Popular Post Jim DaddyO Posted December 6, 2017 Popular Post Report Share Posted December 6, 2017 Got an ash log milled up today. Freehand, with a chainsaw. It will eventually become the top for something Roubo-esque I hope. They are 7'4" long and over 4" thick and about a foot wide the the narrowest point, will inside the bark. Check your sanity to stubbornness ratio before attempting. I hope to get two 3 x 11's about 6' long out of them. The nail in it didn't do the chain any favours, but I finally got them in the shop. I have to put some paint on the end for checking, but I need a nap first. I will be putting it on my YT channel now and then as progress...er....progresses. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted December 6, 2017 Report Share Posted December 6, 2017 Beats a broadaxe. What saw and chain did you use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted December 6, 2017 Report Share Posted December 6, 2017 Thats a real commitment and accomplishment with nothing more then a chainsaw Jim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim DaddyO Posted December 6, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2017 I used my Husqvarna 450e with the standard 18" bar and chain on it. The nail in the wood didn't help at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted December 6, 2017 Report Share Posted December 6, 2017 I really hope you own an Alaskan mill and didn't cut it by hand. That's just asking for pain. Are you going for slab tops? What's the drying plan? I built my roubo and journaled it which started with milling up a free ash trees. The connection I have to that bench I feel runs deeper than the hundred hours of work into it. Talking it from tree to bench is a great feeling. Look forward to the updates in a few years when it's dry unless you live in the desert like me and can air dry lumber in 8 months :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim DaddyO Posted December 6, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2017 No mill at all, just marked some lines and went at it. Yup, I hurt...lol. I am going to put some paint on the ends for checking, but according to Chris Schwarz, a bench can be (and often is) made from fairly green wood, so I am not overly concerned about drying. I will also take some of the major unevenness out of it, but will sticker it and put some weight on it until I can get more wood for other parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted December 6, 2017 Report Share Posted December 6, 2017 That's a big cut for a 3 inch saw, but anything bigger would have been much harder on a back. Someone gave me a 290 Stihl, but I never got on with what I can the middle sized chain (.325). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted December 7, 2017 Report Share Posted December 7, 2017 That’s pretty straight cutting for a chain saw! IMO, I really don’t think putting weights on them will help. If those suckers want to twist and turn, they’re going to. Hopefully they stay straight and I’m not too sure Chris meant that green? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phinds Posted December 7, 2017 Report Share Posted December 7, 2017 29 minutes ago, K Cooper said: I really don’t think putting weights on them will help. If those suckers want to twist and turn, they’re going to. Yeah. What he said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim DaddyO Posted December 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2017 Well, let's hope that the mostly quarter sawn wood stays fairly flat and that the wood gods are with me!....lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted December 7, 2017 Report Share Posted December 7, 2017 4 hours ago, Jim DaddyO said: But according to Chris Schwarz, a bench can be (and often is) whatever he wants it to be this week Sounds about right. I hope you reconsider not carefully drying it. The If those things go to twisting, they will rack your base all to hell not to mention remove the flatness from your primary work surface. I am not a perfectionist and my bench is a tool. With that said, my gap stop bowed up in the center after about 6 months in the bench. I have planed it flat twice and it's still rising. That pisses me off to no end. just today I laid a panel down to smooth and was irritated to find a slight rock in it. Thought my drum sander may be out of whack. Nope. The gap stop is up again. If you don't dry those things properly, that's your life for the next few years at least since the finish will slow the drying more 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Immortan D Posted December 7, 2017 Report Share Posted December 7, 2017 Excellent Job Jim! Yeah, point to Brendon, reconsider drying it properly... or you may end up using that chainsaw on your workbench after flattening it 100 times! Schwartz does not care about that, yeah, but he prolly builds a new workbench every week! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim DaddyO Posted December 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2017 It's started snowing and getting cold. Not much choice but to let it sit for a few months at least anyway now. Got the heater fired up in the shop and got a coat of latex paint on the end grain to help checking today. I'm in no hurry, so waiting at this point seems the best thing to do. I may cut the edges off it and send it through the planer to skip plane it, but that's about all. I have serious reservations on the little lunch box planer being able to pull it through though, but it's something I can do in the cold. Thanks for the input folks, greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted December 7, 2017 Report Share Posted December 7, 2017 1 hour ago, Jim DaddyO said: I have serious reservations on the little lunch box planer being able to pull it through though, but it's something I can do in the cold. I had the same concerns about my little Delta 540. I waxed the table and infeed/outfeed before and cleaned the rollers with DN-A. That thing worked flawlessly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted December 7, 2017 Report Share Posted December 7, 2017 I ran 4" x 10 x 6' hard maple through mine & it worked like a champ. Biggest problem was that the wood outweighed the planer by about double so it was quite a job to handle it. Like @Brendon_t said, wax the tables first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim DaddyO Posted December 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2017 It just occurred to me that I have a router and a huge bit for it that I bought intending to make a router sled. Perhaps it's time I did that. It would get the ugliest stuff off at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted December 8, 2017 Report Share Posted December 8, 2017 Definately. And if you make it study with future use in mind, it'll serve you well for years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim DaddyO Posted December 8, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2017 Working on the underside first. Threw together a quick router sled. 1 1/2" bit works nice. It's still over 4 1/4" thick. Shop is a mess but I am getting a decent surface so it will go through the planer to get the top side nice. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim DaddyO Posted December 9, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2017 Oops....there are nails in there. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted December 9, 2017 Report Share Posted December 9, 2017 Neat sled Jim! I bet that nail was an awakening moment? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted December 9, 2017 Report Share Posted December 9, 2017 Did that thing chew the hell out of your flattening bit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted December 9, 2017 Report Share Posted December 9, 2017 I use a regular metal detector. You don't need a special "wand" type to find nails in wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim DaddyO Posted December 11, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2017 Got one to rough size today. Right now it is about 3 1/4 thick, about 12" wide, and 7' 4" long. I hope to get the other one done tomorrow, then they can sit for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Jim DaddyO Posted December 16, 2017 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted December 16, 2017 They are both finally done to rough size. I lost count of how many times I filled my container with sweepings, what a mess. Got them stickered and stacked now. Time to wait for more pieces of interesting wood to fall into my lap to make more parts. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted December 16, 2017 Report Share Posted December 16, 2017 That should end up making a nice top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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