# What's a good tool to resaw valley oak by hand



## ObtainiumMaker (Oct 2, 2012)

Hey all, got a newbie question here. I picked up 4 logs of valley oak from a friend recently and want to mill them out by hand (I don't have the machinery to do it, and am hoping to avoid the expense of paying a sawyer).

The logs are each about 48" long, between 8"-10" diameter. I've been looking at frame saws and pit saws. Would that be a good route for a first-time DIY mill job? Is there another type of hand saw that I should look for?

I've read around and see that a lot of folks suggest going to a sawyer or getting a chainsaw mill rigged up, but I'm really invested in doing this by hand if possible. 

Thanks for the help!


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

Wow......I'd find a new hobby before i'd mill by hand.......I'll give ya credit though....thats a bunch of work!!


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## Manuka Jock (Jun 27, 2011)

Before you get to the re-saw stage , you have to saw , as in mill the logs .
So I take it that this thread is also about how you can go about doing that ?
A log that is 8''-10'' dia at it's head will yield at an approx. 6''x6'' cant.
Logs 48''s long could conceivably be vertically hand sawn with a two person rip (pit) saw . 




As to the resawing , that will depend on the dimensions of the timber from the first sawing .
Depending on the size , a ripping bench saw , a carpenter's 4 point (hand) ripsaw , a bandsaw , a chainsaw , a two person pit saw ....... and so on , will all do the job 

What tools do you own , and what tools do you have experience with ?


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## ObtainiumMaker (Oct 2, 2012)

Manuka Jock said:


> What tools do you own , and what tools do you have experience with ?


Yep - I'm a newb  milling first. Sounds like a two-person pit saw would be the way to go. Thanks!

As for tools and experience...not a whole lot. I do have an old (1980s era) Granberg mini-mill (G-555), but no chainsaw to go with it and not the slightest idea how to put it together - it was kicking around in my dad's attic.

Beyond that, all my tools are chisels, planes, and braces that I inherited from my grandfather.


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## ObtainiumMaker (Oct 2, 2012)

ryan50hrl said:


> Wow......I'd find a new hobby before i'd mill by hand.......I'll give ya credit though....thats a bunch of work!!


It's a labor of love project, but I hear ya'. Sometimes I wonder what I'm getting into, and then I'm into it and there's nothing to do but finish what I started :thumbsup:


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## Ibangwood (Feb 25, 2010)

Does anyone on this blog use google? Lol blows my mind


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## Manuka Jock (Jun 27, 2011)

What blog ?

Post the link on this forum page so that we can all read your blog :thumbsup:


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## Manuka Jock (Jun 27, 2011)

ObtainiumMaker said:


> It's a labor of love project, but I hear ya'. Sometimes I wonder what I'm getting into, and then I'm into it and there's nothing to do but finish what I started :thumbsup:


 " bugga , trapped by a fanciful idea AGAIN  "


:laughing:


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## ETWW (Mar 27, 2011)

For working solo, I'd recommend a one-man crosscut saw like the one in the following link: http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/one-mancrosscutlogsaw.aspx 

I watched the video of "Alone in the Wilderness" where Dick Proeneke sawed out planks with a similar saw. Of course, he was sawing Spruce, not Oak.


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## Manuka Jock (Jun 27, 2011)

Crosscut saws are next to useless for breaking down (ripping) logs .


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## ETWW (Mar 27, 2011)

Manuka Jock said:


> Crosscut saws are next to useless for breaking down (ripping) logs .


That saw in the link (and others like it) are 3-tpi with very deep gullets. They are more than aggressive enough to make long grain cuts. In fact, a similar saw with a ripping profile would probably be too hard to push through the cut unless one were extremely musclebound.

For carpentry saws, I agree that crosscut saws do not perform well on rip cuts but a timber saw is a different tool altogether. They can be used for both crosscuts and rip cuts.


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## Manuka Jock (Jun 27, 2011)

ObtainiumMaker said:


> Hey all, got a newbie question here. I picked up 4 logs of valley oak from a friend recently and want to mill them out by hand (I don't have the machinery to do it, and am hoping to avoid the expense of paying a sawyer).
> 
> The logs are each about 48" long, between 8"-10" diameter. I've been looking at frame saws and pit saws. Would that be a good route for a first-time DIY mill job? Is there another type of hand saw that I should look for?
> 
> ...


 OM , 
check out this thread , 
the info is good and the members may still be on this forum 

http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f11/old-fashion-pit-saw-12586/index2/


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