Chainsaw Lumbermaking

[Gypo Logger]

Green is the best, but dry logs are ok as long as you have adequate lube and sharp chain.
I noticed cutting on wet days keeps the dust down.
John

 

[artwood]

John, I noticed in your pics that you attach your BM under the bar. Is that what you mean by upside down?
I've been using mine for years with it attached on the topside of the bar. Is there an advantage to your method?

 

[rustyb]

Hey John,

Thanks for posting those pics! That Beam Machine looks intriguing. However, their web site only mentions sizes of 6x6 & 6x8. Is it just as capable of cutting larger beams or is it limited in some way?

Also, how many cc's does that saw you're using have?

Thanks.

 

[rebelman]

wow. this changes everything

 

[Gologit]

Gypo's beam machine

Gypo...you metioned using skip-tooth chain instead of milling chain. How does this work for you and how do you keep the big shavings from plugging up around the clutch,sprocket etc. Good job with log,by the way. Bob

 

[Gypo Logger]

Eric, if I put the BM on the clutch side, I can get away with using more of the actual bar length. Meaning that if I was cutting 8x8, I might need a 20" bar if the BM was mounted in the conventional manner, however, I can get away with using a 16" bar mounting it on the clutch side. I welded an additional nut on mine so I could screw it out farther.
My method allows additional rocking and therefore slightly less accuracy, but this is soon overcome.
Rusty, with my method bigger wood can be sawn. This particular log was 20" on the tip.
Bob, the skip chain is more than adequate as long as it's razor sharp. The lube is a big thing and the 999 has a manual oiler as well as the existing auto oiler.
Milling this way creates mostly bug dust since all annual growth rings are severed at the same time, so very few large chips are created and no clogging results. It sure uses the fuel up though.About 2 boards to a tank!
John

 

[Gypo Logger]

Hey John,

Thanks for posting those pics! That Beam Machine looks intriguing. However, their web site only mentions sizes of 6x6 & 6x8. Is it just as capable of cutting larger beams or is it limited in some way?

Also, how many cc's does that saw you're using have?

Thanks.

Rusty, the saw is an Oleo Mac 999 and has 100.1 cc. It's true calling is milling I believe. It's really a huge cement saw. Whith it's long stroke it's perfect for the job.
John

 

[pyromaniac guy]

Green is the best, but dry logs are ok as long as you have adequate lube and sharp chain.
I noticed cutting on wet days keeps the dust down.
John

so you can mill them as soon as they are cut? nice. thanks for the info gypo. as soon as i saw your pics, i told the wife that's what i wanted to do to make some rough-hewn porch furniture and she bought me a rig for christmas....

 

[Gypo Logger]

Glad to hear it pyro. It is productive inexpensive fun. Also, the logs with the best grain are often the logs that the mill won't take.
The smoothness of the surface has more to do with your sawing motion than the type of chain that is used. If the saw can be drawn thru the cut at only one angle, then the lumber will be very smooth, however, if a rocking motion is used the boards will come out rougher which only adds to their rustic appearance giving them that "circular saw", look.
The rocking motion seems to be the only practical way of making boards.
Another thing I noticed is that to get the best results use the shortest bar possible.
John

 

[Gypo Logger]

Here's a couple of pictures showing the modification to the BM.
John

 

[pyromaniac guy]

nice gypo. i'll be using a 16" stihl ms260 pro on mostly 8-10" oak. i love the rough-hewn look, but if it's too rough, i also have access to a planer

 

[rustyb]

John,

You've got my wheels really turning now. This may be a stupid question but how soon could one start working with wood milled like that...............if one was building a home and the piece in question was 4"x12" fir or pine cut green......assuming Idaho summer-time temps? Loaded question, I know but just a rough idea......

Also, how best would an average layperson minimize these newly cut pieces from twisting? I assume there would be less warpage/twisting if dry wood was milled, correct?

Thanks

 

[scottr]

Another Question

John , are the dogs on the Beam Machine punched sheetmetal ?

 

[Lakeside53]

John,

You've got my wheels really turning now. This may be a stupid question but how soon could one start working with wood milled like that...............if one was building a home and the piece in question was 4"x12" fir or pine cut green......assuming Idaho summer-time temps? Loaded question, I know but just a rough idea......

Also, how best would an average layperson minimize these newly cut pieces from twisting? I assume there would be less warpage/twisting if dry wood was milled, correct?

Thanks

If you don't want to build with green wood (some species are fine green) and want "perfect wood", and you don't have a lkiln, then you need to air-dry the wood to say 12% (varies by species and location). Stack them perfectly flat on 2x4s over a tarp (if on bare ground) and sticker them. Stickers are 1/2 inch strips of wood across the pile every second layer, and put concrete blocks on the top layer. Keep under cover (open to the air and out of the sun) for a year or so. Then plane and resaw etc. Just google the web for info - lots of ideas and variations out there.

If all you have is a couple of pieces, then clamp them down for a shelf in the barn and wait...

 

[Lakeside53]

John,

You've got my wheels really turning now. This may be a stupid question but how soon could one start working with wood milled like that...............if one was building a home and the piece in question was 4"x12" fir or pine cut green......assuming Idaho summer-time temps? Loaded question, I know but just a rough idea......

Also, how best would an average layperson minimize these newly cut pieces from twisting? I assume there would be less warpage/twisting if dry wood was milled, correct?

Thanks

If you'e talking DOUG FIR, then cutting from the center of the log in the "red" portion (which is "relatively dry" in it's natural state) usually yeilds excellent green beams. Nothing in DF over 3X is Kiln dried out here in WA - all the construction beams are "S-Green" which means surfaced while green, and they do warp/check somewhat, but with care its minimal. Warping of the DF beam is a result is more how you cut from the log than anything else - you need a cut that balances the natural forces exerted on the wood as it drys. Lots of good books and info out there on this topic...

 

[rustyb]

Thanks, Lakeside.

What about milling a tree that had been down for a year or so? Besides being harder to cut, what's wrong with doing that?

My time frame may not allow a good drying. I'd like to start nailing as soon as it's cut,.....if that were possible.....

 

[Lakeside53]

No problem. Often done.

 

[artwood]

The "dogs" on the BM are only holes punched part way thru the 1/8" steel channel. They also allow you to nail (double head concrete nails) the frame down for use as a cut off saw.
As far as size limit goes. This summer I ripped a 36" x 12' walnut log in half using the BM on my 088 w/42" bar & .325 chain.

 

[Gypo Logger]

Ive seen woodworkers make a casket like kiln where they have enough boards for a project using 3-4 light bulbs as a heat source after stickering and weighing the boards down. Micro waving smaller pieces of wood also works for small projects.
Also, if tree trees to be milled are felled and the top is left on, most of the moisture content is gone thru the leaves in 1 week during the summer months. How long it takes conifers to dry this way, I don't know, but maybe 3X as long.

 

[Rotax Robert]

Hey Dypo, what ever happened to Franks Planks LLC (lumbering lumber company) out of Ontario?