Some tips for building/improving a standard alaskan chainsaw mill.
1) Avoid making the mill that will only hold one length of bar. Make sure you can adjust the outboard end (A) of the mill to accommodate different sized bars. The day after you finish making it you'll find, want or need a different size bar.
2) Locate any full length handle (B) at least 6" higher that the top of the mill rails. This makes it easier to file the chain on the mill
3) The handle at C is too low and too far to the right spreading the operators arms too wide - move it to D1
4) Consider adding another handle to D. If you use a cable tie to keep the saw at WOT you can put your left hand at D and your right hand at D2 and stand upright, or close to upright, when using to the mill. If you need to apply more pressure to the mill you can then do so using your leg/knee on the wrap handle.
5) Consider ditching the bottom parts of the clamps (E) and drilling and drilling and tapping the top part of the clamp and drilling a hole in your bar, and directly bolting the bar to the mill. This allow you to change the chain without removing the saw from the mill
6) Add a slippery plastic (UHMWPE) to the underside of the mill rails
7) Add wheels to the inboard side of the bar clamp, If the wheels are not too big you can even use the existing holes in the top half of the bar clamp.
8) Add an auxilliary oiler, even for short bar lengths it protects the bar and chain from excess wear.
9) use spring washers and/or loctite on bolts that are not going to be undone on a regular basis.
10) Add another rail cross piece like F at F1 for small logs, and space the two cross pieces appropriately for wider logs.
11) Add a winch - if I used one I would add in such a way that I would not have to bend over to use it - maybe add it opposite D.
Some other things worth considering are
- adding a remote Aux oiler flow control
- threaded rod for depth of cut adjustment
- cam locking rather than spanner/bolt locking nuts.
- add legs to the mill so that you can put the mill on the ground without putting the saw in the dirt - this requires a different mill design
- there are very strong mill designs that bolt the mill to the bar bolts of the saw - this requires a rethink of the inboard end of the mill
To the saw consider
- redirecting the exhaust away from the operator/log
- adding a remote throttle
- adding a tachometer and temperature measurement sensor
Other things
- beer can holder