# How long will it last ?



## Gologit (Jul 2, 2006)

I have to rebuild my corrals and plan on milling the timbers myself. I have access to oak and cedar so thats no problem. I'm looking at cutting 500 oak 6x6 and about 1500 cedar 4x4. If I start out with a new 660 and a Granburg will they last through the job? I know milling is hard on a saw and I'm careful about maintenance but before I sink that kind of money into the project I want to be sure it'll make it. Will there be enough life left in the 660 afterward to use as a regular saw? Any special advice to make it last?
Andy,Casey,Carvinmark,all you other guys with actual heavy milling experience...I need your input. Guys who've milled one cedar log with a small Husky need not reply. Thanks, Bob


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## BlueRidgeMark (Jul 2, 2006)

boboak said:


> Guys who've milled one cedar log with a small Husky need not reply.


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## Sawyer Rob (Jul 2, 2006)

If your going to put 6x6 oak post in the ground and they "aren't" white oak, your wasteing your time and money doing it, not to mention the waste of the wood too... Of course cedar will last longer, but todays cedar doesn't last like the old growth cedar did of long ago.

Personally, i hate to use anything but pressure treated post in the ground, treated to at least .60. If i'm going through the trouble to build a fence i want it to last, as i don't want to have to do it again, in a few short years.

Rob


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## coveredinsap (Jul 2, 2006)

boboak said:


> I have to rebuild my corrals and plan on milling the timbers myself. I have access to oak and cedar so thats no problem. I'm looking at cutting 500 oak 6x6 and about 1500 cedar 4x4. If I start out with a new 660 and a Granburg will they last through the job? I know milling is hard on a saw and I'm careful about maintenance but before I sink that kind of money into the project I want to be sure it'll make it. Will there be enough life left in the 660 afterward to use as a regular saw? Any special advice to make it last?
> Andy,Casey,Carvinmark,all you other guys with actual heavy milling experience...I need your input. Guys who've milled one cedar log with a small Husky need not reply. Thanks, Bob



Yeah, go ahead and use that oak..... HAHAHAHAHAHA! Oak for fencing...that's a good one alright!!!!

You most certainly don't need my advice, as it sounds like you have it covered. Bwahhahahahahahahaha!


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## thompson1600 (Jul 2, 2006)

That will work just fine. I would build a log stand so that you aren't constantly bending over for all this milling. That's a lot of milling. Get the logs up on a stand so you can stay standing up.

You shouldn't have any issues if you do good regular maintenance and run Premium grade fuel. Only thing I've had to do was change the rings out and keep the air filters clean. Also keep your chains sharp, sharpen before it starts slowing down. Sometimes that is after every cut if it's really dirty wood.

I also agree about the oak. Make sure it's white oak. 


Tom


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## CaseyForrest (Jul 2, 2006)

One other note, try picking up a used saw, rather than a new one. There are always good 660's on ebay. I lucked out and got an 066 for $250 from a member here, threw another $229 into a new P&C off Ebay, OE Stihl parts, and have had not a single problem with it.

Keep the chains sharp. I know its all my 066 wants to do to pull 22" through White Oak. I can usually get about 3, 8' cuts before I can tell the chain is getting dull.

You also may want to look a dedicated slabbing mill, instead of a CSM. I know with my CSM, if I want to cut 4x4 or bigger, I need to square up the log, and thats hard to do with a CSM. Unless you have access to a 10" circular saw.
Sounds like you are in for quite a workout, post a few pics of your progress.


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## CaseyForrest (Jul 2, 2006)

There is a 3120 for sale in the trading forum.


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## woodshop (Jul 2, 2006)

You have a LOT of work ahead of you. If I had that much production, I might look into one of the lower end bandmill setups like one of the cheaper Timberkings. A csm is slower than a bandmill, and wastes more of your wood. For as many pieces as you plan on doing, I'd lean towards a bandmill if I could. Will your large saw be OK after that much milling, sure it will if you take care of it. Don't start milling, and keep milling... and keep milling, running it into the ground. Keep it clean. Run it on the rich side, keep the chain sharp so your not fighting the wood. As was said, keep air filter clean. I blow my saw clean with compressed air and wipe it down etc.


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## poleframer (Jul 2, 2006)

I notice your location reads "live oak". Is that what yer cutting? Man, that california live oak is some hard stuff, got a lot of it on my property, never tried milling it.Chainsaws were made to run, you should get many good years of use out of a 066.My 090 is ancient, stihl strong.
Are you cutting large trees into beams or mostly getting one beam out of each section? As I see it, the most difficult part of milling with a granburg is the first cut (cant) after that slabbing is routine.
I work with poles (6"-12") and made my setup for taking a cant off one side of a pole for joists and rafrers (in the "my CSM" thread),but found myself slabbing logs as well.
If you're just squaring posts I'd suggest making a box (ie.two rails)that your granberg will ride on, with some sort of adjustable crossmembers between the rails to set and rotate the posts in.
Heres a pic of my rig flattening one side of a pole for the top plates (beams) of a carport that I framed, and roofed with regular trusses.


