I may be getting my hands on some elm taken down on a friends property. There are three pieces about 5 feet long that are around 33" diameter not including a crotch or two on two of them. I may not be up for milling them all. Especially since there will be several other smaller pieces. But if I tackle one of the pieces what advice can you give me? I have a moderates size Stihl with a 20" bar, And a smaller Stihl with a 16" bar. How easy or hard is it to rip these down the middle with the saws I have? For Elm, is it worth it?

My son brought me some logs from work 3 pine logs at 28" diameter a hemlock log and 2 red oak at 28" diameter. all clear logs straight and no knots, they were going to grind them to make mulch. So i put the the red oak on and started to quarter saw my first hardwood and i like medullary rays it brings out the beauty in the wood. One think about oak its heavy needed a little hydraulic muscle. I attached a few pictures will have more to show when finished.

Hello, Would using ERC for exterior board and batten shutters be a good idea? I read such conflicting information. We have already milled the Eastern Red Cedar 1.04 inches thick and are not going to plane it Each shutter will consist of 3 pcs of ERC 1x 4.5 x 60 making the shutter about 14.5 inches wide. We have 5" posts from ERC that have been in the ground since the mid 1960s and they are still fine. But I am concerned 1xx4x60 " might slit or crack when hung on the house in full sun. I do plan to put a semi transparent stain on the shutters.

I’m in the process of making quite a number of live edge benches, these will be left outdoors What type of sealers, stains etc do you guys use or can recommend to increase longevity, inhibit mold, etc Thanks in advance!

Had a neighbor ask me to saw this wood so we could have our 3 times a wk. 6am coffee break under cover.Him and 1 of the guys did a great job metal roof to come.

  The 2 big guys put it up.

I haven’t tried quarter sawing on my LM29. When looking at directions it’s suggests cutting two or three slabs out of the Center of the log. But my saw will only allow me to cut a four inch slab which doesn’t get you close to the Center of a big log. I feel like I’m missing something simple. How do you all quarter saw?

What do you guys recommend for a tooth setter? I have been shopping around but i figured i ask you folks. Does anyone know what the thickness of the sabertooth blades are?

Hi Everyone, I hope you are all staying warm this winter. I was milling a nice black walnut slab today and found that there was a blue colour where the grain changes from light to dark. The colour goes all the way through this log but was not in other parts of the same tree. Has anyone seen this before?

 

Thanks!

Anybody has the Lx26 MOULDER ? I'd like to buy one but i have some questions before .... Let's say i want to have the front part of the log with 8 inches that we can see, it means that i have to have a 9 inch high log to finish with 8 inch because of what lhe moulder takes off when it does the groove ??? And for the thickness too do i have to have more thick to finish at a certain thickness ?? How much does it take off on the front part of the log ?? And the knifes do you have to sharpen them often ?? Is it better to have a couple of sets .....

I have had a request buy a customer to cut some lumber on percentage. I have not done this before and would like some opinions on what percentage would be fair. My mill is stationary and he will deliver the logs to me so my only labor and cost would be cutting. What’s everyone’s opinion? Fmac

I local dropped by yesterday. Noticed that I mill a lot. He wondered if I was interested in milling some 30-40 cedar logs for him. Sounds like they are all 8 footers and already debarked. But have been lying in a pile in his yard for a few years. I reluctantly agreed to do it but said I'd do it when I have time and gave him no date for finishing. This is just a hobby for me. Cut a lot for me friends and family only. This would be my first paying job. So I have no idea what to charge. Hourly? Lump sum? What is a fair price. Thanks.

Did a complete align and check from top to bottom. Added ceramic blade guides and proceeded to tackle an ambrosia maple log approximately 18 inches wide and 6 foot long. Cut it like butter. Really did not find any thing out of specs. Ended up with some really figured ambrosia maple. Fmac

Anyone had problems milling Larch? Never had a problem till today on one log, felt as though hit metal butblade still sharp so able to finish cut and log. Each board it would do it in a different place and reveals a ripple but half circular like a circular saw blade cut and occasionally a dip.

