farmerjohn

If you can get a genny what about the smaller terkmets? Though Halle of genny to maintain and keep. I have been in touch with them and an trying to save up for a manual one but with a 1200mm capacity and I'll just turn them with my digger. I'd just like to say mate. Good luck with your new business and a massive thank you as you really have given so much time and information and help to everyone in the milling forum and it genuinely has inspired and helped me so much.

i have found, as im sure you have, no matter what your capacity you always want a bit more. i feel although you can get a bit of head wabble if you are pushing it through too fast it does give you a bit more options as apposed to a 4 post frame.

Hi jonathan, i have access to a old woodmizer LT25, its hand wind, petrol engine. as much as its old, it is easy to fix. any problems we have had we have fabricated stuff to fix it. the 3 i can think of was exhaust off the engine, we got a genetic exhaust and had it welded to the manifold mounting of the old one. the rope on the hand wind snapped and we put some blue draw rope on (and that was 2 years ago) the 3rd item was the tensioner on the band failed so we made a bracket with U shaped bracket and a threaded bar to tension the band with a wrench. it does not look the tidyest but it cuts logs steady away. the thing about a woodzmizer is the cantilever head, you can get larger logs on and take a bit off, turn it, a bit more until it goes through. the only issue i have with my mates set up is the mizer is in an open sided shed with a roof to keep rain off. the roof is too low so we cant use his forwarding grab to rotate a log, and i cant get my micro JCB under otherwise i could do it with a strap and use the digger. its surprising even with 2 descent cant hooks and 2 descent size men on each end how much of a struggle and how much time it takes to manually manipulate a log when its maxing the mill out. a few foot on the roof would have allowed my digger to save us a lot of hassle, but it is not my building and am very greatful i am able to use the machine so am not complaining but if i was starting from scratch i would change this.

cheers squaredy much appreciated.

Thanks a lot for all the info, very useful. When you say that cost us per cube, instead of per hoppus foot? If so how do I work out a cost per cubic foot of timber in the round please? Thanks, john

Hi All, thought i would give a slightly tong in cheek update and my thoughts on chainsaw milling. as per previous post i ended up buying an old 50" cut double headed chainsaw mill for reasonable cost of £400 including a new chain and 2x 075 saws. one was was a little rougher than the other and struggled to start, tick over etc. I gave the saws a good clean, new air filters, sprockets, exhausts, one a new clutch. Being very excited about 'having a go' i decided to test it out on a very rotten beach log, packed and screwed the ladder on, started the saws and myself and a friend look the maden voyage, they absolutely flew through the very soft beach. the log was around 40" across, 8ft long and it made the cut in around 40 seconds. to get out eye in we cut 2 slabs off and were very pleased with ourselves, a few hi-fives and we packed up for the day. A few evenings later we we keen to have a go on bit of timber not as soft. We set up another low value but a lot less rotten stick of beach again, set the ladder up and went for it. MAN did we notice the difference, and i really noticed something else.... The vibration seemed very harsh on my saw, i had noticed the AV mounts looked a bit perished but was keen to get out first decent slab off. We set up and went again, about a 1/4 down the log i felt something wet on my hand, i looked up thinking it had stared to rain, and realised the petrol cap had unwound and it was fuel, i picked the cap up, screwed it back on, gave the thumbs up to my mate and we full throttled again and pushed on, about 1/2 way down the air filter cap unwound, and that and the air filter dropped off, i picked these up, re-fitted whilst still running, but by this point hand dearly shaken myself to bits. gave my mate the signal to stop. turns out the AV mounts were absolutely shot and the saw shook so badly that the nuts holding the barrel in position had unwound to give 5mm clearance from the big end and the barrel, this has ended up scoring the barrel and psiton, so a bit bigger re-build job than inteneded. Still, it has been a lot of fun and i have learned a lot. the biggest is only fools rush in.

Hi All, I have the opportunity to buy some nice straight Ash, Cedar Of Lebanon and maybe some Laylandii. I will be milling the timber into wide boards for table tops, what sort of money per hoppus foot are people paying for the odd large stick with easy access from a tree surgeon, I want a fair price to both of us so we can hopefully do more business in the future with other timbers. A cost per hoppus foot for the following would be handy, both for large logs 40” + DBH and 10ft long. And smaller like 24” DBH 10ft long Oak, Ash, Cedar of Leb Laylandii PS what is Laylandii like milled? I am interested in its visual appearance, and its properties. I have firewood quite a bit in the past as I have been told its all its good for and even then it spits. Recently I have been told to plank it and it us usable as cladding as it is similar to WRC (I am very sceptical of this). Thanks, John

awesome 4ft oak. Who has a mill in the south lakes are please? Id be interested in haveing a look at it if it is possible please. regards, John

