# Finally started on some of my stash!



## Nato (Mar 16, 2014)




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## huskyhank (Mar 16, 2014)

Oh so nice!


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## cityslicker (Mar 16, 2014)

Cool place, great equipment, and beautiful wood- Awesome!!! Did everything go well?


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## Dave Boyt (Mar 17, 2014)

That's going to make some woodworker very happy! I love those big slabs!


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## Nato (Mar 17, 2014)

Anyday milling (even with a csm) is a good day for me! My only problem was with my little temp sensor that I have mounted on the saw was acting up. I thought I fixed it from the following week but no. It's brand new too. I have another one on my other saw and it has worked great. I'm very lucky to have a great friend that lets me do as I please on his property. I felt bad last week with the ground thawing, I really made a mess of my access road back to the laydown yard. Hopefully when and if a couple of those slabs sell I will be able make it right with him. Money and beer always cheers both us up!


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## Nato (Mar 17, 2014)

A couple more...


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## Greenland South (Mar 17, 2014)

It will be anther 4 weeks before I can get my logosol off the deck and into the woods. You guys that post those great photos of snowless terrain, sometimes make me a bit jealous. Can hardly wait to get back out their without having to wear snowshoes.


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## Daninvan (Mar 18, 2014)

Hey snow milling is OK too, although I didn't see any snow in your first post! I am guessing the logs in your first set of pictures were elm, walnut, and cherry? Also like the log lift you use made from the car jack, I have been intending to make one of those for ages.


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## john taliaferro (Mar 19, 2014)

Before i made my little A frame for my jack i just used the tip of my saw to make a notch in the pith , making it high helped keep it from not roiling off the jack . What are Snow shoes , :-] 70 degrees here .


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## Nato (Mar 20, 2014)

Daninvan that was walnut,cherry,red oak. That log lifter is the way to go unless you have a city loader man to set em up for you! Ha ha


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## Nato (Mar 20, 2014)

John did that ever tear out on a big log?


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## john taliaferro (Mar 21, 2014)

Tear out , not yet , my jack has a lip on the end of the nose that makes it bite in . I have had my jack tip sideways that was frightening as i wasn't paying attention and it happened fast .


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## SDB777 (Mar 21, 2014)

The log lifter "A" frame thing.....would you happen to have a close-up photo?

Also, is it something you made, or purchased? If the latter, where did you get it from?
I already have a 'off-road/high lift' jack....just don't feel comfortable lifting logs with it(as mentioned, I too have had it tilt to one side-scared the bejezus out of me).


As for the timber you're making....AWESOMENESSINGERLY!!!!!!





Scott (can't wait to see ya back at it) B


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## Nato (Mar 22, 2014)

Here is a few pics of log lifter. I modeled this after reading a few posts of others log lifters on here a while back. (I figured I'd post a pic of mine for ideas, since many pics are lost.) It works great. It easily handles 40"x12' logs. Please,please,please, a word of caution to anyone who makes one. As john mentioned, the log can tip over and CRUSH YOU! Read how Bobl made a tripod for his lifter. The framing square is for scale, and please disregard the crummy weld beads. ( I always blame my lack of craft on something...this time it's wet rod!)


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## JHctRednek (Mar 22, 2014)

Nato said:


> Here is a few pics of log lifter. I modeled this after reading a few posts of others log lifters on here a while back. (I figured I'd post a pic of mine for ideas, since many pics are lost.) It works great. It easily handles 40"x12' logs. Please,please,please, a word of caution to anyone who makes one. As john mentioned, the log can tip over and CRUSH YOU! Read how Bobl made a tripod for his lifter. The framing square is for scale, and please disregard the crummy weld beads. ( I always blame my lack of craft on something...this time it's wet rod!)


Great idea. One question, why do the two "dogs" have pivots? What does that feature gain you? Does it help you pick up logs driven in the mud or something.


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## Nato (Mar 24, 2014)

JH the dogs swing out to make it easier to get the lift under the log. The holes for the pivot were cut with a torch as to give a little slop in aiding to get it under the log. Sometimes I have to kick it or get the bfh out to massage it under the log. But most times it just slips under. If the legs were one piece, I would have to dig. Check out this picture. The log is 40" dia. and on the ground. This design was someone elses on here and it works great! N8


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## Nato (Mar 25, 2014)

Got back to my stash today and finished my other walnut log. I milled all the slabs 16/4 exept the last, I did 10/4 to get the most good wood. The widest pieces were about 40". Quite a bit of bug damage in this log. I didn't stay to long,I had to get out before ground warmed up to much,and I got stuck.


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## IanB22 (Apr 24, 2014)

Wow, really really pretty walnut, so if the width is 40" does that mean the log was around 80", I find 96" - 115" is ideal for table top size?


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## Nato (Apr 24, 2014)

Is this a trick math question? Ian the log was 40 inches in diameter if thats what you wanted to know. I wish I could get ahold of a few more this size!


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## IanB22 (Apr 24, 2014)

Length....40" wide, but how much length? 

Just a fellow miller who likes to hear about other peoples great finds. My prize to this point is 38" elm. Beautiful stuff, but nothing like 40" walnut.


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## Nato (Apr 24, 2014)

Ahh I see. The longest slabs were 72 inches. There was some bug damage in the log that is hard to see in the pics.Was the elm a red elm? I've seen some very nice furniture made out of red elm. I've only got my saw in some american elm to date.


