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Whatcha Sawin' ???

Started by Magicman, December 23, 2014, 12:00:38 PM

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Brad_bb

Well I'm on a Chainsaw mill kick.  I'm going to do everything I have that requires the CSM.  Here is a large Walnut trunk 10 ft long.  It has a hollow in one side with a bunch of carpenter ants in residence.
I got three good slabs.
Slab 1 top.


 

Slab 1 bottom.

 


Slab 2.

 

The 3 good slabs plus what was left.

 

Here's what was left with the big hollow in it.  You can see the start of the ant next on the left side.

 

So I split it down the middle with my chainsaw(didn't take much) and will mill the solid part on the left on the band mill.  I might throw the right side on, but I know I probably won't get much of anything.



I noticed last week after the first ash log that I have some broken teeth it appears.  I don't recall hitting any metal, I didn't see any.  I've got about 5 teeth like this on my 66" bar.  Two are next to eachother, and the others are spread out on the chain.  I was wondering if I should do anything or just keep running.  Should I replace the part of the chain with broken teeth?  I'm thinking not because then the new teeth would be longer/taller than the rest of the chain.  It's a 10 degree grind skip tooth rip chain from Granberg.


Anything someone can design, I can sure figure out how to fix!
If I say it\\\\\\\'s going to take so long, multiply that by at least 3!

Hilltop366

If replacing the teeth you should sharpen them back to match the rest.

Ianab

I would just grind them off and call it a "semi-skip" chain. 

If you have ever looked at the chain on a Lucas or Peterson chain slabber, they run a "super skip", which is a pair of cutters every 8 or so links.  In a wide cut, you won't notice the missing ones. It wont  run rough or jerky because you still have plenty of cutters in the wood. 
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

Darrel

Nothin!

Blew the 225 amp fuse. Called Wood-Mixer Portland yesterday afternoon and 3 new ones will be delivered today. So should be sawing tomorrow. 

When I looked in the fuse box I saw that the previous owner of the mill had used the extra fuse and not replaced it. Bad me for not looking sooner. 
1992 LT40HD

If I don't pick myself up by my own bootstraps, nobody else will.

Darrel

PLook what just showed up!
1992 LT40HD

If I don't pick myself up by my own bootstraps, nobody else will.

olcowhand

Brad,
I'm following your CSM activities with great interest. I just got my Granberg and a longer B/C combo for my MS 461, most of next year's firewood is cut- and I'm going to saw some when I get it rigged with an auxiliary oiler and winch (plenty of tips on how to do on this site.
Between yours and Busybeaver's recent posts, I'm learning enough to be dangerous (hopefully only to a log).
Are all the broken cutters on your chain on one side? If so, does it want to pull to one side like some improperly sharpened 30* chains do (don't ask how I know about that, guys talk!)? 
Thanks.
Olcowhand's Workshop, LLC

They say the mind is the first to go; I'm glad it's something I don't use!

Ezekiel 36:26-27

Magicman

What blew the fuse Darrel?  Bad/loose connection somewhere?  You would never regret replacing and upgrading to the new fuse block and fuses.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Brad_bb

olcowhand, 
The broken cutters are mixed on both sides.  With the experience I have so far, i would not use the winch/cable.  At least you would not be cranking on it hard.  I find, even with the 090 you can bog it down easily in a wide cut.  You have to listen and feel the saw to keep  your RPMs up.  You want to be cutting at full RPMs or close to it.  It's slow cutting.  Also if you're leaning over to push the saw, it will wear on your back.  If I can kneel I do.  It's easier to do when you've cut a few slabs and are getting closer to the ground.

As I've been telling some others, CSM'ing is a young mans game and I'm not as young as I used to be (46).  Last Saturday I was on a marathon to get the second big Ash cut, the next day my back was really sore, and my arms were aching all day.  I didn't feel good.  It was 50 percent better on Monday, and by Tuesday I was ok.  I'm trying to get all the pieces I've saved up for CSM'ing done so I can be done with it for awhile.  The walnut definitely sawed a bit easier than the Ash.
Anything someone can design, I can sure figure out how to fix!
If I say it\\\\\\\'s going to take so long, multiply that by at least 3!

