This Log Was WAY Too Long For The Sawmill

Milling a 22' pine log on a 17' sawmill.
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[@jerrypeevey]

Sold so many bed extensions with this video LOL

[@davidpape9726]

Build yourself a set of wheels you can place under the drag end of the log which you attach with ratchet straps. Just transported a 24" log 21 foot long out of the woods. Great job on getting the log milled.

[@dantco]

I did two beams like this, except that I worked one whole side at the time. Make first cut>>slide log 8' toward home>>level log>>finish side 1. Repeat. I do not have a trailer tongue to worry about, but a little bit of prep ought to make it easy enough.

[@daveignite]

I have an LT15 go and have wondered how I could, if at all possible, cut a board longer than the bed. You have shown me an option and I deeply appreciate that. Good job and thank you.

[@waynebusse6376]

I'm glad to see it worked out for you. My mill is in my saw shed and I have a hoist above the mill which makes it super easy to flip big logs. You could do it with your boom on your tractor, rap a strap or rope two turns around the middle of the log and have a helper hold tension on the loose end of the strap while you lift with the tractor to spin the log 1/4 turn. I haven't used a cant hook since I installed the hoist over the mill. Unless the tongue was in the way, you only needed the 4 by 4's on two sides. The trees always seem a lot straighter standing than they do on the mill. I was tickled to see my name pop up on the screen, thanks for the mention. When you build your shed, keep a hoist in mind. I have two cross beams with an steel eye beam and a trolley so I can move the hoist to the center of the log.

[@falllineridge]

wayne busse Hey Wayne! Appreciate the tips! You helped out on this project/learning experience. Yes, I was a little disappointed when I realized how crooked the log was, but I got my beam.

[@HardyBrothersOutdoors]

Whew! 7 hrs... that looked like some seriously hard work and it was great you had help. Investigating buying a mill now and you just showed me why getting a longer track or trailer is necessary... Nice work!

[@CutandShoot5x5]

Good old FORD tractors are very reliable with a lot of pulling power! Nice job for a one man crew!!!!!

[@jakebendel5238]

i love watching you work. it reminds me of me, if there is a hard way i will find it.

[@jasongrgr]

The best way to do it , is exactly how you did it. You got it done , you learned from the process. Happy sawing.

[@JDLarge]

Great job! Watching you take on this challenge kinda reminded me of a childhood song... You remember lamb chop? “This is the beam that never ends. Yes, it goes on and on my friends. Fall Line Ridge started sawing it, not knowing what it was, now he’ll continue sawing it forever just because...” 😉✌🏼

[@fredgates5016]

I know that song... lol

[@chiskiewoodcreations9575]

When I built my sawmill shed, I sawed 2x12's and sandwiched 1/2 inch plywood between them and bolted them together with carriage bolts every two feet. Built it 3 years ago, 16' span with no sagging.

[@stevejette2329]

Chiskie - Yes, Exactly. Laminated beam would have advantages. Easier harvest, sawing, erecting. AND stronger per pound.

[@ronwood7040]

I put a 16' door on my mill shed. My thoughts are thats most likely the longest logs I will mill. I can mill up to 22' on my LT35 Woodmizer. I already have milled 21'6". Hard work pays off. Ron

[@barryirby8609]

Next time.....cut the chainsaw notch first and then saw to it. That way you can remove the board without removing the blade from the saw. Even if you saw up to about a foot from the stopping point, to make it clear where the surface will be and then finish the cut. Nice work, glad to see you stick it out.

[@miker6484]

Cool look with the fog 👍🏼

[@stich1960]

I like that you show the negatives, gives me a better idea of how things will go, considering nothing ever goes smoothly for me haha

[@1new-man]

You got it brother! #1 work smart = success & satisfaction! Proverbs 16:19 A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps

[@roberthumphrey1304]

My mill rides on 1 in square tubing. With some oak timbers, square tubing, angle iron and bolts I built my extension to 30 feet.

[@moosescorner1819]

You have a fantastic helper!!!

[@oldschooldiy3240]

I know I'm late, however, once you cut a flat side on the extra part of the log, why still have the blocks under it? That side could've been put on the bunks to remove the other side! Would it not sit level over the hitch area of the trailer part?

