Sawmill set up for 6’ log

[paco_06]

Needing recommendations for sawing a live edge slab out of a 6ft diameter log. I’ll need everything but the saw.

This will be a one and done situation, so no need for heavy duty.


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[paco_06]

Dang! No one gave any experience with sawing a log this big? Alaskan sawmills?


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[link]

I'd suggest post your question here and you are likely to get more and better answers:
https://www.arboristsite.com/forums/milling-saw-mills.62/The guys in there are genuinely interested in your question, the guys in here are genuine interested in what you don't ask about.

 

[J D]

Some more details would be good... Type of wood, saw you have, size of the log, thickness of the slabs you want, do they need to have both edges as live, do you have access to machinery to assist moving things...
Pictures are good.
You're going to need a big saw (or 2), & the bar & chain won't be cheap

 

[paco_06]

I'd suggest post your question here and you are likely to get more and better answers:
https://www.arboristsite.com/forums/milling-saw-mills.62/The guys in there are genuinely interested in your question, the guys in here are genuine interested in what you don't ask about.

Well crap. I didn’t know I was in the wrong spot.

Thanks!


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[paco_06]

Some more details would be good... Type of wood, saw you have, size of the log, thickness of the slabs you want, do they need to have both edges as live, do you have access to machinery to assist moving things...
Pictures are good.
You're going to need a big saw (or 2), & the bar & chain won't be cheap

Yes it’s oak. I haven’t seen it, but I’m gonna assume white oak considering the size and the area. I am actually in the lumber business is why they contacted me. Come to find out, I know the family well and used to work with the guy.

They are just wanting to build a table. I’d guess 2” thick would be plenty. Maybe up to 3” thick.

Considering the size of the log, they should be able to build 20. Lol.

If it were me, I’d quarter the log with a chainsaw then saw it and build a table the conventional way with the lumber. As much trouble as that would be, that would still be the easiest.

Either way, the largest chainsaw mill I can find is for a 48” bar. I did see that forester offers a 72” bar. That should work. They have access to a 395xp , that should work although a 3120 would be better.


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[J D]

Pretty sure Granberg do a 72” mill frame. Bare in mind you will loose at least 6" of bar length to mounting etc. You could just drill the bar & make a wooden frame instead of buying one. Even as a 1 off I'd be reluctant to put a bar over 60” on a saw under 100cc... especially if it wasn't my saw.
I'd also suggest getting/making either a skip tooth or Granberg style chain & set something up to oil the bar/chain at the tip.

 

[BobL]

Yes it’s oak. I haven’t seen it, but I’m gonna assume white oak considering the size and the area. I am actually in the lumber business is why they contacted me. Come to find out, I know the family well and used to work with the guy.

Either way, the largest chainsaw mill I can find is for a 48” bar. I did see that forester offers a 72” bar. That should work. They have access to a 395xp , that should work although a 3120 would be better.

Most chainsaw mills can easily be extended to however long a bar you can get by getting longer mill rails.

Here's one of my mills with a 60" bar
To accomodate a longer bar I just have to replace the 3 Al sections shown by the arrows

At this size the mill is less of a problem than requiring HD lifting assistance of the slabs etc.

 

[Husky Man]

Granberg offers Alaskan Mill kits up to 84”, and double ended bars up to 96”, so “Off the Shelf” components are available (In Theory, anyway, I didn’t try to order any )

The 84” bar shows a milling capacity of 68”, and the 96” bar shows a milling capacity of 80”

The 84” bar should get you close to being able to mill the entire log, if you have the ability to roll the log, and mill again, from the “New Top” down again until the width of log is just too wide for the mill with it mounted to the 84” bar

remember when ordering either Mills or bars in the case of CSM, the lengths listed are the actual lengths of the bar or mill, NOT their milling capacity, you will need bars and mills longer than the diameter of the log you are milling

Doug

 

[paco_06]

Ok, thanks all! I’ll pass the info along. I goes I should invest in something like this, but it’s very rare in our area to come across a log that’s too big for my mill. Honestly, I think they’re about to bite off more than they want to chew. Lol


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[BlackCoffin]

I built this, you can swap the center pieces out for different width bars. Adjustable rods in the middle to prevent sag. This setup is 17’ long and 4’ wide.

 

[BlackCoffin]

Put it to use yesterday afternoon. Setup a somewhat hokey first cut to get the butt swell out of the log and level it out for the next “first cut”. The hokey setup was real solid and worked so no complaints there. After I cut the swell out I got the big guide rails out. The setup worked really well and was solid. No vibration or sagging, very happy with it. Next weekend I plan on milling the log up, or at least get started pulling some slabs off it.

 

[J D]

Strip the bark if you can, it'll save you some sharpening

 

[BlackCoffin]

Yeah bark sucks, especially soft woods

 

[BobL]

Don't be afraid to slit the log rails well down into the log.
This is what I do to get extra stability.

I lay the rails on top of the log and mark out where the all thread rods cross the log.
Then remove the rails and use a CS to cut slots across the log.