# Milling Pine (best way)?



## JMC (Sep 22, 2012)

I have several pine logs 16-18"x16', what is the best way to mill for 2x4 and 2x6 lumber? I know the only 1/4sawn pine I've ever seen is old flooring.
Thanks


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## Mike1950 (Sep 22, 2012)

I do not saw but worked in a mill years ago. If we are trying to get framing lumber we should just saw to get most out of log with least amount of effort.. 1/4 sawn or flat will make no difference once it is buried in wall.


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## Kevin (Sep 22, 2012)

JMC said:


> I have several pine logs 16-18"x16', what is the best way to mill for 2x4 and 2x6 lumber? I know the only 1/4sawn pine I've ever seen is old flooring.
> Thanks



I never had much of a problem with movement from the pine I cut. 99% of the pine I milled was off my MIL property in East Texas and it was all Loblolly. Not sure if that had anything to do with it. Just remember for critical boards - don't mill those from the outer part of the log, that's where cupping and twist and crook are more likely to occur. 

Pine is commonly thought to be difficult to dry without getting lots of warpage of every kind, especially from younger trees (and I did experience that) but I stuck with tress closer to 20" to 25" as much as possible. You don't mention the species of pine and I don't know if you have white pine there in Tenn, but if you're milling SYP I'd say stick with the largest trees you can find, and mill your most critical lumber from the center 2/3 of the log.


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## Mike1950 (Sep 22, 2012)

At the mill we usually had Ponderosa Pine and a lot of it was big- 2'-4'. It was all put in kiln. If they tried to dry it quick or got it too hot -it was horrible going through the planer- crooked, warped and wild. If it was dried right then it slid through like it was greased. Never seemed liked there was a middle ground. When the bad stuff came through- it was 3 times as much work- never could figure why they tried to hurry it- in the long run it was a losing game...........


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## Kevin (Sep 22, 2012)

She had bigger trees on her property but it was tough enough moving the 2'ers around and through that maze of trees. She didn't want me to make any logging roads so I had to use low impact techniques. I did fell a 34" tree . . . . once. Man getting those logs out, especially the butt log, well I never tried it again. My skid steer couldn't even lift the butt log nor even drag it up the incline between my mill and the stand I was working so I ended up rolling it up the hill by stabbing the forks under the log, and tilting the forks up while at the same time moving the machine forward while also lifting the boom - all three movements had to be done perfectly (not as hard as it sounds) then I had to make sure I didn't give any of that ground back when I was repositioning the forks. 

Yes, I stayed away from those monsters with my little machine.


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## Mandolin (Sep 30, 2012)

Around here in South Mississippi, we have mostly Southern Yellow Pine. I always flatsaw mine and air dry it. I don't have much trouble with warpage, but I always make sure that the base for my stack is level and straight. I am building my wife and I a house using all air dried Southern Yellow Pine framing. I've have a few 2X6's warp, but they were mostly knotty. I saw a lot of dead trees off my place and have never had a board from a dead tree warp. Most of the dead ones are lightning strikes. If you are planning to use your trees for framing, flatsawn is the way to go. You get more lumber with this method.


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## Mike1950 (Sep 30, 2012)

Kevin said:


> She had bigger trees on her property but it was tough enough moving the 2'ers around and through that maze of trees. She didn't want me to make any logging roads so I had to use low impact techniques. I did fell a 34" tree . . . . once. Man getting those logs out, especially the butt log, well I never tried it again. My skid steer couldn't even lift the butt log nor even drag it up the incline between my mill and the stand I was working so I ended up rolling it up the hill by stabbing the forks under the log, and tilting the forks up while at the same time moving the machine forward while also lifting the boom - all three movements had to be done perfectly (not as hard as it sounds) then I had to make sure I didn't give any of that ground back when I was repositioning the forks.
> 
> Yes, I stayed away from those monsters with my little machine.



Green pine is very heavy- I know -worked on the green chain one winter all 155Lbs of me; closest to my size was a 190 lbs blackfoot indian. You rotated every 2 hrs. The toughest pull was 16' 1x12 and 1x10. you had to pull both for 2 hrs. When they were cutting big trees there would be so many that the guy in front of you would stack them 2 deep as they came down the chain. When it came to my turn at break the indian who never talked and a 6'5" blond offered to take my turn. I told them both sometime either now or later I would have to do it and it might as well be now- It was 15 degrees and 2 hours later I was down to a tee shirt-soaking wet. They never offered again. Once you got the technique the toughest part was getting them moving- the weight of the wood did the rest. Did that all night and went to school all day- man I wonder what happened to all that energy??????????????????


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## Kevin (Sep 30, 2012)

Mike1950 said:


> ... man I wonder what happened to all that energy??????????????????



Somehow the youth that come behind us sap it right out of us and then flaunt it in our face. Little shitts. But of course we have the market cornered on age and treachery . . . .


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## JMC (Oct 1, 2012)

Mandolin said:


> Around here in South Mississippi, we have mostly Southern Yellow Pine. I always flatsaw mine and air dry it. I don't have much trouble with warpage, but I always make sure that the base for my stack is level and straight. I am building my wife and I a house using all air dried Southern Yellow Pine framing. I've have a few 2X6's warp, but they were mostly knotty. I saw a lot of dead trees off my place and have never had a board from a dead tree warp. Most of the dead ones are lightning strikes. If you are planning to use your trees for framing, flatsawn is the way to go. You get more lumber with this method.



Thanks for the info, it is not my wood I'll be sawing it for a client that wants 2x4's and 2x6's for framing.


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