The Typical Noob Question...

[meatbeagle]

Hi All!

I'm really enjoying reading through all of the old posts here, and while I have some idea where folks will steer me with this question, I wanted to get some answers specific to my question.

I'm building a stone house here in central Vermont, for which I will need about 20 beams, as thick as 15 inches in some places and as long as 25'. I have the trees, and have considered doing some CS milling for a number of reasons.

First, I have a lot more time than money, and big, long beams are expensive.

Second, I've avidly read through this site and others, as well as a copy of Malloff's book. the process looks pretty fun, if time consuming, and I love to learn new skills.

So - the big question. If my intent is to mill some rough beams on-site ONLY, fully aware that the bug may bite me and I'll find myself expanding my capabilities in the future, what's the cheapest way for me to get reasonable results? I'm thinking maybe the GB mini mill will get me where I need to be? Thanks for your guidance, folks!

-Rick

 

[devonhubb]

Here ya go. This one has been tempting me & I really don't need it.

Stihl 075 chain saw

Don't know if he will ship it or not. You will be hard pressed to beat this deal....

Stihl 075 with 53" granberg mill, 36" & 56" bars. $375 for the saw & $100 for the mill. Located in Salem, Oregon.

 

[irishcountry]

Sounds like a mini mill would be exactly what you need . It is not like running a bandsaw but it will get the job done for sure perfect for the more time than money situation and I think for whatever reason the mini always seems to run a little faster than a reg. sideways mill setup . Nothing like a stone wood combo if you get a chance post some pics of your build !!

 

[tomsteve]

cant offer any advise on which mill to get, but i applaud your investment in doing the work yourself. as if framing a home isnt labor intensive enough, milling those beams and moving them is gonna be a chore, but i know from experience that at the end of the days, you will have some tremendous satisfaction from doing the work yourself.

and welcome to the board! tons of great folks with even more tons of knowledge willing to share it!

 

[willbarryrec]

First, I have a lot more time than money, and big, long beams are expensive.

This is key in my mind!

Second the process looks pretty fun, if time consuming, and I love to learn new skills.

Also awesome.:msp_thumbsup:



I don't have a mini mill but they look like the ticket for cutting beams.

And I need to get one.

I assume you have a biggish saw to run said mill?

 

[meatbeagle]

I assume you have a biggish saw to run said mill?

Well, I'm at 18", 46cc right now, but my brother in law's a logger, with LOTS of great toys I can borrow. :msp_w00t:

 

[Doss]

Well, I'm at 18", 46cc right now, but my brother in law's a logger, with LOTS of great toys I can borrow. :msp_w00t:

What type of saw are you running? Maybe I skimmed by it, but what type of trees are you cutting? Cutting hardwood will mean you're going to want a pretty good saw.

While your BIL may have nice stuff to play with, realize that you could be taking up several full days of cutting with his saws and chains. Each beam could take you about a day to make once you figure in chain sharpening, refueling, breaks, idle time, and, worst of all, moving the beam to where you want it. I have several 2' tall 15"x15" blocks of red oak sitting around and let me tell you, they aren't light. You'll also want to get them out of the sun once you've cut them. If they sat out in the hot temps for a while, you might end up cracking them.

 

[Ax-man]

Before jumping into making the main beams for your house practice on smaller stuff to get the feel for what your doing and make sure you can make good square beams. Takes pratice to get good square level beams.

The mill is only half of what it takes to make lumber. The other half is a good torquey saw that cuts straight and the operator running it.

Good luck

 

[Doss]

What Ax-man said is right, it's not easy to make perfectly square-cornered beams. I tried free-handing some short logs (2' long) one day and, while the sides were fairly flat, they were definitely not square.

I used a hand planer (power) to bring them in somewhat. I can't imagine doing that to an 8' long beam... let alone a 15-25' long one.

