Chainsaw milling

I’m joining the Makers Mob!
www.frankmakes....
I have been chainsaw milling more wood with my friend. We started with two Douglas fir logs. These were straight forward and we did not have any issues. We then cut down a partially dead red alder tree and found that the bottom 16' or so was in good shape. We cut that into two 8' sections and milled that wood into slabs. With the alder, we used the longer chainsaw bar which was longer than we needed but it meant that the chain stayed sharp for the entire operation. I now have a 4' tall stack of Douglas fir and red alder that I need to find some projects for in the next couple of years while the wood dries.
Tools used in this project can be found at www.frankmakes....
Granberg MK-III Alaskan Chainsaw Mill: amzn.to/2xZF6eE
End Grain Sealer: amzn.to/2agx6rl
To see upcoming projects follow me on social media
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[@dazbogshift2349]

Love the death star at the beginning!

[@frankmakes]

hmmm... didn't make it subtle enough. lol

[@djbeni7590]

I had to rewind because of that :D

[@HereIsWisdom1318]

Wow! It took me 6 or so rewinds to notice it!

[@archangelspythons]

I noticed it first go but I wasnt sure I saw it right so I had to do a double take. Lol

[@danflurry]

Wow... good eye!

[@jasonsocquet8555]

"I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do with this wood yet" A common phrase among so many woodworkers/wood hoarders. :)

[@dlwatib]

Part of the fun of milling a log is imagining all the things you can build with it. You have plenty of time to enjoy this phase while it dries.

[@frankmakes]

yes, hoarder

[@gailid]

@@frankmakes you should joint 2-3 slabs together for a big tabletop, and then CNC a giant topographical landscape into the top. If not a landscape, then some other massive topographical mural.

[@daftnord4957]

every time i bring a big log into the yard someone asks "so what's that going to be", or "where you gonna put that"

[@mnd67]

Frank, chainsaw chaps are a must. Be safe.

[@jenford7078]

There are a lot of "nice" KZbin makers or whatever but Frank is the most all around good guy posting here... Always such a pleasure to watch what he's up to. Thanks Frank!

[@UltimateTechHub]

I would never watch a wood milling video except for yours. Thanks Frank.

[@FloweringElbow]

Hi Frank. I noticed you subscribed to my channel recently, which is really quite humbling as I have been a fan of yours for many years. Thanks for all your inspirational work! 😀 Good call on cutting up the dead tree into 8ft sections and not trying to make impractically long boards (been there). On the "angle of attack" - I have tried all permutations and concluded that guide-bar nose-side leading the charge gives a smoother cut, and pulls the saw along better. Not much difference, but noticeable. A flat 90 degree angle is OK when the log is thick. Worst seems to me to be power-head side leading - it seems more 'juddery' and 'bouncy' that way round and I recon my chains don't stay sharp as long that way either.

[@jamespeterson1148]

I too find that leading with the nose side by about 45 degrees, if you have the capacity, works the nicest.

[@offgridsweden]

How could I miss this video. Subscribed and got the bell chackes. Have 2 chainsaw milling videos myself as well. Have a Logosol chainsaw mill. Love milling lumber. Have an amazing weekend, Andreas from Off Grid Sweden 🇸🇪

[@gordroberts53]

seeing Calvin reminds me how long I've been watching your channel. Thanks for sharing!

[@diegofernandoarteagacordob2743]

Mr. Frank Howarth I congratulate you on your videos please continue publishing more, because its content is very entertaining and you learn a lot from it. Thank you

[@maehay4065]

I loved working with my dad on any project he wanted help with being a girl I could be versatile. Kitchen or taking a car apart or building many different types of campers. Among many other things I may have forgotten but I always was a daddy’s girl! So I got a good laugh out of your comment about your son doing labor to help you with your projects! 😂👍

[@danstark]

My son Owen will be a freshman at Wilson next year. He's just started helping me with my heavy lifts in the last year. It brings me great joy to be able to do more work alongside him!

[@stewartgilbert76]

I’ve been watching your videos for so long I feel like I’ve watched your kids grow up! Another great video Frank

[@davecurda2350]

Every fathers dream the day they can use their son for labour, ha ha ha I laugh so hard because it’s true.

[@nraynaud]

not just labor, FREE labor.

[@HereIsWisdom1318]

Dave Curda I laughed hard too!

[@PADADDIE]

And my boy will now go into the Army in Sep. Using him as much as I can! Won't have him for the snow... :(

[@Stikker021]

A neighbour of mine had four daughters, he had a rolling stock of free labour for years. 😁 Mow the lawn, paint the house, wash the car, .... always a willing sucker or two. 😂

[@DanKoning777]

"Now" he can use his son as labor....hmmm. Its a different time. I was cutting the grass, raking the leaves, shoveling the driveway at 10 yrs. old. I was also told I was enjoying it. I wonder why theres so many comedy videos of todays youth?

