# Milling tree's for lumber and wood for projects.



## woodtickgreg (Sep 3, 2013)

Some of you guys may see my pic in my avatar and not know what you are looking at besides an old man. LOL It is my chainsaw powered saw mill, it's how I get my wood and lumber for wood working projects. I can mill it any size I want up to 36" wide, any length, and up to 12" to 14" thick or more. I can mill a log where it falls and not have to move the log, just slice it up and move it board by board. I can get species of wood that you can't get at the lumber yard. For me milling tree's for lumber is just a part of the whole wood working project, it's fun for me, very hard work but fun and rewarding. I have thousand s of dollars worth of lumber and all it cost me was a few gallons of gas and oil. The mill paid for itself with the first log I milled. Here's a few pics of what I did this weekend. I live in Michigan and these logs where at a friends house in Ohio, I milled them for him. Here's a few pics. This was several logs of beautiful ambrosia maple. The one large slab that is leaning up against me is 9' long 30" plus wide, and 5" thick. It will be chunked up for turning blanks The last 2 pics show what ambrosia maple looks like, it is beautiful with a finish on it.


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## stevecmo (Sep 3, 2013)

:man:

Greg,

That is just awesome.  I am very, very impressed.  It does look like hard work, but the satisfaction must be off the chart to mill your wood from a downed tree.....and then make something from it!  I'm speechless.  

Steve


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## David (Sep 3, 2013)

Impressive Greg!  I see now why you are trying to rig up a winch on your trailer.  A day of manhandling that saw would make it hard to unload a trailer afterwards!!!!

Would like to see some of your projects sometime

David


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## woodtickgreg (Sep 3, 2013)

David said:


> Impressive Greg!  I see now why you are trying to rig up a winch on your trailer.  A day of manhandling that saw would make it hard to unload a trailer afterwards!!!!
> 
> Would like to see some of your projects sometime
> 
> David


The winch and trailer wasn't me, but I have done that before, next trailer will be a deckover to ease loading and winch will be able to be positioned anywhere. I will try and dig through my pics and come up with some of my wood projects.


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## churchjw (Sep 3, 2013)

Really nice wood.  Can't wait to see the projects.

Jeff


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## schor (Sep 3, 2013)

I need to get me one of those. Looks like fun, and hard work. Do you need to shim as you go along to not pinch the blade?


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## woodtickgreg (Sep 3, 2013)

schor said:


> I need to get me one of those. Looks like fun, and hard work. Do you need to shim as you go along to not pinch the blade?


Shimming not required, I run a .404 ripping chain that leaves a 1/4" kerf, never pinches the chain or bar. You might be surprised at how smooth a cut I can get with a chainsaw, it rivals a band saw.


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## DAN_IN_MN (Sep 3, 2013)

Nice work!

I've looked through the pics and the saw isn't giving up it's brand.  I'm thinking Partner.   What CC?  Do you buy ripping chain or just file regular one at a lesser angle?



Yes, I too want to see the finished product(s)!

There's one guy who lives in Japan who mills with a chainsaw.  The neighbors complained about the noise so he put on a larger muffler.  Looks really strange, works really well.  I don't remember who or the name of his site any more.

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woodtickgreg said:


> Shimming not required, I run a *.404 ripping chain* that leaves a 1/4" kerf, never pinches the chain or bar. *You might be surprised at how smooth a cut I can get with a chainsaw, it rivals a band saw.*





DAN_IN_MN said:


> Nice work!
> 
> I've looked through the pics and the saw isn't giving up it's brand.  I'm thinking Partner.   What CC?  Do you buy ripping chain or just file regular one at a lesser angle?
> 
> ...



Well, you just answered half of my questions!  LoL!


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## woodtickgreg (Sep 3, 2013)

DAN_IN_MN said:


> Nice work!
> 
> I've looked through the pics and the saw isn't giving up it's brand.  I'm thinking Partner.   What CC?  Do you buy ripping chain or just file regular one at a lesser angle?
> 
> ...


It's a McCulloch saw, 100cc, it was made by partner in Sweden, she's all metal and a torque monster. Parts are not available for this saw any more so when she wears out I will be looking for a new power head. I used this saw when I ran a landscape business and processed firewood, I've had it for better than 20 years and she's still going strong, I maintain her well. Another thing about the chain is I custom grind the angles, they come at about 10 degree and I change it to about 18 degree, it's a good compromise of speed and finish quality.


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## David (Sep 4, 2013)

Maybe it was Gary Max trying to install the winch, sorry Greg! Memory not so good anymore!

David


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## RandyM (Sep 4, 2013)

So Greg, how do you make that first cut? I would think it is all important on the first. Wouldn't it need to to be dead straight?


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## Beone (Sep 4, 2013)

Just got my own setup. Looks like the same make although I have the smaller version. A friend cut down a cherry tree in his backyard and I couldn't let it go to waste. Looks like I will get about 150 bd ft of wood. The first cut is made along a guide.

Some beautiful ccherry this log will pay for the rig. 
Dave


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## davidh (Sep 4, 2013)

beautiful. .  what is the thing on the right hand end of the frame ?   oiler ?


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## DAN_IN_MN (Sep 4, 2013)

woodtickgreg said:


> It's a McCulloch saw, 100cc, it was made by partner in Sweden, she's all metal and a torque monster. Parts are not available for this saw any more so when she wears out I will be looking for a new power head. I used this saw when I ran a landscape business and processed firewood, I've had it for better than 20 years and she's still going strong, I maintain her well. Another thing about the chain is I custom grind the angles, they come at about 10 degree and I change it to about 18 degree, it's a good compromise of speed and finish quality.



