Chainsawmill Cutting speed's

[Mad Professor]

For me the key is to keep the bar oiled and chain sharp. If it slows down at all the chain is getting dull and it's time to sharpen. On big stuff this may be only after 2-3 passes. If I don't sharpen things get very slow, the bar gets hot, and I use a lot more mix to cut a lot less for the time the bar is in the wood.

I've heard very good things about adding a water drip/spray system to keep bar/chain temps down and will try this next.

 

[Railomatic]

I have thought it over and the best way for me to do things is by a picture guided assembly and make up as you go thing, its much quicker than writing out a whole set of drawings, here goes.

For the rail you will need two 7 foot lengths of 2 X 4 inch box section with an
1/8" wall thickness, no longer than 7 feet per length or rail or things tend to flex a little when the going gets tough, when you have the rail cut, make sure that you have the two ends that are cut, so they go back together the same way afterwards and mark them with a center punch, so they go back exactly where they were cut apart, you can use the welded seam on the side of the box for refference.

To secure the two sections together you need to cut a through hole in the end of each 2 X 4 section.

To do this mark of two lines from the very end of the box, one at 100.00 mm and another at 170.00mm , then mark the center line in the widest edge, in my case this is 100.00mm side, then mark up so that you are left with a 70 X 55mm hole on both sides, make sure to get the opposite hole perfectly in line with the other, or things won't clamp up paralell.

To cut out the hole, I drill a 10.00mm hole in each corner and cut out the hole using a thin 1.00mm slitting or grinding disc, then tidy up the corners.

Into that hole on both sections of the rail, fits a 10.00mm thick plate, which has a 20.00mm hole drilled in the centre, to which a 20.00mm all thread fits through to clamp the two sections of the rail together.

Fit the clamping plates inside the hole and weld down either side to hold them in place,make sure that the plates are flush with the outside of the rail.

And then weld in place on one of the sections two locating spigotts to line up the two ends of the box section, weld these in place from the inside of the rail as in the photo, thes are important and will keep everything in line,
make sure that the spigotts are a good slide fit when you put the two ends of the box together.

More to follow soon

 

[Railomatic]

Rail-O-Matic CSM

The next part is the two rail ends, or riser posts, these consist of two
50 X 50mm or 2 X 2" pieces of box section with an 3.00-1/8" wall thickness, they have a slots cut into one side for an internal riser block and two allen bolts to slide up and down, which lifts the whole system and rail up and down for thickness of cut adjustments.
On the bottom of each post fits two adjustable feet which also allow the CSM to be tilted and lifted for extra adjustment on uneven ground.

Take a 1.40 mtr or 55.00" length of 50 X 50 X 3.0 or 2 X 2 x 1/8" box section mark off two lines from one end one at 35.00mm and the other at 135.00mm, centre punch and drill two 10.00mm holes in the center of the box on the lines, this is where the slot will be cut, again using a thin slitting/grinding disc and the aid of a steel straight edge clemped to the box, cut a 10.00 or 3/8" slot between the two holes.

For the two extra adjusting feet you require a 16.00" length of 1-5/8" dia tube now cut a 2.00" slot at 3/8" wide in the bottom of each tube, then drill two holes 3/8" 1.00" from the bottom opposite the slot for a 3/*" sloid rod to fit through and weld up the ends, see pictures, then drill a series of 5/16" holes at 1-1/2" intervals along the tube for a pin to be fitted, on the bottom of your riser post drill another 5/16" hole one inch from the bottom of the post so a pin can fit right through the tube and box, this will be your extra adjustment for uneven ground.

Now make two 1/4" thick discs 10.00" in dia, and fit a 4 X 2 x 3/8" flat strip to the midle of the disc with a V cut into the middle for the tube to sit in place, this is removeable for transport, see pictures.

 

[Railomatic]

More pictures for the Rail-O-Matic CSM

 

[Railomatic]

On top of each riser post is a top plate, adjustment handle and rope guides in the form of two D shackles.

For each top plate ake two 2 X 6 x 1/4" thick flat plates, drill a 3/8" hole in the middle, now mark off 5/8" across from either end of the plate and drill a 3/8" hole,for the D shackles to fit through.

Now mark off from either end at 2.0" and cut through about 2/3rds of the way through the plate and bend the two ends down to about 30 degrees and then weld along the cuts, then weld along the slot you have left to strengthen.

