Thread: Spotted gum advice.

Originally Posted by BobL

What are you milling these logs with?

Granberg mill and a husky 359 with 28” bar. Skip tooth chain.


It’s just a hobby and I’m trying to reuse timber from our property. A bandsaw mill would be great along with a little tractor with forks and all the trimmings but I’m not in a position to afford that.
It would be nice to sell some stuff at local markets but I’m a fair way off that. Just the drying process alone will mean I’ve got a lot of time between milling and actually getting started.


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Originally Posted by Stookie

Granberg mill and a husky 359 with 28” bar. Skip tooth chain.

Thanks for the reply and photo.
That saw looks like its cutting nicely
Looking at that photo of you bent over like that with you arms apart I can just feel the ache in your arms and shoulders.

Check out the "Milling 101" sticky thread in these forums.
Milling & Saw Mills | Arborist, Chainsaw & Tree Work Forum
Lots of useful info on chainsaw milling - the site is US based but there are a few US members so its fairly redneck but there's plenty of worthwhile info.

Originally Posted by BobL

Thanks for the reply and photo.
That saw looks like its cutting nicely
Looking at that photo of you bent over like that with you arms apart I can just feel the ache in your arms and shoulders.

Check out the "Milling 101" sticky thread in these forums.
Milling & Saw Mills | Arborist, Chainsaw & Tree Work Forum
Lots of useful info on chainsaw milling - the site is US based but there are a few US members so its fairly redneck but there's plenty of worthwhile info.

Yeah sorry Bob that first pic was me just getting the slab started and lining it up. This one is how I sit when slabbing. I get down on my knees as yes your right my back aches pretty quick and my shoulders too when standing up.
I have some wider logs too and my mill won’t stretch far enough to slab it which is unfortunate.
I keep going to my sponsor (wife) and letting her know I need a bigger saw and mill.
They looks I get [emoji38]


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Hi Bob I just read your link and some great tips there.
I am on my own so I can’t lift these size logs anywhere and I’m stuck with the position they are in.
Given they are on the ground do you have any tips for those who have to slab on their knees as I’ve found it fine so far although I get dirty.
I’m used to that being a ringer from the top end.

I am milling downhill. I don’t put a lot of pressure on the mill I just let is do it’s thing.
However I think your tip about cutting 6” off end is great. Makes total sense and logical. I’ve found after about halfway through 10ft log chains losing bite.

Great info thanks for that it makes a difference.


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Originally Posted by Stookie

Hi Bob I just read your link and some great tips there.
I am on my own so I can’t lift these size logs anywhere and I’m stuck with the position they are in.
Given they are on the ground do you have any tips for those who have to slab on their knees as I’ve found it fine so far although I get dirty.
I’m used to that being a ringer from the top end.

I also mill alone, mainly at a tree loppers yard where there is all the gear that millers can dream about.
But milling on, especially my old, knees is just not going to happen so when I mill away from the yard I used Kangaroo jack to lift even largish logs.
Action1.jpg

You also need to get or make your self a remote trottle (Even a zip tie works that you can slip on and off teh trigger)
Then I can mill standing upright like this. I lock the trottle and lean on the wrap handle with my knee/thigh which leaves my hands free for wedge insertion etc.
stance1.jpg

Remote throttle made from a motor cycle throttle.
top2.jpg

I am milling downhill. I don’t put a lot of pressure on the mill I just let is do it’s thing.

Yeah you don't need much slope.
bobsmillingstyle.jpg

However I think your tip about cutting 6” off end is great. Makes total sense and logical. I’ve found after about halfway through 10ft log chains losing bite.

Do you know about "Progressive raker setting"? its discussed in that link I sent you.
It really helps especially with used chains.

That’s a great idea to lift the logs up. Will add it to my sponsors list. [emoji3]
I also noticed you use the rails as a guide not only for the first cut.
That’s also a great idea
The throttle is impressive and I must say my left elbow aches from holding the throttle on all the time along with the vibration.
Great tips Bob
If you ever need to know how to drop a running scrub bull from a motorcycle then I’m your man [emoji106]


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That Kangaroo jack is excellent. A stop gap method might be to slide a car trolley jack under the end (dig a slight depression in the dirt if necessary and even a small 1.5T will likely suffice as you are only elevating one end ) and lift until you can place a bottle jack for extra height with a board beneath that to spread the load. Of course, be careful the log can't roll, onto you in particular, so chock where appropriate. have a log or other beam to place under the high end while actually milling.

Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

That Kangaroo jack is excellent. A stop gap method might be to slide a car trolley jack under the end (dig a slight depression in the dirt if necessary and even a small 1.5T will likely suffice as you are only elevating one end ) and lift until you can place a bottle jack for extra height with a board beneath that to spread the load. Of course, be careful the log can't roll, onto you in particular, so chock where appropriate. have a log or other beam to place under the high end while actually milling.

