Smokin / Milling Trees Lined Up

[thewoodlands]

Just some pictures of some pine that I want to mill with the 660 Stihl with the Granberg MK-III Alaskan Chainsaw Mill 36 inch, the 660 will be picked up Friday and the mill with the ez rails should be about one week at the most.



Zap

 

[smokinj]

What size are you thinking.

 

[thewoodlands]

What size are you thinking.

Are you talking length or width?



Zap

 

[smokinj]

What size are you thinking.

Are you talking length or width?



Zap

more width and thickness?

 

[thewoodlands]

What size are you thinking.

Are you talking length or width?



Zap

more with and thickness?

What thickness would you mill it for boards for the outside of a shed or little cabin?


Zap

 

[golfandwoodnut]

zap, I would think on the outside an inch would be good. That is if you are doing siding. A log cabin would be a whole different thing.

 

[thewoodlands]

zap, I would think on the outside an inch would be good. That is if you are doing siding. A log cabin would be a whole different thing.

If you mill it one inch thick how much do you lose when it drys?


Zap

 

[thewoodlands]

What size are you thinking.

Smokin, I ordered this used off of Amazon so I have some sort of idea what I'm doing.


"Chainsaw Lumbermaking"
Will Malloff; Hardcover




Zap

 

[thewoodlands]

zap, I would think on the outside an inch would be good. That is if you are doing siding. A log cabin would be a whole different thing.

GolfandWoodnut, did you do anymore cherry?




Zap

 

[Thistle]

What size are you thinking.

Smokin, I ordered this used off of Amazon so I have some sort of idea what I'm doing.


"Chainsaw Lumbermaking"
Will Malloff; Hardcover




Zap

Excellent book.Been out of print for over 20 yrs now.I grabbed my copy off the clearance table at Woodsmith Store for $10 back in late 1992.Go back to it still,so much useful info & time/labor/money saving tips its worth its weight in gold.

Zap,softwoods such as most pines & douglas fir etc have less shrinkage & dry more evenly than most hardwoods.As a general rule,most lumber rough sawed to 1" or 1 1/16" allows enough for shrinkage/any slight cupping or warping for the boards to be planed to 13/16 or 7/8 thickness.Most all siding is left rough sawn on cabins etc though,depending on personal preference. Dont forget the ripping chain! Skip tooth,ground at 10-15 degrees instead of 30 for standard crosscut chain.

 

[thewoodlands]

What size are you thinking.

Thistle I will need it, what type of ripping chain do you use? I think the shop I'm getting the 660 from carries Carleton ripping chains.



Zap

 

[Thistle]

When I started in 1993,local shop where I bought the saw,2 bars etc did the mods to the chain for me.That was pre-internet,I had a Granberg brochure with phone number,their price then was more that local shop charged for chain ground to the exact same specs.Bought the mill from long since closed mail order woodworking retailer near Boston MA.Northern Tool wasnt even started up then that I know of,they didnt open a store here until 3-4 yrs later if memory serves.

 

[smokinj]

What size are you thinking.

Smokin, I ordered this used off of Amazon so I have some sort of idea what I'm doing.


"Chainsaw Lumbermaking"
Will Malloff; Hardcover




Zap

OH CRAP HOW MUCH? That is the HOLLY GRAIL! (Hard cover too!) Woot Woooot....Only thing left is trigger time he really takes everthing into acount! That is the file I sent you but was to big for your email.

 

[thewoodlands]

What size are you thinking
"Chainsaw Lumbermaking"
Will Malloff; Hardcover




Zap

OH CRAP HOW MUCH? That is the HOLLY GRAIL! (Hard cover too!) Woot Woooot....Only thing left is trigger time he really takes everthing into acount! That is the file I sent you but was to big for your email.

The total was $89.99.

Zap

 

[smokinj]

What size are you thinking
"Chainsaw Lumbermaking"
Will Malloff; Hardcover




Zap

OH CRAP HOW MUCH? That is the HOLLY GRAIL! (Hard cover too!) Woot Woooot....Only thing left is trigger time he really takes everthing into acount! That is the file I sent you but was to big for your email.

The total was $89.99.

Zap

Not Bad...They are a collector item now, might put that on the fireplace manual.....I have heard of them going for 200.00 mint.

I have the pdf file if you have a bigger email account. Save the hard back book!

 

[smokinj]

zap, I would think on the outside an inch would be good. That is if you are doing siding. A log cabin would be a whole different thing.

If you mill it one inch thick how much do you lose when it drys?


Zap

Your dont going to lose any, but can get twisting and cupping. This all comes down to what your making to how straight it really needs to be. Furniture needs a lot more care but siding I would put it up right away.

 

[smokinj]

Oh I hope you have a nice set-up for sharpening! You will need to master that! Rakers need to progressively be filed more as the chain gets older. You can always tell by the surface of your boards. Mastering this is a must.

 

[Thistle]

Yup. First log I milled yrs ago was a very large standing dead 1-2 yrs Red Elm.After getting through the first slab then 2 planks I thought "What have I gotten myself into?" Then realized that its not as easy as it sounds,just takes patience,lots of effort,sharp chains & a strong back lol.The learning curve is pretty rapid I found out however.Keep those rakers knocked down a bit,otherwise its even more work & wear on the saw engine.