The top handle is made from a piece of flat bar 1" X 5" x 1/4", drill and thread a 3/8" hole for a 40.00" all thread to screw into, and weld a 4" X 5/8" solid round bar at the other end for the handle.

The topplate locates inside the riser post via a piece of angle that it drilled and welded underneathe the top plate and then is held in place via a smal bolt through the side of the riser post.

The inner angled plate is made from, 2 X 2 X 1/4" angle, that is cut down to
1-3/16" on one side and then welded the the underside of the top plate and made to fit inside the top of the 2 X 2" riser post, and secured via a 1/4" blot from the outside, see photo's.

 

[Railomatic]

The next two parts are the only pieces which I have made for me, which we will deal with next posting.

 

[stonykill]

too many variables

I can't pin down a milling time. I did a little milling yesterday, and timed the best I could. The 1st piece was a rock maple cant I had previously made from a log. It measured 18 inches acrossed. I was 3 to 4 seconds per inch, depending on the section of log I was in. Some sections of it were harder and just milled slower. I then milled a 16 inch pine cant, after resharpening the chain. Just over a second an inch.

I can mill 2 pine logs, roughly the same diameter, and have totally different milling times. Depends on knots, sap, density of the particular log.

Saw for this test 82cc Pioneer P51, 24 inch bar, standard Baileys low profile ripping chain.

I always reduce large logs to cant before milling boards for a few reasons. 1st is ultra wide boards are not stable enough for me. I need furniture quality wood, and a 30 inch wide board will cup way too much and will have to be re ripped anyway. The next reason is safety. If I were to run a 36 inch bar and mill a 16 inch log, over 1/2 of the bar is out of the log. In my opinion, thats asking for trouble. The excess bar and chain can snag twigs ect, and if I were to ever lose footing, more exposed chain to remove body parts. Next its harder on the saw. Any saw will cut more efficiently with a shorter bar. The less resistance you have, the faster your milling will go. The final reason is, why have to sharpen all that unneeded chain?

 

[irishcountry]

logosol

Just throwing in a quick comment. I still have not gotten set up and have not milled as of yet. I ultimately decided to wait and buy a 395xp instead of the old available saw ( Remmington 660 with manual thumb oiler) but I went ahead and bought a GB bar and ripping chain. I am still researching mills also so I ordered a demo pack from Logosol , I can't believe the speed on some of the cuts on the video, of course it varies on the size of log they are working with and on the large logs they cutaway and speed forward but if chainsaw milling is even half as fast it will definately be for me. They had some interviews with guys that have cut lumber and built houses and timberframe barns it was awesome. Keep the posts coming!! Thanks for all the info and thanks to Aggie for the lead on Stens.

 

[BobL]

I have thought it over and the best way for me to do things is by a picture guided assembly and make up as you go thing, its much quicker than writing out a whole set of drawings, here goes.

For the rail you will need two 7 foot lengths of 2 X 4 inch box section with an
1/8" wall thickness, no longer than 7 feet per length or rail or things tend to flex a little when the going gets tough, when you have the rail cut, make sure that you have the two ends that are cut, so they go back together the same way afterwards and mark them with a center punch, so they go back exactly where they were cut apart, you can use the welded seam on the side of the box for refference.

To secure the two sections together you need to cut a through hole in the end of each 2 X 4 section.

To do this mark of two lines from the very end of the box, one at 100.00 mm and another at 170.00mm , then mark the center line in the widest edge, in my case this is 100.00mm side, then mark up so that you are left with a 70 X 55mm hole on both sides, make sure to get the opposite hole perfectly in line with the other, or things won't clamp up paralell.

To cut out the hole, I drill a 10.00mm hole in each corner and cut out the hole using a thin 1.00mm slitting or grinding disc, then tidy up the corners.

Into that hole on both sections of the rail, fits a 10.00mm thick plate, which has a 20.00mm hole drilled in the centre, to which a 20.00mm all thread fits through to clamp the two sections of the rail together.

Fit the clamping plates inside the hole and weld down either side to hold them in place,make sure that the plates are flush with the outside of the rail.

And then weld in place on one of the sections two locating spigotts to line up the two ends of the box section, weld these in place from the inside of the rail as in the photo, thes are important and will keep everything in line,
make sure that the spigotts are a good slide fit when you put the two ends of the box together.

