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Best age of logs to mill

Started by Ih collector, November 25, 2015, 05:26:04 PM

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Ih collector

I'm sure different types of trees will differ but generally white oak,red how long is it best to wait till you mill boards,new here I've seen stuff applied to ends to slow drying n cracking.So you cut a live white oak down n just plan to build a hay wagon or frame a pole barn say how long?
Farmer,lineman,sawyer wood-mizer lt40

tmarch

IF I have a cut list of boards needed I cut as soon as possible, if not I let it be in log form with anchorseal applied to the ends.  I generally slab some so I can quickly edge a board if needed.  I keep most of them off the ground and if the bark loosens get it off to prevent bugs and mold or mildew if it's warm enough for them.
Retired to the ranch, saw, and sell solar pumps.

Banjo picker

Welcome to the forum.   Cut them as soon as you can.  Sawyers don't like the words ..."slab it heavy"  ...meaning I have let it set so long before I brought it to you that the outside is starting to decay......So to answer your question...about 5 or 10 minutes works good for me... ;)  Especially white oak.  Banjo
Never explain, your friends don't need it, and your enemies won't believe you any way.

Ih collector

So it's ok to fell n mill then sticker n dry as needed,I have a job to fell 3 white oaks that were topped 3 yrs ago still standing with bark but dead white oak,so I could mill boards now?
Farmer,lineman,sawyer wood-mizer lt40

Ih collector

Hey thanks for imput so I'm good to do it ASAP
Farmer,lineman,sawyer wood-mizer lt40

Jeff

You should mill the logs asap. There is a school of thought by a very few, usually those that have never done this for a living, that you should let logs season before you saw to help reduce stress. Bull puckey.  Mill the logs as soon as you can. The deader, and dryer it is, the harder it will saw.
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Ih collector

Very good thanks I know what I'll be doing! There's nothing worse then waiting till the 3rd date!!
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Ih collector

So as you said I had a white oak we felled 2 yrs ago n now I just bought my mill and Boy oh Boy did I have stress in that log,cut in 5' n could stick my whole hand in the cut!
Farmer,lineman,sawyer wood-mizer lt40

Quebecnewf

Tie your mill to the vertical tree and if you can start milling it as it starts to fall. If you can,t do that mill it as soon as it bounces of the ground after it falls. If you can,t do that spray it with water until you can mill it.

Of course this is what works for me in my region.

I have had problems trying to mill them as they fall,  still trying to work out the details on that.

Quebecnewf

snowshoveler

Hi Quebecnewf
The Newfoundland side of you was into the "Screech" wasn't it.
Chris
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Quebecnewf

Never drink Screech here in Quebec. Not sure what your referring to. There was some type of black rum that I heard about that had a name something like that . Might have been sold in the prov. of NFLD at one time but I am sure that practise has long been discontinued.


QuebecnewF

Nomad

Quote from: Ih collector on November 25, 2015, 05:56:33 PM
So as you said I had a white oak we felled 2 yrs ago n now I just bought my mill and Boy oh Boy did I have stress in that log,cut in 5' n could stick my whole hand in the cut!
That log didn't gain stress after it was cut down; it was just a bad log to begin with.  Not every tree makes a good saw log.
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Dave Shepard

Welcome to the Forum! I'm an IH collector, too. 8)

I've felled, milled, joined, and raised timbers within a few days. The fresher the better.
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WH_Conley

All the log will do toward drying is get hard on the ends. Inside is just about as wet as standing. If someone says they are going to cut some logs and let them dry out before sawing I point out that the price goes for old logs. They have to be slabbed heavier that means harder work for me with less yield per log. That usually gets them on the lot pretty quick.
Bill

Kbeitz

The best is logs 100's of years old that sit deep in the swamps of Ga.
Because they bring the most money....
Collector and builder of many things.
Love machine shop work
and Wood work shop work
And now a saw mill work

Magicman

When sawing, I hate to have to slab deep and loose a couple of inches of yield from all 4 sides of the cant.  You are already 3 years late on sawing those trees.
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thecfarm

Most of my lumber is felled,brought to my mill and sawed into lumber. Sometimes it's only a few minutes. But the good trees are just about gone close to the mill. So it's further back into the woods I go. Now it might be 20 minutes to sawing time.  8)
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Chuck White

I think that one of the nicest logs I've ever sawn was a 24" X 10' Beech that was cut, and on the mill within 15 minutes.

It really sawed out nice and layed absolutely flat on the wagon.

I told the customer to let it air-dry for a few weeks "with lots of weight and stickered properly", then put it in the kiln with weight and stickers until the desired mc is reached.

The guy made some nice stuff out of it!
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
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Magicman

Actually most of my sawing is SYP and it is commonly several months since felling.  That plus the tree could have been beetle or lightening killed before it was felled.


 
Here is my next sawing job that according to the measurements that the customer provided scales 3779bf Doyle.  Some of the 14 logs have been down for a year and they surely will have pencil sized sawyer worm holes in the outside 3-4" and the underside will have sapwood rot.  This is a road trip job.
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

sandsawmill14

i hate those worms to. we call them pine grubs but i bet its the same critter >:(
hudson 228, lucky knuckleboom,stihl 038 064 441 magnum

PC-Urban-Sawyer

Quote from: Quebecnewf on November 25, 2015, 06:09:00 PM
Never drink Screech here in Quebec. Not sure what your referring to. There was some type of black rum that I heard about that had a name something like that . Might have been sold in the prov. of NFLD at one time but I am sure that practise has long been discontinued.


QuebecnewF

Nope, they still sell Screech in Newfoundland.

Mostly bought to use in "Screech-In" ceremonies where "come-from-aways" are granted the privilege of being declared an "Honorary Newfie" after have (1) drank down a straight shot of Screech and (2) kissing the cod (that a fish, not what you nasty guys were thinking, after all this is a family friendly forum...).

The rest of the Screech sales are to "come-from-aways" like me as souvineers (I still have most of a small flask in my cabinets which I bought three years ago...)

In the meantimes, QuebecnewF, as they say on the Rock, "stay where yer too til I comes where yer at"

Hope you have a good and safe winter. Wish I could visit you but it's quite a bit out of the way from almost anywhere...

Herb

sandsawmill14

Quote from: Banjo picker on November 25, 2015, 05:43:11 PM
Welcome to the forum.   Cut them as soon as you can.  Sawyers don't like the words ..."slab it heavy"  ...meaning I have let it set so long before I brought it to you that the outside is starting to decay......So to answer your question...about 5 or 10 minutes works good for me... ;)  Especially white oak.  Banjo

banjo is just kidding about 5-10 mins  ;) you have a full hour before you need mill it unless its hot weather ;D 
all jokes aside the oaks will stain in a few days in hot weather and will last a bit longer in cold weather. down here grade can be lost in as little as a couple of weeks in hot weather 
hudson 228, lucky knuckleboom,stihl 038 064 441 magnum

fishfighter

New to sawing, I found sawing fresh fell oak saws so much better. SYP, let them sit for a few weeks, the saw due to the sap.

Ih collector

Thanks all for the input so I'm good to go,have a great thanksgiving,and the ones way up north have a great day,going out to mess around some slabs need to true n make into boards that was left over from my first project of replacing my goose neck trailer deck with that white oak I sawed.
Farmer,lineman,sawyer wood-mizer lt40

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