Granberg Alaskan Jr.chainsaw mill 1972 last year made

[WesternSaw]

I just purchased a couple of Pioneer 650 chainsaw that were both attached to this Granberg Alaskan Jr.chainsaw mill.I emailed Granberg and Erik said they quit making that mill model in 1972.They do not have parts for it.Does anyone have parts for this mill and perhaps a couple of clear picture's of that model year,so I can see exactly what is missing? I am pretty sure the mill may be going to someone on this site.
Many Thanks
Lawrence

 

[BobL]

I just purchased a couple of Pioneer 650 chainsaw that were both attached to this Granberg Alaskan Jr.chainsaw mill.I emailed Granberg and Erik said they quit making that mill model in 1972.They do not have parts for it.Does anyone have parts for this mill and perhaps a couple of clear picture's of that model year,so I can see exactly what is missing? I am pretty sure the mill may be going to someone on this site.
Many Thanks
Lawrence

What about posting some pics and we can probably tell you if anything is missing. Some close ups of either end would be good.

 

[WesternSaw]

Bob L

Hello BobL,I will try and take some pictures tomorrow
Thanks
Lawrence

 

[WesternSaw]

BobL and Brad Morgan

Hello You Two Fellas and Others.Here are a few pictures of the Granberg Alskan Jr. mill that I just aqquired.Bob L you said you may be able to tell what all is missing,and I know Brad wanted to see the pictures as well.I think there may be 1 idler missing or whatever you call those 2 little rollers attached to that arm with the short pin that fits into the bar.The tank pictured above the mill held fuel for the 2 Pioneer 650's that were on it.
Thanks
Lawrence

 

[BobL]

Yep, it looks like its all there.
I have never seen one close up but have seen several of these on the web - I had a look and couldn't find them again.

If you wanted to use the mill with a single powerhead you would have to either
1) Buy the Granberg helper handle and roller insert
OR
2) replace the bar and drill two holes in it and add a nose guard.

You could also adapt the fuel tank to be an auxiliary oiler tank although with such a short bar it's probably not needed.

 

[WesternSaw]

Bob L

Bob,you see that idler type thingy with the 2 rollers? I have it sitting on the 2x4 on the right side. It was attached on one side by a bolt underneath the bar at one of the down pipes.What I am trying to say it should be located underneath the bar ,I took it off.But should there not be one just like it for the other side as well?
Lawrence

 

[BlueRider]

Nice mill. I hadn't seen one before and it looks nice and maybe even a beter design than the current granberg. It does look a bit heavier than the curren granberg mill.

The thing you refer to as an idler is something that you only need one of. When millling the chain will pull the mill into the log can cause it to jam into the bark. The rollers are there to make contact with the log and keep the mill from jaming into the log.

the new granberg lacks the roller attachement and insted has a skid bar which works but not as well. rollers are someting that some of the guys that build custom mills include on their designs, or at least the good ones.

 

[BobL]

Bob,you see that idler type thingy with the 2 rollers? I have it sitting on the 2x4 on the right side. It was attached on one side by a bolt underneath the bar at one of the down pipes.What I am trying to say it should be located underneath the bar ,I took it off.But should there not be one just like it for the other side as well?
Lawrence

Only one of the roller sets are needed. It is used on the powerhead that butts up against the side of the log. The rollers are supposed to stop the mill uprights from jamming up against the side of the log. I find wheels are extremely useful to reduced operator effort - it's a right PITA continually fighting the saw away from bogging down up against the side of the mill.

Like this

Your mill only has the equivalent of the black wheels. Aa you can see from this picture, when slabbing the lower half of logs wheels, the black wheels don't do anything and wheels above the bar like the white wheels are more useful.

Here's what my wheels look like. My white wheels are also adjustable depending on the thickness of the slab being cut.

 

[WesternSaw]

Your mill BobL

Thanks for that information Bob!How do you get those neat graphics?It is very impressive.
Lawrence

 

[BobL]

Thanks for that information Bob!How do you get those neat graphics?It is very impressive.
Lawrence

I use Powerpoint because I use it a lot for teaching, seminars and conference presentations. It's not ideal for technical drawing but I know how to drive it fairly quickly so I can knock something out in just a couple of minutes.

 

[Brmorgan]

Yep that looks like it might make a decent small mill for me for slabbing cants down into boards. The only real complaint I'd have about the design are the round rails - squared ones somewhat scrape the sawdust and other detritus off of the top of the log/cant ahead of the mill, whereas round ones can tend to want to ride up and over things which can produce irregularities in the cut. But modifications can be made. Are the rails in effect "rollers", or are they fixed so they can't turn?

