DIY Chainsaw Lumber

cnelk

WKR
Joined
Mar 1, 2012
Messages
6,798
Location
Colorado
A few years ago I made a jig for my chainsaw to rip planks out of some beetle kill logs. (It works best to put a ripping chain on your saw)

Well, with the price of lumber, I decided to bring a log down from the mtns and plank it up.

I can rip a plank in less than 2mins

I mean, who doesn’t need a few boards around?

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Joined
May 6, 2018
Messages
8,820
Location
Shenandoah Valley
I have a buddy that built one around an 880. He saws stuff 4'+ wide for table tops, takes two people. Works decent for what it is. Skip chain is a big help.

Just gotta watch your pecker pumpers, they ain't coming back they end up in the wrong spot.
 

Ddog

WKR
Joined
Dec 2, 2018
Messages
330
Location
MI
I'll get around to doing the same eventually, maybe after my 100 other projects get done at the hunting shack. I've got a neighbor kid with an engineering degree that built a remote-controlled sawmill (out of mostly wood!) that I'll get boards from for now.


I've got a butt-ton of big, straight poplars I plan to use for a log/rough lumber porch when I can get around to it. Great thinking and plus it just looks fun!
 
Joined
Dec 22, 2017
Messages
538
Location
Maryland
I don't think I have any pics of this saw in the milling jig, but I started slabbing this pig (red oak) last year. Takes about 10-15 minutes to cut a 3 inch slab 8-9 feet long and about 34 inches wide. Its fun, but a lot of work. Hard on the saw. I get my wife on one end and me on the other. I have an aux oiler on it that helps a lot...

I have no idea what the hell I'm going to do with the slabs..

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Btaylor

WKR
Joined
Jun 3, 2017
Messages
2,441
Location
Arkansas
On a side the note the lumber market took a big dive this week!
Hope that is the case, I facing to additions, one at the house and one at deer camp. Would not hurt my feelings for prices to start heading back towards normal. At least some.
 

Clarktar

WKR
Joined
Aug 30, 2013
Messages
4,174
Location
AK
I don't think I have any pics of this saw in the milling jig, but I started slabbing this pig (red oak) last year. Takes about 10-15 minutes to cut a 3 inch slab 8-9 feet long and about 34 inches wide. Its fun, but a lot of work. Hard on the saw. I get my wife on one end and me on the other. I have an aux oiler on it that helps a lot...

I have no idea what the hell I'm going to do with the slabs..

View attachment 292310
Where are those slabs located? Don't look like Antarctica!

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 
Joined
Jan 26, 2021
Messages
1,453
Location
Oregon
They look good. This seems like a homemade Alaskan mill.
Thats exactly what i was gonna say, nice job man. I used to operate a wood mizer, thing was badasss and saves a ton of time but i have used an alaskan mill several times as well. Takes quite a long time to mill wood that way and it is hard on the saw in ny opinion. One day i hope to have land with a woodmizer like my friend lol
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2019
Messages
2,229
Location
Missouri
I made an Alaskan-style milling guide for my Stihl MS 250 a few years back. I've used it a few times to mill cedar for furniture projects. A skip-tooth chain is faster but I've had good results with a full house chain too. A couple trips through a benchtop planer after milling and the slabs are dead flat and silky smooth.
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