New here...and I have a saw question...

[Raptor57]

I was considering getting a Husky 390XP to do some milling. Not inexpensive but i need a bigger saw. Anyway, just came across a used 385XP with a 32 inch bar. Looks to be in good condition and the seller says it runs great. Will be going to see it Friday. What is your experience with a 385XP for milling. Good saw? Worth $700? Thanks in advance for any and all input.

 

[Coralillo Lo Pro]

Most folks steer clear of anything below 90cc unless they use lo pro chain for milling like I do or they don't plan to mill much. 390 would be better and 394/395 better yet. All seem like they can be picked up $700-800 in a lot of places. First thing you have to define is what kind of wood you plan to mill and what size logs you'll be milling.

 

[J D]

I mill with a 390 & it does ok. I also have a ported 385 that will spank the pants of it. 385 is 84.7cc & 390 is 88cc, between that & the slight variation in their factory porting there is very little between them & IMHO.
As CLP mentioned, bigger is better for milling & no question a 394/5 has better torque for milling.
It really does depend on what you're wanting to mill, how much you will be doing it, & what else you would potentially be using the saw for

 

[thompsoncustom]

There is a couple used 395xp around me for 800 bucks I would go that route if I were you. Just keep a eye out and you'll snag a good one.

 

[Raptor57]

There is a couple used 395xp around me for 800 bucks I would go that route if I were you. Just keep a eye out and you'll snag a good one.

If I could find one, Id be on it like white on rice, but I've seen nothing recently.

 

[Raptor57]

I was considering getting a Husky 390XP to do some milling. Not inexpensive but i need a bigger saw. Anyway, just came across a used 385XP with a 32 inch bar. Looks to be in good condition and the seller says it runs great. Will be going to see it Friday. What is your experience with a 385XP for milling. Good saw? Worth $700? Thanks in advance for any and all input.

I have some more info on the 385XP. Looks to be a 2001 model, Carb and fuel lines have been replaced. I've read that early models were prone to PTO side bearing failures.. Any additional input based on that info? Thanks

 

[ElevatorGuy]

Until recently husky had a good sale going on and a 395 new was $1050. Not sure what regular price is but no chance I’d pay 7-800 for a used one.

 

[muddy42]

Personally if I was going to spend that amount of money on a dedicated milling saw, Id look for a bigger older saw like a stihl 088 or husky 3120. Even if I was milling 2 foot diameter timber, I would go this route and a 3 foot bar helps with clearance around nots and branches. You loose a lot of width in the mill.

Milling is tough work and just needs a big saw. modern features like AV or chain brake are less important.

 

[Raptor57]

Personally if I was going to spend that amount of money on a dedicated milling saw, Id look for a bigger older saw like a stihl 088 or husky 3120. Even if I was milling 2 foot diameter timber, I would go this route and a 3 foot bar helps with clearance around nots and branches. You loose a lot of width in the mill.

Milling is tough work and just needs a big saw. modern features like AV or chain brake are less important.

Thanks for the input. I likely really wont be milling a ton of stuff. I like to do woodworking and build stuff with live edge. So if i find a nice old log for free or have something on my woodlot that i can put to use, I want to be able to mill it as needed. I have been using a 455 with a 25 inch bar but as you can imagine, not very efficient and limits what i can cut. So i dont really think i need a huge saw, just something that can handle the occasional large oak or maple.

 

[Coralillo Lo Pro]

Thanks for the input. I likely really wont be milling a ton of stuff. I like to do woodworking and build stuff with live edge. So if i find a nice old log for free or have something on my woodlot that i can put to use, I want to be able to mill it as needed. I have been using a 455 with a 25 inch bar but as you can imagine, not very efficient and limits what i can cut. So i dont really think i need a huge saw, just something that can handle the occasional large oak or maple.

Gotcha. I'm a woodworker who mills only to supply wood for my woodworking, and I honestly never needed to get the biggest saw possible, which I did five years ago just because it was incredible value. If I was around more big trees, especially softwoods, it would make more sense. But I deal mainly with 18-30" hardwoods, most of them extremely dense, and the best solution for them is narrow kerf chain and an 80-90cc saw. So now I use one of my rebuilt old 87cc Stihls for most all my milling these days with a 3/8LP chain and 36" lo pro bar. But it's sort of a specialty setup not readily available in the US. I can put a 42" normal 3/8 bar on one of my 87cc saws for the occasional 30-36" log without taxing it too much if I use skip chain. With the 385 being over 20 years old, I wouldn't spend that much on it and maybe look around a bit longer. But at the end of the day, whatever's available locally that works for you, I'd get it and not overthink it too much if it's just for occasional use.