BIG SYP

[Deese]

I came in to work this morning to find this really big syp tree uprooted by the driveway.
Yes, that is my hat sitting on top  That's roughly a 12½ foot log I cut from the base.


 

Yes, that is my saw STUCK in the tree  smiley_clapping smiley_dunce smiley_goofy_face


 

The log is about 3 feet in diameter at the base (outside the bark) on the big end and 29" diameter small end. That is a 25" bar on that saw.


 


Challenge #1 will be getting it on a gooseneck flatbed trailer. I'm fairly certain the 'ole front end loader here at work cannot handle it. I'm thinking I have sawn some pretty big ones like this in the past, but only 8 footers. I think I can handle it once I get it home. Hopefully I can lift it one end at a time to get it on my "log rack".

Challenge #2 is deciding exactly HOW I should saw it. It is too wide for my little mill.

          Option #1 would be rolling it onto the mill, then (with a chainsaw) trimming enough on one side for the saw to fit through. Another thing with option #1: For oversize logs, I would normally just cut a small, backwards "L" shaped groove lengthwise (with chainsaw) just narrow enough for the blade guide to fit through, then turn the log after 1 pass. That way, I wouldn't have to literally cut an entire slab lengthwise with the chainsaw. However, this log will be too heavy to turn, so I will have to remove an entire side slab with the saw, then either flat saw all the way to the bed and edge my boards, or keep removing slabs until it is light enough to turn 90°. Option #2 would be splitting in half with the chainsaw, then quartersawing it.

I have always wanted to quartersaw a big pine log but this one may not be the best candidate. There will be a knot or two in there. What would you do with it? Leave it on the ground?  :D :D :D

[Deese]

A few more pics. When we rolled the log over with the tractor, there was a limb stuck in the ground that I did not see earlier. So, I will trim it back a few feet making it about 8' or 9'...That's the only major knot that I see other than a few smaller ones that have healed over.




 


 


  


 

[Magicman]

I personally would not trim the knot end off, but that is me.  There is a lot of meat (lumber) on three sides of the knot.

Better get your soapy (or whatever you use) blade lube ready, because I see the potential for some serious pitch.  With those even growth rings, you should not have any problem with stress.

[Deese]

I personally would not trim the knot end off, but that is me.  There is a lot of meat (lumber) on three sides of the knot.

Better get your soapy (or whatever you use) blade lube ready, because I see the potential for some serious pitch.  With those even growth rings, you should not have any problem with stress.

I believe you're right on all counts. I could just leave it long and shorten whatever boards need trimming.
And yes sir about the pitch...my jeans were sticky after running the saw. 

[fishfighter]

I'm sitting on 3 like that. Just don't have the courage to deal with them. I know I will have to split them in half with a chainsaw and trim them some before I even put them on the mill. Done that a couple times and it whoop my butt.

[bkaimwood]

MM beat me too it...get your pitch potion ready, that baby has pitch rings in place of growth rings!!! BUT, she is a beauty, and I'm envious..wish she was my girl!!!! Can't wait to see what comes out of it...

[Kbeitz]

Redneck Log Splitter, Black Powder Method

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-xAuZX8lWM

[Wayniac]

i can cut that in half for you im in troy and have 38 inches between my blade guides

[Magicman]

Wowser, Wayniac that is the Forestry Forum way to wake things up.  Welcome Sir.   8)

The pitch will be really concentrated in those scarred over damaged places.  :-\

[Deese]

i can cut that in half for you im in troy and have 38 inches between my blade guides

Dang that's mighty nice of you to offer that. I see that you aren't too far down the road. Welcome to the forum Wayniac. I just gave you my contact info. Feel free to give me a shout. I am in no hurry to saw it. Thanks again.

[Percy]

  smiley_clapping smiley_clapping

Redneck Log Splitter, Black Powder Method

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-xAuZX8lWM

[grweldon]

i can cut that in half for you im in troy and have 38 inches between my blade guides

Welcome to the forum Wayniac.  Great to have another Alabamian!  I'm in Autaugaville, between Prattville and Selma.

[WellandportRob]

i can cut that in half for you im in troy and have 38 inches between my blade guides

Wayniac, welcome to the form. What kind of rig are you running with a 38" throat?

[MattJ]

Deese, your post made me get going on putting up my attempt at splitting an oak log due to the same issue you face.

Here is my experience

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=88297.msg1354390#msg1354390

Matt

[Deese]

Deese, your post made me get going on putting up my attempt at splitting an oak log due to the same issue you face.

