Thread: Milling sassafrass

Originally Posted by snowyskiesau

The chainsaw is not normally a feature tool in the workshop.

Maybe given the following picture and the number of busy pixies around a boiling pot maybe that's a good thing?

A few other observations that newbies might want to consider.

Regular eye glasses - especially reading glasses are not adequate eye protection when using a chainsaw.

Guy with striped shirt on has no eye protection, he even squints his eyes when the saw starts cutting and then has the sense to get out of the way.

Guy at end of log (also no eye protection) with gloves on reaches under the log near the chain while the saw is still running. I know the chain is not going around but it does not matter. The only guy that should do that is the operator.

Given the slope the log is on and the hardness of sassafras the amount of push and shove being applied means that chain is not sharpened properly. I assume that's an 090, if so that thing should sail through that slab in half the time taken.

Sorry to sound harsh but there are a lot of newbies reading this site.

That scares the crap out of me

Not sure who was the worst, the guy with his feet on the log, or the other guy holding the log with his hands, both in line with the mill . A small hollow or rotten bit in the log and they would have lost them. Also no eye protection, nor gloves for miller.

Some may say I am over reacting, but perhaps your club should take a closer look at the new laws regarding safety and responsibility.

Originally Posted by dai sensei

That scares the crap out of me .

Well I knew someone would eventually call a spade exactly that

You hit the nail on the head. Chainsaws look reasonably safe until something or someone slips and then it gets as ugly as a battle wound. Best to have no-one except the operator and at the very most one well trained helper around. If the log cannot be held firmly in place with clamps or other fixings while it is being cut then it should not be cut.

That's part of the reason that I stood back with the camera!

Spot on guys. Safety has to be number one priority, as there is no piece of timber worth hurting yourself or others for. If you can't mill it safely, walk away, or wait until you have the right tools to do so. Maybe the sassy log could have been milled with a band saw in 1/4 of the time with no safety concerns, with the ability to roll the log and get clean 1/4 sawn boards rather than being limited to slabbing.

I have walked away from 5' diameter birdseye logs simply because the salvage job was too risky. It is hard to walk away, but at least you can.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to dampen the enthusiasm of some budding millers, but milling is job that requires the utmost attention to safety. Chainsaws, spinning blades, flying wood chips, rolling logs, etc, etc. Don't put yourself in the line of danger.

And to the younger blokes who work with their 'tough as nails' fathers who hate wearing safety glasses and sunscreen, I'll give you this example. My father was a mechanic who would never wear safety glasses when grinding steel while I was growing up. It wasn't until I had kids and he became a grandfather, that he realised that an eye injury may stop him seeing the grandkids grow up. Well bugger me, he wears them while cleaning his teeth now! So speak up if you see something wrong (it is actually your 'duty of care' to do so), just as the previous members have done. It may save someone's finger, eyes or life.

Keep up the milling guys, but keep it safe.

Cheers
James.

2 months ago my neighbour (a backyard chainsaw user only) had a nasty chainsaw accident, opened up his leg to the bone & by the time his wife got him to the hostipal he had lost a lot of blood, then straight into surgery. He's OK now but considers himself very lucky.

snowyskiesau, your club's president has responsabilities to other members & should not have been working or allowing others to work in such a way.

Look at the guy standing infront of the cutter bar tip (wearing shorts) at the start of the log. Quite a fair bit of cutter bar outside of the log too, a chain breakage there & it could reach out and bite that bloke very easy.

cheers

Well, I am glad everyone said it before I had a chance to see the video. Don't get me wrong, I love watching milling, but it could be used as a 'How NOT to do it' training aid. I assume the saw is a 088, and it should have sailed through that slab a lot faster in my opinion (sharpen the teeth, clean the air filter. The sawdust was just dust.
Hearing protection. Whilst the gents were wearing a form of hearing protection, it was at the bottom rating for Db. I recommend the Peltor, fantastic and rated to I think 33Db

Also, a lot of mucking around, stop/start etc

In summary, keep the vids coming, but improve on safety

Sincerely
Willy
Jarrahland

Originally Posted by Willy Nelson

. . . I assume the saw is a 088, and it should have sailed through that slab a lot faster in my opinion (sharpen the teeth, clean the air filter. The sawdust was just dust.

It's definitely not a 088, it looks like a new (chinese or Mexican) 090 or 070. Anyway it's not well tuned and I agree the chain is not sharp

Originally Posted by spray-tech

.
.
Look at the guy standing infront of the cutter bar tip (wearing shorts) at the start of the log. Quite a fair bit of cutter bar outside of the log too, a chain breakage there & it could reach out and bite that bloke very easy.

I have broken more than half a dozen chains, and have had about a dozen come off the bar when milling. All of these were decided non-events. Contrary to expectation the chains did not whip around they just broke, fell off the bar and sat in the Kerf. I think that is because when milling the bar & chain is so much buried in the kerf that there is little room for it to go anywhere.

Nevertheless I still wear chaps while milling, mainly because at any time I might have to fire up a regular saw and I don't want to stop to stop and put on chaps. Sometimes I mill all day without using a regular saw but I still wear them just in case.

Some comments on the video from another forum.

that looked like a monkey $%^&*@~ a football while his buddies held it down.

they need more than hearing protection
from my limited experience alot more

I saw a big saw that made little tiny saw dust

The lack of chaps gloves and safety glasses is scary. If my mill was cutting that slow I would probably see if the chain needs sharpening.

All the people hes got helping him is scary too. I like to be the only one touching the mill and log unless I am starting a cut. Maybe its just my prefrence but that seems like alot of people to keep track of.

Not very impresive to watch it cut though. I am guessing the chain must be dull or the rakers set high

Just noticed that the Youtube video had comments disabled so I've changed it so anyone can comment.

Geoff, do you happen to know the experience of the guy driving the mill and if that was his own mill, and did you see them at any stage sharpening the chain?

The horizontal see-sawing action is almost guaranteed to leave grooves on the wood meaning more thicknessing will be needed to get rid of them.

Bob, I don't know the experience of the owner/user other than in boat building (extensive). The saw was sharpened after that log but I didn't hang about to take any more pictures as I had a boat to deliver.
The big wattle log that the sassafrass is resting on is due to be cut up for oar making so I'll try to be there when that happens. There are likely to be less people around, the sassafrass slabbing took place on a Tuesday when there are quite a few volunteers in the shed and all wanted to watch the process - me included.

Being Taswiegens I wonder how many have been cutting wood for years?

I still agree so much being done what today we see as potential injury on the cards.

Geoff

Thanks for posting the link. I believe it's a good reason not to just post the experts at work as it highlights the pitfalls to the uninitiated. It could be used for safety instruction.

I am still a little surprised that experienced woodworkers would not be a little more aware of potential danger. Having said that I have seen some horrendous acts by people I would have expected to know better.

Regards
Paul