*FAQ* at 26:17 Lots of tricks buried in this one. It keeps getting better, so there's a ton to mention. I tried to not waste too much of your time on diversions, but if you are going to mill this way, you should _really_ watch the whole video. The one thing you must do-the absolute most important trick that nobody seems to mention about using a mill like this-is at 21:22. Thanks for your ongoing comments of support and feedback. If you are getting results with this system, I'd love to hear from you!

@lukearts2954

11 ай бұрын

I really love that 90° mounted axe head stick tool thingy you use to strip off the bark... I have a "sticking chisel" (kind of a literal translation, sorry) that serves that purpose (but that is originally for removing glued carpet), but it's a flat piece of metal, and I think the wedge shape of the axe head makes it much better for this application.

@saltybildo9448

4 ай бұрын

Maybe a video on curing?

@pocket83squared

4 ай бұрын

​@@saltybildo9448 That's probably the next video in this series. Quite a few people have asked about that. There's a pretty big Maple I want to drop this spring. Maybe by May, June, or July.

@saltybildo9448

4 ай бұрын

I'm in Florida west of St Augustine on a wooded lot in a dirt road . It has a lotta tall straight pine on it although not ass big in diameter, I'm thinkin of harvesting some it it for building projects. You know. , run wat ya brung.... Lol

I have been watching all day videos of how to make slabs with a chainsaw without any expensive jigs or whatsoever. And your 4 videos on the subject are the best and I will definitely try to apply as much as possible to my woodworking.

@JakePlisskin12

7 ай бұрын

i have been on you tube and been down a never-ending rabbit hole of forum comments for the past 2 weeks trying to figure out how to start milling up some lumber to build some poorly made furniture (cuz im a hack) and I'm pretty sure this is the system I'm going with. I have tried the free hand milling of this style but i don't have actual surface planner. I use a combination of my radial arm saw, belt sander and hand plain so it would be nice to get a nicer mill cut.

@jeffreymoffitt4070

Ай бұрын

​@@JakePlisskin12try looking up a router sled jig. You can surface a slab with relative ease (like a psudo-cnc mill)

That dog of yours seems remarkably well trained, and surprisingly good at operating the camera

@pocket83squared

10 ай бұрын

Still, it's a pain to edit out all the panting sounds.

Love your honesty and knowledge. A great watch.

You had me at fulcrum! As a math/science teacher, I love how you incorporated physics into this

Awesome DIY FTW

Thanks for the video. One of the best videos I have seen all year.

It seems like every time I go back and watch some of your older videos, you show up again with another video for us all

Uncle Pocket graces us with another video. You know, I grew up not knowing how to use tools, or build a damn thing. Somehow KZread recommended me Pocket's videos years ago, and I've been watching since. Now I'm building my own workbench so, thank you for the inspiration Pocket. :)

@pocket83squared

11 ай бұрын

Alright. Keep at it! You can have whatever you want as long as you make it.

I have ideas for both potential upgrades for the jig 1: the handle You already have two posts sticking up off of the jig for the counterweights, so if you could connect the two, it would give you a stable place to push or pull. I’m imagining two caps (maybe with magnets in them so that they can stick to the screws and make it less likely to vibrate off) with a rod between them. It would be parallel to the blade, not perpendicular like you gestured, but it might be a starting point. 2: the stop If you put a notch in the guide board on the outside, like an upside down and reversed seven, you could attach a stop to the sled that was spring loaded to ride along the guide board along the outside and it would hit the notch once you ran out of room. The thing that came to mind was Matthias Wandel’s “small table saw sled” which had a little stop that caught on his outfeed table to keep the sled from traveling too far. It’s about eight minutes into his video. Just stick it on its side and put it under tension. Hopefully being on the outside, it would ride along without chips or debris catching on it. Sorry for the long read. Hopefully these could work their way into your design, or give you other ideas.

4:04 I love the fact that you mentioned the idea of buying a new chain, to be economical. I wish every person who has ever asked you “why dont you just buy one???” would watch this part. Those commenters can’t seem to grasp that you obviously understand that time = money, and you will but things when they are needed. What the commenters obviously don’t understand is that you can gain priceless knowledge and hone your critical thinking skills be spending time making or repairing something that could otherwise be purchased or replaced. I know the second chain gets out in another saw for general use but the point stands. You have taught me that over the years, and I thank you for it.

@pocket83squared

11 ай бұрын

Thanks. We do have to watch for false economy. You and I aren't stupid. We're just flexible, so we're willing to find a _fix!_ The other thing that the 'just buy one' crowd doesn't seem to get (aside from the developing skills part) is that a trip to the store can take more than just gas, time, and money. As I tinker here in my garage, birds chirp while the music gently plays and the dog keeps me company. In contrast, a trip to a box store is a dreary concrete walk through the half-dead but LED-lit public. There's also a fair ecological, and ultimately ethical, argument to be made for staying home and crafting one.

@redo348

11 ай бұрын

​@pocket83² That's the consumerism training isnt it? "Can you buy it? Then you should! Do more and do it faster." It can be hard to get out of that instrumental mind set. Not everything has to be for something and the most efficient way to do it. It is ok for the meaning to be more nebulous sometimes.

@pocket83

11 ай бұрын

​@@redo348 Exactly. And it's not only efficiency that we have this false impression of. _Value_ is also just as nebulous. Consumerism training, indeed. We see it all over the news: _the Dow closed today at..._ Economy this, economy that. How's the economy doing? Measures of 'The Economy' are nothing more than an attempt to capture and display how quickly the gears of our production/consumption machine are spinning, but a 'strong' economy says nothing about how truly efficient that machine is. An RPM gauge certainly tells us something about the state of the motor, but it doesn't say anything about how much ground the vehicle is covering for the fuel we've burned. Our precious 'economy' has been designed only to produce the warmth of its perpetual spin. Of course, the rest of you are free to sit there and spin for as long as you like. I'll be in the shop.