This one?  




http://www.acresinternet.com/cscc.n...baaa3483b43eb4d988256afd004da8d2?OpenDocument


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## woodtickgreg (Sep 4, 2013)

davidh said:


> beautiful. .  what is the thing on the right hand end of the frame ?   oiler ?


Yup, it's a gravity fed oiler, pulling a chain this long and under the stress it is under all the lube you can get is a bonus. I had to drill 2 holes in the hardened bar for the feed fitting and nut.

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DAN_IN_MN said:


> This one?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yup, that's it.

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RandyM said:


> So Greg, how do you make that first cut? I would think it is all important on the first. Wouldn't it need to to be dead straight?


Yes you are correct, the first cut is very important as each succesive cut follows the one before. The first slabbing cut is done with a pair of slabbing brackets. They are just 2 straight 2 x 4's connected with an aluminum channel with screws. It is screwed onto the log for the first cut and then removed, you can cut logs as long as the straight 2 x 4's are. I'll se if I have a pick of the slabbing brackets set up.


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## woodtickgreg (Sep 4, 2013)

Randy, here's a pic of the slabbing bracket attached and a pic after the first cut and the slab removed. The first cut is always like christmas to me, it might be something special like this log was, or just plain usable lumber like you buy at the lumber yard, or rotten and no good, you never know. This one was a special ambrosia maple log 9' long and 30" or so at it's widest point.


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## Ian Bee (Sep 4, 2013)

Wow!  So need to see a short video, showing say, the first two cuts, which will answer a LOT of questions in the readers minds.

Not being a woodworker, I didn't think this post would interest me at all.... Wrong!

My mind is going all sorts of places now.

Top post!!!


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## mrbreezeet1 (Sep 5, 2013)

Mail me a hunk of it?


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## woodtickgreg (Sep 5, 2013)

mrbreezeet1 said:


> Mail me a hunk of it?


I only kept 2 chunks of it for turning, all the rest I left with my friend, I just milled it for him. are you a wood worker as well?


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## mrbreezeet1 (Sep 5, 2013)

woodtickgreg said:


> I only kept 2 chunks of it for turning, all the rest I left with my friend, I just milled it for him. are you a wood worker as well?



Yeah, I am the one that was rebuilding the rockwell 6X48 belt sander, that used the old sink knobs for the delta sander. Just brought a Uni-saw sight un seen, trusted the guy over the phone,has OE goose egg and dust door. See thread here.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=214994
Have been in the hospital a while now, everything is pushed back.  
I have/had a little bit of ambrosia maple.Small ambrosia maple/walnut lidded box.


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## woodtickgreg (Sep 5, 2013)

mrbreezeet1 said:


> Yeah, I am the one that was rebuilding the rockwell 6X48 belt sander, that used the old sink knobs for the delta sander. Just brought a Uni-saw sight un seen, trusted the guy over the phone,has OE goose egg and dust door. See thread here.
> http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=214994
> Have been in the hospital a while now, everything is pushed back.
> I have/had a little bit of ambrosia maple.Small ambrosia maple/walnut lidded box.


I think I looked at your thread on your sander, very nice work, I would like to find one as well. My problem is I am running out of room!


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## mrbreezeet1 (Sep 5, 2013)

woodtickgreg said:


> I think I looked at your thread on your sander, very nice work, I would like to find one as well. My problem is I am running out of room!



Yeah, I got the sander for $100.00.
you think your running out of room?
I am getting to where I can't turn around in my shop. 
I have to sit down and look at the space I have, and come up with some kind of new set-up.
Check out the uni if you didn't, I gave $569.00, and it's plug and play. Single phase too. 
New bearings, OE goose egg motor cover. Fresh paint, has a good jet lock fence, I might put the bies. I already have on it.


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## mrbreezeet1 (Sep 5, 2013)

*Re: Milling tree's for lumber and wood for projects. Uni Pics*

*Deleted
New  thread in woodworking projects.
can't delete pictures,
Mods, delete if you wanted to

*_new post is here._http://www.hobby-machinist.com/showthread.php/17628-Brought-a-uni-saw-sight-un-seen


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## woodtickgreg (Sep 5, 2013)

That's a great saw and you stole it for that price. In today's times I would just upgrade the fence and rails. I used a saw just like that one in high school shop class I think, and a rockwell of the same vintage, shop had 3 saws.


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## mrbreezeet1 (Sep 5, 2013)

Beone said:


> Just got my own setup. Looks like the same make although I have the smaller version. A friend cut down a cherry tree in his backyard and I couldn't let it go to waste. Looks like I will get about 150 bd ft of wood. The first cut is made along a guide.
> 
> Some beautiful cherry this log will pay for the rig.
> Dave



I got some walnut for turning, you know, thinking it's the nicest wood in the world.
(it is nice too though)
But I have been turning cherry, and now like the looks of it better for bowls.


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## schor (Sep 5, 2013)

Cherry and Walnut are my favourites.

Going to make a hall table out of this. 3-1/2" thick, 7' long, 20" wide at the max and 14"min. Walnut about 50 years old sitting in a barn.


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## mrbreezeet1 (Sep 5, 2013)

schor said:


> Cherry and Walnut are my favourites.
> 
> Going to make a hall table out of this. 3-1/2" thick, 7' long, 20" wide at the max and 14"min. Walnut about 50 years old sitting in a barn.


Nice grain, will you keep the curved natural edge of the slab?


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## schor (Sep 5, 2013)

Yes it will be live edge.



mrbreezeet1 said:


> Nice grain, will you keep the curved natural edge of the slab?


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## mrbreezeet1 (Sep 5, 2013)

schor said:


> Yes it will be live edge.



Good move, Post it when it's done. 
Thanks, Tony.


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