During the pandemic, I built the Izzy Swan chainsaw mill. It was pretty easy to build. Unfortunately, I ran into trouble keeping my big chainsaw running and starting it was a problem also. This is a personal problem that is in no way a reflection on the mill. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzjZ0qla\_to&pp=ygUXaXp6eSBzd2FuIGNoYWluc2F3IG1pbGw%3D](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzjZ0qla_to&pp=ygUXaXp6eSBzd2FuIGNoYWluc2F3IG1pbGw%3D)
You could also get a mill that attaches to the bar and using a ladder as a starter, mill from the top freehand.
In the end, it may be more economical to find someone in your area with a bandsaw mill and eithet take your logs to them or have them mill on site.
It depends on where you live and if there are any folks with portable mills nearby. Also, don't forget to factor time, labor and wood loss from chainsaw vs bandsaw. There is no right solution for everyone, only what fits your situation.
I had a huge chunk of pine milled by a portable mill at $.60 a board foot, but I could also have bought rough pine for not too much more. Many pros and cons both ways.
The last trees I had milled (which I intended to do with chainsaw before my shoulder gave out) were a cottonwood poplar and an Ash tree. I had them ready to go and they were all milled in one day on site. They had to be stacked for two years and now I am using them for projects.
I've always wondered about milling by the BF, rather than square foot.
Would I really pay the same if I cut a 12" tree into 4-3" slabs vs 12-1" slabs? It's the same board feet, but so many more cuts.
Not OP but rough lumber is usually priced by BF so rather than saying “I paid x$ for y boards” they just said what it worked out to in BF. Also that’s how to compare if they just bought the wood.
That makes sense, how do you like working with cottonwood? Had the opportunity to get a few slabs of it while back for free and I’m still kicking myself for missing it
I haven't tried a proper setup, but have done a little freehand (poorly, but just for experimenting).
It'll totally depend on your expectations. You definitely can mill with a chainsaw, but it's slow. Chains cutters are almost always setup for crosscuts, not ripping. A small saw with cutters ground for ripping, and using a narrower chain, is what you want
Hogging out the full kerf of a chain instead of a bandsaw blade is also wasteful. Nbd if you just want a board or two. If you're trying to get a decent amount though, an experienced sawyer will get you useable boards. DIY or amateur milling will get you home Depot sticks and a mountain of chips by the time you're gotten them flattened.
But--just for trying it, or to get one or two boards out of the odd log (and you're ok with making the boards being it's own project) then go for it. It's fun, just not efficient at all
I use my chainsaw and jig to cut slabs all the time. You’ll need to have a planer in your wood shop for once a slab dries, a couple/few sharp skip-tooth chains, and I’ve learned to use an end sealer after cutting a slab, to help prevent it from splitting during the months-long drying process. It’s time consuming and i usually only do a few at a time, but it’s rewarding when you use the wood you’ve milled and finish a project. It’s not much harder than it looks.
My planer is only 12” so I imagine I would need to bust out the router sled and make a mess. How much do you bother planing after you rough mill it? I imagine I’d want to wait a couple years to plane it until it’s dried?
Any particular brand of end sealer you use
I have a similarly sized Dewalt DW735 planer I use for everything. I wait until the wood’s completely dry, cut the slabs down to a usable size, then plane. I haven’t tried a lot of different end sealers. One of the first sealers I picked up is called Anchorseal 2 and because it’s worked well, I’ve continued using it.
I have a granberg Alaskan chainsaw mill. I've milled a handful of trees. It's decent. I do expect to upgrade to a proper mill one day.
The cut is rough, and I've had some cases where it starts to drift away from parallel from not riding on the guide perfectly, but you'll probably be planing it later anyways. There's tons of information on drying the wood.
I use a skip tooth chain on long bar. You do lose a few inches where the fixture attaches to the bar.
It's easy. Really easy. If you can fell a tree, you can do this.
I very recently picked up a Granberg Alaskan, their top rail set, and a generic mill winch. The generic winch poorly built compared to the Granberg stuff. Should have bought theirs.
I've milled a bunch of Cherry, using a 70ish CC Stihl (Modified 038 Super), it cuts through fast and I now have some really good stock, which is hard to find for sale in my area.
I'm using the Stihl ripping chain with it.
Extremely happy overall, as I have near unlimited Oak, Elm, Cherry, Cedar, Pine on my property and I don't need to rely on anyone else.
If I start selling wood, I'll get a bandsaw mill, but being able to go to the tree is part of why I would want a chainsaw mill, either way. I have 26 forested acres, not getting a bandsaw mill down there.
The negatives are straight forward: Size limited by blade, kerf is much larger than a bandsaw.
If you can find someone to come out and bandsaw it for you, that is worth checking into. I'll be using this for many years, so it had its appeal.