@redo348

11 ай бұрын

@pocket83 I think there is a hard truth to gdp though. Why does the US care about the increasing rivalry of China for the largest gdp? Because it is indicative of the political and military power they can wield. There a sort of darwinist logic there, a country that doesn't care about gdp stands a risk of not being a country for much longer. Misalignment between what is good for the nation and good for the individual?

@pocket83squared

11 ай бұрын

​@@redo348 Yes. And a problem isolating and defining those things. From a perspective of expertise and/or understanding, a tachometer's reading can be pretty useful information. To the average passenger, it is not. The misalignment here in the U.S. is that the average person believes himself already _expert enough_ by default, simply by virtue of democracy; here we've conflated freedom of expression with validity of opinion. Further, because of the Cold War, our culture here now preferences liberty over sustainability. Where I live in Pennsyltucky, the general sentiment is that an individual is being constrained by the collective. Whether rational or not, this animosity has been our lingering overreaction to socialism. Aside from how it relates to his personal investing and genuine curiosity, Joe Sixpack really has no reason to cite market trends ever, let alone believe himself capable of prescribing large-scale economic policy based on such statistical excerpts. With respect to where he's going, Joe shouldn't be looking at a tachometer. It's far more applicable to his life for him to consider what's passing by outside the window. Another misalignment can be seen in our ethics here. We tend to believe that securing wealth for our nation is unconditionally 'good,' though it is demonstrably so that value can only become of a displacement, and so our abundance necessarily comes at expense to, well, elsewhere. Ought we allow increasing disparity to continue? I don't know, but at bare minimum, it seems as though we could try to waste less. Revving the engine _does_ burn fuel. The misalignment is that we think we can independently 'own' the fuel that we burn, as though it is no concern to "elsewhere." Remember, we're on a ball. There's only so much. ♪ _There's too many home fires burning, and not enough trees._ ♪

Cleaver self-sufficiency. Well done and very helpful.

@pocket83squared

6 ай бұрын

Nice to hear. Thanks.

Awww yeah a new pocket video. Hopefully that wildfire smoke isn't getting too bad down there today.

@pocket83squared

11 ай бұрын

Until you said something just now, I hadn't put 2 and 2 together. The air seems normal enough, but yesterday evening's sunlight had a strange overcast. The sunset sky appeared too warm, muted and almost surreal, similar in mood to that out-of-place feeling an eclipse creates. Now that I look, it's an odd color for being an hour before noon on a bright June day. The ecological sphere is far smaller than we like to realize.

@gizanked

11 ай бұрын

I know I'm a few counties north of you but most of western PA is in an air quality red alert today and the air quality maps show the smoke traveling as far as even Mexico. The light filtering through the smoke definitely has an eerie haze to it. Saw someone compare it to a scene from star wars on tatooine.

Nicely done. Short and to the point. Great tips throughout. WHOAAH

I'll keep my comment short other to say that I greatly appreciate the amount of information you've been able to share in such a short time. As you know, these skills take time as learning can be (well is!) full of mistakes and wrong turnings. Hopefully I'll be able to improve my game a tad thanks to you bothering to (again take the time) to share. Cheers!

Sir, we here in the Philippines,has had simple was of milling any kind of logs, i just can't show you how coz i don't have the gadgets to do so and show how we do it here, yet, thanks for the ideas you' d shared, salute!

The proof is in your boards - near perfect. Easy matter to joint and plane, then they would be perfect. Well done, and thanks for all of the helpful tips.

@pocket83squared

3 ай бұрын

Thanks. It's _almost_ an easy matter; can you believe I still don't have a jointer? I'm getting one this year, I swear!

Ideas for a stopping mechanism: a spring steel strip with 2 pieces of wood on each end mounted in a slot in the length direction of the beam. The rear wood block is triangular and gets pushed down by the mill cart, putting the metal strip under tension. As soon as the window reaches the front block, it will jump up and stop your sliding motion. If you make that block triangular too, you can just slide your cart forward again, but never beyond the end of the beam. As soon as the cart is off the rear wood block, the tension is gone and the front block will drop down again. If that's too much mechanism, then perhaps you could just put a well placed nail and a small shamfer on the cart to make the tiniest hump 1-2 inch before you would drop off. You would feel this hump and realize you need to slow down. Or just a hook on the end, or a static rope connected to the front (but that would require a mechanism to roll up the rope when you slide to the start again otherwise you'll get bothered quickly by the rope getting in the way of the cart). But I think the slickest and most enjoyable one will be the spring break (npi)

@pocket83squared

11 ай бұрын

Your idea just knocked into one of my ideas enough to jar loose a new one. I think I might know what I want to do now. Thanks a bunch. Viewer feedback really forces me to think.

Wow this is a great project and really good hand built tools using leverage for one person projects.

@pocket83squared

Ай бұрын

Thanks a bunch.

Glad you're still giving updates! I enjoy watching your technique with this idea. Very inspiring

Just finished watching your mini milling series and i would just like to say they are perfect for anyone like me who is learning about milling a log, ive learnt so much in a very short time, now its time to practice, thank you, stay safe 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

@pocket83squared

6 ай бұрын

Great. Let me know how it goes. Good luck.

I got my wood, got my chain saw, and most important of all I GOT MY BORDER COLLIE. He's called Kye and he keeps a close watch on me to ensure work is completed to an adequate standard. He's the safety advisor, too!

