How to get Amazing Slabs from Awkward Logs
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- Chainsaw madness! We are looking at ways to make great wooden slabs from BIG and difficult logs, without the use of heavy machinery.
If you're interested in chainsaw milling, we have written a whole book on the subject: "How to make a chainsaw mill and how to use it: The tips and tricks that will unlock the magical art of planking up fallen trees" get it here: ko-fi.com/s/dd...
We discuss how to manage and move heavy logs by hand using leavers, ropes, pulleys and rollers. And of course how to make lovely slabs from them with a chainsaw! We are using the flowering elbow diy chainsaw milling attachment, made from extruded aluminium - I can now confirm the is much better than the cheapest chainsaw mill on Amazon!
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and check out the CS Milling Power-tips playlist: goo.gl/8mTCyg
Lets Connect!
My website: www.FloweringEl...
FB: / floweringelbow
Hi friend, if you're interested in chainsaw milling, we have written a whole book on the subject: "How to make a chainsaw mill and how to use it: The tips and tricks that will unlock the magical art of planking up fallen trees". Buy it here: ko-fi.com/s/dd5b46e8a8
Hey there friend. I am so glad to have found your channel. I've been cutting firewood for heat on Vancouver Island in Canada for a few years now, and a friend got me thinking about chainsaw milling. When I found your channel with the "super tips", the "field toolbox" and other videos, I've really been inspired.
Hey Andrew, That's Awesome! Thank you for getting in touch and thanks for watching! Any questions, just ask.
Great video as usual. The gear I have collected over the years to move around logs and slabs are woodchuck brand timber jack and log roller, 2 masdam brand rope pullers(think of a come along that you feed a rope through, so the only limit of pull length is the length of the rope), 2 highlift jacks, when things get really heavy I use a Lug All high capacity come along with a telescoping handle(I think it’s 3 tons of pull), a 6ft tall hand truck with 12” air filled tires(this makes working alone pretty tolerable), assorted arborist ropes, high capacity pulleys, high capacity tow straps of different lengths and several threaded shackles. I’ve been harvesting, bucking and hand splitting my firewood for over 10 years, I’ve never paid for heat(7 cords a year) some of the money I have saved has been spent on making this one man enterprise a little bit easier and efficient. Most of this gear I have bought second hand. Some of it is really old but in great condition as well as very well made, I’d have it no other way.
Sounds like you're living with integrity and style 👍
I use a set of forks on a three point hitch on my tractor. I jack it up a little bit at a time and block it. Something else I do is look for the twisted and ugliest part of a tree. There’s beautiful slabs in there.
Its amazing. And you're one of the most precise person at chainsaw milling. But the starting of the video is kinda like Max Egorov's.
Love the vid, you should note the equipment used in the description, so peeps can check that out, too. ;-)
Hello Bango, I really like the video of slabbing tree trunks. I have not done this for years but you have the correct idea dealing with moving the slabs. Can see you got most of the stuff down to a science fella. Keep on milling the slab as my dad would say. Good day and stay virus free too. VF
Hey VF, good to hear from you :D Hope all is well with you. Peace, Bongo.
@@FloweringElbow So nice to hear from you Sir. All is well and look forward to a bright and great rest of the year. How about yourself Bongo ??? Peace to you Sir and stay virus free too. VF
Someone I worked for had a custom made log mover that was like a pair of wheels with a very big pair of log scissor grippy hooky thinks suspended from a bridge between the wheels and a long lever handle attached, so you manouvered it over a log and dropped lifted the lever handle end so the bridge got lower to the ground and the scissors went round the log and then pulled on the long levered handle end so the log would get picked up by the scissors and sort of dangle between the wheels for easy log barrow transport. It was awesome I'll draw a diagram for you some time!
Morning Mad Adam, Thanks for sharing, sounds VERY useful. I have been threatening to build a log arch for ages. I just need to salvage some appropriate wheels and axles and decide what size to make it - really want to be able to tow it with the little quad bike, as well as pull it by hand...
Peace, Bongo.
