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Started by MTrim, August 26, 2009, 04:27:54 PM

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MTrim

I have a customer that has a 9 foot oak log that is about 40" in diameter.  In order to saw it on my band mill I would have to quarter it with a chain saw.  It's more than I really want to tackle.  Anyone in the Columbus, Ohio area have a circle mill?

Anyone have an estimate on the time it would take to quarter a 40" oak log?

Bibbyman

Welcome to the Forum!

What kind of mill do you have?
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

MTrim

Woodmizer LT-15 diesel.  I've been reading the board off and on for the last five years - just finally joined.   Not only can I not handle the size - my max is 28" - but I can't lift the log either.  Estimated weight is 4600 lbs.  If I quarter it with a chainsaw, I will be well on the way to quarter sawing the boards.  Seems like a better job for a circle mill.

Bibbyman

A lot of circle mills won't want to bite into a log that size unless they have a top saw. 

Maybe a swinger?

There have been more than a few oversized logs sawn on the LT40 mills.  I've done it myself but it's more trouble than it's worth - to me anyway.  I can saw 10 "normal" size logs in the time I wrestle with a big one.

Even 1/4 would be a mouth full for the LT15. 

I've never quartered a log with a chain saw.  Someone here on the forum surely has.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

Dodgy Loner

I had a 10' oak log a few years back that was 38" in diameter at the butt. I had a sawyer with an LT40 do it, and Bibby is right, it is not very efficient to saw a log that big on a WM. Fortunately, he charges by the hour, so it made no difference how long it took to saw. He was willing to do it and I was willing to pay. Someone with good equipment (we used a backhoe to turn the log on the mill) and an LT40 or and LT70-sized bandmill would be able to do the job. The log would surely require a little trimming with the chainsaw, but nothing as serious as quartering it.

On the other hand, if the guy is willing to pay you what it's worth to you to quarter the log and mill it yourself, why not? I would charge an hourly rate, because there's no telling how long it will take until you actually do it.
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." -John Ruskin

Any idiot can write a woodworking blog. Here's mine.

Magicman

Welcome MTrim.

Yup, If it was my deal, I'd just quote an hourly rate and then it's in the customer's hand.  I just quoted hourly rate on a 58" red oak.  Thankfully, he declined.  It was finally taken to the landfill.  No tell what kind of metal was in that tree.  There was a "blue" spot on the stump, so it definately had something.

I've cut 38 & 40 inchers on my LT40, but they were no fun.  I charged hourly rate.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Dan_Shade

I would quartersaw logs that large
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

Dave Shepard

I've run a few really big white pines across a manual LT40. I was after wide boards, so quartering wasn't really ideal. There is a breaking point to big logs. I sawed one 16' pine that yielded about 800 feet. That took two hours. A 16' that yielded 950 took me nine! hours! A lot of chainsaw work to get that done. I q-sawed a big sycamore last spring, about 46" big end, and I split it with a chainsaw. Any big log that I was going to q-saw, I'd split from now on, big time saver. Any big pines, I'd roughly square up with an Alaskan mill, also a huge time saver.

It took me an hour total to quarter this log. That included layout, cutting, flipping, sharpening (hit a rock underneath). This was the big sycamore.

Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

kelLOGg

I was in the same predicament early this year with a 43 inch water oak 6.5 ft long. Tried to get someone else to do it for me because I was rather intimidated by this one. The last tree guy I called encouraged me to do it myself - it "ain't that hard" he said. Having exhausted all options I took his advice and bought a ripping chain, struck a chalk line, fired up my little 20 inch Husky, rolled the log so I could start cutting where it was just under 40 inches diameter and had at it. I stood on top and cut as deep as I could then rolled it over and cut again. (I did not have to quarter it because I could get the halves on my mill). It took me 2.5 hours. I was so please you couldn't rub the grin off my face with a brick. Wish I had done it a year earlier. And by the way, I could not tell the difference in the way a ripping chain cut and a crosscut chain. Both were effective.
So "have at it" and good luck.
Bob
Cook's MP-32, 20HP, 20' (modified w/ power feed, up/down, loader/turner)
DH kiln, CatClaw setter and sharpener, tandem trailer, log arch, tractor, thumb tacks

ErikC

  With the swing mill, I haven't quartered logs for milling, but I have done it a lot cutting cedar posts out in the woods. I use a regular chain, plenty sharp, get my biggest saw, and climb aboard and go for it. An 8' log takes maybe 5-10 minutes with the bar buried all the way, then I split it apart with a maul or prybar. Not very hard, and halves the log in no time. For milling I guess if you could it would be better to cut all the way through by rolling the log, but either way you are getting more than you would have. :)
Peterson 8" with 33' tracks, JCB 1550 4x4 loader backhoe, several stihl chainsaws

mcfcfan

Welcome MTrim,
I have a rep in Lima OH, about 2 hours away i beleive.
He owns a Peterson WPF he can handle that no problems, check out our sponcer link under contacts, reps and you will find Daves contact details, feel free to give him a call or email.
Just let him know i put you on to him

good luck
Lee (Peterson nz)
Life isn't about how to survive the storm,
but how to dance in the rain."

