Alaskan Mill Questions

[Spokerider]

Having never used one of these before...........

How much "bar length" do you loose when attaching the saw to the mill, as in, how much bar is not cutting wood?

Will milling 18" diameter logs with a 36" mill be difficult? I know you are *supposed to* match the mill size to the intended log diameter, but what if I want to mill the occasional 28" or larger log?........the 24" Alaskan mill size is a no-go.

I have a 390xp and am looking to sort out these details before buying a milling bar and chain.......and of course the mill.

Thanks for your input.

 

[mdavlee]

You can shorten the rails down as short as you want. You'll lose 5-6" on average.
I can go 26-27" with a 30" mill on a 36" bar and leave the spikes on.

 

[JohnWayne]

You lose almost 2" on the saw side of the bar without spikes. Per the instructions you mount the saw within one inch of the power head, and the clamping bracket is about an inch thick. On the nose it depends on the type of bar. With a hard nose bar you can clamp way down near the end and maybe lose only two inches or so. With a sprocket nose you can put the clamp as far out as the indents/rivets that mark the edge of the sprocket. You don't want to clamp on the other end of the indents as it may stop the sprocket from turning. There are a couple of solutions for passing a bolt through the nose/sprocket or modifying the clamp on the Alaskan to maximize the output of you sprocket style bar mentioned in the milling 101 thread sticky'd at the top of this forum.
All in all, if your going to get a 36" mill or smaller, just get the 36". I have one with a 36" bar on my saw and have milled everything from 32" by passing a small bolt through the sprocket on my bar, down to 14" by just bringing the handle in closer to keep my balance while cutting. The small stuff requires care to balance on your initial cut and then paying attention for subsequent cuts.

 

[Spokerider]

Thank you gents.
I'm-a-learnin'!

 

[Jimmy in NC]

Be careful how big you go. I used to think why would anyone want short and long rails? I now know that a 394, 36" bar, Alaskan setup, and aux oiler.. that joker gets HEAVY! Size accordingly so you don't fight the mill at first.

 

[mdavlee]

I would like a set of 20" rails for mine. It would be easier to use and not have so much extra mill hanging off in the way.

 

[SDB777]

Be careful how big you go. I used to think why would anyone want short and long rails? I now know that a 394, 36" bar, Alaskan setup, and aux oiler.. that joker gets HEAVY! Size accordingly so you don't fight the mill at first.

I'm having a hard time following this post....
HEAVY? The mill isn't being carried while in the cut, just to the cut... Maybe heavy is better, let me explain.
#1: If the milling chainsaw and all gear is HEAVY-then you won't be as apt to carry the thing 2miles into the woods to cut a slab you can't possibly carry out.
#2: If you have taken the time to position the log(as BobL has so generously told us how to do-a LOT), then HEAVY will actually 'aide' you during the cut...gravity.
#3: Heavy equals stabile...lightweight can lead to flexing bar/chain, more vibration, etc....

And it is extreme difficult to cut a 24" wide slab with an 18" cutting area. Mighty disappointing to have a crotch that measures 48" across and hack the thing into tiny pieces to mill 20" wide flitches too




Scott (going to go with a 56" mill next) B