# First time milling walnut with Granberg and a walnut burl question



## Jon66 (Jan 8, 2019)

Now that I have slowed down with other hobbies for the year, a friend and I will be milling a few trees. We went in on a 36" mill, an 066 Stihl and built a log arch. He only has 5 acres but has lots of walnut (20 or so), hickory and tulip poplar to take down and mill. First on the list is a walnut next to his drive way that's about 26" at the base with a burl on one side about 12' up the tree. Would I be correct to cut off the trunk 12" above and below the burl then band saw it right away into smaller sizes? Air dry or green? We plan on saving some to make knife handles and things then selling the rest. The same with the slabs. I make tables and stuff but we will have quite a bit to sell as live edge slabs. I've learned a lot from this forum so far so thanks to everyone here!

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## Nature Man (Jan 8, 2019)

Really looking forward to seeing your sawmilling adventures! Please be sure to post pics as you go along. Chuck

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## Karl_TN (Jan 8, 2019)

You'll soon find chainsaw mills are very time consuming and dirty. Keep in mind you're cutting end grain with a thick chainsaw blade, you'll be near the hot chainsaw exhaust for a long time, and the cutting end grain produces a lot of fine powdery sawdust that gets everywhere. If the wood is worth saving (i.e. several large walnut trees) then you might want to consider paying a portable bandsaw mill owner to cut them up.

There are only a few areas that chainsaw mills excel over a bandsaw mill:

Cutting up large logs/crotches which are too large to handle on a sawmill.
Cutting up logs that can't easily be moved to a sawmill. 
Cutting up one-off logs not worth paying a sawyer for setup time. 
You're overweight and need a hard workout.
Tips:

Use a fan or cut on a windy day to help dissipate the chainsaw's exhaust. Stay up wind of course.
Slant log up on one end so gravity helps with the cutting.
Cutting green wood can leave deposits on your blades. Use 'oven cleaner' to remove junk, and then dry and re-oil blades before storing.
Lastly, consider posting a few pics of the walnut tree so we can see what your up against.

-Karl
PS. I own the 30" version of the Granberg (aka Alaskan) chainsaw mill and Stihl MS460.

Reactions: Agree 2 | Informative 1


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## woodtickgreg (Jan 8, 2019)

I too chainsaw mill. It has helped me to acquire a lot of wood for my craft. Yes it's hard work but well worth the effort imo. Karl made some good points but I'll add a couple more. My initial expense was way lower than a bandmill, my mill hangs up in the garage when I'm done with it and doesn't take up much room. I dont have to rely on or pay anyone to cut my wood. I can mill it to any thickness or size I want. Your not going to make a lot of money milling with a csm versus your time out into it. But you'll make some money. Air drying lumber takes up a lot of room and takes a long time. Walnut trees usually need to be over 24" to get any amount of dark wood, you get trees have a lot of sapwood, you'll learn what your trees will produce as you cut them.
Off the top of my head that's all I have for now, lol. Get yourself a 5 gallon bucket of Anchor seal no. 1 and seal all the ends and about 1" up from the ends as soon as the wood is milled to reduce checking.
Oh, your plan for the burl sounds good.
And look in the past threads in the milling section, we have had a lot of discussions here on chainsaw milling, chain sharpening, and ripping chains.

Reactions: Informative 1


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## woodtickgreg (Jan 8, 2019)

P.S. I run a 42" double ended bar with an auxiliary oiler and a husky 395.


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## Jon66 (Jan 8, 2019)

Karl_TN said:


> You'll soon find chainsaw mills are very time consuming and dirty. Keep in mind you're cutting end grain with a thick chainsaw blade, you'll be near the hot chainsaw exhaust for a long time, and the cutting end grain produces a lot of fine powdery sawdust that gets everywhere. If the wood is worth saving (i.e. several large walnut trees) then you might want to consider paying a portable bandsaw mill owner to cut them up.
> 
> There are only a few areas that chainsaw mills excel over a bandsaw mill:
> 
> ...





