No excuses - get out of the office and back to milling

[BobL]

Today was real nice day here, 72F max with a nice cool tail wind, day job paperwork down to a managable level so I had no excuses and so I went to the milling yard and tackled this 10 ft long - 30" at base Sugar gum. I have milled a couple of small ones before but never one this big and that had been left ~6 months after falling. When green they are relatively soft but when they are even a bit dry they're as hard as hard as hard. Certainly one of the hardest and densest logs I have ever milled.

Only had the phone camera with me so sorry about crappy pics, they don't really capture the colours and grain.

Fist major cut was S L O W A S and made a lot of fine dust.
See how far the exhaust pipe has sprayed the sawdust!

Damn phone camera - my fingers always get in the way!

Couple of grain shots. The sometimes make floor boards out of this stuff.

 

[BobL]

No excuses - get out of the office and back to milling PtII

When I dropped the rakers by 3 strokes I was worried I might lose the nice smooth finish I was getting - but hey no probs!

Even with the rakers down there was still a lot of dust and being sugar gum it's slightly sticky

No loader so to move those slabs by hand - only had to move them about 10' and lift them up onto a stack! but boy am I stuffed!

Goodnight!

 

[dave k]

Good job too, I was begining to think you had become a backseat miller !
As always Bob thanks for taking the time to post the pics.
I was supposed to out today but gales and torrential rain said no ! So the walnut and oak along with some beech will have to wait.

 

[BobL]

Good job too, I was begining to think you had become a backseat miller !

Yeah me too, travelling for 4 weeks, flu for 2 weeks and it took me another 2 weeks to get back even somewhere close to normal, weather not all that good, family stuff, work stuff etc - the usual excuses!

Hope your weather improves

 

[mtngun]

Thanks for the pics, Bob.

How often do you resharpen the chain on a log like that ?

It's winter here so I may be out of action for quite a while. But, I hope to get my milling saw running stronger over the winter, so it'll be ready for next year.

 

[BobL]

Thanks for the pics, Bob.
How often do you resharpen the chain on a log like that ?

Thanks. Apart from the first and last cuts I touch up after every slab. Two file strokes for the smaller slabs and 3 for the bigger ones. I'm getting very quick at doing it

It's winter here so I may be out of action for quite a while. But, I hope to get my milling saw running stronger over the winter, so it'll be ready for next year.

Winter is our milling season but this year I have been out of action for many weekends so it looks like I'll be milling on summer mornings for as long as I can stand it!

 

[Brmorgan]

Heh, when you say "relatively soft", why do I get the feeling that the relativity is to concrete and pig iron? Sure is nice looking wood though.

We're heading into winter now; had a few snowfalls already but for the most part it's been melting slowly. Got a couple inches again last night. It should leave according to the forecast, but it's getting to that time of year when a good snowfall will stay for good until early April (in my backyard anyway). The weather turns so quick here where I live - in the last week of September, we had 30°C for almost a week straight. By the second week of October, we had some nights go down to -15 or lower, with daytime highs of -4. Since then it's been a mixed bag and more temperate - quite a bit of rain though, which we needed after having an 11-week drought in the summer. But not very conducive to me getting my last-minute outdoor projects & firewood done before winter! There are a couple logs on the ground in the bush that will have to wait 'til spring at this point. Oh well, such is life I guess. Last year we didn't get snow until almost Chrismtas.

 

[Can8ianTimber]

Love the pics bob. That is some nice wood. I have a 48" hardwood log to tackle next weekend and I can't wait.

Trying to ballance my time between building my shop and making time for milling.

Oregon winters are pretty wet so unless you are on pavement or gravel things get messy in a hurry.

Not to get off topic but here is my current project taking up a lot of my time. With the price of 2x6's around $.20/BF from the local lumber store I am not using any wood that I milled.

 

[Brmorgan]

That'll give you some workspace! What's it going to be for? More milling, or a truck/equipment shop etc.? I hear ya with lumber prices - it's nice to be able to say that you cut everything yourself but there comes a point where you'd have to be an idiot to waste your time given the cost difference. Pretty much the only lumber the mills up this way are making a profit on are 2X8s and larger, and long, high-grade ones especially for use as floor joists. The stud mills (which is what I worked at until laid off in Feb.) are still sitting pretty flat, much like the building market.

