when to mill?

[imagineero]

Hi All,
I've been lurking around the milling area for a few months, reading up about mills and techniques. I've cobbled together an extremely basic clamp on alaskan to use with my 044 for milling small logs around my area and get my foot in the door. Plenty of good ideas from bob re: milling setups out there and you sure can get technical with it!

My question is about green milling vs. dry. I've never seen the issue discussed, but every milling thread i read on here seems to show guys milling logs that have been on the ground at least a couple of seasons and in some cases years and years! Is it possible to mill logs that you've felled that day? I'm interested especially in australian hardwoods and specifically ironbark but would be interested in hearing about pines (we have plenty here in the blue mountains) an euc's and other hardwoods.

Does milling green encourage warping and splitting? I know from experience cutting firewood that green cuts and splits a lot easier than seasoned... and I have a few trees to fell for clients over the winter with the chance of doing something with them other than turn them into firewood.

Any and all advice appreciated!
Thanks,
Shaun

 

[BobL]

Hi All,
I've been lurking around the milling area for a few months, reading up about mills and techniques. I've cobbled together an extremely basic clamp on alaskan to use with my 044 for milling small logs around my area and get my foot in the door. Plenty of good ideas from bob re: milling setups out there and you sure can get technical with it!

If it's me you re referring to? Then yeah I know I'm a bit over the top.

My question is about green milling vs. dry. I've never seen the issue discussed, but every milling thread i read on here seems to show guys milling logs that have been on the ground at least a couple of seasons and in some cases years and years! Is it possible to mill logs that you've felled that day? I'm interested especially in australian hardwoods and specifically ironbark but would be interested in hearing about pines (we have plenty here in the blue mountains) an euc's and other hardwoods.

Yep - no probs with falling and milling most trees right away.
In general milling when as green as possible is easier but milling drier logs will usually result in more stable lumber. Some trees are better one way or the other so the trick is to find the best time when to mill.
With eucs like Flooded and Lemon Scented Gums its when the bark turns red and starts to peel off. Any earlier and you will get more warping and splitting. Too much later and the stuff becomes harder and harder to cut.
With Iron Bark its so hard I would mill it right away.

Does milling green encourage warping and splitting?

In general yes - see above.

 

[imagineero]

Hi Bob,
Yeah it was you I was referring too ;-) I dont think you're over the top, all the stuff I've seen from you has been very well made and thought out. Its obvious from the mill setups and other things I've seen you do that you're a great researcher and bring all the available knowledge together to make a really usable practical product!

I've had a saw for most of my life and spent a year in new zealand doing forestry work; mostly pruning of pine plantations with thinning and felling. Im still a bit of a newbie when it comes to timber at home though... identifying different species is something I really need to get up to speed on. Milling is totally new to me, but it seems alread from what I've read lurking these past few months that bandmills are much more the way to go for any sort of volume than CSM.

I must say the bandsaw mills seem ludicrously overpriced for what you get, would be nice to see more info on home made bandsaws. Sure not that much harder than an alaskan? better finish, quicker, lest waste... but why are they so overpowered? Ive seen a lot of 20hp+ bandsaw mills out there, which seems like a lot when you think how narrow the kerf is on the blade. I come from largely a metal working background (some aluminum boat fabrication experience like your BIL too) and experience operating large industrial metal bandsaws shows that more 'push' really does nothing but snap blades. Even huge $100k+ CNC bandsaws I've operated didnt add up to 20hp.

Will be interested to see how milling the few logs I've got coming up will go, but for me CSM will only ever be something to do in my spare time, and only out of interest.

Shaun

 

[BIG JAKE]

When to mill pine

Shaun-I like to mill pine green.
The major issue is bugs get into the logs if you leave them set too long. If you get the bark off right away the bugs don't get into them hardly at all but then many of the logs split as they dry. Another problem with leaving the bark on is the moisture stays sealed in too well and you can have mold issues.
I've found that milling pine green works best. Edge the slabs right away and you eliminate bugs like powder post beatles.
I've had excellent results in my air dried lumber when stored indoors, edged, stickered and stacked. I use ratchet straps to band the the bundles tightly so they dry straight.