Slabs, it's what I do!

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Scott, you're having too much fun with that new mill. Will we get to play with it one day? I'm planning on making it down there one of these days. Ted
 
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They're starting to get a little rough in the cut ....

You'll want to bring a small broom and brush off that railing that the power head rides on, the sawdust is making your rig bounce around a bit and that makes the cut ragged ... the other issue is a dull blade. Sharpen it before each job, perhaps? Also, don't forget to keep a spare or two in the truck! :)
 
Skie_M said:
They're starting to get a little rough in the cut ....

You'll want to bring a small broom and brush off that railing that the power head rides on, the sawdust is making your rig bounce around a bit and that makes the cut ragged ... the other issue is a dull blade. Sharpen it before each job, perhaps? Also, don't forget to keep a spare or two in the truck! :)
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Well, I hate to differ....but since I know what is happening. You're wrong on all counts, respectfully.

You do not wipe off the rail with a broom....ever. WoodMizer has developed a system that does it without the use of abrasive brushes.

The 'rig', better known as the millhead, does not bounce around.

The band is sharp. Sharpening a band isn't like sharpening a chainsaw... I won't go into the full extent of it, but it requires a complex piece of equipment that sharpens and sets the bands. BTW, I carry 30 bands....



Scott (I'll give classes to anyone willing to come) B
 
Hey, I'll come for lessons! lol

I just don't have the money...



I'm still in the process of building a chainsaw based small mill. I'll only be able to handle 6-inch logs with my little 10 inch chainsaw, I think, but keeping the rail clean and clear is essential for straight cuts, for me. Keeping the blade sharp will also be essential, for a cleaner cut.
 
Been there and done that chainsaw milling stuff.....it'll make you old in a hurry. Emerson and I cut a bunch of spalted pecan logs with a chainsaw mill over a period of a few weekends. We didn't know anything but the basics back then....and learned that making a big pile of sawdust wasn't what we really needed to be doing with the quality of the logs we had.

I still offer chainsaw milling on my website, but people do not want to pay the cost. And the cost is more then justified by the extreme wear on the equipment, the effort involved, and time it takes. I have a well worn Stihl 064AV that needs to be re-built now from serving as a primary powerhead....so $400 more in cha-ching will equal another two years for it(not sure the return on that one is going to worth it).


My hats off to ya for wanting to mill with a chainsaw!


Here's my last CSM item American Sweetgum...



Now that is a nasty kerf:eek: But it's what can be typically expected using a chainsaw.





Scott (eye-candy though) B
 
Yup ... I'll be expecting fairly rough cuts ...

I do have a decent plan though, for much MUCH cleaner cuts down the line ...

See, the chainsaw mill will be for basic slab work and quartering to get the logs down to a manageable size for my table saw. Once it's small enough for me to work on the table saw, I'll attach the slabs and quarters to a sled and run them through the table saw blade to get nice finish cuts all round.

From there it's simple trim work with either the table saw with a sled or my miter saw to make my blanks.

There's plenty of maple, pecan, oak, and mesquite around here for me to mess with. :)


My current main issue is just the run time with this chainsaw .... Black and Decker 20VMAX Lithium 10" Chain Saw .... I get about an hour with a full charge. I do have a spare battery, but it's a 2AH rather than the 4AH that came with my chainsaw ... the 2AH came with my weed eater.

Plus I'm gonna want at least a spare chain as well as a dedicated ripping chain with a spare for that too. I won't be doing the full size mill work, just going after free stuff that's laying around. :)

But first .. I need a place to work. My table saw is still in it's original box, because I have no room for it in my living room (where my lathe and other tools are).
 
Skie_M said:
Yup ... I'll be expecting fairly rough cuts ...

I do have a decent plan though, for much MUCH cleaner cuts down the line ...

See, the chainsaw mill will be for basic slab work and quartering to get the logs down to a manageable size for my table saw. Once it's small enough for me to work on the table saw, I'll attach the slabs and quarters to a sled and run them through the table saw blade to get nice finish cuts all round.

From there it's simple trim work with either the table saw with a sled or my miter saw to make my blanks.

There's plenty of maple, pecan, oak, and mesquite around here for me to mess with. :)


My current main issue is just the run time with this chainsaw .... Black and Decker 20VMAX Lithium 10" Chain Saw .... I get about an hour with a full charge. I do have a spare battery, but it's a 2AH rather than the 4AH that came with my chainsaw ... the 2AH came with my weed eater.

Plus I'm gonna want at least a spare chain as well as a dedicated ripping chain with a spare for that too. I won't be doing the full size mill work, just going after free stuff that's laying around. :)

But first .. I need a place to work. My table saw is still in it's original box, because I have no room for it in my living room (where my lathe and other tools are).
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My advice would be to invest in a good thickness planer....
 
