Limits of Alaskan Mills?

[boatman]

What diameter log can be cut with a 36" Alaskan mill, or 56" Mill?

I'm talking about round straight logs, and not quartering them.

I have a friend with a few red pine "3-4ft" diameter logs 24ft long that he would like to mill. And that made me wonder?

 

[boatman]

Does this sound right to you? Saying a 36" alaskan-4" for bar mounts. Can I square off a 45" log with a 36" Granberg Alaskan?

Saw Log Size Calculator
Calculates the minimum size of log needed to cut a cant this size:

Cant size: 32x 32



Minimum log diameter: 45.3

NOTE: This is the diameter inside bark on the small end of a straight log. Crook or other defect will increase the size needed.

 

[BobL]

Does this sound right to you? Saying a 36" alaskan-4" for bar mounts. Can I square off a 45" log with a 36" Granberg Alaskan?

Assuming you use a sprocket/roller nose bar"
- If you leave the dogs on you theoretically lose about 6"
- If you remove the dogs you will gain a little but I doubt you will be down to 4"
BUT
There is a difference between milling boards off a straight sided cant compared to the top cuts on a cylindrical shaped object like a log where the bottom part of the conventional clamps get in the way of making these big face cuts. This means losing a lot more than you think, and the bigger the log the more you lose. Using a 42" bar on a conventional Granberg, the widest cuts I found I could make on a 40" log was 32". Worse again is the bottom of the clamps usually get hung up on the sides of the log.

If you discard the bottom bar clamps and the dogs, and bolt to the bar an centre of the nose you can get it down to as little as 3". Depending on the saw the next limit is the drive sprocket cover which can be ditched or modded but only some saws.

BTW: on my new Alaskan mill, where the mill connects to the bar bolts, uses a 44" hard nose bar, and the setup allows me to fully extend the bar, I can get 42.7" from a 44" bar.

 

[mrbentontoyou]

sounds like you want a 48" mill and bar for the 3' - 4' stuff you have access to.

You lose a little more than 4" with a granberg alaskan, with my 42" bar, dawgs off, and the outboard bar clamp on the mill situated right behind the sprocket (as close as i can get it with the roller still spinning free) I can clear 37" but as bobl illustrates you lose a little more on those first slabbing cuts.

a member here, pinefever mounts his outboard clamp dead center of the sprocket. says you have to adjust it till you find the "sweet spot" where the roller spins freely but it works, gains another 2" or so is capacity.

 

[boatman]

Has anyone tried the C3/4 mills. Do they have a better length of bar to cut ratio?