[@jamesspears5127]

I cut some 25 ft 8×8s on a 20 ft bed by pushing the log back and forth with my tractor and it was a lots less work than You did but You got it done and that's what is important

[@als8518]

thats what I was thinking, move it back and forth for each face,

[@patriots1needed]

Hard work. Great effort. Look forward to seeing the finished product.

[@ranger_bound5842]

A helpful tip for felling trees. Before you start your back cut, nip the left and right side of the open face, in the back cut direction, about 1-2” long and 1/2” deep. This will prevent the stem from pulling up piece of root (seen at 4:13). It may seem minor but after I had one pull the root before I cleared the tree it became habit. Good luck on the build!

[@johnpyle8027]

I saw the log and the caption and had to watch. I've never watched your material before and I have to say working in different trades, Masonry, Carpentry and Mill Work and being mechanically inclined I had my doubts and shoulda, woulda, coulda's while watching, but your back breaking work paid off! Nice job...

[@jimbo2629]

That’s very long to keep straight. I hope it doesn’t warp as it dries out. Great video

[@fred4513]

I love it when I see a ,young man using his head for more than a hat rack 👍👍👍

[@wardo17]

Solved the problem but at least you found a solution. Nice job.

[@camperjack2620]

Nice work. Kind of makes you want an extra 15 foot track made of 8x10 oak with metal rails for the tires of the head to ride on. Has to be bolted on fairly good but I don't think it is as critical as you might imagine for a long beam once in a while. When you tow with the tractor, I believe you should have a tow chain from the front of the log to the drawbar. It helps to prevent doing a wheelie and flipping over backwards if the log stops. The drawbar being below the center of the axle. That's why the have Rooms, and you can make your own with 2x2 square tube and a little roof. That's also better for a hardhat when driving past a widowmaker in the woods. The hardest thing to make homemade is a power log turner. Once again, nice workmanship!

[@eldoradowoodcrafthobbies3888]

Excellent; you are talented resourceful entertaining and educational, thank you for sharing.

[@jerrylittle8922]

You did a good job. Wish i couldve been up there to help. I pulled some logs out of the woods today with an old Ford Tractor. I built a big shelter last summer and bought two LV Beams 24ft in length. But expensive.

[@bradh74]

Maybe those roller saw horses that you use for holding up the wood after a table saw would make over length cuts easier on the mill but no matter what you got it done and if it works that all that matters.

[@mikemoore9757]

Get an extension for that bed if you can. I wouldn't think it would be that expensive. It would be fairly easy to fabricate your own. Good luck on the shed build!

[@donbowersock9564]

Nicely done, very rewarding that you pulled that off. Will mean a lot to you when its in place.

[@jacobbeesecker8411]

So good to see Peyton Manning found a worthwhile hobby.

[@kylebanner6854]

I’ll be staring a beehive this spring and can’t wait for your bee videos!

[@tennesseesawmillguy1590]

Good job. I’ve sawed those long ones many times with a WM LT40. But the LT 4O has the swing around/removable end bunk, so sliding the log back for extra length sawing is easy.

[@trampster7306]

Great video Wes! I wondered from the outset how you were going to achieve that - I didn't realise you could overhang the log at the front of the mill, so thought you would have to turn it around! Interesting problem & solution! Stay safe!

[@myname4598]

My first thought was chainsaw mill, but everybody's thought processes are different. You managed to get the job done with the tools at hand. Nice ingenuity, good job.

[@bwillan]

The challenge with the chainsaw mill is that you would need a flat reference surface the same length as the log to use to make the first cut. Then you need to figure out how to cut the edges square to the reference face.

[@hreinngunnargumundsson4734]

@@bwillansee alaskan chain saw mill (i think its called) -

[@bwillan]

@@hreinngunnargumundsson4734 Thanks. I am familiar with the Alaskan chain saw mill. It's main limitation for milling long logs is what I mentioned in my previous comment. You need a flat reference surface the same length as the log you are cutting to make the first cut.

[@hreinngunnargumundsson4734]

@@bwillan sure but that can easily be constructed with a pair of 2by4s and a board of some sorts, creating a structure like a H-beam. That structure would need to be sort of straight but then you shim it up along the length of the log to achieve an acceptable result.