Here is my experience

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=88297.msg1354390#msg1354390

Matt

MattJ I checked it out and that was a TON of work! Great job.
If I decide to quarter saw it, I will either take it to another forum member close by who has a bigger mill, or I might just put that 25" bar on the MS440 with a new chain and let her rip. 

[fishfighter]

I wonder how much powder they used to split that log? ;D Might have to give that a try.

[Kbeitz]

I wonder how much powder they used to split that log? ;D Might have to give that a try.

There may be more info on utube. There is a few videos about doing this.

[Deese]

Neat to watch. I can only imagine how bad I would mess that up if I tried it.
I think I'll stick to the chainsaw.

[Deese]

  Heck I might just split it here at work. That would make for much easier loading. Duh  smiley_dunce

[Wayniac]

i worked in a machine shop and built my own mill. so i built it to handle big logs and im glad i did. it is a four post with a 62 hp chevy metro engine copy of a beefed up kasco mill

[plowboyswr]

i worked in a machine shop and built my own mill. so i built it to handle big logs and im glad i did. it is a four post with a 62 hp chevy metro engine copy of a beefed up kasco mill

I know I'm not going to be the only one who would like to see pictures of that one. and welcome to the forum

[Deese]

I finally got it loaded on a trailer today and taking her to the mill after work. It appears to have grown in the past 2 weeks 
Still haven't decided how I'm going to tackle this beast.  :P Let the adventure begin  8)


  

  

  

  

 

[Deese]

A friend and coworker of mine caught me leaving work a tad early and sent me this.


 

[Wayniac]

leave it on the trailer and bring it over and we can cut it up be a good day just swapping stories and meeting i have everything we need to get it unloaded and get it on my mill you decide just offering oh by the way nice looking piece of wood

[Deese]

leave it on the trailer and bring it over and we can cut it up be a good day just swapping stories and meeting i have everything we need to get it unloaded and get it on my mill you decide just offering oh by the way nice looking piece of wood

.

I really appreciate the offer Wayniac. I just may do that. I thought I had the entire weekend free to sawing but but now things have changed. Isn't that how it normally works?  : :

I may try to slip out of the office early today and finish sawing that small cedar I've got left over...Looks like the pine will have to wait for another day  :-\

[samandothers]

Welcome Wayniac!

Of course the sawing of Deese's lot at Wayniac's did NOT happen unless photos are made!

[Deese]

The story continues...I should have taken Wayniac's offer. Lesson learned today. Pics when I get home...Things turned out okay, just ridiculous time consuming bull poop....after 3 hours of torturing chainsaw work and tractor work, I have the beast ready for sawing. All the log needs is secure wedging and we will be sawing 24" slabs this Saturday!

[fishpharmer]

Wayniac, welcome to FF!

[4x4American]

 :P

[fishfighter]

The story continues...I should have taken Wayniac's offer. Lesson learned today. Pics when I get home...Things turned out okay, just ridiculous time consuming bull poop....after 3 hours of torturing chainsaw work and tractor work, I have the beast ready for sawing. All the log needs is secure wedging and we will be sawing 24" slabs this Saturday!

Like I said, I have three big suckers like that and the last one I split beat me. :D When one gets over 50 2x4's out a log, that's a big one.

Those 24" slabs are going to be heavy.

[SwampDonkey]

Eat lots of Wheeties this morning.  I know you boys down south like everything thick and heavy. ;D

[ellmoe]

Eat lots of Wheeties this morning.  I know you boys down south like everything thick and heavy. ;D

Hey! Leave our women out of this!

[fishfighter]

Eat lots of Wheeties this morning.  I know you boys down south like everything thick and heavy. ;D

Hey! Leave our women out of this!

FO sure. :D

[DMcCoy]

Redneck Log Splitter, Black Powder Method

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-xAuZX8lWM

Hmmm makes me wax for the old days when I could get an explosives permit for $10.00 over the phone from the sherriff's dept.  Stumping powder was $60.00 a case and presoaked ammonium nitrate was $15.00 for 50 lbs.  Electric blasting caps $.75 each. Stick it in your trunk and drive home. :  God, I hate terrorists they wrecked everything.
Luckily we took lots of pictures, a whole photo album of flying stumps. :P

[Kbeitz]

Ahhh.... You mean we cant do that any more ????

[DMcCoy]

Ummmm....
Well, you need an approved magazine to store it and transport it, also a $1 million in liability insurance. 

I really don't miss those nitro headaches from touching sweating dynamite!  Yeah yeah gloves I get it.

