I have about 15 cedar logs from 6" to 12" diameter and I want to make them 2 sided for some raised beds, so I'm just taking a slab off of 2 sides, leaving maybe a 5"-6" piece. A friend offered to loan me his chainsaw mill. Not sure what make but I assume it is not a cheapo since he has done a lot of milling with it. I'm wondering if my husky350 (50cc) will do the job if I take my time. This is a one time thing so I'm not inclined to invest a lot of money in a bigger saw. The one thing I might consider is taking a chance buying a china saw and hope it will last the few hours to get it done, but I'd rather not even do that. All constructive criticism appreciated. LP
Chainsaw milling with Husky 350
- Thread starter larrypac
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huskydave
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It will work but it will be slow going, cedar is very soft so it should do a ok job, that said milling is about the hardest thing you can do with a saw. I would take it easy on the feed and make sure the chain is sharp and give the saw some breaks between cuts and let it cool down. If you do that it should be fine imho. Listen to the saw and keep the rpms up and feed it slowly. Give it a break after a long cut.
A 350 will not be ideal for any milling. It has a plastic crankcase with an aluminum cylinder riser. Milling creates a bunch of heat... this heat can and does warp the mounting surfaces on the 2 dissimilar material mating surfaces.
I had to flat plate sand the riser on the 3 I rebuilt 2-3 yrs ago. Way out of flatness.
I had to flat plate sand the riser on the 3 I rebuilt 2-3 yrs ago. Way out of flatness.
Same advice as seven weeks ago when this was asked before. Possible even with your smaller saws with 3/8LP chain and still easily doable in cedar that small with whatever bar you have on the 350 and .325 or 3/8 chain. Just get yourself a ripping chain and try it.
Someone local has a Stihl 036 for $225 that looks pretty good in the pix. I assume this would be a better saw for milling and guessing I could resell it afterwards and consider any loss a rental fee. Other than the drop test and maybe pulling the muffler, anything else I can do to avoid a lemon?
I wouldnt spend any more money on this project than need be, it's not like your milling a lot and they're small soft logs.
The saw will be fine if you take a break after every cut to let it cool off. Which you kinda have to do to set up the next cut lol.
The saw will be fine if you take a break after every cut to let it cool off. Which you kinda have to do to set up the next cut lol.
Thanks. The 036 got sold this morning, so I'm stuck with the 025 I guess
025? I thought you were talking about a Husky 350?
I would say the 350 will do it but I'd be going over all the known issues first (check cylinder, riser, & muffler bolts are tight. Check it has the upgraded intake clamp, new fuel filter, clean it well & tune it a touch rich running 32:1 mix.
Assuming its running .325, if it's not NK I would consider getting a 3/8 lo pro bar, chain, & rim (if it is a rim drive). Otherwise, find your most used chain (shorter cutters = narrower kerf) & file that back to around 15°, then to 10° next sharpen. Make sure the rakers are even, well rounded & set a tad lower than you usually would.
Have the oiler on max & ensure it is working well.
Let us know how you get on
I would say the 350 will do it but I'd be going over all the known issues first (check cylinder, riser, & muffler bolts are tight. Check it has the upgraded intake clamp, new fuel filter, clean it well & tune it a touch rich running 32:1 mix.
Assuming its running .325, if it's not NK I would consider getting a 3/8 lo pro bar, chain, & rim (if it is a rim drive). Otherwise, find your most used chain (shorter cutters = narrower kerf) & file that back to around 15°, then to 10° next sharpen. Make sure the rakers are even, well rounded & set a tad lower than you usually would.
Have the oiler on max & ensure it is working well.
Let us know how you get on
Thanks JD, I misspoke about the 025 I have on but it is only 45 cc I think. I'm not doing this milling until the weather cools some so I'll keep my eyes open for an affordable bigger saw. As for bar and chain, I'm inclined toward option #2 since I'm doing this on a small budget
Personally I wouldn't bother milling with anything less than a 90cc saw. I've tried with a 76cc saw and was disappointed. Yes you can push the limits a bit with skip chain and low profile chain but really, you need a bigger saw.
If its just a basic job on a few logs, mark the two segments you need removed at each side with a snap line, chop across the grain to your line every two inches with your existing chainsaw and beat away the waste with an axe.
If its just a basic job on a few logs, mark the two segments you need removed at each side with a snap line, chop across the grain to your line every two inches with your existing chainsaw and beat away the waste with an axe.
I hadn't thought of that. Definitely old school, but at 75 yo and torn rotator cuffs in both shoulders, the axe work might be difficult. But I assume that the milling is also not easy on the shoulders. Definitely worth considering
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