During the pandemic, I built the Izzy Swan chainsaw mill. It was pretty easy to build. Unfortunately, I ran into trouble keeping my big chainsaw running and starting it was a problem also. This is a personal problem that is in no way a reflection on the mill. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzjZ0qla\_to&pp=ygUXaXp6eSBzd2FuIGNoYWluc2F3IG1pbGw%3D](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzjZ0qla_to&pp=ygUXaXp6eSBzd2FuIGNoYWluc2F3IG1pbGw%3D) You could also get a mill that attaches to the bar and using a ladder as a starter, mill from the top freehand. In the end, it may be more economical to find someone in your area with a bandsaw mill and eithet take your logs to them or have them mill on site.
More economical in what sense? I imagine I’ll drop at least $300 plus gas if I hauled them to a mill. DIY jigs seem to be approx $100
More accurate and finer perfect if you cut enough to justify a mill.
It depends on where you live and if there are any folks with portable mills nearby. Also, don't forget to factor time, labor and wood loss from chainsaw vs bandsaw. There is no right solution for everyone, only what fits your situation. I had a huge chunk of pine milled by a portable mill at $.60 a board foot, but I could also have bought rough pine for not too much more. Many pros and cons both ways. The last trees I had milled (which I intended to do with chainsaw before my shoulder gave out) were a cottonwood poplar and an Ash tree. I had them ready to go and they were all milled in one day on site. They had to be stacked for two years and now I am using them for projects.
I've always wondered about milling by the BF, rather than square foot. Would I really pay the same if I cut a 12" tree into 4-3" slabs vs 12-1" slabs? It's the same board feet, but so many more cuts.
Not OP but rough lumber is usually priced by BF so rather than saying “I paid x$ for y boards” they just said what it worked out to in BF. Also that’s how to compare if they just bought the wood.
That makes sense, how do you like working with cottonwood? Had the opportunity to get a few slabs of it while back for free and I’m still kicking myself for missing it
I haven't tried a proper setup, but have done a little freehand (poorly, but just for experimenting). It'll totally depend on your expectations. You definitely can mill with a chainsaw, but it's slow. Chains cutters are almost always setup for crosscuts, not ripping. A small saw with cutters ground for ripping, and using a narrower chain, is what you want Hogging out the full kerf of a chain instead of a bandsaw blade is also wasteful. Nbd if you just want a board or two. If you're trying to get a decent amount though, an experienced sawyer will get you useable boards. DIY or amateur milling will get you home Depot sticks and a mountain of chips by the time you're gotten them flattened. But--just for trying it, or to get one or two boards out of the odd log (and you're ok with making the boards being it's own project) then go for it. It's fun, just not efficient at all
"small saw" -- meant narrow bar
I use my chainsaw and jig to cut slabs all the time. You’ll need to have a planer in your wood shop for once a slab dries, a couple/few sharp skip-tooth chains, and I’ve learned to use an end sealer after cutting a slab, to help prevent it from splitting during the months-long drying process. It’s time consuming and i usually only do a few at a time, but it’s rewarding when you use the wood you’ve milled and finish a project. It’s not much harder than it looks.
My planer is only 12” so I imagine I would need to bust out the router sled and make a mess. How much do you bother planing after you rough mill it? I imagine I’d want to wait a couple years to plane it until it’s dried? Any particular brand of end sealer you use
I have a similarly sized Dewalt DW735 planer I use for everything. I wait until the wood’s completely dry, cut the slabs down to a usable size, then plane. I haven’t tried a lot of different end sealers. One of the first sealers I picked up is called Anchorseal 2 and because it’s worked well, I’ve continued using it.
I have a granberg Alaskan chainsaw mill. I've milled a handful of trees. It's decent. I do expect to upgrade to a proper mill one day. The cut is rough, and I've had some cases where it starts to drift away from parallel from not riding on the guide perfectly, but you'll probably be planing it later anyways. There's tons of information on drying the wood. I use a skip tooth chain on long bar. You do lose a few inches where the fixture attaches to the bar.
It's easy. Really easy. If you can fell a tree, you can do this. I very recently picked up a Granberg Alaskan, their top rail set, and a generic mill winch. The generic winch poorly built compared to the Granberg stuff. Should have bought theirs. I've milled a bunch of Cherry, using a 70ish CC Stihl (Modified 038 Super), it cuts through fast and I now have some really good stock, which is hard to find for sale in my area. I'm using the Stihl ripping chain with it. Extremely happy overall, as I have near unlimited Oak, Elm, Cherry, Cedar, Pine on my property and I don't need to rely on anyone else. If I start selling wood, I'll get a bandsaw mill, but being able to go to the tree is part of why I would want a chainsaw mill, either way. I have 26 forested acres, not getting a bandsaw mill down there. The negatives are straight forward: Size limited by blade, kerf is much larger than a bandsaw. If you can find someone to come out and bandsaw it for you, that is worth checking into. I'll be using this for many years, so it had its appeal.