# Chainsaw rigging question



## clarionflyer (Apr 27, 2008)

Howdy guys,
I know I used to see a rig for roughly milling logs into boards. Nothing fancy or expensive (wife's starting to get me on a short spending leash :laughing.
It's a guide you attach to your chainsaw - which follows a board you tack on to a log. I've been searching the internet and I can't seem to find it for some reason (know it's there somewhere). Any ideas?
Thanks in advance.
Dave


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## Oscar (Jun 7, 2008)

I have an Alaska saw mill that I think meets what your looking for!! I got mine through Northern Tool internet services.


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

http://www.beammachine.com/ search ebay, they sell for $20 there new. With proper planing a guy could cut actual boards with it (and alot of loud, slow, backbreaking work of course, any chainsaw milling gives you that fun bonus )


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## TS3660 (Mar 4, 2008)

These things are ok but from what I learned years ago, the teeth on the chain need to be sharpened in a different way. Chain saw chains are made for crosscutting, not ripping, so you have to sharpen the chain for ripping. I don't remember if that means more or less rake, or more or less cross angle, or what, but I do remember that those jigs don't work unless you sharpen the chain for ripping.


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## mdlbldrmatt135 (Dec 6, 2006)

I've seen Ripping chains available for some saws........


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

Yes ripping chain is required on hardwoods. http://www.baileysonline.com/search.asp?skw=ripping+chain&PageNo=1&x=6&y=12
You have to modify (open up) your bar oiler at the very least, some chainsaw milling requires a dedicated lube system. Of course your $250 hardware store chainsaw is just not going to cut it, no pun intended. You are going to need some CC's and HP's. I have a Jonsered 2095 turbo, 93.6 cc- 7 hp (kinda like a small dirtbike in my hands)...I have ripped some logs out of necessity, alot of work :yes:.


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## clarionflyer (Apr 27, 2008)

:laughing::laughing::laughing:
Thanks guys... knew you'd know.
My dad just lost a red oak and I grabbed two 6' pieces - around 18"'s straight through (I took the small stuff). Thought I'd play around a bit. Just for giggles.
He's got about 10 acres of virgin woods (mostly enormous beech). Not sure if beech is worth anything.


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

clarionflyer said:


> Not sure if beech is worth anything.


Yes, more than red oak to me.


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## clarionflyer (Apr 27, 2008)

Hey oscarratm, do you like that Northern model? That's about what I was looking for.


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## clarionflyer (Apr 27, 2008)

So.... :shifty:

For just playing around with these 2 little logs... do you think I need the ripping chain?
I was just gonna try milling them a bit - a little table saw - a little jointer- a little planer - etc.


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## clarionflyer (Apr 27, 2008)

If you haven't noticed Daren... you've started to wet my appetite for expensive machinery and knowledge about something I know nothing about!


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

Cut them into 3' sections and use a mallet and froe and have 1/4 "sawn" oak. It does not take expensive machinery...just a little appetite for the knowledge of wood, which you have. I was trying to talk you out of sinking money into a futile, never ending, 1/2 hearted attempt at making usable lumber. Go "old school". http://www.greenwoodworking.com/
I have a sawmill, ok not a real "big boy" one...but I still have a mallet and froe. And draw knives and spoke shaves and hand planes...


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## clarionflyer (Apr 27, 2008)

Thanks Daren... that's good stuff.


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## Oscar (Jun 7, 2008)

Clarionflyer:

I bought the mill for based on it's original intent & purpose which is cutting in the bush, in which case they do certainly live up to their reputation. As previously posted, it can/is a Bear to rip with a chainsaw. However, ripping Pine with the chainsaw mill is a hell of a lot easier than Red Oak! They do offer specific ripping chains and I have a couple of them (considerably more expensive) but it would still be a lot of work with the mill in question. I started milling personally with it using a Huskie 395XP and now am the proud owner of a Band Mill. Simply as I can put it, having the Chainsaw mill is better than having no mill and I used mine for more than a couple of the small jobs like your describing but be prepared for some mighty sore muscles and joints and several changes of chains! Just hope you have a good saw with lots of guts. Best luck and let me know if you have any other questions??


