2023 Sawing mission

[Ianab]

I did post about this in the "What you Sawing" but I think it's going to need need it's own thread, 

Could the landowner get that 16 x 3 ft Cypress log moved enough to mill it? Turns out his friend's tractor wasn't up the job, no worries I went up and bucked it into more manageable size. We can deal with a ~6ft log as it will makes fence boards or picnic tables.

Like I said in the other post, the trees were taken down when the town put in a new water main, and didn't want random 3ft dia trees falling on it. They left the decent logs, but they were destined for firewood. 

But a bit more about the salvage part. 


This the new pipe and the old tree stumps. 


 

While I don't think the trees were obvious hazards, being on a riverbank is extra risk.  The crew did spread chips as mulch and plant some smaller native stuff that won't bust a pipe if it falls over. 

Anyway I bucked the  big log into ab 8ft and  6ft. That make good 2X4  stud length, and the shorter section will still make fence boards / outdoor furniture.




A couple of Mac trees that where far enough away to be spared. But they are "old" and starting to lose upper branches.  
 

 

[cutterboy]

Will those logs be milled on a Peterson or on a wide band mill? I'd love to see the lumber if you can get some pictures of it.

[thecfarm]

Good for you. That will make some fence boards.   
Sounds like only one 16 foot log? Sawed into 6 foot long logs.

[Ianab]

Will those logs be milled on a Peterson or on a wide band mill?

My little Peterson. We should be able to wrangle a few live edge slabs for table tops though, by flipping part sawed logs over. 

Sounds like only one 16 foot log? Sawed into 6 foot long logs.

Yeah, the logs are a bit over 16ft. I could have just end trimmed them and milled them at 4m, but where they were left didn't allow me to set up the mill, and Paul's friends tractor wasn't up to moving that size log. So we decided to buck it to ~2.4 m and 1.6 m. The longer ones, aim for 2x4s, and the shorter one 1 x 6 for fence boards / outdoor furniture. 

Anyway, he messaged me yesterday to say they had dragged the logs out into a clear space. I've been and checked the mill today, refitted the busted push bar, sharpened the blade, cleaned the air filter etc. Weather looks good, so I will go an get started on it tomorrow. Next week is back to regular Spring Weather (rain), but hopefully we get a solid start on the mission. 

I'm actually more interested in the smaller Sugi logs that are piled up, in the "firewood" stack. 

And yes there will be pictures. ;)

[Ianab]

Started on the short fat cypress log... Might need a little chainsaw work as I work down it, but it's nice and sound.

Having a lunch break now, then back into it. Beautiful Spring day here, but rest of the week has a tropical storm incoming. No weather warnings here, but it will be wind and rain, so see how much I can get down this afternoon.

[Jeff]

Ianab, How long has it been since you had some sawing like this?

[Ianab]

Mill's been packed away for almost 12 months. Good to get it out and make some sawdust. Suspect the body is going to feel it in the morning though.  :

Log was a couple of inches oversize for the little mill, so needed some chainsaw work and shuffling of the rails. But get some nice clear 6x1s. and some not so clear 6x4 for garden edging. 

I've packed up for the day, and forgot to get a final picture, Left the log about 6" thick and will flip that over and load it onto another log, and saw out a chunky live edge table top. 



 

[Ianab]

Got a couple more hours with the mill today. 



 

Common to find hidden defects inside this cypress. An old broken off branch that never fullly healed over.  >:(



 

Or a branch stub that did heal over, but you aren't going to get a #1 board with that in it.  :-\



 

But other parts of the log were great, one tiny knot in the end of this board, so that's about as good as it gets.  Getting nearer to the pith there was more knots, but they were smaller and tight, so you get acceptable boards. 


 


 

Bonus about milling in town, you can get takeaways for lunch  8)





Called it a day (well a 1/2 day) after that. Will get back when there when Paul the owner is available and we will wrangle those chunky bottom slabs over and cut some live edge table tops. (and open up the big redwood log)  I can certainly run the mill solo, but it's 2x the work and 1/2 the production.  :D
 

 

[Magicman]

Yea, I loved seeing the pictures.  8)

[Jeff]

Me too.

[dgdrls]

And that's the beauty of a mobile swing mill. It's way easier to move the mill than the log,

Awesome stuff @Ianab 

D

[Resonator]

Bonus about milling in town, you can get takeaways for lunch 

Guessing lunch was "Fish and Chips"? ???

[Ianab]

Got back to the logs today.  ;)

So I decided to tackle the redwood. Paul told me it was ~4m long, which is the max the standard mill will do. Measured it, and it was 5.1m (16' 8" ?). Rather than lop off 1m+ I bucked it similar to Cypress log, at 3 m and 2 m and could roll the smaller length aside to mill it. 



