New guy saw and milling question

[jh504]

Hello, This is my first post here on the site. I have been looking through the site and have found some very good information here. I will be purchasing an Alaskan Mark III chainsaw mill in the next few months and I am looking for the right saw. I have done some cutting in the past but it has always been out of necessity with lower cc Poulan saws. So I am new to chainsaw milling. I have a max $450 budget for my saw. I know this is not ideal but it is all I have to work with right now. So in this price range what would the folks with chainsaw milling experience suggest? Should I go for a lower power saw that I can purchase brand new such as a Stihl MS 390? Or should I look for a used saw with over 70cc that I can pick up in my price range? Thanks for any help!

 

[BobL]

Welcome aboard!

What size logs are you going to be cutting?

If any are 24" or larger, for the sort of money you have you might want to consider an 076. They are built like a tank and well worth hunting down.

 

[jh504]

Thanks for the reply. The trees I currently have in mind are hardwoods that are no bigger than 20" or so, but I wouldnt mind having the ability to cut larger.

 

[mikeb1079]

welcome!

hey jh, welcome aboard. there's a wealth of information around here. speaking from personal experience, don't underestimate the size of saw you need (i did). for milling at all efficiently you need power. i'd go with a used larger saw. sure a 390 will work, but it will heavily tax the saw and will be frustratingly slow. check ebay frequently (the good deals go fast) and craigslist. one thing that i've done is use a site called craiglook, which searches all the craiglists in the states. then, if you find a decent deal, you can email the seller and ask if they would consider shipping. sometimes they won't, but often they'll be up for it (i like to use paypal to transfer funds). it's always a risk buying sight unseen, but i find most people to be pretty honest about their item. for example, i've recently seen both a husqvarna 3120 and a stihl 076 for 500 or less, the stihl was under 300. i started out with a small saw, then upgraded, and i knew i'd made the right choice about 5 seconds after using the bigger (over 90 cc) saw. good luck and keep us posted.

 

[mtngun]

Stihl 066/660 or Husky 395 are the current standard milling saws.

I paid about $450 for my used 066. Admittedly, it was tired and has required ongoing maintenance, but I can't imagine milling with a smaller saw. To the contrary, I wish I had more power.

As long as you maintain it in running condition, a used pro saw, if it is a popular model like the 066, with hold its value very well. If I wanted to sell my 066, it would probably bring about what I paid for it.

 

[Trever]

Welcome to AS

Welcome aboard!

What size logs are you going to be cutting?

If any are 24" or larger, for the sort of money you have you might want to consider an 076. They are built like a tank and well worth hunting down.

Welcome. +1 on the 075/076. I use both of my 075s. Have a blessed day.

 

[BobL]

Thanks for the reply. The trees I currently have in mind are hardwoods that are no bigger than 20" or so, but I wouldnt mind having the ability to cut larger.

Then I would probably not consider an 076 - a 600/395 size saw would probably be the way to go.

 

[jh504]

Thanks all for the advice. I was thinking that buying a used pro saw would probably be the way to go. I have found a 038 for $150 local. that is still a little smaller than what has been suggested though.

hey jh, welcome aboard. there's a wealth of information around here. speaking from personal experience, don't underestimate the size of saw you need (i did). for milling at all efficiently you need power. i'd go with a used larger saw. sure a 390 will work, but it will heavily tax the saw and will be frustratingly slow. check ebay frequently (the good deals go fast) and craigslist. one thing that i've done is use a site called craiglook, which searches all the craiglists in the states. then, if you find a decent deal, you can email the seller and ask if they would consider shipping. sometimes they won't, but often they'll be up for it (i like to use paypal to transfer funds). it's always a risk buying sight unseen, but i find most people to be pretty honest about their item. for example, i've recently seen both a husqvarna 3120 and a stihl 076 for 500 or less, the stihl was under 300. i started out with a small saw, then upgraded, and i knew i'd made the right choice about 5 seconds after using the bigger (over 90 cc) saw. good luck and keep us posted.

By the way, thanks for the tip on craiglook. Awsome site!

 

[BobL]

Thanks all for the advice. I was thinking that buying a used pro saw would probably be the way to go. I have found a 038 for $150 local. that is still a little smaller than what has been suggested though.

By the way, thanks for the tip on craiglook. Awsome site!

Just treat it gently and practise on small logs. Use a 40:1 mix, richen it up a tad, touch up the chain often, and take your time, and once you get hooked and will want a bigger saw you then have a useful smaller saw around.

 

[jh504]

I'm reviving this thread to give an update of my search. I have found a Stihl 046 that has just been rebuilt by a guy who has a little shop. It has a west coast big bore kit with 10 minutes run time after the rebuild. New bar and chain that hasnt seen wood. Im picking it up tomorrow as long as everything looks good when I get there.

 

[jnl502]

I'm reviving this thread to give an update of my search. I have found a Stihl 046 that has just been rebuilt by a guy who has a little shop. It has a west coast big bore kit with 10 minutes run time after the rebuild. New bar and chain that hasnt seen wood. Im picking it up tomorrow as long as everything looks good when I get there.

that should do just fine if the saw is built right. still small enough to do falling and firewood too. just make sure to break in the engine some first before raw hiden it in a milling setup
jnl

 

[jh504]

that should do just fine if the saw is built right. still small enough to do falling and firewood too. just make sure to break in the engine some first before raw hiden it in a milling setup
jnl

Thanks for the advice. I'll give it a chance to get up to "speed".

 

[carvinmark]

460 is one nice saw, still on the small side for milling. I would run at least 2 or 3 tanks thru it off the mill and then richen up the carb for milling.

 

[verticaltrx]

On a saw that size I would look into running low profile chain. I have a MS361 that I started milling with and switching over to low profile chain made a huge difference in speed. I just recently got a MS441 w/ 25" bar that I will be using for milling as soon as I get it broken in. When I ordered my new MKIII mill I also picked up a couple loops of 3/8 LP milling chain from Baileys, IIRC it was about $30 or so for two loops. What size bar are you running?

 

[jh504]

Havnt made decision on the milling bar yet. Actually I havnt dropped the hammer on the 460 yet because I have since been in touch with some guys about a 075 and 066. The 075 is an older saw with 165 psi. The 066 is newer with less hours, not sure of compression yet. The 075 is a big saw and I am not sure bout it. I would like to take my milling saw into the woods from time to time and the 066 might be a better fit for that.

 

[huskyhank]

If its going to be your only saw or only big saw, I'd pick the 066 assuming its in good shape.

 

[jh504]

It will be my only milling saw. I will keep a small saw around for light stuff.

 

[huskyhank]

Sooner or later you'll want a big saw for other than milling. Bucking or falling a big tree before you mill is one likely example.

 

[jh504]

I will likely use the big saw for falling every once in a while. I am sure the 075 is a bear in the woods.

 

[huskyhank]

I don't know this for a fact but I suspect that 066 parts and service will be lots easier to find.

Some Stihl guys here can set you straight on that.