# Milled with the 084!



## hautions11 (Sep 29, 2006)

It was raining when I left work tonight, but I was bound and determined to try the 084 on the alaskan. I have one full 8' log left about 30" and exactly half of another 8 footer at 26". The half log is just getting in to some pretty rays. The set-up. 32" bar converted to 3/8 063 chain. Brand new Stihl RM safety chain with the safety features ground off. No ripping grind at all. I just got the chains to the right length Thursday. I thought I would use them a few times and then get them ground next week to a Bailey's style at leaste. I stretched the Alaskan out for the new bar length and got 26" of cut without taking the dogs off. It fit the log just fine, as I have put some small flats on the sides. The 084 is a monster! Even without ripping chain it was a lot faster then my 064 on the same log and the 064 had Bailey's chain on it. I cut three real nice 24" quartersawn pieces in a half hour. It is a lot nicer working at a kool 54 degrees rather then 94! It was getting dark and I was alone, so no action shots. I wanted to try a couple of cuts tonight to see if I had any problems lurking. The saw is a little irregular at idle. I tried a little tuning, but I ended up turning the idle speed up a little and it was fine. It probably needs a carb rebuild. If anyone remembers, this was an Ebay saw that the owner said needed work. His description was it blubbered and tended to die after warming up. The 3-4 times I have run it have been OK, but there is a small tuning issue of some kind. The saw sat a lot in the last few years, so I am thinking carb diaphram. I was VERY excited with the overall performance and I can't wait to try some good ripping chain grinds. The larger log that is left will be quartersawn. I want to put a small flat on one side and then use the beam machine to split the log and then split the halves. I have a 24" bar converted to 3/8 as well and that would work real nice for the quartered pieces. Pictures tomorrow! I'll drag one of the kids down to get some action shots. Thanks for everyones support, knowledge and good suggestions over the course of my project.


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## t_andersen (Sep 29, 2006)

can't wait for the pictures...


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## woodshop (Sep 29, 2006)

Glad you got your 084 going, and got some milling in before dark. I have on occasion used regular chisel chain for ripping with pretty good results. But in some situations, nothing beats raw power. You never said what kind of wood this 30" 8 footer and half of another, was. You did mention rays, so does that mean oak maybe?


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## hautions11 (Sep 29, 2006)

*oak*

Yes red oak. It has been down a year and a half also, so it is not too green. I think that makes it harder to cut. It is the end of the tree I have been cutting for a while.







The 30" piece is closest to the root ball. It should be pretty clear.


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## aggiewoodbutchr (Sep 30, 2006)

Nice looking logs. Glad you're happy with your 084.


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## hautions11 (Sep 30, 2006)

*084*

Aggie, where is your brute?? We are all waiting for some of those pics with the monster 72" Bar. The weather looks great today, I'm at work, but plan on making a little noise later.


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## aggiewoodbutchr (Sep 30, 2006)

hautions11 said:


> Aggie, where is your brute?? We are all waiting for some of those pics with the monster 72" Bar. The weather looks great today, I'm at work, but plan on making a little noise later.



Supposedly it's in the mail.


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## oldsaw (Sep 30, 2006)

Power is a very cool thing. 120ccs of saw makes the milling go much easier.

Mark


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## hautions11 (Sep 30, 2006)

*Millin*

What a great day I had in the woods today. This is a great time of the year and I had some more fun milling. Here is the start to the day with my weapons of choice.





Woodshop, I know you put boards in your van, but I am forced to use the trailer. Otherwise Kerri complains about the smell of gas when I'm done. Can you imagine that!
Here are the last two log sections I have left.






The nearest section, I have been plain sawing. The far log is slated for quartersawing and that is my mission today.







Here is the first cut.






I still get really excited when I split a log open for the first time. This one has some beautifull grain. After halving the log I will quarter the two pieces. I forgot the allen wrench to the beam machine. so I screwed a 2 X 4 to the faces and cut along the board to get a straight line. I did not do that on the first cut and it was not very even.






I could not raise the section very high off the ground and got a little dirt. After quartering I changed chains. I am just using straight Stihl RM chain. Milling grind next week.


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## hautions11 (Sep 30, 2006)

*Millin*

Now to fix my uneven first cut on the log, I screwed a 2 X 4 to the face of the quarter and shimmed any low spots. I atjusted the depth of cut to net a 2" board. It worked pretty well.





The next cut was much straighter. Even using the 2 X 4 as a guide made a nice clean cut. Here is the first board.






Wonderfull grain and some great rays. After a cut on the other side of the quarter I was left with a nice clean cant to start cutting alternate sides to maintain the quartersawn effect.






I switched to the 24" bar and still used std RM chain. The 16 to 18" cuts seem to fly by. Hers is another nice board.












As the quarter gets smaller it sure is easier to roll back and forth.

Her is a close up of some of the intersting grain. Other then a couple of small knots, thia log was pretty clear.


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## dustytools (Sep 30, 2006)

It sure does make all the hard work and sweat worthwile doesnt it? Nice looking cuts BTW.


