 Re: Chainsaw milling
Daryl, good point. I am also new to the world of milling, and I believe the best statement that could be said about my knowledge level is "I know a lot less than I need to know".
I have a bandsaw mill, which in my opinion is easier to manipulate the log you are working on. From what I have learned thus far is that the log should be "read". This involves looking at the whole log to see it will give you in quality lumber. I messed around for a while and learned alot of things not to do, for instance trying to cut 12' lengths, where if I would have cut it to 8", I would of had a better yield (More boards). The other thing I quickly learned is the warp factor. If these boards had been cut differently they probably wouldn't have ended up looking like hockey sticks.
As there aren't any saw mills near me (200 miles) I looked into the grading standards. I purchased the NLGA (National Lumber Grades Authority) grading manual and the Grading rules. For $10.00 these two books, teach you a lot about how to cut lumber.
The drying thing is subjective to the climate you live in, and is variable to the humidity and the set-up in which the lumber is going to be stored. The term "dry lumber" is (in my country) 19% moisture or less. "Green Lumber" has over 19% moisture. The common moisture meter is the electronic variety, that are available just about anywhere.
We dry our lumber by air drying. It is layed on a flat surface (shop floor) and stickered between each row. We then direct high volume air through the lifts. It is very important not to dry the lumber down too fast as this may lead to grading issues.
This is an interesting subject to me, and I hope I have helped. Like I said in the post I have a lot more to learn! |