Need AS advise - newbie interested in milling a Black Walnut log

[asdf4240]

Here's my situation I have access to a very nice black walnut log which is about 20' long and the diameter goes from about 24" to +30" at the base. This section has one slight bend otherwise it's very straight with no branches. The tree was about 75-100 years old and was up rooted by an ice storm last October. So here's the deal, I just don't want to cut it up for firewood. So I'm considering the purchase of a chainsaw mill for my Stihl 066 and slabbing it up. I've read thru the most of stickies about milling so I think I have a good idea of what to expect, but here are some of my questions:

1) Comments on the Logosol Big Mill system? I really like the precision and how's its upgradeable.
2) Comments on slabbing verse saw edged boards?
3) I thought I could store the cut wood in the attic of my garage. Because it's out of the way and it heats up in the summer which would help with drying. Thoughts on this? Also how much do the slabs weigh, lifting it into the attic is the issue?
4) The Stihl 066 will not be dedicated as a mill saw. It's complete fresh rebuild using all OEM parts: bearings, P&C, gaskets, tune-up, etc... Any upgrades, HD oil pump?
5) Recommendation on bars? It seems like the minimum length is 36".

Finally, I don't really have a use for the wood but I was thinking of making a dining table or basic desk. Nothing fancy.

I take some pictures of the log this weekend and post them.

Thanks
Dave

 

[BlueRider]

Your log weighs somewhere in the neighborhood of 4500 lbs, subtract 300-400 lbs of sawdust and you will be looking at about 2 tons of weight in those rafters. Besides the weight the other issue is that you really don't want it in too hot of a space. Warm temps with good circulation and in the shade is a better idea.

Chain saw milling is the slowest dirtiest most inefficient way to mill lumber. Because of that I mill everything into 2 1/4" thick slabs and edge and cut into smaller pieces when dry with a skill saw. Its much faster with less waste.

An alaskan type mill is capable of making very precisely thicknessed and flat lumber. Even so it will warp and crack as it dries so precision is really not that big of an issue in milling.

Don't worry about a use for it. There is always a market for walnut and yoy will find a way to use it. have fun.

 

[Old Blue]

Doesn't sound like the rafter could hold it. I think you'd be much better off putting it in my garage.:msp_mellow: Good move not cutting it up for firewood, that would be a shame.

I really like walnut. It cuts and works really nice. You can do some nice joinery with it and it takes polyurethane beautifully. If I had that log I would make a case for my gun cleaning stuff and a couple of heirloom wall clocks with the old german movements for my kids.

After you mill it, you'll have plenty of time to get inspired how to use it. Post us some pics in the "what are you building with your milled wood" thread when your done.

Old Blue
Maximum taxation with no representation in...
Kali-bone-ya

 

[asdf4240]

Your log weighs somewhere in the neighborhood of 4500 lbs, subtract 300-400 lbs of sawdust and you will be looking at about 2 tons of weight in those rafters. Besides the weight the other issue is that you really don't want it in too hot of a space. Warm temps with good circulation and in the shade is a better idea.

Chain saw milling is the slowest dirtiest most inefficient way to mill lumber. Because of that I mill everything into 2 1/4" thick slabs and edge and cut into smaller pieces when dry with a skill saw. Its much faster with less waste.

An alaskan type mill is capable of making very precisely thicknessed and flat lumber. Even so it will warp and crack as it dries so precision is really not that big of an issue in milling.

Don't worry about a use for it. There is always a market for walnut and yoy will find a way to use it. have fun.

Old Blue & BlueRider -
Thanks. Some very helpful information here. It sound like the attics is out, which is okay. It just seemed like a nice out of the way place which can act like an oven in the summer.

I have looked at the alaskan/granberg type mills and like the idea of using an aluminium ladder for guide rails (because I already have one). It seems like the most important part of milling then is just even thickness slab?

I guess the big question is: is chain saw milling really worth the trouble? What am I looking at cost wise for an alaskan type mill, bar, and chains?

Thanks
Dave

 

[MHouse1028]

chainsaw milling is totally worth the effort it's much cheaper than a bandmill and with the right setup you can slab a log quickly..also you can make money off wide slabs and lumber..i'm a big fan of the alaskan mill and i think you'll find many others on here that are too..

 

[Talltom]

Two important questions for you:
1. Do you want slabs or lumber (or both). Slabbing mills are great for slabs, but not for lumber. They are a real slow way to cut thin boards and you can't quartersaw or cut plain sawn boards from all 4 faces very easily. You can cut slabs through & through and saw into boards later like BlueRider, but resawing is difficult if the slab doesn't stay flat. I prefer to cut boards when I cut the log - they're easier to handle & keep flat while drying. You would need a mini-mill or equivalent in addition to the slabbing mill for this.

2. Do you plan on milling after this log? The more you plan to mill, the more you should invest to get functionality and convenience.

CSM makes a lot of sense since you already have a good saw for it. It's not fast, but the actual milling is only a part of the total time & effort it takes to convert a log to usable lumber. Walnut is beautiful wood and well worth converting no matter how long it takes, but you might want to practice on a couple less valuable logs.

I personally like the Big Mill system. It cuts both slabs and lumber efficiently and ripping bar & chain is available up to 36". You can attach it to the log or build a mill base for a poor man's woodworkers mill and you can cut really big logs from both sides, almost doubling your effective bar length. It would only make sense if you plan on doing more milling, though, since it would probably be difficult to resell, and you could buy a lot of lumber for it's $700 price tag.