 

[showrguy]

ok I will compare two of the mills i make, so that I don't offend other manufacturers, but the mini or in my case panther cub mill are single clamp designs, and no matter what, you will not get the accuracy that can be achieved with a double clamp design such as my panthermill 2 which is extremely sturdy and accurate, the panthermill 2 or double clamp design,it may cost a bit more but the savings in time and labor to go back and resaw or plane the beam/board square more than pays for itself, i would only use a single clamp if your trying to obtain a certain look, or for quartering,or small woodworking projects. Yes the single clamps seem to cut faster. My theory and I may be wrong, but I think since it is a single clamp design, it helps to pivot through the wood as well as deflect around hard spots. with my panthermill 2 my accuracy stays right about 1/16" +/- so it does have to go through any knots, hard spots, etc. where the panthercub/single clamp design mill could skirt around. now you can still get accurate clean cuts with the single clamp design, but the real trick to getting nice cuts,with any mill is to keep everthing sharp, properly adjusted and a nice consistant movement through your work, alot of starting and stopping will greatly affect your cut quality as well as trying to force the saw through the log, which should never be done. also to get more production/accomplished, try prepping, or cant a few logs at a time when making boards or beams, although not always possible with slabbing. hope this helps, you can also go to Panther Chainsaw Mills , i am working on the site but there might be some pics useful to those considering differant mills.

hi kim,
chuck from Pa. here, i just received my 42" mill from you last friday, it looks great and super sturdy (better than i was expecting), great construction, worth the wait !!
i have'nt used it yet, i need to order some ripping chain from baileys or convert some of my rsc chains with the stihl usg grinder and diamond wheel..
i lurk in this section, read alot, but so far don't have anything to contribute (that'll change soon)..
i did'nt know if you were an active member here or not, but did see your mention of arborstsite and all of the smart guys on here that was included with your paperwork/instructions...
thanks again..
sorry to get alittle off topic guys..

 

[showrguy]

be happy too...
these guys might get tired of me posting once i get started, hehehehe.....

 

[smokinj]

What saw's you got?

 

[showrguy]

What saw's you got?

i think you mean me ??
i'm a stihl guy, so i have
ht 101 pole saw
ms 200t that needs a carb
026 pro that i think neeeds a carb, has a zama on it.
ms 360 ported and m/m (my favorite saw)
ms 361 stock, never use it
ms 460 ported and m/m
ms 660 stock for now
ms 880 stock for now, only about 4 hrs. run time, have unlimited coil and carb for when it gets ported, 41 and 59 inch bars, 404, 063
also have a handfull of 044"s and 460"s to tinker with...

ya think i got the right 7 saw plan ?? hehehe

 

[820wards]

Hi All!

I'm really enjoying reading through all of the old posts here, and while I have some idea where folks will steer me with this question, I wanted to get some answers specific to my question.

I'm building a stone house here in central Vermont, for which I will need about 20 beams, as thick as 15 inches in some places and as long as 25'. I have the trees, and have considered doing some CS milling for a number of reasons.

First, I have a lot more time than money, and big, long beams are expensive.

Second, I've avidly read through this site and others, as well as a copy of Malloff's book. the process looks pretty fun, if time consuming, and I love to learn new skills.

So - the big question. If my intent is to mill some rough beams on-site ONLY, fully aware that the bug may bite me and I'll find myself expanding my capabilities in the future, what's the cheapest way for me to get reasonable results? I'm thinking maybe the GB mini mill will get me where I need to be? Thanks for your guidance, folks!

-Rick

Rick,

If you need to produce beams, the Ganberg mini-mill is a great inexpensive system for making beams. Mntgun uses his mini-mill in the field on pretty long trees he mills. You can purchase additional mini-mill rails from Ganberg that can be connected for those 25' beams you stated. You can also build your own mini-mill for not much money and still get accurate cuts. See my footer on how I built a simple rail mini-mill system. Good luck

jerry-

 

[sachsmo]

more power,,,,,,,,,,,,mobetter,

If you have the time, guess it would make sense. It is a bunch of work, but if you had 8 hour days to throw at it, it would net quite a few beams a day.

I say go for it!

 

[mesquite dog]

thanks for the kind words, don't want to get to off subject either, but when you get a chance let these guys know how it works for you, my mill could save them some money for things like chains, oil, gas and band-aids, or dinner for the wifey cuz she ws neglected all weekend while you were playing with a new toy...

Hi kpanther, without getting to far off subject myself, I have been checking out your site and really like the look of your carriage mill, however no pricing is listed, any chance of getting a price sheet or catalog/flyer?

 

[TraditionalTool]

You should consider hiring a sawyer with a portable sawmill to cut the beams for you. From what I'm reading, I think you'll be better off in the long run and can focus on the stone work.