# Turning a tree into a storage building



## Woodley (Jul 7, 2010)

Hello,

I am clearing a 1/4 acre wooded lot and would like to mill some of the trees and use the wood to make a nice storage building and sell the rest. 
Do I need to wait for the wood to dry before I can use it? 

Is there a market for green home milled wood?

I've got a 14" Poulan Woodshark and am looking at a hand held portable chain saw mill like the "Alaskan Series".

Work is slow so I have to go cheap until the economy improves.

Thanks for the help.

Woodley


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

You might find it more enjoyable to beat your head against the wall instead of trying to mill that much lumber with a 14" anything much less a Poulan. What is that maybe a 30 to 35cc? It can make firewood from small to medium branches as long as you take excellent care of it, but milling the volume of lumber you're looking at is a lot more work than you imagine, even if you had a suitable saw. The drying of the lumber alone is more involved than you imagine. .

You dreams are admirable but they aren't very realistic. Not trying to be a buzz kill, just trying to answer you honestly.


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## Woodley (Jul 7, 2010)

*Saw too small*

Thanks for the tip. 

Do you think a 20" Stihl will do the job easily? Will the wood store nicely in a storage building?
I hate to do it but it might be more economical to just split all of it into firewood.

Jim


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

The length of the bar isn't the critical part of the equation, it's the power that the saw has, and that you are using a ripping chain and keeping it sharp. You can mill with smaller saws, but milling is pretty hard on chainsaw. They get very hot and heat is the enemy of all combustion engines. Although larger saws get hot, those few degrees of difference are a big deal. There's other factors as well. 

I wouldn't mill with anything less than mid to high 70 cc's and I'd only do it then if I wasn't going to mill much. But you want to mill tens of thousands of board feet. You'll want at least a 90cc or better to throw against that much work and still then, it's a LOT of milling you're asking it to do. Better to see of you can find a mobile sawyer to come in and cut on the halves. That's a much better option. That way all you're out of is the labor to tail for him, and you have lumber milled with a finish much smoother than if you used a CSM. 

And the best part? No concussions.


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## jeffreythree (Jan 9, 2008)

I second trying to find someone who will cut on halves. What kind of trees do you have?


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

Yea what kind and how many ? Your chainsaw mill questions are being answered. I will just add my $.02 for what you would have to spend buying a big enough powerhead and a CSM setup (bar, chain, guide) Since you are talking a few trees off a 1/4 acre I would be willing to bet you could just pay to have them milled on a bandmill for less $$$...and you wouldn't have the back breaking labor of milling with a chainsaw. Or find someone to share cut like was mentioned, less wood for you but no money out of pocket.

Your other questions. Yes you would have to dry the wood before you use it. There is a small market for green lumber, the selling price for that is very low (pennies on the dollar for what you would see in a lumber yard for example) You mentioned the slow economy, that doesn't help you on the selling of your excess lumber either, it's slow for everyone.


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