Two Posts

[mtngun]

Another day milling blown down doug fir.

Today's victim, the top two logs from last week's 22" blowdown. These upper logs were small and knotty, so rather than making boards, they will become 8 x 8 posts.

This position is probably not approved by our resident ergonomics guru, but it works for me.

Ready for the final pass. What's left of the log has to be balanced in an awkward position. Alaskan mills are not the hot setup for making posts and beams. A mini mill might be faster and easier.

Not a new idea, but this was the first time I used it, and it worked great. Using setup blocks to adjust the height of the Alaskan.

A half day's milling yielded 2 posts, one board, and a lot of slabs.

The 1" boards get ripped into trim, like this window trim. Mostly I leave them rough sawn and occasionally I'm able to use the live edge, too (I think it's called the wane). The 8x8 posts will be used for the woodshed/barn that I keep saying I will build someday.

No saw malfunctions today. Only one chain was used today, without field sharpening. I typically go through 2 chains in a full day, sometimes 3. Dull chains get sharpened at home on a grinder. I'm not too big on field sharpening unless there are only one or two cuts left to make.

 

[BobL]

Nice pics - thanks for posting.

This position is probably not approved by our resident ergonomics guru, but it works for me..

- Don't worry I've done that before (quite a few times in fact!)!

Window trim looks great!

Cheers
BobL

 

[Brmorgan]

Like that idea of the pre-cut depth setup sticks. Never even crossed my mind to do such a thing, but I do find that probably 80% of my adjustments are between a handful of common thicknesses such as 5-1/4" (thickness of guide board + 2X4 end blocks + 1/4" safety buffer), 1", 2", 4", 6" etc.

 

[discounthunter]

i like the set up block idea. to me thants a big pita setting the thickness with the power head already mounted. great work on the beams.

as far as ergonomics ,i do alot worse, but(t) id be more concerned with splinters,lol

 

[BobL]

The thickness blocks are a very good idea (I have a set somewhere ) but I found it confusing when working with rails - without rails, kept losing them amongst the stickers (should have just painted them a bright colour!), never had the right size etc.

Eventually I added a ruler holder to both ends of the mill.

Inboard end.

Outboard end.

A SS ruler slides neatly into a grooves and down to contact the bar. To set the depth I flip the locking cams to open, crank to desired setting, lock cams. I still have to subtract an allowance for mill rails, extra sideways kerf and whether or not Im using . Doing the math in my head drives me a bit barmy sometimes, I might just make myself up a paper table someday and keep it in the van.

OR

I might just go back to the thickness blocks!!! :dizzy

 

[BobL]

i like the set up block idea. to me thants a big pita setting the thickness with the power head already mounted. great work on the beams.

as far as ergonomics ,i do alot worse, but(t) id be more concerned with splinters,lol

Or in several cases last year, 5" long centipedes coming out from under the bark!

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Another day milling blown down doug fir.

Today's victim, the top two logs from last week's 22" blowdown. These upper logs were small and knotty, so rather than making boards, they will become 8 x 8 posts.


This position is probably not approved by our resident ergonomics guru, but it works for me.


Ready for the final pass. What's left of the log has to be balanced in an awkward position. Alaskan mills are not the hot setup for making posts and beams. A mini mill might be faster and easier.


Not a new idea, but this was the first time I used it, and it worked great. Using setup blocks to adjust the height of the Alaskan.


A half day's milling yielded 2 posts, one board, and a lot of slabs.

The 1" boards get ripped into trim, like this window trim. Mostly I leave them rough sawn and occasionally I'm able to use the live edge, too (I think it's called the wane). The 8x8 posts will be used for the woodshed/barn that I keep saying I will build someday.


No saw malfunctions today. Only one chain was used today, without field sharpening. I typically go through 2 chains in a full day, sometimes 3. Dull chains get sharpened at home on a grinder. I'm not too big on field sharpening unless there are only one or two cuts left to make.

Nice picts., thanks for posting them.

I would cut a few boards from those slabs! There's lumber left in them! lol

Rob

 

[mtngun]

I would cut a few boards from those slabs! There's lumber left in them! lol
Rob

Yes, there is quite a bit of waste in the slabs (if you call firewood waste), and normally I don't waste that much. The sapwood was slightly punky plus there were a lot of knots, so I wasn't excited about CSMing a knotty, punky small board. If I had a bandsaw, I might be more a little more motivated to fully utilize the log.

The setup block idea may have come from Will Malloff ? I need to make one more pair for 8" cuts, since I do a lot of 8 x 8 posts. A plastic 5 gallon pail carries the setup blocks as well as the end boards.

