Log size for sawmilling

[farmerdoug]

Hi,

     I have been lurking here for quite a while and signed up a little while ago.

  My Question is what is the smallest size log is worth saving to saw.  We cut firewood for the house and greenhouses.  We cut and skid the whole tree to the yard and cut it up for the stove which is a Central Boiler(the size just below their pallet burner).  I am getting a bandsawmill this spring and would like to set aside the logs worth cutting for boards.  We are cleaning out the fence lines right now but we have 50 acres of woods also.  It is all hardwood.  Ash, red and white oak, soft and hard maple, elm, hickory, basswood.  Any help on this would be appreciated but do not say all of it as I do need firewood also.  I heat six 28x48 greenhouses plus the house.  I will tell you that heating a greenhouse can be like heating the outside for those of you who are interested in doing it, but it sure beats paying for the gas or oil to heat it. 
I have saved a couple of red oak logs so far as they were so nice I just could not cut they into firewood.  They are 10 inch by 13 feet and 12 inch by 16 feet on the small ends.

Thanks for the help

[Tom]

On most band saw mills you will have trouble dogging anything less than 9 inches.  9 inches on the small end will usually square 6 inches.   Open your hand real wide and it will be about 9 inches from tip of thumb to tip of Little finger.  That is a good measure for the small end of most logs.  Keep the smaller logs to  lengths of 8 or 10 feet.   Longer than that and you might have trouble making them clean and square all the way down.  They aren't always real straight, you know. :D

It's also a strain to maximize the mill.  If your mill will cut 30" diameter logs then you will make your best production on 12" to 20" diameter logs. 

If your mill will cut 20 feet long. Then try to limit your log size to 16' .   It's a lot easier to hit the mill if you leave some room on each end.  Save the long stuff for when you absolutely have to have it.

Welcome to the forum, Farmerdoug.  You're going to like this. ;D

[Furby]

Yep, what Tom said! ;)
You can cut the small stuff with no problem, it just tales lots of time.
You will end up with plenty of firewood from the slabs and such, as well.
If I was in your situation, I'd probly save the better 12" on up (small end) until I got the feel for what I wanted to mill. Maybe save a few of the better smaller ones and try cutting them just to get the feel.
You can always cut a "mill log" into firewood, but it's kinda hard to turn a piece of firewood into a real nice "mill log". ;) ;)

Oh, and welcome!

[Corley5]

I don't mind sawin a few 6" white cedar logs but I hate sawing a whole bunch of 6" popple >:(  A small log here and there isn't bad but a whole whack will drive you off the deep end ;)  All your time is spent dogging and turning instead of actually sawing.  I had one job that was a bunch of little popple and if I ever do one again it's gonna be worth MY while ;)

[farmerdoug]

Thanks for all of the replies.

I have looked at the end of a 10 inch log and seen what lumber is available in it.  I have to agree on the 9 inch and larger rule.  Besides the smaller wood is alot easier to load in the furnace and I do need the firewood. 

[Cedarman]

Look at it from the point of view of what makes you the most return for the time invested. You might want to start with the biggest of the most valuable that will yield the most valuable lumber and work your way down.  Decide how much value you need per hour and saw to the point of breakeven. Why saw a log just for the sake of sawing it unless you create good value with it.
Years ago my son and I sawed all 4 sides of 5 and 6 inch cedar into tapered  posts at the rate of 1 every two minutes on a totally manual mill.  Production was good because we were efficient.  So efficiency has to be taken into account.