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milling pine

Started by mcarso1, March 10, 2009, 03:58:50 PM

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mcarso1

Posted a week or so ago about what to do with pine logs. Well my wife and I hauled them all back to the farm yesterday and are anxious to get them ready to mill. Question is they were just cut up into 13' lenghts, 20" plus diameters and there are 25 of them and they are sapping pretty heavy. Do i need to wait to mill them due to the sap or can I start milling now? Do I need to do anything special for my bands due to the sap? We are going to cut various width 1" thick to finish our basement so should I just square it up and slice from one side or roll it each board?

Tom

I cut wood, expecially pine, as soon as it comes off of the stump.  I want it so fresh that it squeals when the sawblade hits it.   Yes, it's messy, but the sap is fluid and heavy blade lubricant keeps the blade fairly clean.  I use water and sometimes a little dish soap in the water.  You will get all kinds of suggestions from water to diesel to corn oil to, probably, French Perfume.

I get boards and 2"x4's as I square up the cant.  Some of the clearest boards will come from the outside because the knots are fewer.   Once the cant is squared, I usually cut it through.  I may have to turn it 180 to eleviate tension, but I don't usually do what hard-wood sawyers call grade sawing.  'Course, if the board looks good on the side of the cant, I might take it, but I've found that I'm usually more interested in the widths being the same rather than looking for that "perfect" board.

I usually cut paneling as 7/8" thick, which is accomplished on a bandsaw mill by using the true scale and not allowing for kerf.  That is usually considered "nominal".

I cut stair tread at 1 1/2" to 2", nominal; and furniture wood at full quarters  4/4 or 5/4 or 8/4.

You will end up with sap on everything, but the fresh logs will cut truer and you will have less blue stain and insect damage.   The sap can be removed from hands or clothing with WD-40 or rubbing alcohol and a hot water wash.

SwampDonkey

Quote from: Tom on March 10, 2009, 06:03:39 PM
I use water and sometimes French Perfume.

You will end up with sap on everything, but the fresh logs will cut truer and you will have less blue stain and insect damage.   The sap can be removed from hands or clothing with WD-40 or rubbing alcohol and a hot water wash.

;D Who's tailing Tom? Paris Hilton? ;)
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Tom

What an exciting day that would make.   I'll bet my wife would stay out of work to help if that were true.  :D :D

Dodgy Loner

I also like to mill pine as soon after felling them as possible.  Some people prefer blue stained pine, but I prefer my wood without any stain.  The warmer it gets, the quicker you need to get the wood sawed and stacked to keep it from staining.
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." -John Ruskin

Any idiot can write a woodworking blog. Here's mine.

Haytrader

 ::)

I'd come all the way to Floorda to see them legs,,,,,er,,,,I mean logs.

:D
Haytrader

SwampDonkey

I'm with Tom and Dodgy, get it milled ASAP and stacked. I hate pine stain to. Not so bad if it's superficial, but when them darn bugs make holes and carry it inside, forget it.





Little ...  :-X :-X
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

DouginUtah


If memory serves, going back a few years, Tom did have for a while a rather attractive female tailer.

Maybe the picture is in Tom's gallery????
-Doug
When you hang around with good people, good things happen. -Darrell Waltrip

There is no need to say 'unleaded regular gas'. It's all unleaded. Just say 'regular gas'. It's not the 70s anymore. (At least that's what my wife tells me.)

---

Tom

Ah Yes, Doug, Those were the days.  ;D


backwoods sawyer

Tom has the right idea, get the helper that is going to be the most help and get the logs milled up. I like to add pine sol to the water jug, but if you like soap then use soap just as long as it cuts the pitch. I cut "1" and 7/8" for out side siding and ¾", and 1/2" for inside paneling. Cut plenty of stickers out of the first few logs so that you have a place to stack the wood right off the mill rather then moving it three times. Leave the logs at 13' this will give you plenty of trim so you can trim a knot or defect out when it is time to use the wood.
Backwoods Custom Milling Inc.
100% portable. . Oregons largest portable sawmill service, serving all of Oregon, from our Backwoods to yours..sawing since 1991

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