The Forestry Forum

I have several large oak logs 40in and my mill will only handle a 32in. dia. log .You can see where I tried to slab the log down but a 20 in. blade just isn,t long enough.How abought some more ideas fellows?  cecil(https://forestryforum.com/images/04_01_03/trees%20008%20(WinCE).jpg)
(https://forestryforum.com/images/04_01_03/trees%20009%20(WinCE).jpg)

 I take smaller slabs, and try to make it look like a double octagon. My mill will do 18" but I've gotten 24" on then slabed down using a 16" bar.

Little slabs is the key.  Make the log into the shap of stop sign.  

The link below is of quarter sawing but you can see how the log was cut to fit.
http://www.countrysawyer.ca/index.php?page=quarter_sawing

36" is my mills limit but we have cut into the forty inchers by taking small bights at a time.

I used to think these great big logs were great but the extra time and difficulty in handling them has changed my opinion of them.

Maybe I need to do some research on a swing blade?.
 

The first thing to do before you put a big log on the mill is to measure its height.  The mill head must be able to clear the top of the log and the guides clear the sides.  

If you are using a four post mill, then the legs of the head must also clear the log.

If I can clear the top of the log then I load it and center it on the mill as best as I can. by raising or lowering dogs and raising and lowering my clamp, I can take advantage of the space between the head of the mil[ and the side of the log this way.

If a part of the log doesn't clear, then I remove that piece with a chainsaw.  

Do not raise the mill to its highest point to make the first cut or you might not be able to return the head of the mill  Pay special attention to the amount of log that fills the opening in the throat above the blade.  Small amounts can be taken off with the chainsaw but it really gets to be a chore when you are up against the log and the blade is in the kerf. There is no where to go.

Sawing big logs is likened to whittling.  I prefer to do it with a chainsaw until I can manage the log.  I don't try to turn the log until I've cut enough off of the top such that it will fit in the throat of the mill once it is turned.  

Yes, I agree, over sized logs are not as attractive to a sawyer as they may be to a customer.   There is definitely a point of diminishing returns.

A log that is 2/3's the capacity of the mill is certainly quicker
handled and produces more BF per hour.

If a log is too big for the mill,  I find that halving it with a chainsaw and then trimming the edges of the halves so that the half will stand on edge on the mill will salvage the most good wood.  Sometimes I'll half the half (quarter the log) but can't cut straight enough to save as much wood.

I had some oversize logs to cut down to size.  Here is the link to Rosie and his saw.  https://forestryforum.com/cgi-bin/board/YaBB.pl?board=sawmill;action=display;num=1067663586