# Thinking about getting a Chainsaw Mill



## Holy Mackerel (Aug 24, 2010)

Hello New Friends,


I am exploring the idea of buying an Alaskan Chainsaw Mill.

Hoping some of you guys will chime in with any suggestions, concerns and considerations before I make the purchase.

A close friend who is a distributor for Stihl states the 660 is powerful enough for a 48" bar. I have my doubts. Should I spring for the 880? Money is tight of course and the mill will be just a hobby of sorts.

There are a number reasons why this purchase makes sense for me.
#1: I have 60 or so acres of forest in the Catskills I can "cherry" pick from.
#2: My good friend Mike Hendershot (Walnuts) and I have a friend with a band saw mill, but his mill can't cut much wider then 31". Right off the bat I can recover some cost by milling all his extra wide tree's that have been laying around going to waste.
#3: I have been bitten by the furniture making bug and really want to get some slabs drying.

Let me know what has or has not worked for you.

Wes.


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## qbilder (Aug 24, 2010)

Sounds like a good reason to get a CSM. Good luck & have fun.


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## smokinj (Aug 24, 2010)

660 milling with a 48in bar would be working it very hard. I am running a 41inch on a 880 and walnut hickory ash can all be a hard work out for it. If you need to mill logs over 31 inch a 660 could do it if you can't it out first and run smaller can'ts even bring them down to 20 inch if need be.


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## Plankton (Aug 24, 2010)

I just recently got a 36" alaskan chainsaw mill which has a 50" double ended bar. I run it with a 90cc saw just like the 066.

I have only milled once with it so I'm not that experienced with it. Heres a summary of my experience:

http://www.arboristsite.com/showpost.php?p=2404705&postcount=325

All in all a 90cc saw is good for milling softwoods and small hardwoods. I'm sure more experienced members can chime in more about that.

I have also heard that the 660 has more torque then the husky 390/jred 2188 so it may be suitable.

I would and just did go for a 120 cc saw because I want to mill large hardwoods and it didn't seem like my saw had quite enough grunt to do that.


Of course a 90cc saw is useful for other things and a 120cc isn't quite as useful because of it's weight.

Hope thats helpful.


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## BobL (Aug 24, 2010)

> A close friend who is a distributor for Stihl states the 660 is powerful enough for a 48" bar.


That will be for bucking but for "milling", especially hardwoods it will be keept real busy.

48" bar on a conventional mill = about a 42" max cutting width.

If the clear majority of your trees are ~36" or bigger then a bigger saw will last longer but if you only plan to mill few trees a year of that size then a 660 should do just fine.


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## mtngun (Aug 24, 2010)

Since you already have access to a bandsaw for smaller logs, that suggests the whole purpose of you getting an Alaskan is for big logs. So get a 120cc saw.


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## huskyhank (Aug 24, 2010)

If you're milling big logs, get a big saw.
I asked not too long ago if a 120cc saw was that much stronger than a 100cc saw. It is, just as the displacement difference indicates.


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## Holy Mackerel (Aug 24, 2010)

*Chainsaw mill*

I appreciate all the thoughtful responses. 

It is a difficult choice. The vast majority of what I will mill will be in the 30"-40" range. I would just hate to acquire a monster tree and not be able to do anything with it. 

Any suggestions on where the best place to actually buy the mill? 

Thanks again for all the info! Keep it coming. 

Wes


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## Plankton (Aug 24, 2010)

In terms of buying I would say either get it from 

baileys: http://www.baileysonline.com/search.asp?skw=alaskan

or straight from granberg: http://www.granberg.com/


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## smokinj (Aug 24, 2010)

Holy Mackerel said:


> I appreciate all the thoughtful responses.
> 
> It is a difficult choice. The vast majority of what I will mill will be in the 30"-40" range. I would just hate to acquire a monster tree and not be able to do anything with it.
> 
> ...



Mini mill you can bust any log down to a size that you can handle!


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## jimdad07 (Aug 24, 2010)

Holy Mackerel said:


> Hello New Friends,
> 
> 
> I am exploring the idea of buying an Alaskan Chainsaw Mill.
> ...



Milling is a great hobby and a way to make a little extra here and there if you know what to do with the wood once you have milled it, or so I am told, most of what I have milled won't be usable for another six to ten months due to air drying and me being fairly new to it. I have a good stockpile going now that has not taken very long to accumulate. If you enjoy running a saw, you will love milling with one. I think if you want to run the big bar, you better have the 880. The bigger the better, you don't want to burn out a $1,000.00 saw trying to do too much with it. Good luck, this is the place to be to learn about the subject.