Meadows Miller

Gday
Welcome to the Forum MTrim  ;D ;D 8) 8)

Ive done it in the past more times than id like to remember but it wasn't to hard but still took fair amount of time even with a 3120 with a long bar ( maby an hour n a bit to neatly quater a 48" da by 12'-16' footer) then id rig up the csm and cut flitches and  throw them on the tabletop mill to saw boards  ;) those where the days  :) ::) Not  ;) :D :D :D Im glad ive got the Lucas now for the bigguns ;D 8) 8)

The bigest thing ive seen Dad bust up into 10" 3 sided cants freehand  was a Redgum 8' on the big end and 6' on the small end that was about 14' long took him a day to do the lot  ;) that was about 4 years ago  ;) ;D

Regards Chris
4TH Generation Timbergetter

bandmiller2

As stated those big-uns are not economical to mess with ,of course that dosen't  stop us from trying.First thing cut all the nubs off and butt flair have a perfect  cylinder as possible.Then use what they call gun barreling cut as wide a slab as you can,rotate the log and do the same.Pretty soon you have an uneven octigon shaped log you can handle,mayby.If you have to turn by hand the super sized logs are not worth the miles they take out of your back.Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

metalspinner

Is it a really nice log worth putting all the effort into?  Or is it just big?  Also, what is your biggest chainsaw?  Those two considerations would help me decide the worthiness of my effort.


QuoteI have a rep in Lima OH, about 2 hours away i beleive.
He owns a Peterson WPF he can handle that no problems,


Even with the two hour drive, this mill can finish the job by lunchtime. ;)
I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

backwoods sawyer

Quote from: bandmiller2 on August 27, 2009, 06:43:08 AM
As stated those big-uns are not economical to mess with ,of course that dosen't  stop us from trying.First thing cut all the nubs off and butt flair have a perfect  cylinder as possible.Then use what they call gun barreling cut as wide a slab as you can,rotate the log and do the same.Pretty soon you have an uneven octigon shaped log you can handle,mayby.If you have to turn by hand the super sized logs are not worth the miles they take out of your back.Frank C.
First of all is the log worth milling? If it is a real nice log then have at it.
How you tackle it, depends on what the customer wants out of the log. If he or she is wanting wide boards or slabs then quartering it may be out. In that case round it up the best that you can with the chains saw. another option to gun barreling it is to take a hefty slab off of two sides 90* to each other. If you take a 10" slab or so off you can always put it back on the mill later to mill it out. By taking the slabs off you now have a flat spot for the log to sit on the mill, and one to sit against the dogs. This also puts the crown of the log off center allowing the saw to take a deeper cut with out the guides hitting.  I would plan on it taking all day to mill a log this size even with a couple of well fed helpers to assist with moving a log that size, and bring all your tools, coma-longs, chains, truck, bars, Pee-vees, jacks, shovel, ect.
The real advantage to quartering the log is that you lightened the log up so that it is easier to handle, a 32" bar is plenty for quartering a log that size, make a pass the length of the log and then go back and make sure that there are no high spots in the cut. Make a notch at the top of the cut at the end of the log and insert a bottle jack and pop it apart, Oak likes to hang on so you may have to finish the jacking with a handyman jack. Lay out some 6x6 beams for the halves to roll out on so that you can keep the bar of the saw out of the dirt when you make the quartering cuts. It helps to have a line to follow when splitting a log like this.
Backwoods Custom Milling Inc.
100% portable. . Oregons largest portable sawmill service, serving all of Oregon, from our Backwoods to yours..sawing since 1991

rickywashere

could you not split the log stand up the half and take a slab off the top and turn it over and take a slab off the bottom with the chainsaw and then be able to mill it .

beenthere

ricky
Are you suggesting he "split the log" or "not split the log" ? 

You say "not split" but how do you get the "half" ??

There was a guy on the FF once that stood the log on end, and ran the chainsaw down the middle. I think he included a short video of doing that. But I don't think that is what you are suggesting when you say "stand up the half". 
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Magicman

 ???  Sounds like he's suggesting spliting the log and then taking the top and botton off, thus making a "D" with a flat bottom and top.  (I don't know how to draw on here.)  Maybe he'll come back and 'splain it.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Radar67

Quote from: rickywashere on August 27, 2009, 07:08:07 PM
could you not split the log stand up the half and take a slab off the top and turn it over and take a slab off the bottom with the chainsaw and then be able to mill it .

I think he is asking, "Why not split the log into halves, then stand the half up so it is only 20 inches wide, then take some off the top and bottom of the half so it will fit on the mill." Just like Magicman suggests.
"A man's time is the most valuable gift he can give another." TOM

If he can cling to his Blackberry, I can cling to my guns... Me

This will kill you, that will kill you, heck...life will kill you, but you got to live it!

"The man who can comprehend the why, can create the how." SFC J

rickywashere

yep thats what i'm saying that way it will say a lot of time and after couple of cut you can turn the chain sawn edge up and re square if needed

backwoods sawyer

Quote from: rickywashere on August 27, 2009, 07:08:07 PM
could you not split the log stand up the half and take a slab off the top and turn it over and take a slab off the bottom with the chainsaw and then be able to mill it .
I have done that with logs up to 48" Just split it in half square off one edge so that it has a 6"-8" flat side so that it will "stand up" on its side. Then raise the head all the way to the top and come back down an inch make a few cuts and then flit it over. The only real problem with this method is the log dose not want to stand up on its edge with out a lot of help. Even the hydraulics on my mill was unable to get the log to stand up, not because they were not strong enough, but because they were not designed to stand a log up like that and a front-end loader was needed to assist in positioning the log halves. And it seems that he mentioned that he did not have any equipment for handling the log.
Backwoods Custom Milling Inc.
100% portable. . Oregons largest portable sawmill service, serving all of Oregon, from our Backwoods to yours..sawing since 1991

Magicman

Works for me.  That way you only have to make one large cut and two much smaller.  Thankfully, as yet, I have not had to split a log..... :D
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

customsawyer

You could bring it to me I do lots of them but the haul bill might be a bit steep. ;D
Two LT70s, Nyle L200 kiln, 4 head Pinheiro planer, 30" double surface Cantek planer, Lucas dedicated slabber, Slabmizer, and enough rolling stock and chainsaws to keep it all running.
www.thecustomsawyer.com

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