Big logs

[Engineer]

Got three big honkin' white oak logs, 36" dia. at the small end by 6' long, and the other two are even bigger.  Wood-Mizer can't handle these yet until I get them smaller, and I want to quartersaw anyway.  

Should I just get a rip chain for the big Stihl (066) snap a line and cut, or is there an easier way?

[fencerowphil (Phil L.)]

Hey Jon!

If you don't want to wait for a rip chain . . . ,

Look at my post about favorite ripping chains.

What I did was take a cheap 4" right angle grinder with a coarse wheel and grind my own from a full comp. chisel chain.
(Another "engineer" told me that I could have used a die grinder with a 1/16" thick cutoff wheel to trim the raker top plates, but I got it done with just the 4" deal.   He is right, of course.)  If you have your own chain grinder, the job will be easy, but the removal of the side portion of the cutters  to form the raker pairs is not possible on most regular chain sharpening equipment. :(

I followed up with a Dremel tool with a 1" by 3/16 wheel by hand to complete the gullet shaping.  This final step also allowed me to grind "into the tooth" for a burrless edge.
Phil L.
                Or... skip the chain : dynamite still works! :D

[Kevin_H.]

If it were me, since they are only 6' long I would just rip them in half with a chainsaw.

Snap a line and go for it.

[Kirk_Allen]

Why cant the WM handle them?  I have cut a couple of 38" cottonwoods that were 12 feet long on my LT40.  I could only take 1-2 passes before having to rotate but before long, they were down to size and I could have quarter sawn them.

[RevCant]

You've got two (or more ;)) options here.  The WM will cut these big guys.  Instead of thinking of a four sided cant, think in terms of an eight sided cant.  Keep turning the logs 45 degrees until you can get the head to pass completely through unobstructed.  The first pass will require time on the chainsaw in order to get the head through the first pass.  Arky had a good photo of this some time ago on the other forum.
Other options - find a swinger to help ya out ;D ;D ;D

[D._Frederick]

Engineer,
My nieghbor had a WM LT40 saw some large fir logs, over 40inches on butt. While he was trying to chain saw them to fit on the mill, I noticed that when he had the  posts up and the log clamped, that he lost about 6inches of blade use. We put the posts up enough that the log would not roll off and slid the log over, saved a lot of chain saw work.

[Kirk_Allen]

D. Frederick.  Great point on the dog position.  I too had to only bring up the dogs just enough to stop the log from rolling off.  Boy does it suck when they are not up enough and it does roll off

Yes, I did that once :'(

You only have to do it once to make sure you never do it again.  I never dreamed a log could get pinched so tight  between the wheel and the mill rail.  I bet it took me three hours to get that log out of there.

[ARKANSAWYER]

  Also you can load the log onto the mill and cut out a notch in the bark where the log sits on the bed and roll the log over so that it will sit down.  I have sawn logs as large as 42 inches and 12 ft long this way.   Bring them over to the house and I will skin them for you.
ARKANSAWYER

[ElectricAl]

We saw the jumbo logs butt end forward.

Roll the log and snip off the flare. Lean the log stops down and slide the log closer to the mast.


Check out the scale, it's all the way up.

[Bibbyman]

We've sawn a good number of oversized logs on our manual LT40.   Lowering the back supports part way on a manual mill is not an option as there is nothing to keep them from smashing all the way down and letting the log go off the back.  

But just another trick is to take the chainsaw and cut notches in the log where the back supports hit.  I made a couple of cuts about 2" apart and 2" deep.  I then took a sharp steel wedge and knocked the wood out.  Gained a couple of inches when every inch counts.

[Captain]

Jon,

You just keep those big 'uns aside and I'll be by with the swinger ;)

Or if you can't wait.....still got that Logosol?  Ever put it upside down on a log?  Cuts real straight.  Need a ripping chain?  Call me and I'll regrind one for you.

Captain

[Engineer]

Didn't even think about the Logosol.  Yep, still have it, although I need to get around to selling it, maybe.   I could try that, I guess.  Quarter the logs onsite and then load them onto a trailer.  Only problem is, I'd need to rig up some kind of shim to make it work, because the logs are only 6 ft long and the Logosol would just drop right over the ends.  

You tell me whan you'll drop by with the swingblade and I'll have them ready for ya.   ;D  

[Kevin_H.]

We picked up a couple of big ones today.



One down one to go



Well it's on the trailer now we just have to turn it.

I better cut down on posting all the pic, or jeff might cut me off.

[woodmills1]

[size=8]ORANGE[/size][/font]

ALL THE WAY UP AND ALL THE WAY OUT, WITH STOP NOTCHES

[Fla._Deadheader]

  Don'Tcha DARE quit postin pics.  That's a good shot of how to get 'em on the trailer. ;D

[Kevin_H.]

Well Oky Doky here's a couple more. ;D



Above is a pic of the chain running under the logs and the winch cable over the top.



Above is a pic of the log half way up. we roll the log on to a pipe making it easier to turn once it is on the deck.

[Fla._Deadheader]

No ramps or blocks or nothing ???  Guess that size log will mount the trailer pretty easily ???

[Kevin_H.]

We have never used any ramps, the logs just roll up the chain as pretty as you please.

These were big enough that we had to put blocks under the tail of the trailer to keep the rear axle of the truck on the ground. ;D

[VA-Sawyer]

Kevin,
I think you went from 'braggin' to 'showing off' with that last statement. :D
DanG the torpedoes, keep those photos coming, !
Rick