Milling beams on a hill??

[Gilly]

After some advice guys. I've got a couple large oak stems in a steep inaccessible woodland, can't really reach it with anything but a quad bike. Ive done plenty of milling planks with the alaskan, but never really any square timber. The customer wants 4 6''x 6'' x 10' long posts for a log shed we are building in the bottom of the woodland. I have a small log mill on a MS 461 and a 36'' mill on an 880, but can't work out how i'm going to be able to turn 6'' thick boards into 6x6 posts with either of these tools. I don't really want to buy a mini mill. I guess i need to be able to hold the boards vertically, mount the ladder on the side (which would then be the top) and rip through that way with the small log mill, but how do you hold a 10ft long 6inch thick bit of oak upright on a slope?! There must be a technique i'm not thinking of.

Thanks

Gilly

[kinderscout]

You need a vertically mill to cut the beams.then cut them off the log with the mill . securing the bottom off the plank to avoid it slidding off as happened to me.use plenty of wedges.

[kinderscout]

Like this

[agg221]

Slab up at 6", preferably with the log already pointing down the slope. If so, tip the top slab over the side of the log and stand it upright by leaning it against the remainder of the log. If you can't move the log round so it's pointing down the hill, at least drag the slabs round and rest them against the end of the log.

 

The slab does not have to be perfectly upright - you just have to set the mill up on the rail square to the log. It is tricky, but can be done with a square to set it. I made the beams for my extension this way before I had the mini-mill. The rail I use for the first cut is only 6" wide and it is possible to keep wide cuts dead flat with care, so the width is not a problem.

 

Once you have cut the flat face and the first 6" slice off the log, you are likely to need to raise it to stop it fouling the thing it is resting against. A couple of 6" diameter sections shoved under it normally does the trick, sometimes with extra wedges.

 

Alec

[Forest2Furniture]

I've done it with just a 3' mill when I forgot the side mill.

 

Take the top off as normal, then cut a 12.5" slab, turn the slab on its edge and take the top off again.

Set the mill to 6" and cut a slab off the slab and then split that down.

Make sure the log is facing down the slope.

 

It's a tricky procedure but is doable with care.

[Gilly]

Thanks for the advice, going to take a bit of head scratching I think! :001_huh:Fortunately the log is facing downhill so agg221's idea should work. I use a ladder as my first cut guide though. So getting that square on a 6'' thick slab will be tricky, but cheers

[agg221]

Thanks for the advice, going to take a bit of head scratching I think! :001_huh:Fortunately the log is facing downhill so agg221's idea should work. I use a ladder as my first cut guide though. So getting that square on a 6'' thick slab will be tricky, but cheers

 

Worth using a 6" x 2" for this if you have one around. Also worth knocking off high spots with an axe to get a couple of level spots across the width. The plank will then stay pretty true.

 

Alec