Milling

There are two kinds of mobile sawyering...

... one with a bandsaw that has less kerf loss, is quicker and is less tiring to use- the other with a chainsaw. The best mobile saws are Woodmizers - a decent one will set you back in excess of £30K and to get one in for the day is around £400. There are a large number chainsaw mills around.

What is the best way...

... of converting timber in the round, I hear you ask? Well, obviously I don't actually hear it unless yours is on my small list if of places I have bugged. There isn't a straight forward answer on Wikepedia and other fonts of knowledge- perhaps I should look but frankly I can't be arsed.

I think the answer is: It depends- On the size of the butt and what you want done with it. Woodmizers and the like are a great tool but can only cut to a certain size- usually a about 36". Chainsaws can tackle anything but you need to know what you are doing.

There are various ways of slabbing and quarter sawing using a chainsaw and jigs of varying sophistication and cost but the one I have the most knowledge of is the Alaskan Mill pictured below.

Once you have a flat surface using a ladder for the first cut basic operation is quite simple - you push it along the flat bit 'till you get to the end.

Of course nothing is ever...

... simple. The hardy souls who have read the Farleigh School blog will know that apart from finding the rest of the tree rotten, after completing this magnificent 4" deep and 36" wide cut we had a more pressing problem.

The slab was so heavy we couldn't move it. Well, we did at a cost of one of my pinkies getting a nasty squash but had the whole tree been sound we would have struggled.

On the next big job...

... Rob brought his skidsteer, pictured below. If you have a big tree and you are going to call someone in you must have something meaty to lift the cut timber and stack or load it. Otherwise you'll be booking an appointment at the hernia clinic and buying Ibruprofen in bulk.

Having said that the Beech...

... Rob milled in the Old Barn Grange blog was only 5 foot long and cutting 2" slabs meant we were able to handle them without machinery.

Although this job had it's tricky little moments (yep it's worth a squint at the blog) if you own a big tree and are wondering whether to fork out on the cost of having it milled I can reveal the timber gained from these two butts was a triumph.

Quite a bit of it is still...

... seasoning in my wood shed but I have already banked a couple of hundred quid for 3 slabs that went on a canal boat. One hundred pounds worth of firewood should be worth nearly a grand as seasoned wide planks.

It would be a crime to put beautiful wide planks of Beech as below on a fire.

I'm not going to blah on...

... about the different types of chainsaw milling - Alaskan v Logosol or M7s you'll be pleased to hear. This is mainly because I know so little about it, I appreciate this hasn't stopped me on other blogs but you have to cut the bull sheet out sometime.

What I can tell you is it's time consuming and physically hard work. A few hours chainsaw milling and your joints know all about it so don't begrudge whichever poor sod you employ their outrageous fees because they will earn it.

If you speak to...

... Rob of Acorn Milling he can give advice on how to tackle your big tree. Contained in the van below is enough kit to tackle the biggest of monsters. Rob prefers trees but he may be persuaded to trim a bit off your mother- in- law.

He does love a bit of sign writing does the man of many saws.

2011 Update ...

... Rob tells me is no longer doing on site milling presumably because the financial reward does not equal the cost in terms of effort and wear and tear on the equipment. This leaves you with a reduced choice in converting your timber.

Exactly what you do is your shout. The likelihood is that you will need both portable mills for the big stuff and a Mizer for the volume planks once it is in manageable sizes.

Regards,

Paul GOULDEN.

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