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Hobby milling


Paul in the woods
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Well, milling wood for hobbies, domestic use etc.

 

I'm exploring the milling of some of the trees I've got to produce timber for a workshop, animal housing etc.

 

One option I'm considering is buying in a workshop style table bandsaw, which would enable me to process small logs or large slabs into smaller planks. I could then either get someone in with a chainsaw mill to slab up some large trees or even learn to do that myself in the future.

 

Does anyone do this sort of thing? Would a trade rated workshop bandsaw cope with planking up something like a lump of beech, ash or oak? Are there any better ideas? (Much of the timber is going to be hard to get at so getting in someone with a mobile bandsaw mill might not be a viable option).

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Hi Chainsaw milling isnt hard to learn how to do and a small log mill will not cost you loads Rob D on hear is your man for those ,you can go down to an inch or two and then resaw if you need smaller and it is good fun milling but be warned its addictive , post some pics of your builds when you get going on them good luck Mark

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There are two practical options for breaking the logs down - extract the logs to a single point and get someone in with a bandsaw mill, or use a chainsaw mill where they lie. If both are options for your site, and you are bringing someone in, the bandsaw mill option will work out cheaper (assuming you can do the lot in one go) and more efficient. If you want to do it yourself or it is better spread over time then a chainsaw mill is the better option.

 

How many trees do you have and of what species? It's worth making sure they are suitable for the use you have in mind - it's a lot of time and effort for them to rot in a very short time.

 

A heavy duty workshop type bandsaw works fine for breaking down slabs - it's just a bit slow unless it is a truly industrial one (comparatively low power in a single phase one). Up to around 8" cuts are possible but the wider the cut, the slower it gets and the harder it is to keep it straight. Assume you are making 4" x 2" you would want to mill 2" slabs and then cut 4" widths on your bandsaw, so the cuts are only 2" deep. If they are long, the slabs are heavy and unwieldy so you will need stands, ideally with rollers, and it is a lot easier with a second person. Don't forget that you will need just over double the length to mount it in (it will need to either be an old, heavy cast iron one or bolted down) so making 8' lengths you will need around 20' of space.

 

Alec

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I have access to a wide range of species, from small logs of alder and cherry, to larger logs of Scots Pine and then to some very large diameter oak, ash and beech. The larger trees are on a steep sided valley with a wet floor, so extraction of the whole butt would be very difficult.

 

If using a workshop bandsaw mill, would it be best to only saw seasoned wood or would it cope with fresh wood?

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