Thread: show us your mill

Gotta be in it to ??? Ah well - here's mine anyway. 29" cut on an old Stihl 08. Slow but it gets there

(And NO, I still haven't got round to painting it )

(And No, that ain't me drivin' ! - way too handsome! )

Yeah, I know, I'm a bit behind for this thread but hey...



That's Larry the Lucas Mill!

You aren't wasting much wood in that bottom slab eh

Ian

Originally Posted by Ianab

You aren't wasting much wood in that bottom slab eh

Ian

Eco miller!

I hate throwing out those face cuts. They hang around and clutter the place until they eventually warp and then I don't feel so bad putting them on the fire wood pile.

Now that I have the Lucas Mill up and running again, I've got a picture of it now , here she is.

Attachment 67418

Ah well - gotta pitch in - here's my slabber doing its thing on a couple of short Camphor billets. And the milling frame I made up 'cos of the limitations of the slabber (a la BobL design, as you can see - works well - thanks Bob!) Run by a very venerable 074. It was the old man's, and did a power of work in its day, but now having a bit easier time in semi-retirement.

Sometimes wonder why we bother milling - it's bleeding hard yakka & I'm not as agile as I uster be, but every time I'm offered something for free, I just can't help myself. And when you find the occasional bit of absolute gold in a lovely crotch figure or similar, well, I suppose it's worth it afterall...

Cheers,

The good news!
I like all of your creations and purchases.

The bad news!
None of you are within a bull's roar of Wallan
so I will have to tackle my couple of jobs
with my chainsaw/handsaw/breadknife etc.

Allan

__________________________________________

Originally Posted by Allan at Wallan

The good news!
I like all of your creations and purchases.

The bad news!
None of you are within a bull's roar of Wallan
so I will have to tackle my couple of jobs
with my chainsaw/handsaw/breadknife etc.

Allan

__________________________________________

Not necasarily the case. I hapen to have a couple of weeks off with nothing to do. A cool day could get me making a trip to Wallan.

Ps dont tell anyone i am trying to keep it quite - you know the ridacule one has to put up with if everyone finds out...

Nice pics IanW - thanks for posting

Originally Posted by IanW

And the milling frame I made up 'cos of the limitations of the slabber (a la BobL design, as you can see - works well - thanks Bob!)

Well, I'd like to claim the credit but it looks much more like Martix's or TITT's mills than mine.

Originally Posted by IanW

Run by a very venerable 074.

What's an 074?

Originally Posted by IanW

Sometimes wonder why we bother milling - it's bleeding hard yakka & I'm not as agile as I uster be . . . .

I can't understand why I still see so many pictures posted of people milling/slbbing on their knees, sometimes in muddy sawdust, or bending their backs almost to the ground, pushing their guts out on a mill when there is no need for this sort of effort.

Lifting logs up to waist height and slope milling has for me made a big difference and although I'm still tired at the end of the day I'm not completely stuffed!

Lifting even metre diameter size logs is easy with something like this.

Originally Posted by IanW

. . . .but every time I'm offered something for free, I just can't help myself. And when you find the occasional bit of absolute gold in a lovely crotch figure or similar, well, I suppose it's worth it afterall...

Agree 100%

Originally Posted by BobL

Well, I'd like to claim the credit but it looks much more like Martix's or TITT's mills than mine.

Must have got my wires crossed, as usual - well, I redirect my thanks to whoever's rig it was that got me started - even the 'paint scheme' looks the same..

Originally Posted by BobL

What's an 074?

A very ancient Stihl - about 25 yrs old; weighs about twice as much as an equivalent-powered current model! Would love a lighter machine, but it just won't (quite) die, & since milling is a very occasional sport for me, hard to justify a new saw ahead of a few other bits of equipment I desire...

Originally Posted by BobL

I can't understand why I still see so many pictures posted of people milling/slbbing on their knees, sometimes in muddy sawdust, or bending their backs almost to the ground, pushing their guts out on a mill when there is no need for this sort of effort.

How I'd like to have the use of a wallaby jack, occasionally, let alone a tractor or forklift! I'm afraid my setup is VERY basic, Bob. The opportunities to cut up logs don't come my way all that often, & when they do, they are often (usually?!) in such inaccessible places, you have to work with what you can carry. If the closest you can get the ute is about 500 metres from the log, each trip is around a K. You soon pare down to the bare minimum. Surprising what you can do with a crowbar, a couple of saplings, and sheer determination. And BTW, I certainly use gravity as much as possible to help me rather than fight it! My main objective, in most cases, is to get the wood into manageable sizes, then take it home to the bandsaw, so that more ends up as useable timber, and less stays behind as sawdust.

The vertical slabber works very well, especially with that handle my old man designed for it. But on a medium to small log, the whole business can move around. It doesn't affect the cut, because the rail is screwed to the log, but it makes it awkward to control the saw if the whole system is trying to fall over. Its other limitation is that you are left with about a 6" slab in the middle, which is usually much too big to carry out on your shoulder! That's why I made the Alaskan style jig, so I can take a few more cuts off the biggies to make them portable.