It's always fun and educational watching a pocket video. My braincell thanks you for feeding it!

@pocket83squared

11 ай бұрын

Oh, just that one? At least it's big & healthy! Thanks.

Really cool stuff! I always enjoy seeing what you're working on, and how you solve many everyday problems

Nice work man

bro!!!!! you are absolutely brilliant, before watching this, i was wondering how you milled the remainder of your log when you ran out of room for your guide rail, thank you for the clarification. fyi, an undressed bar can cause sticking issues,(as you work through the day, a bur develops on your bar, which needs to to be filed off, also you need to clean the chain groove and oil hole then flip your bar) unevenly sharpened cutting teeth cause the bar to pull to one side and those little humps in front of the cutting teeth, dictate chip size, they can be filed down if your chainsaw is throwing too much dust, however, if you file your drags too much(little hump things), you will cause massive vibrations through your chainsaw leading to damaged anti vibration mounts and main bearing damage, with possible catastrophic saw failure, but i assume you already know that, because you are simply brilliant!!!!

@pocket83squared

2 ай бұрын

Ha! Thanks for all the high praise! I know all that stuff not because I'm brilliant, but because I've been challenged by many, many commenters by this point. Millions of views means that I've had to stay up on all the current milling info, and after a few years of milling and refining my technique, now I actually know my stuff! To your point about making a balanced (smooth) cut, that's why I install a brand-new chain every 3-4 logs when milling. It's all about maximizing balance and reducing vibration. The used chain then goes into a different saw that's for general purpose, where I hand-sharpen it over the rest of its life. As for bar rotating & oiling, that's a really good point that I should probably include in the next video. The next video was _supposed_ to be about how I cure/stack/debug lumber, but that one will have to wait another season, because first I have to address the chain economics thing mentioned above; tons of viewers misunderstood this idea to mean that I was suggesting "it's not worth it to sharpen a chain." Selective hearing, I guess. Oh, one more thing: another way I keep the bar wear down is by keeping my saw dedicated to only milling. Simply put, it's a case of saving the best equipment for use where the results matter. Thanks ;)

Could you add some sort of small ball detent that snaps into place when you reach the end of the board? Just something that provides enough to let you know you're at the end of the guide without introducing a ton of friction while actually using the thing

@pocket83squared

11 ай бұрын

Yeah. Exactly. Like a little speed bump. Maybe the first half of the jig could go over/through it, and then it could 'snap' into the second half when it gets into the red zone. One of my earlier thoughts was to use a nail-head that's sticking up to do something just like this, by making a T-slot that lets the nail go through the first half of the jig.

@robbaron1206

11 ай бұрын

Golf ball detent

Thank you sincerely for a new video.

Te agradezco mucho tus enseñanzas. Eres muy didáctico. Soy de Chaco, Argentina. Pronto comenzaré con esto y me es muy util. Eres muy buen maestro. Me suscribo a tu canal. Ahhh, los subtítulos en español me han permitido aprovechar mejor los detalles. Gracias

nice job

Doggie: "Are you talking to me? I don't see anyone else here so you must be talking to me"

Exelente idea saludos desde chile, lo ocuparé con mis alumnos

Another excellent video. Thanks

Really smart, thanks.

Love the videos man! Regarding the red zone. Just move your bottom clamp hold down a little (if you need to) and add a piece of wood on the red zone so the jig slide will stop and hit that piece of wood before falling off :)

Bark when it's dry makes a very good kindling.

I like your make it work , mind , keep going brother ⚡️⚜️⚡️

Wish all have the perspectives of what you share in your videos, great work!!!

@pocket83squared

6 ай бұрын

Thanks ;)

On your counter balance weight , slight out rigger would aloe for less weight an handle Have you conciedered a U shaped metal beam to trap you slide ?

Also with a U shaped channel beam , it could over extend log with adjustable slide stop pin ( ie bolt or clamped insert )

some good tips there thanks.I've been cutting free hand using a pendulum action for two years,but definitely going to adopt your method.cutting freehand,I hold the saw lightly and make sure cut is vertical so the bar cuts straight use my husky 395am as the dogs are down both sides of bar and identical heights,so I can use them to maintain the same angle through the cut.stay safe and lucky my friend.thanks and respect.maddog,off grid in West cork.I have a horse to haul timber out of the woods to my work station.

@pocket83squared

5 ай бұрын

A horse probably works better than anything! Since you already have the feel for pendulum free-cutting, this system will be really easy for you to pick up. Learning to hold the saw lightly is tough. The one thing that might feel strange will be to keep moving with the jig. No stopping: one light pass, down the whole length of the log. Thanks and good luck!

Nice.

26:15 I have an idea for an easy and safe way to stop your « sled » and avoid it to drop down the guide and potentially hurt you real bad. I assume you do have a router. Router out 1 inch of the bottom part of your back 2x4 that is 5 inch long in a "I" shape from the very end to about the middle of that said part of the 2x4 sled. Then you use a screw (a dowel cut to length is better IMO) around the beginning of your red zone. The screw needs to be out of the 2x4 guide for ¾ of an inch. The screw will then serve as a block when it hits the end of the "I" shape that you have routered out of the under of the back 2x4. I hope you get it, as it's not easy me for to explain that with words. English not being my native language does not help either ;)

Maybe paint the 2 x 4 in front of the guide where you want to stop. Could even do two colors, first as a warning and second as a stop point.

Put a screw at the end for a stop also use bungie cords to pull te jig and saw. I saw both in a different video with your type of setup.

this is a great vid all around

@pocket83squared

2 ай бұрын

Thanks. There's lots in this one. Glad you like it.

