intro' from a would-be treecycler

[tribalwind]

Hi,
i'm new here and thought i'd introduce myself. being interested in milling right now i figured i'd put it here,hope that's proper.

im an artisan-craftsman,musician and woodworker, mostly making wood/bamboo flutes,woodturnings,scrollwork,some rustic stuff etc...
i'd like to get into milling for personal usage as well as a small side-business(in addition to my 9-5 drafting/design gig)

i've been wanting to start a 'treecycling' operation for quite a while, keeping felled trees out of landfills and being shredded, milling it and selling at a discount to fellow local craftsmen or right back to the homeowners..
but till now i was too busy with other things to persue it. well now a new friend has expressed interest in teaming up so seems like nows the time to explore this.

we'd Really appreciate any info,suggestions or help in making this work!!. this is first an foremost an environmentally concerned project,i also see 10%-50% of profits going to various environmental/humanist charities.
one site thats given me some good input and a model to follow is http://www.scottbanbury.com
no affiliation,but this is jsut the type of business model i have in mind.

Namaste'
Matthew
www.tribalwind.com

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

Ha!- you and I are too much alike in this respect. My current "9-5" involves a lot of drafting/ design as well. My brother and I wan't to get away from the corporate commercial construction scene and get into producing unique products from materials that we see wasted on enormous scales. I've said before, I'm no tree hugger but I HATE to see good wood wasted. Green building and LEADS programs are gaining a lot of support from economically viable resources (read NOT federally subsidized). Hopefully, with luck and sweat, we can make something work.

 

[rb_in_va]

Scott Banbury used to be (might still be) a member of the yahoo milling forum. He knows what he's doing for sure. What type of mill are you thinking of getting? Might want to check out www.sawmillexchange.com

 

[Gumneck]

Nice woodwork on your website. Especially liked the apple bowls and scorched work on your display case.

Good job.

 

[tribalwind]

Aggie, GMTA i guess!
i do a/v theater,lighting stuff now. smart-homes and homes and some commercial.
came from enviro/civil engineering and surveying.

rb, i'd like a CSM to start. alredy have teh 36" alaskan,just no chainsaw or much else(chaps,wedges etc) was hoping to find a fairly decent used head i could start small with. but once we get rolling withthe treecycle thing we'd probably look for a Portable bandsaw mill as well. i also have seen several plans for constructing one DIY style,so thats an option too. im on the yahoo mill and chainsaw groups but havent visited in forever.

thanks to all for the website compliments..i actually have slacked and not updated it in toooo long.it really needs a total redesign.

 

[Finnbear]

Have you seen any plans on the web for DIY bandmills?
Finnbear

 

[hamradio]

I must be lucky. I've got acess to a Wood Mizer. Never used it (a friend's), but it just sits there.

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

I must be lucky. I've got acess to a Wood Mizer. Never used it (a friend's), but it just sits there.

Yup- a friend is the only reason I have access to a bandmill- for now...

 

[rb_in_va]

I must be lucky. I've got acess to a Wood Mizer. Never used it (a friend's), but it just sits there.

Yep, your lucky! Don't happen to live in VA do you?

 

[dustytools]

Hi Finnbear, there are several diy bandmill plans on ebay listed under sawmills, or bandsaw mills.

 

[Ianab]

Matthew

Have you seen these mills?
http://www.skillmill.com/index.htm
They aren't high productions machines, but are very portable and will handle bigger logs than tbe baby bandsaws. Also they can be used in conjunction with an Alaskan mill to break down a log into boards AND some wide slabs.

A full sized swingblade mill would be ideal for what you want to do, but they are a bit pricey I guess. My mill is an old swingblade that uses a Stihl 090 powerhead to drive the circle saw blade, not the fastest sawing, but lets me cut BIG logs in all sorts of hard to get to places.

Getting a big saw to go with the Alaskan is probably a good idea whatever else you decide. You will want the big saw to help break down big logs, and an Alaskan is still a good way to cut wide slabs from big logs.

Cheers

Ian

 

[tribalwind]

finally got me a saw(almost)

well
finally bought the chainsaw for my 36" alaskan (3years old now,hah)
there was a brand new 395xp on ebay with a buy-it-now of $750 so i jumped on it' . comes with 28"bar, should i get a 42" ?
now i'm looking for the rest of the necessities and maybe some luxuries

ive been searching through the posts but havent come across any compiled list of gear etc.. i'm sure its out there(in triplicate probably) but im not searching for the right buzzword or what have you.... maybe such a beast would be good to have stickied on top ? since theres so many of us greenhorns on here seeking the same knowledge from those more seasoned' or pro'

anyhow, heres my list so far from memory, please let me know the numerous items im sure i've left out:
6/9-layer chaps, steeltoe boots,head/face/ear-protective helmet,kneepads?,cant hook/log jack, wedges,chain oil, files/sharpener,
lunch ,

ripping chain, i see many posts on that as well, though
looking at bailey's woodsman pro ,not sure which style of it would fit my bar?.
thanks again for all the help and info shared on this forum, really enjoy browsing through it all ! and look forward to sharing my 1st milling pics soon:greenchainsaw:

matthew

 

[oldsaw]

Matthew, yes, you will want the 42" bar to use all of the 36". You will probably find you will need it more often than not. Also get the Aux oiler if you haven't That will save lots of wear on the bar too.

You can get the bar from Baileys, as well as at least 3 loops of chain. The best deal in a 42" bar will be the Oregon Pro-something or other, then buy the Woodsman Pro rip chain. I did have one problem with that bar in the Stihl mount, in that it took one more link than the bar said. Since they are a Husky dealer, they may be able to answer that question beforehand.

Good luck, and get some pictures.

Mark

 

[CaseyForrest]

Id like to throw in...In MI (at least) putting yard waste into a Subtitle D sanitary landfill is illegal.

With all the woodburners out there, and the rising cost of fuel, you would be hard pressed to find any yard waste ending up in the landfill.

At least where I work thats the case. All yard waste ends up in our composting facility where turnaround time from rough to screened compost is 7-9 months.

 

[tribalwind]

Id like to throw in...In MI (at least) putting yard waste into a Subtitle D sanitary landfill is illegal.

With all the woodburners out there, and the rising cost of fuel, you would be hard pressed to find any yard waste ending up in the landfill.

At least where I work thats the case. All yard waste ends up in our composting facility where turnaround time from rough to screened compost is 7-9 months.

wish it were the case here, such a waste
i will be setting up a woodburning stove in my shop this season,.very soon!(just got real nipply out here)