Cutting Lumber from Logs
George VondriskaDescription
George Vondriska provides tips on using a backyard sawmill to cut lumber from logs for your woodworking projects. A WoodWorkers Guild of America (WWGOA) original video.
Sawmill provided by Logosol. For more information, visit www.logosol.us.
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5 Responses to “Cutting Lumber from Logs”
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There is a reason that Elm is not available in lumber stores. That is because it harbors the elm beetle that transfers the dutch elm disease. That is/was a real nice pile of elm you have but in many jurisdictions it is illegal. To make it legal all the bark would need to be removed or the log would need to be processed immediately upon receipt. Don't get me wrong. I love trees and wood and my heart breaks when this stuff gets sent to the dump. But because I love trees, I also don't want to see any more die than necessary. So please practice safe log handling/transport so as not to bring disease/pests from one area to another. PS. In my understanding, the elm lumber is safe. Its just the barked logs that are a problem.
Wow, one man job?? I have never seen one of these before, only heard. I have a century old buzz saw driven by a tractor side PTO. Can you guess if this would work? As far as worth the money for the mill in the video? Of course it is, those planks and from elm in particular is fantastic.
Any idea how long it took you to break even buying your set up vs. the cost savings in milling vs, buying your wood?
What is the make, model of saw mill are you using?
Many years ago, I worked for a family member in his sawmill -- which was a small commercial operation, not a backyard rig like the one shown in this video. So I've been there and done that. You need to take the most extreme care if you cut lumber from logs. You do not know what is inside the log. Run a metal detector over the log, give it a really good scanning for metal embedded in the log. Even then the detector might not capture things like bullets in the wood, wire, nails, and so on. If your saw blade hits one of these you will be lucky if you are not seriously injured. Wear long sleeved shirts of a fairly thick material. Always have hearing and head protection like you see in the video. Protect your face and eyes and neck. Expect it to be brutal work to cut lumber from logs -- because it is.