# Milling with 288xp



## JohnS (Jul 19, 2009)

Just got going with milling - 288xp with 30" Alaskan. Who has milled with a 288 and either done fine or found it too small. 

I've been using it on a 24" white oak cant and it does it but I have to go slow. 

Would a 395 do that much better or should I just go to a 3120. I live in NJ and have land in PA. Most of what I'll be milling would probably be 24" or less. 

What would be the all around best saw. My thoght is that a 395 could be used for other than milling too. 3120 is a monster and I wonder if I'd have many chances to need it. Or maybe the 288 will serve. What do you think.


----------



## gink595 (Jul 19, 2009)

I mill with a 7900 for right now and I'm happy with how it does, I have a 30" alakan also with a 32" bar. It seems to have more than enough power. I have a 066 I'm going to put on milling duty just because I like the Dolmar better for firewood. I haven't tried a big saw for milling so maybe I'm missing out on something.

Here it is in action on a sycamore at a GTG.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rLWYnzDsC4&feature=related


----------



## Brmorgan (Jul 19, 2009)

If you're dealing with stuff under 3' diameter, a 395 won't net you more than maybe a 5% improvement over a 288 at most. I have both and they perform very similarly. A 3120 will see a significant improvement but it's up to you whether the money is worth it for the speed. If you're cutting a _lot_ of bigger wood it might be. 

Obviously I don't know your definition of "slow" but if it really is cutting slowly your chain might need a second look. A 288 should handle a 24" log no problem.


----------



## lumberjackchef (Jul 19, 2009)

Brmorgan said:


> Obviously I don't know your definition of "slow" but if it really is cutting slowly your chain might need a second look. A 288 should handle a 24" log no problem.



I agree. What kinda chain are you using, and what angle do you have the top plate ground?


----------



## JohnS (Jul 19, 2009)

*Chain on 288*

It might not really be that slow. I timed it at about a foot per minute with 24" of cut. The chain was new at that point. I have since touched it up only a few strokes and it cuts about the same.


----------



## lumberjackchef (Jul 19, 2009)

What type of chain are you using?

Here is a diagram of how granberg ripping chain is ground. http://www.granberg.com/ripping_chain.html


I make my own from full comp ripping chain on my grinder. You can do a search on this site for milling, ripping chain etc. and find a bunch of info and examples of what others use. It has a lot to do with the top plate angle and the depth of your rakers, plus the displacement of your powerhead. I think that with the powerhead that you are using and a good ripping chain you should be able to move at a pretty fair rate of speed.


----------



## Brmorgan (Jul 19, 2009)

1'/min in 24" oak is probably not that terrible. I'd say I'm only hitting 2-2.5'/min at most in the softwoods out here with my 395, so I think probably 1.5'/min or a little more would be the best you could expect with that setup. I've never cut oak myself with the CSM though, so others will be able to give you a better idea in that regard. I've cut plenty in the woodshop though, and I'm just going on the differences I've seen in that environment.


----------



## gink595 (Jul 20, 2009)

Brmorgan said:


> 1'/min in 24" oak is probably not that terrible. I'd say I'm only hitting 2-2.5'/min at most in the softwoods out here with my 395, so I think probably 1.5'/min or a little more would be the best you could expect with that setup. I've never cut oak myself with the CSM though, so others will be able to give you a better idea in that regard. I've cut plenty in the woodshop though, and I'm just going on the differences I've seen in that environment.



That seems really slow, in the video I posted I cut a 8'-10' sycamore in around the 2:30 minute mark according to the youtube clock timer. I cut some pin oak a while back and it was around there also I'd say 3 minutes or so.


----------



## the westspartan (Jul 20, 2009)

gink595 said:


> That seems really slow, in the video I posted I cut a 8'-10' sycamore in around the 2:30 minute mark according to the youtube clock timer. I cut some pin oak a while back and it was around there also I'd say 3 minutes or so.



