Best Saw for Milling?

[Pierreg]

Is there a favorite out there for constant milling?Is it possible and practical to cut posts/beams with something like an Alaskan mill? I have never seen a saw running mill just the bandsaw portable mills.Sawmill virgin here thanks.

 

[dzklrz]

For constant milling I would get the 120cc class Husky or Stihl. I use a 394xp and have been more than happy with it for the moderate milling I use it for. Remember, when milling the bigger the better. You will not be staining the saw when you have the extra ponies.

 

[mtngun]

For constant milling I would get the 120cc class Husky or Stihl. I use a 394xp and have been more than happy with it for the moderate milling I use it for. Remember, when milling the bigger the better. You will not be staining the saw when you have the extra ponies.

+1 :agree2:

There are two kinds of chainsaw millers -- those who have a 120cc saw, and those who wish they did.

I've been using a Stihl 066. There are some things I like about it and one thing I don't like -- not enough mid range power. If I had to do it over I'd favor the Husky 395, unless I could find a good deal on a 3120 or 880.

 

[Brmorgan]

Well, that would largely depend on what size and type of wood you're going to be milling "constantly". If under 12" width and fairly soft wood, you could get away with a 70-cc class saw like a Husky 372 or Stihl 440/460, especially if it's got a modded muffler, though if you're spending a significant amount of time milling, for the extra money a 395XP or 660 would quickly pay for itself with faster cut times and less work on the part of the operator. If you're going to regularly see wood larger than 36" wide, or frequently work with harder woods, moving up to a 3120/880 (or an older 076 or 090) isn't beyond reason if production is a concern.

Personally I prefer the ergonomics and air filtration of my 395 for milling duty; however, the 066 has the chain tensioner on the side (front-mounted ones are blocked by the mill frame unless you modify it to allow access) and it also has a better exhaust location, so I end up using it more for my narrower pieces and for slabbing boards off of cants.

This was my freshly rebuilt 066 at work a few days ago cutting ~11" wide 1" boards from a Lodgepole Pine log:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZt4nFXKzsg

As you can see, it isn't the fastest process even with a fairly large saw. There's a pretty decent learning curve to it too - do a lot of reading here (especially the Sticky at the top of the forum) and learn from our mistakes! I milled for a full year and a half on my own before discovering this place. Looking back, I could have saved myself a ton of work and time knowing what I know now from talking and sharing ideas here. It's like free tech support but better!

And to answer your last question, yes, it's definitely possible and practical to cut beams and timbers with an Alaskan. In fact much easier than making boards, because fewer cuts are involved. It just might not be very profitable, unless you have a custom market that will pay a premium. You can sure save a ton of money if you have time to spare though. Here are a couple threads of mine with some pictures of making boards and beams/posts out of the same log:

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=107756

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=76422


And a thread about the deck I built in 2008 out of Douglas Fir timbers that milled myself:

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=73147

I figure those beams would have run me well over $1000 at one of the smaller custom sawmills around town, and all they cost me were maybe $60 in fuel & oil for the saws and ATV. And a couple days' work cutting them and hauling them out of the bush, but that's half the fun anyway!

 

[Brmorgan]

+1 :agree2:

There are two kinds of chainsaw millers -- those who have a 120cc saw, and those who wish they did.

I've been using a Stihl 066. There are some things I like about it and one thing I don't like -- not enough mid range power. If I had to do it over I'd favor the Husky 395, unless I could find a good deal on a 3120 or 880.

I know where I can get a near-mint low hours 084 w/ 36" bar for $1000, and maybe a bit less if I haggled with the guy. I've wanted it in the worst way myself, but being off work the last year didn't help with that.

 

[rxe]

I use Stihl 070s. Because:

1) They're cheap. Compared to $1000 for an 084, you can get a good 070 for a lot less. I recently picked up an almost unused 070AV for $400

2) They're easy to work on. The covers come off easily, everything is simple and accessible

3) The engines don't turn that fast - they're torque monsters, and the revlimiter is the choke - over-rev, and it just richens the saw up. Pretty safe.

Downsides:

1) They're loud. Don't use cheap ear defenders.

2) The Non-AV ones are brutal from a vibration perspective. You can make it bearable with some very thick gloves and bike handle foam.

