Cutting Wood Slabs With a Chainsaw Mill

This will show an overview of what's involved with making live edge wood planks using a chainsaw mounted mill.

The first cut you make will create a flat surface for the sawmill to "ride" on for each subsequent cut.

Now the mill "rides" on the flat created by the first cut. Set the thickness to what you desire on the mill for each subsequent board.

Even after just 2 passes this cedar log is looking like the start of a live edge bench! A little sanding will remove the saw marks.

Each pass took about ten minutes and I had to sharpen my chain after 1 1/2 cuts. It's hard work but well worth the effort! The saw goes through lots of oil so keep an eye on it.

This is the second cut from the log.