Cutting Maple for fireplace mantle from a log ?

[wawajake]

My daughter has enlisted me to get her a piece of maple 5 inches thick x 9 inches wide by 72 inches long for a rustic fireplace mantle...from my woodlot. Now I have made rustic furniture out of my maple trees in the past (bunk beds, bar stools etc). But this time the length wise cut 6 feet along a log (twice) with my Husky 435 chainsaw 16 inch bar seems intimidating without some advice.

I plan on felling a 14 inch diameter maple tree on friday if no further snow storms and cut the log I need 74 inches long. Ideally I would do all the rough cutting in the bush because I need to haul it back to my workshop a half mile by snow machine . So I may need to do the two horizonal cuts in the bush in a primitive environment to get it down to a reasonable 100 lbs of wood . Now I don't need the rough cut to be exactly 5 inches thick , I can get it to correct thickness and width in my workshop later. So I need some way to run a guide on the log in the bush to keep the saw running fairly level for at least one horizontal 6 ft length cut .

Any suggestions? What if I screw a 2 x 4 to each side of the log and try to run the saw along those? Any better ideas?

 

[tjkubota93]

My buddy made a few cedar posts and used the 2x4 thing you're taking about, it worked well.

 

[pmhowe]

You can buy an attachment for your chainsaw that will allow you to make parallel cuts. It's best to buy a rip chain for your saw, as well. I have used the one shown in the picture below, and find it works well. It costs about $130 from Northern Tool. I have a small chainsaw (Stihl 026 - about 30 years old) and that is a bit small, but still doable. I built this small hut last summer to hold my trash cans and keep the bears out.

PMH

 

[pmhowe]

In thinking about it some more, if you are only going to square off that one log, you probably don't need the attachment. Some years ago, when I lived in New Mexico, I added an addition to my log home. I faced it with half logs, where I used the chainsaw to cut a center board (about 2" thick) to maximize the half-log width to weight ratio. I didn't have an attachment but, with a little practice could cut a 2" board out of the center of the log with about 1/2" variability in thickness end to end. So, you should be able to make an adequate rough cut, then finish up with a planer or jointer or even a hand held electric plane.

 

[s219]

From other thread:

I have a Granberg Alaskan Chainsaw Mill, as well as their Mini Mill (which is cheaper and the only thing you need for sawing beams or a piece like this mantle). However, I use a 77cc chainsaw, because that is what's required for milling (and many people go even bigger). I also use rip chains. You will most likely melt down your little Husky if you attempt to use that saw for such a long (time wise) set of cuts. It will not cool quickly enough, and it's not a pro saw that can handle repeated long cuts.

As far as drying, do not expect quick results if you want to do it right. A piece like that is going to need to air dry for a few years. The only way to accelerate it without wrecking the wood is to find someone with a kiln who knows how to use it.

Not trying to rain on your parade here, but you're heading in a direction that will trash your saw and leave you with a big warped piece of green wood.

 

[bikerdib]

I've never had a home with a fireplace but I currently have a freestanding wood stove. I say this because I'd like to ask a question. What keeps a wood mantle from catching fire when you burn the fireplace?

 

[s219]

I've never had a home with a fireplace but I currently have a freestanding wood stove. I say this because I'd like to ask a question. What keeps a wood mantle from catching fire when you burn the fireplace?

Code and fireplace specs usually dictate the distance for combustibles, and for things like the hearth dimensions and proximity to walls and furniture. I seem to recall we needed at least 12" of non-combustable facings on the sides and 24" on the floor. I think it was minimum 12" up to the mantle. That is for a metal pre-fab fireplace box, which is double walled on the inside.

It would take a heck of an accident for fire to get out of most properly designed fireplaces. But my wife figured out how -- used too much paper to start a fire and put it too far forward. The flames licked up and charred the paint on the top of the fireplace fascia. She's lucky it didn't get worse. I put her on probation now. She can poke an existing fire and add a log, but no more starting!!

 

[Fifelaker]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/SmjJ2csLk2g" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Big saw, ripping chain then as said above a lot of time to dry.

 

[motownbrowne]

www.beammachine.com

That'll help a lot for the price. A lot less than a alaska saw mill. Or find a guy locally with a band mill you could take one log to. Probably only charge you $15 or $20 and it would be perfect. Sawmilltrader.com has listings of guys with mills across the country.

 

[wawajake]

I got my half log out of the bush this weekend. keep in mind only access is by snowmachine 1 mile from house . I managed to get a decent 12 inch tree downed then cut a 6 ft length of straight log out of the butt end. But that log was too heavy to take back on snowmachine trailer, so I did one of the lengthwise cuts with my Husky 435 chainsaw. It took ninety minutes with rests and four chainsaw filing breaks, to get the one lengthwise cut done. it was still a very heavy log for my trailer but we made it back to house/garage. I called the Husky dealer and asked about a rip chain for my saw, he stated they were not available for that small a saw. He suggested I make one by using a old chain that was three quarter worn out, and then just file the teeth at almost ninetly degrees instead of at 30 degrees. So I bought two new files and did what he told me. it worked great ! The second cut was much faster. I was able to have the log vertical tied to tailgate of my truck, and then worked my way down to get a 5 inch thick by 10 inch wide and 72 inch long hunk of wood.
It is drying now in my garage , with electric heater nearby and clamped to my workbench , I did put wax on ends of log and have been flipping it over on the horizontal plane and reclamping each night. I hope to get it to dry enough in a month to be able to sand and finish it in MArch......what we do for kids eh !!!