# making your own lumber/mill



## PSDkevin (Dec 18, 2010)

Hey I really want a portable saw mill but the entry price is just a little steeper than I want to spend right now. I was wondering if anyone out there has used one of those chain saw mills? I live in missouri and have access to tons of hardwoods. (Oaks, sycamore, etc) I am just a little skeptical it would be worth it. Any comments?


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## phinds (Mar 25, 2009)

Do a forum search. There have been numerous posts on chain saw mills, some by specific brand.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

We have a few sawyers on this forum that use them. I don't think I would bother to try to make one. I would buy a setup ready to go. If you want to saw up your own stuff...they are worth it.












 









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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

Here is a link, there are more links within it. http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f26/chainsaw-mills-18639/
Milling your own lumber is very satisfying, I don't think personally I would want to do too much of it with a chainsaw mill though. We have some chainsaw millers here who will disagree. Maybe they will chime in and give first hand experience with chainsaw milling.





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## PSDkevin (Dec 18, 2010)

I have a full day job so its not like I have tons of time. And I don't have the room to store a larger mill. I realize I wouldn't be cranking out thousands of board feet a day with a chainsaw mill. I just want the ability to mill out the odd few trees. The Army base I live by allows you to take downed trees. My concern is (not having alot of chain saw experience) does it take forever to mill out a tree with one of these things. I am not scared of a little work but not looking to kill myself either. I would hate to stop every 5min to sharpen or change chains etc. 
I would want to buy one. I didn't mean to imply I would be making the mill itself. I will check out some links.


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

PSDkevin said:


> does it take forever to mill out a tree with one of these things.
> 
> 
> I didn't mean to imply I would be making the mill itself.


In my eyes, yes it takes forever to mill a tree with a chainsaw. But some don't mind I guess.

I edited the title to your thread when I saw it from "Making your own" and added "lumber/mill" so people could find it, making your own was too vague. So the implication you wanted to make your own mill is my fault.




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## Catalina (Jun 11, 2010)

PSDkevin, I was in the same boat as you a few months ago. I wanted an entry mill to putz around with but didn't want to spend the $$ so I opted for a chainsaw mill. I have ran a trim/small chainsaw as necessary to clean up some brush but did not consider myself a chainsaw pro and work a full time job with other obligations so I understand where you are coming from. If you take your time looking and do your homework you can find some good deals but don't forget about the little necessities. The big expense will be a suitable saw with enough umph to not destroy it milling every once in a while, I personally didn't want a saw that was less than 65-70 cc because ripping is the hardest cutting on a saw. Luckily, (I think, lol) I was able to find a very good mid 1990's Stihl 066 (91.3 cc- with the good flywheel) 20 inch bar with an ok regualr chain in a local paper that a guy had for $450 who had used it for firewood for a few years with the saw not used much since 2002-after using it (no decompression valve) I have a whole new respect for the guys that use these saws day in and day out:sweatdrop:. I was able to get a good deal on a used 36 inch Alaskan MKIII mill attachment on ebay-$150 with shipping. I bought a new 20 inch bar, a new 32 inch bar and 2 Ripping chains for each bar for right at $200 from Bailey's. Safety gear-chaps, earphones, gloves, glasses right at $100. So $900 without milling a board was my entry pricing. I have milled 3 times with it so far. First a 14 inch x 7 ft spalted Hawthorn into 3/4 flitches-flew through it, thought wow that thing has torque and is kinda heavy. Second, 2-16-18 inch 8'6" recently felled sugar maple logs 5/4 flitches-good workout arms were tired and yes it is heavy with torque and then yesterday, 4 -14 to 15 inch 5 to 6 footers and 1 -18 inch 10 footer sugar maples all 4/4 flitches- I was whooped at the end,lol- yes that thing is heavy:surrender:. Do I like mine? Yep love it! Do I want a entry level band mill still? Even more so than I did before. If I could go back and not buy the chainsaw mill and put it toward a band mill would I? 95% sure I would still do it the way I did because I can play "Tim the Tool Man" with that saw and at this stage I am comfortable with that investment over the bare bones minimum $3500 for a small entry level band mill that will hold up. Just my thoughts, hope this helps a little. Gene


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## slabmaster (Mar 30, 2008)

*Bandsaw mill*

Hi Kevin, I use a csm to mill all my lumber with. I've been at it for about 10 years now and have milled alot of ASH, Black Walnut, Maple, oak, poplar, and elm with it. It's the best thing that i have ever bought for the money. It payed for it'self the first couple hours i used it. I like the portability of it as i can mill lumber right where i drop the tree. I use a couple different saws(395 husky, 066 stihl) and they have no trouble doing as asked of them. I do like the husky better as they seem to have better power for milling. Another advantage over the band mill is the fact that a short log can be milled as well.That is hard to do on a band mill. Also the band isn't as durable as a chain when cutting through tramp metal that sometimes occurs in logs.I have cut right through nails and kept on going many times. Don't try that with a band mill as it can get very expensive. I can mill almost all day without sharpening the chain. So you don't have to worry about sharpening it every 5 minutes as you were concerned about.


