# White Oak milling project  Update 7/1/11



## Flatbedford (Jun 16, 2010)

I posted back in March about a tree that had fallen near my house on the side of a little traveled dirt road. https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/53784/ . 





I finally got started on it this week. It was a pretty big White Oak. Just over 30" at the stump. I cut all the branches off on Monday and had my wife wife drag them down to the road with the F250. I cut them, quartered them with the Fiskars and hauled it home to be split and stacked. Yesterday, my friend came up with his Husky 3120 and we cut the trunk into three 12'-13' sections and dragged those down to the road. I didn't stop for pictures, because I was in a hurry to clear the road and be ready for my other friend who owns a small tree service to come with his knuckleboom truck to load and haul the logs to my house.




We pushed them off the truck and onto the lawn.




Here's and idea of the size of the biggest one.





My friend should be here in an hour or so and we will get these milled with the 3120 and his Alaskan Mill setup. The plan is to make enough lumber to replace the bed on the old flatbed. Once we have enough for the truck at about 1 1/2" thick, we'll go a little thicker and mill the rest, either for future projects, or maybe to sell.
More later with pictures of the milling.


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## thewoodlands (Jun 16, 2010)

Flatbed nice work, whats the wood being used for after you mill it?

Zap


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## Flatbedford (Jun 16, 2010)

I'm going to redo the bed on my truck.




The previous owner covered the original wood decking with steel plate about 40 years ago. After all that time being covered and wet, the wood is just turning to dust. I'll remove the steel plate and use the new lumber. I'm going to leave it rough sawn so I won't feel bad about using the truck. We are not sure what we'll do with the rest. The milling will also make a good amount of waste that will be the finishing touch for my '11-'12 firewood.


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## SolarAndWood (Jun 16, 2010)

Nice logs.  It would be nice to have one of those booms on your flatbed.


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## smokinj (Jun 16, 2010)

Nice work flat bed get some pic's of the milling....Should be a great prodject to watch not to metion a cool looking bed...


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## Jags (Jun 16, 2010)

Yeah, yeah, yeah....more pics.  I would really like to see some of the milling, and the stickering process for the dry down.


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## smokinj (Jun 16, 2010)

Jags said:
			
		

> Yeah, yeah, yeah....more pics.  I would really like to see some of the milling, and the stickering process for the dry down.



I cant seem to get any done, but I Got a 880 just setting in my truck box doing nothing! lol


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## Jags (Jun 16, 2010)

smokinjay said:
			
		

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Oh - I see we are still sticking with the phantom 880 story - are we??? %-P 

NO PICS - IT NEVER HAPPENED.


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## smokinj (Jun 16, 2010)

Jags said:
			
		

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MMAUL has seen it a couple times....Its just so pretty I dont want to get it dirty!


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## JeffRey30747 (Jun 16, 2010)

Flatbedford said:
			
		

> I'm going to redo the bed on my truck.
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I like those mud flaps and my flat bed needs a set. If you don't mind, where did you get them and about how much did they cost?


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## Battenkiller (Jun 16, 2010)

Looks like the mother load to me.  Nice straight trunk.  You're gonna have a ton of it, even after the truck bed and all the waste is accounted for.  Damn, I'd be interested in some of those planks if the price was right, but you're 2 1/2 hours away.  :-S


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## golfandwoodnut (Jun 16, 2010)

I am curious about the milling and how you get it squared off.  Hope you post the pictures.


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## Delta-T (Jun 16, 2010)

sure you wanna mill all that? looks like you could make yourself one heck of a dugout canoe.


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## smokinj (Jun 16, 2010)

GolfandWoodNut said:
			
		

> I am curious about the milling and how you get it squared off. Hope you post the pictures.



Squaring off or edging can be done a couple ways the easy way is to use a mini mill first to square it. Then the aklakan just set on top the suared edge.


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## Flatbedford (Jun 17, 2010)

Ok. Here's my report on today's milling adventure.
We started by setting up a 2x12 on top of the log. We shimmed it to make sure it was as flat as possible and nailed it to the the log.








Setting up for the first cut.




The big Husky 3120 at work.




After the first cut.




As we got into the log, we realized that is was a little too wide for the mill. We rolled it 90°, made sure the cut surface was plumb, and set up the 2x12 on top, making sure it was level, assuring that we would make boards with a nice 90° edge that I could send through the table saw later.