I'm getting the impression there may be better or easier ways to remove that top slab: 1) Why not a jig for that purpose? I'd envision a couple of "upside down log dogs" to support the bottom side near the two ends of the log, incorporating a flat board as a reference surface. Then use some sort of "carriage" along the flat board, holding (or maybe just guiding) the chain saw at a fixed height -- namely the height of that chalk line. This assumes that the saw bar is in a horizontal plane. Maybe instead, roll the log 90* and modify your current jig and guide to cut of this slab? 2) After marking the chalk line, why not saw down almost to it from the top, maybe even using a bow saw, so that the slab comes off in several pieces? I would imagine that this would make the process easier.

Very very good information here.. bookmarking this for the spring. Can’t wait to attempt milling some of my own logs even if it means waiting for them to dry 😅

@pocket83squared

5 ай бұрын

It goes fast. Most every spring I'll do a single 8'6" log, and after only a few years, I now have more Maple and Cherry than I can ever use. Last year's log is this year's dried lumber.

About the stopping mechanism how about a spring loaded board. A L shaped boar connected under the rail that with the weight of the chainsaw goes a little down to help it grab the rail, but as soon as you move the chainsaw up the rail it goes back making it stop at the right position. Hope I made myself clear😅

Thanks for some very useful tips, which will save me a lot of time and effort. I have to say that a small chainsaw like yours shouldn't take an hour to sharpen. I have a similar one and it takes me 1/2 hour at most, doing things manually with a HIGH QUALITY chain file. It's a bit of a break from the labour of moving logs and heavy timbers, too! I have a weird sharpening technique I've developed over the years. where I stand at the tip of the bar, and sharpen each cutter in turn. This way, I don't have to turn the saw around half way through. I sharpen the chain about every 30-60 mins of use. That way, the saw is easy and quick to sharpen.

@pocket83squared

5 ай бұрын

Great. Thanks. It takes about ten minutes for me to sharpen an MS170 chain. You might've misunderstood my point; I said that a chain isn't worth an hour of labor, not that it isn't worth resharpening. An older chain will slow your milling progress and end up costing you more than an hour's labor. Spending an hour to save a few bucks on a chain is a false economy. It's worth it to install a brand-new chain about every third (de-barked) log. The used chains then get used in my other saw, for general use. There they get sharpened down to nubs. (And then I use _those_ to grind stumps.) As for the stand-at-the-tip approach, I can totally understand why you'd do that. I may try it, because I always end up smelling like gas from reaching over the saw! Beautiful dog, by the way. Hope you can keep him busy! Mine is endlessly energetic. Here's a video of her: kzread.info/dash/bejne/jIKGj9qoXbKuqqw.html

The one thing I would strongly recommend is steel-toed boots. Cutting like this, one's feet could easily get in the path of the blade. And though it isn't a likely problem if you're paying attention, it takes less than a second lapse to end up losing some toes - or worse. It goes without saying one should be using other protective gear, such as ear, eye, and respiration protection.

@pocket83squared

6 ай бұрын

No-absolutely not. You are far more likely to trip wearing steel-toed boots. Trip while holding a chainsaw? No! This method involves LOTS of walking back and forth. Boots are cumbersome, heavy, and offer absolutely no benefit while milling with a 16" bar; there is no possible way that you can cut your toes using the method I outline here-it only looks that way on video to those who haven't done it. What _should_ go "without saying" is that choosing to use a PPE item is a risk-benefit assessment, and that all of them come at a price by blocking or impeding the senses; there are no 'ALWAYS WEAR' situations. In this milling method, the legs are exposed to some risk, and so that's a fair consideration. Eyes: very mild risk, even less if bark has been removed first. Ears: not so much risk if outside and using an MS170; muffs are over-the-top, plugs are good idea. A respirator is pointless if the bark has been removed and the log is fresh. As with all risk, exposure time matters. Consider also that safety equipment has the unintended psychological result of giving the user a false sense of security. Choose to use it with discretion, not unconditionally.

Buy ( or cut ) a longer guide rail. Wider is better also. Try it, it’s very inexpensive and probably will work?

I agree with everyone else. Your guide is the perfect one after watching tons of videos. I'll be making it soon. Maybe tomorrow. I do have a question though. Since a 3/4 inch board is the standard, why would one cut a 1" or 1.5" board? Does it shrink that much? Or even a 2" board. I can't think of an application......maybe table legs.

@pocket83squared

Ай бұрын

Thanks a bunch. Don't hesitate to ask questions. Lots of details to know here. There's a big difference between the milling quality I was getting in the first video, and what I expect now. Thickness~ It all depends what you're using the wood for. Sure, ¾" is the "standard" at a box store, but what does that mean, exactly? That size will be convenient for most interior trim-work, but it'll still be too thick for some things and too thin for others. If you have a table-saw, then the world is your oyster, and you can rip any size board you want! In my opinion, the ¾" standard is too thin to be useful. Short answer: Yes, there will be some shrinkage, but the real reason to rough-cut at 1" is to have a planer cushion on each face, so that you can end up with a finished thickness of ⅞" that's perfect on both sides, which is _my_ standard. The 2" boards are great for table legs and stuff, but it's also nice to just get done with the milling faster. Again, those can be re-cut on a table-saw later. Also remember that a chainsaw kerf wastes 4X as much wood as a table-saw. Good luck! Let me know how it goes.

Lots of great low cost ideas but I still prefer my Alaskan type mill and an aluminum ladder for the first cut. After the first cut, it's super fast to take additional slabs off the log.

