A simple garden chainsaw mill

[Walney Col]

Nice one Col, is that a bit of Vickers engineering coming through (I note your location).

Aden

You may well be right. It's hard not to pick up a thing or two then the guy in the next shed is knocking out nuclear submarines for a living.

 

[Walney Col]

First cuts...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq_JVsxPYtQ
Col.

 

[Graham Orm]

A lot of hard graft gone in there Col. I think wheels on that guide are the next development. Having waited for the video, I stand by my first comment. That saw isn't designed to do that work and I can't see it lasting long. A petrol saw would have been through it in a third of the time. Keep the blade razor sharp and some wheels on the rig somehow. Good luck with it, and with your health.

 

[Walney Col]

Cheers Grayorm.

At the rate I'll be using it there's every chance the saw will outlast my woodworking days so I'm happy enough.

Col.

 

[Graham Orm]

Cheers Grayorm.

At the rate I'll be using it there's every chance the saw will outlast my woodworking days so I'm happy enough.

Col.

That's what counts mate. Just keep on top of the chain and make yourself some wedges.

 

[woodfarmer]

Well done, great job. Must confess I didn't think that an electric saw would manage that, as a professional petrol chainsaw user I don't have a very high opinion of electric chainsaws.

Thanks woodmonkey.

As a professional petrol chainsaw user you're probably quite right in your estimation of electric saws, but at 2.5HP, the makita I have wasn't phased at all even though with it's standard cross cut chain it was a bit on the slow side even by my standards. I hope to file one to more of a ripping profile for my next try.

Col.

If it helps, I bought an oregon ripping chain from Chainsdirect for my electric Ikra chainsaw. I have noticed that is seems to cut easier if the bar is at a bit of an angle ripping instead of cutting straight across the ends of the grain.

good work.

 

[paulm]

Thanks for posting the video up Col, works great in practice.

As Grayorm mentioned, tap a wedge or two into the starting end of the cut as you get to around a third or quarter of the distance left and it will take the pressure off the chainsaw bar and make it easier for you to push towards the end otherwise the weight of the plank will pinch the bar.

I expect you know this already too, but when filing the chain sharp make sure to file the depth limiters behind the teeth a little bit too so the chain continues to have enough bite at the teeth.

Other than that I think the next improvement could be putting some wheels on your stool and getting the missus to push you and the saw along from behind :lol:

Great job Col =D>

Cheers, Paul

 

[timber]

Thanks for posting the video up Col, works great in practice.

As Grayorm mentioned, tap a wedge or two into the starting end of the cut as you get to around a third or quarter of the distance left and it will take the pressure off the chainsaw bar and make it easier for you to push towards the end otherwise the weight of the plank will pinch the bar.

I expect you know this already too, but when filing the chain sharp make sure to file the depth limiters behind the teeth a little bit too so the chain continues to have enough bite at the teeth.

Other than that I think the next improvement could be putting some wheels on your stool and getting the missus to push you and the saw along from behind :lol:

Great job Col =D>

Cheers, Paul

Maybee when mostly ripping, the teeth do not need to be quite such an angle, it helps the chain from straining sidewards in the cut
Do many folk do this sort of thing with chain saws???
Richard

 

[paulm]

Not sure what you mean Richard ?

I'm meaning the depth of cut of the teeth which is controlled by the depth of the limiters behind the teeth.

The angle of the cutting edge of each tooth is something different, and yes, filing them more square or square can help the efficiency when rip cutting. It can also make kickback more likely and/or severe if the the same chain is then used for cross-cutting though.

Cheers, Paul

 

[timber]

Not sure what you mean Richard ?

I'm meaning the depth of cut of the teeth which is controlled by the depth of the limiters behind the teeth.

The angle of the cutting edge of each tooth is something different, and yes, filing them more square or square can help the efficiency when rip cutting. It can also make kickback more likely and/or severe if the the same chain is then used for cross-cutting though.

Cheers, Paul

I understand Paul but I did say Maybee
However one instruction I will give " keep the thumb around the top handle and not like the starting handle of an old car"
Richard

 

[Walney Col]

Thanks for posting the video up Col, works great in practice.

