

Bluerider - I have no idea what kind of walnut this is. We do have some black walnut around the area, but very very little. this is far too light for that and I think it's an English walnut. The tree was part of a windbreak that was planted at a local university years ago. They have a pretty big botany department and have some pretty interesting trees so who knows what this stuff is.

But it was free, and it'll make for some nice raised panels or ???

Nikko

 

[stonykill]

cheap saws and free wood. Thats my milling and burning life right there.

Less than $300 in 6 saws, 2 of them 82cc's

I never pay for a log or firewood.

If I took into consideration all the free saws I have sold for parts or fixed up (usually just a gas filter) and sold, my saws cost me less than zero $

speaking of free wood and cheap saws, I just sold 4 items that I made with free logs that I milled with my cheap saws. Pays the bills for the next month and a 1/2. :jawdrop:

Of course my bills are smaller than most of yours, but still, life is good!

 

[RandyinLangley]

Nikko,
No, it doesn't get much better, does it?
Glad to hear your "new" saw worked out good, sure makes a big difference.
I am jealous of the wlanut turning blanks though. If shipping was cheaper, would offer a trade of pecan turning blanks for walnut.
Rich S.

Narwale,

Next time I head down to Austin I'll pack a blank in my suitcase and trade you for a Hickory blank.

Randy

 

[RandyinLangley]

Hi Bob, thanks for the comments, and you're right - the outboard side can be dangerous.

It's hard to tell with the pictures I chose, but the guy driving the throttle is the guy driving the mill, always has been, always will be. The other guy helps start the cut, adjusts the flow of the oiler and pops wedges into the kerf as we go. The fellow in the ribbed sweater has never milled before so we were stopping and starting the cut while I explained what he needs to watch for when he's doing his own cut (which as you can see in the pics, he did). I'm not sure what we were doing when that one picture was taken, but I assure you - all of us have to go back to our day jobs so we're pretty careful with our appendages. I do appreciate the extra eyes though - never can be too safe.

Bluerider - I have no idea what kind of walnut this is. We do have some black walnut around the area, but very very little. this is far too light for that and I think it's an English walnut. The tree was part of a windbreak that was planted at a local university years ago. They have a pretty big botany department and have some pretty interesting trees so who knows what this stuff is.

But it was free, and it'll make for some nice raised panels or ???

Nikko

Nikko, at that point where the three of us are at the log, we were swapping spots. You were running the throttle and I was oiling and wedging, at the point of that pic, David was moving over to the power side, you were moving over to the oiling side and I was just putting the wedges in and going to head over and start cutting all those beautiful walnut crotch pieces. :greenchainsaw:

 

[woodshop]

Very nice... good pics, good lookin' walnut there. I too like the group shot in the end, wish more folks did that. I'm usually alone milling. Thanks.

Yeah I agree with Bobl, nobody gets to come near my csm when I'm pushing that thing down the log. One slip and a leg/boot/sleeve/hand becomes part of your bd ft tally for the day.

You folks look like you had fun though, and took home some walnut worth $$$$, good show.

 

[BobL]

Thanks Nikko, I now understand what you were doing.

The safest way I have found of starting and finishing a cut and adjusting the oil flow without needing another person is to use a pair of rails that overhang the log at both ends.
- bolt rails onto log and place sawmill onto rails alongside start of cut.
- if needed, connect up and turn on chain water cooling
- start sawmill on rail (no walking/carrying around sawmill with a running engine)
- turn on, and if needed, adjust aux oil flow.
- slides sawmill on the rails straight into the log to start cut
- exiting cut, leave saw on rails running for 30 secs to cool down.
- meanwhile turn off oil and water.

With regards wedges, before I start I place a set of wedges on top of the log in between the rails, as I pass them I stop and put them in place. If the log is on a slope the sawmill can even continue downwards by itself while I place the wedges.