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## slabmaster (Mar 30, 2008)

I use the alaskan and it works great for me.It's farely inexpensive to buy ,and can be payed off the first day you use it.It's also very portable in the woods.


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## bugman1954 (Apr 1, 2008)

*Boardmaster mill*

I have the boardmaster from Hudson. Here is there web site.
http://www.hud-son.com/hand_tools_access.htm


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

Clarion, get *THIS* book. After reading it, and re-reading it, and referring back to it all the time, you will know more about chainsaw milling than 99% of chainsaw millers who have never read it.

If my picture here looks exactly like the one on the Amazon website, it's not because i snagged it off Amazon, it's because I am the one who put it on Amazon. IOW I own it and can tell you firsthand it is indespensible. Best treatise on the subject bar none even though it was written 26 years ago.


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## clarionflyer (Apr 27, 2008)

Hey guys,
With all of your help I was able to mill a few boards. So far, I just quartered a 4 foot log (18"'s straight through), and squared it up on the tablesaw and jointer. Surprisingly, I got quite a bit of beautiful red oak (1/4 sawn ... complete accident - lucky) that I'm gonna dry for a while.
Of course I gotta new cell phone with a fancy camera and I can't get the $#&#%$ thing to upload pictures to the computer. But I'll send'em out as soon as I can. 
This is exciting stuff... free wood! It's a lot of hard, sweaty work but the rewards are worth it.

Tip: Moronic me left a piece on my new jointer while I ate dinner (about 30 min). Yep, big rust spot. It came off easy enough but you'll always see the spot. Be smarter than me :huh:.


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## clarionflyer (Apr 27, 2008)

(off topic) P.S. Anybody know how upload pics from the new LG Shine phone?


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

I don't :no:. Can you send them to your e-mail then have them on your computer to upload ?


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## clarionflyer (Apr 27, 2008)

Daren,
You know I'm not lucky. 1/4 sawn lumber... the site you sent me to said to first quarter the log... etc.
Thanks.


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## clarionflyer (Apr 27, 2008)

Well, I'm not sure what's going on but... anyways...I'll try again...

Daren,
You know I'm not lucky. Quarter sawn logs... the site you sent me to said to first quarter the logs.... etc.
Thank you.


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

clarionflyer said:


> (off topic) P.S. Anybody know how upload pics from the new LG Shine phone?


Grab any 9 year old kid off the street and you'll be a pro in 10 minutes. :laughing:


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## clarionflyer (Apr 27, 2008)

To make a really long story short, I lost the pictures of my bigger log milled up (damn computers). The logs came out nice but now they're drying and I can't get to them to take more pictures. But here's a couple pics of my sample log (just a couple feet long) I cut to see the grain and experiment with quartering techniques. I think the wood's nice - and it was a lot of fun.


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## clarionflyer (Apr 27, 2008)

P.S. TexasTimbers,
I got advice from my 8 year old niece on how to load the pics... thanks, it worked :laughing:.
I can fly a 50 million dollar airplane with computers all over it, but this cell phone is killing me!


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## Terry Beeson (May 29, 2008)

clarionflyer said:


> P.S. TexasTimbers,
> I got advice from my 8 year old niece on how to load the pics... thanks, it worked :laughing:.
> I can fly a 50 million dollar airplane with computers all over it, but this cell phone is killing me!


:laughing: CF, I answer calls from physicians every day who can take your heart out, put a new one in then remove a tumor from your brain and then replace your knee with a metal one that works even better than the original.....

But do they know how to double-click a mouse? :wallbash:

Hey... I work in IT and I get my 12 y/o step-daughter or grandson to do most of my cell phone stuff.... :laughing:


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

Since I was only half kidding, that means I was half serious too! All the kids know how to operate electronic gizmos because they grew up in this world of software. Just like you and I can pick up a tool with a blade in it we have never even seen and master it in minutes, their tools all have software in them. I have recently mastered the remote for the TV, but no more than I watch the dern thing I still need a refresher course from time to time. :laughing:


Nice wood. Real nice. Watchya gonna make?


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