How about just a notch in the red zone and a pawl on the sled. You only appear to need to stop/warning going backwards sot this should work and be unobtrusive for the entering and removing the sled

pocket, this series has been awesome - thank you! How do you store your boards to dry? Indoors? Outdoors? Do you do anything to treat for bugs?

@pocket83squared

11 ай бұрын

In the garage! Keep 'em dry, and bugs won't be a problem-unless they're already _in_ the wood. For the first year, the boards get stored horizontally in a stack, up on cinder blocks. I'll space them out with 1" strips of wood, and make a nice neat bundle by ratchet-binding the entire log back together in the same order the boards were cut. You can briefly see at the end of the last video here: kzread.info/dash/bejne/no2h2pOrepbZZ7w.html Next year at this time, when I mill a new log or when I want to use some of the material, the ratchet straps will come off and the boards will get stacked (almost) vertically against the wall. Here and out of the sunlight is where they'll stay long-term, with no spacers between them, but they'll be up on some scrap wood just to keep them off the concrete floor.

@lukearts2954

11 ай бұрын

that'll be the next video ;)

@pocket83squared

11 ай бұрын

I'm thinking about it. It's a common question.

That is one nice stable 2x4 you're using for the guide rail. Produces great results! Is that maple from your own lot?

@pocket83squared

11 ай бұрын

No, I just coated a perfect (and well-sanded) 2x4 with polyurethane. Now it's pretty resistant to the elements. I also treat it & store it with respect. Remember, a guide board only has to be straight along one axis. As long as its grain was appropriate in the first place, it'll stay straight until you abuse it.

Maybe mill a channel in the under side nearest the handle of the saw that has a reverse shark fin on the guide plank that latches on the bolt/all thread that is in the middle of the red sight window. Also did you ever do anything more regarding the toroidal object you saw at that guys booth years ago? I went down the rabbit hole of your older videos with the hidden frames the ovaltine reference was appreciated being a Brit living in USA I hadn’t heard it referenced since I was a child.

Red zone: just use a longer 2x4. Much easier than detents and complex springs. My logs are 9’ because my Grandberg rails are 10’. Gives my saw runs off space. Another suggestion for using the whole width is don’t cut fully through the middle boards. Creates a more stable surface when you flip 2x4 to put on top of boards still attached to log instead of that tiny piece of plywood. Once you finish go back and freehand cut the last few fibers of those middle boards

my dad wants to cut down his maple he's going to regret that, but I couldn't talk him out of it so I got him to let me keep the wood for gunstocks anything I should keep in mind setting up something like this?

Thanks for your interesting videos from which I have learnt a lot while making my own mill. In the Advoka MAKES’ video, ”self-propelled Chainsaw/Turning logs into perfect boards”, at 7:23 minutes he shows milling the log at a 2 degree slope which seems easier because the mill is running downhill. Almost the same concept as a vertical gravity chainsaw mill (John Heisz video).

@pocket83squared

10 ай бұрын

Advoko and his methods are both brilliant, but none of his processes are quite comparable to this. The slope of the log becomes almost irrelevant using my method. You _will_ be moving the chainsaw; in fact, controlling the feed rate is one of the keys to developing the skill. Heisz is likewise brilliant, but his vertical chainsaw setup was a novelty, and not at all a practical way to produce 8' lumber. If you do experiment with using this jig (and counterweight) system at different slopes, I'd be interested to hear about your results. Good luck.

Living a better life through the power of jigs.

@pocket83squared

11 ай бұрын

I can't even eat my breakfast without using a jig.

Im sure you got a lot of ideas by now. But just in case, put your red mark 16" up the board. That way it appears right where you are looking at. And the jig will sweep it clean just before you need to see it.

@pocket83squared

3 ай бұрын

That comment made me laugh from the brilliance of its simplicity. I wish I would've thought of that. None of the millions of people who've watched this series have suggested it yet, either. If I would've done this to begin with, everybody would've just assumed it to be obvious. Too bad that I already added a rotating steel L-bracket to the end, because that really is the sort of simple solution I'm always in search of. I'll probably still add it to my guide board. Seeing simple is deceptively complicated. Again and again I have to learn this.

When I had a chainsaw, I would resharpen the chain every fuel fill up. Not a full resharpening but maybe three or four passes on each blade just to keep the edge sharp. It only took a few minutes to do that and shake out debris from the air filter.

place a bolt on the red end to stop the saw guide from comming off horizontally

just a thought... You could put a screw in the "red zone" and cut out a small notch/dado in the back part of the sled to clear up to the point where you want the sled to stop at. Maybe even make some sort of flip up stop if you want to be able to go past that point.

@lukearts2954

11 ай бұрын

ah, brevity of words.... You did much better than my attempt at explaining the same two ideas hahaha. (but perhaps in my defense, English is not my native language. It's my fourth...)

Too avoid running off the end of your guide board, get a longer one.

This is an amazing system id feel comfortable operating a chainsaw on this setup and I have zero experience with Chainsaws. I'm sure there's no room here for talk on those circular saw / Chainsaw attachment blades but I'd love to see an honest assessment/ comparison to this system and one of those.

@pocket83squared

11 ай бұрын

Thank you. My honest opinion on those will be harsh. Strap in. Though the MS170 is one of the smallest legitimate chainsaws out there, electricity and gasoline saws are still two entirely different categories. Because the kerf on my saw is so thin, its given power is considerable. Electric/battery chainsaws produce results that are nothing like it, even _if_ they have a thin chain. Oh, and then of course there's the extension cord. Reason #2 why I wouldn't take one of those circular saw/chainsaw attachments seriously is because of the excessive strain it would cause to my power saw, which is perhaps more valuable than an MS170 in the first place. And my third reason is the complete absurdity of milling a log while the bar stays vertical; doing so would be outrageously slow, inefficient, and inconsistent. Inventions like that _do_ sometimes have their place. Like if you were milling large billets of Styrofoam, for example, or some other low-density material. Just not for Maple.