I haven't got nearly the cash on hand to do that. :) I can't even afford the cheap one from Harbor Freight, lol...

I'm sure that the table saw will give me a good enough finished piece to not have to worry about splinters. My main goal is to obtain pen blanks and bowl or spindle blanks from locally available wood. It doesn't need to have a real finished surface to it ... I'm gonna turn it or sell it to other wood turners here.
 
Electric = lots of heat during extended periods of cutting. Most of the heat generated during 'gas' milling is transferred into the oil reservoir and air flow being pulled through the saw.

I would recommend large fans blowing directly on the unit you have!



I use an upright bandsaw to reduce flitches/slabs into pen and bottle stopper/game call blank sizes. The bandsaw mill makes a finished side that is more then acceptable for consumers(that, and I don't charge folks an arm-n-leg for blanks)....planer would be 'nice' for pen blanks, but absolutely unnecessary. You could just as easily use a #5 or larger hand plane and those can be found at yard sales for less then you think.

Skie_M, feel free to PM me.....we can take some time to go over some of the things I learned along the way(maybe save you a few bucks in the long run):)




Scott (hate wasting fundage) B
 
SDB777 said:
Electric = lots of heat during extended periods of cutting. Most of the heat generated during 'gas' milling is transferred into the oil reservoir and air flow being pulled through the saw.

I would recommend large fans blowing directly on the unit you have!



I use an upright bandsaw to reduce flitches/slabs into pen and bottle stopper/game call blank sizes. The bandsaw mill makes a finished side that is more then acceptable for consumers(that, and I don't charge folks an arm-n-leg for blanks)....planer would be 'nice' for pen blanks, but absolutely unnecessary. You could just as easily use a #5 or larger hand plane and those can be found at yard sales for less then you think.

Skie_M, feel free to PM me.....we can take some time to go over some of the things I learned along the way(maybe save you a few bucks in the long run):)




Scott (hate wasting fundage) B
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There are a few tools that I have never been able to master....hand plane is one of them, also spoke shave the other thing that has always given me fits is sharpening blades on a wet stone. Oddly enough my dad could handle all of those things really well, but I could just never catch on.
 
Smitty37 said:
SDB777 said:
Electric = lots of heat during extended periods of cutting. Most of the heat generated during 'gas' milling is transferred into the oil reservoir and air flow being pulled through the saw.

I would recommend large fans blowing directly on the unit you have!



I use an upright bandsaw to reduce flitches/slabs into pen and bottle stopper/game call blank sizes. The bandsaw mill makes a finished side that is more then acceptable for consumers(that, and I don't charge folks an arm-n-leg for blanks)....planer would be 'nice' for pen blanks, but absolutely unnecessary. You could just as easily use a #5 or larger hand plane and those can be found at yard sales for less then you think.

Skie_M, feel free to PM me.....we can take some time to go over some of the things I learned along the way(maybe save you a few bucks in the long run):)




Scott (hate wasting fundage) B
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There are a few tools that I have never been able to master....hand plane is one of them, also spoke shave the other thing that has always given me fits is sharpening blades on a wet stone. Oddly enough my dad could handle all of those things really well, but I could just never catch on.
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I'm guessing it would be more of a 'sharpening thing'....super scary sharp tools are easier to 'master'. I've never really 'mastered any tool', we just have an understanding to get along.




Scott (Imma turn a bowl tomorrow) B
 
Smitty37 said:
There are a few tools that I have never been able to master....hand plane is one of them, also spoke shave the other thing that has always given me fits is sharpening blades on a wet stone. Oddly enough my dad could handle all of those things really well, but I could just never catch on.
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This link might give you a lot of nice hints concerning card scrapers ... and sharpening with wetstones by hand. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nz6EpQu2HRo

Planers and spokeshaves are different.


A planer is like a chisel held in a handle at a certain angle ... I like to hold them at a slight angle to the work and run them straight down the grain. They make very nice fine curls of wood. These are more often used in fine woodworking and cabinetry.

A spokeshave does virtually the same exact thing as a planer, but rather than pushing it away from you, you use the handles to pull it towards yourself. These are used to whittle down planks and boards into rounded objects, like bows and wheel spokes for wagons. They are also commonly still used in green woodworking. These are most often used in bowyering and green woodworking ... rough rustic furniture crafting.

In some cases, you may find a planer that has a CURVED blade on it. This is for green woodworking, to leave a "hand carved" appearance on the surface of the work... You might find them in a furniture maker's toolbox if they like to do some rustic furnishings that appear at home beside some green woodworked chairs and tables.
 
Skie_M said:
Smitty37 said:
There are a few tools that I have never been able to master....hand plane is one of them, also spoke shave the other thing that has always given me fits is sharpening blades on a wet stone. Oddly enough my dad could handle all of those things really well, but I could just never catch on.
Click to expand...

