New Granberg Mill and Mini Mill

[Stihlman441]

Ok i have bit the bullet and orded from the US a Granberg Alaskan Mill 36'' G776, Mini Mill G555 and Auxiliary Oiler Kit G801 total including post $610 AUD.
I tried to buy from Australia but for exactly the same thing here was $985 AUD plus post.Its sad to think just how much we Ossys get ripped off for almost everything.Anyway i have had my wine and piss and mone.

Know the question is which chain do i get to start with ?.
I normally get Carlton or Stihl but i dont think these is much Stihl suitable chain for milling around here,so Carlton brand will be the go.
I will be using a 36'' bar on a 660 or 880 (can use the same bar on which ever have the spaces) and a 20'' or 25'' bar on 460 with Mini Mill.
So i am thinking semi chisel with 10 deg top plate angle but do i go full comp or skip ?.
I will be milling pine first and then whatever i can fined,probably hard wood of some kind.
Any comments good or bad will be appreciated.
Cheers
Andrew

 

[PineFever]

Congrats on the Mills.
I use Woodland Pro 30RP from Bailey's on both the 044 and the MS660 36" bar 114 DL and have had no problems.

 

[mtngun]

So i am thinking semi chisel with 10 deg top plate angle but do i go full comp or skip ?.

That's what most of us use.

Full comp cuts a little smoother.

Skip lets the engine rev faster. It may or may not cut faster depending on the powerhead/bar/wood combination. But -- the cut is rougher. Skip chain may dull faster, too, though I haven't noticed it dulling faster in softwood.

A granberg grind gives the best of both worlds, but it's a pain to grind the first time.

 

[BobL]

Ok i have bit the bullet and orded from the US a Granberg Alaskan Mill 36'' G776, Mini Mill G555 and Auxiliary Oiler Kit G801 total including post $610 AUD. I tried to buy from Australia but for exactly the same thing here was $985 AUD plus post.Its sad to think just how much we Ossys get ripped off for almost everything.Anyway i have had my wine and piss and mone.

I wouldn't always blame the the Aussie sellers as often their wholesale buy price is more than US retail.

Know the question is which chain do i get to start with ?.
I normally get Carlton or Stihl but i dont think these is much Stihl suitable chain for milling around here,so Carlton brand will be the go.
I will be using a 36'' bar on a 660 or 880 (can use the same bar on which ever have the spaces) and a 20'' or 25'' bar on 460 with Mini Mill.
So i am thinking semi chisel with 10 deg top plate angle but do i go full comp or skip ?.
I will be milling pine first and then whatever i can fined,probably hard wood of some kind.

At those lengths full comp is all you need. Seeing as you should run 2-3 chains at each length I would think about getting a 25ft roll and roll your own.

I buy rolls of full comp regular and keep a couple of loops for regular cutting and then file the cutters back to 10º myself.

 

[Stihlman441]

I can get hold of Carlton 3/8 .063 ripping chain with 10 deg cutters full comp loops for a reasonable price,i think i will start there for know.

 

[splitpost]

Congrats on the mills mate
with the chain i spose it depends on what ur planing to do with the wood ,i use stihl 3/8 .063 full comp semi chiz chain and leave the angles standard ,cuts fast in pine and the finish is pretty good for building projects

 

[stipes]

You did the same as I did...

With the alaskan mill and mini mill you have the great start of both worlds...I enjoy mine and hope you enjoy your setup...
I still have a big learning curve...Set up seems to what takes up alot of time,,but more and more I use em it gets faster...The mini mill some people dont like,,but if you have a tad bigger log than you can push tru with the alaskan the mini can get you squared up to start making slabs with the alaskan...Really,,when I first started as you I got on here and learned,,and there is alot of wonderfull people that will help...
I dont know how expensive ordering frm Baileys is to down under cause of shipping,,but I have had great luck with their woodland pro chain.Cant beat the price,,and I can have a box full of spares, sharpened and ready to go...If you hit a peice of iron with it,,you dont have to pull out some big bucks to replace it as a stihl chain...
You gotta 2 saw set up and thats a big time saver...I have a jred 2186 I been using and it's been doin a decent job...I neeed a bigger saw for the alaskan myself...
Good luck and enjoy!!!!I hope you have as much fun as I always have...

