What to do with this Beech?

[Arbtech Tree Services]

New to the Milling Forum.

 

I currently have a 36" Alaskan on an MS660 with 36" bar. I've had a play with some Holm Oak and got the bug. I've also found that while a 36" 660 is big enough for most tree work, when it comes to milling you need big!

 

To this end i have come across a project which has got me wanting to invest in an MS880 with 59" bar and some longer rails and bracing, but can i justify it (inc. VAT £1800)?

 

These butts could well be free to me and i can mill them where they lie, they've been down about 4-5 years, but my questions are:

 

What can i expect to get financially from them?

What is the best way to mill them for maximum financial gain?

 

The first is 43" diameter and 16' long (4.55m3 or 160ft3), but probably lose up to 3' of length and the second 33" diameter and 8' long - however the pocket of sawdust in the end is 18" deep.

 

 

 

 

 

Second one

 

 

 

 

If it can't make a dent in the investment it'll be 10" rings for you know what and that would be a crying shame.

 

Having said that, i don't really want to stick £1800 on the credit card to find that the butts are rotten through or worthless.

 

Kind regards,

 

Steve.

[skyhuck]

Been down too long, IMO.

[Jesse]

Looks like what I would call a fantastic burn, something I would retain to toast my own toes on while sipping a really lovelly doubly box of red wine enjoy.

[agg221]

Have the butts been kept up off the ground like this throughout? If so, they may just be OK but beech really doesn't keep. The other problem is that beech is out of fashion, so demand is low, but if you get some really good colour up the middle as sometimes happens then there could be a market. There is no way to find this out other than to mill it and see.

 

If you can find a market then about £15/cu.ft green is realistic (it won't be easier to shift if you drop the price - the challenge is demand). If you can stack it and fully air dry it then you are likely to improve on this price considerably. The market such as it is is likely to be for furniture (even if only for carcassing) but anyone wanting it to use is unlikely to be prepared to wait, so it's down to you to do the waiting.

 

One option to de-risk whether it's any good is to pay someone with the right kit for a day's milling (maybe even a half day). If you can get the butts broken down into quarters, maybe taking a wide board or two from the centre if you have a use for them, you can then handle what's left more comfortably with your existing kit.

 

For reference, beech can be very, very hard and slow to mill.

 

Alec

[Arbtech Tree Services]

Been down too long, IMO.

 

My first concern.

 

Looks like what I would call a fantastic burn, something I would retain to toast my own toes on while sipping a really lovelly doubly box of red wine enjoy.

 

Mmmmmm....finished off with a glass or two of Remy Martin brandy:biggrin:

 

There is no way to find this out other than to mill it and see.

 

One option.......broken down into quarters.......you can then handle what's left more comfortably with your existing kit.

 

For reference, beech can be very, very hard and slow to mill.

 

Alec

 

I could have a go at the second one but I would have to lose about 5" off the width as the 36" will only do 29", alternatively put a 48" bar on the 660 at a cost of £300 (bar/chain/.404 sprocket).

 

This would give me an indication of whether the larger one is worth milling.

 

 

I have previously read how hard big, old beech can be.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the replies.

 

Regards,

 

Steve.

[treequip]

Been down too long, IMO.

 

Possibly but them wood turners do like a bit of spalting:thumbup1:

 

Its not going to be board material so run a saw through and see how bad it is

[Arbtech Tree Services]

Its not going to be board material so run a saw through and see how bad it is

 

I had thought of taking a bit off the ends to hopefully see what it's like.

 

I don't have a problem ringing it up, just thought it would be a good excuse to buy some more gear:blushing:

 

Regards,

 

Steve.

[Rob D]

My gut says hang onto your money at the moment... beech I have always found a difficult timber to shift.

 

 

Also you really want to get away from thinking about through sawn timber i.e. going all the way through a log top to bottom - boards end up heavy, tension builds in them, they warp and crack, they can then be hard to do anything with.

 

 

But you can still saw this fine with the set up you have. Almost everything now I saw is done by:

 

 

• Mill top of the log.
  
• Mini mill or free hand down the middle of the log (almost better if you don't go all the way through)
  
• Wedge the log to split it so it falls apart in x2 halves
  
• Roll the halves upright and re saw 2 1/4"
  

 

 

 

 

This then gives you:

 

• More stable timber
  
• More easily movable timber
  
• Easier selling timber because of the above
  
• Fast quick cuts as the max you cut is around 18" so you really motor along
  

 

 

 

 

If you can then sell the timber and make some money you can then look towards a bigger set up.

[agg221]

 

I could have a go at the second one but I would have to lose about 5" off the width as the 36" will only do 29", alternatively put a 48" bar on the 660 at a cost of £300 (bar/chain/.404 sprocket).

 

This would give me an indication of whether the larger one is worth milling.

 

 

Pretty sure the biggest bar you can get for the 660 is the 41" Cannon - the mounts are wrong for the bigger bars. It really wouldn't be happy if you went any bigger.

 

If you went the way you're thinking about, I would be inclined to take the mill off the saw and freehand the butt in half, vertically, like this:

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPEQcuFmtAA]Philippine Lumbarjack.mp4 - YouTube[/ame]

 

(watch the saw technique, probably not the approach to PPE or one-handed operation of an 090:001_smile:)

 

If it's any good, stand a 'half' up on edge and mill 'properly' the other way. That way you only have the one wide cut to make and all your decent boards are quarter or rift sawn, so are more stable and have more interesting grain.

 

Alec

[Arbtech Tree Services]

Rob,

 

Thanks for that - really useful info there.

 

I was just thinking about the possibility of a single piece table top 12' long and 43" wide from the centre cut:001_smile:

 

If i take a first cut off the top, would the MiniMill be ok with 36" bar to halve down the middle as opposed to freehand?

 

Regards,

 

Steve.