 
Yup, it's redwood. 



 

Had Lil and the kids there after lunch to help offload. 



 

The boards did get to the trailer.  ;)

 

 


Then we turned our attention to one of the bottom slabs from last week. Because the logs are on the ground instead of bunks, you can't get to the bottom of the log. But then I didn't want to, because we wanted some live edge table tops. But even at 2m long, this was a serious piece of wood, and no machinery in site. OK, back to levers and ramps. I picked up a "4WD recovery jack" the other day, and if used carefully, it will move all sorts of things. We jacked and log hooked the bottom slab over, and jacked it over some firewood rounds and into place on top of a previous log. 



 

While it took some time, no one put their back out or even broke into a sweat.  



 

Pleasantly surprised, the "left over" piece of the log was ALL clear grain, no knots or defects. So I get what short 6x1 "furniture grade" wood I could off there.


 

Checking how much I've got left, get a few more boards off there. 



 

And that's a 6ft x 3ft x 3.5" clear live edge board. I've left that for Paul and told him to take good care of it. It's a sweet table top. 



 

[Magicman]

Oh Wow Ian.  Good logs, good lumber & slabs, Plus Good Help.  8)

[Ianab]

Mission is still going on. Not many pics as I've been working alone without my usual media crew.  ;)

The "4 metre" Redwood log turned out to be a bit over 5m. Rather than losing 3 ft I bucked to 3m & 2m, so still useful lengths.  

Again, single handed and no machinery,  so I jacked the 2m section away and milled that, flipping the bottom 1/3 over onto some firewood rounds to get another live edge slab. 

 

 

[longtime lurker]

Ive done about 5 logs the hard way (ie no mechanical assistance ) in my life. Hard yakka that: hats off to anyone that tackles decent sticks with hand tools.

Getting some nice boards there too mate!

[Peter Drouin]

That can be a lot of work for sure.

[Nebraska]

That looks great!

[Ianab]

Got into the Redwood 2nd log today, More knots and defects, but some good wood still.

Then... 

 

Not a big deal, local hardware store has "starter cord" by the metre, so I will go and get some tomorrow  and re-string the starter. That's a whole other mission, but not a huge expense. 

[cutterboy]

Ianab, I hate when that happens! I always have a problem re-stringing the starter. Just a pain.

[Ianab]

Ianab, I hate when that happens! I always have a problem re-stringing the starter. Just a pain.

Yeah, not too bad as it's the 2nd time I've had to do it. Having 3 hands would help though  :D


Got a couple of hours in yesterday and tidied stuff up. Busted the bottom slab into 3 short sections we could flip up by hand and made small live edge slabs.  This is my "Kitset Coffee Table", with a live edge slab, some 3x3 legs and some random 1" boards to make a shelf.

Some assembly required.  :D



 

We have a heavy rain watch in place at the moment. It's not cold, but wet and ~100% humidity.

[Ianab]

Still going on the mission. A few hours here and there. Got the 3 big logs all squared away and stacked. Then decided how to tackle the Sugi cedar... 2-3 ft dia logs, stacked 4 high  : No machinery  :-\

OK, off-road recovery strap wrapped around the bottom log and onto the back of the Toyota.  :D  A recovery strap has a bit of stretch so you don't get a violent jerk when it pulls tight, but you get the momentum of the pull applied. Flipped out the first log I wanted, so I will deal with that next.



Next log on the big stack on the left is more of a challenge, It's about 30" on the big end and a bit over 16 ft long. But I think if I buck it into 2 x 8ft logs I can wrench those out of the stack. Several large logs are stacked above it. but I'll be uphill and heading away on the end of a 30 ft tow strop at that point. Once the mess gets to ground level then high lift jack, a big log hook and some cunning plans will sort out the details.

[Magicman]

The strap and Magichook are your friends.   

Like eating an elephant....one bite at the time.   

[Ianab]

I know it's 2024 now, but still nibbling away at that Elephant. 

So this morning I did some mill maintenance, stacked the assorted boards and pondered the log stack. I figured the top one was the safest to work with, so I climbed up and bucked it into 2 x 8 ft logs, then jacked them off the top of the stack. Have to reset the jack a few times as log rolled, but some stray blocks of wood take care of that, and add some insurance in case the jack slips out. 



Then jacked it onto the bunks.



Done. 



The other 1/2 rolled clear from the top of the stack. 

[Ianab]

It takes me about 10 mins to reset the mill single handed and not rushing (it's warm and humid) The mill is easier to move than a log. Obviously with machinery you could do this faster, but you work with what you have. 



Checking what we have, ~54cm. Log was slightly oval.  