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## Lakeside53 (Jul 2, 2006)

You really need to break the new 660 in using it for "conventional" cutting... for say 10 tanks or more of gas... Milling it brutal - basically full power for an entire tank, then refill, and back to full power again. There is no really good way to be gentle when milling unless you only apply the saw in say 1 minute bursts, and that will make for a slow job and not the best finish on the cut.

The first thing you need to do is have the carb readjusted and the limiter cap tabs sliced off. From the factory, it will be set as rich as the EPA allows, and all you can do is make it leaner. Definitely not what you want for milling... You need to be able to make it MUCH richer. I set mine to roughly 11k, +/- 500 rpm... and run on 32 -> 40:1. Real easy to foul plugs but... I'm now switching to full synthetic oil at 32:1. Ben Walker suggests going as low as 20:1.


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## brian660 (Jul 2, 2006)

I dont think its that bad making cants but it will be alot of work, I make my top and bottom cut with my mkIII and the sides with a mini mill, I built a rail out of 6066 aluminum thats adjustable from 10 to 19 inchs wide, screw it in and rip both sides, it cost about 150$ in materials but with the time it saves its probably paid for itself 10 times over by now, and it takes maybe 20 minutes to make a cant now compared to 40 minutes before.


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## Sawyer Rob (Jul 2, 2006)

> it takes maybe 20 minutes to make a cant now compared to 40 minutes before.



What about side lumber???? Do you just make thick slabs and waste it????

Rob


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## brian660 (Jul 3, 2006)

firewood or sell em to a log home guy who uses it for that fake log siding crap, the time it`d take to get a board out of them isn`t really worth it to me.


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## carvinmark (Jul 3, 2006)

Hi Bob
You should have no problem at all.Are you buying a new 660? Keep it clean and sharp because a dull chain will wear out a saw as well as the bar and a clean saw usually runs better and longer. Let the saw warm up before you mill, let the saw cool down between passes. You will probably use up a bar and a few chains. Removing the bark and dirt from saw logs helps save chains,I use a ice spud for most of that.
Mark

P.S. Ignore sappy,she's a politician,not a woodsman.


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## Sawyer Rob (Jul 3, 2006)

> firewood or sell em to a log home guy who uses it for that fake log siding crap, the time it`d take to get a board out of them isn`t really worth it to me.



That's why they invented bandmills! Your throwing a lot of $$ away in those slabs that can be easily and quickly sawn out with a bandmill not to mention the lumber your wasteing... 

You can get a pretty decent quality bandmill for $2,800.00 that is 4 stroke powered and will easily pay for itself.

Rob


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## brian660 (Jul 3, 2006)

most of the lumber I make is pretty wide stuff, i`d be lucky to get one board out of any piece I take off making a cant. if you wanna mess with milling that stuff thats great its just not worth my time, easier to burn it in the fireplaces.


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## aggiewoodbutchr (Jul 3, 2006)

Just an idea..

In my area there's a pressure treatment plant that will TP your own lumber for about $.15/BDFT. I'm not sure if treating oak is possible but if it is, those posts should last for decades.


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## MotorSeven (Jul 5, 2006)

What's a "ice spud"? Never heard that before..............


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## aggiewoodbutchr (Jul 5, 2006)

It looks like 5' long chisel on steroids.

Just a 1" solid steel bar with one end flattend out.


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## carvinmark (Jul 5, 2006)

MotorSeven said:


> What's a "ice spud"? Never heard that before..............


No ice down in the beautiful state of Tennessee? Must be nice,wish I could live there, The Smokey Mountains are one of my favorite places.


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## MotorSeven (Jul 6, 2006)

Not much, the edges of the creek and smaller feeders freeze, and the occasional ice storm, but it doesn't stay around too long. I'm going to be spending more time in Manitoba, so i guess i'll learn alot of these Yank terms!


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## Jwoods (Jul 7, 2006)

BobOak,

5 years ago I milled out my own fence (for decoration, but it would hold cattle with no problem). 

100 fence posts 4*4, 300 boards 1 *6, and 300 boards 4" by 36" for the face cap. Posts were made from Black Locust, and the boards from locust and some white oak.

If you want to mill that many pieces of lumber, You're well justified to buy a bandsaw mill, or something faster than the chainsaw mill. For the above, it was a lot of work, and I have a manual bandsaw mill -TA Schmid. 

Buy a chainsaw to cut down and buck the timber to length, not for milling.

A small bandsaw mill would pay for itself with this project alone.

My 2 cents.


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## carvinmark (Jul 7, 2006)

Jwoods said:


> BobOak,
> 
> 5 years ago I milled out my own fence (for decoration, but it would hold cattle with no problem).
> 
> ...


You are probably correct.


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