BobL, I never cease to be amazed at all the bells and whistles you add to your CSMs. You get high marks for creativity and continuous improvement. BTW, I've wondered, since you seem to have logs brought to your milling site, why you don't use a bandsaw? I realize some of your logs must be CSM'd because they are too big for a bandsaw, but others look like they would fit. Do you anticipate trying a bandsaw one of these days ? How do bandsaws perform on your ultra-hard Aussie woods ?

 

[Hddnis]

mtngun, always like your posts and pictures. I think you have captured the true CSM meaning. Nothing fancy, just portable, inexpensive, and making wood for projects around your home. (I don't say this to in any way take away from other mills or guys who use them.) Just something about the way you do it that captures a more frontier aura that I feel is closer to the history and roots of the CSM.


Mr. HE

 

[BobL]

BobL, I never cease to be amazed at all the bells and whistles you add to your CSMs. You get high marks for creativity and continuous improvement. BTW, I've wondered, since you seem to have logs brought to your milling site, why you don't use a bandsaw? I realize some of your logs must be CSM'd because they are too big for a bandsaw, but others look like they would fit. Do you anticipate trying a bandsaw one of these days ? How do bandsaws perform on your ultra-hard Aussie woods ?

Cheers Mtngun!

The yard owner and I have thought about other mills including a bandsaw mill but for a variety of reasons nothing has come forward.

I originally got into CSM just to access some unusual timber for my wood working and hand tool making hobby (see latest gismo below) and it's that what dragged me into making CSMs. I really enjoy the process of designing and making and improving tools, like CSMs, as much as I do the milling ,which is why my mills have, as you say, all the bells and whistle on them. Although there are heaps more logs that could be brought to the yard and milled, I don't really want to spend all my spare time milling and getting into the lumber milling/selling business. We have slowed down significantly on milling at the yard because we have run out of space to store timber under cover so I am now only selectively milling - the rest unfortunately goes as firewood or is chipped. We are considering building another storage area but this ultimately depends on the yard owner. I also prefer to maintain some independence from the yard operations but I live on a very small (1/6th acre] inner city block so I have no place to store mills bigger than CSMs. Although most of the logs I mill are bought to the yard, some are also milled on site, in hard to reach places so portability/access is an issue, so a CSM works about right for me although a ripsaw would be very useful at times. I do have a nice big (19") industrial grade bandsaw on my back veranda if I want to rip something big into something smaller.

Band saws are used by Aussie millers but because of log size, swing mills tend to dominate the scene here. The hardness of the timber is an issue for band blades but no more so than it is for chains.

Here's the latest hand tool made a couple of weeks back

 

[olyman]

now that rigt thar-is a LARGE compass----!!!!!! and nice---way better than store bought!!!! more than once i could have used one that size!!!!!!!!

 

[BobL]

now that rigt thar-is a LARGE compass----!!!!!! and nice---way better than store bought!!!! more than once i could have used one that size!!!!!!!!

Thanks Olyman, it can make up to 4 ft diameter circles. Note use of piece of old chainsaw chain file for the tip. On come materials I can replace the pencil with another chain file sharpened to a sharp point.

 

[Brmorgan]

Nice compass! I'd almost kill for access to a full metal shop like you have. I share your interest in making my own hand tools, but so far I haven't had time to work on much. Here are a couple I've made so far:

Depth gauge:

The square edge part is about 6" long, from a piece of oak I salvaged from a pallet. The knob is a small birch burl piece I saved from another project. It turned up really nice on the lathe. I threaded a piece of brass rod for the thumbscrew, that way the 1/4" brass depth rod won't be marred when it's tightened down.

Try square:

The blade is 1/8" bandsaw steel I grabbed from the scrap bin at the sawmill. It's extremely hard - I could have polished it further but it was taking forever and isn't that important to me since it's not for display or anything. Took a while to cut on the table saw w/ an abrasive wheel. The "handle" is Walnut - half heartwood, half sapwood - also salvaged from an old pallet. I cut a 1/8" thick brass strip on the radial arm saw from a big chunk I had. A fine carbide tooth blade cut through it like butter, though with fairly shallow cuts. It's glued & screwed to the walnut. I haven't tested it against a machinist's square, but it's dead-on against all the others I have.

I'd really like to get into building wooden handplanes eventually, but it'll be a while before I get around to that.

 

[rngrchad]

.......!!

This post is exactly why I joined AS in the first place.

