Thread: Mobile Slab Milling - Perth Hills

G'day
I'm just over the road (so to speak) in Glen Forrest.

If you're still looking for someone I know of someone who cuts his own slabs and may be willing to do yours. Not sure where he lives now but he's not far away (maybe Gidgegannup) and I can get a message to him. I also know someone who's into heavy duty woodturning and has a lot of local contacts. Would be happy to enquire for you.

Alternatively it might be worth ringing around some tree fellers. One of them was hired to fell a big blackbutt in Glen Forrest about three years ago. The owner didn't want to pay for complete removal but the feller came back with a portable mill and took most of it. Unfortunately I don't know which company but I know which house it was. It might be worth a knock on their door to see if they remember the name of the feller.

I've been cutting up a large Marri log for firewood and have been starting to think that I'm crazy because it's one of the densest and most sap vein free examples I've ever come across. It's also now at the point of being nicely seasoned and ready for a project.

G'day

I replied to this thread but can't see my reply. Apologies if I've already posted. It's been a long time since I've posted on one of these sites and either I messed up the first attempt or there's a delay before posts show up.

I'm just over the road (so to speak) in Glen Forrest. If you're still looking for someone to mill your logs, I have a couple of contacts who may be able to help. I know of one person who mills his own slabs and might be interested. I know another local who's into heavy duty wood turning (if he ever gets the time) and who has a lot of contacts of the type who may be into milling. I'd be happy to enquire if you like.

Have you tried any tree fellers? I know of a tree feller who has a mill but don't have his name. He was hired to fell a big blackbutt in Glen Forrest about three years ago. The owner didn't want to pay for complete removal but the feller came back with a portable mill and removed most of the tree. They offered the rest to me for firewood. If you want to try a knock on the door and see if they remember his name I can tell you which house it was.

Regards, Kevin

Hi Kevin, thanks for your reply. I'm still looking for someone to help (I've got a few quotes, but they're right on the border of our budget, so still looking around). BobL from this forum has also said he might be able to do the job, but he's busy for another month or so.

It'd be great if you could ask around your contacts (if you're happy to PM me their details, I could chase them up myself... up to you).

Regarding the Marri log you have, one of the millers I've talked to is based in Brookton. He indicated that there were a few jobs around Hovea/Mundaring that he'd try and combine in one trip (over the course of a few days). I could give you his details if you like? He quoted $120/hr.

Otherwise, if this log is small enough to get on a ute or trailer, we could bring it to my place and get it milled at the same time as my logs. Obviously, you'd have to be happy to pay the miller for the time spent on your log

G'day DS,
I took some slabs for re-sawing a few years ago.
The guy was Steve McDonald in Dwellingup. 95381020

Then.....he was offering mobile service.

All you can do is check him out.
HTH
Cheers
Col

Thanks Blackbutt, I'll give him a ring.

I don't have their details anymore but I can contact them through mutual friends. Will fire off a couple of emails and get back to you.

I haven't yet decided if I'll get my log milled but I've decided to stop cutting firewood off it while I think more about it.

G'day Dopplershift

One of my contacts came up blank as far as someone to do the milling. He said he has a slab jig that you could borrow but it's designed for a chainsaw with a 42" bar.

Other contact has just come back from a trip and is contacting his brother who has (or had) a chainsaw slab mill.

Hi Kevin,

Thanks for pursuing this for me. There have been some developments in the last week or so.

I saw a good deal on a used Stihl MS660 and had a rush of blood to the brain.... I've bought a milling attachment, bars and chain and we're going to give it a go ourselves! I'm not sure that the 660 will be capable of handling the bigger logs, but we'll see how we go with the small stuff and make a decision later.

The bars/chain and milling attachment are in the post at the moment, so there'll be a bit of a delay for now. But once everything's here, I think I'll make a new thread and let everyone know how it went! After some practice, we could even have a go at that Marri log of yours Kevin (if you're interested).

I'm no chainsaw expert so I went looking for info on your MS660 and it looks like a very useful saw. I see that Stihl rate it to handle up to a 36" bar!

Looking forward to your new thread and some pics of the milling attachment. If you need some guide rails for your setup I have some heavy wall 75 x 50 RHS that might be OK. It's for a project that's not going to start any time soon. I'll PM you with my contact details rather than continue our discussion here.

Originally Posted by Kevin111

I'm no chainsaw expert so I went looking for info on your MS660 and it looks like a very useful saw. I see that Stihl rate it to handle up to a 36" bar!

I've only used it to cut a bit of firewood so far (just to play with the new saw really), but yes, it's a beast! It's got a 25" bar currently, and I've ordered a 32" and even a 42". Hopefully using the 42" bar with the milling attachment will give me at least 36" of cutting width (which I'll need for one of our logs). It will be interesting to see how it will go with the 42" bar slabbing Jarrah! Given some posts on other forums, I'm expecting it to be slow, but I'm optimistic about the 660's abilities.

Originally Posted by Kevin111

If you need some guide rails for your setup I have some heavy wall 75 x 50 RHS that might be OK.

Thanks for the kind offer Kevin, but I think I'll be ok for rails (I'm a bit of a hoarder, so have plenty of steel in the shed!). Also, I got a nice lightweight aluminium ladder on Gumtree, which I plan to use as rails for the shorter logs.

I have a MS660 and use it to mill with a 3', 4' and 5' bars. I use an extra oiler for the 4' and 5' bars and skip tooth chain on the 4' bar and double skip tooth chain (ie alternative sets ground off) for the 5' bar. I've milled up to 1200mm wide and a lot harder than Jarrah without issue but slow and steady as she goes.

Originally Posted by dopplershift

(I'm a bit of a hoarder, so have plenty of steel in the shed!)......

Sadly I suffer from the same disease. We might be bad influences on each other LOL

Thanks sensei, that's extremely encouraging! I'll definitely be making and using an auxillary oiler... I haven't been impressed by the 660's oil output, even on the 25" bar it has currently.

Sounds like you're making your own semi and full-skip chain? Do you just use an angle-grinder and totally remove the relevant cutters?

Originally Posted by dai sensei

I've milled up to 1200mm wide and a lot harder than Jarrah without issue but slow and steady as she goes.

Whaaaaaaat? There's wood that's harder than Jarrah!?? But seriously, what are you milling?

Hello. Try Joe Clark at Clark Timber Solutions. Based in Mt Helena. Has a web site for contacts