I hope to get 4-6 40" wide slabs 6-7' long here soon. I have a couple big oaks down that people are saving for me. Figure if I can sell a few of them they can pay for all the mills and saws I've bought this year.
Best CSM powerhead???
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SDB777
I find unique timber and cut it up
Big oaks are cool, but they love to crack. Not sure what kind of cha-ching you will get for them though? I would figure not being able to pay for everything with a few slabs.....YMMV, but this my experience. BTW, green slabs are hard to sell....have you thought on the drying/kiln?
Good luck though!
Scott (take plenty of photos) B
Every time I get a nice score, like this recent big white oak (http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/big-old-white-oak.254896/#post-4763760), I think the same thing. "Look at how much this is lumber is worth! I'll go buy a new _____." This time it was an MS461. However, I always seem to keep the lumber for myself. Maybe my next project should be to build another barn just for my wood...
Got a place to kiln dry for $.40 bd ft. 2" and thicker takes a little longer than 4/4. I don't have 1/3 of the new cost of an 880 in the saw and mill so not too bad to break even on it.
I'm not going to comment on a Husky V Stihl comparison. It's all been said before and more. If you want my opinion just do a search.
If I had an unlimited budget I would definitely not by a woodmizer but buy a house with a bigger yard so I could store a Lucas Mill.
If I had an unlimited budget I would definitely not by a woodmizer but buy a house with a bigger yard so I could store a Lucas Mill.
jstare
ArboristSite Lurker
I'm not going to comment on a Husky V Stihl comparison. It's all been said before and more. If you want my opinion just do a search.
If I had an unlimited budget I would definitely not by a woodmizer but buy a house with a bigger yard so I could store a Lucas Mill.
I don't think his budget is totally unlimited, just as far as the cost of a chainsaw mill goes.
To the OP, if money is not an issue and you are wanting to mill logs larger than 36" on occasion just go big and get a Husqvarna 3120xp (my first choice) or a Stihl ms880. You could go with a 394/395xp or ms660/066 but you are always better off with a saw bigger than what you need and putting less strain on the saw and it will last longer. When I upgrade from my 394xp for milling I would get a used 3120 and send it to Terry Landrum (wicked work saws) he will remove the limiters on the carb, open up the muffler and so some mild porting and make it into an amazing milling saw. The same can be done with an ms880 as well to make make it run the most efficiently for milling.
While some don't like the outboard clutch on the Husky's for bar changing it's not really a big deal and it keeps a lot of heat outside the engine casing with keeps operating temperatures cooler and helps things last longer. If you read the Husqvarna website, the 3120 was designed partly as a milling saw and they would have done stuff like the outboard clutch on purpose.
As you say, my budget is not "unlimited" in the sense that I could my friend's WM LT40 Diesel/Hydro mill ($18K) was too much and makes no sense for my needs, <10 custom logs/yr. However, I am willing to spend a couple of grand on a CSM. I figured this was "unlimited" in the context of a CSM.
Hmmmm... Local dealers may be dictating my choice. Local Husky dealer quotes me MSRP $1799 for the 3120 power head only. Local Stihl deal quotes me $1750 for MS880 with 59" bar and chain. Me thinks I need to seek some other Husky dealers. I would like to buy a power head only and get the bar and chain aftermarket. What's a fair price for a 3120 power head?
BIG JAKE
Let’s go Brandon!
This is hogwash Sawtroll came up with. The clutch locks up solid when milling if you were cutting firewood there might be a little more heat but still not enough to walk from here to across the street over. The main reason I don't run husky is because of the silly outboard clutch. The fixed jet on the 3120 is another dumb idea that is a deal breaker for milling. They are not insurmountable as Mdavlee said, and you could put an adjustable carb on too, I just don't see why anyone would choose to screw with these issues. Personally, I'd do the 880 or dolmar it's the better design. The other issues listed previously on top of these makes it a no brainer for me-there are plenty of things you have to screw with while milling no need to add to it. BobL is probably harder on milling saws than anyone check out some of his threads. Just sayin'
Adjustable carb is a cheap fix. The front tensioner is my big turn off for the 3120. I just got a 56" mill for the 088. I haven't got to use it yet but hope to next week.
Yellowbeard
ArboristSite Operative
I know you're going with new equipment and asking about "if the sky were the limit," but I am in a sort of similar situation to you (don't mill all the time but really only when I get the "right" log). I started out on an MS460 Magnum (I believe that's what it was) that a friend had bought with an Alaskan. That's what got me hooked. But it definitely seemed under-powered compared with the 075 I eventually bought (also hooked to an Alaskan). A really nice person (maybe even someone on this site) has just agreed to sell me an 084 and I am going to sell the 075 (which, frankly, needs work).
I run 404 and so I don't usually mess around with small logs because it seems like it wastes too much wood. When I want to get into smaller stuff I'll look at a BSM. Just my opinion, but get the biggest powerhead you can (I'm a Stihl man but my father always said Huskies are better, even though the first Stihl I got was his originally). If I had the deal you had on that MS880 PLUS a 59" bar and chain (and money was no object) then I would certainly consider that.
I say all this as mostly an amateur - most of the other folks who have posted are no doubt giving much better advice.
I run 404 and so I don't usually mess around with small logs because it seems like it wastes too much wood. When I want to get into smaller stuff I'll look at a BSM. Just my opinion, but get the biggest powerhead you can (I'm a Stihl man but my father always said Huskies are better, even though the first Stihl I got was his originally). If I had the deal you had on that MS880 PLUS a 59" bar and chain (and money was no object) then I would certainly consider that.
I say all this as mostly an amateur - most of the other folks who have posted are no doubt giving much better advice.
O.K. I think I have a plan now after all of my vacillations. For now, I'm going to sit tight and wait for some logs to come to me. For best yield type logs, I'll look around for someone with a bandsaw mill and I'll pay them appropriately. Then, later this year, I'll pick up an MS661 C-M after they come off recall and a Granberg mill for making "special" slabs and for attacking some of the larger trees around me. In the long run, I'm still going to save up for a good bandsaw mill and a ~120cc for enormous slabs. Thanks to everyone for putting up with my milling / CAD addiction. I really do LOVE to work with wood, anything from fussy fine joinery to bucking and skidding 30+" logs