Thanks Paul, and +1 on seat wheels and the wife helping the push along I reckon that'd work a treat.
I still have several finishing bits to make including hold-down to secure the log and wedges to keep the cut open etc.

 

[Owl]

Thanks for posting the video up Col, works great in practice.

Thanks Paul, and +1 on seat wheels and the wife helping the push along I reckon that'd work a treat.
I still have several finishing bits to make including hold-down to secure the log and wedges to keep the cut open etc.

Better still, get the wife to operate the chainsaw while you do the camera work

Personally I think you've overcome a hell of a lot to achieve what you have done, best of luck with your health and project Col.

Brian

 

[Walney Col]

Thanks Brian, very kind of you to say so.
As for the wife on the chainsaw and me on the camera, she's confused enough by the little red light on the video camera, lord knows what she'd do if she got her hands on a chain saw.
Col.

 

[acewoodturner]

Well done Col. As someone who has milled a couple of hundred trees with an Alaskan Mill and MS 880 combination, I was pleasantly surprised by your success. Taking your time with a low powered saw and having good sharp teeth is definitley the way forward.
As a wee aside I have been milling now for 13 years with the biggest tree being an oak with a 60' long trunk and with a diameter at the base of 4'. Took a wee while and it was hard work but the results were brilliant. Prime gun barrel oak for pennies per cubic foot is fantastic and I still love turning over the planks to see the wood that I have just milled. The easiest bit though is the milling, the hardest bit is drying it without splitting it. I have built a sauno kiln to dry it and it works very well. I broke it up last year in order to rebuild it better than the first version and I am nearing completion. I can dry up to 2m in length and over a meter wide. The kiln takes up a lot of floor space but as I don't have a lot of room outside for air drying its worth it.

 

[Walney Col]

Well done Col. As someone who has milled a couple of hundred trees with an Alaskan Mill and MS 880 combination, I was pleasantly surprised by your success.

Thanks for your comments. Now I've found I can mill the quantities of wood that'd keep me happy I'm beginning to turn my attention to ways of drying it, which as you say, is more than likely the hard part :?

 

[nanscombe]

So, the next project is a kiln disguised as one of those garden bench / storage boxes or a raised planting bed then. :lol:

 

[duncanh]

An impressive feat of construction!
I don't think I've noticed it in this thread, but I'd strongly recommend wearing ear defenders and safety glasses at the very least. Probably not as much requirement for full chainsaw ppe as the bar is captive. Having spent a day using an Alaskan mill this week I'd also recommend a dust mask as the beech we were ripping was kicking out a lot of dust as well as the chippings even with a freshly sharpened chain.

I'd also get into the habit of applying the chain brake when you're not actually cutting (like at the end of the log or when moving the saw around.

 

[Walney Col]

So, the next project is a kiln disguised as one of those garden bench / storage boxes or a raised planting bed then. :lol:

The quantities of wood I want are so small I think I might go for an indoor kiln. Sort of a horizontal airing cupboard if you will probably with a light bulb heater and one of those little bedroom dehumidifiers. It all sound pretty straight forward (he said nervously. haha

Col.

 

[Walney Col]

An impressive feat of construction!
I don't think I've noticed it in this thread, but I'd strongly recommend wearing ear defenders and safety glasses at the very least. Probably not as much requirement for full chainsaw ppe as the bar is captive. Having spent a day using an Alaskan mill this week I'd also recommend a dust mask as the beech we were ripping was kicking out a lot of dust as well as the chippings even with a freshly sharpened chain.

I'd also get into the habit of applying the chain brake when you're not actually cutting (like at the end of the log or when moving the saw around.

Thanks for the tips Duncan.

It wouldn't have occurred to me to flip the chain brake on every time I stop the saw but it's so easy to do it makes a lot of sense.

Col.

 

[pitch pine]

Persistance pays off. I really like it when someone sets off with a idea, deals with the problems, doesn't give up and gets a result. Well done that man.

Drying the cut timber in the house may be tricky. I usually sticker the wood and dry it outside or in an unheated building before bringing it inside , though it depends on how dry the wood is to start. A good way to learn about drying timber is to take a small piece and weigh it (Tesco kitchen scales!) at regular intervals to see how much moisture it is losing, and watch for checks in the end grain (which I seal with pva). Loads of checking = drying too fast.

Good luck.