With lumber prices being how they are, I’ve been wondering about making my own lumber (like many people I’m sure) I want to buy (make?) an Alaska mill at some point to do slabs but to start out I wanted something really simple just to get a feel for things. I want to build a crude wood shed/pole barn structure, and figured one of these would work for 2-siding logs, making posts and beams. Rather than buying a $50 one and giving Amazon/China the business I decided to make my own. Don’t mind the crude machining (I made it a little at a time on breaks at work). Non functional surfaces I left saw cut. If this works I can make a better one down the road. So basically I started with a 4x4 square extruded aluminum tube and made it into a channel (3.5” spread inside to ride on a 2x4). Added a couple aluminum blocks, cap screwed and doweled on location with hardened steel bushings for the pivoting rod. Welded a bar clamping block to the pivoting rod, machined the block out with clearance and added set screws that’ll clamp onto my chainsaw bar. I wanted adjustment outwards to accommodate different sized logs so I added 5 sets of holes, in 1/2” increments. There’s a dowel pin with a light press fit that rides against the outer face of the bushing behind the bar block. Opposite side has a spring to keep it under tension, a washer and a ball lock pin. Remove the ball lock pin, move the dowel on the opposite side, move the ball lock pin accordingly and that’s how I set my adjustment for bar positioning. I may have to add a mount and some weight, to keep the whole Mickey Mouse rig cutting consistently. We’ll see.
Not a single minute... Especially since I’m the only one in my department on 2nd shift, with nobody around to supervise me.
Nice!! Someone else has a job with benefits. Got to love it Don't cut yourself short on that machine work either , It looks a lot better than some things I have seen. You are not new at it , that is very obvious.
The one feature I should have borrowed from the Haddon design is the adjustable base. Having the ability to use a 2x4 or 2x6 etc. is a nice option. If this one works out then the next one I make will have it for sure.
Missed the original post but kudos to you. I have the same attitude w/ chinese goods. I do try my hardest to find/use an alternative. Eager to see what you’ve done with it.
Not yet but it’s been on my mind. The park down the street from me recently took down dozens of large white pines and left log lengths piled up. I saw some city workers there recently and wanted to inquire but haven’t yet. I could try some recently cut Hemlock from my uncle’s property although they’re on the smaller side. What I really need to make first are some simple 4x4s. Hoping to test it out soon either way.
I just cut some Hemlock myself this past Sunday , on the mill though. It really looks pretty good. They were probably in the 16 - 18 inch range , nice and straight with no bark and clean. It makes some nice boards. Really curious what they look like after a trip through the planer. First time I have worked with it myself. It will become a storage box/bench that I can use to keep wood in for the stove ; no more plastic bin sitting in the corner for the wood. We have to have something or the dogs think it's a chew toy. Give it a shot Eric ! Keep us posted on how it goes.
I've pushed an alaskan mill thru some fresh cut eastern white pine. It's work. I priced out some 4x4 PT posts to build a 70x50 foot fence to keep rabbits and deer out of the garden and to repair a fence around another 100x50 ft garden. Needless to say I bought 30 T-posts to start. 7 footers was all I could find locally so I'm hoping I have lazy deer.
The verdict is this thing is going to sit until there’s a global collapse and I need it as a matter of survival. Maybe if it wasn’t a bajillion degrees outside with 1000% humidity I’d keep going but I’m done for now. Of course it doesn’t help that this is red oak and not some soft conifer... If I ever feel motivated to use it again and have success I’ll share about it. Oh, it DOES work! I just don’t feel like working that hard right now 2 and a half sides roughed in and I’m out of steam.
I just noticed I hit a nail on the second side. No wonder I started struggling. Chips coming off looked decent enough but the chain was dull. It doesn’t take much, as you know.
You running that homemade mill with an 029... Maybe go a little bigger if you can get your mitts on something for a decent price? Ported would be even slicker... I know those things might be cost prohibitive, just sayin’.....
Good call I know it’s asking a lot of this saw as it is. As luck would have it, I’ll be sending it to Huskihl later this week so he can do his thing. Eventually I’ll be in the market for larger bore saw and then I can really get down to business with this mill.
I may be willing to part with one of my bigger saws in the future...036 or 460. All depends on how big you will be milling. I know huskihl did T.Jeff Veal's 029.
