Thread: Old Elm tree . Nice wood - Big Job

Originally Posted by auscab

I wont be able to take anything under the ground level . The large bit I have been given split off above ground and the rest of the tree is still living . Id be interested to know what the root wood may look like ? Have you seen any before or got a picture .

If I go supporting the log then I still have to get that out and the log down . I will keep it as simple as possible with safety first.
Thanks though.
Rob

The normal method with props and jacks is to dock directly over the support, roll off the free end log and knock out the prop.
As for below ground timber, elm produces some exquisite grain figure down at root bowl level.

Hows it hooked up to the live stem? Off completely? Mostly off? How doughy is it down there?

If its off/close to off you might be able to take a full wrap of chain around the barrel and give her a (gentle) tug with a 4WD or tractor. It might just roll right over.

Yeah it was off completely at its base John.
Doughy ? Is that the ground your asking about ? Its dry and Grassy Or if you mean the wood , its rotted and wormy at the split.
I used to have a decent Troopy Toyota 4WD about a year back but the head went and I traded it before it went completely . A dealer took it and what I now have is a lightweight compared to the Troopy . I got the log down today .

Rob

I did a few cuts and the big one dropped , no jammed bar and it went well . It did get caught up for a while on part of the branch I had cut, but another small cut and a big crow bar did it and it was down .
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I cut off the next fork and was at the three way crotch .
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Quite a chunk of wood ! That's the 42 " bar chopping it off from behind!
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I couldn't do anything to the main trunk behind until the three way crotch is gone, and we couldn't move it . so I just freehand slabbed it into 50 to 60mm thick slabs . 14 of them!
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Each time one fell off the grain revealed was a new surprise. The end grain coming through is on a 45 degree angle so that should help hold things together .
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50 to 60 mm is good for me as I can split them in half for 19mm figured stool or side table tops , or if they stay sound they could become seats . They may not stay that good though .
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In the end all that was left of that big Crotch was this .

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Rob.

Well you did a good job of getting it to the ground. The colour looks great, look forward to seeing the trunk slabs [emoji106]


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I set up Oregon straight rails for the Mill to run on. Just drilled and screwed where it was needed. First I re cut the log I had free hand cut . It zipped through it , new blade and not a wide cut . The result was good ! very happy .
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Then We ( My Son and myself are doing this together ) set the rails up on the big log . I was at first thinking of cutting this in to two lengths But I decided to try it out as one long cut . I was at first cutting a ledge at each end of the log to rest my two short lengths of Oregon on . Then realized I should have just screwed them at the end like I ended up doing in the cut out . No need to level the cut up on its base which was going to be a waste of time.
The good big Bugle head screws we get these days make it easy .
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I was also expecting to come across rot after the half way point because rotten branches were seen going back in at points on the under side of the log . When log was dropped these went to the side, but the rot I expected has not gone in as far as I thought and I'm really surprised at what we have cut!! Big clean 50mm thick slabs. Two will be about 700 wide by 3760 long and the other 7 are 900 wide by 3760 I was expecting worse . Maybe the rot will show in the last one or two left to cut tomorrow. The last picture is yesterdays load home . that took us from 1.30 pm to 7 pm . the first three long slabs are on the bottom.

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These were cut this afternoon.

I could have done one more cut but was starting to wonder if the Ute would get the trailer going up the slight incline on the grass! They are heavy slabs !!

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There should be two more at the bottom to make up the nine ? unless I just cut it up for leg material . 100 x 100 stuff ?

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The MS 661 is going well at it . Faster and more power would always be nice but at least it does the job .
I bought a 12 volt sharpener and as suggested by Niel I bought the angle back from 30 degrees to 10 degrees over a number of sharpenings.

Having to hold the throttle and being so close to the exhaust get a bit rough , as well as the sweat and dust running over my eyes from under the helmet . The wind was at my back and an eddy of fumes and swirling sawdust was getting to me at one point. I was thinking at that moment of a picture of BobL's set up I saw somewhere here with a remote throttle I think ?

The cheap Alaskan Mill is holding up so far . There is a lot that can come undone on it though. And the way it clamps the bar works , but with the way things shake loose and the amount of re tightening I wonder how long it could be before a clamp loosens and the bar shifts and the spinning blade hits the metal ? It must happen to people ? Ive just been double checking and making sure its real tight . Just a little worried something may give or strip and ill have to go home and repair it .

We have been spending each morning here painting and stacking the wood , Ill take pics of that later.

Its really rewarding stuff milling like this . A slow cut but you can do it where ever !! Thanks for the quick advice and help in the other threads Guys as well .

