# Advice needed on current state of largest mill saws.



## SCMtnHaul (Nov 6, 2021)

I will have the opportunity to mill some old growth Redwood, one even has a notch for a springboard at the bottom, that was killed by the CZU Lightning Complex wildfire last year but I do not have a saw large enough to pull a 48"+ chain. My MS661 would probably tuck tail and run just looking at the task before it. So, 3120, 880, other? Or would looking for an older saw like 090 or converting an 070 have some advantages? I have a great local Stihl dealer and pretty much zero local Husky support--but I do my own repairs so dealer support is not much of a factor other than parts for Stihl. I'm not trying to make a ton of money from the wood but wouldn't mind if it paid for a new chainsaw or two, or . . .? And speaking of multiple saws, if I'm seriously considering milling a lot of slabs, should I just dive in and go for the two-saw mill setup? Any help/advice is appreciated. I'm not an arborist by trade but I sure end up and enjoy doing a lot of the same work.


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## motolife313 (Nov 6, 2021)

That wood cuts like butter. Shouldn't be a problem for the 661 I wouldn't think


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## SCMtnHaul (Nov 6, 2021)

With Granberg ripping chain do you think a 661 could pull more than 36" without beating it to death?


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## motolife313 (Nov 6, 2021)

Red wood is very soft. It will eat through it no problem


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## BobL (Nov 6, 2021)

SCMtnHaul said:


> With Granberg ripping chain do you think a 661 could pull more than 36" without beating it to death?


It would be a doddle for 661 to pull a 42" conventional chain thru redwood - I reckon you could easily go to 60" with a Granberg or skip chain. I know several CSMers here in Oz that use 660's with 42" bars in wood that is 4 to 8 harder than Redwood.


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## SCMtnHaul (Nov 7, 2021)

I appreciate the replies. I'll have to give it a go with the 661. I sure was hoping for justification to buy another saw


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## bongo (Nov 7, 2021)

well, only my two cents, but I have a lovely old Stihl 060 and it's a wonderful saw, but compared to my 090, no question the 090 makes it easier. the 060 sweats hard on the bigger slabbing cuts, harder to get a smooth finish. and fwiw, first growth, real old growth is MUCH harder than the commonly encountered 2nd and 3rd growth. I guess yeah, try a smaller, practice cut w the 661, but the big old growth wood is valuable enough to move slowly and be careful in the handling of it, I think worthy of hunting out an 090. but again, only my two cents


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## bongo (Nov 7, 2021)

whoops, 066 ! love my 066 ! but big cuts go better with big saws


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## Maintenance supervisor (Nov 7, 2021)

Perhaps the 661 would do fine? But being that its your big saw It'll take a beating in a mill, like all saws.
Personally I would try and find a good used 088 or a "clone" MS880 for the big task. Being a bigger saw with more horsepower they will take less of a beating and won't sweat as much as your 661.
Im building an 090 right now ,so can't comment. 
In my humble opinion the 395xp is everything you would want the 3120 to be except its lighter, I've milled some pretty hard stuff with a 395xp and it's nice.


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## Wetcoast (Nov 21, 2021)

Maintenance supervisor said:


> Perhaps the 661 would do fine? But being that its your big saw It'll take a beating in a mill, like all saws.
> Personally I would try and find a good used 088 or a "clone" MS880 for the big task. Being a bigger saw with more horsepower they will take less of a beating and won't sweat as much as your 661.
> Im building an 090 right now ,so can't comment.
> In my humble opinion the 395xp is everything you would want the 3120 to be except its lighter, I've milled some pretty hard stuff with a 395xp and it's nice.


I’ve been milling a lot of big western red cedar with the 3120 and it cuts through it like butter. I will say though you still need to pay attention to keeping the chain sharp, just because it is a softer wood doesn’t mean it the chain stays sharp any longer. I’ve heard expert wood workers say that the tannins and other oils that give red cedar, and likely red wood as well, their excellent anti fungal properties are vary abrasive on cutting equipment. I can speak to this with the red cedar, once the chain fills after multiple passes, it slows down and is harder on all the equipment. So…. all things being said when the chain is sharp these big saws make quick work of it, but like any CSM you do need to keep up on your sharpening.

Have fun!! That sounds like a great opportunity!! Take some pics and post them if you can!!


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## Wetcoast (Nov 21, 2021)

Wetcoast said:


> I’ve been milling a lot of big western red cedar with the 3120 and it cuts through it like butter. I will say though you still need to pay attention to keeping the chain sharp, just because it is a softer wood doesn’t mean it the chain stays sharp any longer. I’ve heard expert wood workers say that the tannins and other oils that give red cedar, and likely red wood as well, their excellent anti fungal properties are vary abrasive on cutting equipment. I can speak to this with the red cedar, once the chain fills after multiple passes, it slows down and is harder on all the equipment. So…. all things being said when the chain is sharp these big saws make quick work of it, but like any CSM you do need to keep up on your sharpening.
> 
> Have fun!! That sounds like a great opportunity!! Take some pics and post them if you can!!


Sorry, typo… *dulls, not fills…


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## formersawrep (Dec 2, 2021)

I have a double ended NOS granberg bar, chain, helper handle and aux oiler for sale if you are interested.


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## Husky Man (Dec 3, 2021)

formersawrep said:


> I have a double ended NOS granberg bar, chain, helper handle and aux oiler for sale if you are interested.


What are the details?
Bar Length?
Gauge?
Bar Mount?
Price?


Doug


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## formersawrep (Dec 6, 2021)

Bar measures 42 1/2" front of bar mount slot to front of bar mount slot
.063 gauge
.404 chain
Mount has lots of holes, I believe it is intended to fit multiple mounts? 
I have attached a pic with the numbers stamped on the bar. Perhaps someone can translate them?


