Rob D

Cool and nicely sanded!

Jon you really need to get a camera for threads like this!

It can be a tricky thing selling the timber... I've often found it's finished products that sell better. Oak posts always seem to be sought after... Perhaps ask around a bit first and see if it gets anyone interested.

Just a quick heads up there's an 090 on ebay that looks pretty genuine... Worth a look if you need a dedicated milling saw but sometimes they can go for big money. Stihl 090 AV Pro Chainsaw. not 088, ms880, 070, 076, 075, 066, 660 sawmill | eBay

Ah - thanks for explaining as I thought a bandsaw would be ideal quarter sawing.... But I do think it's possible to do practically with combo of mini mill and Alaskan! But not really for anything less than 36" butts and boards no thinner than 2". Ref the longer uprights they're good for halving the log.... I'd like to figure out a way of guaranteed halving it through the middle so if there is a taper to the log the mill follows the pith all the way down.... I sort of have a couple of ideas either - have the ladder independent of the log. Or a way of attaching ladder so that the supports come out from the log at each end exactly the same height from the center at each end.... .....hard to explain I'll put some pics up when I've had a crack at it!

Nice pics Jon - def the way forward I reckon to take photos as you're milling when the woods still wet to show that lovely grain

There's a lot of debate over this..... I've alternated between 3/8 and .404 on an 880 and in summary: I'd say .404 is a better chain for milling - it has less teeth, it stays sharp longer and it clears the chip better. Yes you lose a smidge of wood in extra kerf but if you're worried about kerf you shouldn't be using a chainsawmill!

:confused1: what do you mean by that?

I think this depends on who comes and sorts out the wood though doesn't it - if they say 'yes I'll have it - here's the money will be over there tomorrow' - and they do that there's no problem. Yes it will be worth more in firewood if you split it, dry it and deliver it - but then you need to take the costs off of doing that including your time. In your example you had 4 cubic meters of split oak - what's the value of that? I'd say about £200 in the yard and around £280 if delivered green... but then you have to take your time off for splitting it and then some more for delivering it. So his offer of £250 is about right - and as long as the buyer pays quickly you'll not make any additional money but you'll save the time it takes to split it.

I think you'd need some diagrams to demonstrate it! The mini mill is a good tool to use in conjunction with the Alaskan for quarter sawing... I did a beach and here are some pics but I think it would take a few goes to perfect. It does give you much more stable timber. I've done a bit of quarter sawing now and it's not that bad with a chainsaw mill - but on the proviso your planking to 2"+.... it's not that wasteful.... couple of pics below but didn't have time to take any more.... The next time I have a better plan of how to do it..... Jon I would have thought your new shiny woodmeiser would be ideal for quarter sawing? Quarter up the log. Load a quarter onto your mill. Take a plank off the bottom, roll the quarter onto the other flat edge. Take another plank. Roll it back etc. No need to change the height the band cuts at. You're too used to sitting in your comfy seat I expect these days It's something to look into as wide boards are great but no where near as stable as quarter sawn.

Still got 40 cube of mixed (hard and soft) dry wood left.... My theory is you need a good 2 weeks of cold weather early on to get people in the habit of using their log burners.... after that they'll use until it gets warmer. This didn't happen 2011 and it was milder as well..... One plus point is it may thin competition for this year.

Great to see some experimentation with different combos... First off I'd hazard a guess that the 550 uses .325 chain? And a lively saw so high revs, high chain speed. That combo will give more teeth cutting the wood at higher speed = smoother cut. Fast chain speed is a great thing but with full chisel - was that grabby, aggressive and difficult to stop the saw bogging in the cut? All the ripping chains from the manufacturers are semi or micro chisel - full chisel (unless in softwood with an over powered set up and sharpened to 5-10 degrees) will not be great in a mill. Try a micro chisel chain sharpened to 10 degrees and you'll find the boards come out much smoother and are nicer to cut. Looking forward to the pics - if you can get some close ups of the boards that's be great as a question often asked is 'what's the difference in smoothness between ripping and non ripping chain'

Oh and finally as you have a that great wee boxer - think about larger, heavy solid pieces where you're only doing a couple of cuts to turn an unwieldy log into a seat or similar..... .....you have the advantage in that you can deliver them with your boxer.... a major advantage!

Horse chestnut - I wouldn't worry about milling this... Maple - def worth a shot milling as even if a little soft in places the burrs should still look good. Planked larch - if you have a project in mind great but otherwise you may find it hangs around.... A few things I've learnt about milling (all unfortunately the hard way...) if you're not sure about whether something is worth milling it prob isn't - save those elboes for something that is worth milling! if you're looking to sell the timber softwoods in wide boards are not that popular - it's hardwoods folks want... don't burn yourself out by milling everything that comes your way - the mill will work hard for 3 months then be banished to the back of the shed..... try to have a plan as to what you'll do with the timber. For instance are you going to sell it? make it into something then sell it? make yourself something and keep it? If none of these then don't mill it! if you can sell the wood then sell it - don't keep hold of it for yourself! use the off cuts and pieces that won't sell to use to experiment with as that way as it's good fun and if it ends up as firewood it's no loss watch tying the throttle open - you really need to rest the saw 3 or 4 times down the log on idle to allow it to cool off, also at the end of the log idle it for 2 mins with the odd rev. By tying the throttle (particularly in hot summer) you can score a piston like this (I know ) try and find something that you can make quickly and easily from the wood you plank so you can get some money back in - lean towards items that are cheap if rough and ready rather than expensive and beautifully finished and sanded.

As has been pointed out most of the time it is the manufacturers that charge massively for spares and not the retailers.... comments that are passed on will just be ignored.... I know this is frustrating because who do you speak to if you want to complain directly to the manufacturer? You can't find anyone....! One thing this thread does illustrate well is at least 'these days' with the internet there is far more choice and information out there so a lot of the time you can find a cheaper alternative.

No it won't Would you want anything for it? Or are you open to offers? I'd prob pay £100-00 if it was closer to me... that's not an offer just a ball park of what it may be worth to someone to come over with a mill. Some more pics of the main stem would be handy - but def worth milling!

Very clever - all the shapes are very even.... did you cut them out with a chainsaw or jigsaw?

But that's the tricky thing ain't it - how do you tell the dross from genuine people? It's the dross that knows more about the system and how to play it.... There's no easy solution.... you can get people form filling etc and assess their eligibility and this is what they do now and all this takes time and money.... Maybe the only way is to simplify the system and reduce the payments that are made so there is more incentive to get back to work even for a low wage.... .... not an ideal solution but then there is no ideal solution!

I had a couple out last year -one right at the back was a nightmare... All down to not cleaning between the teeth which causes gum disease.... for me anyway - I use these little brushes now and hopefully won't lose any more... I know what you're going through!

How about getting in there with mobile saw milling equipment, milling the timber, making benches etc? Not an option for Jo public but if you're a pro who already has treework type insurance it's not much to add mobile saw milling as part of your remit. In the summer working with a lad and a trolley you can still get to very hard to reach timber. Also when the council look at the costs of 'not being able to viably move it or do anything with it' that's not necessarily true of other independent set ups.... Most of my timber I get is all 'not viable for anyone to do anything with'....

A more pics would be great..... I've no experience with this sort of mill and they scare me a little.... ok well maybe a lot! How's about getting a vid up of it working?

You've had mine so I won't clutter the thread!

That is a good size lump there Chris. May pinch them pics for when I upgrade the Alaskan site if that's ok? Yep get one of those metal detectors they're a godsend and sort of thing you never knew how you survived without one - esp on this sort of size butt

Nicely done and very original

Excellent