# Chain saw mill



## Dgp2426 (Dec 31, 2011)

How long should I let my tree age before milling it?


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## Ibangwood (Feb 25, 2010)

Long time


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## ETWW (Mar 27, 2011)

Dgp2426 said:


> How long should I let my tree age before milling it?


If it's already cut down, then mill it asap. See this thread for more info... http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f26/drying-whole-logs-17401/


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## Dgp2426 (Dec 31, 2011)

Would you recommend felling and milling in the same day


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## cody.sheridan-2008 (May 23, 2010)

Dgp2426 said:


> Would you recommend felling and milling in the same day


That's the idea if you can. I think (inexperienced)


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## woodtick greg (Sep 12, 2011)

If you fell the log and cant get to it right away just seal the ends, anchor seal works well or a heavy coat or two of latex paint will work well also. sealing the ends slows down the drying and helps to prevent checking. Once sealed I have milled logs that have been down for a year and they were fine. Having said that, I try to mill asap.


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## ModCo Design (Oct 17, 2011)

I've had a few trees fell before, they were big and I didn't want to mess them up, so I did some research and asked some experts. 

Here are a few things I would recommend, have it fell some time between fall and winter, because the tree would be less saturated at that time making it easier to handle and transport. Then I would seal the ends like everyone suggests (I prefer anchor seal over anything else) and I use one of those pump spray bottles like for gardening. 

Then here is where the options change, if you have a place to store rough sawn lumber for over a year stacked out of the weather would be one option. Another option if you had no place to store rough sawn lumber outside but had a place to keep the logs, you can leave them in log form for years (depending on the wood of course) until you had a place to keep all the lumber. And another option would be to have it milled, dried, and placed in your shop. 

Either way I've found that when it comes to felling and milling, limitations end up dictating our choices in these matters. Preferred method would be wait a least a year before you mill the log, then once milled, stack and air dry, which if stacked correctly will give you the least amount of movement in the wood, and often give you a richer color. Air drying rule of thumb is one year per inch, and after wards you can start bringing it in to continue drying. Usually best to have the wood between 7%-10% moisture content, most furniture makers prefer 7%.

All that being said I'm not an expert at this by any stretch, but I have had dealt with about five trees so far ranging from 24" diameter black walnut to 10' diameter maple.


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

ModCo Design said:


> Preferred method would be wait a least a year before you mill the log....


:no:


.


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## wood player (Jan 21, 2011)

I just milled some cherry and popolar logs cut a year ago. both had some acceptable lumber but also a lot of waste. Unless you are going to spalt it then cut it as soon as possible. There is no advantage in waiting. I once milled up a walnut that had lain for 20 years, sap wood gone and rest as wet as the day cut down.


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## ModCo Design (Oct 17, 2011)

Daren said:


> :no:
> 
> .


I knew I should have explained this part more, I meant this was my preferred method, due to my limitations this is what worked best for me.

I would keep these logs off the ground (on a trailer is where I kept most of them) and when I would have space open up I would mill them and stack them with weight on top. While on the trailer I still sealed the ends and personally have not had an issue doing it this way. Here are a few pics of what I had. 
The maple was dying on one side so that was cut right away. The walnut on the trailer was cut after about six months.


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## cody.sheridan-2008 (May 23, 2010)

that is some mighty fine timber!


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## Dgp2426 (Dec 31, 2011)

Is oak any good to mill


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## woodtick greg (Sep 12, 2011)

Ask daren. lol


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