Diy timber beams, it's slow.

[MossRoad]

Thanks Egon.

 

[Doofy]

We still have the ambition and ideas, Doofy, just not the energy. Yes - MANY fond memories of our times in Alaska.

My Get-up-and-Go Got-up-and-Went!

 

[newbury]

I have about 10,000 black locust trees. About 2000 of them are 12-20" diameter. I'd like to make 6x6 or 8x8s and use them to build a post and beam screen house by our pool in the next few years.

IF you have the chainsaw and want to do it at low expense a chainsaw mill MIGHT be a solution.
BUT black locust is HARD and you'll probably need at least a 90CC saw to do the cutting.
I've done 16 to 20 inch red maple with a 62CC saw and it was slow (and low). Moved up to a Stihl 660 and it was easy.

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I've a 120CC in reserve.

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BUT if you don't have the saw an entry level Woodmizer or other brand sawmill is only about $3,500 and will save your back.

A good 90CC costs about $1,000 or more. And if you have 2,000 trees you could make good use of a sawmill.

 

[MossRoad]

IF you have the chainsaw and want to do it at low expense a chainsaw mill MIGHT be a solution.
BUT black locust is HARD and you'll probably need at least a 90CC saw to do the cutting.
I've done 16 to 20 inch red maple with a 62CC saw and it was slow (and low). Moved up to a Stihl 660 and it was easy.

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  stihl42inch8x6.jpg

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I've a 120CC in reserve.

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BUT if you don't have the saw an entry level Woodmizer or other brand sawmill is only about $3,500 and will save your back.

A good 90CC costs about $1,000 or more. And if you have 2,000 trees you could make good use of a sawmill.

Thanks for the info.

I'm NOT doing 2000 trees. I have them. But I'm not doing them.

Just looking into do enough to make a 12X16 screen house.

 

[CalG]

For softwood (hemlock mostly) snapping lines, cross scoring with the chain saw, and then chipping out the waste with an axe makes for pretty fast work. I did all the floor beams in the shop that way. (24 x 32) one side only.

A D handled garden spade works pretty well as a spud to debark. Just let the tree set about two weeks after cutting to loosen up the bark.

I really like that guide frame set up Egon! NICE!

Can you show or describe the bar clamp details?

 

[dougtrr2]

I had some trees I wanted to turn into cabinet lumber. I briefly considered using a chainsaw. I hired a portable bandsaw mill. I had plenty of help, had the logs lined up and bark removed. In less than 8 hours we had over 1400 Bdft of walnut and red oak. The bill was $700. It was the best money I ever spent.

Doug in SW IA

 

[Egon]

For softwood (hemlock mostly) snapping lines, cross scoring with the chain saw, and then chipping out the waste with an axe makes for pretty fast work. I did all the floor beams in the shop that way. (24 x 32) one side only.

A D handled garden spade works pretty well as a spud to debark. Just let the tree set about two weeks after cutting to loosen up the bark.

I really like that guide frame set up Egon! NICE!

Can you show or describe the bar clamp details?

Not much to it. The bar has a hole drilled in it with a 1/2 in. pillow block bolted on. Then a 1/2 in. rod is welded onto a flat iron plate that is bolted to the sliding frame and goes through the pillow block. Then a bunch of one in. Spacers to vary the thickness of the board being cut.

 

[kenmbz]

I used an Alaskan mill from granberg to cut two 2" planks, by 7' and used the bottom half for a garden bench.
I have a 20" bar on a 50cc with a ripping chain and it worked pretty well. Used a dead Ash trunk.
Very limiter width (about 10-12") width with that size bar.
First time got some scoring, took down with a flap disk and then orbital sander. Looks pretty good.
Started by screwing on an 8" 2x8 to the trunk, so came out pretty straight.

Egon, that setup is really nice!

 

[shooterdon]

Thanks for the info.

I'm NOT doing 2000 trees. I have them. But I'm not doing them.

Just looking into do enough to make a 12X16 screen house.

Buy the bandsaw mill and then sell it when you are done. You can saw up a few extra trees for lumber for projects down the road. They do not last long on Craigslist. There are guys here that will bring a portable mill to your property and mill what you need.

