Thread: drying

Originally Posted by Tonto

But there is another gum that is VERY dead and standing. There appears to be no spliting and at its base its gotta be 12' diameter.

There is a local guy with Lucus stuff willing to do the job and take some of the wood.

12' diameter ! - that guy with the Lucas hasent got a hope mate - and I want to see pics too.

Now Q. Bob built a container drying shed, how well did it work is there a better more economical way and details please.

My drying shed (old seatainer) halves air drying time so it still takes about a year to dry 2" thick stuff.

There are much quicker ways but you will have to supply energy (ie $$).

West Mark Oz has a kiln - see https://www.woodworkforums.com/f132/k...-perth-105227/ and it costs him $40 a week to run - 5-6 weeks to dry

At the end of this thread https://www.woodworkforums.com/f132/m...48/index4.html you can see Nifty's kiln.

Bob, a 12' log can be done on a Lucas, but just depends on what is wanted to cut out of it.

It can be done with a big of messing around, but, can still be done. I'm looking at doing it on a large bluegum soon, I'll post pics to show I go hey?

Originally Posted by Sigidi

Bob, a 12' log can be done on a Lucas, but just depends on what is wanted to cut out of it.

It can be done with a big of messing around, but, can still be done. I'm looking at doing it on a large bluegum soon, I'll post pics to show I go hey?

Excellent - I'd like to see any pics.

Originally Posted by Sigidi

Bob, a 12' log can be done on a Lucas, but just depends on what is wanted to cut out of it.

It can be done with a big of messing around, but, can still be done. I'm looking at doing it on a large bluegum soon, I'll post pics to show I go hey?

I can see how it could be done as long as it was shorter than the uprights are apart on the rails (maybe 5.5 metres max?), you would want to be on some nice flat ground and take along eight concrete slabs with you so the mill stayed as level as possible when you side it sidways to do the second set of cuts.

You would also want to be being paid by the hour

Anyone want to drop a big 12 foot diameter jarrah at my place so I can have a go as well

You've got the idea Mike, and yeah hourly rate for sure hey?

I'd say you're limited to how deep a cut you can make and as you said, by the distance between end frames - although I've got the 2m extension kit, so could push it out to 7.5 if someone really had a log that big

My log to cut soon isn't so much round, more oval, so the frame doesn't have to be lifted up, but when I saw the log lying on the ground I had doubts as to if it would fit in the space to the right of the engine and inside the track, will see soon... and obviously let all you folks know

I think there are some pics of large logs being cut on the lucas site, the frames set up high on blocks to get over the log.
regards inter

This tuart was right at the height limit of my 8-30 without blocking up the frames, I had to remove the swing handle extension to fit the carriage under the top frame rail (and stand on a milk crate to swing it but that is because I am vertically challenged). The root ball was also right on the limit and I had to trim a few lumps off the side as I progressed down into the centre of the log.

Big logs are a fun challenge.

Originally Posted by InterTD6

I think there are some pics of large logs being cut on the lucas site, the frames set up high on blocks to get over the log.
regards inter

Inter, I've blocked the end frames up before, but I think this one will be too wide for the 'operating' space between where the engine sits on the left hand side and how far it can slide to the right. I'll see when I get out there - gotta sort a fuel problem out with my little truck

the big logs i've done get the top taken off (you have to lift the mill up) to the point where the blade wont cover the width of the log then roll the log. the few logs i've cut like this take a fair while to do and the most anoying thing is i cant cut bark to bark slabs. the other thing is you need big machinery to roll these size timbers or a nice round one

Originally Posted by Tonto

This has been hashed to death but I cant find the info I'd like.

We are hopefully shifting in the next few months, (trying to buy a particular peice of land from council and getting it rezoned)
There are a lot of very dead gum stumps that sme zombie cut down a few years ago. They are so cracked and split they will be burned.
But there is another gum that is VERY dead and standing. There appears to be no spliting and at its base its gotta be 12' diameter. There is a local guy with Lucus stuff willing to do the job and take some of the wood.

Now Q. Bob built a container drying shed, how well did it work is there a better more economical way and details please.

There is another farmer wants us to remove a stack of red gum as well.

Are you talking diameter or circumference tonto? i spent my youth in cummins and saw quite a bit of the E.P. and I don't recall ever seeing any tree even approaching that in diameter over there. there were quite a few large gums around the area but nothing more than about 6 maybe 7 foot through the base, from memory, even out towards kopio where there were some nice trees, and generally the thick part of the trunk did not extend very far above the ground. Over there wood has always been scarce so if you can mill it do it!!!

The sheaoaks down that way are real good too and definetly worth milling if ya get the chance.