Popular Post Bmac Posted January 17, 2020 Popular Post Report Share Posted January 17, 2020 Beats a day in the office, that's for sure. Milled up 2 cherry and 1 walnut log. All total about 2.5 hrs of hard labor. I'll sleep well tonight. Still have a few walnut and cherry logs to harvest this winter. So many chairs to make. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted January 17, 2020 Report Share Posted January 17, 2020 All those chairs, and mostly standing. Conundrum? 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curlyoak Posted January 17, 2020 Report Share Posted January 17, 2020 How long will you dry the slabs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Bmac Posted January 17, 2020 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted January 17, 2020 Those will sit outside under cover for at least 2 summers, likely longer. I then rotate them into the shop where I try to let them sit for a few more months. I can get them down to about 8-9% that way. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted January 17, 2020 Report Share Posted January 17, 2020 Jealous.... some day hopefully soo i'll have a nice new MS661 and mill setup Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnG Posted January 17, 2020 Report Share Posted January 17, 2020 24 minutes ago, Chestnut said: Jealous.... some day hopefully soon i'll have a nice new MS661 and mill setup I've been telling myself the same thing. Soon I'll be living pretty close to my dad's 150+ acres so maybe a woodmizer would want to live out there... Can't wait to see what you make with it, @Bmac! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted January 17, 2020 Report Share Posted January 17, 2020 This is awfully tempting: https://woodmizer.com/Store/Shop/Portable-Sawmills/LX55-Portable-Sawmill?utm_source=forestryforum.com&utm_medium=banner&utm_campaign=lx55&utm_term=2019-12-11&utm_content=800x160 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bmac Posted January 17, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2020 1 hour ago, Chestnut said: Jealous.... some day hopefully soo i'll have a nice new MS661 and mill setup First time milling with a new saw, picked up a Stihl 084 this fall, 122 cc's of milling power. Got it used of course, matches well with my three Stihl 660s (2 were bought used, the other is a Stihl clone). Milling is hard on saws and I frequently have had one of the 660s in the shop during my milling season. I think I have an issue with chainsaws, I own 8. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnG Posted January 17, 2020 Report Share Posted January 17, 2020 3 minutes ago, Bmac said: I think I have an issue with chainsaws, I own 8. Sounds like you almost own enough. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Tom King Posted January 17, 2020 Popular Post Report Share Posted January 17, 2020 I saw a new quote today: "To err is human. To really screw up, you need a chainsaw." 3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bankstick Posted January 17, 2020 Report Share Posted January 17, 2020 1 hour ago, Tom King said: I saw a new quote today: "To err is human. To really screw up, you need a chainsaw." And an inexperienced operator? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted January 18, 2020 Report Share Posted January 18, 2020 2 hours ago, Tom King said: This is awfully tempting: https://woodmizer.com/Store/Shop/Portable-Sawmills/LX55-Portable-Sawmill?utm_source=forestryforum.com&utm_medium=banner&utm_campaign=lx55&utm_term=2019-12-11&utm_content=800x160 You have to much spare time on your hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted January 18, 2020 Report Share Posted January 18, 2020 3 hours ago, Tom King said: This is awfully tempting: https://woodmizer.com/Store/Shop/Portable-Sawmills/LX55-Portable-Sawmill?utm_source=forestryforum.com&utm_medium=banner&utm_campaign=lx55&utm_term=2019-12-11&utm_content=800x160 Dang! that price makes that really really tempting. 2 good new power heads and a couple bars is not much difference in price than that. The band mill is going to be WAY faster as well i'd think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted January 18, 2020 Report Share Posted January 18, 2020 2 hours ago, RichardA said: You have to much spare time on your hands. That's funny. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted January 18, 2020 Report Share Posted January 18, 2020 1 hour ago, Chestnut said: Dang! that price makes that really really tempting. 2 good new power heads and a couple bars is not much difference in price than that. The band mill is going to be WAY faster as well i'd think. That was my thinking, as well. I did notice that the one in the video was the $300 upgraded 14 horse motor. I won't buy one unless I get another Cypress Shingle job, and then it would be worth having one to quarter saw the logs, like I would want to. I can justify it for that, and write the cost off. I'm afraid I'd have a hard time deducting it otherwise. It's nothing like the fancy ones with hydraulic controls, like Spanky's, but only a small fraction of the price, too. It's not a high production one, but none of us really need one of those. I'm not interested in going in the sawmill business. You would need some method to handle logs, but I already have that. Otherwise, there would be more investment needed to handle the logs. One thing about the chainsaw mill, you can mill the log where it drops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bmac Posted January 18, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2020 24 minutes ago, Tom King said: You would need some method to handle logs, but I already have that. Otherwise, there would be more investment needed to handle the logs. One thing about the chainsaw mill, you can mill the log where it drops. Nailed it there Tom. If you can't move logs the bandsaw mill is a problem. Also with no hydraulics on the mill it makes it tough, but not impossible. I love my chainsaw mills because of it's portability. Works great for me to mill all the wood I can use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted January 18, 2020 Report Share Posted January 18, 2020 30 minutes ago, Tom King said: It's nothing like the fancy ones with hydraulic controls, like Spanky's, Speaking of @Spanky, where is he? