Need milling tips

[BIG JAKE]

I just bought an 066 to mill conifers mostly. Never milled with a big saw before so could use tips on saw use, external oilers, bar and chain info, premix ratio recommendations, safety, etc. I have looked at archives to some extent but not having done this I want to make sure I'm not missing something. Most of the logs I'll mill will be 16 to 24" occasional over 30 inch. Saw has a good 32 inch bar but I think I'll go down to 24-28 inches.

Thanks

 

[timberwolf]

7 t sprocket
oiler on max, but at 32 inch it's not enough in dry wood
chain sharpened for ripping
32:1 oil ratio
wedge your cuts as you go as not to pinch bar and chain
don't use a longer bar than you need to
HS Jet set a tad rich
Priemium gas
open the muffler up
Mill on cooler days to save both the saw and yourself
set your self up upwind of the saw, breath less smoke
good hearing protection

 

[wrhackett]

I just started milling a couple months ago with my Dolmar 166 and a 36" Alaskan MK III milling attachment from Granberg. I have milled hardwood up to around 32" diameter. Some advice: Keep the 32" bar, and buy a mill that's somewhat oversized for the trees you think you'll be dealing with; this will allow for irregularities in the diameter. If you're going to do 24" trees, then use a 30" mill, which I believe will fit onto your 32" bar if you take the felling dogs off the saw.

Second, for trees of the two-foot size you anticipate, you probably will not need an auxiliary oil tank. I'm sure such tanks are worthwhile but I don't have one, and just turning the oil screw up high, making sure there is a spray of oil onto the inside of the bar-nose cover of the mill, seems to do the trick. My saw has a manual pump built into the handle, so I give it a shot with that every ten seconds or so.

Third, common wisdom on this site (thanks, everbody for sharing - this has helped me to get up and running with confidence; particular thanks to Ken Dunn) is great. Relevant to your planned milling operations, you need to be aware that this is very hard work for the saw, even a big saw like the 066. Give it some help by running a rich 2-stroke mix; many of the guys who run big saws, myself included, use full-synthetic oil (examples are Maxima K2, Motul 800 and Mobil Racing 2T) at 30:1 or 32:1 ratio.

Fourth, I use rip chain that I made myself from regular chisel chain, following the formula on the Granberg (and Madsens?) web site. I have also heard that it is just as well, and less trouble to grind, a regular chisel chain (by regular I mean not skip-tooth or semi-skip) at zero or five degrees, rather than the conventional 35 degrees that is used for bucking.

Probably other stuff I could tell you, but this will do for now, and with you I'll be looking for other posts on this.
Cheers,
Bill

 

[wrhackett]

All of Timberwolf's milling tips are right on the money.
Bill

 

[BIG JAKE]

7 t sprocket
oiler on max, but at 32 inch it's not enough in dry wood
chain sharpened for ripping
32:1 oil ratio
wedge your cuts as you go as not to pinch bar and chain
don't use a longer bar than you need to
HS Jet set a tad rich
Priemium gas
open the muffler up
Mill on cooler days to save both the saw and yourself
set your self up upwind of the saw, breath less smoke
good hearing protection

Thanks Timberwolf for advice. Was planning on going shorter bar with a ripping chain. How do you sharpen(I assume regular) chain for ripping? Is there a bar length that would be too short?
Do you idle your saw after milling prior to shutdown if so how long?

 

[WadePatton]

A good read on the subject is Chainsaw Lumbermaking by Will Malloff. It's out of print, but can be had on the used book market for around $100. Maybe it's in your local library. I have access to a copy and it's a very thorough book on milling with the Alaskan-type mills.

 

[BIG JAKE]

I just started milling a couple months ago with my Dolmar 166 and a 36" Alaskan MK III milling attachment from Granberg. I have milled hardwood up to around 32" diameter. Some advice: Keep the 32" bar, and buy a mill that's somewhat oversized for the trees you think you'll be dealing with; this will allow for irregularities in the diameter. If you're going to do 24" trees, then use a 30" mill, which I believe will fit onto your 32" bar if you take the felling dogs off the saw.

Second, for trees of the two-foot size you anticipate, you probably will not need an auxiliary oil tank. I'm sure such tanks are worthwhile but I don't have one, and just turning the oil screw up high, making sure there is a spray of oil onto the inside of the bar-nose cover of the mill, seems to do the trick. My saw has a manual pump built into the handle, so I give it a shot with that every ten seconds or so.

