Alaskan chainsaw milling

[mel b3]

I bought an alaskan mill , and 24 inch saw a couple of years ago . It was fine for cutting pine , but was hard going with oak( planking oak is the main reason that I bought it). It's just sitting in the shed now doing nothing.

 

[enfieldspares]

Wot dia is the hornbeam?

Hornbeam is a very very hard wood. In old times, maybe just over now two hundred years ago and before it was used for bearings on machines. And some say for butcher's blocks. It is very wear resistant in comparison even with oak and I'd think would be a swine to slab.

 

[snake_2586]

I bought an alaskan mill , and 24 inch saw a couple of years ago . It was fine for cutting pine , but was hard going with oak( planking oak is the main reason that I bought it). It's just sitting in the shed now doing nothing.

That is where the bigger saws come into play, and you have to have the chain set up correctly, you are looking to get a fine powder out not a dust if that makes sense, if the 'dust' is blowing about the dust is to fine and the rakers on the chain want dropping, it is all a balancing act for the wood that you are cutting, if you are pushing to much and the dust is still to fine the rakers are to high, if the chain is snagging and trying to stall the saw the rakers are to low, when set right at least with the logosol I'm only holding slight pressure on the saw to keep it moving during the cut, this is in oak logs that have been sat drying for the last 5-10 years.

It also helps if you have the logs setup so the saw is hanging down into the log 10-15 degs, and the whole log is tipped so the cut is downhill again 15-20 degs, then gravity is helping you keep the saw moving.

Again for a milling chain to get the best finish you should have the top cutter angle set to 5-10 degs, but I do start with a normal felling chain and bring the cutter angle back to what I require over a couple of sharpening's.

 

[mel b3]

That is where the bigger saws come into play, and you have to have the chain set up correctly, you are looking to get a fine powder out not a dust if that makes sense, if the 'dust' is blowing about the dust is to fine and the rakers on the chain want dropping, it is all a balancing act for the wood that you are cutting, if you are pushing to much and the dust is still to fine the rakers are to high, if the chain is snagging and trying to stall the saw the rakers are to low, when set right at least with the logosol I'm only holding slight pressure on the saw to keep it moving during the cut, this is in oak logs that have been sat drying for the last 5-10 years.

It also helps if you have the logs setup so the saw is hanging down into the log 10-15 degs, and the whole log is tipped so the cut is downhill again 15-20 degs, then gravity is helping you keep the saw moving.

Again for a milling chain to get the best finish you should have the top cutter angle set to 5-10 degs, but I do start with a normal felling chain and bring the cutter angle back to what I require over a couple of sharpening's.

I've gone back to planking oak freehand now . It's hard on my already wrecked back , and I'm far from as expert at it , but for the type of things that I use the oak for , it works quite well.
I'd still love to build myself a portable saw mill though .

 

[Jon P]

Hornbeam is a very very hard wood. In old times, maybe just over now two hundred years ago and before it was used for bearings on machines. And some say for butcher's blocks. It is very wear resistant in comparison even with oak and I'd think would be a swine to slab.

I would have to agree with you on this , hornbeam is exceptionally hard, we have around 60 of them around an old pond, they strip the edge of a chain quite quick when I have cut some up in the past. Great for the wood burner though . Theses all got TPO’s on them. So only take the dead or dangerous out of them.

 

[muddy42]

I have a 56 inch eco mill from ebay. Its cheap but works OK. A big saw is essential for milling, I have a 120cc saw and a 36 inch bar. I just hand file a normal cross cut chain, which seems to work OK.

Its great fun and its satisfying to mill small quantities of wood for outdoor furniture etc. I dry some over 18months or so for indoor projects, the quality of wood you can produce is amazing. Actually thats the reason I started doing it, when I saw the price of timber go through the roof. Good luck stay safe.

 

[mikeakc]

By way of update, I actually found a bloke local to me with a bandsaw mill and we did the job together yesterday. He made a bloody brilliant job of it and we have a really decent supply of boards. However, the one snag to all of this is that I am no longer convinced that the tree was Hornbeam. I’m going to start a new thread to identify the timber so if you would like to have a look at that and chip in it would be much appreciated! Cheers