Thread: Second chainsaw milling effort

Great work Brendan - I sense an increasing enthusiasm for the process and I agree its high addictive,

A couple of free pointers for you.

The areas marked in red showing a poorer finish can be eliminated which reduced the amount of later sanding or passes though a thicknesser.
There are several causes

The first reason is mechanical like a sloppy or out of square mill, this allows the mill to tip over slightly if it is pushed harder than usual.
Check the mill you make sure the bolts are tight and the bar is parallel to the mill frame.

The second reason is technique, as it usually happens when the operator takes a step or repositions their body and then drives the saw back into the kerf - try to do this a bit more gently and ease the saw back to full power.

Sometime the sawdust or lumps and bums from the previous cut transfer themselves onto the next cut. I get around this by using the log rails on every cut. The ladder will be much smoother than the log and not transfer lumps and bumps to the cut underneath. Also you can correct any twist or bow from the previous cut.

The next thing to start considering in getting the log up on a slope. Then the bar and chain will always have at least some forward pressure on them all the way through the cut. Using the log rails means you can put wedges and hammer along the log and by locking the throttle with a loose zip tie you can apply forward pressure with your knee, thigh hip and maintain a constant pressure on the cut which you add wedges. The constant pressure and a downward slope means less pushing effort by the operator.




Bredanscut.jpg

Hi Bob, thanks for the advice. It is gratefully received.

Re the poor finish, I think it was due to constant readjusting of my position mid cut. I had to mill this log where it fell which meant I was doing it sitting down. I also ran out of fuel mid cut a couple of times which didn't help. The first time I milled the log was lifted onto a trestle for me, but I didn't have that luxury this time!

Originally Posted by 19brendan81

Hi Bob, thanks for the advice. It is gratefully received.

Re the poor finish, I think it was due to constant readjusting of my position mid cut. I had to mill this log where it fell which meant I was doing it sitting down. I also ran out of fuel mid cut a couple of times which didn't help. The first time I milled the log was lifted onto a trestle for me, but I didn't have that luxury this time!

That will do it. It's going to be worth investing in a kangaroo jack so you can fit one end of the log off the ground and so you can mill standing up.

Looks more like E. rubida to me. Looks like your on top of a hill which would make E. viminalis unlikely round Canberra

Hi Pampelmuse,

Tree was located at the top of a hill near Numeralla if that helps narrow it down. Rubida could definitely be on the money.

brendan

candlebark thicknessed.JPGcandlebark table2.JPGcandlebark table.JPG

Hi All, Just to close the loop here is some photos of what I did with the timber I slabbed at the start of this post. It was too green when I machined it (about 25% moisture) but I went ahead anyway as I only had access to the machines for a short period. I intended on bolting the slabs to the frame to try keen them from moving but of course didn't and the moved HEAPS by the time I got around to using them. The finish is rough as but this is going to the farm where the tree was cut down and will be exposed to the elements and only used occasionally so I don't really mind.