[@Mudmowerdiesel]

Awesome video

[@robertgarthwaite9199]

Do not believe I've ever seen anything like this before. I cut long logs a little differently; I cut the bed length, then put the cut length up on blocks, slide the log back towards the already cut direction, shim the uncut length, then cut it. Works quite well.

[@Zeke-yv3nw]

Man! That looked like a pain in the butt. I'm sure you got frustrated but you didn't give up. That says a lot about you sir.

[@pamtnman1515]

We cut a bunch of 25 and 30-foot beams on a LT 40 years ago. We used a tractor at one end to hold up the long end and slowly feed that long end as each length was cut. We also chainsawed off the length ends like this. Lot of work, but we got some great oak beams

[@terryclouse6390]

great video as always that was one long log I,m glad you had help with it keep up the work

[@carroceriasverapaz2364]

Muy buen trabajo... aunque creo que pierdes mucho tiempo al sacar la sierra... bueno hubiera sido fácil de otra manera que yo aprendí... bueno te felicito ojalá hubiera trabajo para mí ahí contigo desde Guatemala iría a trabajar para aprender más y también enseñarte algo .. saludos y bendiciones

[@dusseau13]

There was an old sawmill on the property that had a 4' blade and rolling carts on narrow gauge RR track from the early 1900s. The band-saw is an improvement, but a rolling cart set-up into the blade would be better for the long beams, or another trailer that hooks up to the saw table and extends the saw travel.

[@jacobthrockmorton9587]

Did you pick up the deer shed laying at the base of that tree around the 4 min 55 sec mark? Be a cool thing to hang in the new shed.

[@stevedawson1706]

It's a good thing you did not need 10 of those. Nice job!!

[@rayscrafield2106]

Interesting video. Was there any reason for not just cutting the log at the lengths you needed and milling them afterwards? I'm a city boy so go easy on me.

[@reltcl1995]

Great job

[@edsmith4414]

This is one of the cases where a chainsaw mill, like the Granberg Alaskan mill, is the trick.....you can saw as long a beam as you have tree. I made an 8x10 main girder for my barn 36 feet long out of a large poplar. But I've also made 25-30' stuff on my LT40 that has a 21' capacity doing about what you've done.

[@froggleggers1805]

Man, that bark is beautiful.

[@johnstanley9190]

I like your videos the older guy that helped you with the lt40 I think has hydraulic rollers I have a lt35 hydraulic and it has then the log could have just been raised cut the 20’ then rolled back and the cut could be completed with each turn still worked out great for you not sure where you are at in Georgia I’m in griffin

[@job38four10]

Nice video, coarse theres always a better way with more money but we dont all have the funds so thats why I like seeing how people get stuff doe with what they have...........

[@Guy4UnderDog]

I couldn't help but wonder...this would've almost gone quicker with a chainsaw mill

[@TokyoCraftsman]

Hard work, but you got it done! I wonder if a Hi-Lift Jack would have been of use? Cheers from Tokyo!

[@weirforestry7605]

At 18:05 before you cut the cant off the top if you put a series of wedges in from the far end it will open up the cut a lot easier on a long section and allow you to back the saw blade out than trying to open up a short section with wedges.

[@ajmiller7102]

2x12x12' and 1/2" flitch plate full length to make a beam. Just break the joints. But you wanted to use what you had. It will probably sag unless you put temporary support in the center to give a little crown until the timber dries.

[@ronbishop4057]

Thank you, very informative. BTW - excellent camera work, should be a photographer as well.

[@robintaylor-mockingeemill8223]

Nice camera work on that first cut . Looked beautiful there .

[@jimfarrell5004]

By the time I make this comment, you may have resolved this issue. Having said that, why couldn't you have taken the log off the mill, rotated it 180 degrees (placing the uncut portion at the beginning of the mill's traveling position and then you'd have the dimension you were looking for.

[@aporter701]

Live and do and learn,right? Good experience.

[@ledenhimeganidleshitz144]

For the clear span in the shed, how about a truss? Perhaps a parallel beam Pratt truss? The bottom beam would be handy in one continious span being in tension. You could splice the top. Depending on joining, every node could be a separate piece because it is in compression. In the end, a truss may be the only way to get stiffness. There are other truss types as well, engineering is fun! Keep reminding yourself! Clever sawing

[@NorthwestSawyer]

Do I see a tractor with forks in your future??? I've been wanting to try this on my mill but don't have any logs that log. It's sure nice to have the access to trees that you do. Nice work, Wes. You earned that timber for sure!

