I acquired one of the older Shapeoko machines a few years ago in a trade and have found uses for it on a regular basis, from milling washing machine and motorcycle parts to building some pretty nice projects. I figured I’d share a few.
Clock for my neighbors. This was pretty fun, it was made from a maple tree he cut down in his back yard. There’s something cool about starting a project by cutting slabs with a chainsaw.
I’ve been considering upgrading to a larger system, but the cost is somewhat prohibitive. I’ve gotten pretty decent at using a ‘modular’ building style, so the size limitations don’t hurt too much.
I wanted to share a few of the many things I’ve made with the Shapeoko machine and Carbide 3D. I hope I’m able to upgrade sometime soon and do even cooler projects. I love Carbide 3D’s products. It has brought a lot of happiness to my life, and a lot of smiles to my family and friends.
I had a 50’ oak tree die last summer in the drought. I got it cut down this week and hauled the bigger logs over to a friends to have it cut up into slabs so I make things from it.
This log was 13 foot long so I cut it into a 5’ and 8’ log because my neighbor that loaded it on the trailer was afraid it would break his front end loaded from the weight.
So after he slabs it up I will stack and wait, and wait, and wait until it dries. It takes about 1 year per inch. Since it was a dead standing tree maybe only a year but however long it takes I did not want to waste the tree. The tree was 38" at the base so it was a big tree.
That tree was too close to the electric wires, house and fence so I had to have a tree service take it down with a crane and it cost me $1600.00 just to cut it down. Ouch so I want to get my money’s worth later on.
YEAH! That’s what I’m talking about. How did you mill it? I’ve been thinking about building one of those Alaskan chainsaw mills with an old ladder or something.
I have a 56" Alaska sawmill. I don’t have but a 18" chainsaw but I can borrow an 26" one.
I am 70 years old and in good shape but a chainsaw mill is not for the faint of heart.
You still have to move logs and lift off the slabs and carry them to a trailer.
You get a lot of waste from a chainsaw mill of at least a 1/4" per slab. It takes ripping chain and lots of sharpening.
My advise would be to find a local sawmill and pay to get it cut. From a time and money perspective I no it is a wash. If you live in Alaska then it might make sense because it is a long way to anywhere.
I don’t know what the cost is now, but 18 years ago I had a couple of 80 year old big-leaf maples taken down on my property and bucked into 10’ lengths. I hired a portable sawmill for $400 (plus a $100 tip) and he cut them into 1" slabs. Got 2000 board feet, some slabs 30" wide. I set up a simple solar kiln and dried them for 3 months in the summer.
I’ve been peeling off boards and using them for projects ever since.
Only advice I have is to make sure you sticker the pile as it dries AND either clamp it tight or put very heavy weights on top to keep the boards from twisting as they dry. It will make the difference between getting 90% useable lumber and 50%.
The slabs from this will be 2". I like that because I cut them in half and get 1" to .75" boards. This was a standing dead tree from last year. While it is still a little wet it is dryer than if I had cut down a living green tree. I will sticker and test it next year for moisture content. The tree is a water oak so they are not as prone to warping as some other trees but can still warp. I have a friend with a kiln and may take a few boards over and get them done quickly. I have helped him dry wood before and we tightly strap the boards down because kiln drying tends to exaggerate warping and cracking if not done well.
Thanks, Guy. I hate to say it but the first I heard of an Alaskan sawmill was on that Discovery Channel show that was proven to mostly be false. Bush people or something. They wolf pack howled at the moon.
I’m taking your advice, I live in Amish country and there are a few sawmills around. I’m getting to a stage in life where it’s best to pay other people to do things, as hard as that’s been to admit.
no it is a wash. If you live in Alaska then it might make sense because it is a long way to anywhere.