Chainsaw Mill or Bandsaw Mill

[Derik]

Alaskan mill is addicting, be careful.

Thanks for all the information, I already got the book on order, took a look at the file jig, seems pretty good.

 

[Henry3120xp]

Anyone who thinks it's just as much work to push a BSM through a log as a CSM hasn't milled with a BSM much!

CSM's are HUGE amount more work than a BSM!!

Then there's the amount of time you are pushing too!

SR

I’ve used them both enough to know which is better for me and my current requirements.
I agree that chainsaw milling is hard work. However if you mill a sloped log with a chainsaw mill it pulls itself and requires zero effort to make the cut, with a freshly sharpened chain I actually have to hold it back a bit. A band mill cannot be sloped and requires more effort to push the saw through a cut. (We were talking about entry level mills that do not have a power feed)
I’ve built many projects with lumber from a bandmill and the majority of it is not very true and is a pain to get planed correctly. If you are just building with rough cut material this isn’t a big deal, if you are building furniture it’s different. I can mill very accurate lumber with my chainsaw mill so it only requires about four passes through the planer to have finished lumber, most of the bandmill stuff that I have dressed required 6-10 so the time saved milling is lost once I get the dried lumber in my shop. When a chainsaw mill gets dull the cut slows way down but is still very accurate, when a bandsaw mill gets dull it will cut almost as fast but is very inaccurate and board thickness can vary as much as 1/4 inch.

 

[Derik]

I’ve used them both enough to know which is better for me and my current requirements.
I agree that chainsaw milling is hard work. However if you mill a sloped log with a chainsaw mill it pulls itself and requires zero effort to make the cut, with a freshly sharpened chain I actually have to hold it back a bit. A band mill cannot be sloped and requires more effort to push the saw through a cut. (We were talking about entry level mills that do not have a power feed)
I’ve built many projects with lumber from a bandmill and the majority of it is not very true and is a pain to get planed correctly. If you are just building with rough cut material this isn’t a big deal, if you are building furniture it’s different. I can mill very accurate lumber with my chainsaw mill so it only requires about four passes through the planer to have finished lumber, most of the bandmill stuff that I have dressed required 6-10 so the time saved milling is lost once I get the dried lumber in my shop. When a chainsaw mill gets dull the cut slows way down but is still very accurate, when a bandsaw mill gets dull it will cut almost as fast but is very inaccurate and board thickness can vary as much as 1/4 inch.

I don't mind a little work. How much clearance do you add for the planer?

I don't have a planer, I use a router with a planing bit and jig to get the wood where I need it.

 

[Henry3120xp]

I don't mind a little work. How much clearance do you add for the planer?

I don't have a planer, I use a router with a planing bit and jig to get the wood where I need it.

It’s usually between 1/8 and 3/16 loss to the planer. How do you like using the router? I’ve been thinking of trying that for stuff too wide to fit in my planer.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I’ve used them both enough to know which is better for me and my current requirements.
I agree that chainsaw milling is hard work. However if you mill a sloped log with a chainsaw mill it pulls itself and requires zero effort to make the cut, with a freshly sharpened chain I actually have to hold it back a bit. A band mill cannot be sloped and requires more effort to push the saw through a cut. (We were talking about entry level mills that do not have a power feed)
I’ve built many projects with lumber from a bandmill and the majority of it is not very true and is a pain to get planed correctly. If you are just building with rough cut material this isn’t a big deal, if you are building furniture it’s different. I can mill very accurate lumber with my chainsaw mill so it only requires about four passes through the planer to have finished lumber, most of the bandmill stuff that I have dressed required 6-10 so the time saved milling is lost once I get the dried lumber in my shop. When a chainsaw mill gets dull the cut slows way down but is still very accurate, when a bandsaw mill gets dull it will cut almost as fast but is very inaccurate and board thickness can vary as much as 1/4 inch.

First of all, it's just plain NOT true that you can't set up a BSM to mill on a slope... Side to side they have to be level, no problem at all with slope up or down...

BUT, most of all, when some can't mill flat lumber with a BSM, that tells me they have no idea what they were doing!!

There are reasons why folks mill thick and thin lumber on a BSM (or any other mill) and if you can't easily figure out why and correct it, you just plain don't know what you are doing!

I ran a custom furniture/cabinet shop for many years, and I had NO problems with flat lumber coming from a "properly set up" BSM with "properly" sharpened/set bands... My mill is a manual mill, and I have no problem turning out nice flat lumber that is NOT thick and thin!

IF you can't do this with your BSM,

then you absolutely don't know how to tune one up, as my cheapo manual mill can and do this any time I want...

And yes, I started on a CSM too...

SR

 

[Derik]

It’s usually between 1/8 and 3/16 loss to the planer. How do you like using the router? I’ve been thinking of trying that for stuff too wide to fit in my planer.

I figured about a 1/4" but I'll keep that in mind.

It's okay, I've used it twice. I built the jig out of pine, which should have been hardwood. It's a little time consuming but it gets the job done when you don't have anything else.

I used a 1/2" routing bit, I have a small, and old router so I didn't want to overload it with a bigger bit.

 

[Derik]

First of all, it's just plain NOT true that you can't set up a BSM to mill on a slope... Side to side they have to be level, no problem at all with slope up or down...

BUT, most of all, when some can't mill flat lumber with a BSM, that tells me they have no idea what they were doing!!

There are reasons why folks mill thick and thin lumber on a BSM (or any other mill) and if you can't easily figure out why and correct it, you just plain don't know what you are doing!