This may be old information so do not chastise me too bad. You can send a 1”x3”x6” sample (max# of Id’s per year is 5) to Center for wood anatomy research USDA fresh products laboratory Onegifford Pinchot Dr. Madison WI 53726-2398 They will do 5 free per year. Did this last year to settle a Long standing dispute with my brother in-law, over a supposed to be hemlock. Came back as false cypress or white cedar. Just some info ,keep sawing. Merry Christmas Fmac

I have had a problem appear lately when milling. The saw starts to shalme as if was grabbing and letting go. You can see on the cut grooves that seem to bounce. I have changed blades,slowed feed and checked alignment,still problem. Will also appear to produce a wavy board and sometimes dip drastically at eng of cut. Has been raining lately so have not had too much time to explore more. Has anyone else had a similar problem. Thanks fmac Equipment lumbermate 2000 Honda 20 running wood mixer diamond hard blades.

How much does a dust collector decrease health issues if we are already using dust masks and respirator? We have our sawmill in a pole barn. Dust blows out on the ground and I just sweep what is left outside the pole barn. So i am not worried about clean up ---- just our health. I am wondering for health reasons is a N99 or N95 dust mask sufficent or would a dust collector help with our health? Thanks Granny DP DPForumDog

Hello iam new here got a hd36 I have cut quite a bit of cedar I got a chance to get some hemlock still standing never cut hemlock is it hard or easy on the blades Any insight would be great

Just completed a saw job for a person, and then found out they are using popular for board and batten siding. Not sure I would use this, but... Any one out there ever use this for siding of any kind and would you use it. Any advise would be good so i can pass it along. Thanks in advance.
Bill

I have been thinking of upgrading my LM 29. Was thinking of going to the hd36 but...
Anyone out there upgrade there engine from the 14hp Kohler. That by the way in my opinion is really good. And what did you go to and how big can I go. Thanks in advance.

Would there be a problem with me spitting a fair size spruce log basically in half to get two beams out of it. I’m after two 6x9’s and this log is big enough for both.

Anyone have any experience mulching slab wood? How big a rig would one need to mulch slabs?  I’m thinking if I’d have to mill the slabs thinner then it might be more trouble than it’s worth. On the other hand I cut a lot of cedar and the cedar mulch might be worthwhile having. Plus the slabs are piling up. Anyone doing this?

I like playing with wood, and when what I do looks good, I like it even better.

I received this offer from some new newsletter that said if I signed up, I could learn things to become a better woodworker.

I decided not to. I already know how to be a better woodworker, but with old eyes, aches in my wrists after sanding too much, and just generally wanting to hurry so I have time for a nap before dinner, I don't do half of what I know needs to be done.

Is anyone else in the same condition?

I'm brand new to this and just got my mill assembled and a new blade installed and made my first cut on my new mill! Yehaw.. cuts like butter but...

Need help identifying a species of Lumber however I can't figure out how to add photos from my phone. Can anyone help?

Is this thing worth cutting off and milling up. If so any suggestions on how to cut it?

Cant figure why my cut are wavey... Adjusted tension super tight ... Guides directly on either side of log... New blade or old ... All my cuts are wavy.... Help at my wits end....

I don't have a kiln yet, in spite of having great plans. I found a somewhat local place that will rent space/time in a kiln.

For heat treatment (to kill bugs), not any drying calculation, they have a minimum charge of $350.00, which covers up to about 400-500 bf.

Does this seem like a reasonable deal? That's about 79 cents to 85 cents per board foot (US).

An Old maple tree mostly blew over in my brothers yard a few years ago. He hired a couple guys to clean it up but they left the multi shooted trunk of the tree. Two of those shoots were 8-10 feet tall. So today I cut them off. Threw one on the mill and cut into into 2”slabs. Not bad splayed maple. So how long does it take to dry compared to healthy maple?  I estimate this tree has been dead for at least five years. 

My first log is only 5 ft long but 28" round and had to do some trimming to make it fit. This appeared to be a usual Oak log but the cuts reveal something I didn't expect. Two very different looking slabs from the same log. 

Jay