milling thread

[sotc]

i think this is the right spot for this. anyway i got my mill today

 

[sotc]

any opinions on how i should mill this log? horizontal for the widest planks or vertical for most planks? dimensions?

 

[SkwerI]

Try to get most of the defects in the fewest planks, idunno.

 

[No_Bivy]

walnut...12/4, re saw later. Less waste.

 

[sotc]

whats 12/4? ive seen people post numbers like that before but dont know what it means

 

[No_Bivy]

12/4 = 3 inches.Fat, then let it dry. Craftsman can re saw to what they want. IMO.

 

[sotc]

3inch slabs is what i was thinking after talking to others. so 12/4 means 12 divide by 4? trim wane or leave it? if im slabbing it 3 inches thick should i stand the log on the skinny edge? or get the wide boards?

thanks for the help john

 

[No_Bivy]

12 x 1/4 inch. The wood will shrink so add a little. The band saw I use adds a 1/8th for kerf and shrinkage.
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[sotc]

1/4 inch with a chain saw mill? probably shatter the wood dont you think?

 

[SkwerI]

Hard to type it but John is talking about 12/4 or 12X1/4 or 3".

 

[No_Bivy]

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

I don't know a damn thing about milling specifics, other than how to run a 660 with aux oiler!

 

[fallguy]

A freind of mine just picked a used one. He has been cutting Oak with it 24" wide. He got some big old Maculla on it. Its 15 minutes to make a 8' long cut and 1 tank of gas.

 

[Wagnaw]

The Alaska mill you guys are showing is the same one we have at home. One thing though, the triangular bracket on the far side broke eventually, so we had to make a new one out of wood. Still works the same though. I wish I had some pictures, but the saw my dad uses in it is really funky looking. It's an older Stihl 08 A or Ev. Something like that. Huge saw, but it has a top handle and a really round casing. Any of you all know anything about it, or know what it is. My guess is that it's an old equivalent to what the 880 is today. My dad got it from this old Korean guy for 100 bucks. All it needed was new spark plugs and a carb cleaning.

 

[stig]

One thing that takes a lot of the strain out of running an alaskan mill is having someone pull it for you. That way you don't have to sit in an awkward position and push the mill. Putting a piece of bungee cord or some other elastic material between the pulling rope and the mill makes it easier for the person pulling to put an even pressure on the saw.

 

[stehansen]

12 x 1/4 inch. The wood will shrink so add a little. The band saw I use adds a 1/8th for kerf and shrinkage.
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Why didn't you get one of these Willie?

 

[sotc]

i tried but 225 dollars only made them laugh :what:

 

[stehansen]

i tried but 225 dollars only made them laugh :what:

What the hell is wrong with them? Don't they know who you are? Have you milled the chunk yet?

 

[sotc]

no got to busy yesterday playing, prolly to busy tommorrow. i did get it on my trailer so i can take it to the outlaws for milling

 

[Al Smith]

Chainsaw milling has it's place but it's not an easy task nor is it fast .

Use the biggest saw you have and set it rich because it's going to be working full time milling .

I can make a little better than a foot a minute on 18 "red oak using a 125 Mac.

The advantage is you can mill right on the spot and carry the thing in the back of a pick-em -up .The disadvantage is it's slow and you have to work your butt off for the lumber . It's just an option not my favorite but I have used it on rare occasions .

 

[sotc]

you can carry a lucas mill in the back of a truck to but thats a chunk of change

 

[Al Smith]

you can carry a lucas mill in the back of a truck to but thats a chunk of change

Well,true.It's cheaper than a Woodmizer mill though .

 

[sotc]

really? ive never priced one of those, not really wanting to get that far into it.

 

[Al Smith]

Well,let me put it like this . I paid less for the first house I bought than a mid sized new Woodmizer sells for .Nice mill though .

Ironically though along the same lines,that new Merc setting in the garage cost more than that first house too .

 

[Koa Man]

I just take any logs I want milled to a mill and pay them $100 an hour. One hour will mill a lot of lumber. I have it all quarter sawn in to 2 inch thick planks. I resaw those at home to sizes I need. On expensive lumber like Hawaiian koa, I usually cut it into veneer on my 18 inch, 5hp bandsaw. I then run the veneer through my thickness sander to get it smooth and all the same thickness.