 

[Stihlman441]

Thanks for your comments guys,its all in the post cant wait until it arrives.Even with the post its all way cheaper than from here,just got to get some chains and im ready to go.

 

[Stihlman441]

My CSM and mini mill have arrived,i put the mill all together with my 660 and 36'' bar.Mmm some whear i read that with a 36'' mill that you loose 4'' in cutting witdth,well i am only going to get 28'' cutting width.If i take the dogs off i will gain another 1'' for a total of 29'' max width.The bar i have in is a GB Protop with changeable sprocket nose,so cant move holding clamp any ferther out.

 

[BobL]

My CSM and mini mill have arrived,i put the mill all together with my 660 and 36'' bar.Mmm some whear i read that with a 36'' mill that you loose 4'' in cutting witdth,well i am only going to get 28'' cutting width.If i take the dogs off i will gain another 1'' for a total of 29'' max width.The bar i have in is a GB Protop with changeable sprocket nose,so cant move holding clamp any ferther out.

That's the crappy bar clamp CSM design for ya.

Throw away the bottom clamps and drill holes in the bar and nose. Weld some 3/8 thick strap to the bottom of the top clamps and drill and tap some threads into the strap. and bolt the bar direct to the strap - this will get you a couple more inches and allow you to change the chain without taking the saw out of the mill. Also if the chain comes off or the clamps slip there is less chance of toasting the chain. Where's Mtnguns pic when you need it!

 

[Brmorgan]

Ok i have bit the bullet and orded from the US a Granberg Alaskan Mill 36'' G776, Mini Mill G555 and Auxiliary Oiler Kit G801 total including post $610 AUD.
I tried to buy from Australia but for exactly the same thing here was $985 AUD plus post.Its sad to think just how much we Ossys get ripped off for almost everything.Anyway i have had my wine and piss and mone.

Know the question is which chain do i get to start with ?.
I normally get Carlton or Stihl but i dont think these is much Stihl suitable chain for milling around here,so Carlton brand will be the go.
I will be using a 36'' bar on a 660 or 880 (can use the same bar on which ever have the spaces) and a 20'' or 25'' bar on 460 with Mini Mill.
So i am thinking semi chisel with 10 deg top plate angle but do i go full comp or skip ?.
I will be milling pine first and then whatever i can fined,probably hard wood of some kind.
Any comments good or bad will be appreciated.
Cheers
Andrew

Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but you will not be able to swap the same bar between those two saws. A 660 uses the smaller 12mm mounting groove/studs, whereas the 880 uses the same 14mm mount as older and larger saws like the 070/090. Of course there's nothing stopping you from flattening the sides of the 880's studs down to 12mm to fit a small-mount bar; not sure if the oiler stuff will line up though, and the chain DL count might not be the same between the two saws. You might even be able to just swap the studs out in favor of a smaller set; not sure if the case-side threads are the same between the two.

 

[BobL]

Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but you will not be able to swap the same bar between those two saws. A 660 uses the smaller 12mm mounting groove/studs, whereas the 880 uses the same 14mm mount as older and larger saws like the 070/090. Of course there's nothing stopping you from flattening the sides of the 880's studs down to 12mm to fit a small-mount bar; not sure if the oiler stuff will line up though, and the chain DL count might not be the same between the two saws.

If the bar is made to suit the 880 it can be easily fitted to a 660 using some annular spacers.

You might even be able to just swap the studs out in favor of a smaller set; not sure if the case-side threads are the same between the two.

They are different, I turned up two set that has 660 inners and 880 outers, and vv.

 

[mtngun]

i read that with a 36'' mill that you loose 4'' in cutting witdth,well i am only going to get 28'' cutting width.If i take the dogs off i will gain another 1'' for a total of 29'' max width.

I measured my mill setup this morning.

First off, my so-called 36" bar only sticks out beyond the saw 34 1/2".

My actually cutting width, bolting the bar directly to the mill, is 30 ".

If I used the Granberg bar clamps, 28" sounds about right.

 

[Stihlman441]

Brad
I have made the bar stud slot 14mm and use spacers on the 660,the oil holes line up ok for both saws,the only slight problem is when you use the bar which was designed for the 660 on the 880 is the mounting area of the bar is not as wide(not quite as strong in the sideways directoin).

The type of spacer i use to go back to med mount.

 

[BobL]

The other type of spacer/sleeve that are sometimes used are a couple of turns from a hardened wire spring.