[Deese]

I've got someone that wants really wide boards so I decided not to quartersaw it. I trimmed each side of the log with my chainsaw to get it approximately 24" wide. This was something that I did not enjoy doing :-\ but I got it done. It took a little over an hour. I love running a chainsaw but not this way :


 

Here is a pic showing the side slabs removed with the chainsaw. I did all the chainsaw work with the log still on the trailer. I even managed to avoid cutting into the trailer decking  ;D 8)


 

I FINALLY got the log up on the wooden beams and learned a valuable lesson...I couldn't roll it towards the sawmill because of the 2 flat sides I created. (I didn't think about this when I was trimming it earlier  : ) I literally had to push each end, one at a time, with the front end loader until I got it close to the mill. Then I had to somehow roll the log onto the track "gently" enough to prevent bending anything. I almost knocked the entire mill over. Didn't get a pic of that. Anyways, I got it done.


  

  

  

  

  

 

[Deese]

The log is obviously too wide for my clamps so I will secure it with 6 wedges and then begin slabbing 1" boards off the top.
I plan on cutting 2" thick boards from the center of the log where the grain will be parallel to the board. Hopefully they will make some nice tabletop boards.

[drobertson]

Man! you got a load!  Ha Ha   mercy sakes,, you might need an upgrade before too long if you continue with these monsters,,

[Deese]

Man! you got a load!  Ha Ha   mercy sakes,, you might need an upgrade before too long if you continue with these monsters,,

I definitely bit off more than I could chew. Lesson Learned. Definitely not worth the trouble with my little setup. But maybe the lumber will be somewhat rewarding.  :-\

[SwampDonkey]

Oh well, what's a man to do with a nice big log laying there for the taking. Saw it up of course.  : ;D :D

[kelLOGg]

I think you did well. We always learn something when we push our mills to the max. For us manual mill owners it just comes sooner. I bet when you see your lumber you'll forget about the hassles you had.

Did the mill almost slide off the blocks or tilt over when the log came to a stop?

[Deese]

Swampdonkey-- you are correct. I couldn't resist the temptation  ;D  ;D ;D

Kellogg-- the far end of the track actually slid almost completely off the posts during the first attempt at "pulling" the log onto the track. Pure luck that the whole thing didn't fall over. This happened because the track is about an inch or so higher than the wooden beams. Ideally, I would prefer the opposite...with the beams being higher than the track. But this couldn't be done because the sawmill cover would hit it...I need to secure the track to the posts to prevent this in the future.

[thecfarm]

With a log that size no clamps are needed to keep it in place,just from falling over.

[Deese]

With a log that size no clamps are needed to keep it in place,just from falling over.

Yes sir I agree. Most--almost all of the pine that I've ever sawn has been too big for this mill. Usually they pretty much stay put, even without wedges for the first several slabs. But this one, surprisingly, is extremely unstable. I can rock it with just one hand. It must be resting on a knot or something. For smaller logs, I would just shift the log a little to eliminate this. But there is no moving this puppy. It is where it is and I am gonna wedge it really good Saturday morning and put a new blade on the mill and see what happens. It is packed full of sap and I am expecting buildup on the blade.

[Deese]

But before switching to diesel lube,  I am going to add twice the amount of liquid soap as usual and see if that prevents the sap buildup issue. If not, diesel will surely do the trick. But then my belts get slick and I start throwing blades. Saturday morning will be FUN nontheless. I am looking forward to it.

[Deese]

This is how the log ended up lengthwise on the track. I am NOT going to try to move it. Heck no. I will be sawing the end off with chainsaw and let her rip. Will still get some 10' long  24" wide lumber. 

 

[thecfarm]

I don't really saw alot,meaning 6 hours steady. Most times,I saw, than when the tractor arms gets full,I build. But I only use a slow drip for the half bar and chain and diesel lube. And I do mean a slow drip. Never had any trouble with the belts slipping. But never sawed SYP either. The lube does not really fly all over the place.

[Wayniac]

i use a pump up garden sprayer hook the hose to a valve and the end to a 1 gal an hour oil furnace nozzle sprays a very fine pattern on the blade at about 4 psi out of the sprayer a gallon of fuel lasts a long time

[Deese]

Well, today was just one of those days where things just weren't meant to be. I got started on the big pine and got about halfway done when the housing on one of my pillow block bearings decided to split in half. Interesting day. Will order new parts Monday morning.