 

[smokinj]

Yup. First log I milled yrs ago was a very large standing dead 1-2 yrs Red Elm.After getting through the first slab then 2 planks I thought "What have I gotten myself into?" Then realized that its not as easy as it sounds,just takes patience,lots of effort,sharp chains & a strong back lol.The learning curve is pretty rapid I found out however.Keep those rakers knocked down a bit,otherwise its even more work & wear on the saw engine.

lol That really some it up...Funny when people on here say you dont know how to sharpen chains....1000 drive links at a time is pretty normal unless a costumer brings in several loops.

I got 2 milk crates full of files form the gf's dad! Awesome score.

 

[thewoodlands]

Yup. First log I milled yrs ago was a very large standing dead 1-2 yrs Red Elm.After getting through the first slab then 2 planks I thought "What have I gotten myself into?" Then realized that its not as easy as it sounds,just takes patience,lots of effort,sharp chains & a strong back lol.The learning curve is pretty rapid I found out however.Keep those rakers knocked down a bit,otherwise its even more work & wear on the saw engine.

lol That really some it up...Funny when people on here say you dont know how to sharpen chains....1000 drive links at a time is pretty normal unless a costumer brings in several loops.

I got 2 milk crates full of files form the gf's dad! Awesome score.

Milling white pine how often will you need sharpening and the rakers taken down?



Zap

 

[Thistle]

Never milled any white pine or fir,teeth would last a lot longer between filings though.I did mill a salvaged 13" x 6' butt end of 40' 80yr old western red cedar telephone pole that Qwest left for me in backyard in 2009.That stuff worked so easily,if memory serves it wasnt over 2 minutes tops to go through each pass.Most will say its a good idea to sharpen the teeth after every plank you cut - with wide dense hardwoods like white oak,hickory or honey/black locust.You'll know how the saw pulls down,finer sawdust & other factors.Your ears (even with hearing protection) and back/arm muscles will tell you a lot.

Next time I get the chance at some decent Pine,Fir,or Spruce around here I'll grab it.

 

[smokinj]

Never milled any white pine or fir,teeth would last a lot longer between filings though.I did mill a salvaged 13" x 6' butt end of 40' 80yr old western red cedar telephone pole that Qwest left for me in backyard in 2009.That stuff worked so easily,if memory serves it wasnt over 2 minutes tops to go through each pass.Most will say its a good idea to sharpen the teeth after every plank you cut - with wide dense hardwoods like white oak,hickory or honey/black locust.You'll know how the saw pulls down,finer sawdust & other factors.Your ears (even with hearing protection) and back/arm muscles will tell you a lot.

Next time I get the chance at some decent Pine,Fir,or Spruce around here I'll grab it.

Yea it does not take long to figure out its time to sharpen....LOL Its a pain but well worth it...Like watching paint dry. Makes cross cutting seem like childs pay.lol

 

[golfandwoodnut]

As far as shrinkage this is what Rody told me in a thread:4/4 we take stock cut an inch and 1/8 green,dry it and surface to 15/16 .your stock,if cut too 2 inch with a little over thickness,can be planed to 1 and 13 /16 ths which is standard dry surfaced thickness for 8/4 (2 inch ) lumber

I have been getting 2 to 3 cuts per sharpening. I am sure my sharpening could be improved. The 660 can fly though, I was pretty impressed how it pulled its way along. I was amazed how much fuel you can use. I used about a gallon on 4 boards. Keep the chain oiled, I squirt some on the tip every couple of feet and move two wedges close to the action to keep the pressure off the bar.

 

[smokinj]

As far as shrinkage this is what Rody told me in a thread:4/4 we take stock cut an inch and 1/8 green,dry it and surface to 15/16 .your stock,if cut too 2 inch with a little over thickness,can be planed to 1 and 13 /16 ths which is standard dry surfaced thickness for 8/4 (2 inch ) lumber

I have been getting 2 to 3 cuts per sharpening. I am sure my sharpening could be improved. The 660 can fly though, I was pretty impressed how it pulled its way along. I was amazed how much fuel you can use. I used about a gallon on 4 boards. Keep the chain oiled, I squirt some on the tip every couple of feet and move two wedges close to the action to keep the pressure off the bar.

LOL Gallon of fuel is like a shot glass! 880 on 20 inch and smaller does pretty well, but half season black walnut is 2 tanks of fuel per board! 88 oz Puts a fuel mileage pretty close.

 

[golfandwoodnut]

As far as shrinkage this is what Rody told me in a thread:4/4 we take stock cut an inch and 1/8 green,dry it and surface to 15/16 .your stock,if cut too 2 inch with a little over thickness,can be planed to 1 and 13 /16 ths which is standard dry surfaced thickness for 8/4 (2 inch ) lumber

I have been getting 2 to 3 cuts per sharpening. I am sure my sharpening could be improved. The 660 can fly though, I was pretty impressed how it pulled its way along. I was amazed how much fuel you can use. I used about a gallon on 4 boards. Keep the chain oiled, I squirt some on the tip every couple of feet and move two wedges close to the action to keep the pressure off the bar.

LOL Gallon of fuel is like a shot glass! 880 on 20 inch and smaller does pretty well, but half season black walnut is 2 tanks of fuel per board! 88 oz Puts a fuel mileage pretty close.

I am sure the wider the board the more fuel you use. How is Oak for milling? I have alot of white oak to do. It seems to go pretty quickly to cut the cherry(zap still doing some cherry), but after each board 1/2 a tank is gone, and it is a big tank.