Gnomic

Has anyone got opinions on prices achieved for cut logs ? We are a charity managing 100 acres of woodland including some sweet chestnut. We're planning to have 9 acres coppiced over the next 3 years and there seems to be quite a bit of interest. What sort of payments could we expect ? We'll also have some ash and sycamore logs, is this worth anything ? Thanks in advance

Hi all, I just milled a large beech branch that broke off a tree in June. I got 6 boards about 2m long and 30 to 40 cm wide. I'm planning to make a table from it. Some of the grain and colour is fantastic with some deep red areas. I've never seen beech this colour before, is it unusual ? I've stacked it with stickers for now, but I find that it gets a white mould growing on the grain lines in a few days - see pic. Will this be a problem ? I was considering spraying with dilute bleach, which would kill the fungus but might affect the colour. What do you think ? I milled it with one of those £80 Chinese chainsaws which worked OK but kept breaking down. It took about 20 minutes to run through the centre of the log. I used the ordinary crosscut chain which was more effective than a Granberg chain. I've got some video if anyone is interested.

Thanks for the reply, I have a mill from Kin Engineering, looks Ok but no guard to catch a broken chain. I'm going to add that. I'm having trouble finding a ripping chain to fit. I think I could get the Granberg one but it's got those hardened teeth which would be a problem to sharpen. I may have to get a crosscut and reshape it to 10 degrees. Anybody got any better ideas ?

Hi All, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on my plan to mill a beech log 19" diameter. I've bought a cheap chinese saw, 58cc with a 24" bar. I think it's s a bit underpowered for the job so I'm wondering what sort of rip chain to fit. Semi-skip chisel tooth seems to be a suitable compromise. Chain size is .325 0.058x94DL If I can't find one the right length I guess I could get a longer one and have it remade to the right size, or buy a longer bar and chain to suit. Any comments on practicality or suggestions on sources ? Mike

Hi Alec Thanks for that detailed reply and for our long chat. I think I'll roll the log to a suitable position, right side up and see what kit I can borrow or find between now and the end of the summer. Maybe there is someone in North Kent who would be willing to lend me some kit to try out milling.... Mike

Hi Alec Thanks for the response, the advice sounds good. Yes, I meant Alaskan, dunno where I got Arkansas from...I must be in a state... I'm undecided about doing it myself or getting someone such as yourself in. I have access to other logs from time to time including a large fallen oak which is just across the road from me, so it would be nice to have kit of my own. I imagine I'd spend about £150 on the mill and rip chain and I have a couple of possibilities who might lend me a suitable chainsaw. The beech log is about a mile away from the road up a hill, so it would need a 4WD and trailer to recover it. I reckon the weight is about 330kg. If I had it cut at 50 mm intervals I imagine that 7 passes would give me 6 boards about 40 mm thick plus the remainder would be suitable for legs ? So could you give me an idea of what it would cost to mobilise my house in Strood, do the cutting and recover the timber to my place ? It's only about 10 min to the nearest road access point to the log. Mike

Hi All, I'm after some suggestions. I have a beech log, still green, it broke off a tree last week. I'd like to make a table out of it. The max diameter is 19", length is 8ft. I've painted the ends with PVA so it won't dry out too quickly. I've read the posts about the Arkansas equipment and that seems the way to go. Which Akansas mill would you suggest ? I have a friend with a Stihl chainsaw ( about 50cc) but the bar is too short, so I have to get another one, plus a rip chain. Do I need a more powerful saw ? Is it better to mill the log while it is still green, will it get harder as it dries ? Mike Rochester, Kent