# 4 stroke chainsaw mill problem



## quercusgarryana (Jun 5, 2012)

I built a chainsaw mill on a carriage that is powered by a 15.5 Kohler vert shaft engine. I have mill up several logs with it and have a had few problems. Recently I was cutting a big fir log and after making into a cant I started to slice off the first 2x8 and got about a foot into the cut and it just stopped. :mad2::mad2:No matter how hard I push I can't get it to advance. The chain is sharp, nothing is obstructing the wheels. I am at a loss for what cause could be. I even backed out and went lower on the cant and it just won't cut once the bar is in about 8 inches. :bang::bang:
Any ideas??


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## hamish (Jun 5, 2012)

How did you couple the engine to the chain? If via a clutch or tension set up, inspect your components. If direct drive, check any set screws etc.......


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## quercusgarryana (Jun 5, 2012)

All the connecting components are good. The chain doesn't stop or even slow from what I can tell. Its almost as if the chain just changes angle or something and stops contacting the wood.


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## Justsaws (Jun 5, 2012)

Check the bar for being square to the cut and without any bow to it, sometimes the way bars get mounted to mills allows them to move make sure that it is not pitching up or down. Usually shows up after a bit of milling.

If the chain is sharpened unequally from on side to the other or the depth guages are unequal that can cause binding which would make a rigid bar mount such as a mill mount very difficult to advance through the cut. If the saw was not mounted to a mill it would be cutting in a circular pattern until the bar bound in the cut.

I have used a milling chain that never had the depth guages lowered as the cutters were sharpened, after a short amount of cutting the cutters no longer took much bite at all and the chain would not advance through the cut. Lowering the depth guages and the chain functioned normally. Free to me chain because it no longer cut wood.


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## BobL (Jun 6, 2012)

Justsaws said:


> Check the bar for being square to the cut and without any bow to it, sometimes the way bars get mounted to mills allows them to move make sure that it is not pitching up or down. Usually shows up after a bit of milling.
> 
> If the chain is sharpened unequally from on side to the other or the depth guages are unequal that can cause binding which would make a rigid bar mount such as a mill mount very difficult to advance through the cut. If the saw was not mounted to a mill it would be cutting in a circular pattern until the bar bound in the cut.



I would look at both of those and as a followup to the the second point, how old and used are the B&C. 
If the chain drive links are too sloppy in the groove the chain will lay over in the kerf and not cut in way that is similar to unequal cutter or rakers.
In a similar way using the wrong gauge chain/bar combo will do the same thing.


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## mtngun (Jun 6, 2012)

-- dull or improperly sharpened chain

-- bar not parallel to the cut

Either will cause the saw to bind up in the cut.


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## Justsaws (Jun 6, 2012)

BobL said:


> I would look at both of those and as a followup to the the second point, how old and used are the B&C.
> If the chain drive links are too sloppy in the groove the chain will lay over in the kerf and not cut in way that is similar to unequal cutter or rakers.
> In a similar way using the wrong gauge chain/bar combo will do the same thing.



Yep, I had an almost new bar that the rails spread and when that happens the cutter advance through the wood just stops. Took awhile to figure out because it was a barely used bar and everything else checked out. Very frustrating day when that happened, spent more time checking components than milling and it turned out to be something as simple as the bar rails spread. I did not think it was an actual bar issue because it was an almost new bar.

Pinched the rails back together with a Leatherman to finish the cut.


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## quercusgarryana (Jun 6, 2012)

Well the problem has been fixed. The bar rails were a little spread and the chain was running skewed in the groove. Pinched it back dressed the rails a bit and it was cutting great again..........then everything stopped:msp_confused: Ran out of gas


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## Brmorgan (Jun 11, 2012)

quercusgarryana said:


> Well the problem has been fixed. The bar rails were a little spread and the chain was running skewed in the groove. Pinched it back dressed the rails a bit and it was cutting great again..........then everything stopped:msp_confused: Ran out of gas



Good that you got that one figured out; been there a couple times out in the bush scratching my head wondering why the heck I can't even power thru a measly 10" dia. log. Luckily I usually take a backup saw...

Got any pics of your homebuilt mill? I haven't been around the forums much in the past year, so maybe you posted them already; if so, sorry I missed 'em.


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## quercusgarryana (Jun 16, 2012)

I will try and get some pics up soon.


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## scor440 (Jun 17, 2012)

Ya lets see some pics.There are not a lot of four strokers out there.


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## quercusgarryana (Jun 19, 2012)

I've been to busy trimming trees and running the mill to get pics. I will try and get some up soon. I have a video but it was in the early stages and all the bugs weren't worked out yet. It runs much better now.


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