@benvinson4328

11 ай бұрын

@@pocket83squared 👍

Great video! I’d be more inclined to kill my own lumber if I had a planer. Maybe one day. I’m impressed how many boards you got out of it. Using the previously milled boards as support is clever. I think if I did this I would invest in one of those “miter saw” style chain sharpeners that clamps onto the saw bar for fast and repeatable sharpening.

@pocket83squared

11 ай бұрын

Thank you. Yes, it's unfortunate that a planer becomes a must. Again, I must insist that a sharpener is simply not as economical with this method. Once a new chain gets used to mill a few logs, it goes into my other chainsaw, where it can be hand sharpened until the end of its life. We are talking about a $20 chain here; ONE new chain can mill FOUR logs without sharpening it. Don't "invest" in a professional sharpening system if you plan on using this milling system. Those come with their own problems!

@brodbroda

11 ай бұрын

@@pocket83squared Another option is to take the "spent" chains to a local sharpening place. It's usually a fraction of the cost of a new chain and their machines will keep the tooth geometry consistent. I know you've said you use the old chains for tasks other than milling, but eventually you are going to have 10 or 20 of the same chain kicking around and not enough little 170's to use them :D

@pocket83squared

11 ай бұрын

​@@brodbroda How many logs are you planning to mill? Personally, I mill about two every year. That's not even one chain, which I can easily burn through in a month on one of my "little 170's" during regular use. 170 chain teeth are tiny. That means not much metal, so there are only so many sharpenings in them. Further, no local sharpening place in its right mind will sharpen a chain for a price that'll make this cost effective. It's a $20 disposable chain, so think carefully about what the denominator of that fraction will be. Man, is it tedious to be defending the other end of consumption economics for once.

@brodbroda

11 ай бұрын

@@pocket83squared No worries, maybe the economics are different on my side of the world. At my local Stihl shop, those chains are $42, and sharpening service is $12

I like the vid, but the time to take the bark off vs sharpening a chain? 10 after a few cuts will keep an edge, no?

@pocket83squared

2 ай бұрын

But I do sharpen my chains-just not for milling. For that I only use a new chain, and after it has milled 3~4 logs, the used chain goes into a general purpose saw. From there, I hand sharpen. The point was that, even if you get a new chain and then throw it away every time, it's still cost effective in order to produce four logs' worth of Maple lumber. Gas and oil cost nothing. It is NOT cost effective to deal with a hand-sharpened chain that wanders slightly, because you end up spending more time (and material, and knives) at the planer.

👏👏👏👏👏

The one time I tried chainsawing with the grain there was awful shredding and it cut very slowly. The same chain had been used for crosscutting both before and afterward and cut fine. I don't know what could have gone wrong.

@pocket83squared

6 ай бұрын

Cutting _with_ the grain should be much, much easier than cross-cutting. First thing I'd rule out is the chain. Second is to avoid cutting cured/dry wood. Try it with a brand-new chain on a fresh log, and if you're still getting problems, troubleshoot from there. Next I might move on to (re)consider chain tension and bar length.

We now that work, but most importante information, it's will ruin the chainsaw. Trace a line, sharp the chain at 0° degres, em cut forward free hand, this is the fast way. Cutting backward ruin seals, and bearing

So you think a cross-cut chain works better than a rip chain if you're ripping with your saw more parallel to the length of the log (as opposed to a standard Alaskan chainsaw mill orientation)?

@pocket83squared

2 ай бұрын

With this mill, yes. But the answer really isn't as simple as 'yes' or 'no'; the reason that a cross-cut chain will work better relates not so much to cutting efficiency as it does the matter of cut neatness. Since this jig only attaches to the saw at one point, there's nothing on the other side of the log to stabilize, and thus straighten, the bar. This means that a simple mill like this one has to rely on itself for correcting any lateral stresses; that is, a cross-cut chain better resists sideways motion from knots and funny grain, so you get fewer gouges. Think about it this way: the lower the angle of the tooth, the less able it is to cut sideways. That means that once it has gone off, it will have a harder time getting back on. I don't doubt that a lower angle tooth could be more efficient in a scenario of perfect conditions, but in real life, it's far simpler to use general purpose. Sometimes luxuries _sound_ better than they really are, because they're based on ideals. You know, like owning a boat. Having a high-end mill would be nice. But just like a boat, it's better if you have a friend with one, instead.

@patrickcleburneuczjsxpmp9558

2 ай бұрын

@@pocket83squared Thank you very much for that thorough explanation!

@pocket83squared

2 ай бұрын

@@patrickcleburneuczjsxpmp9558 Thank you for taking the time to consider it. Hard stuff to explain.

You could screw a long bolt with a vertical stop at the end of the 2x4 guide.

@pocket83squared

11 ай бұрын

Not a bad idea. Problem (for me) is that it makes the board longer, and it already hits the ceiling while leaning up in the garage.

@williamdelaire9908

11 ай бұрын

@@pocket83squared depending on how deep you can drill, you could sink the bolt in further into the 2x4 for storage. Just an idea of course 😊

@pocket83squared

11 ай бұрын

Or maybe make it fold up, like with a hinge?

@williamdelaire9908

11 ай бұрын

@@pocket83squared yeah, that could work too, maybe even carve a channel out for it? I don't know your storage situation exactly, so I can't say for sure how far it needs to swing away from the end of the 2x4.