Here's the first of 5 wheelbarrow loads of sawdust.




Time to refuel and top off the bar and chain oil. We burned almost 2 gallons of fuel for 7 10' rips.




Making the cut at a right angle to the first.




We didn't get through all of it. Even though the tree fell back in February, it was still very much alive. The heart wood was still so damp that the chain kept on getting loaded up with resin or sap that it just wouldn't cut. We started with a 10° semi chisel ripping chain. It was cutting so poorly after two rips that we tried a standard 30° full chisel skip chain to see if it would get less fouled because the sawdust might clear faster.  After a couple passes it was as slow as the first chain. Even after a sharpening. the chain would still get all crapped up. As the chain got more crapped up, the quality of the cut dropped off too. The last cut was getting to be more of a tare than a cut.
After a few hours of this, we decided that the best thing to do was to stop for now and let the logs dry a little. Being Oak, I don't know how long that will take. The problem is that now I have one mostly milled 10' long log and another 13' log on my front yard. I was able to roll the third onto the driveway where I usually keep my to-be-split firewood. I think that I can roll the uncut one to the driveway too with the help of wire rope, snatch blocks and two trucks, but the milled one isn't going to roll very well now that it is squared on two sides. It may be a good place to put potted plants for a while. Its' gonna be hard to resist making the two uncut logs into firewood.
I hope this is a decent introduction to chainsaw milling. 
Maybe if my friend had a Stihl this would have gone better. %-P


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## gzecc (Jun 17, 2010)

Flatbed, Nice idea, too bad its so difficult. Its amazing how small that tree looks in the first picture laying down in the woods.


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## daveswoodhauler (Jun 17, 2010)

Cool pics flatbed...couldn't believe the amount of sawdust generated....you need to get one of those sawdust burners


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## Mmaul (Jun 17, 2010)

Jay doesnt this make you want to get started?


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## Jags (Jun 17, 2010)

MMaul said:
			
		

> Jay doesnt this make you want to get started?



Yeah, Jay......

Thanks for the picks Flatbed.  Do you guys go through the process of rotating the log based off of grain (quarter saw?? maybe??).  I just remember the old timers rolling and flipping and whatnot.


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## smokinj (Jun 17, 2010)

Jags said:
			
		

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LOL It really does but dont know if you ever had a kidney stone and its only a baby 2mm Holly Crap! (percocets and 880's dont mix well) says so right on the bottle...


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## Jags (Jun 17, 2010)

smokinjay said:
			
		

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Stones :sick:  :sick: 
I never have, but I have witnessed it in others.  That 880 will wait, just like a good dog.


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## smokinj (Jun 17, 2010)

Flatbedford said:
			
		

> Ok. Here's my report on today's milling adventure.
> We started by setting up a 2x12 on top of the log. We shimmed it to make sure it was as flat as possible and nailed it to the the log.
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If you can jack one end up highier its easier to mill down hill!


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## Jags (Jun 17, 2010)

smokinjay said:
			
		

> If you can jack one end up highier its easier to mill down hill!



And the saw will run faster. %-P


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## smokinj (Jun 17, 2010)

MMaul said:
			
		

> Jay doesnt this make you want to get started?



Oh and if your ready to run the 880 I will rock and roll Tuesday. (and 460 for the edge) Everything ready to go but my reaction time is very poor at best.


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## Mmaul (Jun 17, 2010)

I am fine with Tues. I can be there after work, or I might be sick that day I can tell I am starting to come down with something.


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## Flatbedford (Jun 17, 2010)

We only rolled the log so that we could work on a narrower edge for saw clearance. It also gave me a square edge to work with later. 
I have read about getting the logs on an incline to make it easier. An incline wouldn't have helped us much yesterday. With our chain fouling issues, it was slow going even with both of us pushing the mill. I am actually a little sore fro, pushing it all day.


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## Flatbedford (Jun 17, 2010)

JeffRey30747 said:
			
		

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I found them with a Google search about 3 years ago. I don't remember the name of the place. They were around $20 each, I think. Sorry I couldn't help you out better.


