Alaskan Sawmill

[Stimw]

Sawmill ****!
I am I the only one who finds saw-milling fascinating? If they show it on TV or the net I am glued to the process.
Even the commercial mills that get shown. (History Channel- History of wood)
Even Shelby on the swamp loggers had a guy mill some boards for him. He commented "I gotta get one of those!"
I would love to have a mill but I don't have the room, the logs or the need for the wood!
I bought some 6" X 6" 's for my shop from a local guy who's Dad had been milling on the same property for many years. There was a very old mill no longer being used that was steam powered!! He was using a diesel powered mill.
I guess you have to sharpen the blade often for the best results?

 

[motownbrowne]

Sawmill ****!
I am I the only one who finds saw-milling fascinating? If they show it on TV or the net I am glued to the process.
Even the commercial mills that get shown. (History Channel- History of wood)
Even Shelby on the swamp loggers had a guy mill some boards for him. He commented "I gotta get one of those!"
I would love to have a mill but I don't have the room, the logs or the need for the wood!
I bought some 6" X 6" 's for my shop from a local guy who's Dad had been milling on the same property for many years. There was a very old mill no longer being used that was steam powered!! He was using a diesel powered mill.
I guess you have to sharpen the blade often for the best results?

I find it fascinating too. Before I bought my mill, which continues to fascinate me, I spent hours on youtube watching videos of milling. there are some crazy setups out there. My wife got so tired of me watching videos, by the time I bought it, she was actually relieved. Here's a good one, if you haven't seen it already.

Super AX SAWMILL RIPPING FOUR FOOT LIVE OAK FOR SAN SALVADOR SHIP FRAMES - YouTube

 

[s219]

Just cut some Juniper (like Cedar) and surprisingly hard to cut compared to the pine. It took 3-5 mins to get through 8' of pine and 15 mins or so to get through the juniper. I am keeping a eye out for a vintage Stihl 090. Arguably the best Alaskan Mill saw made but they demand a premium price!!

You keeping your chain sharp? I know it's a pain to sharpen the chain with the Granberg Mill mounted on the bar, but I found for some woods I need to sharpen before every cut (white oak is an example).

Also, is it possible the Juniper is sappier and that was an issue? It might have been gumming up the cutters. Sometimes a shot of WD-40 on the cutters will counteract the sap drag. Spray the chain and then run through some non-sappy wood to clean off.

 

[stuckmotor]

Just cut some Juniper (like Cedar) and surprisingly hard to cut compared to the pine. It took 3-5 mins to get through 8' of pine and 15 mins or so to get through the juniper. I am keeping a eye out for a vintage Stihl 090. Arguably the best Alaskan Mill saw made but they demand a premium price!!

It might be a good idea to ask your Stihl dealer about parts availability before investing in the 090. There was a guy in the Yahoo "Milling" group who used a big Stihl and loved it. When people quit logging with big saws, parts became very hard to obtain in his area, Arkansas/Oklahoma. Things might be different in your location.

 

[Larro Darro]

Sawmill ****!
I am I the only one who finds saw-milling fascinating? If they show it on TV or the net I am glued to the process.
Even the commercial mills that get shown. (History Channel- History of wood)
Even Shelby on the swamp loggers had a guy mill some boards for him. He commented "I gotta get one of those!"
I would love to have a mill but I don't have the room, the logs or the need for the wood!
I bought some 6" X 6" 's for my shop from a local guy who's Dad had been milling on the same property for many years. There was a very old mill no longer being used that was steam powered!! He was using a diesel powered mill.
I guess you have to sharpen the blade often for the best results?

If you don't already know about the Forestry Forum, it is the best site for milling information, and just plain talk. It is much smaller than TBN, but I find the folks very nice over there.

http://www.forestryforum.com/board/index.php?board=7.0

Larro

 

[simonsays]

You keeping your chain sharp? I know it's a pain to sharpen the chain with the Granberg Mill mounted on the bar, but I found for some woods I need to sharpen before every cut (white oak is an example).

Also, is it possible the Juniper is sappier and that was an issue? It might have been gumming up the cutters. Sometimes a shot of WD-40 on the cutters will counteract the sap drag. Spray the chain and then run through some non-sappy wood to clean off.

I have always thought of cedar as softer than pine. The pine I was milling had some termite holes as well as the blue staining. Both of these attributes weaken the wood. The cedar had probably been dead the same amount of time as the pine but cedars are naturally bug and rot resistant. The cedar was also growing in arid semi-desert environment which only allows trees slow growth. I could see very close growth rings which tells me that the fibers are more dense the one would suspect.

I ran a rat tail file two passes per tooth in the middle of cutting the cedar. The teeth look perfect even before filing so I didn't notice any difference. I am worried about free hand filing too much because having the teeth at the right specs is important for even cutting. I will probably invest in a granberg jig in the future.

 

[woodlandfarms]

Big Bear has suffered some interesting weather / diseases and that wood shows it, it is really beautiful.

I have a mill, but on an Stihl 044. There is a 90 for sale relatively cheap in LA (go figure). Tempted. very tempted.

You guys have all bought milling chains, right? Ones that are more straight on in the angle of the cutting edge (not 35 degrees but more like 5 degrees>)

Oh, one of my cooler benches I think



I aso experimenting with cutting at an angle. The idea is the grain is more interesting, not sure structurally now it would work. Saw this done on huge pieces and it was amazing.

 

[Western]

Great photos, I have contemplated getting one for the oaks I have, but dont know what I would need the wood for:laughing:

Do you have to run the ripping chain? I have a Husqvarna 350, don't know if that would be enough "saw"

 

[Egon]

If you're undecided look at a Beam Machine. Inexpensive.

A rip chain is not necessary but surely makes things faster.

 

[Western]

If you're undecided look at a Beam Machine. Inexpensive.

A rip chain is not necessary but surely makes things faster.

Thanks for the heads up Egon. It is hard enough to find decent "regular" chain these days and I haven't used my saw enough to warrant buying a roll for about 20 years.