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## mtngun (Aug 24, 2010)

smokinj said:


> Mini mill you can bust any log down to a size that you can handle!


That's true. He could quarter or halve the big logs so they'd fit on the bandmill. If you had a bandmill, that would be the way to go.

........Unless he wants to make slab tables.


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## smokinj (Aug 24, 2010)

mtngun said:


> That's true. He could quarter or halve the big logs so they'd fit on the bandmill. If you had a bandmill, that would be the way to go.
> 
> ........Unless he wants to make slab tables.



That mini mill sure can be a game changer.....I know if I had my 880 to the max in hardwood it could be a very long day.


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## Holy Mackerel (Aug 25, 2010)

*Mini Mill*

The mini mill seems like a great tool. 

What chainsaw would you recommend using with the mini mill? 

I have a Stihl 362. Hopefully that will do the job. 

I am leaning towards going all in and buying a 880. 

Thanks, 
Wes


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## smokinj (Aug 25, 2010)

Holy Mackerel said:


> The mini mill seems like a great tool.
> 
> What chainsaw would you recommend using with the mini mill?
> 
> ...



mini mill is use for the first cut of slabing or just breaking down a log to a size your mill can handle. I have used a 361 to do this before and it does ok. Its on the big logs where you need a 32in bar to break it down.


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## glennschumann (Aug 25, 2010)

*My thoughts...*

The 660 is fine for bucking logs that large, and I have run a 42" bar on mine... with no problems, but a little patience. I milled a 32" hard maple this weekend, and with the 660, and a perfectly sharp chain, it was quite doable, but near the end of the log, the chain dulls a bit, and patience was a necessity. Milling and cross cutting are very different tasks and time scales in terms of progress/minute. If you want to mill just 30"+ hardwood logs, the 880 may be the way to go, but yes, it is very heavy especially with the longer bar (I've got a 3120xp and 60" bar) and much more difficult to maneuver. For ease of use, you will probably want a helper handy, also helpful to move the huge slabs.

The best advice I can offer is to learn how to sharpen your chains to their sharpest while they are on the saw / in the mill. Sharp chains save your saw, your gas, your time, your patience etc., and when you get to the point of sharpening on the saw in less than 5 minutes, you will not hesitate to sharpen your chain at the first hint of dullness. The second best advice I can offer is wear gloves when sharpening / handling sharp chains... : )

Hope that helps.

Schumann


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## smokinj (Aug 25, 2010)

glennschumann said:


> The 660 is fine for bucking logs that large, and I have run a 42" bar on mine... with no problems, but a little patience. I milled a 32" hard maple this weekend, and with the 660, and a perfectly sharp chain, it was quite doable, but near the end of the log, the chain dulls a bit, and patience was a necessity. Milling and cross cutting are very different tasks and time scales in terms of progress/minute. If you want to mill just 30"+ hardwood logs, the 880 may be the way to go, but yes, it is very heavy especially with the longer bar (I've got a 3120xp and 60" bar) and much more difficult to maneuver. For ease of use, you will probably want a helper handy, also helpful to move the huge slabs.
> 
> The best advice I can offer is to learn how to sharpen your chains to their sharpest while they are on the saw / in the mill. Sharp chains save your saw, your gas, your time, your patience etc., and when you get to the point of sharpening on the saw in less than 5 minutes, you will not hesitate to sharpen your chain at the first hint of dullness. The second best advice I can offer is wear gloves when sharpening / handling sharp chains... : )
> 
> ...



Hand sharpening while its still on the mill "NOW THATS A SKILL"


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## BobL (Aug 25, 2010)

smokinj said:


> Hand sharpening while its still on the mill "NOW THATS A SKILL"



I don't see how that needs any more skill that sharpening off the mill?

On some mills with full length handles that run down the middle of the mill these handles can get in the way of sharpening, but then all that is needed is to pull the bar further away from the mill rails. 4 poster designs like the patherpros or GB also sit more steadily on their side so saws can be more easily sharpened while on the mill.