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## Manitou (Dec 6, 2021)

SCMtnHaul said:


> I appreciate the replies. I'll have to give it a go with the 661. I sure was hoping for justification to buy another saw


Really?! Ok-go down tomorrow to your Stihl dealer and get the 880 and don’t look back, sir! Two saws are ALWAYS better than one-Three saws is even better!!


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## kimosawboy (Dec 8, 2021)

If your looking at the really large logs, you might want to go to a Lucas set up.. The Dedicated Super Slabber Mill cuts up to 9' in width... Yes the cost is way up there but the ease of cutting/set up/power...might just make up for it
Dont forget that your going to need a lot more than the mill to play with big slabs ......





Lucas Mill > Super Slabber - Slabbing Mills


For logs greater than 1.9 metres in width the Lucas Mill Super Slabber offers an ideal solution for cutting large timber slabs.



www.lucasmill.com





​


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## mudanddust (Dec 24, 2021)

formersawrep said:


> Bar measures 42 1/2" front of bar mount slot to front of bar mount slot
> .063 gauge
> .404 chain
> Mount has lots of holes, I believe it is intended to fit multiple mounts?
> I have attached a pic with the numbers stamped on the bar. Perhaps someone can translate them?


I might be interested in thisDo you have a price in mind? Are you willing to ship?


formersawrep said:


> Bar measures 42 1/2" front of bar mount slot to front of bar mount slot
> .063 gauge
> .404 chain
> Mount has lots of holes, I believe it is intended to fit multiple mounts?
> I have attached a pic with the numbers stamped on the bar. Perhaps someone can translate them?





Husky Man said:


> What are the details?
> Bar Length?
> Gauge?
> Bar Mount?
> ...


I might be interested in this stuff if you have a price in mind? Also are you willing to ship? I’m in central Pennsylvania


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## formersawrep (Dec 28, 2021)

mudanddust said:


> I might be interested in thisDo you have a price in mind? Are you willing to ship?
> 
> 
> I might be interested in this stuff if you have a price in mind? Also are you willing to ship? I’m in central Pennsylvania


@mudanddust pm sent.


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## X_makina (Dec 29, 2021)

SCMtnHaul said:


> And speaking of multiple saws, if I'm seriously considering milling a lot of slabs, should I just dive in and go for the two-saw mill setup?


Howdy, neighbor.

I am also in the SC Mtns, and I have slabbed a lot of redwood, up to 42" wide. I use a Husky 2100 with Granberg 60" with oil res. Works well if everything is set up right. Note that a 36" slab is much easier to cut vs. a 42". The saw power is not the issue for me. It is about clearing the chips, lubing the bar, and keeping the chain sharp. I use a custom-ground 404 ripper chain on a Cannon 52" bar. The 8-ft logs I slab are tipped up to slope at 25-30% to aid with effort, and I use a rope pulley arrangement to put even pressure on both ends of the bar.

A friend nearby uses a new MS661 ($2K at the dealer nearly 2y ago!) on a similar setup with RW.

A 2-saw CSM would be nice, but then you have to have a reliable helper. I have a second 2100, but no bar (and no helper) to run 2 saws. I also have a Lucas 618, but they want $1600 more for the slabbing attachment.


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## Del_ (Dec 29, 2021)

Wetcoast said:


> I’ve been milling a lot of big western red cedar with the 3120 and it cuts through it like butter. I will say though you still need to pay attention to keeping the chain sharp, just because it is a softer wood doesn’t mean it the chain stays sharp any longer. I’ve heard expert wood workers say that the tannins and other oils that give red cedar, and likely red wood as well, their excellent anti fungal properties are vary abrasive on cutting equipment. I can speak to this with the red cedar, once the chain fills after multiple passes, it slows down and is harder on all the equipment. So…. all things being said when the chain is sharp these big saws make quick work of it, but like any CSM you do need to keep up on your sharpening.
> 
> Have fun!! That sounds like a great opportunity!! Take some pics and post them if you can!!



You got me to wondering how much silica is in various trees and found this article:






Wood and steel wear


Warren asked me a question here recently essentially about the silica content of Jarrah, since I had mentioned that Australian timbers can have a high silica content. The context of this is the high wear properties that Oz timbers have on tool steel. As it happens, Jarrah has low silica...



sawmillcreek.org


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## Parkerpusher (Jan 6, 2022)

SCMtnHaul said:


> With Granberg ripping chain do you think a 661 could pull more than 36" without beating it to death?


Absolutely


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## BobL (Jan 7, 2022)

Del_ said:


> You got me to wondering how much silica is in various trees and found this article:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


The Bob referred to in that post is me.
Happy to answer any further questions on this if required.


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## Del_ (Jan 7, 2022)

BobL said:


> The Bob referred to in that post is me.
> Happy to answer any further questions on this if required.





I didn't realize that some trees took up so much silicon. 

Sometimes I chip bamboo and it is said to also be high in silicon. 

Take Care and thanks.


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## BobL (Jan 7, 2022)

Back in 2008 we had an extended drought here on the west coast and ground water levels dropped significantly. A large number of local city street trees (mainly Queensland Box trees- Queensland is 2500 miles from us) located on higher ground slowly died and an while doing so would have undergone considerable stress drawing Si up into themselves. The tree lopper I cut timber for won the contract to remove a number of these trees and I ended up CSMing a half dozen of them. Really nice wood, but hard as hard, and I distinctly remember the sparks coming off the chain from what were clean trunks. Lots of chain sharpening needed on these logs.


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## rarefish383 (Jan 20, 2022)

SCMtnHaul said:


> With Granberg ripping chain do you think a 661 could pull more than 36" without beating it to death?


Yes, mine will


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