I recon if you cut a 1/2" notch into the saw holder, and then a 3/8" or 7/16" block onto the board, that should be sufficient. not too obtrusive but should give a definite enough end stop.

I had good luck using a 10’ 2x4, to mill 8’ boards. Gave plenty of extra length to just continue through the end of the cuts.

@pocket83squared

11 ай бұрын

Sure. Mine is only 9' something, just so that it can lean in the corner of my garage. Are you using a similar jig?

WHY did you not put a red light on the back.

do you do anything with all the wood shavings?

@pocket83squared

11 ай бұрын

Usually it just gets spread somewhere on the trail. There's also a pile of it under the hammock. You might be surprised to hear this, but after a few days it's actually pretty unpleasant to bare feet.

I like it because you can use a small, chainsaw. Cause you're not doing the whole cut in one shot.

Thanks for the vid. Would it save some effort to skip making the bottom of the log flat? Perhaps have a v-notch in your base logs?

@pocket83squared

11 ай бұрын

Thank you, as well. It could, and I don't want to say no, but no. Hear me out. These boards end up all the same width, so they stack really nicely and neatly for curing. It's worth making the extra cut for that convenience alone. I probably need to make a video that expands on my curing process, but let's see how this video performs first. It's also pretty annoying to have boards that are rounded, sharp, and/or irregular on one width's edge, so I like to get that out of the way as early as possible. The bark/slab cut-offs are already harsh enough on the hands.

@andude3

11 ай бұрын

@@pocket83squared What about ripping slab end straight on the band or table saw afterwards, it would probably be pretty quick since all the boards would be cut on 3 sides. But it seems like you already have things pretty dialed in, you probably do not want to add another step inside the shop.

@pocket83squared

11 ай бұрын

@@andude3 Sure, I could. On a small scale. But for an entire log, we're back to economy. Bandsaw blades aren't that much cheaper than chainsaw chains, with the difference being that a chain can be resharpened effectively. More than that though, it might take longer to run that many boards through the bandsaw. Also, running 8' stock over that little table it is tough. In a nutshell, I've just moved away from re-sawing in general.

Your videos have been super helpful and I'm learning a lot about the milling process. but mate, the way you talked about filing a saw has me in pain lol I'm an arborist and started off processing firewood so filing a saw is like second nature to me and when you said it takes you an hour for that tiny little thing I cried a little lol I didn't realize the bark can dull the chain, but I guess that makes sense cause sometimes the logs are too big for the chipper and we gotta rip em in half the long way to make it work. I've noticed after doing that that the chain can be pretty caked with saw dust afterward. And unless your chains just not oiling or you nicked a piece of metal/rock, it should only take a couple of swipes per tooth to clean it up. Flat filing rakers is necessary after like every other sharpening. I'd say maybe the bar is burred but that would be a more noticeable problem However, I can sort of understand why that's such a pain, filing a top handle climbing saw is just a horrendous time. Ironically the bigger saws are less strenuous to file because they're large enough that you can just kinda sit on em lol

@pocket83squared

8 ай бұрын

Not sure where you got an hour; hand-sharpening an MS170 chain takes me under 10 minutes. But time isn't the issue here, straightness is. Hand filing works great for general-purpose chainsaw work, but a machine-sharpened chain simply runs smoother for milling. After I mill a few logs with a new chain, it then goes into my other saw for limbing and firewood work. Think about it: why would I ever put a brand-new chain on a general-use saw, when it doesn't make it run any better? However, a new chain works makes the mill run _way_ better.

@Eric_Aerolis

8 ай бұрын

​@@pocket83squared 3:55-3:59 "remember, time is money. And a chain probably isn't worth an hour of your time"

@Eric_Aerolis

8 ай бұрын

​@@pocket83squared I guess I misunderstood, I apologize.

@pocket83squared

8 ай бұрын

@@Eric_Aerolis Oh, ok. Got it. I was valuing a chain as being worth about an hour of labor. In other words, if you get paid $20 an hour at work, and a new chain costs $20, and you spend an extra hour milling because of a less-than-perfect chain, you didn't save anything.

@pocket83squared

8 ай бұрын

@@Eric_Aerolis No need at all. Thanks for the conversation.

Out of curiosity, are you using these boards for anything in particular or just random projects?

@pocket83squared

11 ай бұрын

Most of the woodwork (and trim) in my house is Maple. These boards will replenish some of the stock I've been using in the kitchen. Aside from cabinetry, I've been working through the closets to add slat-shelves up high. Some of these boards are also destined to become a fancy shelf set for our living room books, stereo speakers, and reading lamps. In general, Maple is functionally the best wood there is, so I seek to replace everything here with it as life moves forward.

@tommysedin

11 ай бұрын

@@pocket83squared I do envy you Americans with your fancy woods. The selection here in Sweden basically boils down to pine or fir, unless you're willing to pay an arm and a leg for imports...

@pocket83squared

11 ай бұрын

​@@tommysedin Europe is much older to civilization than this region of north America is. Where I live at the top of the Laurel Highlands, it was frontier only a few hundred years ago, and it hasn't been far from wild since. There were still patches of climax forest remaining just an hour outside of the Pittsburgh area when I was a kid, and there's still some up in central PA. If it's any consolation, I envy the ancient, half-buried anthropological evidence that's strewn about your area. You won't find many ruins here. Our oldest structures are only a few centuries out of use. Also note that it costs an arm and a leg to buy property here if there's any standing timber on it.

You don't use ripping chain to mill? You can buy them ready to go... wouldn't switch it to the GP saw though

@pocket83squared

3 ай бұрын

This mill was designed to be used with a regular old 30° cross-cut chain. If you use a ripping chain, it'll drift, and you won't be able to correct it. Only mills that have a second bar attachment on the other side of the log should use a ripping chain.

