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.
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.
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.
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.
using bandsaw to mill logs Related Question:
Should you let logs dry before milling?
Summary: Logs should be milled for drying as soon as possible, and the ends should be sealed as soon as they are felled. A bandsaw mill will create less waste than a chainsaw mill.
How thick of wood can a band saw cut?
Band saws are the undisputed champ when it comes to cutting curves and slicing through thick material. Many small band saws can slice though lumber a full four inches thick, and bigger saws handle six-inch cuts.
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.
How can I tell if my wood is quarter sawn?
A board with growth rings running roughly parallel—usually in arches—relative to the face of the board is called a plain-sawn (or flat-sawn) board. If the growth rings are at a steep angle relative to the face, the board is said to have quartersawn grain.
Is it better to mill logs green or dry?
Cutting the logs green allows you to control splitting. If the logs are drying, they have either begun to split or are building stresses that will lead to splitting. So saw your logs as close to green as possible. It just happens that wood is easier to cut when green.
How long should logs 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.
How long should a log sit before milling?
From Gene Wengert, forum technical advisor: As a rule of thumb, there will be a measurable loss in four to six weeks of warm (over 50 F) weather. It is just a rule of thumb.
Is it worth it to mill your own lumber?
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.
Can you mill wood by hand?
It’s surprisingly easy to mill short, small logs into furniture-grade boards in your workshop, all without special equipment. Dry this wood properly and you’re ready to joint, plane and cut material into parts for small projects.
Can you build with fresh cut lumber?
Building with green lumber for timber frame construction can save time, money and energy. With green timber, you can begin building right away without having to wait for the wood to dry, or having the added cost for kiln drying, which uses environmentally damaging fossil fuels during the drying process.
How much HP does a bandsaw need?
With general cutting of thinner stock with minor resawing, typically a 1-1/2 horsepower motor will do the trick. If you plan on making your own veneer by resawing larger exotic hardwood or cutting bowl blanks from a log, consider looking at units with a 2-1/2 to 3 horsepower motor.
How thick can a 9 inch bandsaw cut?
There are several $99, 9 inch band saws on the market in my area (Ryobi, Skill). The are able to cut a thickness of 2 ½ inches.
Is a wider bandsaw blade better?
The wider blades are stiffer overall (more metal) and tend to track better on the band wheels than narrow blades. When cutting thicker material, the wider blade has less ability to deviate because the back end, when in the cut, helps steer the front of the blade, especially if the side clearance is not excessive.