[@aaronmudge4537]

Calvin is so big!! Love it every time the kids help out. Thanks for sharing Frank.

[@jmert_5859]

It has been fun watching your kids grow up over the years in your videos.

[@craigleemehan]

Enjoy that magical, but brief time, that your son is both capable AND willing to help.

[@archangelspythons]

I feel like with Frank as a father he will end up with the same passion for the hobby

[@manfredschmalbach9023]

@@archangelspythons There might turn up obstacles in that passion, which is perfectly fine, for every boy's got to run from his father at one point or the other, but they all come back sooner or later making good use of dad's workshop to realize their own ideas.

[@longshot789]

I can't believe how long I've been watching your videos. It feels like they're growing up at an accelerated pace, but it's only because we see them only so often. Wild stuff.

[@renderwood]

My thoughts exactly!

[@mandyleeson1]

That wood looks lovely, and what a rite of passage for Calvin. Thanks for sharing this with us, Frank.

[@kbrich2002]

Tip that’s saved me when loading slabs. Cut up some small PVC about 24” long and use as rollers moving slabs off and onto a truck or trailer.

[@drewmania6034]

Awesome opening drone drop-shot down through the trees. One of many satisfying elements to your videos.

[@jimhumphrey]

Use your son to help as much a possible over the next few years. You will enjoy that time now but more importantly, he will cherish this time with you in the distant future. Logging (even on this level) is man work and not many kids get to experience it these days!

[@mwalinchus]

the wild thing is. I've been watching you for so many years to remember the last time you milled and I can't wait to see what you do with this wood!

[@cjorg16]

Nice video and wood stack. I love that red Alder. I built 28 kitchen cabinets in Alder & finished with a light Pecan stain. Beautiful wood. However, the grain does tend to tear easily, so one must keep sharp tools, slow feeds, and mind the gain. Frank, I am sure you will enjoy making something nice (in a few years) with that Alder.

[@Mike_Regan]

Wow. Calvin's a couple of inches taller every time we see him.

[@dimike15]

Mike Regan did a double take. My mind went "wait, home many boys does he have?"

[@alexrains1893]

I swear next video he will just walk out with a full grown beard.

[@cbalan777]

You could say he's growing like a tree.

[@Mike_Regan]

@@cbalan777 Don't say that around Frank.

[@Ryzomadman]

my niece who has a fantastic attitude once she gets going shes like a Tasmanian devil she just doesn't stop ironically she wont do much at home but around at hours she has been fantastic help over the last few years

[@krizo96]

Your videos are so damn relaxing... Such joy.

[@jacobpirhalla4119]

I like Calvin's pink woodworking crocs. very stylish and practical

[@BishyRascal]

This is making me want to try milling on my channel. Your narrations rock.

[@kenc2257]

We like alder. The cabinet maker who made/installed our kitchen cabinets back in 2001 used alder for the doors. It takes stain nicely--a bit on the soft side, but fine for cabinets.

[@holdemNE1]

Excellent opening footage. Well done!!!

[@pmckinlay653]

I haven't watched for a while... Since when did Calvin grow up? I swear last time I looked he was 6! Top stuff as ever Frank. That Alder looks fantastic.

[@glencrandall7051]

Nice pile of wood slabs. Thanks for sharing.

[@davidconaway2830]

Better get Calvin some boots if you're gonna have him lifting boards with you ;-) My Dad was thrilled the day I could mow the grass by myself, next came shoveling the snow and painting the house and it didn't hurt me a bit.

[@Mikidy303]

Nice aerial footage at the beginning. You always post good stuff. Thanks.

[@raynaldchabot3288]

Hi Frank. A friend of mine is a big fan.

[@BlaiseBrogan]

Very nice Frank. You could do with one or two extra square aluminium cross braces on the mill it would help in keeping it running flat on the narrower logs especially starting the cut. Cheers Blaise

[@FloweringElbow]

+1 on the cross braces - unless you are going to go to the trouble of using the ladder again for all the cuts.

[@167curly]

When I was a little lad I recall that my Dad would get me to hold lumber as he put it through his circular table saw. Not heavy work, but he liked an extra pair of hands at the other end, and it was safe for a kid. Guess it was my introduction to the joys of carpentry?

[@sarape27]

Frank, I enjoy your videos very much. If it helps, I've read an article about drying lumber and it mentions that, if you use two spacers on each end about two or three inches apart, if the wood cracks it usually will not go past the second spacer. I've only try it once and I think is true. Good luck.

