Thinking about milling a few boards

[joecool85]

Hi guys.

First a little background on the project I want to do. We bought a house 2 years ago that has "old barn boards" on one wall. They weren't treated with anything, just bare wood and got beat up, knots fell out and they are dry rotted in a few spots (leaving me to believe they weren't in great shape when they went on the wall to begin with). We want them gone since they are in such poor shape, we were going to dry wall, but then decided on keeping it wood. I'd like to mill my own boards for this.

We had a large (60' x 26" dbh) black willow we had to take down out front and I would like to mill up that for the boards. The wall that needs to be covered is 10' x 8' and I was thinking 1" planks, but they could be thinner if I can mill thinner.

Now come the questions, with the right chain, could I mill these boards with my 330? I was thinking about using one of these mills: http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200326318_200326318

Also, after I get them milled, do I need to let them dry before nailing them to my framing to make my wall? I know wood shrinks, but how much would it really shrink?

 

[Sawyer Rob]

That willow is pretty wood when made into wall boards, but it "isn't" very stable. It will shrink a LOT, and move quite a bit from winter to summer. It also likes to twist and warp all over the place as it dries.

You can use it, but you will have to allow for the movement from winter to summer.

Rob

 

[OhioGregg]

I'll let the more expeienced guys step in on this one. I milled a bunch of oak and cherry early last spring into boards about 1 1/4" thick, stacked and stickered them, out of the weather, but still get lots of air.
I dout they are dry enough yet, I don't have a moisture meter (yet).

Will run them through a thickness planer before using them. Unless you are drying with a kiln, its my understanding that it takes atleast 1-2 years!
I suppose your milage can very quite a bit on that though.

The Beam Machine might work to make beams, but don't think that will do lumber very well. I would suggest a larger saw too. I use a 385xp on a Logosol Big Mill Basic. The saw runs on a rail the length of the log. It takes more power than you might think to make cuts like that. Most use larger saws than mine.

I would suggest a little bigger saw and a Alaskan type mill. I think there most popular. There is plenty to learn in this endevour. LOL
But, its all fun too, and you'll be proud as punch when ya start making your own lumber!


Gregg,

 

[billstuewe]

As discussed above, your saw will be very slow and the beam machine will not cut as true boards as a Logosol timberjig or an Alaskan mill. I have a beam machine and it works very well to split logs and would make beams where tolerances are not that critical (1/4" off on an 8"x8" beam is hardly noticable but 1/4" off on a 3/4" board on your wall is.)
Here is what some of my black willow looked like:

End Product:

 

[joecool85]

As discussed above, your saw will be very slow and the beam machine will not cut as true boards as a Logosol timberjig or an Alaskan mill. I have a beam machine and it works very well to split logs and would make beams where tolerances are not that critical (1/4" off on an 8"x8" beam is hardly noticable but 1/4" off on a 3/4" board on your wall is.)
Here is what some of my black willow looked like:

End Product:

Wow, that's some good looking wood. Here's hoping mine looks even half that good! I think I may go ahead and try my 330 and a beam machine, glad to know that it should work - albeit slow and not as accurate as an Alaskan type. If I like milling, then maybe I could convince the wifey that I really need that 460 I've been dreaming of at night.

**edit**
I should note, I did rough cut two 24" x 18" x 2" boards for a couple signs out of a pine log earlier in the fall with my 330. Regular cruddy safety chain that came on it, no mill attachment, just guided by hand. It was slow going, but did work. It came out pretty rough on the surface of the boards and it was a real slow process. I'm hoping milling chain will help on both accounts.

 

[gr8scott72]

If I like milling, then maybe I could convince the wifey that I really need that 460 I've been dreaming of at night.

You'll probably catch the milling bug and then you will quickly find out that even a 460 isn't enough saw. hehehe

 

[joecool85]

You'll probably catch the milling bug and then you will quickly find out that even a 460 isn't enough saw. hehehe

You're probably right, but if I need more saw than that I'd probably go the route of a 3pt attachment to my JD 40T.