@@FloweringElbow I hope these threats are taken seriously by the appropriate authorities. This particular design wouldn't work well with a quad as too much forward back momentum made the log sea saw pivot on the pincers and the ends could would dig into the ground if it rocked too much. I guess two sets of Jaws would work but that surely introduces the need for a much more complicated design than a bridge with a single set of Jaws that pivots over the wheels. And who doesn't love the idea of a more complex design?
@@madadam4136 hahaha. Well, so far threats have fallen on deaf ears !
Thanks for the info my friend.
Ha ha, you guys are insane. Last week I made some 3" thick slabs I could barely move. Well done
Hey Leif52pickup, haha right on friend!
First things first…I love your videos. So positive and informative, and you make me laugh. I’ve purchased a Stihl MS461 and want to mill white and red oak trees I’m taking down on my property. ten trees. Maybe less. I’m concerned I may burn up this motor. Although I used it once I could probably talk the dealer into taking it back (for a price) and letting me get a bigger one. Thoughts? Thank you! Paul
Good morning Paul, thanks for getting in touch. How big are the oak logs you will be milling? I burnt through a couple of ms440 cylinders in the early days before reserving that saw for general groundwork and firewood and getting a ms880 we use for milling almost exclusively. I guess if you only have one saw, it depends if you can manage a 660 for general use - it would be a bit big for me... I guess when it comes to milling the bigger the better, but then it becomes less useful as a do-all saw. Hope that helps no perfect answers am afraid...
@@FloweringElbow good morning - cycling Alpe D’huez on trainer. Need that chainsaw motor right now. The biggest is 30-36” wide and 25 meters long. The others are smaller, but all are 18” plus wide. Thanks for getting back to me. Paul
Sorry. Good afternoon.
The usual assortment of chains, slings, ropes, snatch blocks, cant hooks, crow bars coupled with a hi lift jack, hand cobbled pivoting A frame, got me out of most places and a towing shoe coupled with a home made adjustable canter lever wheeled log skidder frame for long distance haul outs.....but most of my work was urban to semi urban recovery so I guess the hi lift jack, ropes and a winch got me out of most tight spots.
Hey Bunyip Dan, thanks for taking the time to share your experience - sounds like your in a different league my friend! I need to get my hands on a high lift jack. Any recommendations? What should I be looking for? know of any diy ones ?
@@FloweringElbow Different hemishere, different trees, same game my friend.....'treasure hunting'.
Hi lift jack same used for four wheel drive recovery......bore cut a hole in the end of log to fit the jack shoe and help you prop logs up to either help avoid obsticals or just better position log for milling. Log skidder just needs a bit of welding experience some steel and a couple of stub axles. Dont have any photos but I built mine adjustable to fit different log widths......two separate 'boomerang' Y leg frames which intersect over center pivots (adjustable location holes) which also double as the log hitch point. Chains used to strap log and the lower frame legs together, haven't really seen same design, but you can get an idea if you google 'log skidder frame'.
@@bunyipdan Nice. Yep, will have to get me a hi-lift jack, and as soon as I scavenge some stub axles and wheels, some log arch/skidder is on the cards :D
@@FloweringElbow Sounds like some great material for future videos.....can't wait.....just never underestimate the potential risk using a hi lift jack, but if you fall trees I'm sure you can grasp the fundamentals.....what ever it takes to recover some of that otherwise abandoned precious resource, have fun and keep up the great work.
Geez, those were some serious slabs. Love the scenery shots! It's like a different world over there. Thanks ;)
Hi Pocket. Thanks a lot! I think I need to make one of your spud de-barking tools for next time ;)
Peace, Bongo.
Thanks that was great. I've never seen it done like that. How do you stop the slab pinching the chainsaw blade and chain as you pass through? I didn't see any wedges pushed in.
There's a wedge at 2'45" and a few others throughout. I'm watching on a big screen though :)
Hi Kieran, Thanks for getting in touch. If you watch carefully, you will see I do put wedges in. It's the only way I know of to stop the pinching you mentioned...
One thing Ive noticed with my saw is that it does tell me when to add a wedge. The sound and feed rate changes as it basically yells "YO! Help me out here!"
