: Here's my latest project, a chainsaw mill. I've got white oak trees that I'm
: going to try and plank out to 20 feet for guwales, etc. Now if I could
: only figure out a way to get the chainsaw to rip 1/4" by 3/4"
: strips right off the bat! Travis

Years ago I read a book on chainsaw milling. The author, like you, made his own attachment. I tried to find it mentioned on Amazon and was unsuccesful, so I suspect it is long out of print.

A couple of things I remember from the book: First, the chain used for making lumber is a "ripping" chain. Most saws come with a crosscut chain. While you can do some ripping with a crosscut chain, things are supposed to be a lot better with the ripping chain. There was an ilustration in the book showing the differences in the chains, and also showing how to sharpen a ripping chain. My impression was that you could resharpen a crosscut chain by filing the teeth into the profile of the teeth on a ripping chain. If anyone has a good reference (book, webpage,?) on these differences I'd sure like to know about it.

Second, the author started his cut down the middle of the tree. With the log lying horizontally on the ground, (or on blocks) he put a long 2x8 on the "top" of the long and used that as a guide for the first cut. To support the 2x8 he used three double headed nails, which he drove into the log. Two at the butt end of the log, and one at the top. The anils were driven ito the log, and the plank sat on top of the nailheads. By using three supports he could get the board to self level. I can't remember how he kept the board from shifting. Probably used a few more nails driven throught the board and into the log. Any sagging in the middle of the board was then taken care of with wedges placed between the board and log. He would set his guide board on the two nails at the butt end of the log and then measure with a ruler or gauge stick to the center of the log. Then he would go to the top of the log and raise his guide board so that the height of it was the same distance from the center of the log at that end. Since trees taper, the end of his guide board could be several inches above the log at the top end of the log.

Once he had his guide board set, he could rip down the very center of the log. After the saw had gotten into the log he used wedges to support the weight of the uppper part of the log so the chain would not bind.

With very thick logs he might not be able to get to the center for his first cut, so he would make a shallower slab cut, but it would be as parallel as he could get it to the very center of the tree. The only thing was to make the first cut deep enough into the log so the chain passed beneth the nails he drove. After the first cut he could pull the nails easily because of the double heads, and make subsequent cuts without worrying about hitting them.

By making the first pass right down the center of the log he ensured that he would have a large base to guide his mill down for each subsequent plank he milled. He made an adjustment on cutting depth for that initial pass only. After that he set his mill to cut 1 or 2 inch nominal thickness planks, and did not need to readjust it between cuts.

One other thing I remember: He used lots of thin wedges to support the planks as he cut them from the logs!

Hope this helps.

PGJ