offgridchris

ive been trying to slab a very large oak butt. 18' x 55". i wasnt sure what the customer wanted me to do but he is adamant that he wants the widest slab for a very very large table top. my 50" bar and alaskan wont reach. ive taken a 41" slab off the top today. last year ive slabbed a larger section using a small log mill( 50" bar only attached on one side) and the cut was ok but not accurate. ive phoned rob at alaskan to see if he hires out larger equipment i.e bar and guide rails. if anybody is interested the oak is in mid wales. the other idea is to use a 25" bar and the small log mill. to cut one side and then the other? any ideas appreciated chris

thanks for all the great comments. it really was a labour of love. sitting in it now with the sun streaming in and the wood burner on. the shakes were split with a froe. all 800 of them. i was planning to reroof the main house next year with more but ive decided to saw them instead. a lot of work. the build was inspired buy the main house, which was built by one man and a chainsaw and the book "shelter" by lloyd Kahn. check it out its packed full of information. a log cabin/workshop next.

a few pics of the "finished" conservatory. more to do but we have moved in and enjoying the light and space.

as you will find if you search the forum all mills are different and basically it just depends on what you want to mill and of course budget. ive got an M7 which is great for long small diameter logs. i use a large alaskan for bigger stuff to either break up for the logosol mill, or slab using the alaskan. both great mills just different. i looked at a switchblade saw but they look better for larger hardwood logs and they are more expensive. also my main reason for choosing the mills is how to get the wood to the mill or mill to the logs. hope that helps a bit.

after using this forum for the last 2 years im happy to add my input i hope it helps. all the previous advice is great. the epicondyle straps are good. rest and ice are important. the elbow is susseptable to strain because most of the small muscles which control movment at the wrist attach to a small insertions at the elbow. outside for tennis elbow and inside for golfer elbow. but after 9 years practicing as an osteopath the elbow is often the symptom for a problem at the wrist, forearm and neck. the elbow is not good at adjusting for a slight change in function. so if the wrist is stiff or over worked the elbow has to work harder, which it doesn't like. most of the time there is a tightness/ restriction around the shoulder girdle which again makes the elbow work harder. to resolve these issues an osteopath can help but its also knowing that we have to think about these other areas when working or on the computer etc. my first aid would consist of ice on the elbow and heat on the forearm muscles. a long term problem, acupuncture is great for treatment on the elbow to stimulate a chronic situation. a good physio, osteopath chiropractor can keep you at work. you will know who is good because its a common injury and colleagues will refer if the practitioner can help. hope this helps and if you are reading this post on a laptop which is on your lap and youve been on it a while then know wonder your elbows/neck are aching.

thanks for the help. i tried opening the L screw and it hasnt helped. i reverted back to petrol for the time being although that didnt seem to help, then i gave up for today. im still going to use aspen i just wish i was told i might have issues. when it did work it did make a days chainsaw milling a lot nicer. is it easy to service the carb myself?

ive changed over to aspen 2 fuel and my ms880 runs badly and my ms250 wont even tick over. i phoned aspen and they haven't got back to me.then i found a thread on this forum explaining that i need to adjust the low carb jet. i tried this with no change. looks like my Saturday of sawing fire wood is not going to happen. any help appreciated.

very nice. many thanks the clip has given me a few ideas to make it all a bit easier and cheaper.

love it. thats what i had in mind. although i think ill have to use the old fashioned way to roll the logs on the trailer as suggested by blazer. im not very good at metal work.

ive been looking at ways to lift timber onto my trailer. this is not strong enough but i like the idea. ATV Front Loader - Power Loader if anybody has an ideas how i can use my winch on my quad to load onto a small forestry trailer and also i need to pickup logs to load onto a saw mill (50cm). thanks as always

found this site yesterday. interesting. ive got a mini mill but ive always found it a bit inaccurate on larger logs. seems like its me rather than the mill. Bill's Wood Creations, How to Make Quartersawn Lumber With a Chainsaw.

