Thread: If I mill my own pine for framing timber, with what do I treat it?

There's nothing safe that can be applied topically that will be as effective as CCA.

Where in the big brown land of Australia are you located?

I agree with Bob. A couple of things that come to mind in favour of proceeding with the milling; Lyctus borer dont like radiata and white ants can be kept at bay by barrier rather than chemical impregnation of the timber itself. That just leaves rot to deal with and this can be prevented by good building practice.

Do you plan on building a house or other project that will need to be inspected by authorities? If you do it will likely need to be certified ( graded) to demonstrate it complies with the standards

As mentioned I wouldn’t be keen on treating it myself and would rely on traditional building practices for termite proofing

This has bad idea written all over it. Timber framing must be graded either by machine or visually by trained persons. Unless you're projects are exterior, such as pergolas, decks and the like then pressure treatment is not necessary.

I would suggest that the cost of felling, milling, drying and treating timber yourself would be more expensive than buying from your local timber supplier.

Hi GS. One other thing to consider would be whether to dry the timber before you use it or not . At least 2 years before it's air dried? You can frame with wet timber but its a lot more work and the frame will move.....a lot.

Originally Posted by grapeseed

I've got a bunch of pines on my property that I need to remove. I also need a heap of framing timber for some building projects. So I'm thinking of getting a mill and milling up a heap of 4x2 myself.
We always use pressure treated (CCA) pine around here for framing though. Is there a decent alternative out there that I can apply myself, without the need for a pressure chamber?

What sort of mill are you considering?

Chainsaw mills are cheap but very slow and you'l be working for <$10/hr

So thing like a bandsaw mill is going to be quicker but is also going to cost a lot more.
Chainsaws you can sharpen yourself but unless you invest in a sharpener and setter (more money) you will have to send the blades out to be sharpened.
Then bandsaw mills have a significant learning curve so expect to make many mistakes.
Even when you are finally up to speed it will be difficult to make $50 hr - remember you have to cover the costs of running the mill as well.
For all this expense and time you can buy a lot of framing timber.

Milling a heap of timber on your own is certainly a good workout, especially when you have a few years on & do it with very basic equipment like this 6 Milling.jpg

But if you're young & fit, a bit of hard work is hardly a concern.

I assume from your post that you are talking about a "soft" pine like Hoop or an introduced species - Callitris ("cypress") carries its own insect-proofing. As the others have said, most internal framing etc is not chemically treated, you just take steps to keep the wood-munching critters out. The major hurdle is the certification bit if you plan on using it in a building that will need inspection. My brother milled all the timber for his house (hardwood in his case) a few years ago, I must ask him how he got around the certification issue. We have a civil engineer BIL so he might've helped out....

Pine dries pretty well & framing material is generally considered useable at somewhere round 18% MC, so depending on the dimensions you need, a couple of years in the right climate & out of the weather & much of it should be good to go.
I had to take down a whole bunch of radiatas last year after they died in the drought. I have no immediate plans as to what to do with most of the wood I harvested, but I was very reluctant to see it just chipped or burnt. I didn't saw it with framing in mind, got plenty of wide, clean slabs that can be used for shelving & secondary wood , so if I live long enough & the insects don't beat me to it, it'll eventually get used up...

Cheers,

Originally Posted by BobL

What sort of mill are you considering?

Chainsaw mills are cheap but very slow and you'l be working for <$10/hr

So thing like a bandsaw mill is going to be quicker but is also going to cost a lot more.
Chainsaws you can sharpen yourself but unless you invest in a sharpener and setter (more money) you will have to send the blades out to be sharpened.
Then bandsaw mills have a significant learning curve so expect to make many mistakes.
Even when you are finally up to speed it will be difficult to make $50 hr - remember you have to cover the costs of running the mill as well.
For all this expense and time you can buy a lot of framing timber.

