Too Heavy ??

[Ianab]

I'd do it.  ;D

My little mill maxes out at 36", but as you can see I didn't move the log very far from the stump. Tractor could lift one end of the log to swing it around clear of the stump, and slip some bunks underneath, then set the mill up around it.

[kelLOGg]

I halved a 34" water oak with my 20" Husky and doubt I will ever do it again with a small saw. Took 2.5 hrs. Great wood and worth the effort.
Bob

[nativewolf]

I'd do it.  ;D

My little mill maxes out at 36", but as you can see I didn't move the log very far from the stump. Tractor could lift one end of the log to swing it around clear of the stump, and slip some bunks underneath, then set the mill up around it.

Those big logs are where the swing mills really shine.  Nice log.  Besides at that weight they are not going to shift too much so you can even mill short stuff.

[Kbeitz]

If you've ever sawed pecan, you know it gives new meaning to the definition of a hard wood. Probably ate up a dozen blades over the course of a week sawing all those pecan logs. Mill went through them real, real slow but hey, cutting a full-throat log is putting a whole lot of friction on the blade even with lube.  Ended up with mostly 1 1/2" slabs that I planned to make furniture and counter tops with. Long story short: after air drying a couple years, I found an entirely brand new meaning for the "hard" in hardwood. Couln't sand the slabs (too wide for a planar) and couldn't do anything to smooth them down. To this day, I have a few dozen of these slabs waiting for me to buy a humongous planar that can handle them. Keep waiting, pecan, your day will come (or not).



LJ

Google router plane.

[John S]

If I'm not mistaken, I believe the mill is rated for a load of 4400lbs.  I would not risk my investment, but that's just me.

[WDH]

The really big ones just tear stuff up. 

[LaneC]

BOOOOM. Blow it in half. I think a pound of ffff powder is 20 something dollars. Go to you tube and type in" blowing log in half with gunpowder." I have some cannon fuse if you need any. Matter of fact, I have some powder too. Let me know if you want to try it.

[dgdrls]

I'd do it.  ;D

My little mill maxes out at 36", but as you can see I didn't move the log very far from the stump. Tractor could lift one end of the log to swing it around clear of the stump, and slip some bunks underneath, then set the mill up around it.

x2   swingmill ;)

[ljmathias]

Kbeitz: thanks for the idea on router planes. Great for making grooves and fixing/smoothing dado cuts. Not sure how a hand-drawn groove cutter helps make pecan flat- maybe there's something I'm missing?

Interesting development regarding pecan. I decided to build an end-table to put my books, computer, phone and "stuff" on next to the couch I usually work on. Explored my stacks of dry wood, some 5-6 years drying, some since Katrina. Found some light weight yellow poplar I forgot I had- just the right width to double up for the table. Planed them and measured one board at 12 feet =  enough for all the shelves ranging from 12" to 22" to 36" so that's great. Had another piece I thought was also poplar- color about the same but t little darker. Planar smoothed it nice so I cut it into thirds to make the legs. When I started screwing it all together I realized my mistake: pecan! Ouch. Too late in the day to find another poplar board so decided to muscle through. Broke off several screw heads and one drill bit, stripped three drive bits but finally was able to set screws (most of the way anyway) with enormous effort pushing as hard as I could so the driver would keep spinning the screw and not just the bit rounding out the screw head. Whew, what a job. Finally got it finished and only took me about twice as long as it would have with all poplar boards. Good news: those pecan legs will never split or give in any way, locked in with multiple screws held tight by the hardest wood I have access to...

BTW, you all probably know this but pecan is the outcast brother of the outcast hardwood hickory. Make beautiful furniture if you have the right tools and your hands and arms don't fall off. Mine almost did, and I'm sitting here aching from the effort and trying to figure out why I didn't just pull another board.  >:(

LJ

[Southside]

ljmathias,

Guys will use a router plane, think end mill for wood, set the bowed slab up so it won't move, then put a frame around the slab.  That frame serves to hold a sled in which the router rides both across and along the board.  The router bit is below the sled and comes in contact with the wood, depth is controlled via the router plunge depth.  Then you make passes back and forth over the slab removing material as you go.  In reality you are surfacing the material not planing it, but the end result is the same.

If you set up your slab right, off set the high and low points, and have enough material to work with you can end up with a flat surface when it's all said and done. There are videos on youtube showing guys doing this.

[Ianab]

A better description is a "Router Bridge".  The plunge router is mounted on a "Bridge" of some sort, so it can be moved back and forth above the board. As long as your rails are straight and parallel, everything over a certain level gets skimmed off, leaving a perfectly level surface that just needs a bit of sanding.

They can be varying sizes and complexity, This is my rig on the frame of my old mill.

v





You don't need that fancy, lots are made simply from plywood with the router sliding in a U shape bridge. Just it was the easiest option for me as the rails / height adjust / carriage etc were already there.  The swing blade mills even have the option of a "planer head" that replaces the blade with an oversize "router bit". Gives you a ~20 hp "router bridge for cleaning up slabs even faster.

[Magicman]

My option is still two weeks away, but if I can get it, I'm gonna saw it.  I'll jump butt it to get rid of the butt swell and let him load it onto the sawmill.  I will not split it nor buck it shorter.  It will all be sawn into 16' 2X8's for my own use.

[paul case]

bridge repair material for at the tree farm?

PC

[Kbeitz]

They now sell a face cutting router bit with replaceable knifes for this job.

link

[Ljohnsaw]

Not sure how this topic morphed into router sleds, but here is mine.  Capacity is about 50" x 90":

 

Made it using angle iron and sliding glass door wheels.

[Kbeitz]

I'm gathering up stuff to put one on my saw mill bed.

[Magicman]

PC, yes materals for the farm.  The pier needs new joints and the barn needs work.  It is so seldom that I have access to White Oak that I cannot let this pass.  I got plenty of replacement bridge decking with the other logs.

[bigred1951]

A white oak that nice big and straight around here would bring at minimum a $1 a bf. I'd cut it down load it up and sell it to a mill.

[hopm]

What would be on stump price?

[BigBurOak]

Here in the Hoosier State, it would be worth about 600-700 bucks if it graded average; top quality could go all the way up to 1200.

[Brucer]

If I'm not mistaken, I believe the mill is rated for a load of 4400lbs.  ...

The hydraulic loader is rated for 4400 pounds. As long as you don't drop the log on the mill, it should take it.

Lynn, when I had my manual mill I managed to turn some "impossible" logs by dousing the bed rails and side stops with a water/detergent solution. It's amazing what a little extra lubrication can do.

[ljmathias]

Didn't mean for this thread to morph into one on router sleds. Seems to fit given the topic of really big logs and what to do with them.

Thanks for all the information on the router use for cleaning up slabs. Never would have thought of that and looks doable. I'll see what I can fab up for one...

LJ

[LeeB]

If I'm not mistaken, I believe the mill is rated for a load of 4400lbs.  ...

The hydraulic loader is rated for 4400 pounds. As long as you don't drop the log on the mill, it should take it.

Lynn, when I had my manual mill I managed to turn some "impossible" logs by dousing the bed rails and side stops with a water/detergent solution. It's amazing what a little extra lubrication can do.

There's always time for lube.

[Magicman]

Thanks Bruce, I had not thought of lubing the bed rails. 

For some reason "slop your dripper" (Archie Campbell) came to mind.   :D

[Darrel]

 :D :D :D