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## Tennessee Tim (Dec 15, 2010)

PSDkevin, 
I've not used a CSM but have ran large saws and am not going to bash them, everything has a purpose and a place in this world. Slabmaster looks like he produces some beautiful wood with his mill. I just figured if I'm taking my time to saw I want as much wood from it as possible. 
From my calculations, correct me slabmaster if I'm incorrect, from every 4 4qtr boards cut on a csm would've produced 5 4qtr boards on a bandmill due to the kerf loss (money in pocket)and from the ripping I've done with my Stihl 064, a small Hud-son 328 (good entry level bandmill) will outsaw going lengthwise.
Most bandmills will hold there monetery value better even after a few years of age.
Only you know your budget and needs and long term plans.
Be safe and enjoy MILLING IS ADDICTIVE!!!!!
Have a Blessed day.
Tim


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## PSDkevin (Dec 18, 2010)

Thanks for the insight guys. I am pretty sure I am gonna go for it. There's a tree on post that Ive been praying it falls so they will let me take it. It's a red oak with a burl that has to be 4' around. Anyway wish me luck in my CS search


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## Jfore (Dec 26, 2010)

PSDkevin said:


> Thanks for the insight guys. I am pretty sure I am gonna go for it. There's a tree on post that Ive been praying it falls so they will let me take it. It's a red oak with a burl that has to be 4' around. Anyway wish me luck in my CS search


If it makes a difference, most burls will not fit on entry level bandsaws. They are usually less than 30 inches. We use our 60" chainsaw mill to cut stuff up to fit on our bandsaw mill.......


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## Chippin-in (Feb 4, 2010)

Maybe check pantherpro.com. he has a pretty neat set-up for a CSM.


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## pwoller (Dec 12, 2010)

slabmaster said:


> Hi Kevin, I use a csm to mill all my lumber with. I've been at it for about 10 years now and have milled alot of ASH, Black Walnut, Maple, oak, poplar, and elm with it. It's the best thing that i have ever bought for the money. It payed for it'self the first couple hours i used it. I like the portability of it as i can mill lumber right where i drop the tree. I use a couple different saws(395 husky, 066 stihl) and they have no trouble doing as asked of them. I do like the husky better as they seem to have better power for milling. Another advantage over the band mill is the fact that a short log can be milled as well.That is hard to do on a band mill. Also the band isn't as durable as a chain when cutting through tramp metal that sometimes occurs in logs.I have cut right through nails and kept on going many times. Don't try that with a band mill as it can get very expensive. I can mill almost all day without sharpening the chain. So you don't have to worry about sharpening it every 5 minutes as you were concerned about.


How do you make it a whole day without sharpening your chain? I can hardly get 2 or 3 passes without having to sharpen mine.


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## reberly (Jan 9, 2011)

I love my Stihl 880 with ripping chains and a 60" bar for cutting table tops, but I can mill a nice log in an hour on my bandmill and it takes an hour to make a single slab with the chainsaw slabbing mill. I think it depends most on how much time you want to spend and what your cutting.
Rich


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## mrbentontoyou (Aug 3, 2010)

I can get *a lot *more than one slab an hour with my csm. I can't see how one cut could take that long unless it was a 40 minute drive away and i stopped for gas and a coffee. 

no, it isn't as fast through a log as a band mill, it wastes more wood and there is likely more maintenance, but it does have some advantages. 

cost, for one. greater width of cut capacity. portability. easier to store when not milling. ability to bring the mill to the logs, and carry out boards. 

in my limited experience, i'd say the two key factors to efficiently make good quality material with a chainsaw mill are:

CHAIN SHARPENING-
get good at it and life it easier. touch up chains often and there will be less re-grinding, quicker cutting, and less effort.

RAIL SYSTEM FOR FIRST CUT-
come up with something that is quick to set up, easy to adjust and accurate. 

the OP mentioned sycamore and oak, and mentioned chain sharpening. my experience has been that (for hardwoods) sycamore is easy on chains, oak is a little tougher but not as bad as cherry or maple. 

in all, it is a very satisfying process with extremely satisfying results. If i had a nice bandmill i'd still keep the csm for big wood, or work in the field.


