Chainsaw attachment for slabbing lumber

[Todd]

I have several butternut logs in my back yard ( have been there a few seasons so are nice and dry ) and I want to make myself an attachment for my chainsaw to slab them into lumber.

Does anyone have any pictures/drawings/suggestions on how to make such an attachment ? The saw I will be using is a STIHL 038 ( I believe it's a 74cc motor ) and will be attaching a 30" bar ( the bar is a little overkill for the saw, but I'll be losing some of it's length because of the attachment. Am hoping for a 24" cutting area ) The type of attachment I plan on building is like the one on this web site... ( I wish they would take close up pictures, it's hard to see detail from 10'away )

I know it would be more efficient to take the logs to a mill, but my time is free and my chainsaw spends most of it's life sitting in the case, so I figured I would build this just for the hell of it. Plus I like the idea of being able to take a fallen tree in the middle of a bush and make it into usable lumber without busting my back trying to haul it out.

Thanks in advance for any words of wisdom

Todd

[Charlie Self]

Todd asks:

You should have slabbed those trees long ago. They may be dry--probably not--but are probably checked and cracked badly.

The mill looks as if it will work fine, but I don't know of anyplace offering more detailed info.

Many years ago, I wrote a couple of books involving chainsaws and their use. Along the way, I got my hands on, IIRC, an Alaskan chainsaw mill. A friend and I slabbed a couple of trees with that mill. It's interesting, if you're young enough and in shape, andyou can make some usable lumber. You might even, as the article says, save a few hundred bucks, but you'd better have a backwoods home for sure, as many suburban areas refuse to allow green or rough wood in building construction. But you'll be aiming for woodworking lumber, so that's no problem.

You won't bust your butt getting the logs out, but you will bust your butt getting them ready to move out easily.

Good luck.

Charlie Self "Politics, n. Strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles." Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary

[Andy Dingley]

You mean they're already firewood. Trying to turn old logs into timber is a waste of time and effort - you should have done this when you felled them, or at least submerged them in a pond until you could.

I hate these things. They're OK for making square beams, but they're a terrible way to cut boards. Nasty to use, lots of waste in the kerfs.

USE A RIP CHAIN !!!

Nope. If I did have, I wouldn't admit to it. No way I want to increase the number of these things in circulation.

On the small side. Many of these rigs use two motors. This improves the balance, but it also makes them a pig to work with,

[Eric Ryder]

We had (still have probably) a Johnsereds chainsaw mill. Even with their most powerful say this was an unpleasant task - glad my ol man gave up on it!

[Richard Knight]

Todd. Here are 2 different ones from Lee Valley

?SID=&ccurrency=1&page=20127&category=1,41131,41139Cheers Richard

[Mark]

I have an older logosol mill

and like it alot. I use a Sthil 066 as power for my mill. As stated elsewhere do use ripping chain. I use the Pico (narrow curf) chain re-ground to 10 degrees that logosaw sells. Ripping takes far more power to do than cross cutting, a big saw is needed.

They also do make a jig that does what you want called the "Timberjig", search their site and you will find it. They have some video of it in use etc on line.

I milled quite a bit of old Black Walnut recently that a friend gave me. The logs had been on the ground for years, looked like hell, externally very baddly rotted, but it was only the sap wood effected. The core of the logs yielded some great stock, so don't be discouraged by it just being dry.

I have no economic interest in the Co, I just like my mill!