It's a lot harder than I expected! My son wanted a ground blind for the upcoming archery season. There was a good sized pine very close to where he wanted it and that pine just happened to blocking sunlight to a persimmon I wanted to release, so I figured I had all the ingredients right there. I was able to make something that somewhat resembled lumber using a chalk line and my 441 for most of the cutting (260 to score some guide lines). It was REALLY rough but should be plenty strong because my tolerance was +/- a lot so I oversized everything. But, it was certainly good enough to make the beginnings of a blind. I told my son that the irregularities are a plus: make it blend in better. I hope to have it finished tomorrow. Pics to follow. A mill is absolutely in my future. Alaskan vs Logosol Big Mill Basic are my top choices right now.
Free handing lumber to keep within an inch on a 6' long piece is good for me. A mini mill makes smaller pieces just fine.
I think probably with any of them, there's still going to be a lot of hard work involved! The Logosol looks to be more accurate and probably easier to set up, at least compared to what I'm doing with my Alaskan mill. I recently read Will Malloff's book on chainsaw lumbermaking, and since then I've been putting a lot of effort into sawing the logs square to the heart center. I think that would be pretty easy to do with the Logosol - you would just clamp it at each end, to a level line drawn through the heart, and you're square. But if you planned to remove all the wane from the log and make a square cant or timber like I've been making, then the setup time might start to even out. You only need a lengthwise guide for the first 2 cuts with the Alaskan, whereas you always have to use it with the Logosol. That also limits the length of cut that you can make - with the Alaskan you could use a longer ladder or even carefully placed lag bolts and a straight board and make as long of a cut as you need to.
With years of practice,a sharp chain & steady hands (keep your feet planted only move your arms & shoulders) I can get within a 1/4" of being parallel or square on short pieces/blocks/wider slabs up to 4 feet long.I don't set up the Alaskan mill except for longer stuff or when I need total accuracy from the beginning.Since the stuff is either roughed out bowl blanks or will be planed/sanded/shaped/run through the big bandsaw at a later time once thoroughly dried.
Last couple time I used my Alaskan fixture I use the ladder part from one of my tree stands. 3 five foot sections and very portable. Will Malloff's book on chainsaw lumber making is a very good book.
Seen this on local Woodsmith Store clearance table in summer 1992 - 1982 1st edition,only $10! That's what got me started.... Its been out of print since the early 90's sometime.Havent looked in a year or more,but remember seeing used copies in very good condition at Amazon used books anywhere from $60-85 up to 300! Sure I'd pay the 60-80 if I had to for an extra nice copy,but $300? That's just insane IMO,I don't care how scarce or in demand it may be..... ****CORRECTION**** Just now checked Amazon & as of January 1,2015 its now being printed again!!! New paperback is $29.95 + postage,Hardcover is $39.95 + postage.Plus there's used copies already available too. http://www.amazon.com/Chainsaw-Lumb...9153680&sr=1-1&keywords=chainsaw+lumbermaking Different cover than the original,contents should be the same though.
Got my chainsaw lumber making book off Amazon for about $20.00 with shipping. I first got it from our library and decided I needed my own copy. Mine is a first print from June 1982. Not that it matters.
Thanks for the advice on the book, I ordered my copy and I'm looking forward to reading it. The blind came out pretty good. I used the bark-on slabs to face it so it blends in pretty well. The slabs are about 3 inches thick, so way overbuilt. Here it is before we put the shade cloth around the back. With the shade cloth, it is pretty hard to see inside. From a distance, it is fairly hard to see. But as my son points out, it doesn't have to be hidden, they just have to be used to it. Judging by the fact that there are 6 deer feeding down there right now, I think it should be OK. Then there is the buck eating near the pond and the three does working on the duck feed. The three are gone and a mother/fawn pair have come in. I have no idea why I'm even thinking about planting a food plot. The weed mix we already have must be pretty good.