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## agrams (Apr 25, 2014)

All I can say as a woodworker in Texas, there aren't enough dang walnut trees down here worth a hoot. Very pretty wood.


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## IanB22 (Apr 25, 2014)

No idea if it was red or American. Sure looked like red oak while milling, smelled similar too. Not sure if that means it was red elm. I am still searching for a finish I want to use. Any inspiring links with photos of finished elm is welcome!


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## Nato (Apr 27, 2014)

Ian I can't give you any links (I don't know how) but I have had good results with WATERLOX. Also check out a book called UNDERSTANDING WOOD FINISHING by BOB FLEXNER. Its worth the price and worth the time.


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## agrams (Apr 27, 2014)

ianbb, milling is secondary to my main interest in woodworking. Nato mentioned waterlox as a wipe on finish, and it is a great varnish. A lot depends on what use/style you want to use the wood for.

These are two desks I did in waterlox:

Mesquite:






Oak





I typically put a coat of boiled linseed oil, then a wipe on of shellac then the waterlox. The shellac helps build a good basecoat for the varnish and gets a quicker buildup, and provides a good water resistant barrier. Be sure to use de-waxed shellac if you use a shelllac.


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## Nato (Apr 28, 2014)

Nice mesquite desk! Is the top book matched?


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## agrams (Apr 28, 2014)

yeah Nato, it was a bookmatched pair. It is kind of one of the major reasons I started getting into milling. I think I paid 400$ for the pair of boards (prior to shipping costs for getting them shipped from south texas to north texas). I get tired of paying so much for a pair of bookmatched boards. And that price was well below the average I found for boards of that size.


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## Nato (Apr 29, 2014)

Sticker shock! I'm familiar. It takes a special customer to pass these prices on to. (and honestly it just makes me feel poor)


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## IanB22 (Apr 29, 2014)

Wow....that mesquite is just amazing color and honestly, I would LOVE that to be the look of my elm. Need to read up on using shellac without wax. I will have only been using it with wax, and without the BLO. That finish you got on the mesquite is stunning. 

Thanks again for the book idea, I have a gift certificate here, and I was looking for something that I could pick up and read about for finishes. Sounds like a perfect storm for an Amazon purchase.


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## agrams (Apr 29, 2014)

waxed shellac will work fine if it is your final topcoat, but the wax will cause issues and wont allow additional finishes to bond properly to it if you try to put another finish on top of it.

another good book (probably second to the Flexner book) is Jeff Jewitt's book on finishing:

http://www.amazon.com/Tauntons-Comp...F8&qid=1398776108&sr=8-2&keywords=jeff+jewitt


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## Nato (Aug 1, 2014)

Been real busy and no time to post pics but here is a few more from the stash. Enjoy! n8


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## Nato (Aug 1, 2014)

All Cherry,Walnut,and Northern Red Oak (qs) The pic of the saw is what happens when you put your 880 to close to a 300lb slab....and it falls on it. (I saw it fall in slow motion) Yup, mamma gave me the dip $hit trophy for that one.n8


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## hardhat (Aug 2, 2014)

Nato said:


> Anyday milling (even with a csm) is a good day for me! My only problem was with my little temp sensor that I have mounted on the saw was acting up.* I thought I fixed it from the following week but no*. It's brand new too. I have another one on my other saw and it has worked great. I'm very lucky to have a great friend that lets me do as I please on his property. I felt bad last week with the ground thawing, I really made a mess of my access road back to the laydown yard. Hopefully when and if a couple of those slabs sell I will be able make it right with him. Money and beer always cheers both us up!



Looks awesome. Got to love milling. The bold line above made me chuckle. Fixed it in the future huh.. Just kidding. Know what you mean.

Nothing like the way that wood looks right after you cut it. Plus the whole experience is so engaging in every way. Physically demanding, requires constant attention and yields a product like no other.... Cheers man


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## Nato (Aug 2, 2014)

Yeah Hardhat, it would probably do me some good to proof read a little bit! Thanks, N8


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## BigOakAdot (Aug 3, 2014)

Wow dude all those slabs look amazing. I'm really close to starting all the walnut I've hoarded in the past few months. Nothing is even close to that size though. 

Slabs of walnut that big are hard to come bye. We have tons of walnuts in my area but don't think I've seen much more than 30" diameter max. 

Be sure to post what you end up making with them!!


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## IanB22 (Aug 27, 2014)

Beautiful as always! Thanks again for the elm finish advice.


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## Grey (Aug 27, 2014)

Keep the pictures coming. I absolutely love to see logs opened up into boards/slabs, especially coming off the mill. When you step back and realize that no human has seen the inside of some of these logs for 100-300+ yrs, I think of every board coming of the mill as an extraordinary gift! 

P.S. I made a trip up to visit Horizon Hardwoods, Kersey Summit, PA the other day to pick up some beautiful 20+" cherry flitches. As usual, I spent a little time watching their sawyer open up some beautiful ash logs. Then Pete showed me his "secret stash" of HUGE slabs. The smallest log was a 40+" Black walnut at least 12' long, cut into 3-4" thick flitches. He had several 6'+ wide logs of various species cut into flitches too. All of these were carefully, and slowly air-drying in a remote corner of their yard. I can't wait to see how those turn out in a couple of years. However, just like fine wine, no rushing it...


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## Nato (Aug 28, 2014)

....Grey.... I plan on drinking plenty of wine while I wait....yes sir!


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