Look what you guys started.

[HUCKLEBERRY]

Hello all,

When I first joined the site I was mainly looking for chainsaw info. After checking out some of the mills on the site I started doing some research and after that I was hooked. I had to have a mill. I do timber frame and log work and have used the swing blade mill of some guys I sub work from for years to do rafter/plate/joist flats on logs and to square up timbers for truss parts mostly.

After deciding on a "pro-cut" style mill I drew up some plans and started the carriage. Then work got slim for most of this past winter and I had to put the trailer on hold. Finally a few weeks ago I got the word that a good sized job my partner and I bid on (that needs alot of milling) was going to happen. That put a little in the budget to finish the mill and gave some incentive to get it done.

The following is a link to a site where I have an album of the project. I'm very satisfied with how it turned out but would have done a thing or two differently. Right now all the mill is lacking is a good dogging setup, a monster powerhead and a good name (I was thinking "The Timbercrafter Screaming Eagle of Freedom").

http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/t...otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

Needless to say I will be inquiring with you guys shortly about the best source for a low hours/reputably rebuilt big daddy saw for my mill.

Please take a look and let me know what you think. I am always impressed with the ingenuity and ideas I see on this site and welcome any feedback you have to offer.

P.S. first shot at using a link for posting pics so please be patient. The link I copied into the thread post is not what's appearing in the actual post????

 

[mtngun]

Thanks for the report on your mill.

Your link wants me to sign up at Snapfish before it will let me view your pics. That's not cool. But I signed up anyway, so I could embed some of your pics.

This is how I embedded the pics.

-- I clicked on the pic in your Snapfish album to view it full size.

-- I put my mouse on the pic, right click, and "copy image location.". That copies the pic's address into my clipboard.

-- go to my post, click the "insert image" icon (yellow box with mountain). A box opens that asks me for the image address. Right click and paste.

-- that's all, except half the time it inserts a duplicate "http" tag into the address, which I have to delete.

Getting back to your mill -- sounds like this hobby will be tax deductible for you, since you use the equipment in your work ? Gotta love tax deductible hobbies.

Unless you are very, very lucky, there is no such thing as a cheap milling powerhead. Milling saws are expensive. They tend to be high maintenance, too.

Since you will be using this for business, you'll want something halfway reliable and easy to get parts for, so I'd rule out most of the oldies and stick to recent models like the Husky 395/3120 or Stihl 066/660/880. Used saws in decent running condition usually sell for half the cost of new, and can be a great deal -- or they can be a money pit. I've had some of each.

Keep us posted. I look forward to seeing your mill in action.

 

[HUCKLEBERRY]

Thanks

mtngun

Thanks for the help and advice. I appreciate you putting some pics up for me. I'll have to try your picture embedding path later today. The kids are mine this morning and it takes me awhile to sort through this stuff.

I am also in agreement with the milling saw advice. I have a Canadian friend who likes to say "When you buy quality gear you only cry once". Thanks again.

 

[BobL]

RE: Look what you guys started.

Well based on what you have made I'd say we did our bit and you did a great job as well.

Good luck with finding a saw and the milling

 

[HUCKLEBERRY]

One more try.

Thanks BobL,

Here are some "work in progress" pics I tried to share in my first post. Hope this method works a little better.

One of the attached photos shows something I tried for the first time that worked like a charm. I made "pipe brackets" to bolt to the ends of the trailer frame that would allow it to spin 360 degrees so that I could reach all of the welds comfortably. I saw that trick in a book on welding airplane fuselages and it was worth the extra time.

 

[mikeb1079]

nice work huckleberry. looks great. the best source for used milling powerheads that i've found is craigslist. try using the site craiglook, it searches all the us craigslists at once. here's a link to a fella selling a stihl 084 (122cc) for 500 who says he's willing to ship. http://okaloosa.craigslist.org/tls/1723818319.html
granted, you never know without seeing it in person but it sounds like a good deal. if you keep your eyes open you can find some good deals out there.
good luck!

 

[jimdad07]

Fantastic work. You could make yourself some $$$ doing work like that. Can't wait to see it in action.

 

[gemniii]

nice work huckleberry. looks great. the best source for used milling powerheads that i've found is craigslist. try using the site craiglook, it searches all the us craigslists at once. here's a link to a fella selling a stihl 084 (122cc) for 500 who says he's willing to ship. http://okaloosa.craigslist.org/tls/1723818319.html
granted, you never know without seeing it in person but it sounds like a good deal. if you keep your eyes open you can find some good deals out there.
good luck!

I think that with CL you need to do a "hands on". There are also a lot of rip-offs on Eb, however there is some protection. Furthermore on Ebay there are a LOT of "frequent sellers" such as Dave "thechainsawguy".
Hunting chain saws is like hunting woodchuck, frequently they will only be visible out of their hole for a few minutes, other times they are out grazing for a while.

Last January - February there were a lot of 660's sold for about $500 or less, now the price floor seems to have moved up.

Also be wary of bars and chains you don't see in person. I think it's often better to buy the powerhead and get new bars and chains.

 

[HUCKLEBERRY]

Hello all,

Thanks for the kind words and advice.

The first milling that I have lined up is just going to be putting rafter flats on @200' of beams and a few truss parts. Probably no pass over 6" wide. Even if I have to creep along my Makita 6401 is going to have to do. The mill is already set up with a GB 42" bar that is pretty universal with the use of spacers/bushings so if the 6401 proves to be completely unusable I can borrow a 660 from a friend and trade him some milling time for some saw time.

My hopes are to get some more work that will help pay for a first rate dedicated milling powerhead (3120XP, MS880) - 1 - right off the shelf
- 2 - from someone reputable on this site
- 3 - from a local Craigslist ad

Unfortunately I have not had particularly good service from any of the dealers around here and there aren't any true "saw shops" locally that I am aware of. If there is anyone that is familiar with my part of the country that has a good shop to recommend please let me know about it.

I've already had a bad experience with a saw off of Ebay and as much as I like looking at them will probably not purchase another saw through them.