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## smokinj (Aug 25, 2010)

BobL said:


> I don't see how that needs any more skill that sharpening off the mill?
> 
> On some mills with full length handles that run down the middle of the mill these handles can get in the way of sharpening, but then all that is needed is to pull the bar further away from the mill rails. 4 poster designs like the patherpros or GB also sit more steadily on their side so saws can be more easily sharpened while on the mill.



Its a pain in the @ss is why....I would rather change out the chain pretty darn quick at that now...But to file every thooth by hand with the mill on, Call it what you will, not an easy task.


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## BobL (Aug 25, 2010)

smokinj said:


> Its a pain in the @ss is why....I would rather change out the chain pretty darn quick at that now...But to file every thooth by hand with the mill on, Call it what you will, not an easy task.



Nah, its easy. I already bring a portable work bench (actually I bring 2!) with me when I mill. One is home made wooden trestle table and the other is a $60 folding aluminum bench that lives more or less permanently in my van.






I lay the mill over on its side on my trestle table and because the BIL mill is a 3 poster it sits reasonably upright like this. I then also clamp it to the table




The pink arrows indicate the directions that filing needs to take place. Filing the reverse direction requires it be done from the top of the mill but I half lay on the mill with my chest on the topmost mill rail and tubular cross handle and left hand goes over top and holds the top of the file while the right hold the file handle. It sounds dumb but it does work.

It takes about 5 minutes for me to touch up the chain for a 42" bar and 7 minutes for the 60" bar. I can swap out chains in about 4 minutes, but then I still have to take time later to sharpen. More significantly, because I touch up after every 32 sq ft of Aussie hardwood I would need 10 -12 chains to get through one day of milling.


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## smokinj (Aug 25, 2010)

Now that would be worth the hand fileing! I have about the same type of table set-up but if your doing 1-1/2 of less the hand fileing isnt worth it to me. (with my mill)
I have 4 chains (need more) I can get between 40-60 bf at one inch thick before changing chains. My shop is just a few feet away so that help if I need to touch a few up I just put them on the machine.


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## Plankton (Aug 25, 2010)

I just sharpened my 50" milling bar on the mill/powerhead for the first time today. 

The first side, the side on the bottom of the mill (your second arrow going from the left to right) was easy. It actually helped to have the bar on the mill because it held it all up real nice. 

I couldn't file from the other side though because of all the bars and handles obstructing me so I had to take the bar off the mill.

How many strokes do you usually do at touch up? and how often do you hit the rakers? I know rakers are really essential for a fast milling cut.


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## smokinj (Aug 25, 2010)

Plankton said:


> I just sharpened my 50" milling bar on the mill/powerhead for the first time today.
> 
> The first side, the side on the bottom of the mill (your second arrow going from the left to right) was easy. It actually helped to have the bar on the mill because it held it all up real nice.
> 
> ...



I do my cutters by machine and hand do every raker for depth and shape. I have a cyclone wheel for the cutters and take off as little as possiable


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## BobL (Aug 25, 2010)

Plankton said:


> I just sharpened my 50" milling bar on the mill/powerhead for the first time today.
> The first side, the side on the bottom of the mill (your second arrow going from the left to right) was easy. It actually helped to have the bar on the mill because it held it all up real nice.
> 
> I couldn't file from the other side though because of all the bars and handles obstructing me so I had to take the bar off the mill.


Yeah that is a PITA. If I had to do that I would end up swapping chains. I call that problem a "CS mill design flaw" but perhaps I should not get started on this. You might be able to still do this if you drop the bar further away from the mill.



> How many strokes do you usually do at touch up? and how often do you hit the rakers? I know rakers are really essential for a fast milling cut.



In Aussie hardwood I touch up about every 32 square fit of cutting - thats about a 3 ft wide cut on a 12 ft long log or a 4 ft wide x 8 ft long cut, which both equate to about a tank of mix. In softer woods I touch up about every 64 square ft of cut or two tanks of mix.

I touch up until there is no "glint" on the cutter edge, or if there is already no glint a minimum of two strokes. Typically its two or 3 strokes but it can be 5 or 6. I do not worry about cutter length too much but every now and then (maybe 3 or 4 times during the whole chains life) while I have the chain off the bar I put the chain in grinder and get the cutters back to the same length. I set my rakers in the shop using a digital angle finder (see here) and then touch up the rakers by with 2 or 3 swipes very second or third touch up.


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## discounthunter (Aug 25, 2010)

Bob, i agree,those folding aluminum benches are handy. i have two. i think mine stand about 30" high. i have a small 3-legged folding stool i use if i need to sit down by it.