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnG Posted January 18, 2020 Report Share Posted January 18, 2020 Yeah it is really tempting. And my dad has a large JD tractor on the property that can probably move trees much larger than would fit on a mill like that. Hmmm... I’ll see if I can play my cards right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted January 18, 2020 Report Share Posted January 18, 2020 Here's the one I had to fix the loader brackets on, and currently in the middle of a clutch rebuild. It just has to sit in the shop until I have some of that spare time to work on it. I hope to pull the clutch out tomorrow. By the way, those are lifting tongs, and not just regular skidding tongs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted January 18, 2020 Report Share Posted January 18, 2020 13 hours ago, Bmac said: Nailed it there Tom. If you can't move logs the bandsaw mill is a problem. Also with no hydraulics on the mill it makes it tough, but not impossible. I could pretty easily get that little band mill on a trailer it's only 12' long and doesn't appear to weigh too much. It is called portable after all. I agree though that the chainsaw is more portable. My trouble is a lot of the places I can get longs I can't mill logs as they are on public property where it would be in the way or private property that I'd be unlikely to get permission to do said activity. At least with a chain saw. A mill that sounded like a lawnmower with a 4 stroke engine would be easier. My thought is to just make the logs small enough to move. 6 foot logs or even 4 foot logs are easier to move than 8 foot or 10 foot. Yeah there is a bit more work but it's the difference between getting the lumber or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted January 18, 2020 Report Share Posted January 18, 2020 In either case, there are others purchases to make: https://logrite.com/store/Item/60inch-Cant-Hook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curlyoak Posted January 18, 2020 Report Share Posted January 18, 2020 15 hours ago, Tom King said: You would need some method to handle logs, but I already have that. Otherwise, there would be more investment needed to handle the logs. One thing about the chainsaw mill, you can mill the log where it drops. If you have standing hard wood furniture grade timber, and you will find a project for the wood, and you have room and other equipment like your John Deere, then you cant afford not to buy it. Right off or not. And I still think it a right off anyway... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted January 18, 2020 Report Share Posted January 18, 2020 We have several hundred acres of Pines, but little to no sizeable hardwoods. The price is tempting, but the to-do list is too long right now to do more than think about it a little. Nothing that I really need any wood for, that we have standing, in sight for several years. I don't do woodworking for a hobby. My hobby is a "farm" that is jokingly called, by locals, the Ponderosa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spanky Posted January 18, 2020 Report Share Posted January 18, 2020 Bmac you need to come down with that monster 084 and I will let you cut some timber on the side of the mtn all day long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bmac Posted January 18, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2020 5 hours ago, Chestnut said: I could pretty easily get that little band mill on a trailer it's only 12' long and doesn't appear to weigh too much. It is called portable after all. I agree though that the chainsaw is more portable. My trouble is a lot of the places I can get longs I can't mill logs as they are on public property where it would be in the way or private property that I'd be unlikely to get permission to do said activity. At least with a chain saw. A mill that sounded like a lawnmower with a 4 stroke engine would be easier. My thought is to just make the logs small enough to move. 6 foot logs or even 4 foot logs are easier to move than 8 foot or 10 foot. Yeah there is a bit more work but it's the difference between getting the lumber or not. Very true, those portable mills are portable, but you still need to get the log on the mill. Dragging a log out of a ravine or out of the woods is no easy task. Nothing is as portable as a chainsaw mill, and nothing works you out as hard. I agree with you that keeping the logs smaller helps, but you do end up losing some on each end with possible checking. My sweet spot is about 7 to 8 feet. Why? Well my truck has an 8 ft bed, any longer the boards get too heavy, and I have a bunch of 8 metal roofing to cover my piles. Also I always mill thick and resaw in the shop, minimizes loss of material with the wide kerf the chainsaw makes. 2 hours ago, Spanky said: Bmac you need to come down with that monster 084 and I will let you cut some timber on the side of the mtn all day long. Boy sawing all day with that would make you Paul Bunyan. But it chews up some wood. My favorite saw to cut with, not mill with, is this sweet ported Stihl 044 with a 25" bar, that thing is pretty light, nimble, and can really cut. Seems to be the perfect mix of power and size. Don't like cutting with my 660s much, little heavy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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