Thinking of starting small

[John Paul Sanborn]

I haul a number of logs out of removals I do, do a little firewood.

Like most tree guys, I've morned some of the nice cherry and walnut I've tossed out over the years.

I own a 346 w/ 18 in narrow curf and a 385 w/ 30in bars.

What would be a good low cost mill to start playing around with.

Allso, do most of you plainsaw right through a log, or do you roll it to "box the heart"?

 

[manual]

Most people on this site will tell to use a bigger saw.
I say it's your saw do what you want. If you like to mill wood you will soon upgrade.

When you cut grade wood one would try to keep the knots to the outsides of the wood and keep the piff "heart" in the center of the "cant" you will always be turning your log looking for the best side. There is alot to learn about grade wood. you must learn how to use a grading stick. plus different grades for different species of wood. you must not have any piff in your grade wood.

 

[woodshop]

John Paul, your 385 with 30 inch bar is plenty of muscle for anything under 24 in dia on an Alaskan mill. I use a 395 on my mill, but also use an MS460 from time to time, which is around 75cc I think, and that works fine as long as I kept it sharp and take it easy down the log. Jump on Baileys and get yourself a 36" granberg (around $200) and a some ripping chain for your 30 inch bar, and you're in business. I too cringe when I see an 18" cherry or walnut log cut up in a pile or firewood. I understand the logistics of takedowns and removals, and know that often due to customer wanting it out of thier yard THAT DAY, thats the nature of the beast. It would be nice to save a few if you can though. I don't know you, but I bet you're biggest enemy will probably be time. Milling wood take time and effort. After a hard days work, you really have to want that wood to take the effort to slice it up. Good way to burn some calories though, and the icing on the cake is you get to go home with couple hundred bucks worth of hardwood that would otherwise just get burned or dumped in a landfill.

questions about milling?... just ask way

 

[dustytools]

I agree with woodshop. Your 385 should do you just fine. The alaskan 36 inch mill is a great mill.

 

[oldsaw]

I agree with woodshop. Your 385 should do you just fine. The alaskan 36 inch mill is a great mill.

+1

Mark

 

[Husky137]

Good advice so far. In addition to centering the "piff", you want pay attention to the pith when sawing for grade. Sawing for grade w/ a CSM can be done but is very time consuming in the beginning.

 

[manual]

Sorry about my spelling. as long as everybody can figure it out I'll get better.

Along with Grade wood cutting, There is also Dimensional and flat board.
If you want the Big bucks try quarter sawing.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

If you want the Big bucks try quarter sawing.

I'm not looking to do production sawing with my chainsaw, just maybe enough to do florboards for the new addition we want to put on.

QS American elm maybe?

Sounds like too much work, I'll stick with plainsawn for now.

 

[dustytools]

Plainsawn and drying properly should be just fine for floor boards, as well as for framing lumber. I have flatsawn all of the lumber required for building my 8x8 storage shed. Buying 2x4 and 2x6 material would have been a lot quicker but I wouldnt have gotten to play then.

 

[CaseyForrest]

Ill go along with everyone else, your 385 should be fine with a 36" mill. I have a GB mill, and no experience with an Alaskan, so Im not going to open that can of worms!!!

I do about 98% plain sawn. But I dont sell the boards either, everything I mill is for my own projects. And even if all you are doing is slabbing, you will have a few to 4 pieces that are quater sawn just because of the way it goes. Its not hard to turn a log into a cant, and then keep rolling the cant to get the desired grain pattern.

Good luck, I know if I hadnt found this site, Id never own a mill or anything bigger than a 50cc saw!!!

Milling is addictive. find a drug now!!!

 

[woodshop]

Allso, do most of you plainsaw right through a log, or do you roll it to "box the heart"?

I never "box the heart" on any log I mill. If I had a stationary larger capacity production bandmill, then on some logs yes I would. The point of boxing out the heart is that it usually contains crap wood, pith, lots of knots. But when I mill with my Ripsaw and csm, even the boards cut from the center of the log, the heart, usually have some good wood on either side of the center pith area. For small time milling a few logs here and there, taking the time to box out the center just isn't worth the extra time it takes. If I'm milling a cant from a log, I do mill to avoid the center of the cant having that center pith area if I can. but if it does contain some center wood, so be it. I can always rip/crosscut that part of the board out later. On a production bandmill, different story maybe.

 

[Full Skip]

I run a 385xp on a 36" Alaskan. A bigger saw may be nice, but the 385 will definitely do the job.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I was talking to someone on the phone about this thread the other day. Did not catch the name.

Sorry about the dropped call, that was the first time my internet phone (RoadRunner) crapped out on me w/o a big storm in the area. Though there was one moving in.

It sounded like th packets were getting mixed up, I'd hear myself echo several seconds after I spoke, sorta like early satcom.

 

[DDM]

John ? why not just get someone with a portable mill to come out and saw it for you?

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

John ? why not just get someone with a portable mill to come out and saw it for you?

Not enough there and cannot afford the rates they want around here.

I do enough Ulmus A. to be able to get myself a bunch of nice floorboards and be picky about it.

Then I could get them s2s near my home.