Milling some Red Alder

[smithie55]

15in X 16in X 10'

 

[woodshop]

Nice pics also smithie. I know alder is a hardwood, but is it difficult to mill or is it light like poplar. Looks like it has a nice reddish color to it, or is that just oxidation once its cut. I cut up a sweetgum tree once, and the wood was white as snow for about an hour, then it started turning reddish brown.

I like that smaller mill you have for cutting slabs off the sides of the log. If I had one of them, I wouldn't have to turn my log several times to mill 3 sides. Just can't seem to justify it though... as then I'd want to dedicate yet another big saw to just that mill once I had it set up. (I'm kinda lazy that way, don't like setting up and tearing down, would want to keep the saw on the mill).

 

[Husky137]

The mini mill definitely speeds up chainsaw milling, but you are correct, the desire to have another saw dedicated to that rig is definitely a real possibility. Nice pics, never seen alder.

 

[Adkpk]

Nice pics. Real clean looking milling going on there.
I go back and forth with the mini mill, alaskan, and the small log mill. I never even thought to use another saw. Hmmmm. Something else I can go spend money on.
Smithie what do use to do the first cut with? I see it there in the background.

 

[smithie55]

[[WOODSHOP]] I know alder is a hardwood, but is it difficult to mill or is it light like poplar

Here in the NW it is a semi-hardwood, I assume because our weather is very mild in comparison to what the mid-west and the east have.
I've never sawn poplar I suspect it is very similar it is a fairly heavy wood but not extremely dense. Alder is easy to saw. It finishes out real pretty.

[[ADRPK]] Smithie what do use to do the first cut with? I see it there in the background

I use the 36" Alaskan with MS650 attached (which does a good job in the softer woods we have here)

[[HUSKY137]]The mini mill definitely speeds up chainsaw milling

I can actually cut faster with the mini-mill then with alaskan, however if I push it to fast it will cut crooked where the alaskan is more stable.

I have the 440 attached to the mini-mill. I bought the saw off ebay and got a good enough deal. It sure makes it nice to not have to rig up between the 2 different mills. I, like several of you others don't have the mechanical means to move logs. So with my faithful 54" peavey and the 2 mills I can get with the program. After seeing what woodshop has for a setup I have been very motivated to get to that point. That alder that I was mill was at the home of a guy that I work with. He and his son were really impressed how nice the boards were that we cut.
I would like to add the small log mill to the arsenol. and the ripsaw and a resaw and........................................................the list goes on.
I would like to eventually make some money doing this to suppliment or rather pay for the addiction.
I also want to add a chainsaw cable winch, they are absolutely worth their weight in gold, and put a 360 361 on it.
I pulled a 20'X30" Douglas Fir log using a snatch block. Blew me away at the pulling power.
I'll post some pics of the boards after they have dried some. They are starting to turn a really nice deep reddish color.
Happy milling ya'll

 

[casey v]

Hey Smithie,

I milled some red alder recently. Nice wood to work with. The logs I milled were only 9-10" in dia. so I milled them through and through. The board with the pith in it split badly up the pith after a few weeks of drying.:bang: Do you find this as well?

Mike

 

[woodshop]

Hey Smithie,

I milled some red alder recently. Nice wood to work with. The logs I milled were only 9-10" in dia. so I milled them through and through. The board with the pith in it split badly up the pith after a few weeks of drying.:bang: Do you find this as well?

Mike

Casey I find the center board, and often one or more on each side of it in many species I mill, hardwood and softwood, are often low grade or trash boards. Nature of the beast. That's why some folks box out the middle of the cant.

 

[casey v]

Thanks Woodshop,

I think in the future, I will rip those boards done the centre and end up with two narrower boards than one checked/split wide board.

Mike