For wood up to about 24", you won't notice the difference between an 090 and an 070. At about 36", the 090 comes into its own.

 

[TSRuff]

I run a 3120 in my Alaskan with a 28" and 42" bar. There are things that I like and that I don't like about the saw...

Dislikes:

• The chain tensioner is on the front of the saw and is blocked by the bar clamp.
• The factory exhaust setup is ideal only if you enjoy breathing burnt 2 cycle with a hint of air.
• The high-speed jet is fixed, so you have to find a replacement if you want to do any work on it.

Likes:

• The saw is exceptionally powerful. In 34" white oak I can get about .5"/second cut speed.
• The oiler puts a huge amount of oil down. Unless I am using the 42" bar I don't have a need to hook up my auxilliary.
• The vibration isolation works very well, and with a pair of padded gloves I can pretty much mill all day with no fatigue.

I am working my way through fixing the dislikes... I had a ported muffler built that directs the exhaust away from my face, while also having the local saw shop replace the carb so that I didn't destroy the saw. These two improvements make it feel like it gained another 5 HP, but's that's probably because I'm not delerious from the exhaust fumes any longer. The front chain tensioner is easily fixed by drilling a hole throught the bar clamp for access or building a new clamp that doesn't get in the way. I picked up my saw used for $700 and have about another $150 into it.

All that being said, if I had to do it all over again, I may hold out for the right 880 to come along...

 

[huskyhank]

I run a 3120 in my Alaskan with a 28" and 42" bar. There are things that I like and that I don't like about the saw...

Dislikes:

• The chain tensioner is on the front of the saw and is blocked by the bar clamp.
• The factory exhaust setup is ideal only if you enjoy breathing burnt 2 cycle with a hint of air.
• The high-speed jet is fixed, so you have to find a replacement if you want to do any work on it.

Likes:

• The saw is exceptionally powerful. In 34" white oak I can get about .5"/second cut speed.
• The oiler puts a huge amount of oil down. Unless I am using the 42" bar I don't have a need to hook up my auxilliary.
• The vibration isolation works very well, and with a pair of padded gloves I can pretty much mill all day with no fatigue.

I am working my way through fixing the dislikes... I had a ported muffler built that directs the exhaust away from my face, while also having the local saw shop replace the carb so that I didn't destroy the saw. These two improvements make it feel like it gained another 5 HP, but's that's probably because I'm not delerious from the exhaust fumes any longer. The front chain tensioner is easily fixed by drilling a hole throught the bar clamp for access or building a new clamp that doesn't get in the way. I picked up my saw used for $700 and have about another $150 into it.

All that being said, if I had to do it all over again, I may hold out for the right 880 to come along...

I second the above post.

And I'd love to see the muffler you made!
Pictures please.

I'd look for a good used 3120 as probably the best and least expensive way to get a big saw. If you look hard they come up for sale fairly often at $500-700 for a good user condition saw. The older ones with the 11,500 rpm rev limit are preferable to the newer ones with the 9,500 limit. But of course the newer ones may be less used than a 15 year old saw.

 

[TSRuff]

I second the above post.

And I'd love to see the muffler you made!
Pictures please.

I'd look for a good used 3120 as probably the best and least expensive way to get a big saw. If you look hard they come up for sale fairly often at $500-700 for a good user condition saw. The older ones with the 11,500 rpm rev limit are preferable to the newer ones with the 9,500 limit. But of course the newer ones may be less used than a 15 year old saw.

The saw is about 100 miles away right now at my father's house (I live in a townhouse, and not much room for five saws, two Alaskans and a mini-mill in a single car garage), but will take a couple of pics as soon as I can.

 

[BobL]

The oiler puts a huge amount of oil down. Unless I am using the 42" bar I don't have a need to hook up my auxilliary.

Apart from a slight variation on the oiler I agree with everything you have said.

My experienced from using this saw is the amount of oil delivered in the conventional manner is excessive (54 mL/min) and is largely wasted because it does not make it around the bar nose. In dry aussie hardwood an aux oiler is need when milling wood gets bigger than ~30" although I still run it as small as 24". It's more effective to turn the oiler down and deliver a smaller amount of the oil to be delivered via the auxiliary oiler on the other side of the nose.