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## hautions11 (Sep 30, 2006)

*Millin*

In looking around at the rest of the trees in the area I made one discovery. Even though I assumed this was a red oak as they are more common here, ther are a number of white oaks as well. Note the two leaf types. Round tips for white oak??






Since this tree had been down a while when I first saw it, I'm not sure what it is. Is ther any way to tell from the wood? Comon tree Guru's. 

I started about 1:00 and finished about 6:30, with an hour run to the Stihl shop for a cant hook and a bar nut for the 084. Here is my haul for the day.




And a close up of some of the wide ones.









What a fun day and I am really impressed with the 084. It still runs a little rough down low, but it really hauls through the wood. I can't wait to try some milling grinds. Since I have several more quarters to go I can compare cut times in similar wood. I got a line on a nice 20" cherry tree form one of the neighbors on the lake. He lost the top out of one and wants to take the second one out that is right next to it. nice straight 20 foot sections. So much wood and so little time. I hope you like the pics.


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## CaseyForrest (Sep 30, 2006)

The larger leaf looks like Pin Oak.

Nice shots, btw. I am going to be quarter sawing some White Oak for a member here in a couple weeks. I should be able to get some action shots since he will be doing some of the milling.


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## aggiewoodbutchr (Oct 1, 2006)

Nice work! If you take a razor, slice an end gain wafer and post a _good_ closeup picture I shoud be able it ID it for you. The cut needs to be as smooth as possible. It looks to be a red variety but water oak looks redish until it dries and it's on the white side.


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## aggiewoodbutchr (Oct 1, 2006)

Nice work! If you take a razor, slice an end gain wafer and post a _good_ closeup picture I should be able it ID it for you. The cut needs to be as smooth as possible. It looks to be a red variety but water oak looks reddish until it dries and it's on the white side.


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## oldsaw (Oct 1, 2006)

CaseyForrest said:


> The larger leaf looks like Pin Oak.
> 
> Nice shots, btw. I am going to be quarter sawing some White Oak for a member here in a couple weeks. I should be able to get some action shots since he will be doing some of the milling.



It's not the pin oak we have in Missouri. It is, however, something of the red oak family. Pin oaks have much deeper pockets between the leaf fingers with much longer, thinner fingers.

Mark


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## woodshop (Oct 1, 2006)

hautions11 said:


> Woodshop, I know you put boards in your van, but I am forced to use the trailer. Otherwise Kerri complains about the smell of gas when I'm done. Can you imagine that!


No imagination necessary, I get the same flak from the wife AND my 3 daughters about gas smell, among other things. Example... 300 bd ft of red oak left in a closed van for long in summer releases lots of acidic smelling moisture. Takes a day of airing out to get rid of it. I recently bought one of those HB fordable 4X8 trailers, but havn't got it operational yet. 

Nice milling pics, LOVE to see milling pics... thanks. Red or white oak? Fresh cut red oak (northern red, scarlet, pin etc) has an acidic smell to it, almost rancid, where white oak has a somewhat sweeter smell when milled. Like aggie, I too could tell you which one if you posted a good clear end grain pic sliced with a razor or utility knife. I agree, white oak can be reddish when first milled, but does turn a greenish tan, less red tone as it dries. Beautiful ray figure on those quartersawn pieces. As much as I dislike getting different width boards, as it makes stickering, drying and also storage more of a pain, it's worth it to get that effect. White oak with its larger rays than red, has even more ray figure when pure quartersawn. They both dry straighter when quartersawn though... and the finished wood is more stable in the woodshop. It's definitely an advantage if you take the extra time to do it. 

I recently was offered a HUGE white oak, 40" at base, and 42 ft till the first branch!! (biggest tree I ever milled). Blew down in a storm, took another 36" white oak with it as well as a 30" beech tree. My point is, with logs over 36", I've been able to slab off the sides to get a huge 28" square cant. I then slice that into quarters with the csm, but they are 14 x 14 square quarters, which makes quartersawing much easier as you flip them 90 degrees back and forth taking quartersawn boards. Once the cant gets down to about a 6x6 I finish it off through and through as I have a specific need for 6/4 wood about that width. (happens to be that wooden nut and bolt in my avatar). 

Hautions glad you have the milling bug... another one bites the dust.


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## hautions11 (Oct 1, 2006)

*Oak*

Without taking a slice from the end, I have decided it is red oak, by the smell. It is very strong when I split the tops for firewood this spring, I did not realize that white oak does not have that distinct smell. I have heard people descride it as smelling like vomit. There must be something wrong with me, as I have always liked the smell. I have enough oak drying right now, I want some of that Cherry and some Ash that I will be cutting down this Fall. I have read that Ash, even green has a very low moisture content. What is anyones experience with drying it? Is it a wood that tends to warp and twist? Any figure from quatersawing?


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## TedChristiansen (Oct 1, 2006)

Hautions,

I have cut quite a bit of ash in the last year - lots trees are being cut down because of Emerald Ash Borer. If the tree was already dying, the moisture content when you mill it into lumber can be low. I have had some that after cutting dried to 12" in my basement in as little as 4 months. Some of it moved a bit, but for the most part it dries pretty well.