Hey Gink,

What was the diameter on the Sycamore in the video? Is that stuff pretty hard? I have never milled, or cut any for that matter, but a friend of mine, down in Cincinnati, made a table out of a slab he milled and it was beautiful.


----------



## gink595 (Jul 20, 2009)

the westspartan said:


> Hey Gink,
> 
> What was the diameter on the Sycamore in the video? Is that stuff pretty hard? I have never milled, or cut any for that matter, but a friend of mine, down in Cincinnati, made a table out of a slab he milled and it was beautiful.



I think maybe around 20". Here is a pick of the end of it. We made a 10 X 10 cant out of it for wkpoors next GTG. It is beautiful wood, I was really surprised. It didn't seem to be as hard as oak and it was still green. It milled nicley.


----------



## lumberjackchef (Jul 20, 2009)

the westspartan said:


> Is that stuff pretty hard? I have never milled, or cut any for that matter, but a friend of mine, down in Cincinnati, made a table out of a slab he milled and it was beautiful.




It only rates at a 770 on the Janka hardness scale, which is at the lower end. Compared to white oak at 1360, so as far as milling goes it should be almost twice as fast to mill. It does have some of the most interesting and beautiful quarter-sawn figure of any of the species that I have come across. Here is a pic of some. http://www.woodnshop.com/Hardwood/SYCAMOREQTRSAWN.htm​It was actually one of the first woods that I had a chance to mill. I have a large slab that i am one day going to turn into a coffee table, If I ever get the time!


----------



## the westspartan (Jul 20, 2009)

That sycamore is nice stuff. That is a good look'n sycamore cant there gink. I just got access to a big pile of osage trees that a farmer took down up here. I love that wood and it is rare up here in New York. I used to love to work with it when I lived down in Kentucky. The only problem is that he pushed it all in a big pile. I have been cutting through all of the thorny brush and limbs to get to the big trunks to mill. I have been cutting up the branches for fire wood, probably end up being about 1.5 to 2 full cords just for burning. The trunks range from about 18" to 22". I just hope the 441 is up to the task! Slow going for sure, that stuff is HARD!


----------



## STLfirewood (Jul 20, 2009)

I wish I could find a market for sycamore. I have a ton of here. I have big ones 50" dbh. Really nice stuff no branches. I also cut down a very nice Red Oak today No branches just straight up. It's going to be turned into a trailer floor. Kind of a shame.

Scott


----------



## Brmorgan (Jul 20, 2009)

Gink - I see you're still using that squaretube mill-mount setup - I guess it's working out pretty well for you eh? I still want to fab something like that for myself but that project's on the back burner for a while.


----------



## gink595 (Jul 20, 2009)

Brmorgan said:


> Gink - I see you're still using that squaretube mill-mount setup - I guess it's working out pretty well for you eh? I still want to fab something like that for myself but that project's on the back burner for a while.



Yeah it works okay as long as you can flip the log 90* for cants, which I can with equipment but out in the middle of the woods might be a different story with no Bobcat I like it becasue it is very simple to set up. I'm getting ready to mill some logs for my wifes uncle this weekend, I didn't know but he has a Wood Mizer mill and we got to talking and he is going to pay me to cut down his logs to a managable size (under 24") so he can fit it in his mill. So it will get some use soon!


----------



## PB (Sep 1, 2010)

I know this is an older thread but was hoping to get some more info on the 288 for milling purposes. I might be getting ahead of myself, but I picked up a non-running 288 yesterday. If I can get it going with minor tinkering it will be a great deal but we will have to see. How do they compare to the 660's and 395's when milling? I know it is smaller, but how much difference is there in torque and chain speed?


----------



## huskyhank (Sep 1, 2010)

STLfirewood said:


> I wish I could find a market for sycamore. I have a ton of here. I have big ones 50" dbh. Really nice stuff no branches. I also cut down a very nice Red Oak today No branches just straight up. It's going to be turned into a trailer floor. Kind of a shame.
> 
> Scott



Its beautiful quartersawn!


----------

