milled a pecan log today, here's how I do it......

[chuckwood]

I chainsaw milled a pecan log this afternoon, and my rail system is a bit different. I'm attaching pics in the order of the procedures done. I take a level and establish the top of my cant and mark a line. Then I cut the line 1 1/2 inches deep with a circular saw, and then cut down from the top with a chainsaw, all the way down to the cut I made with the circular saw. The piece of wood falls out, leaving an inch and one half level notch on the top of the log. I do the same procedure at the other end. You can use a cordless circular saw for that first cut, but I usually bring a small generator and a regular saw. Then I get my drill, a torx bit driver, some 3 inch long torx head self drilling deck screws, and a couple pieces of 2x4 cut 13 inches long. I fasten these short pieces of 2x4 onto the ends of the log, they will hold up my 2x4 rails, which I'll fasten on next using my drill powered bit driver. Now my top rail has been established. I use a granberg small mill to cut that first slab off the top. Then I screw on my rail guide for the granberg mini-mill which I use for slabbing off the sides of the cant. So now I have a three sided square cant. Next I use the granberg small mill for cutting my boards. The small mill works fine for the 12 inch to 15 inch cants I usually have. My next project will be a large oak trunk that I have ready for milling. But for that, I'll be using a 36 inch Alaskan mill with a Stihl 076. For the pecan log today, I cut the boards with a Husky 288xp. For the mini-mill that cuts the slabs off the sides of the cant, using the guide rail, I use a Husky L77 or L65 with a 20 inch bar - that's enough power for doing that. I have a different saw for each mill so I don't have to go back and forth swapping mills on the same saw. I've never used one of those metal track systems for that first cut off the top of the cant, I've found 2x4's and deck screws to be all I need and less expensive. On a long log, where the 2x4's can start sagging, all you need to do is cut a few slots on the top of the log, and carefully screw in some pieces of 2x4 - fasten them onto your rail, and then you have more support. you just have to make sure that those screws don't go down deep enough to make contact with your chain when it comes through. The other option is to get some extremely long screws, six inches maybe, and run them horizontally through the side of your 2x4 rail and into the top of the log. That will help keep your rail straight and level.

 

[mdavlee]

Good idea. I may have to try that for big logs.

 

[abbott295]

Home-made cant hook in those first couple pictures at the near end of the log? I like it.

 

[chuckwood]

Home-made cant hook in those first couple pictures at the near end of the log? I like it.

yeah, that was one of my first welding projects from a long time ago. The handle is a piece of heavy galvanized pipe. The hook is made from pieces of scrap. It don't look too fancy, but it works......

 

[mdavlee]

I've been using a mini mill to make a flat and then roll the log over and use the mill then. That might be easier to do that a ladder or trying to get a 2x12 or something like that on top.

 

[chuckwood]

I've been using a mini mill to make a flat and then roll the log over and use the mill then. That might be easier to do that a ladder or trying to get a 2x12 or something like that on top.

I'm usually not able to roll mine because I have them up off the ground maybe a couple feet or so. Too much bending over while pushing the mill gives my old back some serious aches. I can get them up in the air by bolting a heavy piece of angle iron onto an end and then jacking them up with automotive type floor jacks on each end. Then I place a 3 foot long section of old tree trunk under each end, with a saddle cut into the side of the round so that when the log sets down on the round, it can't roll on me. Well, you can see how I did that in the pic. With this pecan I just milled, no jacking was involved. When I bucked the top section, I cut it so that the trunk remained level. With the stump end, I was lucky and the tree didn't jump off the stump. So all I had to do was slide the supports under the log and start milling. When I go milling in the woods, I use a kubota tractor and a narrow "milling trailer" I made out of an old boat trailer - that's for hauling the long stuff and the finished boards. All the other gear goes in another rig that I pull behind an ATV. Then again, I'm doing all this in the woods behind my house. If I had to travel on the highway to get to my milling site, my methods probably would change a bit.

 

[mdavlee]

Yeah I'm milling some at home but a lot is going to be in the woods away from everything but a side by side or tractor.