Thread: Difficult milling job

I think you will get plenty of advice from the portable operators, but in my experience it is difficult and time consuming to get dimensioned timber like 6x4s using a chainsaw rig. They are best suited to slabbing and squaring off rounds.
Given your experience I would suggest getting a contractor with a lucas mill or similar. They should be able to handle a bit of old turp. That way you can get a good understanding by watching and discussing the milling process and make an informed decision about investing in a mill to do the timber on the 750 acres yourself.

Hey Nick

You will struggle to get 10 *4 out of a lucas (although it is possible), squaring and smaller 8*4 would be possible. Longer than 6 m will also take a bit of doing on them too. Chainsaw mill would do the trick but the hard timber could make that a tough day.

If there are no contract millers in your area then send a PM and we might be able to work something out

Cheers

Hi Nick,

I can't help you with your milling question, I just wanted to say Hi and tell everyone how much I enjoyed the Keyline course at Milkwood earlier this year. I haven't implemented Keyline yet at my place beause there are too many trees to deal with but I do spread the word and suggest Keyline to others. I'm looking at doing a Native Forest Management course over the next few weeks. With so many trees, I need to learn how to create a managed stand. Unfortunately, I seem to do more learning than doing; time, money and family constraints.

Anyway, I hope things are going well.
cheers
Derek

Nick, I am more than happy to do a job like this, everything you've mentioned above it easy to do with my 6" Lucas mill. The only thing is a bit of effort and application on the sawyers side

AS far as buying your own mill. A few of use here (mainly Exador) worked out the break even point for buying a mill yourself versus getting the job contracted out. Depending upon which model you buy it ranges from processing around 100 cubic metres of timber, then the mill cost is equivalent to buying a mill and doing it yourself. But on the good side, contracting the job out, you should get good timber on the first day, doing it yourself you might use all 10 of your Turps to begin getting decent timber.

cutting sawn lumber with a chainsaw mill like the alaskan is no problem esay in fact but it dose require a little more muscle and time than a lucas.

you should be able to get someone to mill them with a lucas just might cost you a little more than the usual rate.

or you could get someone like me with an alaskan mill to come up and do some and you'll see how an alaskan chainsaw mill goes cutting what a chainsaw mill can do.

For 10 beams it's probably practical to chainsaw mill them. They will be hard as, but a sharp chain will get though them. Beams are a good application for a chainsaw mill as you basically only need to make 4 cuts and you dont have a limit on the length. You might have to stop and gas up the saw and have a rest, but you can cut as long as your guide length.

A Lucas or Peterson swingblade will gnaw its way through any timber (carbide cutters). If you can find a local sawyer they will probably do the job on an hourly rate. The better set up you are, the quicker the job, the less you get charged. A forklift or front end loader to move the logs would be usefull. You can set up a log bunk under the mill and roll the log over to cut larger beams than the mill can generally cut. I have cut 36"x 4" table slabs with my Peterson.

A metal detector is a must with reclaimed timber, no matter what method you use to cut them.

Cheers

Ian

Originally Posted by Ianab

A metal detector is a must with reclaimed timber, no matter what method you use to cut them.

Ian

either that or very good luck and lots of spare blades or chains.

a meatal detector wont help.

bridge pilons were coverd in copper sheting held in place by copper nails.

and as we all know metaldetectors dont pick up copper.

so your logs will probable have thousands of copper nails. usualy the heads pul off and the nail will be left inside.

Originally Posted by weisyboy

a meatal detector wont help.

bridge pilons were coverd in copper sheting held in place by copper nails.

and as we all know metaldetectors dont pick up copper.

yes they do

so your logs will probable have thousands of copper nails. usualy the heads pul off and the nail will be left inside.

Copper nails won't be a problem to most chainsaws or circulars, they'll cut right trough. If there is a lot of copper you may have to stop and sharpen a couple of time to clean the Cu off the cutting edges.

Nick one thing to look at is as piers if they have been in water all the oil is stripped out of the timber and when cut even in large section will open up severely and quickly .They are best used as is .look at the end they will have star patten cracks and radial or spiral type check along the length of the pier good indicators that they will misbehave when milled.

you shold know all about milling up old bridge timber mr maxwell.

not every thing still plenty of surprises. Also my best size on the lucas is 360x110@ 7.7m all up 180l/m .from bridge timber.

Hey derek, glad you enjoyed the course... we've done a few more since then, but we are taking some time off courses to get this cottage built... I'm gonna be a dad in the Autumn, so i have a pretty definite time line to get it built

I've worked out a bit more info about the logs, they are not turpentine, i cut some and they had no smell about them at all. This is a good thing as I have been told that old turpentine has a habit of splitting in the milling process.

They don't seem to have any small nails in them... that i can tell anyway, but they do have plenty of large bolts.

I don't think they have been in the water at all... they appear to the main beams that supported a bridge, apparently from NW NSW, somewhere near Nyngan.

A couple of them have some piping..... and i talked to a guy who bought one from the same sale, his was red ironbark. Piping is apparently common with ironbark.

The bit i cut off was near one end and was light brown with no smell.

I come to the decision that i want to get it all done reasonably quick. So I'll get someone in to mill them. Can anyone recommend a miller out my way, Mudgee, Bathurst, Dubbo, Orange?

Nick