Custom milling - Woodworking Talk

**Daren** · 10-11-2009, 07:15 PM

Some local guy (retired) has been following the rural electric company around, they are doing easement clearing. He has been snagging logs from thier work, they just load them on his trailer and he brings them here to be milled. Some are a little scraggly-others are nice ones...He shouldn't have any complaints about todays milling I did. 16" wide oak boards 12' long without a single knot. Not bad looking wood for boring old oak

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**Daren** · 10-11-2009, 07:20 PM

That log finishes up the red oak milling (saved the best for last). I loaded a white oak on the mill for in the morning and have some decent walnuts after that. He is going to have a heck of a pile of wood for a little time fetching them and paying me $0.35 bft to mill them.

greg4269ub · 10-11-2009, 07:45 PM

i agree that is very nice. i recently got my hands on a few old barn beams they are white washed. i chipped a bit of it off the beam and it looks like oak. any suggestions on milling something 100+ years old. (i have to chect the register of deeds for an exact date of building)

**TexasTimbers** · 10-11-2009, 09:06 PM

You & me are two peas in a pod on not being too keen on clear wood, but that stuff right there is very pretty.

**Daren** · 10-12-2009, 09:24 AM

Just scan them with a metal detector Greg would be my advice. I have resawn a few old barn beams and have been lucky I guess and not hit anything.

**Daren** · 10-12-2009, 09:31 AM

TT that log in the picture had a huge butt swell (they are cutting them right at the ground) and a lot of taper overall to deal with. I really had to jack the little end up to get the pith level so I could pull boards with that straight of grain from end to end.

**TexasTimbers** · 10-12-2009, 10:10 AM

Some of those butt pieces make real nice desk clock pieces having a natural edge all around it except for the flat bottom which is needed anyhow. As I'm taking them off I often think how I want to buy an analog thermometer - hygrometer kit and make a outdoor window sill unit from one of them. Maybe one day I'll do it.

ACP · 10-12-2009, 11:56 AM

Sometimes a huge butt swell is ok, other not so much...

**TexasTimbers** · 10-12-2009, 02:17 PM

I just about puked my guts out.

garryswf · 10-13-2009, 07:52 AM

Daren -- i would have to say that is the ugliest oak i have ever seen--------send it to me and i'll use it for fire wood.