1/2'ing big ole logs with a chainsaw

[scrout]

New Inn Wood Man,
Great website.
I see your saw has an Oregon bar, their plant is just down the way from me here is the USA.
Love the rock buildings in the pics, which is older, the tree or the buildings?
Dont see much of that here on the west coast.

What brand of chainsaw mill is that?  How long is the beam?

Thx.

[CALSAW]

That chainsaw milling rig looks like one of Will Malloff's designs.

[New Inn Wood Man]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the kind words on the website. I get quite bit of business through the site so I always try to keep some reasonable pictures on it.

The mill frame is Swedish supplied courtesy of Logosol. The one in the pictures is the version 1 which I find much better for reducing larger timbers. The track length supplied with each kit is 7.5m. You can keep buying the track to mill as long as you wish. The challenge there is keeping it straight  . I once milled some bridge supports that were 9m and used wooden right angled brackets screwed to the side of the log. That seemed to work ok.

To give you some idea of the timings; to half a 3 foot diameter, 6 foot long butt will take 40 mins from driving up to driving off again. To quarter the same butt will be about an hour. I am pleased with the system as it means the cuts are neat and usually  fully separate the quadrants. The whole operation is made slicker by organising the kit in the truck. The track lives in boxes on the roof rack and I just pull out the bits I need from the trunk when I get there.

The stone building was Haddon Hall in Derbyshire. A lovely old stately home. I usually only see the working yard. Haddon Hall is a fortified medieval manor house dating from the 12th Century, and is the home of the Manners whose family have owned it since 1567.

I like using the Oregon bar as it is quite rigid. When the saw is on its side the bar/chain tend to droop under its own weight. This obviously gets worse the longer the bar you use. If the bar is not stiff enough this becomes a problem as the cuts do not meet in the middle . If you have a machine present to finish off the job that is ok but if not it can present you with some problems I find that 42inch droops so much it is only of used for cutting all the way through a timber in one pass. The 36 inch is the max I would use to go in from both sides. If the log is larger than this I would be looking to take sections of it out at a time.

NIWM

[Jason]

       They're not lying about your website. Looks very professional. I'm going to have my personal web designer, aka: wife, take a look at that before she does up our web page. I like all the info on it.

[hazard]

New Inn Wood Man

I like your site and what you can do with a huge log.  I was curious if you have problems with not enough oil on the bar?

Before I had gotten a oil tank for the end of my bar on my granberg rig I was short on oil at the tip of the bar and the chain and bar were getting way to hot.

thanks
Chris

[New Inn Wood Man]

Jason,
Glad you like the website. Have you got one running at the moment?

Hazard,
I use 3120's with stellite tipped bars . Even though they are tensioned a little higher I have never had a problem with overheating and I run on the std oil feed setting. As they do not rely on a sprocket to lift the chain off they get pretty hot anyway. No blueing though.

If I have any problem it is likely to be a sawdust jam but even this is V. rare . It is probably caused when I do not get the wedging right

Richard

[Jason]

Wood Man,
       I do not have the site up and running yet but I do own what I think is called the domain.
Personally, I am computer illiterate. I know how to find what I need to in the internet but as far as building anything other than what I can do with my own two hands I am lost. Soon enough me and the wife will sit down and work on it.       

[rebocardo]

The most kickback I have ever gotten was splitting logs with ripping chain. How I did it was propping the logs to make sure the halves did not roll, on my side of the log I used the bumper of my truck against the side to keep it from rolling towards me. Then standing on the second step of a wide step ladder, saw off to the right, and splitting straight down. Then roll the log and repeat. If the kerf did not meet I split it with my hi-lift jack.

I saw some pictures on here of "Rosie" standing on the log to do it, but, I was too afraid of kickback killing me, plus, I am not that sure on my feet to do it on a log with a running saw.

[New Inn Wood Man]

Rebocardo

Benefit of the little frame system is that no kick back can be transmitted back to the operator. Nice 'n safe. The saw is bolted to the sawmill. I've never had any misbehaviour of the chain or the logs when I have been doin' this I am thankful to say. I'm still carefull and considered, treating each log with great respect. As you say in your post propping the log safely is key to this operation but that is true whenever you deal with a large timber. If you trap the chain due to weight shift when you complete the cut it means you have not got your wedges in the right places in my experience  .If you get hem in the right place it anticpates the movement.

 In the case where you saw me millling the log from the top I decided it was safer to above the log than to the side of it which was actually beneath it!

If your making advances to me by callin' me Rosie it wont work You need another type of forum! You can by all means call me Wood Man though and I will respectfully address you by your name.

[Oregon_Sawyer]

Here is an old post showing an old-timer cutting some big logs for me.  This tree was over 60 in on the butt.

http://www.forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,4484.0.html

Loren

[New Inn Wood Man]

Loren

Thanks for the link. If there is the wrong end of a stick to grab I'll grab it!!

Rebocardo,

Apologies, I hope no offence taken. Looking at the pictures in the link I understand your point!

Richard