Biggest Maple for me

[Andrew96]

Hi guys, I had a great time over the last few days milling up some wind fall maple using my new setup. I'm so pleased with my 660. Talk about a beast. Lots of power. I'm getting around 1 minute per foot of cut.

This is the big stuff for me. 24" wide. Pretty hard as it has been tipped over for awhile. I've still got another chunk to do only a bit longer.

Stuff under my milling setup is 10' by 18" wide.

I think this is my first 'real milling'. Everything else has been small stuff. Way too much fun.

 

[mtngun]

1 minute per foot doesn't sound so great, but that's probably what I get -- in softwood.

I take it the ladder is your guide board ?

Nice pics, rep sent. Glad you had fun.

 

[Can8ianTimber]

Nice pics, 1 min per foot sounds OK, not screaming fast but as long as you are having a good time and not burning up saws.

I hope you tied down those slabs and that ladder befor you took off.

 

[Andrew96]

Thanks Guys. I actually got to stack this stuff in the property owners barn for the winter so the trip was only about 2km of trail out. This was my first time using a ladder as a guide bar. I'm not impressed. I have a very nice straight strong board that I've used all the time but it's only 10' long and I wanted to cut these longer. I'm not impressed with the ladder. Won't bother again unless I can find a much stronger one. Had to shim it to support the mill, easy to twist on the log.
I know my setup could go faster than 1min per foot in the big piece. The sawdust I was getting at the end of the day was a bit dusty though the tree was quite dry compared to the first one. Not too many chips like when I started. Since it's all about the cutters....I still have to look closely at my chain and see what's up. I did sharpen it many times but I need to look at it...or it was a hard tree.

 

[BobL]

This was my first time using a ladder as a guide bar. I'm not impressed. I have a very nice straight strong board that I've used all the time but it's only 10' long and I wanted to cut these longer. I'm not impressed with the ladder. Won't bother again unless I can find a much stronger one. Had to shim it to support the mill, easy to twist on the log.

How are you locking it down onto the log? Do you have moveable angle iron brackets that clamp onto the ends. see this thread.
http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=86081
In addition, I cut into the top of the log with a CS so on small logs the rungs nestle sort of like what I do with my unistrut rails - like this.

Personally I prefer to use my adjustable unistrut rails over any board, ladder or other method.

 

[Andrew96]

BobL, thanks for the photo. I was racing the weather here since I really wanted to get out before the snow flies. I didn't get a unistrut setup functional when the weather went nice. I screw a straight edge to the end of the log (softwood block) a certain distance up from the center and take a level measurement (zeroing my tilt box..thanks to you). I then do the same on the other end. It leaves my starter board/ladder unsupported in the middle. I screw into the top board just catching the side of the ladder to hold it down. My board is fine, the ladder wobbled back and forth in the middle of the cut and made a mess of my starter cut. I had to run it again for my next cut to get things flat again. You see..your unistrut is supported all the way along with the threaded rod. That stops any sideways motion. The ladder isn't strong in that plane....at least this one wasn't. When you get a spot that my mill wheels cannot touch the log...the force of the cut is against the side of the ladder...or your supported unistrut. The ladder moves..or does this wild back and forth thing causing me to lean my hip against the ladder to damp the wobble. Never had that with a board. Nor really thought about your unistrut setup having that feature..able to take the load of an unsupported cut against it's side and not move...just like a board can.

 

[Andrew96]

BobL. Sorry, I posted, then followed your link. I can see I'm still quite nieve with this whole milling setup. That is a trick way to setup a ladder. I can tell you now I wasn't too keen on your unistrut setup...for me. Most everything I do is off in the middle of nowhere and I have to hike everything in past where the rover will go. The photos below show me right beside the truck. Don't remember that for a long time. The unistrut setup just looked like a lot of 'bits'. A ladder is easy...one chunk, no threaded rod to poke me along with thorns and branches. However, thanks for the link. I didn't find that one before. A much better setup than what I did. At first glance..that looks like a setup I could hike a long way with.

 

[BobL]

BobL. Sorry, I posted, then followed your link. I can see I'm still quite nieve with this whole milling setup. That is a trick way to setup a ladder. I can tell you now I wasn't too keen on your unistrut setup...for me. Most everything I do is off in the middle of nowhere and I have to hike everything in past where the rover will go. The photos below show me right beside the truck. Don't remember that for a long time. The unistrut setup just looked like a lot of 'bits'. A ladder is easy...one chunk, no threaded rod to poke me along with thorns and branches. However, thanks for the link. I didn't find that one before. A much better setup than what I did. At first glance..that looks like a setup I could hike a long way with.

