# Chainsaw milling: How to get started?



## vinced (Oct 27, 2010)

I have alot of large spruce trees to cut in my woods and instead of burning the spruce in my OWB, I'd rather mill it into some useful lumber for projects. So where do I start. I've looked at bandsaw mill plans, but I don't want to invest in one or do I need another project. I think chainsaw milling would work for me. Whats the best bang for the buck. How big of chainsaw do I need? Do I need a special chain? I have a Stihl ms 310 chainsaw. Is it big enough to mill with? I hope none of these questions sound stupid. Just a new guy looking to get started.


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## BobL (Oct 27, 2010)

Welcome Vince



vinced said:


> I have alot of large . . .


How large?



> . . .spruce trees to cut in my woods and instead of burning the spruce in my OWB, I'd rather mill it into some useful lumber for projects. So where do I start.


Read the sticky - first thread in the forum then ask specific questions



> I've looked at bandsaw mill plans, but I don't want to invest in one or do I need another project.


That's what they all say 



> I think chainsaw milling would work for me.


The only way to answer this is try it out.



> Whats the best bang for the buck.


Will Malloff shows how to use two bits of all thread and some 4 x 2 to make a CS mill - this is definitely the best bang for the buck - but much harder to use than a commerical mills.
The next best bang for $ is "roll your own"



> How big of chainsaw do I need?


That largely depends on the answer to my first question 



> Do I need a special chain?


Not to start with.



> I have a Stihl ms 310 chainsaw. Is it big enough to mill with?


No. You can try a few small logs with it but long term you'll kill it on "large logs"



> I hope none of these questions sound stupid.


No - they're pretty standard



> Just a new guy looking to get started.


Good luck


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## betterbuilt (Oct 27, 2010)

I have a 310 and was thinking about buying a larger chainsaw. I wasn't sure what size to get. I filed a 20 inch chain to 10 degrees and strapped it into a grangberg mill. I started across a 10 inch spalted maple log 8 foot long and made it about three quarters of the way across and ran out of gas. I filled it up and went at it again. This time I finished the first cut and started another and made it about halfway. I quit right there and decided I needed a bigger saw. I knew right then my 310 was gonna die if i continued pushing it that hard.


Why not hire a portable bandmill to mill them up. Around here its $200 to $250 for a thousand boardfeet. Thats a lot cheaper than buy a saw big enough to mill with.


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## BobL (Oct 27, 2010)

betterbuilt said:


> I have a 310 and was thinking about buying a larger chainsaw. .
> .
> .
> I started across a 10 inch spalted maple log 8 foot long and made it about three quarters of the way across and ran out of gas.


Although I agree that the 310 is not a milling saw, at only 10", that sounds like more of a chain sharpening problem than the size of the saw?



> Why not hire a portable bandmill to mill them up. Around here its $200 to $250 for a thousand boardfeet. Thats a lot cheaper than buy a saw big enough to mill with.



Hiring a bandmill is not as easy or cheap as it sounds. Efficient use of a BSM has a longer learning curve than most other portable mills. If you decide to go this way I'd offer to help an experienced BS miller for a day or so first.


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## betterbuilt (Oct 27, 2010)

BobL said:


> Although I agree that the 310 is not a milling saw, at only 10", that sounds like more of a chain sharpening problem than the size of the saw?
> 
> 
> 
> Hiring a bandmill is not as easy or cheap as it sounds. Efficient use of a BSM has a longer learning curve than most other portable mills. If you decide to go this way I'd offer to help an experienced BS miller for a day or so first.



The chain was sharpened right and I only started to have problems sharpening when I started to read your threads and couldn't for the life of me figure out what a gullet or a DAF was. I think a Sticky on csm acronyms is in order.

Well some of the band mills around here bring their own help. They show up with their wife who can sling boards with the best of us. I still think A band mill is cheaper for the guy who has a few trees. He could even haul them to the mill and have them cut there.


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## BobL (Oct 28, 2010)

betterbuilt said:


> The chain was sharpened right and I only started to have problems sharpening when I started to read your threads and couldn't for the life of me figure out what a gullet or a DAF was. I think a Sticky on csm acronyms is in order.


Ah - ha! you stumbled across my evil plan!



> Well some of the band mills around here bring their own help. They show up with their wife who can sling boards with the best of us.


This I gotta see!



> I still think A band mill is cheaper for the guy who has a few trees. He could even haul them to the mill and have them cut there.


A band mill with a driver - can't argue with that.


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## gemniii (Oct 28, 2010)

betterbuilt said:


> Well some of the band mills around here bring their own help. They show up with their wife who can sling boards with the best of us. I still think A band mill is cheaper for the guy who has a few trees. He could even haul them to the mill and have them cut there.



BobL - I think he's saying they turn your round trees into flat lumber for that price at your place. And sometimes they bring extra help. There is generally a minimum charge in my area, that amounts to 1.25 thousand feet. There is no need for betterbuilt or the op to know anything about sawing.

The lumber market is so far in the can that sawing that used to cost 50 cents a board foot is being done for slightly more than the cost of operation.


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## betterbuilt (Oct 28, 2010)

Thanks gemniii. Around here you can get someone to come saw your logs for about .20 cents a bft to .30 cents a bft. The only thing that adds on to that is hardware ruining a blade or If the sawyer has to travel a long ways with his mill. .50 cents abft is still fair price for pine as long as your time has no value.


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## rarefish383 (Nov 1, 2010)

Like bobl said, your saw will work for a few test runs, but is small for any real milling. When I get lazy I'll bolt a mini mill on my MS290 and screw a 2X6 to 12 or 14" pines to cut square beams, or do some free hand work. Yesterday we were cleaning up the woods and had a burn pile going. As the fire was as big as I wanted to go, I took a break and free handed a little bench to put next to the fire for my wife to sit on. It was cut out of some small dead White Pine logs I was mixing in with the brush to get rid of. Sharp chain and I didn't force it. I like to doodle around making stuff like benches while I'm working to to make the work fun. I have 2 old Homelite 100cc saws that do a pretty good job on the 36" granberg. I'll post pix of the little bench as soon as it gets light out, I'll be back to burning today, Joe.


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## rarefish383 (Nov 1, 2010)

Just went down to get the brush pile going again. Here's the little bench I doodled up yesterday. By no means could this be compared to real milling. With a sharp chain the MS290 cut enough noodles to clog the sprocket and had to be cleaned out a couple times. Just pulled out, not taken apart. If you don't force it you can doodle around for fun with a smaller saw, real milling will kill it pretty quick, Joe.


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