 

[BobL]

Nice compass! I'd almost kill for access to a full metal shop like you have. I share your interest in making my own hand tools, but so far I haven't had time to work on much.

I made 95% of that compass at home with wood working tools. Table saw with ally cutting blade, Drill press, mini lathe and band saw. The only think I did at work on the metal work lather was knurled the locking knobs. I even turned up the ally collets on using my mini ww lathe. Anyway - it still sure is nice to have access to the metal shop at work especially the scraps bin - there is just the most awesome stuff in it including brass, SS, teflon, HDPE, steel, ally tubing, SHS, nylon, PVC, PC, etc

Here are a couple I've made so far:
.
.
Depth gauge:
.
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Try square:
.
.
I'd really like to get into building wooden handplanes eventually, but it'll be a while before I get around to that.

Nice job there. I love those sorts of projects that involve using a bit of this and that. I especially like the half n half Walnut handle!

Here's a link to a post where I show a collection of a lot of hand tools I made during in 2006-2007-2008.

 

[BIG JAKE]

Nice job Mtngun! How's the saw holding up with the new BB kit? Any increase in compression now that you've run it some more? opcorn:

 

[Brmorgan]

Bob, that's a pretty nice collection of tools you've got there - whether you made them yourself or not! Now that I see them again, I do remember them from that other thread, just didn't remember they belonged to you. I'm especially fond of that little bullnose flush scraper in the bottom row of the first pic. Have any closer pictures of it? Looks like a quick & fairly simple little project, but also very useful.

Here's a little scribing knife I had forgotten I'd made back last winter:

Handle is spalted Birch, collar is a brass hose end crimp, and the knife is hand-cut from an old, worn-out planer knife. I hand-shaped the angles with a 10" abrasive wheel in the tablesaw. Took a LONG time, the stuff's rock-hard - but it is EXTREMELY sharp & takes absolutely no effort to cut oneself with. Wish I had some sort of jig to run in the saw's miter slot that could hold a piece of steel and set precise angles. Anyway eventually I plan on making a set with different knife styles for different applications.

I just picked up a little 12" lathe at the scrapyard last week for $10. It was a customer return from a local big-box store, who complied with a "destroy in field" order from the manufacturer by bashing the little (I'm guessing) 1/4HP motor in. :censored: However the actual lathe part is untouched except for a bit of rust, so I'm keeping an eye out for a little motor to fix it up. It's nothing special and doesn't hold a candle to, say, a nice Jet midi-lathe, but on my budget it would be perfect for small work like this. I've been wanting to try my hand at pen-making as well, since I have TONS of small interesting pieces of wood saved here and there that aren't good for much else.

 

[MotorSeven]

MG, nice job on the posts. Can you explain the rock/log endcut wall construction & did you build it? It looks very unusual.

RD

 

[BobL]

Yep - I made all the tools. I do nearly all the metal work as well, hardening and tempering blades etc.

Bob, that's a pretty nice collection of tools you've got there - whether you made them yourself or not! Now that I see them again, I do remember them from that other thread, just didn't remember they belonged to you. I'm especially fond of that little bullnose flush scraper in the bottom row of the first pic. Have any closer pictures of it? Looks like a quick & fairly simple little project, but also very useful.

I have made several of these flush scrapers.
Desert Gum handle

Tingle wood handle with dovetail brass base, blade can get right into corner.

Here's a little scribing knife I had forgotten I'd made back last winter:

Looks Good! I like the various angles on the blade, Handle is goo too.

I just picked up a little 12" lathe at the scrapyard last week for $10. . . .. I've been wanting to try my hand at pen-making as well, since I have TONS of small interesting pieces of wood saved here and there that aren't good for much else.

Wood lathes are a VERY slippery slope. I bought one last year and I have restricted myself to tool handles. I'm staying right away from pens - I actually detest pens - they remind me too much of may day job!

I turn a lot of semi-oval profile handles, like this.

 

[mtngun]

MG, nice job on the posts. Can you explain the rock/log endcut wall construction & did you build it? It look very unusual.

RD

Long story short, the first 5 feet of wall is slipform rock. 16" thick reinforced concrete, rock outer surface, and 2" foam insul sandwiched in the middle. The slipform rock was very labor intensive -- in fact, I still haven't finished pointing the joints after 3 years -- but looks and works great.

From there up is 16" thick cordwood wall. Mortar on log ends, sawdust insulation in the middle. I like the look and I like the fire resistance, but otherwise would probably not do cordwood again for a variety of reasons.

More cordwood info at Daycreek.com