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## Flatbedford (Jun 17, 2010)

I think this is where I got the flaps.
http://www.autotrucktoys.com/ford_t...d-Tough-Splash-Guards-Dually-P15226C4426.aspx


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## smokinj (Jun 17, 2010)

MMaul said:
			
		

> I am fine with Tues. I can be there after work, or I might be sick that day I can tell I am starting to come down with something.



Works for me I can stack and do the set up...


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## Battenkiller (Jun 17, 2010)

smokinjay said:
			
		

> dont know if you ever had a kidney stone and its only a baby



I've heard they hurt worse than _having_ a baby.  Just remember, this too will pass.  ;-P


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## smokinj (Jun 17, 2010)

Jags said:
			
		

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See how he is pushing that monster saw think of that monster saw going down hill just less pushing and you can tell there is issue with the chain....My set up has a chain sharpening station just a few feet away....lol and 3 brand new chains....Not saying anything bad he done a nice job just work to hard for it.


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## Mmaul (Jun 17, 2010)

Let me know a time I will be there, if its not raining.


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## Jags (Jun 17, 2010)

smokinjay said:
			
		

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I meant it would run faster like the engine of your car when going down hill.


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## smokinj (Jun 17, 2010)

Jags said:
			
		

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lol no the engine not going to pick up rpm's but the operator sure going to fill better.....If the chains are right the push down the hill will be slight and your saw will run cooler as well. I am also running a aux oiler as well and chains at 10 degrees. This kid know hes way around a log no dought just maybe a little light in the # of chains.


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## Jags (Jun 17, 2010)

smokinjay said:
			
		

> lol no the engine not going to pick up rpm's



I think the drugs are slowing you down Jay. ;-P


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## smokinj (Jun 17, 2010)

Jags said:
			
		

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lol your not the first one to say that. Inculding my self I step on a whole piece of coal for about 3sec's saturday before I could fill it and the blister got bigger than a golf ball.....Normally I would have flip that heat off my foot with no damage.


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## gpcollen1 (Jun 17, 2010)

If you are going to try and wait for that oak to dry out a bit you are talking years.  Even smaller rounds end up wet in the middle after 2 years.  You may just have to suck it up and keep on working the way you were.  Maybe just invest in a few chains and a sharpener and change it out eveery pass or two.


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## JeffRey30747 (Jun 17, 2010)

Flatbedford said:
			
		

> I think this is where I got the flaps.
> http://www.autotrucktoys.com/ford_t...d-Tough-Splash-Guards-Dually-P15226C4426.aspx


They are on backorder but I found a coupon code for free shipping (FSFDAY) online and placed an order.
Thanks much!


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## Flatbedford (Jun 17, 2010)

Both chains were plenty sharp. He could cross cut the 30" round in no time. After about 5 feet of milling the chains would be completely caked with brown resin. We could clean the chain with a quick cross cut, only to have it get all crapped up again after a few more feet of milling. I know that Oak logs will dry very slowly, but these were supporting leaves only about 24 hours before we started. I think the 1/2 way done one will loose some moisture in a few weeks because it is ripped open to the heart wood. The others could very well take years. We'll see how much patience I have and if they become firewood. The wood will dry much faster stacked and split.

JeffRey30747,
Glad you found them. What year is your F350?


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## LLigetfa (Jun 17, 2010)

I saw a milling operation where they used water on the chain.  I wonder if it prevented the buildup of resin.


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## smokinj (Jun 17, 2010)

LLigetfa said:
			
		

> I saw a milling operation where they used water on the chain. I wonder if it prevented the buildup of resin.



No its for cooling the chain and bar. I have the aux oiler on mine and some do use water. I am going to run veggie oil to start with but will change to water if the expense gets to high.


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## woodsmaster (Jun 18, 2010)

It sounds a lot easier to have someone with a band saw mill cut it up. I had a guy quarter saw 2 big white oak logs like yours into 4 quarter boards and kiln dry it for $120.00  I got 400 board feet out of it.


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## Flatbedford (Jun 18, 2010)

woodsmaster said:
			
		

> It sounds a lot easier to have someone with a band saw mill cut it up. I had a guy quarter saw 2 big white oak logs like yours into 4 quarter boards and kiln dry it for $120.00  I got 400 board feet out of it.



