Milling tips repeated

[DGK4]

I have been casually milling with an Alaskan Mill and an 066 powerhead, 36" bar setup.
Here are a few thoughts that can really help.

Mill downwind on a windy day if you can that is great
Adjust forward pressure on the saw by listening to the hum, keep the rpms high
don't let the bar stray from being square to the log
if your log is manageable get it on a table - like an old beefed up picnic table where you can shim the log into stable position and work the saw from a standing/walking position
I have been working with some 10 foot pine up to 15" diameter (dry) and I can get them propped up and secure on my own - you can really check your level well and it is a nice set up and you get your work out in without a fitness club membership
keep a wide long board (like 2"x12" )for your first cut, and take the time to store that long board under pressure and level.

there are more tips but you are probably getting tired of reading what you may all ready know

I have milled beautiful oak, pine, spruce, and birch and i am getting older and a little more tired but it has been rewarding

 

[BobL]

if your log is manageable get it on a table - like an old beefed up picnic table where you can shim the log into stable position and work the saw from a standing/walking position

If a remote throttle and some well placed handles and/or winches are utilised it's not necessary to get the log up as high as a table. If the log is too high then it becomes harder to apply ones body weight as forward pressure and more shoulder and arm strength is required. Better than getting the whole log up high is to place the log on even a slight sloped because then mill's own weight provides it's own forward pressure. For conventional lighter weight CS mills, once the cut has commenced it may even pay to add some weight to the mill.

Most of the time when I'm milling the forward pressure comes from the mill itself plus some added pressure from my left leg on the wrap handle.
It's quite hard to take a picture of this so this is about the best I can get.

I really only used my arms for a bit of pressure while I'm taking the next step otherwise my arms are either relaxed or free to drive in wedges etc

 

[DGK4]

That pic was actually quite good. I will try slope with the log next time - makes sense. Do you have a favorite chain cutting tooth angle? I have seen a few variations for ripping chain. Sometimes it seems cross cut configurations works just as well.

 

[BobL]

That pic was actually quite good. I will try slope with the log next time - makes sense. Do you have a favorite chain cutting tooth angle? I have seen a few variations for ripping chain. Sometimes it seems cross cut configurations works just as well.

I'm not sure which angle you are referring to - I assume it's top plate cutting angle?

For my 42" and shorter bars I normally used cross cutting chain straight off the roll and slowly alter the top plate cutting angle to 10º over successive sharpenings. With the 60" bar I find the chatter/vibe induced by the higher cross cut top plate angle can pull the chain off the bar at the start of the cut particularly in Aussie hardwoods so I pre-file these to 10º.

I find the finish is usually better with the shallower angle but it does not prevent washboard effects on some cuts.

 

[Arturo22]

I can get them propped up and protected on my own - you can really examine your stage well and it is a awesome set up and you get your perform out in without a health team membership.....

 

[kpantherpro]

yah bob i agree, the downward angle helps tremendously, hopefully i can post these pics but i'm turning an old trailer into a milling trailer, have winches for it to ge the log on it, but lower the tongue to the ground so i could mill downhill, and after i got the fresh chain set to 10 degrees and the rakers filed down i had to hold the saw back so it wouldn't cut too fast, granted this was a 32" cedar so softer than the oak i'm used too... thius is one of my 36" panthermill2's with an auxilary oiler( mixed pinesol and water) a husky 3120, started using a full chain that's why the dust is a little finer at first, then gradually took it to 10degrees and the rakers filed down about 1/32", and got the shavings you will hopefully see in one of the pics. i did go another 1/32" but you might not want to to do that unless you have a powerhouse for a saw, especailly in harder woods

 

[BobL]

Nice pics kpantherpro.
Love the look of the cedar.

. . . .then gradually took it to 10degrees and the rakers filed down about 1/32" . . . .

For long term optimum performance, better than a "constant raker depth" is what is known as "progressive raker depth setting".
This maintains a constant angle between the raker top, the cutter edge and the wood over the lifetime of the chain.

The optimum angle depends on many factors like the power available, number of drive teeth, width of the cut, hardness of the wood and using skip or non-skip chain.
An angle of ~6º with an 8 tooth sprocket on my 880 seems to work well for me in Aussie hardwoods, but one can go to 7.5º or more in narrow cuts in small softwoods even with smaller saws.

A simple way to get a 6º raker depth is to use a raker depth that is 1/10 the of the gullet width.
When a 3/8 chain is new the gullet is typically 0.25" so a raker depth of 0.025" makes sense.
Some of my well used chains now have gullets as much as 0.5" so they have a raker setting of 0.05", if I used a raker depth of 1/32" (0.031") on those chains they would end make a lot more fine dust than chips.

The other way to get semi progressive raker depths is to use a filoplate or similar gauge. The problem I found with the filoplate for my use is that it generates a raker angle that is too shallow (~4.5º).

For more fine details, see the chain sharpening forum sticky.

Everyone I know that has tried this method has reported it works. Apart from Carl

 

[kpantherpro]

thanks BobL, it's one of my new favorite woods to mill, as close to ca redwood as i'm gonna get... right now anyway, and the cedar shavings are still stinking up the place pretty good...lol that's a great sticky and pretty understandable to someone who's been milling for a little bit, but if i tried explaining that to some new customer's/csmiller's while they were considering getting one of my mills, i would probably get hung up on...lol might be way over thier heads, so how about this I'll give them the basics to ge them started/involved in this wonderful addiction, and you can help educate them once they start to get the hang of it. and Bob thanks for all that you do, you have given alot of very wise advice to many on here, so thanks

 

[BobL]

thanks BobL, it's one of my new favorite woods to mill, as close to ca redwood as i'm gonna get... right now anyway, and the cedar shavings are still stinking up the place pretty good...lol that's a great sticky and pretty understandable to someone who's been milling for a little bit, but if i tried explaining that to some new customer's/csmiller's while they were considering getting one of my mills, i would probably get hung up on...lol might be way over thier heads, . . . .

Yep I know exactly what you mean. The most difficult people to convince are the old-timers who are well set in their way. The easiest way to explain it is to take one of the well used chains that make a lot of dust and make it cut chips again. Unfortunately the internet is not quite up to that yet

 

[Andreu]

I like these tips. I would like to say one thing about your setup that your setup is awesome. You are doing good job and i hope that i can also protect my own.