What time of the year do you stop milling?

[jamesd]

I've still got a fair bit of millling i want to do this year. But i was wnadering with the weather getting warmer when do you guys tend to stop?

I want to mill some 4x2 and 4x4 posts for a work bench i want to make if it makes any difference!

[aswales]

I'd be more concerned about when the timber was felled - timber felled from spring-summer which is full of fresh sap more of an issue....if you're going to do anything decent with it...

[Copford sawmill sussex]

We mill all year round, the key is knowing what times to do what we have prob got a few more weeks we will plank butts up and then it will be beaming as usual. As long as you can get your timber covered and out the sun it should be fine all year. Granted the big bits we obly cut in the cooler months but we have to cut all year round beaming and joinery so just make sure anything you cut is out the sun

These two butts were cut in the last two weeks we then leave them in the woods for a year

[Philmypower]

Could some one please explain this to me. Are you saying not to mill this time of year as the sap level will be higher? What does keeping it out of the sun do? Sorry for all the questions but I really fancy getting myself a mill, prob at the APF.

Thanks in advance

[Daniël Bos]

As the weather gets warmer and dryer the chances of cracking and splitting increases quite a bit, especially when in sunlight.

[Philmypower]

Thanks rover

[jamesd]

We mill all year round, the key is knowing what times to do what we have prob got a few more weeks we will plank butts up and then it will be beaming as usual. As long as you can get your timber covered and out the sun it should be fine all year. Granted the big bits we obly cut in the cooler months but we have to cut all year round beaming and joinery so just make sure anything you cut is out the sun[ATTACH]152489[/ATTACH][ATTACH]152490[/ATTACH]

These two butts were cut in the last two weeks we then leave them in the woods for a year

 

Ok Cheers for that so would it be better to cut all the wood up it butts first? To stop any more sap rising?

Also where did you get the plastic tie wrap things from? That you use to hold your stacks together does it stop a lot of movement in the boards when drying?

 

At the moment i'm doing mostly square posts so i can continue doing that for the summer then its just the boards that would be more likely to crack/split etc. All the wood i'm milling is Oak btw!

 

Sorry for all the questions! bit of a newbee to this!

[Copford sawmill sussex]

Basically the boards you cut will be green regardless of sap, so they will need drying. As the boards dry the annual rings try and straighten. If they dry too quickly too much water will try to evaporate and so the boards will crack. Direct sunlight is warm this get them out the sunlight. You need them to dry slowly hence ours go in the woods. Plenty of cool air to help dry them and no harmful rays. Boards will cup and split regardless your just trying to minimise this as slowly as you can.

The cordsraps we have came from the apf we bought enough to last us till the next one lol

[Blaisey]

Im using some old chicken sheds left on the yard when I bought it, Ive taken one side off. Should I make holes in the back wall behind the wood stacks? I plan on demolishing them when Ive build a barn so not worried about modifying them.

[Mobile Milling Mike]

If I were to have to give you one piece of advice only, it would be to seal the ends of your boards ,(easiest done before milling. The worst splitting is at the ends due to the rapid drying from the tubules which carry water up the tree. We use a proprietory water based wax but have seen "blackjack "used to good effect too.Oh and we do stop milling at one point in the season ,generaly from the 25th to 26th December.