i have just started to use the arborol which you dilute with 4 parts water. it seems to work on my smaller 25" bar for milling. has anybody used it on larger miling jobs and is it better or worse? also i states that you cant mix with normal mineral oil. so switching between oils may not work. any thoughts appreciated. and just to say thanks for a the help from this site the past year from the professionals to us part timers. ( extension nearly water tight and pictures to follow in the new year)

ian, ive emailed them about using the burner with green sawdust, but no reply. im about to test our rayburn as a sawdust burner. my plan is to dry the sawdust in the bottom oven and then fill the fire box with saw dust with a cardboard tube in the middle. a bit of sand on the top to stop it burning. the sawdust will be lit from the bottom ash pit. if its enough fuel to heat the hot water tank i'll be happy.

ive just found info suggesting the moisture content only has to get to 60% for the sawdust burner to work. im hoping to make a double barrel stove next year and use it in a wooden hot tub. anyway the project is on the list. i just have to bag up the sawdust and store it for later.

Ah interesting, i was hoping to burn it, but trading it to livery yards and turning into mulch is better than letting it rot. still waiting to hear from british hardwoods about their sawdust stove and if it can burn green sawdust?

now that ive set up a more stationary mill in the woods im accumulating a large pile of unseasoned sawdust from milling with a chainsaw. i was going to give some of it away to friends with small pets, but apparently its bad for their eyes or something. so the next thought is to just collect it up and bung it in a hot rayburn? all i can find on the net is for dust with a low mosture content. i may collect in hessian sacks and leave for next year? at least the chickens love it. i cant believe people Haven't got a use for it. any ideas?

many thanks for the replies. ive redrilled the hole to be a bit bigger than the nail. blunting the nail is interesting . i think the need to predrill depends on how you split the chestnut. i think drilling isn't necessary if they are split radially. i split mine through, to give bastard shakes. all being well im go to nail a few on tomorrow. fingers crossed.

im in need of some urgent advice for how to nail my 700 sweetchesnut shakes which i have recently split. i was under the impression i needed to predrill the shake? so i drilled a 2.5mm hole 3" from the top. now is the hole to small for a 3.6mm nail? should the nail go through the middle of the tile thus making predrilling imposible ( advice from a large supplier). im bit lost about whats right and any advice would be very welcome. thanks chris

ian, thnaks for the reply. just as i thought. funny how when somebody sounds like they know what they are talking about you tend not to question it. im gonna redrill them all. thanks

mike, the alaskan is a great bit of kit. ive found that it is great for larger bits especially where they are just slabbed. i found the process very slow for smaller logs which i just wanted to square off and use as 6"x6". so i now use the alaskan on stuff i cant move and the logosol m7 on bits i can or after they have been broken up. not sure about the timberjig, but i think it is designed for smaller softwood logs. if you can, just avoid what ive done by thinking you will only need a smaller setup. you will want to mill as big as you can. ive brought 3 sets of rails and bars. all mills have there place you just have to decide want you want to do with the wood and mill. goodluck

i know this isn't strictly a milling question. i have split 700 sweet chestnut shingles(shakes) and have just predrilled them with a 2.5mm drill bit. now im nailing them on im worried that i should have drilled them with room to spare around the copper nail (diameter 3.35mm). i don't want to drill them all again but i really don't want them to split after ive put them on the roof. any advice welcomed. thanks chris

thanks for the reply's. got the rafter spacing to 600mm and they are all in.

harvey, we wanted space, freedom, simple but busy living and we found the house in the local paper. the plans are on a google sketchup file. if you want a copy then let me know. does anybody know anything about roofing and fittting velux windows and stove flues?

after many months the oak frame went up yesterday. all done with an alaskan mill, using wood from our woodland. cant wait to finish it and knock through.

alec how did you get hold of your ripsaw? i tried to contact the company earlier this year with no luck. good luck with the extension.