Milling Question

[Oregon_Rob]

I have been thinking about playing around with doing a little milling and was wondering about where to find out specifics of how and when is the best time to harvest trees, what species do and don’t work well, am I better off milling right after felling or waiting…?
Is there a place on the web that deals with these types of details?

My specific situation is that a friend of mine has a good sized maple that I can have, if I take it out and am not sure if I should go take it down now and store it, or should I get all the equipment and then take it down?

Thanks,

Rob

 

[bwalker]

when is the best time to harvest trees,

I would think that winter would be the best time to cut. Most off the moisture is in the roots this time of year which means less time to dry.

 

[Gypo Logger]

Hi Rob, if you want to dry that tree real fast, just fell it and leave the branches on. Thru transpiration the tree will dry in 2 weeks and the wood will be stable. When the leaves are brown the tree has lost most of it's M.C. June- Aug. is the worst time to cut maple as the sap can stain the wood, however in the method I described you wont get any staining. Hope this helps.
John

 

[Newfie]

My experience has been that green logs mills easier than dry or seasoned logs, making it easier on the powerhead. You are better off to let your wood do it's drying after it is neatly stacked and stickered and covered on top to keep rain off.

I would get the gear and then fell the tree. If I was felling for firewood I use Gypo's method of letting the leaves suck the moisture out of the tree before bucking. But he is definitely right about the staining problem in the summer months with high humidity.

Chainsaw milling can be dusty and sweaty, but the rewards are worth it in my opinion. Good Luck!

 

[Oregon_Rob]

Very good info, I can fall the tree pretty much anytime, so I will wait until leaves have fallen off. Are there any specific books or other sources of information that anyone recommends specific to milling?

 

[WRW]

Rob,
Look up Kevin Watson in the member list (user name Kevin). He has a site that has a lot of links, and he would be a great resource as well.