Cypress Pine and other Questions

[Boon]

I keep posting new threads but the help is much appreciated and invaluable for learner like me so I have a few questions those in the know could possibly share an answer


1. Cypress Pine branches - someone said every time they mill branches of cypress they split. Is that green? and would it be better to let the branches sit for several years before milling?? To stop splitting to that degree.

2. Logs that have been on the ground (of any kind) for several years do they have to go through the stacking and drying process. Have a Radiata log that has been down for about 1 half years.

3. POWER POST BEETLE - yep that one ............went to a property to look at logs and in the surrounding wood those little buddies were there. I am assuming if the cut timber is left on site to dry our friends will make a nice little home. How does one stop them? I was thinking spray the timber with kero, will this work? There is a product out there called bora care (?) but no doubt it is toxic and unsuitable to curing.

4. The oiler on a bar. From experience is it necessary to use the oiler in the saw if the axillary oiler is being used on the cutting side of the bar? and I have a drum of hydraulic oil here can I use this with a high flow rate without wearing / burning out my bar?? 48 inch on a 660 magnum (love that magnum part makes me feel like dirty harry )

5. I am in Australia but purchased my saw directly imported from the USA, someone made a comment that parts were hard to find here in Australia....A Stihl is a Stihl right or not? Don't mind so much as the net is a good source for parts....just curious as I also brought a 5 mtr Stihl pole saw this way.

questions.... questions....questions.....better to ask than find out the hard way

thanks

 

[imagineero]

I'll offer you some answers, in no particular order.

There are so many types of cypress pines. The ones you usually find in residential settings (leylandii, cripps golden cypress, columnaris etc) are not very suitable for milling. Due to their growing habit, they tend to have multiple trunks, pushing each other apart, getting heavier as the years go by with all the foliage on one side making it worse, until they snap out. Because they grow on the lean like this, they have uneven distribution of rings - much denser/tighter on the compression side. That's the main reason why they crack.

Cupressus macrocarpa which is not so common in aus is a better quality timber.

If you got your saw stateside, it will come with the low output oiler. You can change it to the high output oiler which the aus models come with as stock for about $80. It's essential if you're running big bars. I've got the high output oiler on mine (also from the states) and a dual port muffler which gives a little extra power.

Can't help much on the other questions

Shaun

 

[Boon]

I'll offer you some answers, in no particular order.

There are so many types of cypress pines. The ones you usually find in residential settings (leylandii, cripps golden cypress, columnaris etc) are not very suitable for milling. Due to their growing habit, they tend to have multiple trunks, pushing each other apart, getting heavier as the years go by with all the foliage on one side making it worse, until they snap out. Because they grow on the lean like this, they have uneven distribution of rings - much denser/tighter on the compression side. That's the main reason why they crack.

Cupressus macrocarpa which is not so common in aus is a better quality timber.

If you got your saw stateside, it will come with the low output oiler. You can change it to the high output oiler which the aus models come with as stock for about $80. It's essential if you're running big bars. I've got the high output oiler on mine (also from the states) and a dual port muffler which gives a little extra power.

Can't help much on the other questions

Shaun

Thank you Shaun. Will get the bigger oiler and dual port muffler when am able to. That is really handy to know, they do not tell you that when purchasing.

So the Cypress of this kind with the branches and pressure, is the stump any good for milling? Am unsure of the species I have in mind for milling.

 

[imagineero]

Thank you Shaun. Will get the bigger oiler and dual port muffler when am able to. That is really handy to know, they do not tell you that when purchasing.

So the Cypress of this kind with the branches and pressure, is the stump any good for milling? Am unsure of the species I have in mind for milling.

The oiler/dp muff thing is pretty widely known here, so the 660 is a by less of a bargain purchased stateside than other saws. The US oiler is really only good for bars up to about 28". You would certainly be under oiled with a 42". I've got the 36" es lite on mine, with te high output oiler and it works fine.

As far a the trunk, depends how high up it forks. I've removed hundreds of cypress pines, and bases on my experience, even when they fork 5' off the ground, the union typically goes all the way to ground level internally. You can't trust them when falling. They often spilt apart.

 

[kiwiatgundy]

I felled a nice big Cyprus Pine last winter, cut to lengths and stored in mates paddock after end sealing. Didn't take into account our hot dry climate out here and found log suffered badly from cracking along it's length, still got some great slabs but had much higher wastage than liked. Once I slabbed I applied sealer to ends, ran the brush down the center heartwood and also the outer edge to try and slow down and controll the drying. If I don't do this I get bad surface checking and splits. Maybe because of low humidty out here, not sure, but it seems to do the job.

I run the same outfit as you, 660 and bar etc. I have c/s oiler on max and have been running 80w/90 gear oil through aux oiler. On hot days, after about 3 oil refills, start adding about 1/3rd 80w/90 to c/s oil to help stabilise viscosity. When i mill the hard gums I fairly pour the oil on. I tried running hyd oil but found to thin, then again was a hot day. Personally, more oil the better.

By way, mate wanted two of the slabs for bar on wine barrel, wouldn't wait for drying to finish, anyway I just finished sanding and put first coat of Tung oil on, bloody nice, might have to keep

 

[Boon]

I felled a nice big Cyprus Pine last winter, cut to lengths and stored in mates paddock after end sealing. Didn't take into account our hot dry climate out here and found log suffered badly from cracking along it's length, still got some great slabs but had much higher wastage than liked. Once I slabbed I applied sealer to ends, ran the brush down the center heartwood and also the outer edge to try and slow down and controll the drying. If I don't do this I get bad surface checking and splits. Maybe because of low humidty out here, not sure, but it seems to do the job.