I would like to build a log carriage for that setup, attached to a frame on which I could bolt the rail for the slabbing rig. I've worked out a design in my head, but just haven't gotten round to actually making a start. I figure it's easier for someone on their own to roll the log onto a relatively low carriage & lock it down in a way that I could cut most of it from one side. Then I could use both the saw & the carriage to advantage. But it would be for home milling of logs small enough to drag home in the ute, not for the bush. One day I'll find the necessary round tuit.........

Cheers,

Originally Posted by BobL

Nice pics Harry. Somewhere I have early 1950s photos of my dad bringing down BIG South West WA karri trees with axes and cross cuts. 2 men, 1 tree, 1.5 days.
First chainsaws circa 1957, 8ft blade, operating by two men for 4 hours a day = 4 trees a day. Other 4 hours fixing the engine and sharpening.
1958 first McCullochs, 3ft 6" blade single operator, 8 hours = 8 trees! When I look at my 42" blade and think that my dad toted that on a CS through the South West bush you start blinking real hard!

Today my best Xmas present by far was finding this picture of my dad (on the right) and his falling buddy (Charlie) taken in Oct 1958. The back of the photo says in my dad's hand "Taking break after bring her down". Oh how I wish he was still around to chew the fat over photo's like these - he passed away 9 years ago.

Hi everyone,

I have previously made reference on being in the process to get a GB 44"mill and a 105cc with the longest bar this manufacture makes for this machines are 36".

I put if all together last Wednesday, but it has not touched any wood yet. I want the get a couple of issues addressed before I get to it good and proper. First is that I have 3 possibilities (different materials and design), of making the first cut rails, but I have not made my mind to which one I will for for. Secondly, I trying to get a bit of information on the original GB auxiliary oiler, that I want to make myself. Thirdly, I want to install a push bike throttle cable, for easy operation. I've done nothing to it these last 2 days, as I have been occupied fixing and finishing other small jobs, while most people is away.

I know that the few accessories that I want to add to the mill, are not very heavy but still, it will put another 2 to 3 kg on the top of what is already creating me some considerable stress, as the new chainsaw is 15.5 kg with the 36" bar, and the mill shouldn't be far from the same weigh also. I got very disappointed when I realise how big and heavy this machine is, as I though that was only 10.5 kg, but that was without the bar and chain so, after I put it together and lift it off the ground, I went on my knees in 3 seconds flat. Now that the chainsaw is attached to the mill frame, I had a small try lifting/feeling it sort of thing and quite honestly, I'm concern that is too heavy for me to handle. And what is going to happen when I put a 44" bar on it to get full advantage of the mill frame length...? ouch, that is going to hurt like @$%#!

I should have went with the machine under this one at only 72cc and 8.5 kg with bar and chain, a very close copy of the Sthil with chain brake also, which this bigger one does not have, and for the purpose of being mounted as a mill, is not needed anyway.

This whole deal so far as cost me $1.600, including complete GB 44" mill, complete 105cc chainsaw (36" bar & chain incl.), 1x spare bar 36", 2 x normal chains, 2 x specially made 3 skip ripping chain, including freight to my door. This is all special prices arranged after some serious negotiations. I know that I can do it again another 2 or 3 times for a little commission. This is the sort of money that will get you only the chainsaw of 50 to 60 cc either in Husky or Sthil, I know because I asked around.

Anyway, I've got lots of logs to slab, I hope that I can feel a little more energetic in a few days time to handle my next back ache...!

Cheers
RBTCO

Originally Posted by robutacion

I know that the few accessories that I want to add to the mill, are not very heavy but still, it will put another 2 to 3 kg on the top of what is already creating me some considerable stress, as the new chainsaw is 15.5 kg with the 36" bar, and the mill should be far from the same weigh also.

Hey - nice setup robutacion, but don't worry about the mill and start worrying about the slabs it can cut as they will be a lot heavier than this!

My mill with the 42" bar and 54" rails weighs in at around 28 kg, with the 60" bar and 64" rails it weighs 33 kg. The only time I need to physically lift my mill is onto the rails and off again at the other end. Otherwise I move it around on wheels which I bolt onto the ends of the mill rails. Details here.

My log rails are long enough so I start the mill on the rails. When I finish a cut I place the mill onto a set of sawhorses, touch up the chain, refuel and reoil - place it back on the log rails and restart.

At the end of the day the amount of energy expended on lift the mill is small compared to the rest of the lifting that's needed.

Hi BobL,

Yeah, definitely I will put a set of wheels on my mill...!

Mill lifting/pushing, logs set up, slabs handling, etc, etc...weight, more weight and more weight...! why am I doing this to my poor back...? is that a dead which, or something?

Are you aware of any brain condition, resulting from "breathing" timber...???

What ever it is, I got it "badly"!

Cheers
RBTCO