Also is this thing all-steel as it appears at first glance? Not that it's a big deal; it isn't a huge mill to begin with. As stated, an auxiliary oil tank wouldn't be much benefit with a 24" cut, so I'd probably toss that for the time being. I guess the only other drawback to this design is that it's a fixed length and can't accommodate different lengths of bars, but I'd probably just mount the 066 w/ 25" low-profile setup on it more or less permanently. I haven't used it for anything other than milling anyway - I much prefer my big Huskies for firewood and everyday use. It's nice to have enough saws to dedicate different ones to specific tasks - less time switching bars, chains, sprockets etc. And, if you can bring enough saws you don't need to bring extra gas and oil!

I'm STILL trying to ponder the logic of running TWO 30-odd-pound ~100cc low-RPM torque monsters on only a 24" mill... I can't imagine two cutting much faster than one unless they pretty much ground the rakers right off the chain, and DEFINITELY not fast enough to justify packing double the weight around the bush. Now, if a guy were to throw both of these on Bob's 60" mill, that might make more sense.

 

[BobL]

I'm STILL trying to ponder the logic of running TWO 30-odd-pound ~100cc low-RPM torque monsters on only a 24" mill... I can't imagine two cutting much faster than one unless they pretty much ground the rakers right off the chain, and DEFINITELY not fast enough to justify packing double the weight around the bush.

That's almost certainly what they would have done - maybe 0.045" rakers and peel them boards off at a slow walking speed.

I believe the round rails are rollers and I agree with you about climbing up over chips and sawdust to make uneven thickness boards.

 

[WesternSaw]

Alaskan Jr.

Hi Brad,You were asking if those were rollers at the top of the mill.Yes they are, and they all turn.It seems that the mill is all steel,but I am not 100% on that, I will look it over.I think that I have metioned this before but will mention it again,the tank that you see above the mill held fuel for the saws.Those black hoses that you see going into the coffee can were connected to the infeed of the saw's carb,it is made of plastic,and I think approved for gasoline,there is a sticker on the tank relating to that.
Lawrence

 

[Brmorgan]

That's almost certainly what they would have done - maybe 0.045" rakers and peel them boards off at a slow walking speed.

I believe the round rails are rollers and I agree with you about climbing up over chips and sawdust to make uneven thickness boards.

Heh, yeah, but I run my 090's rakers at .045 on up to a 28" cut and it pulls right along, and that's only 137cc vs. 206 or 214 (can't remember which) for the two 650s. Of course that's in softwoods, though considering where this mill came from it's reasonable to assume it was used in the same or similar woods as what I work with. It's nice because with the rakers at that depth the chain does a respectable job of crosscutting as well - I used it to peel a ~60" Douglas Fir stump off flush with the ground back in the spring at my friend's house. Cripes was that loud, with the exhaust noise bouncing right up at me off the stump and ground, and my head less than 2' from the muffler... I had earplugs, but to be honest the worst part was the compression effect rather than the actual volume - it was like having someone blow off a 12ga shotgun at arm's length.

 

[WesternSaw]

More pictures and information

here is a couple more pictures of the mill.Also the fella that had this mill before the guy I bought it off of used it for making cedar planks.Brad.the round uprights on the mill have etched in increments for setting depth.Would you not be able to make the mill's width wider by extending the length of material ie,rollers between the uprights it seems to unbolt at the sides of the mill and also from underneath the bar.Just thoughts.Fill me in if I am wrong.

 

[WesternSaw]

Alaskan Jr

You know I'm starting to think this is quite the little mill.Maybe Sarah Palin does milling LOL!
Lawrence

 

[BobL]

Would you not be able to make the mill's width wider by extending the length of material ie,rollers between the uprights it seems to unbolt at the sides of the mill and also from underneath the bar.Just thoughts.Fill me in if I am wrong.]

Yep, I'm pretty sure they were sold with the axles on the rollers all as long as the longest one on your mill. Operators used to cut them to length for use as double enders because they go in the way of the outboard powerhead.

 

[Brmorgan]

here is a couple more pictures of the mill.Also the fella that had this mill before the guy I bought it off of used it for making cedar planks.Brad.the round uprights on the mill have etched in increments for setting depth.Would you not be able to make the mill's width wider by extending the length of material ie,rollers between the uprights it seems to unbolt at the sides of the mill and also from underneath the bar.Just thoughts.Fill me in if I am wrong.

Yes, I'm sure it is possible to get different roller lengths to accommodate different bars - at least that's how the nearly-identical Stihl CSMs were. It's just a pain to have to take the thing apart and put it back together again at different lengths, not to mention that the bars have to be drilled. As for my Mark III Alaskan, the nose end clamping mechanism can slide along the guide rails to fit different bar lengths and can be moved by just loosening a couple nuts; also the saw bar is clamped to the mill instead of bolted on, so no bar modification is necessary. Many still choose to modify them to be bolted on, and there are a few advantages to this - not the least of which is being able to change the chain out without unmounting the saw from the mill.

As for Palin running a CSM, well, it ain't rocket science but it does take SOME intelligence... I'd give her about two hours max before royally buggering something up or seriously hurting herself. The woman is the political equivalent of Paris Hilton.

 

[carvinmark]

:hmm3grin2orange: That was Funny!!!!!!!