Darrel

Yes MM, it took me a while to find it but the big wire that goes to the contractor that contacts the contact strip had a bare spot in it so I replaced it. Everything in the hydraulic box looks good. 

Someday, I will upgrade to the new fuse block. 
1992 LT40HD

If I don't pick myself up by my own bootstraps, nobody else will.

Crossroads

Nice slabs Brad, I really like the color
With the right fulcrum and enough leverage, you can move the world!

2017 LT40 wide, BMS250 and BMT250,036 stihl, 2001 Dodge 3500 5.9 Cummins, l8000 Ford dump truck, hr16 Terex excavator, Valley je 2x24 edger, Gehl ctl65 skid steer, JD350c dozer

olcowhand

Thanks for the tips, Brad.
Maybe I'll forego the winch and try it without for now.
As for the "Young man's game", I'll have to hurry up and get it out of my system before I get old (I'm only 60)! Only person who calls me "old" is my 8 year old daughter (there's a joke in there somewhere, I'm just not sure of the punch line).
I only have 3 logs saved to try it with; a Beech, an Ash, and a nice 10' clear Hard Maple.
I got the bug from this forum, and want to give it a try. Maybe I'll graduate to a real mill and spend some of my retirement sawing Logs (MM is my  hero, and I want to be just like him when I grow up).
Olcowhand's Workshop, LLC

They say the mind is the first to go; I'm glad it's something I don't use!

Ezekiel 36:26-27

SawyerTed

Olcowhand, 8 year old daughter.....YOU ARE MY HERO!   :D 8) :D 

I tried chainsaw milling for a few years.  It got old quick.  I still use it to cut a live edge or two but once the log is broken down I move to the band sawmill. 
Woodmizer LT50, WM BMS 250, WM BMT 250, Kubota MX5100, IH McCormick Farmall 140, Husqvarna 372XP, Husqvarna 455 Rancher

Brad_bb

Magicman is a freak of nature with the numbers he puts up.  No mortal man can keep up with him.  I kept getting frustrated that I couldn't mill as much as him in an hour, day, week.  Then I realized he is a sorcerer and uses magic.

Alls I'm saying is, CSM'ing looks so easy when other people are doing it, but it is actually much harder work than it looks. It's a tool for when you have no other option.  It's painfully slow setting up the ladder the first half dozen times.  You will get faster with practice, but still takes a while.
Anything someone can design, I can sure figure out how to fix!
If I say it\\\\\\\'s going to take so long, multiply that by at least 3!

mike_belben

I highly suggest making the winch pull toward the sprocket end of the unit.  I had mine in the middle to feed evenly at first and it was very sensitive to slipping the clutch.  I then rerouted my pull rope further away and only use it to advance the far side as if its a partner who always does exactly what i want. 


I used to look "down the barrel" of the log and push forward on the saw handle. I usually face the log now and pull back on the saw handle, resisting the powerhead's effort at pulling into the bark.  At times i am able to actually hold it back an inch or so from the bark and it moves along the cut a bit smoother and a touch faster due to less friction.   This gives me more feel of when im loaded into harder wood and need to let it eat slower, vs when i can push in and move faster.  The saw will yank into the cut and let you know its fighting a tough spot.  I ease off at my end the  crank the winch a hair to advance the sprocket end, then roll the pressure back onto the saw handle at a pace that doesnt bog it down.  Id be in a lot worse a position and a lot more worn out without the winch. 

This is an early pic from when i first built it for a test.  Things have changed but winch is still working good like that.  Other than the uprights loosener up a bit and shoulda been triangular to brace against the line pull.  