Karl_TN said:


> You'll soon find chainsaw mills are very time consuming and dirty. Keep in mind you're cutting end grain with a thick chainsaw blade, you'll be near the hot chainsaw exhaust for a long time, and the cutting end grain produces a lot of fine powdery sawdust that gets everywhere. If the wood is worth saving (i.e. several large walnut trees) then you might want to consider paying a portable bandsaw mill owner to cut them up.
> 
> There are only a few areas that chainsaw mills excel over a bandsaw mill:
> 
> ...


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## Jon66 (Jan 8, 2019)

Some great tips there Karl, thanks! 
I live in Michigan but my buddy i was in the Army with is in West Virginia. His property is on a hillside with no way for even a tractor to get at the logs. Probably why he has some big ones. At least 1 walnut looks to be 40"+ diameter. At first we were going cut down then haul to a portable sawmill guy. But since we cant get equipment at logs to move them this what we are left with. I have some chainsaw experience and ran heavy equipment in the Army. My buddy Tom worked for Asplunde cutting right of ways for a few years so we shouldnt do too bad i hope! Heading down this weekend, i will post some pics when i get back

Reactions: Like 2 | Way Cool 1


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## Jon66 (Jan 8, 2019)

woodtickgreg said:


> I too chainsaw mill. It has helped me to acquire a lot of wood for my craft. Yes it's hard work but well worth the effort imo. Karl made some good points but I'll add a couple more. My initial expense was way lower than a bandmill, my mill hangs up in the garage when I'm done with it and doesn't take up much room. I dont have to rely on or pay anyone to cut my wood. I can mill it to any thickness or size I want. Your not going to make a lot of money milling with a csm versus your time out into it. But you'll make some money. Air drying lumber takes up a lot of room and takes a long time. Walnut trees usually need to be over 24" to get any amount of dark wood, you get trees have a lot of sapwood, you'll learn what your trees will produce as you cut them.
> Off the top of my head that's all I have for now, lol. Get yourself a 5 gallon bucket of Anchor seal no. 1 and seal all the ends and about 1" up from the ends as soon as the wood is milled to reduce checking.
> Oh, your plan for the burl sounds good.
> And look in the past threads in the milling section, we have had a lot of discussions here on chainsaw milling, chain sharpening, and ripping chains.


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## Jon66 (Jan 8, 2019)

Good stuff there Greg, thanks. 
I agree that milling your own wood is the best way to get materials for projects. Also with this stand of trees it seems the only way to go. I went down last spring for a visit and Tom showed me the cut off stump of a "problem" walnut tree he had to cut last fall. The stump was 3' high and hollow but measured 43" at widest point. He said just above the hollow the grain was twisted for 10' or so and he had a heck of a time splitting that "junk" wood for his woodstove! Yup, burnt the whole tree last winter. Glad i came down before he burnt any more up

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## woodtickgreg (Jan 8, 2019)

Since hes in a hilly area be sure and use that gravity to your advantage and mill downhill !

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## DKMD (Jan 8, 2019)

Don’t know much about chainsaw milling, but I agree with your burl plan until you know what you want from it.... just seal that cut surface really well.

Once you know what you want out of it, I’d process it into blanks... it just doesn’t dry reliably inside when left in block form. 

Looking forward to seeing some pics!


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## CWS (Jan 8, 2019)

Make sure to get a rip chain for your cut, end grain a lot better. Just my 2 cents.

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## Jon66 (Jan 8, 2019)

DKMD said:


> Don’t know much about chainsaw milling, but I agree with your burl plan until you know what you want from it.... just seal that cut surface really well.
> 
> Once you know what you want out of it, I’d process it into blanks... it just doesn’t dry reliably inside when left in block form.
> 
> Looking forward to seeing some pics!