[@falllineridge]

Hardest earned piece of timber ever! Thanks for stopping by!

[@salahelsimary5847]

The cat frightened and ran hhhhh

[@geoffreykail9129]

When your using the cant hook set it so you're pulling down instead of lifting up. It will be a lot easier on your back

[@D-B-Cooper]

I know your comment is a year old but it is rare to find one this silly and have people agree with you. You never roll a log towards you or some day you will end up under one and that s embarrassing especially when you are by yourself. Also when the hook lets go, like it sometimes does, you will be laying on your back with more than likely, something nasty under you , after the cant hook hits you in the balls. Also the greatest force you can put on it is your body weight. If you lift, with your legs , a normal toxic man can put double his body weight force on to the cant hook, and if it lets go the worst is that you stand up.

[@geoffreykail9129]

@@D-B-Cooper Everybody I see lifting the cant hook are lifting with their back. I was also referring to when the log is on the log deck and you have the stanchions between you and the log and you are turning it for a new cut. Otherwise I agree when the log is free on a deck or on the ground always roll away from you.

[@jamesrussell6870]

Header above my log deck on open shed is a 22' x 20" dia piece of poplar with only the top flattened. I figured why cut any more strength off it...

[@alleyoop916]

Very clever maneuvering. A thought for when you're working on finishing off the final "fat" end. Once you have the first 2 adjacent sides cut down so they match the rest of the beam, would it work to remove the shims and place the beam back on the saw carriage? It seems that your beam would be a lot more manageable for the final 2 cuts without the shims. Or am I crazy?

[@josephcraft2845]

That’s tough. How much would a bed extension be for that sawmill?

[@harveystephens6115]

Good job

[@heyyoubuddy6749]

Hey there buddy good job, I watched buz's video a while back and thought that's how I would do the long beams as well. You did a great job. You can point to that beam many years from now when your grandson asks about the sawmill shed! Thanks for the video, maybe have you buddy there not use the chop saw when your filming. Thank you for taking us along and teaching us how to get it done. GOD bless you and yours

[@bee-u-tifuladventures4771]

Very cool to see! Thanks for taking the time to create and share these videos.

[@JohnMartinez-sm1sk]

Great technique, that beam looks good

[@ericharris893]

Love the ford tractor. That’s not a heavy turn for that old ford beast. I use a friggin 49 ford 8n. It gets the job done. I’ve pulled many many logs with it.

[@BusHuxley]

Good morning. Thank you for the shout out. Ive done this arduous process twice. Once on the LT 28 which I am using now, (which you linked to) and that was a 26' 4x6. I also did it when I was building that sawmill shed where I used to work. That was a monster. 27' 8x14. But that was on the LT35 with hydraulics. And of course the camera froze while milling that, but here is a bit of it: Thanks again and looking forward to the rest of the build. kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZoqUaYh9gdppl9U

[@falllineridge]

Bus Huxley Hey Bus! Thanks for stopping by!

[@kenjett2434]

Excellent job sometimes we just have to do what we have to do to get a job done. It may not be pretty and it may not always be easy or safe but must be done. But at the end I bet you probably thought a set of extension rails for the mill would sure been handy and nice. Once your shed is finished and dried in it will make the effort all worthwhile. Oh and isn't it amazing how big of tree it really takes to cut large beams it really shows how wasteful milling can be and makes judging trees for large timbers her difficult unless you have done a lot of it as I have. The majority of what I milled was square timbers for RR ties.

[@tjcharette633]

The way I back the head out of a cut is to put a wedge on both sides of the cut behind the blade back it out then move the wedges back and repeat the process until the head is free

[@JosephLorentzen]

Okay, after the fact doesn't help anything, and this is more a question as I don't own that type mill, but after your freed the blade the first time, could you have made the cuts with the chain saw at that place on the other sides? That way when you reached the chain saw cut, you could have lifted the board off the blades - or so it appears.

[@petershale9940]

Good video, looked like bloody hard work, but the end result should be worth it. cheers

[@plutothor5592]

That was a lot of work. It almost would have been easier to snap some chalk lines and hew it by hand!