This link might give you a lot of nice hints concerning card scrapers ... and sharpening with wetstones by hand. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nz6EpQu2HRo

Planers and spokeshaves are different.


A planer is like a chisel held in a handle at a certain angle ... I like to hold them at a slight angle to the work and run them straight down the grain. They make very nice fine curls of wood. These are more often used in fine woodworking and cabinetry.

A spokeshave does virtually the same exact thing as a planer, but rather than pushing it away from you, you use the handles to pull it towards yourself. These are used to whittle down planks and boards into rounded objects, like bows and wheel spokes for wagons. They are also commonly still used in green woodworking. These are most often used in bowyering and green woodworking ... rough rustic furniture crafting.

In some cases, you may find a planer that has a CURVED blade on it. This is for green woodworking, to leave a "hand carved" appearance on the surface of the work... You might find them in a furniture maker's toolbox if they like to do some rustic furnishings that appear at home beside some green woodworked chairs and tables.
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Why on earth would you think I didn't know that? I said I have never been able to master them not that I didn't know what they are or how to use them....I have a house full of rustic furniture, much of which I made myself (using a plane as little as possible and a spoke shave not at all).
 
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Oh, I didn't mean it that way ... I meant that they're different from card scrapers.... it was also meant more for those that have no idea what any of them are, as well. :)
 
Skie_M said:
Looks like tons of fun! :)
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Tons.....and that's not just a cool pun. Typically each log weighs roughly 1200+ lbs, most of the bigger ones will go 3000lbs. By using the equipment I have in a 'smart way', things can be accomplished.


My next 'outing' will be doing quartersawn on 30" Southern Red Oak. Three logs, at roughly 1521boardfeet. While this doesn't sound all that impressive, quartersawn timber takes a lot of rolling logs back-n-forth to get them cut. So just these three logs will take the better part of two whole days to cut correctly, getting the best-of-the-best out of them.
I will most likely set the GoPro up at 5sec increments and do an all day time lapse....maybe?




Scott (someday I'll get to my log stash) B
 
Oi .... quartersawn is some beautiful and highly desirable stuff, but you're right... it takes a LOT of work to do it!

Do you already have a "cut chart" to follow for your quartersawing?
 
Skie_M said:
Oi .... quartersawn is some beautiful and highly desirable stuff, but you're right... it takes a LOT of work to do it!

Do you already have a "cut chart" to follow for your quartersawing?
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I'll have to strip the paint the fella put on the end-grain(to keep the logs from checking while he was waiting for my mill to be built), and every log is different....so I'll mostly have to adjust on the fly to get the premium stuff out.



Scott (sawyers do it on the fly) B
 
True .... no two trees are alike, so there's always small adjustments on the fly. :)


I watched a video somewhere on youtube where someone had drawn a reference for how he wanted to line up his cuts with his mill to get quartersawn wood.

It basically started off with him cutting the log pretty much right down the middle and taking some slabs out of the center right away, and then splitting the 2 crescent sections into quarters and taking boards out of the middle of those sections before he started doing a lot of flipping ... I can't find the link at the moment.

I downloaded the video, but I renamed it because it was some random letter jumble, lol ...
 
Didn't do a time lapse, or any 'cool' stuff....just milled 2675boardfeet of Southern Red Oak - quartersawn, so it took all day....

This morning, after the rain, I took the mill to 'work'{yes, it was my day off} and milled my stash. Wind and cold might may been a factor...it guaranteed that every bit of sawdust coming out of the 'exhaust' ended up in my face!


I've been collecting random logs for the last few weeks...

Eastern Red Bud, Persian SilkTree, Eastern Red Cedar, White Oak{inclusion}, Black Cherry....it was a bit to do. Made about 255 boardfeet of 'stuff' for future pen blanks, as well as a lot of scrollsaw blanks{2/4 thickness to be planed down} for the 'boss', and I made some bonus 8/4 thickness stock for duck calls{next years stock}!









The Persian Silktree had a small crotch in it....close-up.




The day was fun!




Scott (sawdust in my nose) B
 
D.Oliver said:
You know every time you post these pictures of awesome slabs of wood, I think to myself "Man, I hate that guy!":biggrin:
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Derek.......step away from the mirror. :eek: :biggrin:
The wood is beautiful and you are very lucky to be having the choice of the best. I believe we all envy you to some degree. Have fun and keep posting pictures:)
 
D.Oliver said:
You know every time you post these pictures of awesome slabs of wood, I think to myself "Man, I hate that guy!":biggrin:
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You should stop by....seriously. This stuff is everywhere here..... Sometimes I actually 'hate myself' for bringing more home. For instance, there is piece on the trailer that would make a beautiful natural-edged 'floating shelf'. BUT, I'll go out back and fire up some piece of equipment...and slice it into small pieces in order to sell it. Why? Shipping costs.