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## Jon66 (Jan 8, 2019)

Thanks DKMD for advise on that burl. I've done some small scale making logs into boards on my Grizzly 14" bandsaw and some with a chainsaw. Have never dealt with a burl though. Really dont want to ruin it so all tips are greatly appreciated!


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## Graybeard (Jan 9, 2019)

Neat project, sounds like fun. Anxiously await your photos and stories of success.

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## Jon66 (Jan 9, 2019)

Thanks Graybeard, i will post some pics for sure. Still learning how to do stuff on this forum but its a fun place here too!

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## gman2431 (Jan 9, 2019)

Have fun! If you were sawing in michigan I'd run over and give ya a hand! Free labor is always good right?!

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## Nubsnstubs (Jan 13, 2019)

I just got a CSM in November to cut up a very large Mesquite trunk to make a couple slabs for a table. Also had to get a 41" bar and chain for my saw. Time, weather and commitments prevented me from using it until December 26th.

I was up in Walnut Grove, Arizona, specifically to cut up a 24-30" x 8' Box Elder trunk for a friend that lives out there. He has 45 acres of right in the middle of the Bradshaw National Forest and totally off the grid since they bought and built the straw houses in '98. Anyway, he wanted to cut up the trunk for firewood, but I talked him into cutting it into slabs. If there was nothing to get excited about, I'd cut the slabs into firewood lengths. 

Boy, that was a problem. No issue with the saw nor the mill, but I hit 7 nails embedded about 3" into the tree. I was past the halfway mark when I hit the first. I didn't know what it was, and the chain still cut like it first did, so I kept going. None of the nails hurt the chain, but I wasn't gonna cut anymore with the mill. So, I took it apart, and put my 21" bar back on and cross cut the rest of the log and then split the sections into firewood sizes. In total, I hit over 50 nails. The last piece I cut actually had a nail showing, so I avoided that one and hit a couple more as I cut it up. 

I still haven't cut up the Mesquite trunk I have.

So Jon, 62E20? Construction or Combat Engineers??....... Jerry (in Tucson)


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## Jon66 (Jan 21, 2019)

gman2431 said:


> Have fun! If you were sawing in michigan I'd run over and give ya a hand! Free labor is always good right?!


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## Jon66 (Jan 21, 2019)

Sorry about the slow reply, been a busy stretch lately and missed email notices. Thanks for the offer gman, we may do some milling in MI sometime and i will sure let you know!

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## Jon66 (Jan 21, 2019)

Nubsnstubs said:


> I just got a CSM in November to cut up a very large Mesquite trunk to make a couple slabs for a table. Also had to get a 41" bar and chain for my saw. Time, weather and commitments prevented me from using it until December 26th.
> 
> I was up in Walnut Grove, Arizona, specifically to cut up a 24-30" x 8' Box Elder trunk for a friend that lives out there. He has 45 acres of right in the middle of the Bradshaw National Forest and totally off the grid since they bought and built the straw houses in '98. Anyway, he wanted to cut up the trunk for firewood, but I talked him into cutting it into slabs. If there was nothing to get excited about, I'd cut the slabs into firewood lengths.
> 
> ...


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## Jon66 (Jan 21, 2019)

Sounds like you could have built a doghouse with all those nails, wow! Good to know it didnt wreck your chain. I found a couple 20d spikes in a walnut trunk we felled. Previous owner had a birdhouse on it, sheesh. My buddy Tom lives by Huntington WV and thats where we were cutting. Lots of walnut, hickory and cherry in WV compared to MI. Right on, I was a 62E Combat Engineer in C company 1st Engineer Bn Big Red One from 87-91, Reforger 88, Gulf War 1. Fun times for a young guy alright. How about yourself?

