# Motorcycle jacks as log lifts.



## tribalwind (Dec 7, 2008)

Hey guys, 
i dont post much on here but really appreciate the tremendous amounts of ideas and knowledge gleaned from all you pros here' 
i've yet to mill anything large,just some 6' or so pieces from local treecutters (long island ny,near nyc) but look forward to doing so sometime.i have a 36alaskan on a 395xp..

anywho. i came across this canadian fellows website..he's truly a genius i think!yopu have to see the rest of the site...some of his jigs and wood projects are really slick.. 

but this particular idea i guess was invented by a friend of his...
guy tweaked some motorbike jacks to lift logs....

http://woodgears.ca/chainsaw_mill/index.html

thought that was pretty clever! has anyone doen that here? 

i recall reading a post long time ago on arborsite.com
of someone that would dig a shallow pit beneath the log to get a regular carjack under it(resting on plywood etc).eventually getting sawhorses under it like that...less eqpt to carry in with you but this setup looks a lot faster and well,study.

what other ways do people get them off the ground?(if at all) 

he writes of using a com-along to get the log up if he's alone..wondering what the other end would attache to.nearby tree?the jacks?
bike jacks are a lil pricey.maybe harborfreight has something that'd work:shifty:


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

I remember talking with that guy you linked a few years back, good to see he is still around.

I don't run a chainsaw mill, I assume getting the log up off the ground takes some of the back breaking part out of it ? (bending over and pushing the saw)


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## Juniperlampguy (Nov 11, 2007)

what other ways do people get them off the ground?(if at all) 

[/quote]

Not the same, but I once used a cherry picker (the jack used for lifting car engines) to build a log house. After I had the subfloor down I would roll the cherry picker around on the floor. It worked pretty good lifting logs up to about header height. (about 7')


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## jeffreythree (Jan 9, 2008)

I have a motorcycle jack from Pepboys that only cost $70 a few years back. Can't even pick up my current motorcycle with it since the exhaust runs under the frame. Never thought about using it with my Ripsaw. Could have helped some, maybe. I think my floor jack and a couple of sawhorses worked better (the patented Woodshop method:icon_smile.


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

I have lots of respect for all you chainsaw millers. It is lots of hard work. Talk about earning every board foot of lumber milled, you fellas do. And it's not just the relatively slow, loud milling that is most of the work. Few who mill with a chainsaw have the kind of equipment most band sawyers do. 

Though I do chainsaw mill, I only do so on big crotches and so I look forward to the activity. I have a big boxelder crotch I need to mill now, but if I had to mill every log that way I don't know if I could enjoy it as much as I do now. 

tribalwind if you aren't already familiar with Will Malloff check out his site too. His book can be found on Amazon but is always pricey because it's out of print and still sought after.


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