Chainsaw for Lumber

I was kind also hoping to teach a few classes on how to use and process raw lumber; live edge tables, make your own boards, etc. I saw that there was a request for a class on how to prep logs for the lathe already

So start with that argument next time?

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Hey might as well suggest DMS buy a portable sawmill, too. For the wood shop!

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you joke, but i would actually get a TON of use out of that

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Sorry missed this thread earlier, I also have a Stihl MS 660 with a 36 inch blade and an alaskan mill to attach, if needed. I’m on the same page as Ryan, I’d be very hesitant to lend it out, but we could talk. My experience using something like this goes back 35 years.

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@ihistand and @ryan could i interest either of you in coming out with the alaskan mill to the location in this thread?

Buy a bar, then.

DMS has never should never provide or maintain a chainsaw or anything related to it. They are an absurdly dangerous piece of equipment that requires extensive, intensive training (as in, multiple days of training and practice under the supervision of an expert) to use safely, doubly so for storm-damaged lumber.

The liability implied by providing that tool is ENORMOUS, not to mention the PPE is HIGHLY sacrificial and not cheap at all. A decent pair of chaps will run you $100 and is only good for saving you from a single fuckup.

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That sounds cheap to me, considering the alternative. I own a pair.

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Dude you can 3d print some new legs for way less than $100.

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maybe if you skimp on the infill, but personally, i want my legs top have a bit more support

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The big ones look a bit too big for my equipment to handle. 36" blade handles about 30" max width on the Alaskan mill. Not to mention that this is a very time-consuming process, a single cut on an 8’ log takes an hour or so. requires resharpening and 2 or 3 re-fuels, so cutting up those logs would take a week or more, full-time work.

This is more of a job for a tool like https://woodmizer.com/us/

But, some of the the smaller pieces look interesting and do-able, I may stop by tonight and take a look.

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Those trees are gone: they were scheduled to be scrapped last Monday.

Yep, I too would use a sawmill TONS, I mean I would at least use it once. :slight_smile:


Anyone else tired of the this is impossible because of liability without any true understanding of real liability??? I use to make these arguments and now realize how truly unproductive they are. What makes DMS so amazing is that we offer many tools that the vast majority think are at such high liability that it is impossible. However, we find out through experience the liability bar is not as high as many of us believe. While I agree chainsaws are dangerous, I really do not know the liability it puts DMS at? I would love a class on defining real world liability.

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The biggest issue I see is that an Alaskan mill (I own one as well), is best used ON SITE of where the tree fell. It’s much easier to take the mill to the trunk than to take the trunk to the mill - portability is the primary benefit of the Alaskan mill.

If one is hauling the trunk to the mill, a bandsaw mill is much faster cutting, wastes less wood to sawdust, is more efficient in using fuel, can cut larger pieces, is safer in operation, etc.

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If you want to go back, I don’t think Liability is the major reason for saying no it is the underlying definition of why we invest in tools.

  1. DMS is not a tool rental facility.

  2. It is a facility where members can visit and use the tools available.

The chainsaw issue fits the first description not the second.

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Are you aware that Media regularly checks out very expensive equipment to members who wish to video and film in the field? I can tell you this, a 4K real time 30fps camera is a shitton more expensive than a 36 inch chainsaw. The chainsaw is decidedly more dangerous to human life than the 4K Camera, unless you consider the riots that can be caused by filming the “wrong” events in Hong Kong or Tehran.

Let me play devil’s advocate here. In a worst case scenario, what do you think the odds of a lawsuit would prevail when we loan out a camera?

What are the odds that a lawsuit would prevail if we loaned out a chainsaw?

Vastly different risk factors.

I know we have a lathe that will spin whether a human meat bag is attached to it or not, but I can’t imagine loaning my personal chainsaw to half the DMS members.

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Don’t know how many times I have cut things for people in lieu of loaning out my chainsaw. And it still works. Just saying.

Ditto. (and more characters).

OK… so a lot of trees are hauled off to the landfill… makes me wonder IF we could get access to said landfill with a portable mill and have our way… just saying. I am sure if so… we would probably find a lot of different choices of trees, and a verity of wood types. Hmmmm.
Peter