Regards
Paul

Hi Paul, yes I through about using a trolley jack but deciced it would be harder to manoeuvre over rough terrain from vehicle to log, compared to a kangaroo jack. I've also used a bottle jack but it takes multiple repositionings to get enough height.

As usual care with rolling logs etc required.

This is my throttle lock - easier to slip off quickly than a zip-tie:
Throttle lock.jpg

WRT spotted gum in this part of the world, some of it just will not hold together no matter how well you follow the drying rules. It seems to me there is just too much tension in the outer wood, which I theorize is created by sharp growing bursts due to irregular water availability on soils with poor water retention (just a theory, based on the SG logs I've sawn on the stony ridges round my place). The outer wood & sapwood shrink longitudinally much more than average, creating stresses the inner wood can't withstand. Judging by the curve on the outside of those split slabs, I'd venture you are dealing with something along these lines. Just to illustrate that wood doesn't always follow the rules, one of the few slabs in your first post pic that hasn't split is the one with the pith in the centre - 'normally' it should be the first to let go.

I also note lots of long gum veins in your slabs. These are the result of injury to the tree (hot fires, for e.g.) and create lines of weakness that split easily. I doubt you'll get too many full-width waney-edged slabs out of those trees. I suggest you may be better off squaring the blocks to get rid of the too-lively outer wood & make planks rather than slabs - worth a try on one log, just to see....
Cheers,

Originally Posted by IanW

This is my throttle lock - easier to slip off quickly than a zip-tie:,

The zip tie is not tightened. It's done up semi-loosely around the trigger handle so it slides long the handle and up over the trigger.

When I tried using a clamp on the o76 trigger the vibration started to wear the trigger itself away.
Then tried padding the clamp pads with a bit of hose - same problem, and eventually had to replace the trigger.
On the 441 I've alway used Zip ties.
On the 880 the remote (motorcycle) throttle uses cable linked direct to the throttle levers which leaves the tigger fully accessible so it can be used if required.

Most people would regard a 600mm diameter log a decent size and for many timbers that would be a reasonable assumption. My own experience with Spotted Gum, and the limited capabilities of a portable sawmill, is that 600mm is the minimum size because of the spring tension present. To give some idea of how extreme this can be, I was once cutting with the bandsaw mill a log that may have been about 4m long. before I had reached the very end I looked back to see the boatrd had risen about 200mm in the air. This is is a heavy timber against the considerable forces of gravity. That was extreme, but demonstrates how troublesome this species can be.

Don't get me wrong: I love Spotted Gum, but the majority of my milling experiece with this species was down in the Hunter Valley in NSW and it does seem to be a better region than QLD. It may account for Ian's experience (and consequential predjudice against Spotty ). As he has said, you have the timber and you might as well give it a go.

As I have said, with a hardwood log the heart is unuseable, even if it looks solid. The tight growth rings, that are often already starting to split, are the indicator of the "heart." While with your mill you will probably cut through the heart (and maybe cut through some rubbish material which will blunt your saw), you will have to discard the heart area subsequently. Recovery will be similar to the drawing below (sorry about quality. I am lousy at drawing). It is not drawn to scale and would be for a much larger diameter log than yours, but the principle is there. In fact with your log I would expect to get two or three quarter sawn boards (50mm) at the most. Although smaller than the backsawn boards, the quarter sawn boards will be the most stable.

P1080335 (Medium).JPG

Regards
Paul

Thanks IanW and Paul for the advice.
After looking more in-depth into what I have sawn and what’s splitting it would seem that the heart where the crack starts and it splits not long after it’s slabbed. So I appreciate that info and will avoid using it and rip the sides off instead.
It all make perfect logical sense once i hear the information and I guess it is just trial and error however I won’t “cry no more when my heart breaks “
Lol [emoji23]
I’ve added a good circular/track saw to my shopping list or possible a saw table so I can do these long rip cuts to make planks rather than live edge.

I do have a nice cookie from an old spotted gum stump which I’m tinkering with at the moment.
If my sponsor (wife) doesn’t see something soon I’m worried I will lose my sponsorship hopefully this will satisfy her for the moment


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Cookies are problematic even in ideal circumstances.
Usually they crack from the outside because that wood contains more water than the heart, but yes I do occasionally see the cracks start in the middle.

Clockface.jpg

Seems everything with wood is problematic.
Are their any easily milled Timbers that don’t have issues that’s readily available and I can get my hands on ?

I’m going to do a seal coat of epoxy on my cookie. Then I have a pearl blue to fill in the cracks and holes.
Give it all a sand and then finish with some Odies.

See how it goes fingers crossed.
These people in olden times must have had a hellish time without moisture meters and Lucas milling saws and the likes. Gives you a bit more respect for the things built with wood that are still standing


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