 

[Daninvan]

Bob,

I see from that first photo that there is quite a nasty crack in that log, looks like 2 or maybe 3 feet long.

Wondering how you cope with these kinds of things in general? Would you cut the slab short before drying so as to remove the crack and prevent it from growing? Would you cut the slab lengthwise, following the line that the crack would naturally extend on itself to end up with two skinny but long boards? Or would you just dry as is and deal with it later? Or some other way?

Me, I'd cut the slab if it was a short crack, if it was really long I'd split the slab vertically along the crack, otherwise I'd just deal with it after all the slabs were dry. Also depends on what the wood species is, the grain pattern, and likely/possible uses.

In this case, a ten foot slab with a three foot crack, tough call. I'd probably cut the slab short. Wondering would you would/did do.

Dan

 

[BobL]

Bob,

I see from that first photo that there is quite a nasty crack in that log, looks like 2 or maybe 3 feet long.

Wondering how you cope with these kinds of things in general? Would you cut the slab short before drying so as to remove the crack and prevent it from growing? Would you cut the slab lengthwise, following the line that the crack would naturally extend on itself to end up with two skinny but long boards? Or would you just dry as is and deal with it later?

Yep - Most of these slabs are resawn once they are dry. In this sort of wood cutting the slab short is not likely to prevent further cracking - it just does what it wants to when it dries.

 

[Brmorgan]

Yep - Most of these slabs are resawn once they are dry. In this sort of wood cutting the slab short is not likely to prevent further cracking - it just does what it wants to when it dries.

+1

I've found that cutting a split off the end of a green board is largely futile, since new checks and splits will usually just start from the new exposed end. Of course different species act differently, so some fare better than others. In general I think it's better to just let a piece of wood do what it's going to do, and then once it's stable get the most out of it that you can. The scenario of ripping the continuation of the split down into two pieces might not be a bad idea in some circumstances though.

 

[BobL]

Love the pics bob. That is some nice wood. I have a 48" hardwood log to tackle next weekend and I can't wait. Trying to ballance my time between building my shop and making time for milling. Oregon winters are pretty wet so unless you are on pavement or gravel things get messy in a hurry. Not to get off topic but here is my current project taking up a lot of my time. . . .

Cheers, that's a good looking shed coming on there. I would kill for that sort of space especially as I just have picked up a heap of wood working machinery for naught from work. They had a big clean up and I scored really well, a 14" SCMS, 8" jointer (I already have a 10" at home and a 16" at the milling yard), a small combination machine, a dust collector and a small metal working lathe - that is gonna come in really handy for new mill making projects.

 

[Can8ianTimber]

Thanks Bob. It is a 36x48' shop with 18' high walls so I can do a second story inside later on if I want. We just moved out on 5 acres and it is amazing to actually have a place to work. I have been working out of my 2 car garage up until now so this is a big upgrade. This shop is going to be for woodworking tools and dry wood. I am hoping to build another shop next summer for green slabs.

I still remember running my 066 for 6 hours strait at my last house in a suburban neibourhood. I was not a really popular guy after that.

 

[stipes]

Hi Bob!!!

Nice color and grain in that wood!!! Wow !!!!
Right now is my favorite time to mill...Fall and winter coming soon...I just hate millin in the summer,,to hard on me and my saw...
I'm wondering how much longer before it gets too hot there??? Thanks for the pics!!!

 

[BobL]

Nice color and grain in that wood!!! Wow !!!!
Right now is my favorite time to mill...Fall and winter coming soon...I just hate millin in the summer,,to hard on me and my saw...
I'm wondering how much longer before it gets too hot there??? Thanks for the pics!!!

Thanks and cheers Stipes,

RE:how much longer before it gets too hot there???
It's already too hot, 93F forecast for next Saturday

 

[gink595]

Bob did that FOP show up yet?

 

[BobL]

Bob did that FOP show up yet?

Sorry - no sign of it! I also called a favour in with the folks down at the mail room to call me when it arrived. I haven't given up yet - it may be on a slow boat via Djarakta!

Cheers

 

[gink595]

I don't think I've ever mailed anything outside of the country so it might just take longer than one would expect??? It will kinda piss me if it never shows, now no one will get good use of it. Well let me know if it does show, i just thought it would have by now. I don't think there is a way to track it either, I have a few more so if this don't show I'll send another one but maybe by UPS so I can get a tracking number.