[cjet69]

My dad bought this Alaskan mill probably over 20 yrs ago and its never been used. The mill measures 36" in length so I'm assuming it will handle a 36" bar. Our biggest saw is a Stihl 026 with a 20" bar which is to small for what we want to do. We are starting to look for a used bigger saw to use with this mill. Anyone have a suggestion on what to look for? I'm thinking Stihl or Husqvarna.

 

[steddy]

How big of a bar do you need?
I'd guess a 30" or so, maybe around 75cc? Husq 372xp or larger?
I mounted a 36" bar on my 272xp and use it for the occasional big stuff like a budget big saw, but for constant sawmill use I think it might be lacking for bar lube and maybe a little on the light side for power.

 

[cjet69]

I was thinking a 36" bar would handle anything we would be doing.

 

[RoyM]

You want all the power you can get. Ripping a 30"+ log is going to require a big gun like a Stihl MS880 or Husky 3120XP unless you have lots of time and patience. An 090 would do anything but good ones are scarce and commanding top prices. Forget anything under 90 cc.

 

[cjet69]

Looking on CL I found a Stihl MS660 magnum chainsaw with 36 inch Cannon bar. They are asking $695 for it. I watched some video's on youtube of guy's running that saw and it looked like it worked good.

Stihl MS660 magnum chainsaw with 36 inch Cannon bar and chain

 

[c5rulz]

Nothing under 90 cc.

Stihl 660/661 or Husky 390XP unless you want a Caddillac then 395XP.

True milling saws would be an 880 or 3120.:thThumbsU

 

[cjet69]

:thanku: for the input, guy's.

I did some searching and found this site: Granberg Mk-Iii Alaskan Chainsaw Mill With 36" Rails | Granberg Alaskan Sawmills | Granberg Alaskan Sawmills | www.baileysonline.com

From what they say I would need a 42" bar to get the maximum cut width with this mill. They also had this info.

"Milling lumber requires a large horsepower chainsaw. We recommend chainsaws with at least 3.8 cubic inches (60 cc) of displacement for the smaller mills that run bars up to 20". For larger mills, go for the biggest saw you can get. Saws with 5.0 cubic inches (80 cc) are a minimum, and when making cuts over 36" you’ll need the largest saws made. Milling lumber is extremely taxing on chainsaws. Keep the gas mixed properly and the air filters clean."

 

[Jere39]

One more critical piece of advice:

"Set up a camera and get some digital video to share with your MTF friends when you finally get this wrapped around some serious wood"

 

[cjet69]

Will do, if we can find a saw. :fing32:

 

[cjet69]

We ended up buying a Stihl MS660 for the mill and also purchased a 42" Oregon bar and ripping Chain from Granberg. We set up a test log yesterday and mounted the saw in the mill today and made the first cut. We were pretty happy with the results of the milling and saw performance.

Sorry about the quality of the pics. it was really wet and my camera was fogging up.

:sorry1: Jere39, no vid at this time. We are planning on making some more cuts soon so I will shoot some.

 

[Kbeitz]

Learn more...

Sawmills and Milling

 

[c5rulz]

Good choice of a saw for the milling.:thThumbsU

With the constant heavy load in this application, it wouldn't hurt to run richer oil mix and richen the saw high speed up a little.

 

[cjet69]

Learn more...

Sawmills and Milling

:thanku: for the link, Kbeitz. Have you been cutting much with the mill you built?

Good choice of a saw for the milling.:thThumbsU

With the constant heavy load in this application, it wouldn't hurt to run richer oil mix and richen the saw high speed up a little.

We are running non-ethanol 92 octane with stihl 2-stroke oil 50:1 mix.

 

[munderhill]

Very nice saw choice!:thThumbsU

Nice looking grain.

MU

 

[cjet69]

Very nice saw choice!:thThumbsU

Nice looking grain.

MU

It looks better than I was expecting. Too many big knots to be structural lumber, but would make nice boards for an interior wall.

 

[c5rulz]

I'd would still run a richer mix of oil, a minimum of 40:1 or even better 32:1 and richen up the saw some so it's at least 3-400RPM under recommended.

I am not saying do this but my logger buddies run only Stihl 660's and recently 661's. They mix 1 Qt. of straight 30# non detergent motor oil to 5 gallons of gas. They burn 5 gallons of mix through 3 saws every day. A saw lasts them 2 years at this kind of use. That's probably more than the average user. That my friend is "old school" but it works for them. The saws don't smoke either after they are warm.

 

[cjet69]

I'd would still run a richer mix of oil, a minimum of 40:1 or even better 32:1 and richen up the saw some so it's at least 3-400RPM under recommended.

I am not saying do this but my logger buddies run only Stihl 660's and recently 661's. They mix 1 Qt. of straight 30# non detergent motor oil to 5 gallons of gas. They burn 5 gallons of mix through 3 saws every day. A saw lasts them 2 years at this kind of use. That's probably more than the average user. That my friend is "old school" but it works for them. The saws don't smoke either after they are warm.

:thanku: for the input, c5rulz.

 

[cjet69]

Turned the slab into firewood this afternoon. Pretty knotty, knarly stuff. Starting to stock up firewood for next winter.

 

[cjet69]

We are starting to round up parts to add an auxilary oiler to the bar like this one.

http://www.madsens1.com/PDF/Oiler Assy IPL & Instructions HR.pdf

 

[cjet69]

Made another cut with the mill today. We set it up for a 6" slab.