Sawmilling - hints, tips, do's and don'ts.

[agg221]

is there a good web site one can get spares for the Alaskan mill?

 

Chainsawbars ? chainsaw chains, chainsaw bars and chainsaw accessories

 

Alec

[gobbypunk]

Rob D on hear is the best place for spares and accessories .Thanks Guys some really good info would like to print it off and have it in a file

Happy Christmas to you All

Cheers Mark

[wardenjohnny]

I have snapped my u-bolts

[shendy]

I've snapped several. PITA.

[Big J]

Never mind U bolts, I've sheared two of the main aluminium brackets double end chainsaw milling. The mill struggles with 17 and a half horse power running through it.

[ucoulddoit]

I don't mill timber for sale, only for my own use, either with an Alaskan or at a sawmill. So drying timber on a relatively small scale to minimise waste is something that I've put effort into over the years. Hope the following isn't too basic for this thread, but firm foundations for a stack of several tons of planks which may be left for at least a couple of years is the best way to start to avoid bent timber. Ideally, have a concrete slabbed area, but for many years I used railway sleepers partially buried and founded on concrete strip foundations. Keep the worst of the rain off the top of the stack, I use corrugated plastic roof sheeting weighted down with off cuts and avoid direct sun on the sides but maintain a free flow of air through the stack.

 

Andrew

[wills-mill]

I don't mill timber for sale, only for my own use, either with an Alaskan or at a sawmill. So drying timber on a relatively small scale to minimise waste is something that I've put effort into over the years. Hope the following isn't too basic for this thread, but firm foundations for a stack of several tons of planks which may be left for at least a couple of years is the best way to start to avoid bent timber. Ideally, have a concrete slabbed area, but for many years I used railway sleepers partially buried and founded on concrete strip foundations. Keep the worst of the rain off the top of the stack, I use corrugated plastic roof sheeting weighted down with off cuts and avoid direct sun on the sides but maintain a free flow of air through the stack.

 

Andrew

 

Decent stacking should be a big part of a thread like this. Cruddy stacking is a great way to lose money and timber quality. Stick thicknesses, bearer sizes and spacing, shading/ overhang/ cover, pile width and siting all come into it. I'm not brave enough to tackle it at the moment, but I'll try and get some photos together. W

[Andy fellows]

What is the smallest size saw you can use on a small log alaskan.

[agg221]

What is the smallest size saw you can use on a small log alaskan.

 

It depends on how narrow a cut you are prepared to limit yourself to. Very crudely, 50cc will do 12", 60cc will do 18" (70cc will do 24" but not in a small log mill). All these will be near the limit without constant resting, and will be slow, but will get there. A bigger saw will make it quicker - limit for increasing speed at 18" appears to be about 90cc.

 

Alec

[farmerjohn]

Big J,

you mentioned on the first post on the thread about treating every plank with Wykabor, is this done by spraying diluted solution? do you do it as soon as it comes off the mill before stickering and stacking?

thanks, John