That is a bargain, but not much of an adventure. I wanted to do this because it is part of the restoration of my old truck. I figure it will be cool to say that the bed is decked by lumber that I cut, dragged out of the woods, milled, and installed myself. If I wanted more lumber like this, I would go the way woodmaster did. 
The hardest part of this project is how darn heavy the logs are. Pretty hard to manage without heavy equipment or MANY people. I have neither.


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## smokinj (Jun 18, 2010)

Flatbedford said:
			
		

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+1 and band mills can not do the larger logs normally no larger than 24in.


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## Battenkiller (Jun 18, 2010)

Flatbedford said:
			
		

> That is a bargain, but not much of an adventure. I wanted to do this because it is part of the restoration of my old truck. I figure it will be cool to say that the bed is decked by lumber that I cut, dragged out of the woods, milled, and installed myself.




That would be very cool IMO. Hope your adventure moves onward.;-)


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## Battenkiller (Jun 18, 2010)

smokinjay said:
			
		

> band mills can not do the larger logs normally no larger than 24in.



That's true only for the smallest ones.  All of the wood pictured here (and another 50 ton not visible in the photo) is white oak that was cut by a volunteer on the Onrust shipbuilding project a few years ago.  Some of these logs were gargantuan in size.  He used his mid-size Wood Miser.  The ship frame my wife is sitting on had a huge sweep that all had to pass between the guides.









Here's a closeup shot to give some idea of the size of these frames.







This ship took three years to build and involved one master builder (my friend Howie Mittleman) and a few hundred volunteers.  Toward the end, they had to toss several tons of first rate white oak because it got riddled with massive checks from sitting out in the weather.  So Flatbed, don't wait too long or you may lose those logs.  Get out your planking (plus 30% or so) and get it stickered, then chop the rest up to keep you warm a few years from now.


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## smokinj (Jun 18, 2010)

Battenkiller said:
			
		

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Thats Awesome! I am looking to get the big wide slabs my mill can do 36in. one slab dinnering room table will be my first project and like flatbed I need to redo my trailer. I also have a kiln so hope I can keep the warping to a min.


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## Adios Pantalones (Jun 18, 2010)

I know you need a special chain for this, but I'm still surprised the dust is not more noodley.  Cool pics- thanks for sharing!


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## smokinj (Jun 18, 2010)

Adios Pantalones said:
			
		

> I know you need a special chain for this, but I'm still surprised the dust is not more noodley.  Cool pics- thanks for sharing!



noddley is a differnt cut is more an angle to the log if you hit that log dead center when trying to noddle it will be a harder cut and the dust will be fine. (some can mill free hand pretty well)


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## Battenkiller (Jun 18, 2010)

Adios Pantalones said:
			
		

> I know you need a special chain for this



A rep at Bailey's told be that the ripping chain isn't really much faster, just makes a cleaner cut.  Seems several regular chains all sharpened and ready to go may do the trick, then run the rough stuff through the thickness planer once it's dry (in about a year or two).


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## smokinj (Jun 18, 2010)

Battenkiller said:
			
		

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+1 ripping chain is cut at 10 degrees just to make it smoother speed may be a little quicker if the rakers are a touch lower....
Progressive raker filling depth will change everytime you sharpen the chain is best!


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## Battenkiller (Jun 19, 2010)

smokinjay said:
			
		

> I also have a kiln so hope I can keep the warping to a min.



Jay, you are truly a man who seems well equipped for any eventuality. ;-) 

What kind of kiln do you have?  I'm always thinking of getting a small band mill and building a solar kiln.  Did you design your kiln, or is it from plans available somewhere?

Cut that table slab real thick, because it will warp a lot no matter how you dry it.  Then plane it down with one of these:


Makita 1806B 6-3/4 Planer


We used this on the ship building project, and it's a bear.  Fairly affordable as well.


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## smokinj (Jun 19, 2010)

Battenkiller said:
			
		

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I can pump heat into the garage from my wood-burning furnace 120 degrees this time of year is easy....I have a big blower and dehumidifier. I will run this for 30 days and then let the summer do the rest....My place is very windy so after the 30days or so I will open up the garage and let the wind take over. (everything I do re vols around wood just ask my wife) She says I will dye as the man with all the wood!