Ted


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## CaseyForrest (Oct 1, 2006)

hautions11 said:


> Without taking a slice from the end, I have decided it is red oak, by the smell. It is very strong when I split the tops for firewood this spring, I did not realize that white oak does not have that distinct smell. I have heard people descride it as smelling like vomit. There must be something wrong with me, as I have always liked the smell. I have enough oak drying right now, I want some of that Cherry and some Ash that I will be cutting down this Fall. I have read that Ash, even green has a very low moisture content. What is anyones experience with drying it? Is it a wood that tends to warp and twist? Any figure from quatersawing?



Most of the playhouse I built is White Ash. I had the 2x4 and 2x6 stacked outside, uncovered. I dont know the MC of it, but I was screwing it together within 4 months. Other than it still shrinking, it hasnt twisted or warped at all. and VERY strong.


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## Freakingstang (Oct 1, 2006)

Nice pics hautions

I've always liked the smell of red oak when I am splitting firewood. To me it is a refreshing smell that I am not used to at work (#2 diesel fuel)

If I can ask, and I'm not being sarcastic in anyway,

But, what is the point of quartersawing the lumber instead of milling the whole log? Seems like quartersawing the log would have more wasted material in it.

One of these days I will get a mill. I have the logs, just need the mill and the time to do it. lol.


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## woodshop (Oct 1, 2006)

Freakingstang said:


> But, what is the point of quartersawing the lumber instead of milling the whole log? Seems like quartersawing the log would have more wasted material in it.


True, you waste some of the log. Actually true 100% quartersawing wastes the most wood, where you quarter the tree, then slice that quarter 45 degrees. Think of taking boards out of the log as if the edge of every baord was the outside surface of the tree, like they were the hour markers of a clock. Every board was different width, and had no strait edges. The way 
Hautions described, and also the way I often do it, quartering, taking a board, flip 90 degrees, take one from that side, flip 90 etc etc, wastes some, but not much more than through and through.


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## woodshop (Oct 1, 2006)

According to Hoadley's book, ash does have one of the least moisture contents of all hardwoods. I've milled lots of ash, and it dries easy, and doesn't take long to dry either. Like white oak, it also has a funny kind of sweet smell to it when you mill/cut/split it. I like the smell. But then, like some others here, I happen to like that acidic sortof stinky smell of red oak too. 

Ash doesn't have the large rays that oak does, and thus you don't get the ray fleck figure when quartersawing. You do get some nice looking stripped figure... well it's not necessarily figure, its just the way the rings look on the surface. Like most quartersawn wood, its also more stable and less prone to movement.


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## hautions11 (Oct 5, 2006)

*Wood Stack*

I don't even mind taking the dog outside, because I get to walk by and ogle my stack of wood. Pretty sick, isn't it. It finally got cold today, so I can start a fire pretty soon. Life is good.


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## woodshop (Oct 5, 2006)

hautions11 said:


> I don't even mind taking the dog outside, because I get to walk by and ogle my stack of wood. Pretty sick, isn't it. It finally got cold today, so I can start a fire pretty soon. Life is good.


No, not sick at all, I do the same thing, I like to sit on the steps of my back shed and just look at my nice neat stacks of lumber. Must be a common theme among small time guys like us who mill lumber for fun... and... because we CAN.


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## stingray bay (Oct 5, 2006)

woodshop said:


> According to Hoadley's book, ash does have one of the least moisture contents of all hardwoods. I've milled lots of ash, and it dries easy, and doesn't take long to dry either.



I'm really glad this topic came up as I understand that another use for ash is in handles such as spades/shovels etc as it is lighter than hickory but v strong. I hope to mill an ash soon and having had a look around AS I didn't find anything on milling/drying ash for handles (long thin and straight). Woodshop do you have any good tips on what size to mill to/ what size to dry, for this specific use?


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## woodshop (Oct 5, 2006)

stingray bay said:


> I'm really glad this topic came up as I understand that another use for ash is in handles such as spades/shovels etc as it is lighter than hickory but v strong. I hope to mill an ash soon and having had a look around AS I didn't find anything on milling/drying ash for handles (long thin and straight). Woodshop do you have any good tips on what size to mill to/ what size to dry, for this specific use?


 I've never used ash for handles, or milled any wood for handles. Reason is here you can get hickory handles for hammers, shovels etc pretty cheap, cheaper than the time it's worth making your own. The 7-800 ft of ash I have milled so far was either 4/4, 5/4 or 6/4 other than the 16/4 I milled for possible baseball bats some day if I ever take the time to get good enough on my lathe to turn one. I also did quartersaw a little of it just to see what it would look like. It would go without saying though, that when milling for handles, you can only use highest grade (read, no knots or defects) of the wood. Thus you will probably need to find a relatively large log, and get the good clear stuff off of the outside of the first 8 ft section or two. I understand the local Indians that once ran the place before we showed up used ash for bows.


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## hautions11 (Oct 5, 2006)

*Ash*

Dusty tools wanted some for Bat blanks. I am going to try to get him a few to play with. My wife wants a very light wood for a TV/display case in the family room. I have never used ash but it looks very stable and nice for a light color strong piece. I can't wait to try it.


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