So I actually like this type of reply.....it makes me understand a little better about the things I must do.



Scott (someone wants a big chunk) B
 
Whew.....love working up a sweat! It may have been cool as far as temperature, but the hot timber I was seeing was worth it.
I hated having to slice up those wide flitches of Black Cherry 8/4thickness. I could have seen that piece hanging in a room, covered with family heirlooms....but instead, it'll become game call blanks. That's fine too....but wide timber is hard to find.


A close-up of some Black Cherry



This stuff here is fun too, it's Persian Silktree....commonly mis-identified as a 'Mimosa tree' by just about everyone. Not sure why that happens, but it does....Mimosa is a sub-species.

A close-up of a piece of Persian Silktree crotch


Here's a very common timber, White Oak....but this is from the 'inclusion' on the tree. The bark basically gets forced into the grain and makes some really unusual features.




The stack has made the move to the concrete slab, and is stickered for a 'while'....air drying isn't really fast in Arkansas during the winter, but it'll happen. After a while, I'll go back to the stack and process the pieces into blanks.
Thanks for following along on the topic..... If you have any questions, feel free to ask.


Scott (seems big timber is heavy) B
 
Lots of wind here the last week or so ...


Whilst driving around town, I've seen some really lovely logs from trees that didn't make it... Some of it is very old growth and was dead standing wood. Mostly Maples and Elms, a few other species ... Pecan and Oak are common here too.


Wish I even had a way to pick the wood up, but these things weigh more than my lil car... o_O

Plus I don't have anything that could even remotely begin to process this wood, lol. I'll ask if I can use my little chainsaw to cut some pieces off and see if I can make them into blanks. Some of it also looks to be nicely spalted.


You're definitely right, though ... big timber is quite heavy! :)
 
Woohoo!!!!

No milling this weekend.....wait, what did he just say?



That's right, I'll have some time to reduce the size of some slabs into pen, bottle stopper, and game call sized blanks...................finally! Can't stand the personal stash being completely out of Eastern Red Cedar, I mean really....what's up with that? I'll also start getting some other species cut down too!

Then I will go into the shop(fancy name for my garage), and turn something!


I'll get some nice 'eye-candy' photo's to share too.






Scott (ain't all about sweating here) B
 
Was in the shed, looking around for something.....go figure, couldn't find what I was looking for. And by the time I got the door shut again, I forgot what it was I was after......


Came upon this one


Seems it's dry! Boxelder 'bump'(not burl and not a knot-but almost a little of both). It has a crack towards the bottom, but it doesn't get into the figured part. Maybe I'll wiggle it out and give it away at the next penturners meeting?
:eek:Be a pretty nice bowl blank, or 50 bottle stopper blanks, or 300 pen blanks!:eek:


Throwback Saturday? If I could only remember what I was looking for.....





Scott (I'm missing the milling) B
 
Has anyone ever had Craigslist repost on them without your knowledge?

I ask because since Thursday last I've received no less then 12 emails requesting milling or tree removal! So, I did what any person that is all gimped up would do...I went and quoted all the milling jobs, and looked at all the tree removals! Two days worth of quoting milling....total amount waiting for me to get better? Ah, just under $5,750 worth of logs-to-lumber! The tree removals, were less, but I'll be scoring some awesome sized River Birch, a few Pine trees(friend wants to build a 20x20 shop in Lonoke-this should be enough logs to finish it from floor-to-roof), and maybe 10 other great species of timber. The trees that I wasn't looking for, well I drop-n-limb them for $35-$50 each depending on size.....owner gets to stack and burn at their convenience.


I've gone back in a put a hold on the Craigslist stuff....

My therapy is gonna start in two weeks! I can't wait to loose some of this weight I seemed to have found.......




Scott (making micarta blanks sucks) B
 
SDB777 said:
The operation was a success!

I have another appointment on the 13th, and then I'll get to hear about all that fabulous time I'll be spending at therapy! My sawmill misses me....I walked out there the other day just to touch it(that only sounds weird when I read it now)....



Scott (milling to start soon-ish) B
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Been there with the physical terrorists. Grit your teeth and do what they tell you. Your long term success is in my thoughts and prayers.
 
SDB777 said:
The operation was a success!

I have another appointment on the 13th, and then I'll get to hear about all that fabulous time I'll be spending at therapy! My sawmill misses me....I walked out there the other day just to touch it(that only sounds weird when I read it now)....



Scott (milling to start soon-ish) B
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It will sound weirder once your off pain meds.:biggrin:
 
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Great to hear that the surgery went well & that you'll be able to get back to milling.
Good luck with the PT - keep us posted on your progress.
 
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