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## mikefunaro (Jun 21, 2010)

Hi it's mike...flat bed's friend with the mill

Usually the Alaskan mill is reasonably fast--you could do each one of those cuts in about 2 minutes, tops. Not as fast as a band saw mill but there aren't many in our area. 

This wood was wet unlike anything I had ever cut. Certainly nice stuff, but it needs time to dry out a least a bit. The saw dust coming out was so wet that you could make a saw dust ball the same way you'd make a snow ball.  Normally with the 3120 I can get quite a few boards done in a relatively short amount of time. 

The chains were also plenty sharp. And sharpened between cuts a few times.


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## smokinj (Jun 21, 2010)

mgfunaro said:
			
		

> Hi it's mike...flat bed's friend with the mill
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Hey glad your on the site! I will have mine up and running Tuesday and the logs I have are atleast a month old..The hickory I have may be a bad thing but it is what it is....You seem to be pushing very hard is that just because it was so wet? Very nice set up. We will be trying to set up to mill down hill by jacking one end up. Oak going to be tough no matter what.


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## mikefunaro (Jun 21, 2010)

You really don't have to push that hard, and the mill isn't that hard to move. This business of putting it on a slant is probably helpful, but again, it seems unnecessary. You can make things go faster by pushing harder, it seems, so long as you don't really stop the chain. especially on the 3120 it seems faster the harder you push. I do not think milling chain can be made to be self feeding in the way that chain is when you cross cut.


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## smokinj (Jun 21, 2010)

mgfunaro said:
			
		

> You really don't have to push that hard, and the mill isn't that hard to move. This business of putting it on a slant is probably helpful, but again, it seems unnecessary. You can make things go faster by pushing harder, it seems, so long as you don't really stop the chain. especially on the 3120 it seems faster the harder you push. I do not think milling chain can be made to be self feeding in the way that chain is when you cross cut.




Awww you must go to the aborist site they have a section just for milling and these guys have been doing it 15-20years+ There still a push no drought even down hill.....But when your doing it at someone elses place that tough to do....By the way not knocking you! You know your way around a log Thats For Sure....Have you seen the Aux oil-er?


http://www.arboristsite.com/forumdisplay.php?f=62


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## mikefunaro (Jun 21, 2010)

smokinjay said:
			
		

> Awww you must go to the aborist site they have a section just for milling and these guys have been doing it 15-20years+ There still a push no drought even down hill.....But when your doing it at someone elses place that tough to do....By the way not knocking you! You know your way around a log Thats For Sure....Have you seen the Aux oil-er?
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No worries man. I'm on AS---user mikefunaro. Seen you around there before. 

I just don't want people to get the idea that Alaskan milling is really difficult or not worth the time. Things are normally smoother and easier than this.


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## smokinj (Jun 21, 2010)

mgfunaro said:
			
		

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 "white oak" may have been the big issue. Like I said the hickory I have is now over a month setting there it could give me some real trouble as well...(or I should say MMAul problem lol) Little tough for me to run a saw at this point in time...So I will take pic's of him Tuesday and see how he does. Running a 880 41in. bar- 36in. alaskan on it aux oiler, for edging it will be the mini mill and 460 all down hill easy peasy! lol If the rain will ever STOP!


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## Flatbedford (Jun 22, 2010)

Hey Mike, Good to see you here. I've been busy. I'll have some down time at work tomorrow to comment.


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## Flatbedford (Jun 22, 2010)

Last week I cleaned up a little. I ripped the planks that we made into lumber just a bit wider than I will need for the the truck bed. I used my Bosch 10" contractor's saw. I kept it low to the ground and used 2x limber for the "tables".





The tablesaw blade loaded up pretty quickly too, but I was able to clean it with WD40 and a wire brush. It was tough going. I will use a new blade next time.
I stacked the lumber in the loft of my barn. 




I will restack and sticker it on my next day off. I just wanted to get it off the lawn.
I cleaned up the yard and dragged the partially milled log to the side.