Bob, for sawing framing timber dimensions from small to medium logs I reckon it's hard to beat a Lucas mill - made expressly for the job! They are pretty easy to operate on your own, but better with two people, of course. The learning curve is not at all steep I've used a small bandsaw mill a few times & it had far too many quirks for my liking! It only had to hit a bit of grit and the cut would start wandering all over the place. My brother has a Lucas & I've used it a few times - I felt pretty comfortable with it after a morning's sawing. He bought it with the sole intention of milling the wood for his house and a couple of outbuildings, then selling it, but I think he's fallen in love with it 'cos the house is finished & the mill is still in the shed....

Cheers,

Originally Posted by IanW

Bob, for sawing framing timber dimensions from small to medium logs I reckon it's hard to beat a Lucas mill - made expressly for the job! They are pretty easy to operate on your own, but better with two people, of course. The learning curve is not at all steep I've used a small bandsaw mill a few times & it had far too many quirks for my liking! It only had to hit a bit of grit and the cut would start wandering all over the place. My brother has a Lucas & I've used it a few times - I felt pretty comfortable with it after a morning's sawing. He bought it with the sole intention of milling the wood for his house and a couple of outbuildings, then selling it, but I think he's fallen in love with it 'cos the house is finished & the mill is still in the shed....

I agree BUT they also cost a lot more.

Originally Posted by BobL

...... they also cost a lot more.

Yep!

Great, thanks guys. Lots to think about. I keep adding more work to my to-do list and it sounds like this is another task I might be better off outsourcing. Cheers for all your input!

Dont be too hasty to hand it all over to others. Labour is expensive and only going to get dearer and same applies to retail timber.
In my part of the world there is an abundance of pine, all grown as orchard wind breaks and about 30 years old, straigh as gun barrels with very even growth rings due to the reliable seasons enjoyed hereabouts. Many of these trees have been compromised by the recent bush fires and have needed felling. Much of my milling time has been taken up turning these trees into logs and then milling them, either for their owners or for myself if the owner has no use for them and is looking at a hefty bill for removal or a lot of pile burns. In other words, a lot of free wood that would just go to waste otherwise.
I have two Lucas mills, one a dedicated slabber, the other a small 6" swing blade mill, both purchased second hand with very low hours (8 and 30 respectively) and in as new condition. For what you are proposing to do with the timber a 6" mill is all you need. After all, you can rotate the the mill to make a double cut which gives you a 12"board if you need it.Mine cost me $5K with full kit and 2 extra blades. It has paid for itself many times over and cost me nothing other than fuel and oil. The blades dont have to be sent away for sharpening as there is an attachment that is fitted to the saw with the blade still in position and can be sharpened in a few minutes.
As you are planning on cutting framing timber predominantly, lifting equipment is not required as the mill can be set up directly over the log where it lies and the milled pieces tossed around by hand. All in all a pleasant days work. Sticker out as you go, roof the stacks and wait.
If the timber is to be used in residential construction, requiring approval, it will need to be graded. This can be either visual or mechanical. Mechanical or Stress grading is done by machine (pressure rollers.) Visual is done by a certified inspector. I just get the local guy in to cast an eye over orders that are requiring inspection the rest is sold run of the mill ungraded. Pine is easy to dry and a moisture metre is a good investment.

90x45 MGP10 treated pine framing is something like $10/m. I'll wager you can't make it for less than that.

I think you would loose the bet. A 4.8m long log with a dia of 620mm will yield 44 lengths of 4.8 x .100 x .050= 1.06m3 or 211.2 linial. At $7 per lineal metre = $1478.40 per log. Log cost = 0. Cutting time = 1 hour. Handling time (usually about double cutting time)= 2 hours.
Therefore after 3 hours work you have a potential $1478.40 stacked and stickered. Which, in simple terms, represents $492.66/hour for your labour.
In summary,
The logs are free.
3.5 logs and I've paid for my second hand saw @ $5K.
7 logs and Ive paid for a new one @ $10K.
Labour per log = about 3 man hours.

Even if you buy a new saw and pay someone $100/hour to run it you only have to mill 10 logs to be in front.