[ObtainiumMaker]

Hey all, got a newbie question here. I picked up 4 logs of valley oak from a friend recently and want to mill them out by hand (I don't have the machinery to do it, and am hoping to avoid the expense of paying a sawyer).

The logs are each about 48" long, between 8"-10" diameter. I've been looking at frame saws and pit saws. Would that be a good route for a first-time DIY mill job? Is there another type of hand saw that I should look for?

I've read around and see that a lot of folks suggest going to a sawyer or getting a chainsaw mill rigged up, but I'm really invested in doing this by hand if possible.

Thanks for the help!

 

[ryan50hrl]

Wow......I'd find a new hobby before i'd mill by hand.......I'll give ya credit though....thats a bunch of work!!

 

[Manuka Jock]

Before you get to the re-saw stage , you have to saw , as in mill the logs .
So I take it that this thread is also about how you can go about doing that ?
A log that is 8''-10'' dia at it's head will yield at an approx. 6''x6'' cant.
Logs 48''s long could conceivably be vertically hand sawn with a two person rip (pit) saw .




As to the resawing , that will depend on the dimensions of the timber from the first sawing .
Depending on the size , a ripping bench saw , a carpenter's 4 point (hand) ripsaw , a bandsaw , a chainsaw , a two person pit saw ....... and so on , will all do the job

What tools do you own , and what tools do you have experience with ?

 

[ObtainiumMaker]

What tools do you own , and what tools do you have experience with ?

Yep - I'm a newb milling first. Sounds like a two-person pit saw would be the way to go. Thanks!

As for tools and experience...not a whole lot. I do have an old (1980s era) Granberg mini-mill (G-555), but no chainsaw to go with it and not the slightest idea how to put it together - it was kicking around in my dad's attic.

Beyond that, all my tools are chisels, planes, and braces that I inherited from my grandfather.

 

[ObtainiumMaker]

Wow......I'd find a new hobby before i'd mill by hand.......I'll give ya credit though....thats a bunch of work!!

It's a labor of love project, but I hear ya'. Sometimes I wonder what I'm getting into, and then I'm into it and there's nothing to do but finish what I started :thumbsup:

 

[Ibangwood]

Does anyone on this blog use google? Lol blows my mind

 

[Manuka Jock]

What blog ?

Post the link on this forum page so that we can all read your blog :thumbsup:

 

[Manuka Jock]

It's a labor of love project, but I hear ya'. Sometimes I wonder what I'm getting into, and then I'm into it and there's nothing to do but finish what I started :thumbsup:

" bugga , trapped by a fanciful idea AGAIN "


:laughing:

 

[ETWW]

For working solo, I'd recommend a one-man crosscut saw like the one in the following link: http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/one-mancrosscutlogsaw.aspx

I watched the video of "Alone in the Wilderness" where Dick Proeneke sawed out planks with a similar saw. Of course, he was sawing Spruce, not Oak.

 

[Manuka Jock]

Crosscut saws are next to useless for breaking down (ripping) logs .

 

[ETWW]

Crosscut saws are next to useless for breaking down (ripping) logs .

That saw in the link (and others like it) are 3-tpi with very deep gullets. They are more than aggressive enough to make long grain cuts. In fact, a similar saw with a ripping profile would probably be too hard to push through the cut unless one were extremely musclebound.

For carpentry saws, I agree that crosscut saws do not perform well on rip cuts but a timber saw is a different tool altogether. They can be used for both crosscuts and rip cuts.

 

[Manuka Jock]

Hey all, got a newbie question here. I picked up 4 logs of valley oak from a friend recently and want to mill them out by hand (I don't have the machinery to do it, and am hoping to avoid the expense of paying a sawyer).

The logs are each about 48" long, between 8"-10" diameter. I've been looking at frame saws and pit saws. Would that be a good route for a first-time DIY mill job? Is there another type of hand saw that I should look for?

I've read around and see that a lot of folks suggest going to a sawyer or getting a chainsaw mill rigged up, but I'm really invested in doing this by hand if possible.

Thanks for the help!

OM ,
check out this thread ,
the info is good and the members may still be on this forum

http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f11/old-fashion-pit-saw-12586/index2/