Praise The Lord

Brad_bb

I agree, pulling out at the helper handle(on mine) would be ok.  You can't pull very hard or you could bog the saw, but it would be like having a helper. I'd like to see a current pic and how you rig it up.  how does it attache to the log, how you position your hands and body?  Are you see saw'ing back and forth with your mill, or moving evenly?  I just don't want anyone to think you can just crank a winch and it will make it saw faster.  The saw can only move as fast as it can chew the wood, and the saw usually has it's mouth full and has to go at a slow and steady pace.  You cannot force it.
Anything someone can design, I can sure figure out how to fix!
If I say it\\\\\\\'s going to take so long, multiply that by at least 3!

mike_belben

Youre definitely right about that Mr Brad. Im not even cutting big stuff and my 395 isnt hard to stall.  Youre always on the cusp of a stopped chain and backing off.  


The rig is off the saw for bar dressing and such right now but ill get a pic next time.  If its just junky treefort planks full of ant holes and dirt i dont mind rocking it but for nice wood i travel square and slow.  Im new at sawing and just trying to learn it myself while i teach the boy how to make do with what weve got.  Cutting logs open for dissection is really helping me to be a better judge of standing timber.
Praise The Lord

Darrel

2 ¼" X 7" dam boards for one of the local irrigation districts. 

1992 LT40HD

If I don't pick myself up by my own bootstraps, nobody else will.

SawyerTed

I'm not sawing anything at all.  I would need pontoons on the mill.

Considering dimensions on an ark!
Woodmizer LT50, WM BMS 250, WM BMT 250, Kubota MX5100, IH McCormick Farmall 140, Husqvarna 372XP, Husqvarna 455 Rancher

Crossroads

Nice looking boards Darrell, kinda odd dimensions though
With the right fulcrum and enough leverage, you can move the world!

2017 LT40 wide, BMS250 and BMT250,036 stihl, 2001 Dodge 3500 5.9 Cummins, l8000 Ford dump truck, hr16 Terex excavator, Valley je 2x24 edger, Gehl ctl65 skid steer, JD350c dozer

olcowhand

Thanks for all the input, gents; if it's not an imposition to the Band Sawyers, just keep throwing the tips out there as you're posting, and I'll pick it up.
Olcowhand's Workshop, LLC

They say the mind is the first to go; I'm glad it's something I don't use!

Ezekiel 36:26-27

Darrel

Quote from: Crossroads on May 18, 2018, 05:53:05 PM
Nice looking boards Darrell, kinda odd dimensions though
The local competitors of Home Depot wanted $1,500 for that order you see in the back of my truck because of those odd demensions. I under bid them by quite a bit and still feel like it was a very profitable day. Beside that, I cut another 900 BF on another order. 
1992 LT40HD

If I don't pick myself up by my own bootstraps, nobody else will.

Crossroads

Ya gotta love jobs like that, I just st wish there was more of them. I have a bid in on a job for oak blocking for $3 a bdft, that should be a profitable afternoon. 
With the right fulcrum and enough leverage, you can move the world!

2017 LT40 wide, BMS250 and BMT250,036 stihl, 2001 Dodge 3500 5.9 Cummins, l8000 Ford dump truck, hr16 Terex excavator, Valley je 2x24 edger, Gehl ctl65 skid steer, JD350c dozer

Magicman

Yes meeting market niches is where the $$$ are and it really does not matter whether you are selling yourself or a product.  Provided a service or a product that is not readily available and doing so in such a way that the customer has a good return on his investment will insure that they keep coming back for more.

The last two replies are perfect examples.   smiley_thumbsup
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Crossroads

Just had a referral call today, the guy has 32 fir logs that are 24'-32' long. So, that's at least 64 logs to mill. He seemed pretty excited until we started talking about the 2 hour drive and travel charges. In the end he said he was going to check with someone closer. Kinda bitter sweet, I'd love to do a bigger job like that, but I only have 3 days open before I start tearing the roof off my house on June 7th. And that would cut into my prep time. 
With the right fulcrum and enough leverage, you can move the world!

2017 LT40 wide, BMS250 and BMT250,036 stihl, 2001 Dodge 3500 5.9 Cummins, l8000 Ford dump truck, hr16 Terex excavator, Valley je 2x24 edger, Gehl ctl65 skid steer, JD350c dozer

Magicman

If travel and/or lodging is a deal killer then it is what it is.  Saw the ones that you get and don't fret about the ones that you don't get.  It's just part of being successful. 
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

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