Shopsmith Forums

Chuck;

Well, I bit the bullet and bought an Alaskan sawmill attachment for my chainsaw. It should be here sometime this week. I've still got quite a bit of limbing to do before I section the logs and start milling lumber. I'm going to quartersaw the oak myself, which will be a bit of a challenge, but I can always plainsaw it. I measured the hickory yesterday and the main truck is a clear 40 feet before I get to smaller limbs!! I haven't gotten around to measuring the oaks yet. I'm going to lose quite a bit in the kerf because it's a chainsaw chain, but I figure it's a good way to get my foot in the door of milling my own lumber. One of the two downed oaks has a limb 13" in diameter, so it'll definitely be useable. I'll let you know how many board feet I get.

I've had an Alaskan mill for years. They work well, but plain sawing is what they are favored for. I would suggest the purchase of the "ripping saw chain" since a standard will really be taxed, especially in hickory. That is very tough going, trust me.

Got a moisture meter? Lignomat has the mini Ligno E/D on sale until the end of the month. Then, there's the issue of a drying shed.

Now for me to dig out and mill some of my "treasures" salvaged years ago.

Doc

Doc;

I just ordered a ripping chain from Bailey's. They had the best deal, both for chain and the various mill attachments. I visited the Granberg site, but they wanted anywhere from $10-$20 more for their stuff.
I'm planning on building a solar kiln early this summer. In the meantime, once I get these logs milled up, I'm going to paint the ends with Anchorseal and sticker them up in my shop. I'll be a little cramped, but not too bad. I had great success air drying maple (took two years), but it finally got down to 8% MC. Of course, at the time I was living in the SoCal desert. I don't think for a second I'll get below 10-14% MC here in SW Missouri.

You should paint the ends as soon as the tree is down or it will start spliting around the heartwood. I have a bandsaw and have been sawing for about 10 years. I saw all of my own lumber and air dry some of it and have some of it kiln dryed. I was thinking about getting a Shopsmith planer but I don't know how well it would work for my use. I have about 1500 board foot of cherry I sawed last fall that had died and never blew down so I was going to use it for firewood but ended up making boards out of it.I have a lot left standing that will get sawed this spring.Has anyone run a lot of BF (few thousand BF)thru their Shopsmith planer and if they have how well did it hold up? I don't mean all to do it all at one time,just as I need it.

If you are going to get serious about salvaging those trees, a metal detector is in order. Nothing will spoil your day more than taking a fresh sharpened saw chain into an old nail or barbed wire. Mine has saved my saw many times.

Doc

I learned the hard way that you can't always see something that might do harm. It has something to do with the fact that trees keep growing even after someone buries a spike in the trunk.

Does that ever make a mess out of a once good sawblade.
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Making Sawdust Safely

I hit a piece of steel cable that was about 12 inchs under the bark. The guy that I was sawing for got it out after I left and called me later to tell that it was 10foot long. Someone hung it over a limb and the tree grew around it. The worst thing is cement from lawn trees. They used to use it in rotten spots to try and save the tree.

I'm shopping around for a decent metal detector. I, too, have learned the hard way. I was re-sawing a slab of oak on my big bandsaw and hit a little bitty nail. Well, that little bitty nail shot sparks all over the place and ruined a very expensive bandsaw blade. Not to mention that it scared the bejeezus out of me!! Thanks, everyone, for your words of caution.

I have read that the Williams & Hussey planer/joiner is one of the best. It is expensive but from what I read it is like the SS in that it will last forever and is US made in NH. Why not go for one of these if you're going to woodwork and not have to replace the cheap china junk every few years?

putttn

I'm not certain; is this what you had in mind?

http://www.3kmachinery.com/html/prodview.asp?pid=292
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Making Sawdust Safely