need advice on milling

[rjb]

i would like to get in to doing some milling for some projects around the house to start with it will be mostly 6x6 and 2x12 rough cut
ive been looking at the alaskans but at this time all i have is a stihl 290 with a 16" and a 25" bar so i know that i am saw limited i am looking for a bigger saw but no luck yet ( cant afford a new one) is there any way to do this with what i have now just to get my feet wet. the logs will be all pine. thanks

 

[mad murdock]

i would like to get in to doing some milling for some projects around the house to start with it will be mostly 6x6 and 2x12 rough cut
ive been looking at the alaskans but at this time all i have is a stihl 290 with a 16" and a 25" bar so i know that i am saw limited i am looking for a bigger saw but no luck yet ( cant afford a new one) is there any way to do this with what i have now just to get my feet wet. the logs will be all pine. thanks

Bailey's has the Timberjig on sale for 99.99( a killer price), couple that with the stihl picco chain for your saw(63PMX) and get milling. Keep a look out for a 70cc or larger saw in the meantime, give your 290 a idling rest between cuts, don't try and slice up any large dia logs with it and you will "git er done", it'll just take you a bit longer. With a sharp chain you will be able to do ok, line cuts pretty easy, knots will still slow you down till you get through them. Have fun milling! It is a great feeling using your own wood

 

[BobL]

I'd be stick to small cuts with the 290. You also should retune the saw so it runs a tad richer than usual.

 

[rjb]

what dose the x stand for in the (63pmx) i cant seam to find one and to retune. just the high? or the hole thing? sorry i know these are beginer questions. i have lerner that i should have paid more attention when i was yonger thank you for the help i do also have a mac 10-10 i forgot to mention on first post

 

[mad murdock]

what dose the x stand for in the (63pmx) i cant seam to find one and to retune. just the high? or the hole thing? sorry i know these are beginer questions. i have lerner that i should have paid more attention when i was yonger thank you for the help i do also have a mac 10-10 i forgot to mention on first post

If you can manage it, I would adapt the 10-10 to the Timberjig, as it will stand up to the milling a lot better than the stihl till you locate a larger saw. Baileys sells the picco chain at their "Logosol" store. You may have to call them and order for the size bar you have, as the online options for the 63PMX chain is by the loop. They can custom spin whatever size chain you want for the same price per drive link as the prepare loops they list. The 10-10 has the added bonus of the manual oiler button for extra oil during long cuts, will make the bar/chain last longer. For the picco chain you will need a new drive rim as you do not want to run it on a rim that has already been used on 3/8" .050 chain. The 3/8" sprocket is what you want, just want to start with a new one and keep it with your ripping chain. Get some 5/32" files to sharpen your chain, and go fer it. If this sounds too intimidating, granberg's mini mill is a good way to get started as well, again coupled wih the 10-10. Either way gets you started. The Timberjig gives you more upgradeability as you get into it, and from my experience, is a little less of a learning curve, but either way you go, you will be learning. Also as stated prior, richer the mix slightly, (Hi screw on the carb) maybe 1/4 turn out, it will help the saw run a little cooler as you will be WOT a lot. I run my macs at 32:1 and have done well (no seized engines).

 

[jimdad07]

I agree you would probably be happier with the 10-10, it will have more torque than the Stihl and will be a little stouter for milling. In the mean time you can look around for a larger saw. I started out with a 64cc saw and it worked fine until I was able to get my Dolmar 9010 (90cc). I highly recommend getting a roached saw and rebuilding it. You can get a big saw cheap that way and learn a good bit while you rebuild it, if you've never done it before a lot of us can help you through it. BTW, don't get too hung up on saw brand when looking for a biggun, they all make em pretty good.

 

[echoshawn]

keep your eyes peeled for a bigger saw for sure. The 10-10 would be a good starting point. The 655 I scored is going to be my starting saw to get into milling, but with parts hard to come by, I'll always be keeping my eyes open for a more common, easier to find parts for saw to use. The 290, while not a bad saw, probably wouldn't last long milling.

 

[rjb]

this is such a great sight thank you the 10-10 has a 16" bar on it now should i go with that or go a little bigger

 

[BobL]

what dose the x stand for in the (63pmx) i cant seam to find one

I think he means the "X" and anything suitable from the PM range

and to retune. just the high? or the hole thing?

Just the high is fine

sorry i know these are beginer questions. i have lerner that i should have paid more attention when i was yonger thank you for the help i do also have a mac 10-10 i forgot to mention on first post

We all should have paid more attention - I even have that in writing on my elementary school report cards.

 

[rjb]

yes bobl that was my question on the "x" so any of the pm's will work. that helps were i live any thing out of the norm is hard to come by so ill probibily get it online

 

[woodchuck357]

Just a thought, I think idling a two cycle engine causes them to over heat, not cool down.

Big old Macs are thru the roof price wise, but bars for them are reasonable. You might be able to get a 24" bar and chain on the 'bay cheap.

 

[mad murdock]

A 10-10 can handle up to a 24in bar for regular cutting, for the milling application, if your 16" bar is a hard nose, I would get a sprocket tip bar, but not to over 20". The longer the bar, the more chain, and more power that will be taken away from the saw to do useable work. If you are going to start on pine, which will be fairly easy milling, a 20" bar will allow you to break down pretty big logs, as your opening cuts will be slab cuts, and by the time you get to a cant, you will prolly be down to a 12x12 or less. Get or make plenty of wedges, as they come in real handy during the milling process.

 

[BobL]

Just a thought, I think idling a two cycle engine causes them to over heat, not cool down.

Not so - idling is still the coolest running temp a saw will experience - it is after all when the smallest amount of fuel is being burnt.

I have a temp gauge on the top of the outside of the exhaust port on one of my saws so I can sort of monitor what is happening.

If a saw is started and left to warm up by idling the temp as recorded by my sensor will slowly rise and level off at one value (actual value depends on air temp)
If the saw is now driven to WOT the temp drops slightly for ~10 seconds because the extra air from the now rapidly moving fan cools the engine but the the temp then rises rapidly and levels off at a value that is hotter than the original fully idle temp.

If a saw has been WOT and is up to working temp then immediately stopping the saw will see the temp at the sensor shoot up like crazy so it is best to let the saw idle so the fan is moving air through the motor.

The time needed for the saw to cool is a lot longer than one thinks. To reach full warmed idling temp takes more than 5 minutes. Stopping the saw at any temp sees the temp reading increase before it decreases.

 

[rjb]

ordered the timberjig today should be here by this weakend ill let you know how it works thank you guys again

 

[mad murdock]

ordered the timberjig today should be here by this weakend ill let you know how it works thank you guys again

Full disclosure note-you may have to get creative on adapting the Timberjig to the Mac, as the supplied special extension nuts that you put on the bar cover studs are made for husky/stihl. The 10-10 will be SAE not metric threads. Should not be too much of a problem for you to get a couple coupling nuts, put those on your saw, then size the right length bolts to bolt the timberjig to the coupling nuts on Your saw, or you can really get fancy and weld bolts onto the coupling nuts(after you trim them to the right length to match the supplied hardware), then you will have a set of adapter nuts for old magnesium (McCulloch/Homlite/Poulan etc) and the supplied nuts for your 290, or if you get an 044 or 066, you will be able to go straight to that.

 

[rjb]

yea i was wondering about that i was thinking of making sonthing in the lathe but your way seames easer and less time consuming thanks

 

[Dia67na]

with that or go a little bigger