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## Jon66 (Jan 21, 2019)

Jon66 said:


> Now that I have slowed down with other hobbies for the year, a friend and I will be milling a few trees. We went in on a 36" mill, an 066 Stihl and built a log arch. He only has 5 acres but has lots of walnut (20 or so), hickory and tulip poplar to take down and mill. First on the list is a walnut next to his drive way that's about 26" at the base with a burl on one side about 12' up the tree. Would I be correct to cut off the trunk 12" above and below the burl then band saw it right away into smaller sizes? Air dry or green? We plan on saving some to make knife handles and things then selling the rest. The same with the slabs. I make tables and stuff but we will have quite a bit to sell as live edge slabs. I've learned a lot from this forum so far so thanks to everyone here!


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## Jon66 (Jan 21, 2019)

Trying to figure out where to post update and hope this comes out. 
Well i made it down to WV with just a bit of drizzle, cut a couple days and came back through an Ohio snowstorm. Lots of pics, hope they load. 
First tree was a storm fallen 15" walnut and this is the first slab cut. The tree was 30 feet or so down a draw behind his barn. Cant beat the portability of a CSM! I made an aux oiler from an old lawnmower gas tank, clear hose, valve and some loc-line. All under $20. Didnt need it yet but we will on the next tree. My buddy Tom always runs canola oil on his bars and seemed to work great. 
The granberg easy track rails are worth the money too. Good bench and other project boards when they dry.

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## Jon66 (Jan 21, 2019)

To us flat landers from MI living in Appalachia is quite different. Ive spent a lot of time down there and it seems any time there is a flat piece of ground 100 yds long theres goal posts on it! My buddy's place is about 100 ft higher than the road grade and his house sits on the first "flat" up the hill. Big hills have flats ringing them that remind you of topo map lines. The bottom of his shed is actually level so the driveway is quite steep. 
The next tree to come down was a walnut about 26" at the bottom. We tied a rope and come along to an autumn olive base up the back hill. The walnut was leaning a few feet towards his new shed and once he notched the trunk it was half hollow. Figured if we can split the difference and fell it towards where the come along was attached we would be good. From notching and back cutting with felling wedges it started to move in the right direction. I figured my trailer would be protected by his shed it if it fell that way so time to make the last cut! Actually we were a bit concerned and hoped that hollow trunk didnt do something crazy. Dropped like we planned it and now the trimming started. 
I brought a section home with me to work up with my Stihl 290 and new to me Grizzly 14" bandsaw with riser. About 12 ft up the trunk I took out a 3ft chunk with what is either several small burls or limb scars. Several more on the main trunk. First time dealing with burls so cant wait to get at it. 
That burnt up a couple days getting that done so I will be heading back in a month or so to mill some more. A friend of ours worked for a timber company and said they would have passed on this tree with a hollow bottom and only 12ft straight log in it. I think those crotch sections and curvy 15" limbs will make some cool stuff for us hobby guys. Just have to plan the slab cuts right. Thanks for the input and tips guys, I will post more about this when I head back down

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## Nubsnstubs (Jan 22, 2019)

Thanks, Jon. That looks like way more work than I would want to do. Flat ground, yep, no problem, but up and downhill, no way. 

I was in Delta Co. , 237th Combat Engineers, Heilbronn, Germany during 65-67. The Bn was "inactivated" in the 90's from what I remember from searching for it. Wish I had that loader today that I played with then. It sure would make things easier.........

Yesterday, I tackled that Mesquite log I purposefully bought the CSM for. Set it up, and got through about 4 feet of the 5 foot length. The saw acted like it ran out of gas. Checked and still had over a half tank. Waited a few minutes, and it started, so started milling again. Got about 3-4 inches, and died again. Waited, and then a repeat. Turned the log to where the cut was 90 degrees from the first cut, and proceeded to mess up my 2 halves. Before I actually got done, I was out of gas. So, I butchered a perfectly good piece of potential book matched Mesquite. Hopefully, today I'll get more gas and finish my cut. 