  

  

  

  

  

 

[Deese]

 

 

[Deese]

Is that normal or highly unusual? Cast Iron.
The journey with the big syp continues.

[Wayniac]

how wide and thick are the boards in the pic and what are you going to use them for

[Deese]

I'm not sure exactly how wide they are. I kept having to trim the edges to make the blade guide fit. It would look like it would fit, but when sawing, the blade would literally pull the mill over about 1/2 inch and I wasn't expecting that to happen. So I kept having to trim the width as I continued to cut through the log. I lowered the blade 1 1/8" every pass so they should be just a hair over 1" thick. Customer says they will be used for wall paneling.

[Deese]

They're probably around 19"-22" wide. Didn't measure. The ones I have cut still have to be edged. I kept slab bing down until the weight was reduced enough for me to manually turn the log 90 degrees, which is what you see in one of the pictures. I never got the opportunity to make the first cut after turning 90 degrees the first time. That is when things started falling apart.

[Wayniac]

if you run into any more big ones dont turn them down i have everything we need to haul them and saw them and we will split the bounty just saying lol i have a twin blade rip saw i just slab them and run them though it that way they are all the same width

[drobertson]

Good work on that log Deese, this one is one for the books for sure,  not sure what to say about your bearing, don't think I've ever seen that before, can't remember ever seeing one do that.

[grweldon]

Is that normal or highly unusual? Cast Iron.
The journey with the big syp continues.

It's normal for Chinese cast iron, very uncommon with American cast iron assuming you can find any these days...

[Deese]

I CAN NOT get that bearing off the shaft.  >:( I have removed the set screws, soaked in penetrating oil, used a punch to TRY to loosen the lock collar...won't budge.
I called EZ Boardwalk this morning and talked to Mr Stanton. He said the bearings aren't pressed on, so I should be able to remove them. I may end up having to take it to my local machine shop and get them to remove them. He is shipping me 2 new bearings today. 

[fishfighter]

Did you try heat to remove the bearing?

[Deese]

Did you try heat to remove the bearing?

No Sir I have not. I've decided that I'm just going to take it to the machine shop whenever the new bearings come in. It's only about 1/2 mile from where I've got the sawmill setup.

[lshobie]

either use a claw type puller or set it in a vice loosely and put a piece of wood over the shaft and hit it with a hammer - or use a lead shot plastic hammer...itll come off easy after it budges.

[grweldon]

I CAN NOT get that bearing off the shaft.  >:( I have removed the set screws, soaked in penetrating oil, used a punch to TRY to loosen the lock collar...won't budge.
I called EZ Boardwalk this morning and talked to Mr Stanton. He said the bearings aren't pressed on, so I should be able to remove them. I may end up having to take it to my local machine shop and get them to remove them. He is shipping me 2 new bearings today. 

Patrick at Dublin machine should be able to take care of you.  You may know him.  He's in Ramer...

[Deese]

Patrick at Dublin machine should be able to take care of you.  You may know him.  He's in Ramer...

Glen, that is the place I was referring to...I could jog to his place from my mill...and I'm a fat boy  :D ;D

[Deese]

 I got my new bearings in yesterday. Now time to reassemble...
I'm ready to do some sawing.
It's like what the monkey said when he got his tail cut off..."It won't be long now!"  :D :D :D :D


 

[Deese]

I cleaned up the shaft and got the bearings on yesterday. I will be bolting everything back on tomorrow and will finally finish sawing the other half. Just haven't had much time lately. 

 

[fishfighter]

Hey, don't forget to grease them. :D

[elk42]

Deese be sure  to lock the eccentric collars in the direction of rotation if not they could
come loose.

PS     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPFn_AVz-e0

[Deese]

Okay boys and girls, I finally had time to finish the big mama syp log...I should have named it the Fat Lighter Log. Good grief at the sap this mama had in her...

 

Look how close I got to the log stop...didn't realize it until I was passing over it. WHEW! That would have made about the 3rd time...

 
I sawed it all 4/4 9ft long and totaled 243 board feet.
7-- 1x10's, 3-- 1x11's, 7--1x13's, 1--1x12, 7--1x16's and 1--1x6. WOW. What a learning experience.

  I hope everyone enjoyed following me with this adventure.

[kelLOGg]

Good for you, man. That was a sappy (in a good sense) log. Any buildup on the band?
Bob

[Deese]

Yes sir I had some buildup but not as bad as I had anticipated. Not too bad.

[Bruno of NH]

I wish we had SYP .
I like the look of it .
Bruno

[Deese]

Oh yeah thanks for the tip elk42