Milling logs

[CJ]

Although they won't be used for boat building, I have had to cut down some oak and pine trees in my yard recently. Some of them have long, straight sections that look to me like good candidates for having them milled into usable lumber at a local saw mill. A few questions though:

Is there a specific timeframe between cutting the tree and having it milled?

Can it be sliced up right away, or should it be allowed to dry for a while, and if so, how long?

Never having done this before, can someone give me an idea of what this would, or should cost?

Is this even worth the effort?

Thanks,
CJ

[Thad]

No idea about cost. Most mill operators don't like to cut trees from yards because of the likelihood of nails, hooks, etc. Pine should be milled before the weather gets too warm and the larvae in the bark get too active and start eating the wood. The oak will stand drying longer, but debarking and painting the ends would be wise.

[Mrleft8]

Paint the ends with anchorseal or at least oil based paint. Get the logs off the ground if you're not going to mill them soon.
How big are these logs? (Diameter x length) Pine and Oak are pretty common woods, It'll probably be cheaper in the long run to buy lumber that you need when you need it than it will be to mill, stack and sticker, then store your own lumber unless they're really exceptional trees.

[Bob Smalser]

....N.E. Connecticut.....

....some oak and pine trees in my yard recently.....

....Some of them have long, straight sections that look to me like good candidates for having them milled into usable lumber at a local saw mill....

....Is this even worth the effort?



Probably not.

Subtract the first 8' of log above the stump and reevaluate. That's what won't be milled because of the threat of yard tree hardware.

[ssor]

Makes good firewood.

[Darren McClelland]

I take all the trees in my area that people cut down , I first cut the lower section in firewood lengths until I get to solid lumber then I cut them into 8'-6" lengths, I paint the ends if they are going to be in the yard for a while otherwise I leave them, any old paint will do. I pay about $40.00 dollars an hour to have them milled and if he hits a nail or barbed wire and breaks a blade I pay for the blade about a extra $40 dollars often times I provide the labour for removing the boards from the mill, Most of the time I load right on to my trailer, I then stack and sticker in my yard at home , cover with a piece of tin then leave white pine for a year and oak for about three, I am going to buy a moisture meter to check the moisture but so far have not had any problems thought I do bring wood into the shop about a week prior to working the material, I would never pass up the oppurtunity to mill lumber, it is cheap and a little bit of work, in the end you know the stock you have available and alot of it is number one and the seconds can be cut around, it is a shame to cut good lumber into firewood Thats what all the branches and hollow bottoms are for. Currently I have about 5000 bdft of various material, birch,maple,oak, hemlock,cedar,pine and tamerack all stickered in the back next year I hope to add to my shed to store this material in a covered building (no walls) last summer while working on a deck project the owner asked if I could cut down some trees I said sure the it turned out to be 21 trees all white pine about 12 -16" in diameter I ended up with 65 logs that I had to carry to the shore load on a barge then have alogging truck pickup and transport to the mill in the end I got about 18oo bdft for a total cost of $900 it worked out to 57 cents a bdft the best I have done a school to purchase pine was 61 cents a bdft number 2 the above was a mixture of one and twos with the occassional three.

I just love getting lumber

it never goes to waste here

also I have become friends with the mill owner and often he will call me to purchase a premium log for boat building or odd stuff for log furniture building

Darren

[CJ]

Thanks everyone. I'll call around and see what the going rate is for cutting these up. On average the pines are 16" - 18" dia at the base and probably 20' straight before they start to branch off.
The oaks are about 14" -16" dia at the base and at least as long before they start to curve or branch off.

I dunno, I get these ideas in my head and may look back later on and think it would have been easier to go buy the lumber... Just thought it'd be nice to have built a project with wood that didn't come from some unknown lot somewhere.

Thanks again,
CJ

[S B]

Take the bark off and look for signs of old metal imbedded in the wood. Mark them well. If you hit something don't have the blade changed immediately,make a few wide passes through the stick first. Take a good look at any discolouration ,when your sure there's no metal left, have the blade changed and finish the job. Sometimes the sawmill operator will use an old blade first.

[kc8pql]

I dunno, I get these ideas in my head and may look back later on and think it would have been easier to go buy the lumber... Just thought it'd be nice to have built a project with wood that didn't come from some unknown lot somewhere.
Everybody should do this...once. You gain an appreciation for the rarity and reasonable cost of high quality lumber that way.

[ABfish]

Probably not.



Mr. Bob, with all due respect, it's probably not worth the effort to build a wooden boat!

I've been building stuff (sheds, furniture, one boat) with wood I have salvaged and harvested myself for about 15 years. It's been a while since I've purchased any significant quantities of wood for any of my workshop projects.

For me, though, it's infinitely more satisfying to build with materials that I obtain myself, kind of like catching my own dinner versus buying it in the seafood market.

Everyone that messes with wood needs a turn at the "green end" of a sawmill, stacking 2x8 oak. You'll find out what labor is all about.

[Bob Smalser]

...I've been building stuff (sheds, furniture, one boat) with wood I have salvaged and harvested myself for about 15 years....



And you have no bigger fan that I.

But at today's lumber prices, if we're talking about paying the usual setup and operation fees for a mobile sawyer to come and mill a handful of 14" hardware logs, it remains extremely unlikely that CJ will break even.

Now, if CJ is willing to hand split these logs into balks for drying, and has a jointer, thickness planer and even a minimal resawing capability, debarking these logs now and spending his evenings swinging a 10lb sledge instead of running around in circles in a gym will certainly pay off.

As can a minimal Alaska Mill setup and his chain saw, although after several hours at it the neighbors as well as his family might object.

Or he can find a local sawyer, buy his lumber ready made, and spend the upcoming nice weather building a boat instead.

[S B]

It isn't always about the money.:rolleyes:

[neilm]

Get a chainsaw mill and go for it. It's a fun hobby.

http://www.baileysonline.com/prod_images/46555_L.jpg

If you have a large bandsaw you can get buy with one of these. Cut the log into 4ft lengths, quarter the log with the Granberg Mini-Mill or similar, plane the face straight, then run it through your bandsaw.

http://neilmoomey.com/temp/hemlock/IMG_2147_700.jpg

http://neilmoomey.com/temp/hemlock/IMG_2151_700.jpg

Neil

[Peerie Maa]

Borrow a good metal detector.