Thread: Small Diameter Macadamia- How to mill?

Can't help on how to mill it but theres a few nice little bowls in that stump

Originally Posted by willcall

Hi all, I have just cut down a 7m tall macadamia nut tree with a trunk around 200mm in Dia. The end grain timber looks nice so I would like to mill it up to see what comes of it.
I have the following tools available to me:
Chain Saw(s) (Commercial grade)
Drop saw (Commercial grade)
Band Saw (Domestic grade)

Milling a 200 mm diam tree will unfortunately turn far too much of it into sawdust. Even if it 7m tall I doubt the trunk will be more than about 2-3 m long

The next question is what do you want to do with it? If you want to mill it into boards a Band Saw will do it provided you have help and the bandsaw is big enough and you have the right blade.
So what exactly are your BS specs?
To rip long pieces you will need something like a 1" wide 1 - 1.5 TPI - is this feasible for your BS.

Even with help, just passing a log of this size log thru a BS and hoping for a straight cut is unlikely and asking for trouble so before ripping it you may also want to dock the trunk into more manageable lengths. Even with help i usually stick to 1.8 m lengths or shorter.

One danger of passing a cylindrically shaped object lengthwise through a BS is that the object will roll side ways and jam and break the blade so the way I rip these logs in half with a BS is to get myself a some chip board or MDF with a straight edge about as long and a bit wider than the log. I snap a chalk line along the middle of both sides of the board and place the board on top of the log with the line running along the length of the log and tek screw the board to the log with the tek screws 1" or more away from the line. Then I set up the fence so the BS will cut on or close to the line and with the aid of a helper run the MDF (with log attached) straight edge up against BS fence thru the BS.

Don't expect it to be a fast process, just take it slow and steady and you will eventually get there.

This can be repeated on both halves to create a straight 90º cut to the first rip and from there onwards no MDF should be required. The nuisance is that this method uses up chipboard or MDF very quickly and unless the log is of some value (which a macadamia will be) then it may not be worth it. If you plan to do this often you may wish to set up a proper resawing jig, I think PJT has one of the best on the forum.

Run some through the band saw but don't waste lots of time & money on it 'cos Maca splits badly.

Thanks guys,

There are a few more lengths about 2m long ea.

I have no real plans for the timber. I would much rather see it get used to some capacity rather than being burnt or rot away.

I may put a few edges on it with the chainsaw so it at least sits relatively flat.

I have a press which I could use like a giant clamp to hold the logs (max length 400mm) in place while I trim the sides off like a butcher carving meat off the bone so to speak. This would keep the logs secure and the chainsaw away from my legs which is always a good point.


I just found a circular saw in the shed also that could come in handy.


Will

If I have plenty of small logs to work with or small burls, I sometimes use this mini chainsaw mill/rig.
paperbark2 - YouTube

The rig holds the small logs firmly in place while the saw and mill cuts the log.
The Saw is a Stihl 441 with a 25" bar with a max cut width of ~20" while chain is lopro 3/8 which has slightly smaller kerf than regular 3/8.

It's a fun gizmo to use - log lengths are limited to < 1.5m.
I can also used the small chains mill without the rig on logs of virtually any length.

If you quarter the log as soon as possible it will reduce the chances of it splitting more than necessary.

Originally Posted by BobL

If I have plenty of small logs to work with or small burls, I sometimes use this mini chainsaw mill/rig.
paperbark2 - YouTube

The rig holds the small logs firmly in place while the saw and mill cuts the log.
The Saw is a Stihl 441 with a 25" bar with a max cut width of ~20" while chain is lopro 3/8 which has slightly smaller kerf than regular 3/8.

It's a fun gizmo to use - log lengths are limited to < 1.5m.
I can also used the small chains mill without the rig on logs of virtually any length.

If you quarter the log as soon as possible it will reduce the chances of it splitting more than necessary.

Thanks, nice video clip.

Will.

From another thread:

Originally Posted by WRB

Couple of possibilities....

First use of my new resawing jig - YouTube

Bandsaw resaw sled - YouTube

Need to make one of these myself for my bandsaw. Not sure what equipment you have, but you'd be welcome to come around to my place when I get back in a few weeks, to have a slice and dice day

Originally Posted by dai sensei

From another thread:
Need to make one of these myself for my bandsaw.

Mee too - it would certainly save on MDF.

Hi Will, I'd at least halve them down the middle with the chainsaw and maybe even halve again (so u have four 1/4's), if I was to do them here I would cut a 2" board right out of the middle edge to edge then cut the bark off and cut the pith out then just cut the remainder into 1" wide boards, probably only get a few, whatever you do with it as Cliff says it will crack badly so from green I would try a slow dry, seal the ends, narrow stickers, if you have got somewhere that stays cool and maybe even a bit humid stack them there, under the house in preference to a hot dry carport, the caution there tho is you need to check for mould, you may need to promote a bit of air movement.


Pete
PS forgot to mention it comes up a nice purple and is a fairly hard dense timber when dry

I finally got around to doing something with the stump.
I took to it with my trusty little chainsaw. I found a Band saw in the in'laws shed still in its box and also purchased a Wagner safe-t-planner off this forum. I should be able to do something with the timber now.

Just got to finish the chain sawing first.

Hey Will, from your first picture, the timber will give really nice quartersawn grain - so the way we sliced your Spotty was backsawn, you will need to 'turn the boards 90 deg' to make then quarter sawn. good luck

Originally Posted by Sigidi

Hey Will, from your first picture, the timber will give really nice quartersawn grain - so the way we sliced your Spotty was backsawn, you will need to 'turn the boards 90 deg' to make then quarter sawn. good luck

Cheers,
I'll print a copy of 1/4 sawn diagrams off the net and cut my log accordingly.

Will

I finished off the chainsawing today.
I am reasonably pleased with the results.
The timber looks nice too.

Will

Now that the stump is off and in the shed to dry out I am going to hit it with the electric planer to tidy up the sides and remove the remaining bark etc.
Then it will be the Drop saw to each end and finally some paint to try and prevent the previously mentyioned spliting.

Should I paint it now???????

Will