# DIY chain sawmill



## Silba (Apr 1, 2013)

Hi friends..Let introduce me..I come from Croatia..island Silba..I have small farm of goat&sheeps. 
I am in love with a timber...but here is wery hm hm $$$€€€€--so I will try to make in my own for my new barn.... Anyone know some good idea for make something like this
PortaMill Portable Chainsaw Sawmill by Norwood Portable Sawmills - YouTube


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## mad murdock (Apr 1, 2013)

Silba said:


> Hi friends..Let introduce me..I come from Croatia..island Silba..I have small farm of goat&sheeps.
> I am in love with a timber...but here is wery hm hm $$$€€€€--so I will try to make in my own for my new barn.... Anyone know some good idea for make something like this
> PortaMill Portable Chainsaw Sawmill by Norwood Portable Sawmills - YouTube


You can build a variation of the Alaska Mill style slabbing/milling attachment, or you can buy a TimberJig, and go that route, or you can build your own ChainSaw Mill (CSM), the most complete one and upgadeable one is the one by procut portable mills Portable Sawmills, Sawmill Plans by Procut Portable Sawmills
Their plans are straightforward, and easy to follow. If you have some welding skills, you can put one together too, plus their website if full of good info.
Welcome to Arboristsite!


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## Silba (Apr 2, 2013)

mad murdock said:


> You can build a variation of the Alaska Mill style slabbing/milling attachment, or you can buy a TimberJig, and go that route, or you can build your own ChainSaw Mill (CSM), the most complete one and upgadeable one is the one by procut portable mills Portable Sawmills, Sawmill Plans by Procut Portable Sawmills
> Their plans are straightforward, and easy to follow. If you have some welding skills, you can put one together too, plus their website if full of good info.
> Welcome to Arboristsite!



Thanks for yours answer...In a meantime I resolve planty problems about that... It is remaining only one ...How to fix chain saw for basement plate.....
Thanks for yours welcoming...
PS I am profesional welder :msp_biggrin::msp_biggrin:


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## Daninvan (Apr 2, 2013)

Why not start with a CSM? Since you are a welder, it would be easy for you to do, and a fast way to get started. There are many home-made chainsaw mills on this forum you can look at and copy ideas from. 

Good luck!

Dan


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## mad murdock (Apr 2, 2013)

The only CSM's that use a "baseplate" per se is the Logosol. The Alaskan, Pantherpro, Even the Procut, hold the saw in position by clamping the bar near the tip and again near the saw(reference pictures on Granberg International's website, or Procut's website.


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## Isna (Apr 2, 2013)

Welcome to AS.
I've been there...
I tried several solutions and did quite a bit of welding... (and faced a few failures). I now use 2 types of chainsaw mills. A classic "alaskan" chainsaw mill (CSM) to cut slabs and a self-designed mill with a vertical saw to cut 90° angles. Both are really easy to build (you can get all the info browsing old threads on this site). Start by making a really simple one, test it, and gradually improve it (I added rollers...).
For attaching the chainsaw to the mill, one of mine uses clamps on the bar and the second one fits on the bar studs (with homemade adapters).
You will need the biggest saw available since milling is really hard on saws. I learned that after killing one of my favorite saws....


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## Silba (Apr 3, 2013)

Thanks all of you.
Isna you have been here???

OK my intention is to make something to cut timber...max size of timber will be 10x12cm beam and batten of 1 inch max 10-12 cm large. All that I will use in may goat&sheep barn for repearing or making fence..I will cut it occasionally ..... with Stihl 026...Will Stihl 026 be enough strong for that....wood will be "soft" like pine..juniper..cypress, we have some kind of oak but it is not good..only for heating home  . It is too nodal.

I will start to make something friday. All pictures will be posted here..step by step....Any comments and sugestion WELCOME


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## BobL (Apr 3, 2013)

mad murdock said:


> The only CSM's that use a "baseplate" per se is the Logosol. The Alaskan, Pantherpro, Even the Procut, hold the saw in position by clamping the bar near the tip and again near the saw(reference pictures on Granberg International's website, or Procut's website.



Just a small thing but "Alaskan" is a generic name for all portable mills that hold the saw/bar at inboard end and the bar nose on the outboard end and that ride directly on the log or log rails supported by the log itself. So the Pantherpro, granberg and the Aussie Westford which hold both ends by the bar are all "Alaskans" as were the Sperber and Stihl CMS.

Some older Granberg and GB CSM models use a base plate (Saw connects to mill via bar bolts). These are still alaskans even though they use a baseplate. 
This is the GB mill showing a base plate





Both my two bigger homemade Alaskans also use baseplates

Chainsaw mills that run on rollers/rails/frames (like the procut and Logosol) not supported by the log are not really Alaskans, I call them rail CSMs.

My vertical chainsaw (mini mill) uses a baseplate and a single rail but as it is only held at one end it's also not an Alaskan.


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## BobL (Apr 3, 2013)

Silba said:


> OK my intention is to make something to cut timber...max size of timber will be 10x12cm beam and batten of 1 inch max 10-12 cm large. All that I will use in may goat&sheep barn for repearing or making fence..I will cut it occasionally ..... with Stil 026...Will Stil 026 be enough strong for that....wood will be "soft" like pine..juniper..cypress,



The real sizes you need to consider are not the size of the timber but the diameter of the logs you wish to cut up.


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## Silba (Apr 3, 2013)

BobL said:


> The real sizes you need to consider are not the size of the timber but the diameter of the logs you wish to cut up.



diameter of log is maybe little bit bigger than this what I need:msp_smile:..We do not have big timber here....


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## Isna (Apr 3, 2013)

Silba said:


> Thanks all of you.
> Isna you have been here???
> 
> OK my intention is to make something to cut timber...max size of timber will be 10x12cm beam and batten of 1 inch max 10-12 cm large. All that I will use in may goat&sheep barn for repearing or making fence..I will cut it occasionally ..... with Stihl 026...Will Stihl 026 be enough strong for that....wood will be "soft" like pine..juniper..cypress, we have some kind of oak but it is not good..only for heating home  . It is too nodal.
> ...



"I've been there" means I have been in a similar situation.
I wish I Had picture of my setup but my mills are at my camp and i will go there only in 2 weeks. I plan to be milling then and will take pictures.
A 026 is too small in my opinion. Could work for really small pines but it is risky. It would be a shame to damage such a good saw. Maybe you could find an older bigger saw (you don't really need a chain brake for milling). It took me a year to find a cheap big saw. After many efforts, I found one that is almost too big: a 088! (did help when I was milling a 70cm oak). I know how hard it is to find a big saw when you have no money. On my second mill ("mini-mill") I use a Jred 2163 (60cc class) that had a broken chain brake.
I now have many more saws, but that's a different story...


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## BobL (Apr 3, 2013)

The 026 is a 50 cc saw. There is at least one AS member who has successfully used a 50cc saw for milling for many years but I think he tends to cut up short pieces with it. A risk with any saw is on long pieces where it can overheat.

You could certainly experiment with the 026, just make sure the carby is tuned a little on the rich side. This will definitely drive your interest into getting a bigger saw.


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## mad murdock (Apr 5, 2013)

As far as saw size goes, I do my milling mostly with a 70cc saw, either a 372XPW, or my PM700. If I have a real large dia log, I will retool with my 075. I do edge with a 54cc saw and my home made "mini" mill (McCulloch 10-10). Even if your avg log diameter is not all that large, I would look for at least a 70cc saw, it goes so much better.


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