Third, common wisdom on this site (thanks, everbody for sharing - this has helped me to get up and running with confidence; particular thanks to Ken Dunn) is great. Relevant to your planned milling operations, you need to be aware that this is very hard work for the saw, even a big saw like the 066. Give it some help by running a rich 2-stroke mix; many of the guys who run big saws, myself included, use full-synthetic oil (examples are Maxima K2, Motul 800 and Mobil Racing 2T) at 30:1 or 32:1 ratio.

Fourth, I use rip chain that I made myself from regular chisel chain, following the formula on the Granberg (and Madsens?) web site. I have also heard that it is just as well, and less trouble to grind, a regular chisel chain (by regular I mean not skip-tooth or semi-skip) at zero or five degrees, rather than the conventional 35 degrees that is used for bucking.

Probably other stuff I could tell you, but this will do for now, and with you I'll be looking for other posts on this.
Cheers,
Bill

Thanks Bill for your time. I have been running Maxima 927 oil in my saws for around 10 years now. My Poulan still runs good even, and that has been my primary wood saw up until recently which should say alot(cast piston etc). I haven't done a compression reading ever but it still starts easy and runs full out very well. Was cutting along side a Husky last year that guy was amazed it cuts as well as it does. But that oil is a castor synthetic blend with additives: Formulated with castor oil, high performance additives and synthetic esters. Prevents spark plug fouling and carbon build-up. Raced motocross alot of years(Castrol R) in those days. I trust it but also have an open mind to input on oils.
I think I'll get a mill capacity of 36 inches. I'll have to look at the archives on octane recommendations. 066 parts aren't cheap so I want to do everything right. I'd be interested in running a temp probe in the fins during operation to see if there is a noticeable difference between op temps. I hear alot of talk on this but I don't think you can really know unless you actual quantifiable testing. I suppose an IR temp probe might work if it's a good one.

At any rate thanks Bill as always I appreciate any wisdom and time from the folks on this site.

 

[WadePatton]

Thanks Timberwolf for advice. Was planning on going shorter bar with a ripping chain. How do you sharpen(I assume regular) chain for ripping? Is there a bar length that would be too short?
Do you idle your saw after milling prior to shutdown if so how long?

Take the TP angle down to 10 or less. Wouldn't want to do that with a file. I would think that the bar has to fit the mill. Mill limits the size of lumber, but I could be wrong there. I would idle 30-90 seconds for temps to normalize before shutdown, but many will argue about that.

Full skip chain may help as well. I'd probably have both and change according to the work. Clutch cover mods help with chip clearing.

DON'T get in a hurry.

 

[timberwolf]

I have riped smaller white cedar and othe planks upto 13 or 14 inches with a 20 inch bar, much quicker and easier to handle. However it does dull a bit quicker as each tooth goes around more often.


Several different shapening styles, they all work, maybe some beter in specific wood or log sizes.

One style is to file strait across the top plate or at a 0 or 5 deg angle compaired to the traditional 30 or 35 deg, other styles involve also removing every second top plate. rakers will need to be lowered a bit also.

It is hard work, pace yourself, start slow, makes a good job first thing in the AM.

Wade, what clutch cover mods have you seen or done, I would be interested in this.

I might build a milling pipe at some point to help keep the power and RPM where I want, get the exhaust out of my face and cut the noise down. TokyoStu had good luck with his pipe for milling, have not herd much lately from him?

Brian

 

[BIG JAKE]

Wade what mod's on the clutch cover? Can you send me a pic or is it explainable?

Thanks you guys are great.

 

[Lakeside53]

Ripping chain

Start with the Stihl Square grind full skip regular crosscut chain - it's already at 10 degrees and cuts pretty good as a rip chain. At the first sharpen, use a round file or grinder, and then also remove the sides of every 5th cutter (leaving the vertical portion in place).

 

[wrhackett]

Wade what mod's on the clutch cover? Can you send me a pic or is it explainable?

Thanks you guys are great.

