New to site, hope to start milling soon

[Eckie]

Hello all! First post on the site, although i have been lurking for a while and reading as much as i can about chainsaw milling. What a wealth of information, so much that it can be a bit much for a noob to process at first.

I have been around saw for years, dropping dead trees at work and cutting and selling firewood. Nothing that seems as 'technical' as milling.

Hurricane Michael left a ton of wood on the ground around here (southern Virginia), mostly red oak, white oak and hickory. We purchased a farm last year, and there are at least 15 trees down, some 30+ inches. We would love to have a rustic farm table one day for the house we're remodeling. So i got the milling idea in my head and now it's stubbornly stuck in there , hence my presence here. I also have access to an unbelievable amount of wood where i work, although equipment cannot be used to retrive it (tractors, 4 wheelers etc. Truck, trailer, winch all ok)

Just bought a 660 yesterday, brand spanking new, and got a heck of a deal. So looking to set it up and start producing some slabs soon. 36" bar right now, want to eventually get a 42 so i can cut 36 inches. Dont have the mill yet, thinking of getting the 48 inch in case i ever want to upgrade equipment and go bigger.

I have read and re-read most of the milling forum, trying to soak up as much as i can before i even start. The chain type and angles are topics that I have had to really focus on to try to understand...still not sure I'm there yet.

Sorry for such a long rambling post, but wanted to say hello before i get started on this venture, as I'm sure i will have many questions once i begin. Looking forward to learning more from the forum and all the knowledgeable and expreienced contributors.

 

[gyp69]

Hello all! First post on the site, although i have been lurking for a while and reading as much as i can about chainsaw milling. What a wealth of information, so much that it can be a bit much for a noob to process at first.

I have been around saw for years, dropping dead trees at work and cutting and selling firewood. Nothing that seems as 'technical' as milling.

Hurricane Michael left a ton of wood on the ground around here (southern Virginia), mostly red oak, white oak and hickory. We purchased a farm last year, and there are at least 15 trees down, some 30+ inches. We would love to have a rustic farm table one day for the house we're remodeling. So i got the milling idea in my head and now it's stubbornly stuck in there , hence my presence here. I also have access to an unbelievable amount of wood where i work, although equipment cannot be used to retrive it (tractors, 4 wheelers etc. Truck, trailer, winch all ok)

Just bought a 660 yesterday, brand spanking new, and got a heck of a deal. So looking to set it up and start producing some slabs soon. 36" bar right now, want to eventually get a 42 so i can cut 36 inches. Dont have the mill yet, thinking of getting the 48 inch in case i ever want to upgrade equipment and go bigger.

I have read and re-read most of the milling forum, trying to soak up as much as i can before i even start. The chain type and angles are topics that I have had to really focus on to try to understand...still not sure I'm there yet.

Sorry for such a long rambling post, but wanted to say hello before i get started on this venture, as I'm sure i will have many questions once i begin. Looking forward to learning more from the forum and all the knowledgeable and expreienced contributors.

Hello, I’m sure you will find people helpful here! I personally don’t know much about milling,660 is a good saw but if it is a half wrap & doesn’t have a high output Oiler that is specific to r model Stihls I don’t believe it will sufficiently oil a 42 inch bar.good luck!

 

[Eckie]

If I go to a 42, i will rig up an auxiliary oiler on the end. I asked the guy if this saw had the high output oiler, he said yes, but who knows . Is there any way to tell?

To make sure im thinking correctly...if I get the 48 inch mill, i can put it on a 42 inch bar and mill a full 36 inch log correct? And i have a bit more mill in case i ever upgrade to go larger? Feel free to shoot holes in my thinking and concept if it doesnt make sense....

 

[gyp69]

If I go to a 42, i will rig up an auxiliary oiler on the end. I asked the guy if this saw had the high output oiler, he said yes, but who knows . Is there any way to tell?

To make sure im thinking correctly...if I get the 48 inch mill, i can put it on a 42 inch bar and mill a full 36 inch log correct? And i have a bit more mill in case i ever upgrade to go larger? Feel free to shoot holes in my thinking and concept if it doesnt make sense....

