Continued from Milling Earl’s Fir Part 2.

 

The next log milled is the third log from the stump….a rougher (more knots) 16-footer I chose for Earl’s 6X6 stock…each well over 100lbs each.  Notice this 6000lb log rests on the ground in front, and was rolled on a bearer in the rear.  The mill’s blade only reaches 6†from the ground, so after most of the log is cut and lightened, we’ll dig a hole in front for the farm jack and raise the log remnant to a bearer so we can saw all the way to the bottom bark.

 

Milling 6-by’s

 

We finally get to the only log I came for, the clear 12-foot first log from which I need quartersawn doorjamb stock…we’ll use every inch of it.  9-10 rings per inch inside and 10-12 rings outside, this stock will grade No.1 Select if I can saw around the few pitch pockets.  At 10,000lbs, this log has a few inches of taper we’ll have to compensate for at the pith.  We begin with vertical sawing using the One Square Edge pattern after the mill’s tracks are perfectly aligned with the top bark…

 

Vertical sawing 

 

At the next deck of boards we switch to horizontal sawing to maintain vertical grain in the boards.  You’ll notice the next board to the right in the deck will not have vertical grain.  With this mill, we could continue sawing vertically into the log beneath the first board shown, leaving the center, non-vertical grain wood.  Using that technique, we’d reverse the powerhead and do the same on the opposite side of the log, leaving a beam-sized ridge of flatgrain wood in the center.  We then would switch from horizontal to vertical sawing and take out the center, producing vertical grain boards.  If this log were a rarer Oregon (Garry Oak) White Oak, we’d take the time to do that.  But clear DF logs are common here so we’ll give the flatsawn boards to Earl for something else.

 

Horizontal sawing   

 

When we reach the pith, we readjust the mill’s tracks parallel to the bottom bark, removing and discarding the pith in the process…

 

Pith

 

Instead of a thick slab, this mill’s waste is a tapered pith center useable as stickers and tapered boards…

 

Tapered waste

 

From heavily-tapered cedar butts, we even chainsaw them with deck screws and poly glue into rustic Adirondack chairs…I can make six of these a day and often give them to neighbors, some of whom even rasp and sand them smooth and paint them.

 

Chairs

 

 

The end result is only a bit of sapwood and bottom bark…and if I tried hard, I could even squeak another 1X3  out of this one, although it’s quality would be poor.  The ridge left on the right side of the slab prevents it from sagging between the bearers, producing  “wasp-waist†board thickness.

 

Slab waste

 

 

The resulting 5/4 doorjamb stock…or at least my share…the others are in Earl’s stack.  Having seen these CVG boards go for 30 bucks or more each, retail, it’s not a bad morning’s effort.

 

Product