Yeah, the need to hike stuff in changes the milling perspective quite a bit.
I'm lucky in that 95/100 times I can drive my van right up alongside the log. This means I can carry stuff like a portable table to put the mill/saw on - a chair to sit and file, etc,

The unistruts are heavy duty so that means they are effing heavy so there is no way I'm carrying those more than say 50 yards. The ladder is wobblier but much lighter.

Unless the log is really narrow I avoid having the mill uprights touching the side of the rails. With the 880 and the 076 that wild back and forth thing can just tear the rails off the log. This is why I prefer the unistrut because I can adjust it right in narrower than the ladder or right out for wider logs. Eventually you get used to the allthread poking out or you can get your self a smaller (eg 1 ft long) of them.

I find the first cut is rarely perfect and have to true up with the second but I use log rails on all my cuts so it's no big deal.

 

[Andrew96]

I find the first cut is rarely perfect and have to true up with the second but I use log rails on all my cuts so it's no big deal.

Ahhaaaa....I thought it was just me. Everything has been going well thanks to tons of info around here...just not that first cut when I wanted to go longer than my regular board. Many times it sucks. The ladder you setup for your friend would work well for me if the angle iron that screws to the log was smaller....say 1". I could then cut under it on every pass with lots of space to spare and still have it lay flat on the top of the previous cut. I'm a little scared to cut near so much metal and ruin a trip out (along with the equipment). That's why I stayed with wooden supports, wooden wedges. If something happens it's only wood I cut by accident.
Your narrow stuff might be big stuff for me. You'd laugh at my narrow trees (good 14" cherry).......my board works well for those. The mill upright can lean on it.
My first cuts turn into my tables..chairs...filing/gassing/oiling area. No need to hike that stuff in...just make it.

 

[BobL]

Ahhaaaa....I thought it was just me. Everything has been going well thanks to tons of info around here...just not that first cut when I wanted to go longer than my regular board. Many times it sucks. The ladder you setup for your friend would work well for me if the angle iron that screws to the log was smaller....say 1". I could then cut under it on every pass with lots of space to spare and still have it lay flat on the top of the previous cut. I'm a little scared to cut near so much metal and ruin a trip out (along with the equipment). That's why I stayed with wooden supports, wooden wedges. If something happens it's only wood I cut by accident.

Thinest I usually cut is 2" or 1 3/4". I have made a set of 3/4" angle iron cross rails but I have never used them"
On my baby milling rig I can cut as thin as I like

Your narrow stuff might be big stuff for me. You'd laugh at my narrow trees (good 14" cherry).......my board works well for those. The mill upright can lean on it.

The tree loppers chipper takes everything up to 18" so I don't see much smaller that that.
I don't laugh at Small wood - I also have a baby (24") mill and am gearing up to run the 441 on that on some small jarrahs that came into the tree loppers yard recently.

My first cuts turn into my tables..chairs...filing/gassing/oiling area. No need to hike that stuff in...just make it.

Yeah I do that too - can't have enough tables I say - in the bush it gets very gritty/dusty down low and I hate putting saws and gear in the dirt. I do like my table though, since I can sit and file - it has recessed feet so the running mill can sit safely on the table, also can tune it on there as well. Here it is with the ole 076 aboard.

 

[Andrew96]

Nice table. That's 3 more peices though. I can't take that in to the bush. I agree though...I saved up too long for my 660 to be sitting it on the dirt to cool off or get hit while I move slabs around. It was expensive for me to take that first step so I treat it like it's my last. I trip over stuff if it's not all in one place so I pile everything around the first cut/table. Put the saw on it to idle..then I can't damage it.

 

[BobL]

Nice table. That's 3 more peices though. I can't take that in to the bush. I agree though...I saved up too long for my 660 to be sitting it on the dirt to cool off or get hit while I move slabs around. It was expensive for me to take that first step so I treat it like it's my last. I trip over stuff if it's not all in one place so I pile everything around the first cut/table. Put the saw on it to idle..then I can't damage it.

I don't take it bush either, it's strictly for the "drive up to log" operation.

Now what about wheels for the mill like this? It's a lot easier than carrying it.

And see how it can stand upright by itself - that's primarily for ease of cleaning and it is how I position it to wash it down.

 

[Andrew96]

Ya I like that. I left the ends of my mill I made longer just so the bar wouldn't touch the ground and maybe I could put some wheels on it after I saw the photo of your wheel attachment. Mine I think is a bit lighter but some of the walks I've done in the past have been pretty long. I'll cut the Rover in before I hike more than about 2km. I've test carried the assembly....it's a bit heavier than the last setup. Rolling is easier though. Arg...more mods to do.

 

[BobL]

. . . . .Arg...more mods to do.

Arrghhhh - welcome to the world of , "can't stop fiddlin and moddin ya mill"