The Oak saw dust did quite a job on the grass. I hope I can get it green again with some watering.
I was able to roll the smaller log back up to the driveway with my timber jack. The bigger log required some rigging. I tried with the tractor first, but had to use the F250 to get it moving. I made a video because my wife didn't believe that I could get it up the hill without tearing up the grass. Here's the rig. I went with the double purchase system because I was hoping to use the tractor. These are some military surplus snatch blocks that I acquired a few years ago. All the wire rope is extra cutoffs from work. (Click the picture for lousy video)




The tractor just spun it's wheels. The F250 could only move it in four wheel drive. Those are some heavy logs.Here's the pull. Nice, slow, and gentle. (Click the picture for lousy video)




Once they were on the driveway, I was able to push them around with the back bumper of the old truck and roll them with the timber jack. Here they are waiting to dry a little. They can stay here until just before the snow starts.


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## smokinj (Jun 22, 2010)

How did you square it up?


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## 'bert (Jun 23, 2010)

Flatbed, you may want to put some old carpet (or floor mats etc) on that cable when you are pulling like that.  If it ever snaps it will take out the front of the F250 in a hurry.  Sometimes the old rug can absorb the energy so that no damage is done to the trucks.


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## Flatbedford (Jun 23, 2010)

’bert said:
			
		

> Flatbed, you may want to put some old carpet (or floor mats etc) on that cable when you are pulling like that.  If it ever snaps it will take out the front of the F250 in a hurry.  Sometimes the old rug can absorb the energy so that no damage is done to the trucks.



I thought of that, but got lazy. The rug or mat works by making the cable or rope drop to the ground quicker if it breaks. The 1/4" wire rope that I use has a safe working load of around 3000 lbs for overhead lifting. With the double purchase system I used, the rope wasn't dragging much more than 1/2 to 2/3 of the SWL. All of the hardware was of a higher rating than the rope too.


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## Flatbedford (Jun 23, 2010)

We made a sqaure edge when we were milling by rolling the log. Check post #14.


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## smokinj (Jun 23, 2010)

Flatbedford said:
			
		

> We made a sqaure edge when we were milling by rolling the log. Check post #14.



yea I seen that after I  post it.


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## Flatbedford (Sep 22, 2010)

We did a little more last week. A combination of a very hot and dry summer and refining our technique gave us much better results. We finished the one that we got only 1/2 through and left in the yard. 




We went with the 10° ripping chain and got some supper nice planks.




We then moved the operation to the ones that I dragged onto the driveway. This time we started with one deep pass with the mill and them did the sides with the beam machine. I thought I had had a picture, but must have deleted it by mistake. The beam machine is a little crude, but much quicker than rolling the log. We started the second log but ran out of time. Hopefully, we can finish before the logs are in the way of snow clearing. You can see the one we started and the third which is now firewood in this picture.




It is amazing how much sawdust this makes!




I have more than enough for the truck bed. What ever we get from log #2 will be trucked to mgfunaro's place. I may even drag the logs onto th etruck and deliver them to him that way. 
This is time consuming work and I don't have much time these days.


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## smokinj (Sep 22, 2010)

Flatbedford said:
			
		

> We did a little more last week. A combination of a very hot and dry summer and refining our technique gave us much better results. We finished the one that we got only 1/2 through and left in the yard.
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Nice Work!


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## Flatbedford (Jul 1, 2011)

Yes, it has been just over a year! We finally had the time to finish up. The logs cut like butter after a year of drying. We didn't have to stop once for sharpening.
We made these




into these




All loaded up for the ride down to my friend Mike's house. It is nice to have my whole driveway again after a year.


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## smokinj (Jul 1, 2011)

I like those big cants like that then hit it with a mini mill set up. Amazing how much less horse power you need at that point.


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## Flatbedford (Jul 1, 2011)

Yup! We flew through this stuff. We ran some of them through the table saw after to give them a nice edge.


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## gzecc (Jul 2, 2011)

Flatbed, I bet after all that work, you have an appreciation for how inexpensive demensional lumber is at the lumber yard.


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## Flatbedford (Jul 2, 2011)

gzecc said:
			
		

> Flatbed, I bet after all that work, you have an appreciation for how inexpensive demensional lumber is at the lumber yard.



Inexpensive! It sure shows first hand the difference mass production can make. On the other hand it is pretty cool to make lumber with only a couple chainsaws and about $150 worth of accessories. Oh yeah and some hard work too. I don't think that my friend and I see this as a way to make or save money, but it was kinda cool to load up the old flatbed with some home made lumber at the end of the day, well, year!


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