Comments on winch for chainsaw mill

[axeman088]

Looking for input if a winch is good thing to have for a chainsaw mill . I am getting the urge to make another chainsaw mill but I am not as young as I was when I built my first one and the thought of wrestling and pushing a big saw is not going to be one of my favorite things to do. I am wondering if it is worth either buying one from Granberg or repurpose a boat winch route to fit on the mill like you see on the internet.

Thanks

 

[Skeena2]

They look like a solution for when you can’t set up your tree to mill downhill. However I haven’t actually used one.

 

[BobL]

I've mill a few logs using a winch but I also prefer using a slope
You should never really have push a saw to the point of wearing yourself out.
f you have the gear to set logs up on slopes and the chain is on song the mill should basically go down the slope by itself.

With apologies to those who have sen it before.
Hardly any added slope on this log - could have put more slope on it if I wanted to go a bit faster.
However it is point slightly downhill already which also adds to the slope.


Winches can be handy on really big logs that are too difficult to lift onto slopes.
If you have a hill and can move the big log around so it's pointing down hill that also works.

 

[unclemoustache]

I put one of these winches on my chainsaw mill. It worked all right, but the vibration destroyed it in short order. Got new parts, and the vibration destroyed it again.
But now I have a bandsaw mill, so I never did figure out the best solution.
Yes, I had the log sloping down as I milled. It's a lot of work to mill with a chainsaw!

 

[Fourleaves]

I use the Granberg one and like it. I think it gives me a smoother result with a little less effort. I don’t use their attachment at the end of the log however, it’s not convenient at all. Instead I drive a t-post in the ground near the end of the log and use it to fasten the winch line. Works much better.

 

[axeman088]

Thanks for the replies. I think I will skip the winch for now to save me some money and time. I don't have any real big logs to mill anymore. What I do have is just under 2 feet in diameter and a little smaller.

I haven't done a thing with any type of wood working like benches and chainsaw carving , bowls , ect. since COVD hit shutting down all my avenues to sell the things I make.

The wood bug rebite me when my wife asked me to make her a charcuterie board . That was easy enough but I had to come up with a good way to plane a large slab flat. I got that figured out using a router sled and a surfacing bit to work as a large planer . It worked out pretty darn slick. Now that I can plane slabs flat I figure I might as well mill up the remaining good logs I have left which of coarse means another chainsaw mill or I should say log stands for the mill to keep me from leaning over so much which is hard on my back these days . I just figured a winch would help a little to solve that problem. I'll just work at it a little at a time like I do so many other things these days.

Thanks again

 

[djones]

I use a boat winch with the strap replaced with rope run to a pulley on the anchor bar and back to the mill frame. Saves a lot of back ache and I can mill up to a 20ft. log with the rope on the winch. Winch is mounted horizontal on the mill frame and the handle is shortened. That allows me to better control the amount of pressure on the winch.

 

[BobL]

Sjones makes a good point about using a winch for long cuts.
To get enough slope on a long log, for the slope to effectively act like a winch the start of the log might need to be quite high above the ground while the other end often ends up right on the ground, which makes it both awkward to start and finish.
The bigger the log the worse this gets.
Then a winch makes a lot of sense.
This is the longest log I've milled - a 16 ft Lebanese Cedar.
Fortunately is was also one of the softest logs I've milled so it did not take long.to cut

16ft would be about the longest I would want to mill with the slope method.
One place where you could get away with slope milling longer logs is if the terrain has a slope - then orient the log down the slope to start with.
Most of the logs that come into the tree loppers yard are are in the 8 to 12 range.
The large bandsaw mill is limited to about 15ft and the small mill limit is 10 ft although we are looking at extending this.

 

[axeman088]

Nice set-up for the winch . I like it. I don't have any thing that long to mill , mostly stuff under 10 ft. I almost got my log stands done and a different way to set-up the slabbing rails for that first crucial cut. I am getting anxious to see how it works out.

My wife has a new honey do project for me . Floating shelves of all things made from Red Cedar to match the Red Cedar bench I made years ago . She wants a bigger TV that mounts on the wall . The shelves will go under that and the bench will be on the floor . I got the wood so I agreed to do it. I really didn't have a choice in the matter because if I don't get it done she will just go out and buy some and I will have to hang them on the wall any way. LOL At least she is patient. I could be a rat and tell that fresh mill wood needs at least a year to dry properly for doing fancy wood working projects. I don't think she wants to hear that. LOL

 

[Lil'Skeet]

View attachment 972715
I use a boat winch with the strap replaced with rope run to a pulley on the anchor bar and back to the mill frame. Saves a lot of back ache and I can mill up to a 20ft. log with the rope on the winch. Winch is mounted horizontal on the mill frame and the handle is shortened. That allows me to better control the amount of pressure on the winch.
View attachment 972718

Once you get to the end of your cut, you just swing your winch post down to finish out the cut? Unhook from it first?

 

[Lightning Performance]

Once you get to the end of your cut, you just swing your winch post down to finish out the cut? Unhook from it first?

I use a ground based steel bar for an anchor point.

 

[sliceoflife]

Put a cheap winch on my mill for awhile... (same as in this post https://www.arboristsite.com/threads/comments-on-winch-for-chainsaw-mill.358495/post-7693567) wound up taking it off for a few reasons.


1. Adds a ton of weight.
2. Winch itself was crappy... the cable would tend to wind around the axle and get pinched by the wheel that it was SUPPOSED to wind around... locking up the winch. Required more nannying of the cable position when winding it up than is reasonable while milling.


Weight is really only an issue when lugging the mill in place. Little matter DURING the milling... But the jamming was a big PITA. Welding on some kind of eye or guide to make the winch work better would fix #2... but I don't have time to do it just yet.

I'd be VERY surprised if a proper Granberg winch had the issue the $40 Amazon Winch I bought did... but if you're considering a cheap winch as well; be prepared to make some mods.


I will also note that I used a piece of rebar in the ground as an easy to move anchor point... but when ground is wet (like AT ALL), the force in use RAPIDLY leans the rebar in towards you and makes this method pretty useless (cord/cable slips off). Eyehook or something screwed into a stationary/heavy object would work better. Another thing I'll work out when I get around to fixing/modifying the winch.

 

[Lightning Performance]

Put a cheap winch on my mill for awhile... (same as in this post https://www.arboristsite.com/threads/comments-on-winch-for-chainsaw-mill.358495/post-7693567) wound up taking it off for a few reasons.


1. Adds a ton of weight.
2. Winch itself was crappy... the cable would tend to wind around the axle and get pinched by the wheel that it was SUPPOSED to wind around... locking up the winch. Required more nannying of the cable position when winding it up than is reasonable while milling.


Weight is really only an issue when lugging the mill in place. Little matter DURING the milling... But the jamming was a big PITA. Welding on some kind of eye or guide to make the winch work better would fix #2... but I don't have time to do it just yet.

I'd be VERY surprised if a proper Granberg winch had the issue the $40 Amazon Winch I bought did... but if you're considering a cheap winch as well; be prepared to make some mods.


I will also note that I used a piece of rebar in the ground as an easy to move anchor point... but when ground is wet (like AT ALL), the force in use RAPIDLY leans the rebar in towards you and makes this method pretty useless (cord/cable slips off). Eyehook or something screwed into a stationary/heavy object would work better. Another thing I'll work out when I get around to fixing/modifying the winch.

Already wore out a 600lb boat winch in two years maybe three. If you mounted it up against the handle spooling the rope is next amd issue. 3-1 is the only way to go on big logs or 6-1. The grand winch was joke especially for the price.