Harvesting LiveEdge Wood Slabs
I use an Alaskan Mill and I have various lengths of bars that allow me to cut trees up to 64" in diameter. With my mill I am also able to cut the material where it has fallen making my system more versatile.
Our mill has an apparatus that is adjustable, allowing for various thickness of cuts. The motor I use is an 88cc Stihl chainsaw. The opposing end of the bar has a "helper handle" attached which allows us to simultaneously pull the bar and chain through the log. We have to get a flat surface on a round log in order to mill the slabs from the tree. In order to do this we place a rail system on top of the log and it creates a flat surface allowing us to make the first cut. Then subsequent slabs are cut until the tree is completely slabbed out.
After being cut, the slabs are measured, sprayed, stacked, stickered, and strapped. Each slab is then labeled, inventoried, and logged allowing me to quickly determine what I have available in each species and size. Then the slabs are left to air dry at the rate of about 1" per year.