I don't get why it takes you a hour to to sharpen a chain it's very easy to do and takes not long at all unless your sharpening a vary large chain witch your not. Also are you using a milling chain on your chainsaw?

@pocket83squared

3 ай бұрын

It takes me around five (maybe ten) minutes to sharpen a chain. You might've misunderstood; I said that a chain isn't worth an hour of labor, not that you shouldn't sharpen them. I only use new chains to mill. Here's why: Hand-sharpened chains drift and cut slightly irregularly. If you use a hand-sharpened chain with this mill, you will end up losing time by playing around with imperfect cuts, and later, more time (and material) gets spent at the planer. Every third log milled, I simply install a brand-new chain. After the chain has milled (around) three logs, it goes into one of my general purpose saws, where it gets sharpened again and again. That's why I use a 30°, regular old cross-cut chain to mill. This mill was designed with one in mind.

How do you store your boards

@pocket83squared

11 ай бұрын

For the first year, they get stored horizontally in a stack, up on cinder blocks. I'll space the boards out with 1" strips of wood, and make a nice neat bundle by ratchet-binding the entire log back together in the same order the boards were cut. You can briefly see at the end of the last video here: kzread.info/dash/bejne/no2h2pOrepbZZ7w.html Next year at this time, when I mill a new log or when I want to use some of the material, the boards will get stacked (almost) vertically against the wall. Here and out of the sunlight is where they'll stay long-term, with no spacers between them, but they'll be up on some scrap wood just to keep them off the concrete floor.

skip from 7:44 to 11:09 aluminium ladder? maybe

i'm suprised you haven't made a debarking machine pocket ...

Refining some wood for a couple of years when this mill idea has been on the market for decades.

@pocket83squared

6 ай бұрын

That comment doesn't make sense. If you're trying to scoff, as though this is the wheel reinvented, don't; although there _are_ commercial products like this out there, not only are they expensive junk in comparison, but they also lack a defined procedure for use. This video demonstrates an entire process, start to finish, that WILL produce perfect boards without buying much of anything. Further, it uses one of the smallest (reliable) saws on the market. Sure, there's nothing new under the sun-except for further optimization. Try to be nice, eh?

Get a longer board so you don't fall off

A chain can be sharpened in 10 minutes. How did your logs get to your lawn, hmmm. Some good tips, some not so good.

@pocket83squared

2 ай бұрын

What's "not so good" here? A chain can be sharpened in five minutes. So, what? You misunderstood me. I said it wasn't worth it to use a hand-sharpened chain. What? I only use a new chain for milling. Why? Because a hand-sharpened chain, no matter how good you are at sharpening, doesn't cut as perfect as a new one. THAT is why it isn't worth it to sharpen it: because you end up spending more time at the planer than a $25 chain is worth. I still sharpen the chain later, to use on a general-purpose saw. And what do the logs on the lawn have to do with anything? hmmm, indeed.

:)

@pocket83squared

11 ай бұрын

;)

Pocket has a chin! And, at least while making this video, no beard. 😃

If time is money, then this is an expensive way to cut your own lumber. There’s way too many steps and the shallow cutting takes forever. You could have bought a cheap saw mills for the price of the 3 saws it takes also 😂

@pocket83squared

4 ай бұрын

Do you own a mill? Have you tried this method? No and no. Another baseless anonymous opinion. I've been milling logs every year since the first video, and it gets faster and easier every time. The big question: is it _really_ cost effective? Yes; absolutely. Do you have any idea what Maple and Cherry boards cost? I make a pile of them in just a few hours, at zero expense. Also, if you don't already own 3 saws, you're not really entitled to an opinion😘

@brandonshiflet936

4 ай бұрын

@@pocket83squared just seems like it takes a long time to me, which according you, time is money. You’d save yourself a lot of time/money by buying a small mill and not going through all of these steps.

@pocket83squared

4 ай бұрын

No matter what it "just seems like," this process _doesn't_ take a long time. There are far fewer setup steps involved than with using a rail-based mill, and much, much less maintenance. Shallow cuts are made quickly. That means moving fast. Rail-based mills make slow, perpendicular cuts that take forever. They are much less efficient in terms of cutting, but they compensate by using more power. Power means heavier equipment and higher fuel consumption. Yes, the setup used here does require an initial investment in jig-making, but after that it's all smooth sailing. If placed side-by-side, a rail-based mill will probably be faster overall, it will also require a lot more chainsaw sharpening. And the larger saw and specialized equipment have an obviously higher overall expense. In order to determine which method is efficient for _you,_ you have to ask yourself how many logs you'll be milling. If you're only doing one or two logs per year (like I do), then this method is a no-brainer over something bigger. Unless you're doing this for a living or milling large slabs, the comparison in both time and expense is nowhere near the same: a mini-mill like this one is the clear winner. Of course, you're free to find out for yourself. There's no reason to trust me.

I don't think a chain takes up an hour of your time to sharpen.

@pocket83squared

16 күн бұрын

Of course not. The point was that using anything less than a new chain for milling will end up costing you an hour (or more); from playing around with ugly cuts, to more time wasted at the jointer, it ends up worth it to simply use a new chain every time. Later, the used chain can be put in service and sharpened for regular cutting, where _perfect_ sharp doesn't matter. But this mill works best with a flawless (not hand-sharpened) chain.

Yeah keep buying chains flat lander

@pocket83squared

2 ай бұрын

The substance of your comment, or rather the lack of it, tells me that you're in no position to insult me. Consider the benefits of sterility.