Milling a fallen oak tree

[TomSeller]

The trunk could be compromised, I'd wait until it is on the ground and I've cut through it

 

[dragoneggs]

Far be it for me to NOT spend a fellow TBNers money, but... If you are talking one tree, find a local guy with a band mill. Then help him out doing it and learn a bit. Less chance of screwing up the one and only log you have, you learn some, and you can decide after that if it is something you want to get into. You can usually find contacts via CL, the local chainsaw shops, or even the band mill manufacturers (they keep lists of guys around the country who will do it, typically on the side).

Agree 100%. The learning experience would be invaluable if you do decide to 'invest' in a mill for your next lumber.

 

[fishheadbob]

You might have 400 board feet of lumber; it's hard to be accurate as the dimensions you give are not very exact. Most sawyers don't want to hear about yard trees if this tree is in or near a yard as they tend to pick up nails, screws or other hardware which turns into shrapnel or wrecks blades. Anyway and fwiw the shop down the road has a nice bandsaw mill and will saw up logs on nearby spots for $.30 per board foot. 400 x .30 = $120. I think he's a little pricey, but he sure is convenient.
You need to find your version of my guy. They are out there and just require a little looking.

 

[mcfarmall]

For one-off job like this, hire a local guy with a portable band mill, pay him and send him on his way. When the log is on the ground, buck it into 8' sections and then paint the ends with AnchorSeal if available or an old latex paint you have laying around the house...AnchorSeal one coat and junk paint 2 or 3. This will greatly reduce or eliminate end checking on the log. Put a chunk of limb wood under each end to get the log off the ground while you wait for a time slot with the sawyer. Have the sawyer cut up some of the sapwood slabs into stickers. Stack the milled lumber indoors with the stickers 12-16" apart and weight the stack down good then let it air dry for a couple of years.

 

[Egon]

For quick, fast, onsite and cheap look up "beam Machine". You could also make one of these quite easily. Mine, purchased, was thirty dollars.
Use your present chainsaw, make sure the chain is always sharp. ( you can buy a ripping chain) Cut slowly and do not overheat you saw.

With the beam machine it is quite easy to make larger square sided beams that are easily transported to another site for future milling. You can also manage your cuts to maximize the quarter sawn lumber you will get.





[video]https://www.google.ca/search?q=beam+machine&client=safari&hl=en-ca&prmd=visn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjioeP5wd7WAhUB04MKHcQMBmcQ_AUIEigC&biw=1024&bih=681#imgrc=SWXOAMT5FyFVvM:[/video]

 

[woodlandfarms]

I spin a 32" chain on my 044 for milling. Be advised that a milling chain is different than a regular chainsaw chain... Let me rephrase, you know how on yoru chain you have a 32 degree angle on the cutting head of the chain? A ripping saw will have no kerf, it will be a 0 or 90 degree angle (straight across). Guys buy chains and just grind them as the cost of a ripping chain is a bit pricey.

 

[JPRambo]

I had a guy with a portable band saw mill cut a couple trees for me in North Georgia. He had a $250 minimum. 25 - 30 cents a board foot. And a charge for hitting a metal object in the wood.
LumberRite of North Georgia fees and charges for mobile sawmilling services. - LumberRite

 

[ericm979]

I bought some milling chain from Baileys, their house brand. Cost was just a little more than their regular chain. It's ground at 5 or 10 degrees, I forget which. I used it to rip large round of Eucalyptus into manageable pieces. It worked much better than normal cross cut chain. I could have used a larger saw than my Stihl 362 though.