[@VicoTstr]

Your poor son, he don't know what's coming... 😄

[@Wingman4l7]

Nice swiveling cart you used to move the wood slabs off your truck -- looks like an antique!

[@BudionoSukses]

oh nice tips for keeping it uncracked while in natural drying process: painting the end of the lumber

[@spokehedz]

HI Calvin! Don't let your dad give you too much work, now that you have shown him your super strength. :P

[@DavesShed]

Thanks for the video Frank. I'm jealous of the full size pickups you have in North America. Those things cost 3 times as much to buy and to run in Australia.

[@Zogg1281]

Hi Frank, the reason the tree got "stuck" and wouldn't fall is because you needed a much larger "gob" or wedge at the front. In fhe UK we aim for between 30-45° going about 1/3 of the way through the tree. It gives you a really slow controlled fall as long as you don't cut to far through your hinge on the back cut. Hope this helps next time

[@roylucas1027]

Always enjoy your fine videos. Thank you and take care.

[@xBeauGaming]

Cant wait till my little dude is big enough to move slabs with me!!! Good going man!

[@Killeean]

Nice looking wood!! I just spent the weekend milling some nice cherry with my brother, so its funny that we both did it at the same time. I hope you make something awesome!

[@sgsax]

That red alder is going to make some beautiful pieces someday.

[@長谷川利雄-z2y]

I look forward to watching your work every time

[@Modenut]

Love the drone shot in the beginning when it descends into the trees. Very nice. =)

[@rudysaldivar4228]

Hi Frank, after about 2-3 months of air drying, try building an enclosure for the long sides and top. Leave the ends open and place a box fan on one end and leave it on the lowest setting. This will wick the moisture from the boards a little faster than Mother Nature since the airflow is constant. If you want to get a little more efficient you can cap the ends and make two square cuts on each end cap the size of the box fan. This will give you more uniform airflow over the stack. You can build it so it can be lifted off this stack and placed over the next stack. The sides and top can be made of thick plastic if you want to save weight. Your stack will dry about 50% faster and keep wood degrade down to a minimum. It will also help inhibit mood growth. You can alternate placing the fan at either end depending on prevailing winds. I dry mesquite lumber in the Sonoran desert. It’s kind of a kiln in and of itself. 😁

[@BrinkHouse]

Glad this tree didn't hurt you or anyone else, was a dangerous drop for sure. Snags that are leaning like this one require a special approach so as to prevent barber chairing, which can easily kill or injure a faller. Cut your face/undercut at a larger angle, allowing the weight of the tree to start pulling it down, then gravity to separate the fibers remaining in your holding wood once you've completed your backcut, which can be done with a plunge cut first, then cutting towards your back cut, leaving a few inches. Then come out and back around to back cut to sever that wood, allowing the tree to drop with minimal release of tension.

[@williamellis8993]

Looks like some great lumber. Can't wait to see what you do with it.

[@heikokrueger8774]

Nice savety crocs 😉. Thanks for the "moon" in first time. Best wishes form Gifhorn (Germany)

[@jaspip1678]

Deathstar

[@drekowski]

I find that angling the saw around 45° stabilises the cut, makes pulling/pushing evenly easier and I think it also reduces the amount of wood each tooth is cutting at one time which may make for a cleaner cut, but I'm guessing here. Would also be interested in some more insights on that.

[@eviethekiwi7178]

Im surprised calvin isnt with you all the time, whenever my dads working on something im usually there too

[@veepsgarage]

That takes a lot of time. I recently found someone to mill my oak tree with a chainsaw mill. He did a great job and I videoed the process which is on my youtube channel. It’s amazing stuff and a lot of work. Good job!

[@SpootyMcGee]

Love the drone shots.

[@Gobywalnut]

Great video, Frank!

[@jimchval2331]

It's late summer to hot to work in my shop,I also have been out looking for lumber getting ready for winter woodworking.

[@twagner6155]

For an old man I could not stand to work on my knees though I understand about the danger of the log falling down. I have used other trees to try and hoist the log up on 2 foot high saw horses. Cool.

[@go4069]

What a glorious day. You just doubled your manpower!

[@whirled_peas]

I can recommend making up a sturdier rail from aluminium profile. It makes setup way easier, especially for wonkier logs. It being sturdy you can use less supports, which saves loads of time. You can extend them too. Plus you can make it any width you want, giving you more support, eliminating twisting (ladders aren't very twist-resistant, especially with an 8hp beast on it). Plus you can then use that ladder for well, laddering!

