More Cedar Milling Pics

[coveredinsap]

The rain finally let up today enough to get some milling in.

Coming down the home stretch...only a few logs left. These cedar logs were all quartered by hand with splitting wedges and a sledge at the time the tree was dropped in order to move them.
(The saws are all running when they're sitting on or in a log in these photos...I stopped just long enough to fish the camera out of my jacket pocket.)

The little Husky 137 is being used freehand to trim and square up the logs for the chainsaw mill. Nice little saw.

Squared up and ready to go.

A shot of the worksite.

The cedar is to be used for a grape stake fence. The 2" slabs will be ripped to 2" wide pieces on a table saw, then ripped diagonally (also on a table saw) to get the triangular shaped grape stakes.

Finished a cut with the Husky 455 Rancher/Alaskan Small Log Mill.

Stopped in the middle of a cut for the photo. I'm using homemade teak wedges.

Stacked up. No stickers between these slabs, as I want them to stay moist (so they don't split when working with them). Once they're attached to the fence they can dry all they want.

The tarp is to keep the rain off, as it's been raining almost every day here for over a month now. I want them wet, not soaked

 

[coveredinsap]

Finished up milling the last of the cedar logs today.

Operator's POV. I was tempted to try and get a shot at full throttle with a rooster tail of chips...but decided it wasn't a good idea to play around.

The last few slabs.

The remains of the logpile. Nothing but scraps left now. You know, if I had some redwood logs I could do 4"x4" fence posts and 2"x4" cross pieces

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

Great pics, and well posted. I guess the next time someone posts a question about whether or not he can mill with a 50cc class saw, the answer will be "yes." Well done.

Jeff

 

[casey v]

Yes, 50cc class saws can mill. I did these maple boards with a 58cc Pioneer saw with a manual oiler as an experiment. The manual oiler sure gave my thumb a work out.

Mike

 

[coveredinsap]

Now, that saw's a classic. Nice looking wood....and rig.

 

[coveredinsap]

Fence Photo

And here's the finished result...a 60' cedar grapestake fence:

The cedar actually dried quite nicely....no warping, cracking, or splitting at all. The only 'damage' was due to some rats making a nest in the lumber as it sat drying under the tarp. That and just a little bit of mold in a few spots.

 

[rb_in_va]

Sap,
Good job! Nice looking fence you got there. It's cool to see the progression from round log to finished product.

 

[coveredinsap]

Scrap pile shot

And the required shot of the scrap pile left over after ripping the grapestakes. Hard to tell in the photo but that sawdust is about a foot deep. Lots of waste but that is to be expected when turning a tree into 2"x2"x6' triangular grapestake slats. (Yeah it was getting dark when I finished up and snapped the pics.)

 

[rb_in_va]

And now you have plenty of kindling for the winter, right?

 

[coveredinsap]

Sap,
Good job! Nice looking fence you got there. It's cool to see the progression from round log to finished product.

And now you have plenty of kindling for the winter, right?

Thanks for the kind words. Even though I had the neighbor sign off on the design, he was still surprised as hell to see the end result after wondering what the hell I was doing quartering and dragging off the cedar logs from where they fell in his yard. (The bad part being that now that he's seen his new grapestake fence, he wants a matching gate.)


RE: 'kindling':

LOL! Unfortunately I don't have any room for it right at the moment, so it goes out on the street with a 'FREE FIREWOOD/KINDLING' sign. That's what happened to the remnants of the last scrap pile and it was largely gone within 30 minutes of the sign going up.

 

[l2edneck]

Those pics make me want to buy 1!!!!!

Wifes on board just need to check around.what set up u usin?

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

Good work, Sap.

Howcome you don't use that big Remmington you got running? Get at 20" bar to fit your mini-mill and it should scream through a log.

Could you post a closer pic of the fence so we can see the stakes better?

 

[coveredinsap]

Good work, Sap.

Howcome you don't use that big Remmington you got running? Get at 20" bar to fit your mini-mill and it should scream through a log.

Could you post a closer pic of the fence so we can see the stakes better?

Sure, no problem....I wanted to take a few more anyways with decent light

Unfortunately for the Remington, I'm done with the milling for the moment. I think it's original 24" bar would work fine though, as that's what I used on the 455....a 24" bar.

(By the way, no jigs were used....all done freehand for the 'random rustic' look.)

 

[coveredinsap]

 

[SWE#Kipp]

Nice looking fence !!
Good job

/Kristoffer

 

[CaseyForrest]

Nice looking fence Sap, excellent job!

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

Good lookin' fence.

Wacha waitin' fer? There's always some millin' to be done somewheres.

 

[carvinmark]

Nice fence job.

 

[coveredinsap]

Thanks. Yeah, it didn't turn out too bad. Not quite sure whether it was worth it though once you figure the labor involved. It probably works out (at best) as a wash compared to just buying the materials for a regular fence. There is satisfaction in using the tree though as opposed to just burning it. Plus you have a good excuse to buy saws and other equipment.

Wifes on board just need to check around.what set up u usin?

Sorry I missed this earlier. The rig I used was not exactly recommended by the 'pros' ....and I would only recommend it on softwoods under 20" or so. The saw is a Husqvarna 455 Rancher and the mill a Granberg International Small Log Mill.

 

[sawinredneck]

Thanks. Yeah, it didn't turn out too bad. Not quite sure whether it was worth it though once you figure the labor involved. It probably works out (at best) as a wash compared to just buying the materials for a regular fence. There is satisfaction in using the tree though as opposed to just burning it. Plus you have a good excuse to buy saws and other equipment.QUOTE]


Very nicely done SAP, I am impressed
And yes, it was worth it, you cannot buy lumber like that now days, at least not that straight and clean!!! Well done
Andy