More to follow soon

Railo, is all of the above just to make the rail?
If so I can't see why going to the trouble of cutting a rail in half and then joining it again makes any difference.
Maybe I'm missing something but if a 3mm thick rail flexes why not just get a heavier gauge?

 

[Railomatic]

The two 7 feet pieces make up the rail, if you have a big enough pickup truck or something like one of course use a one piece rail and in heavier box section, but that is not what I needed, I wanted something much lighter and easier to transport about, here in the UK we prefer something that's neat and compact for our smaller vehicles.

To see what it s I'm sharing have a look at this link below

http://www.chainsawmills.co.uk/railomatic.htm

Once this baby is made there is no more wrestling with the mill or saw, you can sit at one end on a chair and winch the saw towards you, out of all the noise and dust, this is why I made her, and because I'm getting older and don't want a bad back any more.

More coming soon.

 

[Railomatic]

Just throwing in a quick comment. I still have not gotten set up and have not milled as of yet. I ultimately decided to wait and buy a 395xp instead of the old available saw ( Remmington 660 with manual thumb oiler) but I went ahead and bought a GB bar and ripping chain. I am still researching mills also so I ordered a demo pack from Logosol , I can't believe the speed on some of the cuts on the video, of course it varies on the size of log they are working with and on the large logs they cutaway and speed forward but if chainsaw milling is even half as fast it will definately be for me. They had some interviews with guys that have cut lumber and built houses and timberframe barns it was awesome. Keep the posts coming!! Thanks for all the info and thanks to Aggie for the lead on Stens.

A friend of mine has an M7 which is fine if your working on a static position with lifting gear, iff your out in the woods the M7 is only good for what you can manually lift onto it with or without any ramps, so you are limited on the larger stuff that normally comes your way for nothing and that means usually big stuff.
The M7 outfit does cut really quickly, BUT you would have real trouble once you go over 24 inches with pico chain, it simply would not take the pressures that a 95 or 125 cc saw can deliver, don't get me wrong here I think the M7 is a fine piece of equipment, but she is limited on the bigger stuff.

This is why I opted for the system I use now, Stihl MS880, 9 toothed drive sprocket on Cannon 36-50 inch superbars running on 325 Oregon ripping chain or home converted cutters if you cannot buy it where you are.

Its fine having a massive mill to cut the widest boards imaginable, what happens if your out in the sticks and you need to move those megga planks
your going to have a hard time moving them.

Most Uk pro woodworkers/cabinet makers prefer boards in and around the 15 inch wide mark, because wider boards tend to cup more, which means that there is going to be a lot more ripping down and waste later.

Have fun

Raily.

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

The next two parts are the only pieces which I have made for me, which we will deal with next posting.

Awesome posts! Keep them coming! I've been pondering whether or not I should build something like this for a while. It sure would make solo milling easier.


What's the longest bar you have used with this setup?

 

[Railomatic]

Awesome posts! Keep them coming! I've been pondering whether or not I should build something like this for a while. It sure would make solo milling easier.


What's the longest bar you have used with this setup?

The system works best using a 36 inch bar, with at least 90cc behind things this give you a plank of around 34 inches wide.

When I use the bigger bars they are usually fittedto the roller type mills I have made, see here a picture of a 60 inch unit.

http://www.chainsawmills.co.uk/about.htm

 

[Rodney Sinclair]

A friend of mine has an M7 which is fine if your working on a static position with lifting gear, iff your out in the woods the M7 is only good for what you can manually lift onto it with or without any ramps, so you are limited on the larger stuff that normally comes your way for nothing and that means usually big stuff.
The M7 outfit does cut really quickly, BUT you would have real trouble once you go over 24 inches with pico chain, it simply would not take the pressures that a 95 or 125 cc saw can deliver, don't get me wrong here I think the M7 is a fine piece of equipment, but she is limited on the bigger stuff.

This is why I opted for the system I use now, Stihl MS880, 9 toothed drive sprocket on Cannon 36-50 inch superbars running on 325 Oregon ripping chain or home converted cutters if you cannot buy it where you are.

Its fine having a massive mill to cut the widest boards imaginable, what happens if your out in the sticks and you need to move those megga planks
your going to have a hard time moving them.

