ever make a sawmill

[forgeblast]

Hi i was looking at some chainsaw sawmill pics, and thought that it was a project that someone must have diy'ed.
Anyone ever make one? if so, do you have a project list. I have some trees im taking down, and thought they might make some cool slabs for benches, or for a counter top.
have a good on all,
forgeblast

 

[FrankenmuthTom]

Considering the little bit of money that it costs to purchase the attachment for your chainsaw to mill lumber, I guess I don't see the point? I have seen the attachments in tool catalogs for just a little over $100. HOWEVER, there are web sites around that give very complete drawings of these attachments, good enough to build from if you have the time and the resources, I would do a Google search and see what came up.

Remember that the best way to mill lumber with a chainsaw is to get a "RIP" blade (chain) for it. Most chains are setup to "cross cut" as that is what you are usually doing with a chainsaw when felling, limbing or cutting firewood.

Good luck with your project!

Tractor Tom

 

[EddieWalker]

I bought mine from www.hud-son.com

I paid $40 for it plus tax and shipping. For the quality and finish, it's a bargain. Fo the time you'll spend figuring it out, then working on it, plus materials, you'll lose money.

It attaches to the bar of my chainsaw with two bolts. Find a straight 2x6 and screw it to your log, then cut. It's really that simple.

Spend your time cutting the wood and building your project, not trying to build the tool when it's readily available for a great price.

Eddie

 

[RobS]

Check with Egon over on CountryByNet . He's been through a couple of iterations of his chainsaw mill /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[forgeblast]

Thanks all the ones that I saw(hehe) must have been the professional ones, they were quite expensive. I didnt know about the ripping chain. Does the ripping chain have the same dl as my regular chain.
thanks for the info
Forgeblast

 

[slowzuki]

Ripping chain is basically regular chain filed straight accross as opposed to 30 deg or whatever.

 

[DMF]

I just read a test/comparison of several types of sawmills for the DIY-er in a recent issue of Handyman Magazine; maybe two to three months back at most. It compared different manufacturers and also grouped them into sizes from ones that attached to your chainsaw to bandsaw mills that you could trailer from location to location.

Not sure how much milling you need/plan to do but there are a couple of guys with portable bandsaw mills around here that will set up on your lot and mill your logs. You can work out a price/board feet and often they will mill all your stuff and take payment out of the boards as well (if you've got good wood and excess).

My father-in-law has built several mills but he has done it out of his head; no blueprints. Most have been pretty nice too; he has always ended up selling them after a project for several times what he had into them.

 

[Egon]

This is my latest homebuilt chainsaw guide.

For my needs it works well.

Egon

 

[have_blue]

Egon,

The track on your mill looks fairly robust. I'm thinking it should last a century or 2.

 

[forgeblast]

wow. thats cool looking, how do you attach it to your chain saw?
thanks for posting
Forgeblast