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## BobL (Aug 25, 2010)

discounthunter said:


> Bob, i agree,those folding aluminum benches are handy. i have two. i think mine stand about 30" high. i have a small 3-legged folding stool i use if i need to sit down by it.



The one I have has adjustable length legs ranging from about 2 ft up to about 4 ft high. At each end the pairs of sloped legs have a couple of steps on them so one can walk up the steps and stand on top of the bench. This is real useful when I want to tie down something onto my roof racks on the top of my van.


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## Plankton (Aug 25, 2010)

BobL said:


> Yeah that is a PITA. If I had to do that I would end up swapping chains. I call that problem a "CS mill design flaw" but perhaps I should not get started on this. You might be able to still do this if you drop the bar further away from the mill.










When I drop the bar the farthest away it can it's unfortunately still awkward though not impossible. It also makes the mill unbalanced, just a bad design unfortunately.



Thanks for the info on sharpening btw! I guess it's really no different from regular sharpening.


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## betterbuilt (Aug 25, 2010)

Plankton said:


> When I drop the bar the farthest away it can it's unfortunately still awkward though not impossible. It also makes the mill unbalanced, just a bad design unfortunately.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for the info on sharpening btw! I guess it's really no different from regular sharpening.



I'm pretty sure I just flip the mill the other way and you can reach through and get the other side.


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## glennschumann (Aug 25, 2010)

Sharpening on the mill was difficult, until I figured out how... I do one set of cutters sort of the usual way, but then to get the other set, I flip the mill upside down. Now, normally the saw would then rest on the chain brake handle, and lock up, but I put blocking under the air filter cover (066) and this holds the saw off the tailgate so the chain brake isn't set. I use a bar mounted guide (held on with magnets) to help me keep the angles correct... there is a description of the jig here:

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?p=1247170#post1247170

Sorry, the wife has hidden the camera, so I cannot show how I set up my mill for sharpening each side. Yes, it only takes a few minutes, and like BobL said, you still have to sharpen the chain after you swap it. And don't forget the extra time it takes to uncoil and unknot these long milling loops, sometimes that seems to take 10 minutes itself...


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## BobL (Aug 25, 2010)

betterbuilt said:


> I'm pretty sure I just flip the mill the other way and you can reach through and get the other side.



That doesn't work - you have to come at it from the mill side.

Plankton, on your mill design you shouldn't even have to move the bar back at all.

One had goes over the top mill rail and the other goes underneath like this.


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## mtngun (Aug 25, 2010)

glennschumann said:


> And don't forget the extra time it takes to uncoil and unknot these long milling loops, sometimes that seems to take 10 minutes itself...


You can learn to untangle chain . There was a thread on that subject a few months ago.

It's a PITA to change the height setting on a Granberg mill in order to sharpen the chain. I can swap chains in the time it would take me to change the height.

But, no doubt file lovers will find a way to file, and I'll keep on swapping and grinding.


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## smokinj (Aug 26, 2010)

mtngun said:


> You can learn to untangle chain . There was a thread on that subject a few months ago.
> 
> It's a PITA to change the height setting on a Granberg mill in order to sharpen the chain. I can swap chains in the time it would take me to change the height.
> 
> But, no doubt file lovers will find a way to file, and I'll keep on swapping and grinding.



Its would be a fun game at a gtg see who can un-tangle the fastest! lol


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## Plankton (Aug 26, 2010)

BobL said:


> That doesn't work - you have to come at it from the mill side.
> 
> Plankton, on your mill design you shouldn't even have to move the bar back at all.
> 
> One had goes over the top mill rail and the other goes underneath like this.



Ha ha! I just tried that and it works alright, it isn't awkward at all with the bar dropped and only a little awkward with the bar close up.

Good call


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## Holy Mackerel (Aug 30, 2010)

*"At the end of the day"*

Decided to go with the Stihl 660.

#1 when/if I decide to upgrade 660 saw will be much easier to sell opposed to the 880. Not to many people in "Little Rhody" need such a big saw.

#2 A good friends works for a Stihl distributor. I would much rather do business with a local company anyhow. Plus they have a good repair shop.

#3 What are the odds I acquire a tree that is wider then 40" in the next 9-12 months. It's a good idea to get my feet wet first. 
Going to order my new toys after the holiday weekend. Looking forward to some new activity. 