I ran a custom furniture/cabinet shop for many years, and I had NO problems with flat lumber coming from a "properly set up" BSM with "properly" sharpened/set bands... My mill is a manual mill, and I have no problem turning out nice flat lumber that is NOT thick and thin!

IF you can't do this with your BSM,

then you absolutely don't know how to tune one up, as my cheapo manual mill can and do this any time I want...

And yes, I started on a CSM too...

SR

I'm inclined to agree with you on the tuning part. For me, chainsaw mill is cheaper and I can get the lumber I need. Will have to spend a little more time for lumber that will be used for furniture but I don't have a problem with that.

It's a little difficult for me to spend 5k or more on a bandsaw just for my own personal use.

 

[BobL]

It's perhaps a tad too simple and obvious to talk about a "properly setup XXX" - that applies pretty much to anything, what is in some ways more important is how quickly can a newbie can get to that point, and also how easy is it to stay "on point".

Besides the cost, a very significant difference between BS and CS milling is the learning curve, especially if you are starting from scratch and learning on your own.
For most newbies it's much easier to take a CSM out of the box and produce a straight cut.
Some newbie BSM operators are indeed "naturals" and can get a straight cut from day one, but I'd say that's pretty rare.
If you only intend to be milling occasional on you own, most newbies are unaware that to get truly consistent cuts with a BSM can take weeks or even months, and even then, just when you think you have it right, something goes out and it can take days or weeks to sort things out.
Like many complex things if you don't build up enough skill and knowledge and you only mill very occasionally you can lose your BSM touch and going back to a BSM can be very frustrating.
Meanwhile you can waste a lot of timber.
With a CSM you can pick one up years later and be underway in minutes.
If you can find someone that knows how to properly setup and operate a BSM to show you the basics, and be available to refer to when you get stuck, this can save a lot of heartaches.
If you can't, be prepared for a long road.

That aside, a small BSM can (eventually) be setup to produce very accurate cuts, wastes less wood and is of course faster than a CSM.
Ultimately it depends how much lumber you want over what time, and lets face it most folks eye's are far bigger than their storage capacity or usage rate.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

When you buy a Norwood Lumbermate, they give you a manual of how to set it up.....with pictures, follow the directions, and it WILL cut properly!

SO, you are right, you AT LEAST need to know how to read, and follow some picture directions!!

SR

 

[Derik]

It's perhaps a tad too simple and obvious to talk about a "properly setup XXX" - that applies pretty much to anything, what is in some ways more important is how quickly can a newbie can get to that point, and also how easy is it to stay "on point".

Besides the cost, a very significant difference between BS and CS milling is the learning curve, especially if you are starting from scratch and learning on your own.
For most newbies it's much easier to take a CSM out of the box and produce a straight cut.
Some newbie BSM operators are indeed "naturals" and can get a straight cut from day one, but I'd say that's pretty rare.
If you only intend to be milling occasional on you own, most newbies are unaware that to get truly consistent cuts with a BSM can take weeks or even months, and even then, just when you think you have it right, something goes out and it can take days or weeks to sort things out.
Like many complex things if you don't build up enough skill and knowledge and you only mill very occasionally you can lose your BSM touch and going back to a BSM can be very frustrating.
Meanwhile you can waste a lot of timber.
With a CSM you can pick one up years later and be underway in minutes.
If you can find someone that knows how to properly setup and operate a BSM to show you the basics, and be available to refer to when you get stuck, this can save a lot of heartaches.
If you can't, be prepared for a long road.

That aside, a small BSM can (eventually) be setup to produce very accurate cuts, wastes less wood and is of course faster than a CSM.
Ultimately it depends how much lumber you want over what time, and lets face it most folks eye's are far bigger than their storage capacity or usage rate.

Given then information you provided, a chainsaw mill is right up my alley. Didn't think a bandsaw mill would be that complicated to perfect.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Didn't think a bandsaw mill would be that complicated to perfect.

It isn't, IF you can follow some directions when you first set it up...

MY answers have not been about which is better or what one to choose, it HAS been about correcting some mis-information posted here...

Mine hasn't even been checked for side to side level since this last spring when the frost went out, or had a wrench put on it in years, it just keeps on keeping on...

My wife and me, turned this,

into a bunch of 1x4's with it,

yesterday, in a few hours, working at our own speed,

and as usual, it cut straight and true...

BTW, we used less than a gallon of gas and no oil... lol

SR

 

[Derik]

It isn't, IF you can follow some directions when you first set it up...

MY answers have not been about which is better or what one to choose, it HAS been about correcting some mis-information posted here...

Mine hasn't even been checked for side to side level since this last spring when the frost went out, or had a wrench put on it in years, it just keeps on keeping on...

My wife and me, turned this,

into a bunch of 1x4's with it,

yesterday, in a few hours, working at our own speed,

and as usual, it cut straight and true...

BTW, we used less than a gallon of gas and no oil... lol

SR

Pretty nice set up there, there's still the cost factor though

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Pretty nice set up there, there's still the cost factor though

Thanks Derik, my mill is far from an expensive mill, but it also not a cheapo mill, but it's paid for itself over and over. I've owned it for many years and it's been one of my best buys...

A HF mill can be bought for less than 2K and that's in, big saw/CSM area. (by the time you buy everything you need)

Like I said before, I'm NOT trying to convince anyone to buy a BSM, but many guys that like milling would be better off with one.

Thanks again, and happy milling with what ever you use...

SR