Skimmed the top of the log, and cut a few 1 x 1 drying sticks 



Then got into sawing mostly 6x1, good for wall panelling etc. Took and hour to get down to this. Left the log log there so I cam flip and saw the other side for a live edge slab. 

[Ianab]

Then I flipped up the ugly bottom slab from the last log and made that into a 2" live edge "shape".





One of the better boards. From what I have read Sugi is probably most closely related to Giant Redwood, but is usually a lighter colour. These trees aren't that old, and were never managed for timber, so the logs have a few lose knots in places. But in the right location they actually grow pretty fast, and produce a light but durable timber.
 

[beenthere]

Ian
You sure could use a LogRite mill special cant hook. 

Cut out that jacking.  

Nice boards coming from those logs. 

[Ianab]

I do have a big log hook, that works pretty well. It's good for rolling logs on flat ground, but it's hard to get any lift to got over an obstacle, or up onto the log bunks. The jack is slower, but can put a lot more force on a log, with minimal effort on my part.

Ideal would be a tractor of course, just not an option here.

[Magicman]

I thought the use of the Hi-Lift jack was very innovative. 

[Ianab]

I thought the use of the Hi-Lift jack was very innovative. 

Ya work with what you got.  I actually thought of it when visiting a local logging museum, and they had some pretty fancy manual jacks for wrangling BIG logs back in the day. If it worked 150 years ago, it probably still works today. 



So the big log hook got the log to the bunks, but lifting it up the slope? Wasn't going to happen. Set the jack, lift / roll it, and kick that chunk of wood in under it when I needed to reset the jack.  A few minutes and I'm good to go. 

[Ianab]

This sort of thing. An old picture of 4 guys using jacks to move a freaking huge log. 

https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/12747/using-timber-jacks

[cutterboy]

lanab, there are a lot of logs in that stack. You better quit your day job and saw logs full time.

[Ianab]

Got back to the log pile again this afternoon. Jacking the next log out of the stack.  Main worry with jacking logs like this is if the jack slips out, what's going to happen? So it's jack a bit, insert blocks, reset jack, repeat as needed. 

It might be a bit hard to see, but at this point If jacked the log up out of notch it's sitting in, and inserted some firewood rounds to hold it up. Now lower an inch so it's resting on those, and I can reset the jack.



Reposition and jack a bit more, and it's clear. FF calculator suggests the log is over 2,000 lb, so you don't want to be under it. 



A bit more putzing around and I'm good to go. Log is 4 meters long (~15ft). Basically the max for the mill, but I can set up the rails where needed, rather than having to shuffle a ton of log forward or back. 



But after cutting a few sticker to open up the log... 



And it got worse as I got deeper in. 



It's a risk you take with salvage trees, or pretty much any log for that matter. I did get some really good stuff, like full length 6" wide clear boards. And the 1/2 of the log above the rot was solid, so probably still got 3/4 of the wood as usable boards, just some of it shorts. Taylor's class has a new laser engraver, and "tech week" coming up. The sugi will be dry enough by then to run some through the planer and drop it off to school. So the shorts wont be wasted. 

[Ianab]

Calling it quits on this mission. Some of the logs are were getting too far gone / punky / bugs from sitting on the ground. Got some good stuff, and most of the last log went up to Taylor's school for their "Tech Week". I'd mentioned to her teacher at the start of the year that I might be able to supply some wood for the "tech" stuff. Anyway he got back to me with cut list, shorter 2x2 and 1x4 stuff, that I could get out of a dodgy log. And some 6x1 that I've planed for their laser engraver. 

It saved the school ~$600 in wood, and they can work with Sugi, as opposed to pine. 

[Magicman]

You made a very nice contribution and one that the teacher and students will not soon forget.    Actually you are a sorta hero. 

[Ianab]

Taylor came home with this today. It's engraved on a little off cut of Monterrey  cypress I'd sent in. Signed on the back by the class, and nicely oiled to show the grain and colour. 

 


   
So they obviously have got the laser cutter working, and now have some wood to play with. 

[thecfarm]

Nice!!!
Looks like your daughter signed it too?

[cutterboy]

That is really nice! Something to treasure for the rest of your life.
This is what life is all about. You share your time and energy and unique ability with your family and community and they in turn show their appreciation by giving their time and energy to you.
I find this heart warming and hopeful for the future.

[Magicman]

The plaque is a nice gesture and the signatures on the back show a very wide variety of personalities.       That is a keeper for sure.  

[doc henderson]

great kids, nice memento.

[Ianab]

Some pics from the school. They got some sponsorship from the local hardware store, but they only needs potting mix. pots and seeds, so they were well stocked with those. 

[SawyerTed]

The plaque and those photos are better than cash!  

[archeryplus]

Very cool mill, alot of great excersize, and sweet looking wood!  Best way to spend the day.