# Maxing out your mill



## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

I run a little http://www.taschmid.com/ manual bandmill. I have done just about everything I can to tear that machine (and myself) up for the last 5 years. Today was no exception. Around here things go in spurts as far as logs I can get being an urban logger, I just saw what shows up . I had not seen much sugar (hard/rock) maple for awhile, now that is all that is coming since I told my sources I needed some. I have grade sawn plenty and have it air drying. I decided to try to make some rustic/live edge slab table/bar tops. The pictures show what a little mill can do. 28" wide at the widest, 2 1/2" thick and 9'6" long. Not bad for a little 13 HP Honda and me pushing it. Hard maple is not easy milling, with 24"+ of blade buried the old girl was huffing. We made it through another day :thumbsup:. I was huffing too, trivia question for you math whizzes. Wet sugar maple weighs 59 lbs ft3...what would (this is an average because of the width variation) a 24" X 9'6" X 2 1/2" slab weigh ?...AND does anyone want to come help me next time :sweatdrop: :laughing:


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## dirtclod (May 7, 2008)

Daren said:


> ..AND does anyone want to come help me next time :sweatdrop: :laughing:


 
:thumbsup: You come and pick me up :scootern a Saturday morning and have me back by Sunday evening on a weekend that's not too hot nor too cold. I like good conversation, free food:chef:, good drink :drink:and a nice soft bed without any nasties. arty: I'm ugly,:1eye: so don't try to introduce me to the neighbors. (Got a privacy fence?) But I will work. :hammer:


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## Marauderer (May 22, 2008)

Daren said:


> Wet sugar maple weighs 59 lbs ft3...what would (this is an average because of the width variation) a 24" X 9'6" X 2 1/2" slab weigh ?...AND does anyone want to come help me next time :sweatdrop: :laughing:


1 ft3 = 1728 in3
24" X 9'6" X 2 1/2" = 6830 in3
6830/1728 = 3.952
3.952 ft3 X 59 lbs/ft3 = 233.20 lbs

Yes I want to come and help but being in the Metro Atlanta area and with the cost of fuel, it just isn't going to happen.


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## firefighteremt153 (Jan 25, 2008)

I'll throw in on the gas money Barry if you swing through Marietta and pick me up. Of course we're gonna need to bring a trailer with us for all that wood we'll be bringing back to Atlanta.


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

As much rain as you been getting you might hollow that slab out to have an escape canoe ready. 

So are you gettin enough Maple to make a palett for pallet trade maybe? :shifty: 

My wife, and her husband, would really like to have some killer Maple in time to finish the house. :smile:


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## Marauderer (May 22, 2008)

firefighteremt153 said:


> I'll throw in on the gas money Barry if you swing through Marietta and pick me up. Of course we're gonna need to bring a trailer with us for all that wood we'll be bringing back to Atlanta.


I have a 5X10 utility trailer that can hold up to 3k lbs. When do we leave? I can tow up to 7K lbs if you can get a bigger trailer.


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

TexasTimbers said:


> So are you gettin enough Maple to make a palett for pallet trade maybe? :shifty:


Not as of yet, still backordered from the little drought I was having . You can see how big that log was and even near the heart (you can see it in the mill picture) there is still included bark. All the stuff I have been getting is about more work that it is worth. This log was shaped like a triangle :confused1:. How does a guy go about making a square cant and get anything from it ? I have more to mill, but some of them are rotten in the heart :thumbdown:.I shoulda just put this chunk on a pallet and sent it to you, bout the best piece I have milled from this little jag I have gotten. It has been several months since I have even milled a hard maple...and am totally surrounded by them, it is the most common tree around. (I'm gonna whine a little here) with the expected price of heating fuel this winter _way_ to many good logs are getting split for firewood.Sugar maple makes good firewood. A felled tree is not done bouncing before some dude with a chainsaw and log splitter is all over it. All the nice round/straight/manageable one...I am getting the ones too big to split and rotten ones (ok, done whining) I hope to be getting some more nice ones soon. Seems things usually just kinda work out for me


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## Marauderer (May 22, 2008)

So Daren, when is next time out?


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

Marauderer said:


> So Daren, when is next time out?


Every day. I am milling today, just in now to make a couple phone calls.


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## Tweegs (Sep 8, 2007)

Phone calls?
Looks like yer surfin the web to me:laughing::laughing::laughing:


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

Tweegs said:


> Phone calls?
> Looks like yer surfin the web to me:laughing::laughing::laughing:


Ok, make a couple phone calls and answer business emails. I get email notification on replies to my threads, so I had to have a look. :smile: ( I was "on hold" anyway with some supplier :furious


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## Terry Beeson (May 29, 2008)

"Multi-tasking".... Good man.... Were you also drinking beer, eating a sandwich, playing solitaire, watching Andy Griffith reruns, and vacuuming the house while on hold?


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