Thanks for all the responses.

Wes "Wes" Parker


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## Timberframed (Aug 30, 2010)

I think the odds are good on #3. You might be getting a visit from hurricane Earl.


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## mtngun (Aug 30, 2010)

Holy Mackerel said:


> Decided to go with the Stihl 660.


Congratulations. It's a good saw.



> when/if I decide to upgrade 660 saw will be much easier to sell opposed to the 880.


Both the 660 and the 880 sell easily on ebay. But, any saw will lose nearly half its value once it has been used.


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## mtngun (Aug 30, 2010)

Timberframed said:


> I think the odds are good on #3. You might be getting a visit from hurricane Earl.


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## glennschumann (Aug 31, 2010)

*Sharpening on both sides*

Here is how I sharpen on the mill by turning the mill over and setting up on blocks... I don't run into difficulty with things being in the way, even when I've got the mill set for a 4" cut as it is in the photos here. 

I'm also showing my "sharpen on the bar angle guide" I made to help me keep the angles right. It is just long enough to fit in my tool box, with room on the ends to get a finger in to pick it up. One side has lines at 10 degrees, the other at 35 degrees for regular chains. Magnets hold it in place on the bar.

No, it doesn't really take 10 minutes to straighten a chain, but when you are untangling a loop while shooting the bull with a friend who has only worked with a 18" chain, it is easy to get hassled about how long it is taking from your audience...

This is with the mill right side up, showing how I sharpen one set of cutters...




Here is the sharpening jig on the mill.




Here is the jig showing the shape and magnets.




... The other side of the jig with larger angles for cross cutting chain...




And here it is upside down, with the powerhead up on blocks of wood to keep the chain brake from tripping. The file is at the proper angle to sharpen the other cutters now.


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## gemniii (Aug 31, 2010)

Holy Mackerel said:


> Decided to go with the Stihl 660.
> 
> Wes "Wes" Parker



Congrats. Be sure to "break it in" before milling. There are several threads here about break in.

And just to be contrary I voted no - you shouldn't buy one. You should follow several of the great threads here on building one.

To only slightly thread hijack - This got me thinking hard about the bigger trees and the OP's tradeoff between a 660 and an 880. And a possible solution for the OP.

Now for my question (and I admit I haven't done a thorough search) - 
If you've got one 660 how much utility and how much bar length could you go to if you used 2 powerheads?

Four feet? Five feet?

(This may just be an excuse for me to buy another 660)

Sometimes we get a tree we don't anticipate.

I knew I'd not have trees to mill greater than 30" - Whoops

I've now got





as I posted http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=137480.

I'm now looking at a lot that's covered with trees of about the same size and would need some serious thinning.

So - how much bar in the cut could one probably run with 2 660's?, vs 1 big saw?

One advantage I see is that I'd have a redundancy for parts etc.


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## mtngun (Aug 31, 2010)

Gemniii, there are several threads on milling with dual heads, which seem to be able to mill as much or more than a single 120 cc saw.

Catch is, two people are required to run a dual head mill.

I suppose if you rigged up a remote throttle for both saws, one guy could run a dually solo.


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## gemniii (Aug 31, 2010)

mtngun said:


> Gemniii, there are several threads on milling with dual heads, which seem to be able to mill as much or more than a single 120 cc saw.
> 
> Catch is, two people are required to run a dual head mill.
> 
> I suppose if you rigged up a remote throttle for both saws, one guy could run a dually solo.



I knew I had seen threads on this, but I didn't remember any really talking about max length. 


> If you've got one 660 how much utility and how much bar length could you go to if you used 2 powerheads?



As woodsrunner posted in 2008:


woodsrunner said:


> What i want to do is make live edged slabs out of some big walnut and white an red oak cut offs. Then I've got crotches I want to play with as well. Which pushes me towards a long bar and big powerhead. I don't have the big powerhead yet and my logic here (if there is any at all) is that i might get by with a smaller less expensive powerhead that could have more useability than the 3120 by going with a double powerhead setup. for instance I already have the 2 372s (5.3 hp +5.3 hp = 10.6 hp, 3120 = 8.4 hp). Does that make any sense?



But that thread did not have any numbers on bar lengths.

In his followup thread:
http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?p=1637673

he posted some good pics:






and






but again no real discussion of bar lengths and comparison to single saws by anyone who had run both. I was hoping somebody had stumbled acros something with real numbers.