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## reberly (Jan 9, 2011)

*Slabbing for an hour*

Well let's see, 
First I have to set up the rail system. This includes leveling the log (which I would only be slabbing if it wouldn't fit on the 34" capacity band mill in the first place). This requires loading the long on railroad ties so I am not walking on my knees through chips on the last cut. Then there is the leveling of the rail system. 
Next is the Stihl 880. Fill both oilers, add the mix fuel, start the saw and finally begin cutting. 
Here is the 880 with the small stock 48" blade.
http://eberlywoods.com/Galleries/Gallery4/images/83109slabbingpiles.jpg
The first cut is usally about a 7" thick bark slab for future turning stock, quartersawing stock for the bandmill, or table leg stock. This goes fairly quick since I am only going through a few feet of material.
Most of the logs I cut are as close to 56" capacity as I can get. Since I am slabbing 4" thick table tops of Crotch timbers.
The second cut gives the first real slab. Since the stock is 3-4" thick and usually about 50" wide I wax the figure grain on the top first. Then I put the rail system back in place. Since I am using an 880 that can actually shift the rail system I have to put on a 60-100# counterweight on the far side.
Now I can cut the first real slab. This requires getting the saw started and true for entry into the slab. As I cut, I have to wedge the slab at least 3 times since it will run 150 bdft and up to about 750# depending on the moisture content and the species. I can usually just activate the chain brake to safely insert the wedges. Once I finish the cut (about 10-15 minutes of the process) I have to remove the chainsaw and the top rail. Bring in the skid steer and flip the slab onto a pallet so I can wax the other side, then sticker and cover the slab. Here is an example.
http://eberlywoods.com/Galleries/Gallery3/images/6292010walnutslabcr.jpg
I may not be the fastest sawyer but I don't waste time and I don't see how I could make a 150 bdft of quality timber in 1 hour any faster with either mill. 
http://eberlywoods.com/Galleries/Gallery4/images/123105mill2.jpg
I have been milling for at least 10 years and I manage a forest with 10,000 trees for the third generation. As I said in my original post, it really depends on what you want to cut and how long you want to take cutting it. 
Rich


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## mrbentontoyou (Aug 3, 2010)

well that pic of the huge walnut crotch slab explains it all!!!
I've never had the chance to mill anything close to that big. :notworthy:


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## reberly (Jan 9, 2011)

*Slab milling*

No need to bow, I just cut stock like you described, normal logs on the bandmill and big logs on the slabbing mill. I noticed that you only use your rail system on the first cut. My logosol also has the sled to ride on the log after the first cut, but I find that I get better results using my rail system on every cut since my chainsaw mill seems to snipe on the ends when it runs out of slab if I don't. This may be a problem due to the size of my slabbing mill as well. Do you have sniping issues on your CSMs?
Rich


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## djg (Dec 24, 2009)

pwoller said:


> How do you make it a whole day without sharpening your chain? I can hardly get 2 or 3 passes without having to sharpen mine.


I'm with you. The few times I've done it, I touched up the chain on almost every pass.



reberly said:


> ..... Bring in the skid steer and flip the slab onto a pallet so I can *wax* the other side, then sticker and cover the slab. Rich


I curious, you coat your slabs in wax before air drying? It so must take a lot, where do you get wax (paraffin) in bulk? Beautiful walnut crotch by the way.


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## PSDkevin (Dec 18, 2010)

Okay as I said in the original post, I don't have room for a band mil and I believe I will only have time for the odd tree here and there. I was considering a set up I saw on granberg's site. They have an Alaskan III that looks like the complete deal...mill..rails...oiler..sharpener...everything minus the powerhead. Was thinking that most of the trees I have available are around 2' diam. So I was looking at the 36" bar. For power I was gonna shoot for a husky 385. I have a great husky dealer in town. Does this sound like a workable setup?


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## JMC'sLT30 (Oct 26, 2010)

From what they tell me a 385 is only good for softwood unless you modify it.


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## reberly (Jan 9, 2011)

I use anchorseal from uc coating in 5 gallon buckets. 
Rich


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## djg (Dec 24, 2009)

reberly said:


> I use anchorseal from uc coating in 5 gallon buckets.
> Rich


It sounds like you coat the FACE of your slabs (as well as the ends, I'm sure). I guess what I really wanted to know: doesn't this slow down the drying process - too much?


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## mrbentontoyou (Aug 3, 2010)

reberly said:


> I noticed that you only use your rail system on the first cut. Do you have sniping issues on your CSMs?
> Rich


I do sometimes get snipe at the ends of the cut. 
Always seems to get proportionally harder to keep the mill straight at the end of the cut as the hours milling in a given day stack up. :sweatdrop: 

I'm in the process of re-doing my slabbing rail system to make it easier/faster to set up first cuts, and easier to keep using for successive cuts to avoid the snipe. 

Right now i'm using jointed 2x4's atop shop made plywood brackets that screw into the faces of the log. 
New system is unistrut connected with allthread, adjustable for width and length. 

A tip i read along the way was to have the rails overhang the log by a foot or so at each and so you can place the mill on the rails while you start the saw/cool down/stop it, and obviously eliminate snipe, so that's what i'm aiming for with the new system.


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## reberly (Jan 9, 2011)

My system has at least a foot on each end to prevent snipe and I use the system on every cut.
Rich


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## reberly (Jan 9, 2011)

I only coat areas of stress to prevent checking. It would slow down the drying too much if I coated the entire slab. It might be ok for turning stock.
Rich


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