Nice point 1320crusier. Though if we are worried about the finish of the board on top, ideally we put wedges in before we get to that point. That way the chain will not have gouged it.
Thanks for the comment. Peace ✌
@@FloweringElbow Yep. Feed rate and engine note changes before it pinches enough to hurt the cut quality.
Hard work pays in so many ways… mini skid loader ditch witch sk650 has saved me with my milling and wood work…
I still wanna know how ya lifted sam ..were you dancers or ya do the yogart stuff ..😘😍😎😁pip pips
Ha ha, we do acro-yogurt ;)
I bulldoze, I bulldoze a lot.
Right on Dandozer!
Pssst psssst ua-cam.com/video/3QkzDWCfgYM/v-deo.html
It is very hard to get the slabs this way. Very clever method but also dangerous method!!!
Hi I think it would be a great idea to get your girl a pair of steel towed boots, the sooner the better. All the best Nick.
I do it in the same way as I build Stonehenge.🤣🤣🤣
Nice but the mask😂darth vader
Great video! 👌
Another great video I am just getting ready to start Milling myself finally got my saw my big bar and I'm making my meal out of 80/20 very similar to yours thank you
Hey friend, thanks for watching and good luck with your machine!
That extruded aluminium sled and ladder is guenuis, how does this compare to a bandsaw type saw?
Hey Bob, check out my video for a little talk about the comparison: ua-cam.com/video/Z5K3iOqf2p0/v-deo.html
What type and brand name chain are you using ?
Stihl Rapid Super, in this video.
Fascinating video. I have a Logosol chainsaw mill, although it‘s been unused for about 8 years now. The Logosol has a weight limit of 250 kgs (from memory), so I quartered my oak logs before moving them onto the mill. A few were just too big so I used the Timberjig, also from Logosol, which mounts directly on the log. A comment on safety. I found that oak has a dangerous proclivity to have ENORMOUSLY different coefficients if static and dynamic friction. Sorry if those are the wrong terms. You struggle to move a large board from the log, but when it finally moves, it slides as if on ice! I also milled a walnut, many larch logs, and black locust. Great days, but I doubt I‘ll be doing it anymore, too old. 🥲
Hi Bongo, I have a question- I've got a 41 inch bar with a sprocket at the end. Can I put the outer chainsaw mill clamp at the end or does tightening it up put too much pressure on the sprocket?
Hi Rusedorange, good question. I believe from what people say that a regular 'clamp-on' mill will indeed squeeze the sprocket too much.
You can however bolt through the centre of most sprockets, and this is what I have done on a number of Stihl sprocket nose bars. an 8mm high tensile bolt straight through the middle, works great!
Hope that helps, Bongo.
Good stuff. And I find a cheap hand winch lag-bolted to a tree or stump works to move stuff
Great, kusos
Thanks
Very nice work Bongo and Sam! I also reckon you should get 50 years life from them. Looked like great fun too.
Hey Alex. Thanks :D See ya soon.
Chainsaw mills are a real pain in the back. very non ergonomic.
I bought a bandsaw mill and a log arch to move 26 inch diameter logs from the woods to my mill then cut dimensioned lumber from the logs.
this can all be done with much less muscle and back strain.
I use a wood tripod 8 boot high and hang a chain fall to lift and position logs on the mill.
I also use a capstan winch and several snatch blocks to drag logs from the woods to a road where i can get the log arch over the log.
I do it this way because i am 72 years old and fat so superman athletics you two are doing are beyond me.
Nice video.
Excellent video...love your creativity in editing. This is a very important topic for me, as a 65 year old, over weight guy picking up chainsaw milling in hot/humid Tennessee. So far my milling has been on a walnut that conveniently fell in my back yard, but my son has 22 acres with a few large oaks that fell across a ravine. That will require some creative milling and slab handling...I promise I'll get help, both mechanical and human. Keep up the great work!
Hi Jakeway. Thanks for this. Good luck with the exciting oaks. Sounds like that would make some good photos. Let me know how it goes. Peace, Bongo.
