# chainsaw milling douglas fir



## smithie55 (May 14, 2006)

I'm really excited to finally have everything together to start milling.
This is a 20' section of 30" douglas fir that I'm be cutting into beams for my house.
I'm using the Granberg 36" Alaskan mill with a 2006 Stihl MS650 32" bar Granberg ripping chain (this is an awesome saw I highly recommend it)
And also using the Grandberg Mini-Mill with a Stihl MS440 28" bar Granberg ripping chain.
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## coveredinsap (May 14, 2006)

Good job. Nice photos and nice setup.

Judging by the dearth of comments I'm guessing that the usual suspects are jealous


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## Newfie (May 14, 2006)

Nice looking log smithie. How are you going to move the timbers out of the bush? Welcome to AS.

Whatever Sap.


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## CaseyForrest (May 14, 2006)

I wish I had a log like that! I AM very jealous.


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## ShoerFast (May 14, 2006)

I'm jealous also sap 

Smithie55

Nice Job!

I had been wondering about the MS650, how dose it price out and run compaired to an MS660 or a 460?

I'm thinking a few holes in the muffler would really wake it up. Milling Dug-fir is as good a test as any. 

Kevin


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## smithie55 (May 15, 2006)

Thanks for the greet, glad to be here.
This is a great Forum.
I really don't know how the MS650 compares to other saws, this is my first stihl.
I will say this, the saw is unmodified and has no problems at all ripping that Doug fir. The power to weight ratio is spectacular and with the 32" bar it works great.
How much more can you get out of it with a modified muffler? 

We are going to have to manually pack the timbers out of the woods, the good thing is, it is all down hill.
I used a lewis chainsaw winch to yank that log down to flat spot where I could get the mill on it. We live in an area here where most everything is on a slope which are usually steep. So if you can get things moving down hill it makes life easier.
I don't mind the manual labor, you noticed that lump between my suspenders, that ain't a sunami survival jacket. I need the exercise.
I will try to keep pictures posted of the progress.
You all have a good one, talk to ya later.
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I am completely STIHL powered now


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## woodshop (May 15, 2006)

CaseyForrest said:


> I wish I had a log like that! I AM very jealous.


...me too, we don't get many logs like that here on east coast, that log looks clear for a mile 

I need to burn the calories too, but I wouldn't want to hump that much lumber out even going downhill. I did carry 300 bd ft of sweetgum and pine I milled up this past weekend about 100 yards from the back of a neighbors yard to mine. That was a lot more work than the actual milling.


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## smithie55 (May 15, 2006)

I feel really fortunate to have the timber, its interesting though Iv'e got the timber but no flat ground. unless I were to excavate a little flat spot.
As for moving the lumber once it is cut, I've been thinking about setting up some type of trolly rigging similar to a high lead except I would use rope and the stuff would be let down the hill instead of hauling up the hill. 
An earlier question from Shoerfast:


> I had been wondering about the MS650, how dose it price out and run compaired to an MS660 or a 460?


The MS650 was $850.00 with a 32" bar.
I've never run the 660 or 460.
Later all


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## Jwoods (May 16, 2006)

smithie55,

It appears that you slabbed fairly heavy. Do you just throw those slabs away? 

Joe


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## smithie55 (May 16, 2006)

Ha Joe,
I normally don't slab that large, but 3+ inches of sap wood are half rotten and punky so I had more loss on this log. It was a wind fall that sat in the under brush for 4 years, and around here we get a lot of decay due to the amount of moisture and shady conditions that we have. Some of the slabs I have cut into 9' lengths so I can at least get a 2X6 out of it and the rest will get cut into firewood.
I will be able to cut thinner faces when I cut some fresh cut timber. 
Douglas Fir is a great wood to cut. I have some hemlock, broad leaf maple, and red alder that I want to mill up as well.
I have been looking at the Ripsaw portable bandsaw that you can attach to a powerhead. I like the idea of thinner curf.
Are there alot a chainsaw mills here at this forum?
happy milling!


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## woodshop (May 16, 2006)

not sure exactly, but I think the majority of the people that post in this milling section have either a chainsaw mill or a bandmill. Maybe I'm wrong. I happen to have both a 36" csm and also a small Ripsaw bandmill that I think really compliment each other. I use the csm to slab the log, get it into 14 inch wide cants which is the max width the Ripsaw will cut. Then I use the Ripsaw to slice that cant into lumber. If you're interested, go back and read my post "Milling lumber woodshop style" in this section where I explain that more in detail. In your situation with logs back in the wood, or up on steep hills, you really need something portable unless you can get those logs down from there. My csm is about 40lb with a 395XP, and the Ripsaw mill is 47 lbs., so you can lug them a ways back in the woods.


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## smithie55 (May 16, 2006)

Thanks Woodshop I'll check out your post.


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## fishhuntcutwood (May 31, 2006)

Smithie, why'd you go with the 650? How much was the 660 going for down your way? 

Just curious. 

Sweet looking pics and timber/now lumber you got there. I love Doug Fir. It may just well be my favorite wood.

Welcome to AS!

Jeff


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## Adkpk (May 31, 2006)

"Are there alot a chainsaw mills here at this forum?" Here's a pic for you Smithie. "Sunami survival jacket", that is funny! Nice log!


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## smokechase II (May 31, 2006)

*lumber*

Smithie:
With the difficulty of rolling over a fair sized log. How many quatersawn boards are you able to come up with?

Do you recut the center for a "FOHC", free of heart center, beam?

What are your plans for that lumber?


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## smithie55 (Jun 1, 2006)

*Smokechaser II*


> How many quatersawn boards are you able to come up with?


This log is going to be cut into beams, so I will just be flat sawing. I have some alder and maple logs that I might try to do some quarter sawing on.

*Adrpk*


> Here's a pic for you Smithie


That is some interesting cutting, what is that your up to there?


> Are there alot a chainsaw mills here at this forum


There seems to be quite a few

*fishhuntcutwood*


> why'd you go with the 650? How much was the 660 going for down your way?


The 660 would of been almost a couple of hundred dollars more and the power to weight ratio seemed alittle better for what I will be using it for. And my dealer had one in stock and was willing to make me a fair deal on it. At least I thought $850 was a fair price.
I love cutting Doug fir.


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## bookerdog (Jun 1, 2006)

*doug fir*

doug fir has to be my favorite wood to mill. I do love the beauty of maple though.


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## Adkpk (Jun 1, 2006)

smithie55 said:


> *Smokechaser II*
> This log is going to be cut into beams, so I will just be flat sawing. I have some alder and maple logs that I might try to do some quarter sawing on.
> 
> *Adrpk*
> ...


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## smithie55 (Jun 1, 2006)

has anyone here tried quarter sawing with a chainsaw mill?


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