Bandsaw for resawing up to 200mm oak beams...or do it by hand?

[Tris]

Do you know ow the 'brand' the chines saw mill was?

I have a 16inch husqi chainsaw I use for firewood and small trees etc.

Don't like using it due to all the PPE and risk of certainl death etc, but it might be different in a mill


Thank you

I'm afraid I've forgotten the name but it was a generic one from eBay. Looks exactly like this one
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/16670336...XwgzqajSc-&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

[alex robinson]

Do you know ow the 'brand' the chines saw mill was?

I have a 16inch husqi chainsaw I use for firewood and small trees etc.

Don't like using it due to all the PPE and risk of certainl death etc, but it might be different in a mill


Thank you

Milling is hard on saws. What cc is it?

It is however a lot safer than using them freehand. Any of the cheap "Alaskan" type mills are fine, but be aware you loose a lot of cut width with attaching it at both ends of the bar. You should be ok with 8" cut with a 16" bar though. Don't consider one of the vertical ones they aren't nearly as accurate.

The finish is pretty good once you get in practice.

How are you with a sharpener? Keeping the chain razor sharp is essential.

This isn't to be negative - milling your own timber is incredibly good fun and addictive. I haven't bought timber for years and have a lovely supply of wide native hardwood just from asking people when I see fallen trees.

I agree with @clive griffiths though that hiring a woodmizer might be worth considering.

 

[redhunter350]

Simon, my Grandson cut up a fallen Oak and used it to make a new porch and some mock Oak beams for an old cottage he's renovating. The wood was milled with a chainsaw/ ladder rig, he has milled lots of wood with this setup. We are DIY only don't do anything commercial. Here are couple of photos.

 

[pe2dave]

Or pay someone to rip them to your spec? Cheaper?

 

[Simon A Wells]

Thank you for all the interesting and informative replies. Lots to think about.

Some of the answers seem to be including processing fallen trees, trunks, et cetera, so may not be directly applicable to what I’m trying to do, but certainly interesting.

If you look at these two links, it’ll show you the timber from our nearest timber yard that I’m looking to cut up:

https://savarytimber.co.uk/collections/oak

https://savarytimber.co.uk/collections/framing-timber

https://savarytimber.co.uk/collections/framing-timber-1

Any advice of how to turn this sort of timber into usable planks would be gratefully received.

With thanks,

Simon

 

[Hypnotic Chimera]

Thank you for all the interesting and informative replies. Lots to think about.

Some of the answers seem to be including processing folding trees, trunks, et cetera, so may not be directly applicable to what I’m trying to do, but certainly interesting.

If you look at these two links, it’ll show you the timber from our nearest timber yard that I’m looking to cut up:

https://savarytimber.co.uk/collections/oak

https://savarytimber.co.uk/collections/framing-timber

Any advice of how to turn this sort of timber into usable planks would be gratefully received.

With thanks,

Simon

I'm still reckoning a track saw might be used to accurately and successfully mill those - but maybe only if you'll be cutting into the wide face (although clamping a number of them together in a vertical fashion might also enable cuts into the thin edge?). If losing too much stock is a concern then maybe using a thin kerf blade and several passes going a bit deeper every pass might work.

 

[Fitzroy]

Thank you for all the interesting and informative replies. Lots to think about.

Some of the answers seem to be including processing fallen trees, trunks, et cetera, so may not be directly applicable to what I’m trying to do, but certainly interesting.

If you look at these two links, it’ll show you the timber from our nearest timber yard that I’m looking to cut up:

https://savarytimber.co.uk/collections/oak

https://savarytimber.co.uk/collections/framing-timber

https://savarytimber.co.uk/collections/framing-timber-1

Any advice of how to turn this sort of timber into usable planks would be gratefully received.

With thanks,

Simon

You’re buying from a sawmill so they can mill to your specifications. My assumption is you are looking at the beams and thinking ‘oh, that’s a cheaper way to buy timber’. The timber boards are c. £100/cuft the beams are c. £45/cuft. The difference in price is because the mill is suffering all the waste in sawing a board that is free of defects.

If you look at my post on desk building, where I milled up a sleeper to make a desk, you’ll see the number of defects I had to workaround/fix. As a labour of f love it was worth it, for multiple projects the time impact would be too great.

Fitz.

 

[Beau]

I would see if you can hire in someone with a mobile sawmill

 

[Simon A Wells]

You’re buying from a sawmill so they can mill to your specifications. My assumption is you are looking at the beams and thinking ‘oh, that’s a cheaper way to buy timber’. The timber boards are c. £100/cuft the beams are c. £45/cuft. The difference in price is because the mill is suffering all the waste in sawing a board that is free of defects.

If you look at my post on desk building, where I milled up a sleeper to make a desk, you’ll see the number of defects I had to workaround/fix. As a labour of f love it was worth it, for multiple projects the time impact would be too great.

Fitz.

'My assumption is you are looking at the beams and thinking ‘oh, that’s a cheaper way to buy timber’.

Part of the reason is price, the main part is accesabiltiy for the timber yard, the timber yard in the links is 2 hour'ish drive each way with a trailer on single track, often with mad tourists in hire cars, campervans and the odd local who does not recognise your van so thinks you should reverse uphill into a passing spot with your trailer as they get priority on the road.

We do have a few yards closer but they have intermittent supply and rarely respond to emails / texts and when you do turn up to collect they have run out, but will drop it off tomorrow, but tomorrow is always a day away.

We do have a huge saw mill in the village, apparently the second largest in Europe. But they only sell pressure treated fence posts / rails to the public, some of the softest and wettest wood I have ever tried to work with! Not the stuff for furniture and structaral projects.

Ability to get the right size wood as and when I need it is the main reason.

 

[toolsntat]

Perhaps of no use in this instance but I'm reminded of our late departed forum friend Richard Tomes and his great project.... "The thing in the garage"
Cheers
Andy

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/the-thing-in-the-garage.37191/