What you are doing is beyond incredible. Looks like some sweet timber. The main reason I took so long to buy a chainsaw mill was how in the hell do I move the stumps and slabs. Coming up, I'm helping a friend slab some oak grown in NZ, I'd hope it is nice as what you had, but (apparently) the oak grows too quickly here for it to be good for furniture making. In a few years we'll find out! Thanks for the video. Cheers, David
Hey David, thank you for getting in touch and your encouragment :) Good luck with the 'zealand oak project, sounds like a great learning experience. I always thought NZ'z climate and topography to be a bit similar to Wales's (from my in depth experiences with lord of the rings that is!) so I'd be surprised if the oak was all junk. Though there is quite a lot variance between the types of oak, and even within categories, there is a big difference based on micro climate and the particular soil conditions etc... So yeah, each tree's an individual really ;) Let me know how it goes.
I have used bottle jacks and car jacks and a little drill winch to move smaller logs
Morning Lingling Boy, I like that ingenuity.
Hi FE, great, interesting and educational videos. i just bought a Husky 365 special with a 70cc engine, would you put a 42" or a 36" bar on it to cut some cypress slabs?, thanks for your answer and cheers from Chile. ✌🌲
Good afternoon Grafica, Thanks for your message. As to your question, how wide are the Cypress logs? That's the important thing. I'd only try and cut 42" with a hyper skip tooth chain... Otherwise stick to smaller width boards and a regular skip tooth, should get you to 36"...
I have experience having to rebuild engines because I was too ambitious with the cuts, so I tend to give conservative advice.
Hope that helps, good luck ;)
@@FloweringElbow thanx a lit for this super extra fast response!! the cypress varies on width fron 32" to 46", i also bought time ago a mini device to guide the chainsaw using a 2x4" or 2x6", i hope to see your next videos, gracias amigo 👊🌲😎😜
Love the engine hoist idea Bro! Keep up the Great work.
Hey Jeff. Thanks for all your encouragement my friend, means a lot to me. Happy holidays, peace n love, Bongo.
Who needs the gym eh? I replaced 5 oak beams in my house last year, 5m x 20cm x 10cm, just by myself. It takes leverage, imagination and patience, and thinking 'where's it going if it wants to fall?' and you're younger and stronger than me!
Morning Mickleblade. Gym indeed, haha. Those sounds like some mighty beams to be shifting on your tod. Good for you my friend! Excellent point about having the imagination to consider where the beams wants to go. Think like an oak! :D
@@FloweringElbow prepped in the garage, moved into the house by wheelbarrow, lifted up 3m one end at a time with blocks, manouvered into position by finding the centre pivot point. Take a breather after each one....
@@mickleblade That's what I call clever!
Sometimes a seemingly too big peice moves better than one thats just almost too big🤔 i dropped off wood to some friends and they freaked when i told them i loaded by hand cause they couldnt get them out of the truck. And im kinda crippled up.lol and yes your right ,they are dam cool. Great video.
Hello friend
Evening Schauzpig. ;)
Enjoying your videos! Need new fence posts.
How to torch the ends, need to review it. My little brother is visiting. He wants to help me rebuild an old fence to make it last the rest of my life. At 68, planning it to last. I watched the post video first.
I was the youngest girl before my parents had boys. My father took me to work with him, made my lunch, and kept me at hand. He worked as a geologist. He would take me to the oil fields with him. He had a pecan farm. Once the truck broke down at the farm. We had to cross a deer fence to borrow a truck from the neighbor. I was little. He threw me over the fence, and the strong teenager helping him caught me. (I was sure that boy would be my husband. He caught me!). We took a 1922 Model T truck into town.
Glad you and your wife are such good mates!
Thanks for watching and commenting Kay :D
Peace, Bongo & Sam
What do you think your average feet per minute is when cutting. Sounds like most people are around 2 feet of wood cut per minute. Thnx for the great videos!
Hi CrossFire. Good question. It's hard to answer because it depends hugely on the kind of wood, how dry it is, and of course how wide the cuts are...