2 lenghts i have not cut into yet but have been blown over a number of years not months like the ones above. 16" to 12" diameter 18ft long. (2 number about the same size)

straight long stick 20" to 12" diameter 19ft long

Large Lim 18" - 12" diameter 10ft long

Large Burred stem: 34" DBH 22" diameter just below the crotch, 17 ft long

Hi all, I have the opportunity to purchase some dead burr elm tree. I want to offer a fair price for the timber so would be grateful of peoples input as to what they would offer for the timber to mill. extraction and haulage is pretty good, apart from my time i think it would cost me around £100 to get the timber out and to the mill. The trees have been dead standing for 20 odd years (assuming got DED in the 80's) and have only recently blown over. I have cut into the trees, the large diameter tree does have rot setting in, although brown it is not too soft. there is a large lim from further up the trunk that is sound at both ends. the 3rd is a very straight sound stem. There is also some plan elm that may be a lot sofer but i have not cut into that. please see photos and size below. Any advice on a fair costing is much appreciated. Regards, John

CDRM, Looks awesome, I have been wanting to make a kiln but small scale (3.2m long, 1.5m wide, about 1.8m tall) i was thinking of a similar idea but i was going to fibreglass the inside to stop the timber degrading. It looks like you have the fan blowing down the length of the timber rather than across it (the same way i was thinking i would to it as mist of the timber i will dry will be around 3m long. if this is the case will you run the stickers down the length of the timbers, and do you have a fan at the opposite end to blow the air back to get good circulation. does the fan suck the air through the sliding box, past the heater and back out? Thanks, John

hey James, thanks for the time the other month regarding our conversation about a lucas. so i decided to try this double headed set up out as it as way less investment and allowed me to mill the big sticks i have in as and when i get chance. i got 2 brand new 100 drive link chains with the mill that need joining, when i have lined one of them up, it looks like its going to be around 180 links long. (im at my misses where the mill was delivered and no tools here otherwise id be into it straight away!!!!) i was looking at the hyper skip chain, but it is stated it leaves a slightly rougher finish, i did think the 27AX Oregon Full Skip Semi Chisel re-filed to 10 degrees might be a good compromise as it look to have slightly bigger gaps between teeth so a little less sharpening than a standard Oregon ripping chain. do you generally touch a chain up after a few cuts or change it for a sharpened one and sharpen them off site? Thanks again, John

i hear you guys!!!!!!

im not sure what my local stihl dealer is like at cross referencing parts from one saw to another etc, but hopefully ok. I have used L and S a lot but did not see parts for 075av or the 051 on the website, just 2 older saws then the rest were all MS models. Hopefully my local sthil guys can sort out the parts, as the saw without baffles in the exhaust is LOUD!!!! and i am assuming that even if i can get an exhaust, getting the bolts off at the manifold without snapping them might be more difficult than getting the parts. I am hoping to get them services and sorted to have a bash next weekend as the frost has allowed me to get some big oak and spalted beach off a field that has been too wet to travel. will post some pictures up once i have done a bit

I have bit had the chain off yet but I think that's the number of links the bloke I bought if from thought it was. Out of inteest when milling and the chain becomes a bit dull is it faster to give it a touch up with one of the 12v grinders or change the chain?

Hi All, I have just purchased a second hand double headed mill with a pair of 075av's. It's running .404 chain, what's the best chain to buy, main consideration is quality of cut and the chain staying Sharp over cost, though there are around 200 links so it's a fair difference in cost from a cheaper chain to a top end one. I am going to but an auxelery oiler. One of the saws pretty much does not have any baffles in the exhaust, does anyone know if it's possible to get parts for these saws any more. Regards, john

I would also check the obvious and slacken the blade off and check for play in the bearings both large wheels are running off.

here are you photos, Its a fair stick that mate, will be some beautiful timber

Hi All, I have been looking for a previous post. I am not sure if it was in the milling or woodcraft forums, ill see if I get any reply's on here. there was a link to an American miller / joinery website that made simple but very effective single slab tables from wind blown timbers only. I think most of the legs were very similar. I don't think the thread was solely about this, just someone put a link to the site as a comment. I was just wanting to show my misses the site for some ideas. If anyone can remember it please post the link. Thanks, John

64" wide, is that each board or the whole area to cover using narrower boards?

also, what price per hoppus foot should i be offering for these elms? they will be to fell but pretty close to a track for collection