[@whirled_peas]

Also! On waxing the ends, it is more important than it seems. While most cracks from end-drying can seem short, they actually cause a fissure deeper than you can see, up to 4x longer than the visible crack. Some woods are worse for it (had an ash try which had some large checks on the end come in two when dissassembling the stack 2 years later)

[@setphaser]

you have multiple weird old carts!? get a dolly! lol... they are very pretty carts. glad your saw is working well.

[@hernancoronel]

- Frank: "Calvin seems to be happy to do it." - Calvin: "Meh". Great video Frank! Thank you!

[@thewoodshop69]

My son is still living at home. He is 22 and I have to take full advantage of his FREE labor.

[@ahbushnell1]

Always a pleasure!

[@SteveC38]

It’s really amazing how quickly they grow up… God bless the young ones😎

[@LauraTeKiwiBirb]

With heavy leaning trees you want to fall the tree using a 'bore and release' method. This will prevent the tree from barber chairing and jamming your bar. The back cut should be below the height of the scarf, the general rule is lower you put the back cut the slower it will fall. If tree falling is something you are looking at getting into, you'll benefit from attending a forestry or arborist course.

[@9217666]

I like the drone shots.

[@garrettstephens8168]

What else could make a day better than watching frank mill up some lumber? Answer: nothing.

[@kerfnut7898]

Chainsaw milling is cool 😎. Just got my own mill. Yeah. Thanks for the tips.

[@rotorgator8419]

I like the death star in the beginning. Subtle

[@tonystakis8960]

Hey, Frank, it's been 3 weeks since your last video, we miss you man get back to work!

[@crisvega7588]

Love the drone shots. Fantastic as always.

[@daveweber1331]

Find and cut that wood, hoard those slabs. Inspiration for projects will come...:-) That lad of your's has all of sudden become a long, lanky young man! And the muscles on him - Wow!! Lol - free labor - for as long as it lasts... Those years are very fleeting...

[@rvbah1174]

Bamboo Death Star in the sky at 0:09 nice

[@azyfloof]

I missed that holy fuck! :O :D

[@FearsomeWarrior]

What is every video Frank has ever published has a StarWars Easter egg?

[@werterbot]

HAHAHA, I hadn't noticed that, that's so good

[@bwillan]

I think Frank should ask Santa for a portable bandsaw mill. Save your back, increase your speed and you may get another slab from the savings in the chainsaw kerf.

[@janchix03]

Calvin is now big boy! Great!

[@chaserwilliams1]

Love that old F-150! 97 model? I’ve got a 96 250. What I don’t have (yet) is a chainsaw mill...

[@Deep-Rest]

A cool thing to see would be a very large acorn turned on the lathe with different woods for the top and botton

[@fluffycritter]

OMG Calvin is growing up so fast

[@macedindu829]

That's quite a haul, very nice. Looks like traction on the rear tires wasn't an issue on the way home. ;)

[@ncktbs]

i just learned about Gerstner tool chests maybe make one of those? seem like an interesting challenge

[@sapelesteve]

Nice work Frank! Now we know why Calvin can't wait to go far away to College!! LOL

[@Omych]

Your son is so mature already! Time is heartless

[@tolgadn]

Hello dear, i just wanted to ask about, arent those thicker than they should be. I mean economically id prefer those like a bit thinner.

[@joepie221]

It's a shame, that whatever the final product, only the final product will get the attention. All the effort of preparing the slabs, work, lifting and transport will just fade into the shadows. I enjoyed the video and especially the camera work at the beginning. Good job.

[@meandnature6452]

That must be worth alot of money! good work

[@VeryAwkward]

Nice work Calvin

[@AdirondackRuby]

Way to go, Calvin!

[@tombil77]

Never back cut a leaning tree. Look up "Widowmaker treefelling" for the potential result. The common practice is to plunge cut, finish the hinge and then back out.

[@gregbrown9271]

True but that's not necessarily for that tree big saw sharp chain kill it before it knows what happened to it 👍

[@96tp]

In the uk we call that a dogs tooth cut

[@n0f8r]

@Frank why not get a trailer sawmill? seems like it'd worth it for the amount of time you spend with the chainsaw vs the time you'd save on a sawmill, plus the better/larger/more slabs

[@blakelambert5643]

Hey Frank! I like your work. -your friend from Portland

[@topsaw]

Love your videos, thank you.

[@pascal-cm4sq]

Well done Calvin, you did it. I love your red crocks, I have the same .... I wear them all the day

[@TheMarionetteKitty]

An amazing milestone in parenting!

[@David_K_Dickson]

Love this video. Especially the Death Star. Lol.

[@mikethompson6713]

Good strong young man you have there. 👍❤️

[@shadowscribe]

Nice video. What do you do with the other top/bottom slabs