It’s surprisingly easy to mill short, small logs into furniture-grade boards, right in your own workshop, all without special equipment. “I’ve had good results using two methods for milling lumber from small logs in my shop. The simplest involves a hydraulic wood splitter – the kind used to turn logs into firewood. Clear, straight-grained, easily-split species of wood are easy to cleave into board-like billets. Most firewood splitters handle blocks up to 24” long, so when you find a good log, cut blocks to this length, even if you’re making your firewood shorter. “Regardless of how you mill your micro lumber, drying involves the same process used with other kinds of rough lumber. No matter how long it’s been since your logs have been cut, the wood is still too wet for woodworking if those logs have not been sawn into boards. That’s why you need to promote air circulation on all sides of every board, and a household fan really speeds progress. Stack your lumber with 1/2”-thick strips of scrap lumber between each piece, then direct air flow over the pile.
I’ve wanted to try milling small logs on the bandsaw for a while now, so after our neighbors had a couple of poplar trees taken down it was finally time! To keep the logs from sliding around, I cut a piece of drawer liner and used a little spray adhesive to keep it in place on the MDF. For the first cut on each log, I also used wooden shims where they were needed to prevent the log from rocking. “For these cuts, I used a 3/4” 2-3 TPI Timberwolf blade on the bandsaw which did a good job.
There are a handful of techniques that woodworkers use for processing lumber with a bandsaw mill. You have to saw the log at opening face almost half path. So that’s some basic techniques and approaches to safely use a bandsaw mill for lumber production.
Logan has some great tips and techniques for turning smaller logs into usable boards using the band saw in your shop. “Making Boards. After cutting the reference faces, you can start making boards. How you plan to use the wood will determine how thick to cut the boards. Keep in mind that the wet, rough-cut boards may warp and shrink. So don’t cut the pieces to the final thickness. Instead, I like to leave some extra material to allow for jointing and planing the wood smooth and flat once it’s dry. Adding about a 1⁄4” is a good rule of thumb. Freshly cut lumber needs to be stored and dried properly to end up as stable boards.
Usually, lumber and logs that lie within a diameter range of 16 to 18 inches are able to be cut under a bandsaw mill. At this stage, we will take you through a 7 steps guide on how to cut lumber with a bandsaw mill. Once done with steps 1 and 2 of how to saw lumber with a bandsaw, it’s time to make the first cut on your lumber.
how to mill logs on a bandsaw Related Question:
Can you cut logs on a bandsaw?
For starters, keep the cutting capacity of your saw in mind as you look for wood. It doesn’t do any good to pick up a log or branch if you can’t cut it with your band saw. For example, most 14″ band saws can cut pieces up to 6″ thick.
How long do logs need to dry before milling?
Depending on the thickness of the lumber and where you live, weather and time of the year, it will take anywhere from 6 weeks to 4 months. Most lumber is in the 1” to 2” thickness and the time above applies to thicknesses. Drying cants, timbers, posts will take considerably longer.
Is milling your own lumber worth it?
Milling your own lumber can produce quality material for a fraction of the price of a lumber dealer. In fact, if you purchase your own mill, like I have, you can actually make a profit off of it by selling lumber to other woodworkers and by offering to mill other people’s logs.
What are the disadvantages of quarter sawn lumber?
Quarter-Sawn Lumber produces much less usable lumber than Plain-Sawn lumber, making it more expensive. It is often still sought after becuase it is more stable. It is less likely to cup or twist and there are fewer surface checks and splits. It also wears more evenley.
What length do you cut logs for lumber?
Find yourself a nice and straight stick, preferably green and hard like oak or ash. Use a tape measure and cut the stick to either 4 feet or 6 feet exactly. I like to use 4-foot-long sticks because most log lengths are divisible by 4 feet. Mark the stick by cutting a groove in it at 2-foot increments.
What is the smallest diameter log worth milling?
I always tell my customers that anything smaller than 8″ on the small end is usually not worth the trouble. Some customers take it to heart and some will throw in everything down to 4″. I will saw a 6″ log if it’s straight but the 4 and 5 inch stuff usually gets put aside.
What are the three main ways to cut a log?
What many don’t know though is that there are three different method to cut wood to produce different results from the log and those are sawing, slicing, and using rotary.
How long do you cut logs for sawmill?
Care should be taken to cut the felled tree into lengths of highest possible value. Standard sawlog lengths usually run from 8 to 16 feet, with intermediate cuts at two-foot intervals.