Freehand milling

[Daniël Bos]

Did some freehand milling of oak today:001_smile:

I'm milling these trees for beams to construct a field shelter. It'll be oak framed with a reciprocal roof:001_cool:

So I need bits of wood of high strength rather than dimensional accuracy as all the joints will be unique anyway.

[Daniël Bos]

ps, I was using an old camera body, that refuses to control the AF in the lens I put on it. I was not wearing my glasses so it was hard to see if the pictures I took were in focus or not....

[delabodge]

:thumbup1:if you end up with what you want to achieve then alls good!

[Copford sawmill sussex]

Seeing as it's free hand that's pretty good, don't think my chainsaw skills would be any better lol

[Daniël Bos]

Just to clarify: The object of the exercise is not to cut straight.

Rather than straight, I cut along the lines of the tree following the pith.

The resulting beams are stronger than If they were cut straight for two reasons:

Firstly they can be thicker, as taking a straight line means that wherever the tree is not dead straight the result is thinner on one side, thicker on the other. Freehand following the tree avoids this.

This also means that the resulting beam has much less "wane". Where the tree has a natural bend I've followed it keeping the fibres intact. When cutting straight you'd sever the fibres resulting in a weaker timber.

Timber cut the way I cut it above is stronger than straight cut timber of the same dimensions (unless the tree was totally dead straight)

[Stephen Blair]

That's cool, so are you cutting with your natural feeling of where you should with experience ?

[Daniël Bos]

That's cool, so are you cutting with your natural feeling of where you should with experience ?

 

I just follow the middle of the tree really:001_smile:

I try taking into account the "side profile" as well to make sure that as well as following the centre line there is not one quarter getting too thin.

[Dan Curtis]

Rather than straight, I cut along the lines of the tree following the pith.

 

Could you clarify what you mean by this?

 

I understand the principles of what you're trying to acheive but I dont understand how you're "following" anything? It just looks freehanded to me:confused1:

[SteveA]

Great stuff - and great thread. Are you planning on cladding the sides of the field shelter with timber, or infilling with something else? cheers

[se7enthdevil]

good cutting but if you are going for strength why not cleave???