I believe my gas hose inside the tank is soft and pinching it causing gas starvation causing the saw to run out of gas when in a horizontal position. Will have get another hose......... Jerry (in Tucson)


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## woodtickgreg (Jan 22, 2019)

@Nubsnstubs it could also be a gas cap that is not venting or vent filter. When it acts as if it is running out of gas loosen the gas cap and see if it picks up rpm again. Or it could also be the in tank fuel filter is not staying in the fuel when you tip it on its side. Make sure the fuel line with the filter is staying in the fuel.

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## Jon66 (Jan 22, 2019)

Nubsnstubs said:


> Thanks, Jon. That looks like way more work than I would want to do. Flat ground, yep, no problem, but up and downhill, no way.
> 
> I was in Delta Co. , 237th Combat Engineers, Heilbronn, Germany during 65-67. The Bn was "inactivated" in the 90's from what I remember from searching for it. Wish I had that loader today that I played with then. It sure would make things easier.........
> 
> ...


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## Jon66 (Jan 22, 2019)

Man I sure agree about having a loader Jerry. I ran a Case 2-1/2 yard loader with clamshell bucket. If only his place was flat enough to use it!
Sure sounds like that saw is being finicky. The new Stihl my buddy got has a computer on it. He mentined something about letting it idle a minute before shutting off or it would not start or stay running. Maybe some of the guys here know more about that than I do. Too bad on the mesqite log. Cool looking stuff alright. 
It wasnt long after I left the service that the 1st Engineer Bn was cut down to just 1 company. When I was still in they wanted me to reclass as a different MOS. Cutting out most of the heavy equipment operators in a combat unit. Stinks to see that but times change i guess.


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## Nubsnstubs (Jan 22, 2019)

Have any of you guys using Stihl saws ever get bubbles in your gas tanks???? I've seen it in a McCulloch saw I had. I believe I get some bubbles in my Stihl. It was made in the 80's. It's old but better than any saws that my friends have, and they call it a beast.

Jon, I removed the cap, and that didn't help. Ordered a new gas hose today, and will pick up a new cap and air filter in the next week when they come in from Germany. 

Times do change, but equipment still needs to reach destination, and the Combat Engineers still need to get out ahead of the Infantry to clear the roads and build bridges for them......... ........ Jerry (in Tucson)

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## Jon66 (Jan 22, 2019)

Right you are about combat engineers Jerry. Learned some good lessons about making things happen one way or another. Sounds like you're going to get to the bottom of that saw problem. Keep us all posted when you do find the solution. Im no expert on small engines and always appreciate a tip!


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## Nubsnstubs (Jan 23, 2019)

Jon, I just remembered about one particular tree that was considered a target we had while I was in Germany 65-67. It was located about 3 miles from the Czech border. We actually had coordinates for just one particular tree that was located on a steep hillside just above the road cut. The other side of the road was a steep downhill grade. Our job was in a case of war, if the Soviet Union used that road to enter Germany, we were to travel about 150 miles and find this tree. We would then wrap about 9 wraps of Det cord around it near the base. Now we'd wait until we could see the invaders, then blow the tree. It would of course fall across the road, essentially blocking it for a few minutes while giving us some additional time to do whatever the higher ups had in mind. 

Think how much easier and a whole lot more fun it would be to fell trees today with some det cord. Light weight and would have a tree on the ground in seconds if done right. You even do multiple trees if there enough cord. No noise except for the cord blowing and the trees hitting the ground..... 

Sometimes I think about that tree and wonder if it's still alive. That would be something to get a piece from it and make something with it knowing that at one time it was an actual deterrent during the cold war. ............. Jerry (in Tucson)

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## Jon66 (Jan 24, 2019)

Great story Jerry! That would be a cool bit of history to own a piece of The Target Tree. I've thought along those lines for removing stumps instead of a shovel! I bet Germany would have charged the US for taking out that tree though like they did us if we happened to run a small tree over by accident. Pretty cool how they try to be environmentally responsible there after the cleanup of WWII. Seen old bomb craters in the training areas from back then. I did ribbon Bridge training on the Rhine river and others when I was at Reforger '88. Sure is a beautiful country.


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