BobL and others had some input, but most of the discussion focused on needing two people.

I figure if I'm going to be cutting a 5' wide slab of anything over a 5' long and say 3" deep I've either got to get 30 yrs younger or someone to help.

And recently I've seen in my area a lot of BIG trees down and the tree service companies and homeowners just having a problem getting rid of the trees.

I've got a 5 ton equipment trailer I could tow 5 ton's of wood on it, or about a 5' diameter, 8' long chunk of white oak. 

I was hoping woodsrunner would chime in. But haven't seen him here since May.

So once again - can anyone point out links with good numbers?
Or how big a setup could I reliably run with 2 good 660's?
thanks


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## mtngun (Aug 31, 2010)

gemniii said:


> Or how big a setup could I reliably run with 2 good 660's?


Two 660's = 180 cc

One 880 = 120 cc

A six foot bar should be do-able.


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## Plankton (Aug 31, 2010)

Heres a link to an article on running dual powerheads. 
http://www.procutportablesawmills.com/doublesawbars.html

It seems this guy tested it and the power gained was not worth the cost of two powerheads.

Just one persons opinion though, definitely seems like theres room for experimentation/tests in the dual head milling world.


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## BobL (Aug 31, 2010)

glennschumann said:


> And here it is upside down, with the powerhead up on blocks of wood to keep the chain brake from tripping. The file is at the proper angle to sharpen the other cutters now.



I get it now, it's still being filed from the mill side but the advantage being you don't need to drop the bar. 

BTW I like the file angle jig


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## gemniii (Aug 31, 2010)

Plankton said:


> Heres a link to an article on running dual powerheads.
> http://www.procutportablesawmills.com/doublesawbars.html
> 
> It seems this guy tested it and the power gained was not worth the cost of two powerheads.
> ...



Thanks for the link.

Some of the qualifying comments made there don't really go along with what I was thinking of.


> So my advice to you. Unless you are going to cut very large logs say over 36" it just is not worth it.



I'm pretty sure I can handle a 32" wide cut w/ my 660 if I let the dogs loose.

I was talking about the big slabs like four to six feet.

The tradeoff, assuming I plan on having a helper ANYTIME I do big slabs (darn things will weigh way over 200lbs) is the second power head. Well if I want to go big I'd need an 880 or so, and that would stihl be another powerhead.

Should we move this to a separate thread?


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## BobL (Sep 1, 2010)

Plankton said:


> Heres a link to an article on running dual powerheads.
> http://www.procutportablesawmills.com/doublesawbars.html
> 
> It seems this guy tested it and the power gained was not worth the cost of two powerheads.
> ...



I wrote a half page response to this and forgot to press submit so here is the potted version.

The procut response is for 24" diameter logs and at that size he is correct because at that size, once a power threshold has been reached, power is less of an issue than chain speed. This is why, using the same mild cutting angle chain, a higher revving 660 may outcut a rev limited 880 or 090 in small wood. 

To gain advantage from a large saw or two power headed mill, appropriate sprocket sizes and cutting angles have to be chosen.
A good example of this is the guys that use big 20HP 4 stroke chain saw slabbers, they can use high count drive sprockets and 10º (equivalent to 0.065" raker depths on new 404 chains) and they just power through hard wide slabs.

[FTTANA (for those that are not aware) by cutting angle I don't mean top plate filing angle, but raker depth although that is variable and is why cutting angle is a better term]

When the wood wide and hard sheer torque becomes critical to maintain the cut so a smaller sprocket and a bigger power head is critical to enable cutters with the same cutting angle to cut wood without bogging.

Now back to your question about bar size. Up to a point the bar size is largely irrelevant and there are no hard and fast rules if chain and sprocket optimization is used. It then comes down to time, fuel use and wear and tear.

Two 50 cc saws can drive a chain around a 7 ft bar a 6 ft wide piece of wood and even not bog down provided the rakers are set to cutting angles of 2º, and a low pin count sprocket is used. They will eventually cut through but make lots of dust, use lots of fuel, and experience high wear and tear. In the same situation two 90 cc saws will cut faster, make nice chips, use less fuel and experienced less wear and tear. If the log is wide enough and the cutting angles are set too high one 90cc saw may not cut anything whereas one 120 cc saw will keep cutting under the same circumstances.

The lesson here is also not just to optimise things for dual power heads but for all power heads/chains/logs etc.


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