lucas_mill_r
ArboristSite Lurker
I have a Lucas Swing Mill, which has the ability to cut up to an 8.5" x 8.5" cant with one back and forth pass and a 8.5" x 17" cant by rotating the carriage. I am very satisfied with the saw but would like to be able to produce wide slabs for tabletops and etc. Lucas sells a slabbing attachment to go on the saw that is basically a 60" chain bar with a rim sprocket that mounts where the circular blade mounts. I have seen it run only in video but it seems rather slow which it should because the sprocket would only turn at about 2700 rpm's same as the circle blade. I've looked at the ripping chain they sell and it looks as if they run a chain with two cutters and then skips seven links and then two more so on and so forth Lucas Ripping Chain. It would seem to me that a full comp chain would be better with such slow chain speeds. Am I wrong in assuming this? Or is it that running a engine of 20+ HP would need to run less teeth because of chain stresses? What is the bare minimum chain speed that you guys would want to run a .404 x .063 ripping chain at? I know that most of the chain millers are running big chainsaws that move the chain a lot faster. I believe that I've read that the large saws are rev limited to maybe 8000-9000 rpm. At that rpm with a 8-tooth sprocket the chain speed should be in the neighborhood of 4300-4800 feet per minute. The Lucas milling attachment running the same 8-tooth sprocket (I am not sure that this is the size they use) would only move the chain at 1450 feet per minute. I'm thinking that I would be better to buy a big chainsaw and mount it to the carriage or have a bar made that could run a 14 tooth sprocket that would speed the chain up. What are you're thoughts on this subject?
P.S. Who makes custom bars that could accommodate 14-tooth .404 sprocket and what do you think that a 60" would cost?
P.S. Who makes custom bars that could accommodate 14-tooth .404 sprocket and what do you think that a 60" would cost?