Rob

Great work, you should have some really nice timber to use once its dry. [emoji106]


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Locktite or nylock nuts will stop the bolts from losening

Originally Posted by auscab

Having to hold the throttle and being so close to the exhaust get a bit rough , as well as the sweat and dust running over my eyes from under the helmet . The wind was at my back and an eddy of fumes and swirling sawdust was getting to me at one point. I was thinking at that moment of a picture of BobL's set up I saw somewhere here with a remote throttle I think ?

I use a loose zip tie on the 441.

Mark 1 - remote throttle. Bicycle brake lever on a bicycle steering stem attached to the long bar across the top of the mill
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Operated with Right hand - lasted about a month before switching to

Mark 2 - attached to the wrap handle
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Operated with left hand much better - lasted for over a year before switching to

Mark 3. Full on MC throttle assembly on bicycle stem handle attached to saw wrap handle. Complete with throttle lock and working kill switch.
This is one the best milling mods, It works opposite to a MC throttle but is quite intuitive being operated by the left hand.
I use the throttle lock often
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The arborist site has a full WIP on how to do the MC throttle.

The cheap Alaskan Mill is holding up so far . There is a lot that can come undone on it though. And the way it clamps the bar works , but with the way things shake loose and the amount of re tightening I wonder how long it could be before a clamp loosens and the bar shifts and the spinning blade hits the metal ? It must happen to people ? Ive just been double checking and making sure its real tight . Just a little worried something may give or strip and ill have to go home and repair it .

Loctite everything that can stay that way. Nylocks on the bar clamps are a waste as they are loosened and tightened too often and will gradually loosen. Double nut them if you are worried.

Thanks Bob , they are great pictures ! And it looks like a more comfortable way of milling.

I thought to try wrapping a wire around the throttle but it didn't seem like a good idea, Too hard to get off at an instant . I may give the Zip tie or something like it a go.
Maybe a tie and a wedge once the saw is into the cut and reasonably safe?

With a Zip tie or something like it, the saw is going to be going flat out while not under any load so I suppose its a matter of applying it while working and then just keeping the saw cutting and adjusting the load with the pressure on the cut .

That would be the next time I mill because this job is over . Just have to finish stacking and painting and there are a few small logs I will go back for but will just free hand them.

I'm looking at the next job here though . Ive got a large Cypress ( Golden Macrocarpa) Log that was dumped here years ago.

Rob

Originally Posted by auscab

Thanks Bob , they are great pictures ! And it looks like a more comfortable way of milling.

Yep - it brings your arms closer together so shoulders and arms don't get anywhere near as sore.

I thought to try wrapping a wire around the throttle but it didn't seem like a good idea, Too hard to get off at an instant . I may give the Zip tie or something like it a go.
Maybe a tie and a wedge once the saw is into the cut and reasonably safe?

With the zip tie you don't tighten it up all the way, just tight enough to hold the throttle at WOT (wide open throttle) but loose enough so it can be slipped of when needed.
That's why I use log rails on every cut.
Then I can put the wedges and a hammer on top of the log and the mill passes over the top. I never stop milling, keep the pressure on the wrap bar handle with knee/though/hip and put the wedges in while the saw is still cutting.

With a Zip tie or something like it, the saw is going to be going flat out while not under any load so I suppose its a matter of applying it while working and then just keeping the saw cutting and adjusting the load with the pressure on the cut.

WOT is exactly how those saws are designed to be run.
A branded saw should be able to do 2000 hours at WOT before the rings need replacing - that's a quote from a stihl design engineer.

Thanks for sharing this with us amazing to see such a large Elm with the colour it has.

I reckon the big crotch at back of this photo has got to have deep colour also. https://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=407096&d=1487844971&thumb=1

Originally Posted by wheelinround

Thanks for sharing this with us amazing to see such a large Elm with the colour it has.

I reckon the big crotch at back of this photo has got to have deep colour also.

The crotch standing is the other half of the tree . I wonder how long that will stand up ??
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Its half though ( do you mean that one ?) is lying down and I cut that off the end of the log, then had to cut another 400mm off the log to give me room to get the mill in . plenty of rot in there any way .
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There is some curly Roots attached to that end bit, lots of dirt inclusions though . I may have a poke around and see what I can get off it . I probably will saw the whole thing up a bit more so its parts can either be taken or moved to the burn pile so the farmers are happy with the clean up . There is a chance my new saw spanner is in there somewhere as well , its missing .
I got a big pile of wood and they wanted the tree gone . It sure saved them a lot of work and I'm happy!
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Rob