Most Uk pro woodworkers/cabinet makers prefer boards in and around the 15 inch wide mark, because wider boards tend to cup more, which means that there is going to be a lot more ripping down and waste later.

Have fun

Raily.

I just don't know how to take a post like this. Does anybody here really belive those "mega planks" get lighter depending on which mill cut them? Is there anybody here that really thinks the "picco" chain is the only chain that works on Logosol stuff? Do you really think you can't change the sprocket, bar or chain "if" it's going on a M7? To me, all but the last sentence can be called "misinformation".

Rodney

 

[woodshop]

... To me, all but the last sentence can be called "misinformation".
Rodney

... well I'd like to respectfully disagree. From reading his posts over the past few years, I'd say railomatic has more experience and has looked into more aspects of chainsaw milling than most of us. For me, that translates into taking his comments pretty seriously, as I think he knows what he is talking about. Not patronizing rail... and not knocking anybody else... EVERY type of mill, including the M7, has its pros and cons depending on the application. Just my opinion.

This is one of the most interesting threads I've read in a while... tons of good insight and info... keep it going.

 

[Railomatic]

whoowah guys, lets try to be as civil as possible here, I'm simply trying to share my experiences, hey I don't know it all you know, but what I write is honest and what I have done over the last two decades.

As Woodshop says every mill has its pro's and con's, ideas are what makes things work better, and constructive critisism is always welcome here, I wish I had time to come to the states and share my knowledge with you all, until then I will have to make do with the forum.

If any of the forum members manage to build a Railomatic mill themselves it will save them about 2/3 rds the cost of an M7 and similar mills, the railomatic can also be fitted with a smaller bar and chain and cut just as fast as an M7, but the M7 will not handle the size of trees that the railomatic can and is not as portable, I have demo-ed this on many ocassions in the past when milling trees on steep slopes where a tree has fallen.

If I have given any miss-information in my postings then I appologise whole heartedly.

Raily.

 

[irishcountry]

Rail

I think if anything it should be MR. information. I have read and paid alot of attention to his posts in the past he's built some pretty impressive equipment and posted lots of informative pics in the past and present. Keep it up!!

 

[Rodney Sinclair]

... well I'd like to respectfully disagree.

I'll take this to mean you do belive those planks are lighter if they are cut with a Ripsaw. And you can't change that bar on a chainsaw head if it's going to be used on a Logosol. Right?

Rodney

 

[Railomatic]

I'll take this to mean you do belive those planks are lighter if they are cut with a Ripsaw. And you can't change that bar on a chainsaw head if it's going to be used on a Logosol. Right?

Rodney

Sorry to but in again guys, but where in my posting which has upset Mr Sinclair so, that using another makers CSM is going to make the planks lighter, read it again carefully, it mearly states a fact the bigger the planks are the harder it is going to be to move them, especially if your alone, I didn't mean that bigger is better, I was mearly pointing out the portability aspect of a portable mill which eleviates undue stress upon the operator.

The railomatic is actually heavier than the M7, but is designed to come apart in seconds and be put up in around ten minutes by one person, it is a truly portable unit which will work on just about any terrain, wheather its on a steep slope, in a dry or wet river bottom, its a true portable, which will handle logs without lifting the lumber from 6 inches to 34 inches wide, without breaking your back doing it, maybe not to everyones liking but it work in a number of situations where other won't.

Sorry to be a pain here, and that's my last comment on this matter, more building info comming soon.

Raily.

 

[BobL]

The two 7 feet pieces make up the rail, if you have a big enough pickup truck or something like one of course use a one piece rail and in heavier box section, but that is not what I needed, I wanted something much lighter and easier to transport about, here in the UK we prefer something that's neat and compact for our smaller vehicles.

To see what it s I'm sharing have a look at this link below

http://www.chainsawmills.co.uk/railomatic.htm

Once this baby is made there is no more wrestling with the mill or saw, you can sit at one end on a chair and winch the saw towards you, out of all the noise and dust, this is why I made her, and because I'm getting older and don't want a bad back any more.

More coming soon.

Ah ha - I get it now! Thanks
I have some pieces of 100 x 50 are 3 m long so 2 of those would be good but I can fully understand the need to get these exactly lined up.

Thanks Heaps for sharing.