Saw size for milling

[Coletti]

As a one off I'd say you'd probably be fine.
The first issue with cutting 3m oak is you will run out of fuel and oil mid cut.
Be careful with the engine over heating. Cut half way through, take the saw out let it run on low revs for a minute to cool. Turn off, refuel and oil the finish the cut. Not ideal but that would work.
What thickness of slab?
If the grain is not clean and straight, you will have to cut a thicker slab.
With character oak I usually cut about 3" but with twisted or crazy grain I will cut slabs up to 6" thick.
Do you have a machine to move the slabs?
A 3m x 1m x 75mm slabs weighs in the 200kg region.

Have you bought a 48" bar?
What's the longest bar you have now?
I ask because you can trim each side by only a few inches, then slab up with a 36/42" bar.
[emoji106]

Log sizes are 28-30" on the smaller one and 35-40 on the bigger one. Smaller one has some burr and the larger one has some collars where branches were removed some rears ago

[trigger_andy]

2 hours ago, Coletti said:

Log sizes are 28-30" on the smaller one and 35-40 on the bigger one. Smaller one has some burr and the larger one has some collars where branches were removed some rears ago

Looks lovely. A bit jealous.  

[Rough Hewn]

Nice looking log,
Your cheapest option is a 42" bar and chain, giving a 36-38" cut.
Trim the bark off and you'll be fine.
[emoji106][emoji106][emoji106]

[Coletti]

Nice looking log,
Your cheapest option is a 42" bar and chain, giving a 36-38" cut.
Trim the bark off and you'll be fine.
[emoji106][emoji106][emoji106]

Any suggestions as to the thickness of board having seen the stems?

[trigger_andy]

Just now, Coletti said:

1 hour ago, Rough Hewn said:

Nice looking log,
Your cheapest option is a 42" bar and chain, giving a 36-38" cut.
Trim the bark off and you'll be fine.

Any suggestions as to the thickness of board having seen the stems?

In my opinion you'd have to see the ends when dropped. If there's a lot of shake or rot thats gonna determine what you can actually do with it. 

 

If its all good then personally I found 2" sells well. Always folk looking for Bar Tops, Coffee Table Projects etc. 

[Rough Hewn]

Any suggestions as to the thickness of board having seen the stems?

My rule of thumb is over 90cm wide I go 3".

 

The one in the hedge is a nice light pippy, should be fine at 2.5" maybe 2"?

As the grain appears to be straight.

 

The second log is more complex,

Personally I would try to get wider and fewer slabs but if you can't mill that wide turn it 90degrees and cut the thin way up.

Looks like some rot at the bottom, might make for interesting colour.

 

Hope that makes sense.

[emoji106]

[trigger_andy]

3 minutes ago, Rough Hewn said:

My rule of thumb is over 90cm wide I go 3".

Is this due to experience with milling anything over 90cm thinner than 2"?

 

I'm still fairly new to this but Ive not had any issues with maxing out my 48" Mill and Milling at 2". I dont tend to bother with crappy wood though. 

[Rough Hewn]

Is this due to experience with milling anything over 90cm thinner than 2"?
 
I'm still fairly new to this but Ive not had any issues with maxing out my 48" Mill and Milling at 2". I dont tend to bother with crappy wood though. 

I've milled oak 1" boards 3' wide and they all warped.
But often I mill thick to compensate for highly irregular grain, as the weight of the board being lifted from one side can split the the board.
It's all about fibre cohesion.
I mill most wood at 2", as clients prefer this and it's easier to handle.
It's my personal preference for thicker slabs also.
[emoji106][emoji106][emoji106]

[trigger_andy]

2 hours ago, Rough Hewn said:

I've milled oak 1" boards 3' wide and they all warped.
But often I mill thick to compensate for highly irregular grain, as the weight of the board being lifted from one side can split the the board.
It's all about fibre cohesion.
I mill most wood at 2", as clients prefer this and it's easier to handle.
It's my personal preference for thicker slabs also.

Done much quarter sawn Oak? When you Milled the 1" x 3' Slabs did they warp as well and as much? 

 

I plan on playing around with 1/4 sawing when I get back from Off-Shore.  

[Jamespepperpot]

20 hours ago, trigger_andy said:

Done much quarter sawn Oak? When you Milled the 1" x 3' Slabs did they warp as well and as much? 

 

I plan on playing around with 1/4 sawing when I get back from Off-Shore.  

Ive quarter sawn stuff with a chainsaw mill once or twice. I'm sure there are a few ways to do it but as I have a large mill I usually cut the top off flat then run the mini mill down the centre of the log but leave a few inches of timber at the bottom so it doesn't split apart. This means you can mill the log in the same position and not have to try and hold a semi circle shaped piece of wood upright. I'm not hugely into wide slabs as they can be a pain to move around and deal with - especially in a small workshop like mine. True quartersawwing isn't worth the effort with a chainsaw mill as you lose too much with the kerf. The timber is far nicer to work with when turning it into something