FAQ

What you need to know about chainsaw milling

and how to prepare your logs for milling

What is chainsaw milling?

Chainsaw milling is the process of turning logs into usable timber. It's achieved by attaching a frame to a chainsaw bar which is run along rails on the top of the log to create a flat surface which boards can then be milled off.

It differs from a bandsaw mill in that instead of moving the log onto the mill, the chainsaw mill can be taken to the log - meaning the log can be left in place without the need for big machinery.

What are the pros and cons of chainsaw milling?

Chainsaw milling is the ultimate choice for logs in difficult-to-access areas where large machinery would be damaging to the environment, or its hire would be cost-prohibitive. It's also the best solution for big or oversized logs that would exceed normal sawmill capacity (for example 4-6ft wide cuts).

Milling with a chainsaw is slower than a bandsaw as it does take a larger kerf/cut. However, the speed of cutting is often offset by the time saved by not having to extract the logs and transport them off-site.

Preparing your logs for milling

1) Getting your wood on the ground

To mill your logs, it's essential they're on the ground. That means if your tree(s) aren't down already, it needs to be your priority. If they've come down already in a storm, for example, it's also important they're made safe.

We'd recommend using a tree surgeon, and explain to them you'll be getting the logs milled on-site before they dismantle or fell them. It's also worth discussing the lengths they can leave the logs in. Our recommendation is to leave logs as long as possible, with 8ft being a good minimum where possible - although you may have your own projects and lengths in mind.

Finally, when cut to length, it's best to ensure the log end cuts are square.

2) Access and positioning your logs

The closer your logs are to vehicle access, the quicker the setup will take - allowing more milling. Therefore if you're using a tree surgeon, they may be able to move and position them, or you may have your own machinery.

In any case, to successfully mill and minimise wastage, a minimum of 3 feet of clear space on all 4 sides of each log is needed for our sawmills to run safely. By elevating your logs on smaller logs or limbs which act as bearers, it'll make milling easier. If using a tree surgeon, they may be able to position some logs to fell directly onto. To ensure the logs don't roll, it's best to ensure they're shimmed to prevent this - normally offcut smaller logs can be cut to size to achieve this.

3) Ensuring logs are clean

There's nothing that slows down or stops milling as quickly as the chain hitting metal or stones embedded in the logs, or even hitting dirt in general. Unfortunately, there's no easy way to tell if there's anything embedded, and even metal detectors can only detect so deep - however, if your tree is on a fenced boundary or in a garden, there's a greater risk that there's metal embedded from old fence wiring/nails, washing lines or bird boxes.

While we're happy to mill most logs, if we hit metal or stones in your logs that damage a chain we charge £25. And if a chain is written off, we charge it's replacement cost proportionate to it's age/use - this can be up to £95 for a brand new chain on our biggest 7ft bar. We also reserve the right to stop milling any logs that are likely to damage our equipment.

While you can't do anything about stones or metal, if the logs are dirty on the outside - for example, they've been dragged through the mud, you can help by brushing or pressure-washing/hosing the outside in advance.

4) Work out what you want to make

It's best to have a clear idea of what you'd like to produce from your milled logs - whether that's live-edge slabs for table tops, dimensional timber for flooring, posts and beams for a pergola or anything else. If possible, come up with a desired cut list, which you can discuss with us in advance, for us to agree on what's achievable.

When planning future projects for your timber, it's important to consider that wood moves and twists when drying, so allowing some additional thickness so the wood can be planed flat later is very important.

5) Plan where to stack and dry your wood

Before having us come and mill your logs, it's important to have a plan of where you plan to store and dry your timber.

All milled wood needs some level of air-drying unless you're happy using it 'green' or freshly cut for outdoor use - for example, sleepers, fence posts, or timber framing.

There's a saying that you need to allow 1 year of air-drying for every 1" of thickness, so 2" slabs would need air-drying for 2 years before taking it into a workshop. It's therefore worth bearing this in mind and finding a suitable location to stack and store your wood.

The best locations:

have plenty of airflow from all sides
are on a perfectly flat base
are sheltered from direct sunlight

You'll also need to elevate your timber off the ground. This is best achieved with some concrete blocks, or 4x4" posts spaced at every 2-3ft interval, and are wide enough to support the full width of boards. It's essential these are perfectly level as any deviation will be mirrored in the dried boards.

6) Get everything ready for milling

Helpers

Our milling is most efficient and affordable where you have 1 or 2 helpers to help move slabs or timber after cutting. For large or oversized logs, where big slabs are milled, a mechanical loader/tractor with front forks becomes invaluable - and is well worth arranging in advance if possible. If you arrange helpers, I'd recommend they wear ear-defenders when milling is underway, and steel-toe-cap boots and gloves generally.

Bearers and stickers

Make sure you have your bearers (either concrete blocks or 4x4" wooden posts) positioned, as above, ready to stack your milled timber.

You'll also need plenty of 'stickers' or battens of wood to position between each slab/row of boards to allow air to circulate. These also need positioning every 2-3 feet along your boards and across the full width. It's surprising how many of these can be needed, and it's worth calculating approximately how many you'll need in advance. We've found dried, untreated, soft-wood battens are most effective. We may be able to provide rough-sawn battens to be used as stickers. We can advise if these are available and their cost in advance.

Have a handsaw, or battery saw, on hand to cut these stickers as you stack your milled wood.

Sealant for the ends of your timber

The ends of milled boards are susceptible to checking/cracking as the wood dries. In an attempt to reduce this, you can seal the end-grain of milled timber by coating it in paint or a wax-based end-grain sealant such as Chestnut sealant. Left-over household paint tends to be better than nothing, however.

Sawdust and waste management

Chainsaw milling produces a vast amount of sawdust waste, and it's worth planning what you want to do with that in advance. On most sites, we simply leave it to on the ground - although if you want it disposed of, we can lay tarps to catch the sawdust for you to bag up and remove if required.

There's also waste wood to consider from the milling process, this includes the first cut slab and the bottom of logs, plus any other sections that are cut down. Typically these will be put aside and left whole, however if you need them cut down to be more manageable, this can be done.

Any other questions? Contact us here