[@michelewalters9421]

May not have been the easy way or the best but pretty dang interesting episode. Thanks for taking your time to film and share. Who is the fellow that is there sometimes? I think he also helped with your wood shed?

[@falllineridge]

That's Howard. He helps out a couple of days a month. He's an incredible worker.

[@JusBidniss]

A 2nd set of wedges instead of disassembling and removing the blade? Chop off the waste with the chainsaw, wedge open the kerf on that side of the blade, pull the blade up against those wedges, then wedge the sides of the kerf on the other side of the blade, remove the 1st wedges, then pull the saw on out? Not sure if this would work, haven't tried a longer cut like this. Thoughts?

[@dmmaddex]

beautiful work

[@myredute]

What you're better off doing is buying a bolt on extension to the saw bed. You're only limited by how far your mill can travel & adding it to the end could double the lengths you want to cut. Simple really!

[@raytaylor4089]

You know there are extensions for the wood mizer?

[@oldtireman4665]

Some folks may consider it a form of cheating, but for at least this purpose there's a lot to be said for a couple of 20', 2x12" microlams. It would be stable, you could hang a horse off it if you had to and you would have saved yourself a ton of aggravation. The flip side is the satisfaction of having managed to git er done by yourself with what you had to work with.

[@digitalwoodshop]

I had never seen that trick..... Good JOB.... Doing a long log.....

[@BESHYSBEES]

To follow the heart wood Find the centre of the trunk at the top and bottom and mark them, measure and pack the top up off the bearers so the centre of the trunk is the same height from the bearers as the centre at the bottom, cut through one side end to end then you can flip and lay the log and repeat

[@4115t41r]

Again i got home from work 2 am on Sunday Morning. Had a great watch. Your skills are great, especially in videoing. You said that you ran out of space on your storage card and had to change it out. Never saw the join in the video, seamless. Thanks Ali Scotland..

[@falllineridge]

Alistair Blanch Thanks as always!

[@Exiledk]

Surely, after sawing two sides flat you could dispense with the suppoting blocks?

[@finnnilssen8647]

Cant wait for the videos on building the shed. Also nice to see Howard again!

[@MrFHLH]

Congratulations, took a bit of inginuity but you got there in the end and well worth the effort.

[@markflajsner9944]

Thanks for your sharing, just a thought but could you weld together some extra rails/supports to extend the length of your sawmill, a bit of work admittedly, but it should be possible, no? I guess if you are not milling such lengths on a regular basis, it won't be worth it. Anyways, good luck with your project.

[@nealgramento6975]

Next time make your saw cuts with the chain saw first. Then turn the whole tree around on the mill to finish the cuts. Or buy a larger mill LOL

[@robprior6650]

Awesome job.

[@charleybuck5268]

I believe, once you have the first two cuts done on the 4x4's you could have removed them since they would be good reference faces for the other two cuts. Would have made them it a little less nerve racking!

[@falllineridge]

Charley Buck You are not the first person to mention that, I have no idea why I didn’t think of it 🤦🏼‍♂️.

[@daviddowding4115]

Well done patience is always rewarded. but tighten the chain on the chain saw its way too loose.

[@Yoursrvd2]

Hi, Wes, I have cut up to 25' long logs on my LT28. You have part of the right idea, And you don't need to remove your blade, every time you make a cut. Email me or send a message thru facebook, And I'll explain how easy it is.

[@itzcaseykc]

Get rail extensions. That in itself would greatly improve your options for long boards.

[@murphymmc]

You must have some light roof loads in your part of the country. Unfortunately, in my neck of the woods, that size shed would require a permit and with snow loads, at least 30% more than 13" for a beam with a 20' span.

[@falllineridge]

murphymb Not enough snow to worry about here, thankfully.

[@IronOakSawmill]

May I suggest the Mega Hook from Log Rite. 78" of pure leverage. Check some of our early videos, and you'll see why I make this suggestion. Nice job on the milling of the beam. Looking forward to the shed build.

[@markreetz1001]

Thanks for the video! A lot of cool things in it. Once you had the first side even (@26:55) why did you need to keep the log elevate? Was it the hitch?

[@falllineridge]

Mark Reetz Nope, just wasn’t thinking. Live and learn.

[@markreetz1001]

Okay. Fair enough. I'll buy that. Maybe you were too close to see it. Well, good work on it anyway.