Used to live out west and was thinking other day how wood might survive those conditions, perhaps fully covered in dense shade cloth, could trap some of the moisture from the timber & allow some airflow. Will keep in mind brushing down the center..thanks

I run the same outfit as you, 660 and bar etc. I have c/s oiler on max and have been running 80w/90 gear oil through aux oiler. On hot days, after about 3 oil refills, start adding about 1/3rd 80w/90 to c/s oil to help stabilise viscosity. When i mill the hard gums I fairly pour the oil on. I tried running hyd oil but found to thin, then again was a hot day. Personally, more oil the better.

Super Cheap Auto sells 5L of super Tek oil for around $25.00 ...sticky as, which is not a bad price - just have the hyd oil laying around and would like to put it to good use.....20L nothing to sneeze at. Yes and agree, I turn up the oiler to full when going, am always concerned it does not get enough back towards the power head.

By way, mate wanted two of the slabs for bar on wine barrel, wouldn't wait for drying to finish, anyway I just finished sanding and put first coat of Tung oil on, bloody nice, might have to keep

Have you posed that on the site, would like to see

Thanks for the tips

 

[kiwiatgundy]

Hopefully I have attached the pics ok. Tung oil still drying. The bloke I sold this to, pulls the old wine barrels apart, sands and varnish's, finished product should look great.

 

[BobL]

I run the same outfit as you, 660 and bar etc. I have c/s oiler on max and have been running 80w/90 gear oil through aux oiler. On hot days, after about 3 oil refills, start adding about 1/3rd 80w/90 to c/s oil to help stabilise viscosity. When i mill the hard gums I fairly pour the oil on. I tried running hyd oil but found to thin, then again was a hot day. Personally, more oil the better.

Just a small point but Viscosity is not the same as tackiness, which is what is really needed for B&C oil, Ideally you want medium-low viscosity, ie so the oil flows quickly into all the gaps in a chain as it goes past the oilers, and high tackiness so that it hangs onto the chain as it goes around the bar end sprockets. Gear oil is good because it's high pressure capable (but so is hydro) and moderate tackiness but gear oil may be too viscous, instead tackifiers should be added to your hydro.

If the aux oiler delivers its oil when the chain has already passed around the bar nose, tackiness does not matter but viscosity does as this is when you do want low the oil to quickly flood the chain. Are you using the gear oil to control the flow rate on the hydro, if so this may be better done by using a tap with a finer control.

The third aspect of B&C oil, is heat heat capacity since this determines how well the oil removes heat.. Vegetable oils generally are 10-15% better than mineral oils for this but Olive oil is 25% better although the cost is usually prohibitive.
Canola oil is good on viscosity and heat removal so is fine for an Aux oiler but it would need tackifiers if used solo in the saw. However, vegetable oils also can go gummy and make a real mess so using them on a saw can lead to problems.

 

[Boon]

Hopefully I have attached the pics ok. Tung oil still drying. The bloke I sold this to, pulls the old wine barrels apart, sands and varnish's, finished product should look great.

Thanks for the pics!

Nice wood, always amazed at what is inside a tree that we use in every day life...and we cut it!....... hard to take

Think I'm in love with my mill ,

 

[kiwiatgundy]

Just a small point but Viscosity is not the same as tackiness, which is what is really needed for B&C oil, Ideally you want medium-low viscosity, ie so the oil flows quickly into all the gaps in a chain as it goes past the oilers, and high tackiness so that it hangs onto the chain as it goes around the bar end sprockets. Gear oil is good because it's high pressure capable (but so is hydro) and moderate tackiness but gear oil may be too viscous, instead tackifiers should be added to your hydro.

If the aux oiler delivers its oil when the chain has already passed around the bar nose, tackiness does not matter but viscosity does as this is when you do want low the oil to quickly flood the chain. Are you using the gear oil to control the flow rate on the hydro, if so this may be better done by using a tap with a finer control.

The third aspect of B&C oil, is heat heat capacity since this determines how well the oil removes heat.. Vegetable oils generally are 10-15% better than mineral oils for this but Olive oil is 25% better although the cost is usually prohibitive.
Canola oil is good on viscosity and heat removal so is fine for an Aux oiler but it would need tackifiers if used solo in the saw. However, vegetable oils also can go gummy and make a real mess so using them on a saw can lead to problems.

thanks for that BobL.
I have always worried that as the saw heated up and I've opened the oil bung to refil, noticed oil lost it's viscosity and figured it would not be doing the job, espically on the larger bar. So, if I understand correctly, not that case at all, don't add gear oil to saw? By way, I run the Stihl oil in saw and will start useing that in aux oiler now as well.
Will get a ball valve for aux oiler as the tap it comes with either gives me bugger all or ploughs it on.

By way, need pointer. I need to deal with my rakers (I have a bench grinder) but have never done before, I am sure there is an excellent thread, thought I had saved it safe but unable to locate, can you point in direction?
I am also having problems keeping general cutting chain sharp in hardwoods, been suggested I change angle from 35 to 25 degrees, just wondred what you run in the hard stuff over there.

Cheers
Brian