 

[Brmorgan]

Switch that 330 over to a low-profile chain and it should do what you need it to; you'll just be working more and taking longer than with a bigger saw. If you're only doing one log it shouldn't overwork the saw too much. Just make sure your mix is good, I'd suggest 40:1, and set the carb a bit on the rich side.

I don't know how much you can get a Beam Machine for, but if you have the (assumed) extra money, I'd really recommend stepping up to a Granberg Mini-Mill. It's pretty much the same idea, but is SO much more versatile and is built much better in general, and IMO is safer because of the secondary handle. You won't need to "upgrade" from it later either - it'll stay just as useful as long as you're chainsaw milling, whereas I doubt a Beam Machine will find much use if you end up getting an Alaskan or Mini-Mill later on.

You're probably right, but if I need more saw than that I'd probably go the route of a 3pt attachment to my JD 40T.

Heh, as far as milling is concerned, a 460 is a baby saw! A nice saw, but still on the small end of the spectrum.

 

[joecool85]

Switch that 330 over to a low-profile chain and it should do what you need it to; you'll just be working more and taking longer than with a bigger saw. If you're only doing one log it shouldn't overwork the saw too much. Just make sure your mix is good, I'd suggest 40:1, and set the carb a bit on the rich side.

I don't know how much you can get a Beam Machine for, but if you have the (assumed) extra money, I'd really recommend stepping up to a Granberg Mini-Mill. It's pretty much the same idea, but is SO much more versatile and is built much better in general, and IMO is safer because of the secondary handle. You won't need to "upgrade" from it later either - it'll stay just as useful as long as you're chainsaw milling, whereas I doubt a Beam Machine will find much use if you end up getting an Alaskan or Mini-Mill later on.



Heh, as far as milling is concerned, a 460 is a baby saw! A nice saw, but still on the small end of the spectrum.

Interesting...didn't know you could get a mini-mill so cheap. The beam machine goes for about $40, so it's half price of what you posted. I'm still thinking of going that direction to start with. I do have a 18" low pro bar I've run on that saw before, so I could mill with that if I wanted to. Maybe I'll buy ripping chain for both that and the stock 22" regular 3/8 setup so I can compare.

 

[English Oak]

End Product:

[/QUOTE]


I never knew willow was such a good wood, what it like to work with, because I alway thought it was quiet soft and puky.

 

[billstuewe]

That was my thinking before I milled it. It actually mills a bit tuff and machines well. It is prone to warp a lot. I had some very big logs that I thought I could turn into tables so I milled a lot of 8/4 and it twisted pretty bad. No tables but it will be good for shorter/smaller projects. The 4/4 seemed to turn out a bit better. It is light weight and has a lot of small knots (character) and is a bit of a copy of olive wood in color which is why I chose it to make the offering boxes for my Church. I like it .

 

[lmbeachy]

You're probably right, but if I need more saw than that I'd probably go the route of a 3pt attachment to my JD 40T.

Glad to see someone else has a JD40T. I have the one that my Dad bought new in the spring of 53 right after they came out. Good little tractor and with the right hookups you can move some pretty good sized logs.

 

[joecool85]

Glad to see someone else has a JD40T. I have the one that my Dad bought new in the spring of 53 right after they came out. Good little tractor and with the right hookups you can move some pretty good sized logs.

My grandfather bought this one from a realestate sale back in 1960, it's a 1954 model and he has the old No. 40 manure loader for it (originally made for the MT, which is essentially the same as the 40T so it bolts right up). Once I restore the tractor and loader back to working condition it should be quite the little helper.

 

[flushcut]

I am new to this site, But I would recommend a larger saw it will make your milling more enjoyable and productive. I have milled up some fine old growth red oak for a customer making a bridge and I was running a husky 385 with a ripping chain in thirty inch wood and found it to be pretty fast, but each 25 foot cut took a tank of gas. As far as the thickness is concerned you might want to use a band mill. But it is fun to use the tools you already have.:greenchainsaw:

 

[lmbeachy]

My grandfather bought this one from a realestate sale back in 1960, it's a 1954 model and he has the old No. 40 manure loader for it (originally made for the MT, which is essentially the same as the 40T so it bolts right up). Once I restore the tractor and loader back to working condition it should be quite the little helper.

You have that right, with a FEL that will be a big help.