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Chainsaw mills and timber frames

Started by Madman_Mark, November 08, 2012, 09:17:22 PM

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Madman_Mark

Have any of you built any timber frame buildings with chainsaw mills ? If a guy had enough free time would it be worth doing ? Any pics ?

red

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scouter Joe

When I started out it was with an Alaskan saw mill on a 2100 husky . It is not fast and makes a lot of sawdust . if you are not doing this for a living or just need a few extra timbers a chainsaw mill might make sense . Once you do get past the learning curve they are very acurate . scouter Joe

jander3

Cutting beams with a chainsaw mill is not too bad if you have some time. For beams, I found that an Alaskan Mill worked well for cutting the top and bottom, then I squared up the sides with a Micro Mill.  Bigger saw is better.




  
Micro Mill - 65 cc saw.


    
Alaskan Mill - 97 cc saw.


 
Ripping along a 2 x 4



 
Working on foundation beams

Jay C. White Cloud

Simple answer, yes given enough free time it is very possible.  You can do "chain saw milling," searches on google and find many examples. Chain saw milling is slowwwww, but it is the only way to go sometimes.  You could also mix different milling and hewing styles, and speed up the process.  Below are some examples of chain saw mill work.  Good Luck,  ;)


Below is a Black Oak beam 8.5 meters long (28') that sits on Elm crotch posts.  This will carry two and a half stories of house above, with 16/12 pitch roof  and framed in the Asian style of "Minka or Dong."
  
Full view of same as above.
  
View of East gable, showing frame work of spruce, white pine, yellow birch, red oak, and the "basket weave," ceiling panel is called "yashizu," in Japan but is found through the Middle East and Asia.  It is made of Sugar Maple and Black Oak.
  
Framing of the front Entrance, post and lintel timber framing in white pine posts, elm lintel with scarf joints carved in granite supporting posts.  Also in the view, some of the foundation stone and cantilevered porch (engawa,)  framing above.
 
"To posses an open mind, is to hold a key to many doors, and the ability to created doors where there were none before."

"When it is all said and done, they will have said they did it themselves."-teams response under a good leader.

Ianab

In some ways the large beams used in timber framing are more suited to chainsaw milling than smaller boards. The logs are usually smaller, maybe 12-20" so sawing is relatively fast. Then you have less cuts. 4 cuts and you have a good beam, and the last 2 cuts would be pretty fast once you have the beam down to 6 - 10" wide.

Take MUCH longer to break a log down into 4x2s with a chainsaw mill.

Sure it's going to take longer than a "real" mill, but it can be done.

Ian
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

shelbycharger400

 

 

Its good enough for mantles and small projects.

If I needed to make a house, Id setup the belsaw!

5quarter

Jay...those are some really organic projects. Could you provide some details on the photos?

Thanks.
What is this leisure time of which you speak?
Blue Harbor Refinishing

Madman_Mark

Thanks for all the the replies and pics.....its encouraging. Im trying to read all I can about Timber Framing. Another question....can I build a TF cottage with just local softwood,spruce and pine ? I see alot of hardwood is used.......that goes in my woodstove.

Jay C. White Cloud

Hi 5quarter,

I have gone back and edited the photos with captions, let me know if it is good enough or if you have any questions.  ;)

Hi Madman_Mark,

That was just coincidence,  most of the timber frames/log structures in the world are cut, (starting East of the Carpathian Mountains in Europe and go all the way to Japan,) out of soft woods, (note those regions of the world still have a thriving timber frame culture and have for thousands of years.)  I have, (and continue to,) work mostly in soft woods, so you will be fine.  Just check your design off against established designs you find or with an experienced timber frame PE, and everything will be good.
"To posses an open mind, is to hold a key to many doors, and the ability to created doors where there were none before."

"When it is all said and done, they will have said they did it themselves."-teams response under a good leader.

Fallguy

I do some chain saw milling also. Sometimes it may be easier to bring the mill to the log than the log to the mill. If you are doing large timbers then it can be very productive. If you want 1" or 2" thick material you will waste half the log. I don't make a living with a chainsaw mill so what is time.

Aikenback

I order my timbers, so don't do a lot of milling. I wouldn't want to do a ton of milling with a chainsaw mill because of time constraints. I do have a 36" alaskan mounted on a stihl 220e electric. Lol.
I have jigs I use with it for tenoning (unlimited tenon length, uniform offset from reference, and uniformly cut tenons on multiple pieces), and I use it on another jig as a slot mortiser. The stihl has lots of power for this application, and I can use it in the shop without suffocating. It has a thinner ripping chain on it. Also, if anyone is looking for a poor man's mafell chain beam saw, check out
Fink machine in Enderby, B.C. It's still a little pricey, but well worth the investment. Score the line, and it cuts very, very true.
no whining.

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