 

[MossRoad]

My machine only lifts 800 pounds. These locust logs are too large to drag out of the woods for my machine as well. Also, it's too remote of an area to get a bandsaw mill into. That's why I'm looking at the chainsaw route. I can move 8x8x16'. I can't move 16" diameter x 16' locust with the little machine. I suppose I could get a log arch to haul out of the area, then parbuckle onto a trailer or bandsaw mill, but hey, let's just spend more of my money.

 

[MossRoad]

Also, the location is not conducive to leaving a band saw mill set up. We don't live there and there's no security.

 

[oosik]

Around here black locust are found at/around old homesteads. They are not a native tree and were planted by homesteaders. Make great firewood and also fence posts. The problem - there just aren't that many.

I look out my kitchen window and see five Ponderosa pines that have been attacked by Pine Bark beetles. They were green trees last year. Most likely attacked because they were under stress.

In any case - I've got to cut them down and burn them. The beetles can cover and kill large swaths of pine forests.

 

[Egon]

I used an Alaskan mill from granberg to cut two 2" planks, by 7' and used the bottom half for a garden bench.
I have a 20" bar on a 50cc with a ripping chain and it worked pretty well. Used a dead Ash trunk.
Very limiter width (about 10-12") width with that size bar.
First time got some scoring, took down with a flap disk and then orbital sander. Looks pretty good.
Started by screwing on an 8" 2x8 to the trunk, so came out pretty straight.

Egon, that setup is really nice!

Thank you

 

[MossRoad]

Around here black locust are found at/around old homesteads. They are not a native tree and were planted by homesteaders. Make great firewood and also fence posts. The problem - there just aren't that many.

I look out my kitchen window and see five Ponderosa pines that have been attacked by Pine Bark beetles. They were green trees last year. Most likely attacked because they were under stress.

In any case - I've got to cut them down and burn them. The beetles can cover and kill large swaths of pine forests.

From what I was told by our state forester, black locust was planted heavily around here for erosion control. The roots spread out and hold the soil in place.

I heat our home with firewood, almost all of it is black locust. It's a great firewood for long hot fires all night long. It's very heavy wood, can sit on the ground for years and not rot. We have around 20,000 trees on our property, and half of it is black locust. I cut about 6 cords of it per year. I like to take the ones under 12" in diameter that are around 50' tall. I cut about 50-60 of those every year, drag them out to a landing, then saw them into firewood lengths to take home on trailer, where I split them and let them dry for a couple years.

One strange thing about that wood is it can be burnt green. It will light right up. Hisses and pops and you can see the water coming out of the ends, but it still lights pretty easily. I try not to ever burn green wood in the wood burner, but once in a while a piece will slip in and you notice.

Also, if you let it sit on the ground for a year or two, the bark comes right off nicely. It stinks like heck under that bark, though.

 

[shooterdon]

MossRoad,
Looks like in your situation a chainsaw mill is the way to go. Unless you get a "real" tractor...LOL

 

[MossRoad]

MossRoad,
Looks like in your situation a chainsaw mill is the way to go. Unless you get a "real" tractor...LOL

That hurt shooterdon. That hurt.

 

[BubbaLouie]

Yeah, a chain saw seems to work better cutting across the grain.
I have done a lot of lumber-making with a band saw of the following brand and it works very well.
If you have a lot of hardwood trees you want to convert into dollars, after a while this one can pay for itself.

Portable Sawmills and Wood Processing Equipment | Wood-Mizer USA

Mill logs into lumber for wood projects or profits with Wood-Mizer portable sawmill equipment including portable sawmills and band sawmill blades made in USA.

woodmizer.com

 

[/pine]

Beams can be formed from logs with just a foot adze and a hand adze...depending on the application often only the bearing points and points of resistance need to be uniform...(set and gauge with strings)

 

[Mudfarmer]

Harbor freight has a chain saw attachment for less than $20 called the "lumber maker." it's not great for lumber but works just fine for what yo want to do. I have made many a 20 foot beams out of poles off my tree farm. If you need two beams plan to spend 2 hours.

 

[Mudfarmer]

I also have an 'Alaska sawmill" That would work as well, but I usually start with the harbor freight "lumber maker" then proceed to make boards with the Alaska.