Big maple slabbing

huskyhank said:

I let folks know that I'm interested in trees to mill. My friend Lester had this big old maple in his side yard. It had been topped to remove dead wood and was near the end of its life. Its just over 40 inches in diameter with three big branches left. Lots of rot started and as it turns out a bit of spalting in the big branches I milled this afternoon.

Today I went over to fall and start milling it. I was in a hurry and forgot my real camera so all I have is this phone camera picture made by my son while Lester and I discuss the falling.

I milled several nice crotches and limbs. (20" limbs!) Good looking stuff so far. Tomorrow we tackle the last two limbs and then the trunk. I won't forget the camera tomorrow.


http://www.arboristsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=125041&stc=1&d=1266023626

Click to expand...

huskyhank said:

1) The 3120 is a great milling saw except for the exhaust. I gotta fix that.
2) When the wood gets bigger the 3120 gets better.
3) A respirator helps a lot but even better is a respirator and being upwind of the exhaust.

Click to expand...

4) Milling a tree this big is a little like eating an elephant.
5) A 40 inch tree is a lot more wood than a 30" tree.

Click to expand...

820wards said:

Huskyman,

Nice maple slabs. Looks like that bigger bar would have been nice. How heavy were those big pieces?

jerry-

Click to expand...

BobL said:

That's some nice looking slabs you have there HH.


The exhaust is not just a problem for the 3120, it's a problem with all saws with a forward facing exhaust. The first big saw I used for milling was my 076 and just assumed all other big saws would be the same. But when I do use a forward exhaust facing saw for milling I get a headache after a couple of hours of use. The best modification I made to my 880 was the redirection of the exhaust. The exhaust direction can clearly be seen as the exhaust drives the sawdust away from the operator so the operator does not have to walk in an ever increasing pile of sawdust.

Click to expand...

huskyhank said:

My 2100 has the jungle style muffler with louvers that directs the exhaust out the bottom of the saw. I never knew how lucky I was to have that.

Modifying the 3120 muffler won't be that hard. The hang-up comes when its time to tune for the new pipe and its got a fixed high speed jet.


.

Click to expand...

huskyhank said:

5) A 40 inch tree is a lot more wood than a 30" tree.

Click to expand...

huskyhank said:

7) I had it wedged with 3 wedges driven all the way in and wished I had some thicker ones. I will next time.

Click to expand...

820wards said:

Here is a picture of my exhaust pipe. I also just added a couple of thin wall stainless steel handle bars for moving the mill to and from the logs. It is much easier to handle now with two people.

Click to expand...

BobL said:

Jerry I just love your exhaust, except perhaps the way it sticks out like that worries me a little that someone could make contact with it. BTW how hot does the engine casing get

Hi Bob,

The exhaust pipe does stick out and it does look like you could touch it with your legs, but it really is not bad. I have yet to get too close to the pipe to worry about getting burned. I wear my wood cutting chaps so I've eliminated the burn factor. As for engine temperature, it is not bad at all. The engine cover that the starter is connected to has additional baffling that creates addition cooling over the cylinder head so I'm quite pleased as to how cool the engine stays. I have yet to mill anything over 7' long so I'm not sure how hot the motor will get on a real long piece of timber.



Nicely made handles there, but IMHO it's increasingly looking like a two man operation? Maybe you have resigned yourself to that, but as a one man operator I would have gone for more of a wrap around handle like this.

** You are correct that the handles are for a two person operation. I don't cut firewood or now mill alone. It's like hunting by myself, I don't do it. The mill is large and weights right at 60 pounds with fuel/oil. I could get the mill started on my starting board or rails by myself, but it's just much easier with two people. Besides, it's much more fun to mill with my friends.

As well as making it easier for one person to pick the mill/saw up this would provide the operator with something to hang onto and brace with, say the left hand, while starting the saw with the right hand. It would also act as bit of bumper bar for the saw in general.

** I was having difficulty finding a spot for lifting the mill, that is why I added the two additional handles. The handle closest to the operator should give me the ability to use it as a spot to push or bump with my leg.

Also for moving any big mill/saw around I recommend removable wheels on the outboard ends of the mill rails,


** I have already gotten a set of wheels and only need to make the appropriate axle brackets to add to the end of the rails, just haven't done that yet.


then a wrap around handle such as the one I have drawn would work as a one handed pickup/push/pull handle. These are just ideas coming out of the top of my head as I write - overall I reckon you have made a very well thought out mill.

Click to expand...