Turning logs into lumber with a chainsaw.....some help please

[George Farra]

Hi All

I'm not sure if this should be here or in the Neander section. I had to take down 2 red oak trees on my property. I saved 2 sections which I want to mill into useable lumber. unfortunately they are not that long as a crane couldn't be used. it was on a steep slope.

I have 2 truck sections. 1 is 16" long and 31" wide in diameter. the second is 45" long and 26" in diameter. I want to mill into quartersawn boards of various thicknessess.

Barring a band saw mill, what method can to minimize waste? I have a chainsaw with a 16" bar and was thinking of using it to quarter each. I would have to take a pass, roll the log, and take a second to complete the cut.

I've read about chainsaw kickback so i'm not sure it would be wise to have the entire bar buried in the cut. Thoughts??

TIA

George

[Kevin Godshall]

Will interject my own ideas, strictly from a "chainsaw" perspective and not necessarily a "woodworking" one:

A few things you really need to consider when using a chainsaw as a milling tool:

1. Most saw chain is designed for crosscutting, not ripping. In order to do a good job (meaning not sharpening every 12" of cut), you would need to buy a ripping chain ($$$).

2. Without some kind of guide, you are going to create a lot of waste, in addition to the huge kerf you are going to make with a chainsaw.

3. It will be very difficult (IMO) to cut the log laying on the ground. You're asking for trouble. I think you would need to have it on blocks and supported so it cannot twist or roll. Also, trees will "move" during the cut: growth stress, changes in weight distribution, etc etc. = dangerous.

Kickback from a saw is most generally associated when cutting with the top of the nose portion of the bar. The chain grabs and runs, throwing the saw towards your face. You cannot react fast enough to move from it. You need a good working chain brake. Sometimes, a chain will bind in the cut and if the motor is strong enough, can cause a different kind of kickback. This is rare and usually results in the saw binding in the cut.

All that being said, it can be done, but there are many considerations along the way. Best.

[Rod Sheridan]

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?182034-Making-Lumber-on-a-Bandsaw&highlight=making+lumber+on+a+bandsaw

Hi, Have a look at the above post, it's the simplest and most productive method for milling short log sections.

Split your log in half with a wedge(s) and then use the above method............Regards, Rod.

[George Farra]

Thanks guys. Rod, that post is definately a keeper. i think I'm going to pick up a wedge and hammer. May take more effort, but guaranteed to keep my head on my shoulders

Regards

George

[Tai Fu]

What about digging a ditch with a chainsaw halfway through a log, and fill it with blackpowder, pack it with sawdust, insert fuse and light? I have seen videos of someone doing this and they can split a large log in half...

[Joe Hillmann]

Do a google search for "riving wood shingles videos" you will find several videos showing how to split white oak shingles. Making boards would be the same thing but not going as thin. If you do end up splitting or riving the boards you will have to make them quite a bit thicker than you want so you can joint an plane them down so they are flat.

[Dennis Ford]

The 16" log length can be done fairly easy with a chainsaw although a 20" bar would be much better. The longer one would be very difficult with a chainsaw; the bandsaw method will much better.

[Bill Bukovec]

I've used a Granberg mini mill and a chainswas with a 18" bar for some walnut I had.

I used the mini mill to make the logs square, then used my bandsaw to slice off boards.

The mini mill worked far better than I imagined, even though I didn't use a rip chain on the saw. When I was done, I smelled like a chainsaw, had sawdust all over me and was a little tired. I enjoyed every minute of it.:)

The hard part is waiting for the wood to dry.

Good luck,

Bill

[Greg Hines, MD]

I split between 4 and 6 cords of firewood every year, and I use a wedge called a Wood Bomb. It is a diamond shaped splitting wedge, and for your straight grained wood, it will do the job nicely, and is a lot easier to start than a straight wedge.

Doc

[Wade Lippman]

i think I'm going to pick up a wedge and hammer.


I milled a walnut tree once just for the experience. I found I needed three wedges and lost a lot of wood from twisty grain. Hopefully you will have better luck than I did. But it was a good experience.

Still, I would burn the oak and look for some walnut or cherry first milling. You will get a lot more value for the effort. And home made walnut is much prettier than store bought, while red oak is red oak.

[Pat Barry]

What about digging a ditch with a chainsaw halfway through a log, and fill it with blackpowder, pack it with sawdust, insert fuse and light? I have seen videos of someone doing this and they can split a large log in half...

I like the explosive idea. Can someone please try this, video it, and post it so we can all watch safely?

[Matthew Kleinmann]

Howdy!

I am new here, but I do have some experience in doing this. I started out with a chainsaw jig called a beam machine many years ago. This clamps on the bar of your chainsaw and has a U shaped recess that rides on a 2x4. You can tack the 2x4 on the log with a few nails and than make a decent cut with your chainsaw. This takes some practice as you need to use some finessing in the form of pulling wheelies with the jig to keep the saw moving forward and any side to side motion will tend to dig into the board you are cutting or the log. There is also a lot of waste. The kerf alone with a big chainsaw can be on the order of 1/4", and I found that you tend to go right for the meat with this kind of a jig. It is a lot more work to make a pass on the log than it is with a bandsaw based mill, so you don't want to take as many "trimming" cuts.

I would not want mill all the lumber to side a barn with a beam machine, but if you have a few logs, a good cahinsaw, and a lot of time, the beam machine type jigs can work pretty well. BTW, I saw a guy on u tube that made one out of wood, though I think the steel prefab one is better.

[Tai Fu]

http://youtu.be/3SUuUzAieig

Note this is only practical if the log is way too big to be moved onto a mill....

[george newbury]

Hi All

I'm not sure if this should be here or in the Neander section. I had to take down 2 red oak trees on my property. I saved 2 sections which I want to mill into useable lumber. unfortunately they are not that long as a crane couldn't be used. it was on a steep slope.

I have 2 truck sections. 1 is 16" long and 31" wide in diameter. the second is 45" long and 26" in diameter. I want to mill into quartersawn boards of various thicknessess.

Barring a band saw mill, what method can to minimize waste? I have a chainsaw with a 16" bar and was thinking of using it to quarter each. I would have to take a pass, roll the log, and take a second to complete the cut.

I've read about chainsaw kickback so i'm not sure it would be wise to have the entire bar buried in the cut. Thoughts??

TIA

George
I'm fairly experienced with chain saw mills (got 2 w/ a bunch of saws) and I've a Woodmizer LT10 BSM. For your situation, and assuming your not going to make a habit of it, I would CAREFULLY "freehand" cut the 16"x31" log in half. Take your time, make sure you've plenty of oil getting to the chain, don't overheat the saw. Then process it as shown http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?182034-Making-Lumber-on-a-Bandsaw&highlight=making+lumber+on+a+bandsaw.

Given that 16 inches of experience you should be able to handle the 48" in a similar manner.

If you want to get equipment a mini-mill would certainly help http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_152334_152334?cm_mmc=Google-pla-_-Logging-_-Saw%20Milling-_-11874&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=11874&gclid=CLDvvsePqroCFRFo7AodXkUA7w

But be EXTREMELY CAREFUL!!!

I only wanted to mill a few trees. I now have a Stihl 088 (120cc), two Stihl 660's, a JD CS62 and 2 36" Alaskan Mark III's. Plus some small chainsaws. And the aforementioned Woodmizer LT10. "Opening" up a tree can be like performing surgery and one can find a wide range of wood patterns.

Note that saw kickback is dangerous, wear a helmet, leg protection, ear and eye protection and be careful on cuts with the nose of the bar.