Jake, you may not have to mod the clutch cover on your 066 for milling. Try it first- the chips are small and they really scream out of there. The stock clutch covers of the Stihl saws are well designed by being open at the bottom. The main thing I would do would be to remove the rubber deflector inside the back of the clutch cover, and grind off all of the internal cast-aluminum mounts for this rubber (nip these castings off with dikes first, then grind with a flap wheel or something). You want to achieve a smooth, almost polished surface inside the clutch cover, behind and below the sprocket. Probably no need to grind off any of the bottom lip, though this remains an option if chips don't clear for some reason.
On the other hand, I made more radical mods to my Husky 372 clutch cover because these covers are somewhat more constricted at the bottom, in comparison to the Stihl. For this machine, I did grind about 1/2" off the base of the cover plate, in addition to removing the rubber deflector and its mounting apparatus. I use the 372 for long-grain ripping, and this produces long shavings that need a lot of clearance.

 

[wrhackett]

Hey Brian,
What is a milling pipe? I'm always looking to improve performance but have no idea what this is.
Bill

 

[IndyIan]

Big Jake,
If you don't need live edges on your boards or the widest boards possible you may want to saw a four sided cant first. That way you only saw through the bark twice for the whole log saving some sharpening. Also your next cuts are much thinner/faster as well through clean wood and your boards are edged.

For example a 12-13" log yeilds a 9"x9" cant and I find a 9" or 8" cut around twice as fast than a 12" cut. Keep in mind I use a 372 though so I'm sure you can scale up these numbers for your saw.

Ear plugs plus muffs are good idea too.
Good luck,
Ian

 

[timberwolf]

As far as a milling pipe, same idea as a race pipe.

But, where a race pipe is designed to give max power at 13K or so, a milling pipe could be designed longer to give maximum efficiency at 9k with a broader power band. Works out to about 10 inches longer in the tuned lenght.

Easy to build a bit of a silencer into it as well. It can be aimed up or just straight away to help reduce fumes and noise for the operator.

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

Advice given thus far is right on.

As a small little tip, my buddy and I mill with his 660, and he bought it for milling, but bought it with a full wrap, as that's just how they're sold out here. Turns out that the full wrap portion of the handle bar is a Godsend. The saw spends so much time on the ground, between runs, refueling, whatever, and with the Alaskan on it, it's on it's side. The full wrap provides a little stand for the saw to rest on, and keeps the powerhead itself out of the dust and dirt. The handlebar was starting to wear from all the abuse (which the powerhead would have been absorbing) so he wrapped it in heavy duty spiral wrap, like what you wrap hydraulic lines with. Works great. I'll see if I can get a pic.

Jeff

 

[wrhackett]

Another tip: instead of using a steel tape to measure the board thickness on the mill, which is a pain, I have made up pairs of wooden blocks out of scrap 2 x 2 material. You place one of these blocks between the mill frame and the saw bar, at both ends of the mill, then lower the mill to the desired cut thickness and clamp it there. Remove the blocks and you're good to go. I made up a whole set, up to 7" in half-inch intervals, but most milling I do is between 2 and 4 inches thick.
The suggestion on the full-wrap handle is an excellent one- my saw has always had one and I took it for granted, but after reading the comment I now appreciate how much easier the mill is to move around, etc.

 

[whatsnext]

I just picked up an 090 that is set up with an Alaska mill that is running .325 with the cutters set to 0 degrees. I think it's got an eight tooth rim. I haven't counted the drive links yet but it has to be in the hundreds on a 42" bar. I'm really looking forward to trying this set up out on some Black Cherry I have available so all these tips are very helpful.
John...

 

[timberwolf]

8 tooth 325 works out to about the same a 7t 3/8, with that saw it will pull it no problem, I though of using 325 on my 066 but was worried about chain wear and breakage. Let me know if it works on the 90.

 

[BIG JAKE]

Start with the Stihl Square grind full skip regular crosscut chain - it's already at 10 degrees and cuts pretty good as a rip chain. At the first sharpen, use a round file or grinder, and then also remove the sides of every 5th cutter (leaving the vertical portion in place).

Then the 5th cutters become side cutters as in ripping chain I suppose right?
I haven't checked chain prices but would guess modified regular chain is substantially more economical than is ripping chain based solely on the replies.
404 or 3/8's chain? I'd want as little waste as possible. I don't know if anyone runs 404 or not on the 066.

Thanks Andy