I see, I know very little about milling as I stated earlier,I know there are guys on here that are very knowledgeable about milling I’m just a has been timberfaller lol. A high output Oiler will have an extra little groove in your adjustable screw that is in the middle of screwdriver slot. In other words if your screwdriver was in the slot the little groove would be pointed straight ahead like a gunsight.im having trouble explaining where groove is located that gunsight analogy isn’t explained correctly.if your screwdriver is sitting in screw & you put your finger in front of flat part of screwdriver your finger would be over groove. Maybe someone who is better tech guy than me can post a pic of what I’m trying to explain lol.

 

[Ancient One]

If you have not done so, read all of the posts in CS Milling 101, the first thread in this section. Lots of oiler photos.

If you need I will take photos of my bar showing where it is drilled and the oil injector that attaches to the bar, this is way out at the tip.

 

[Husky Man]

Welcome to the Forums Eckie

Yes, you can use a shorter B&C than the optimal length for your Mill

Typically figure about 6" more Bar than the Mill's "Rated" size, to get the maximum milling width.

Be Careful about clamping the "Nose" end of your mill too close to the end and crushing the nose sprocket and bearings

There are ways of getting the most out of every inch of your bar such as drilling through the center of the sprocket, and bolting through the nose of the bar, rather than clamping.

You can also remove the Dawgs from the saw to gain another couple inches of milling width

Bob L, from Australia, in particular is very Knowledgeable about milling, and can offer some Very Good advice, there are others here as well, willing to help as much as they can

Have Fun, and stay SAFE


Doug

 

[babybart]

When I started milling I bought a smaller Granberg to cut my teeth on and then just purchased the longer rails later. I guess i was intimidated with the 42" bar in the beginning and I just used all the techniques learned from this site on smaller trees. Good luck!

 

[motolife313]

That sounds about right. I’m getting 24” wide slabs with my 32” bar.

 

[Gugi47]

Welcome to the site Eckie.
Enjoy your stay here.
If you need any help you know what to do.

 

[Eckie]

Thanks for all the welcomes and advice.

Gyp69....thanks fornthe oiler advice...i will check mine out when i go to break it in.

Ancient one...i have read through the 101 sticky, lots of good stuff in there. I'd love to see pics of your set up. I was planning on clamping, not sure im ready to drill bars yet. Is your oiler homemade? I was going to rig something up rather than buying if i could..

Husky man...even though i dont have the mill yet, i had read people say about losing some bar length because of clamping location behind sprocket, which is why i was thinking of going w a 42 eventually. Hadnt planned on drilling, at least not yet. Honestly I'm only so mechanically inclined, especially when I am first starting with getting into something new. And i was looking at those dawgs the day other, they are huge, much bigger than my 460, and i think bigger than on the old 660 at work. So that would definitely give some more room. I have read lots of Bob L's postings, especially regarding chain sharpening angles.

Babybart....i hadnt thought about that, was going to just use the bar i had for now (36) on the mill and cut whatever size i could to start, even if it is a smaller (20ish in) tree...

Thanks for all the help and ideas folks

 

[Eckie]

Motolife....is that maxing out what you can do with the 32 in? Do you have dawgs on or off?

 

[motolife313]

Dogs are definitely off. Max pretty much for that bar. I’m staying in front of the sprocket nose. I’m going to make a new one, my 075 has a wider bar and I’m thinking this one is a touch close if the chain gets close, I always cut clearances too tight when building stuff, this is my first so the next one will be better, I can go long as I want with this mill tho, might try it tho on the 075, got me thinking about it now, it’s got about .500 or so clearance from the chain to the bolts on the 075, I plan on bolting my mill on the next one, that’s what I did with my 90 degree mill

 

[djones]

I like to let gravity do it's job and work for me by having my logs tilted when milling and using an attached winch on my mill. I don't have to push the mill along, just crank on the handle. Saves a lot of sweat and aggravation. Work easier not harder.

 

[Husky Man]

motolife313, You sure do some Purty Work, are you a machinist by trade?

No doubt that you have a Lot of time invested in building that Mill, which I'm also Sure resulted in a Lot of Pride in what you have built, Justifiably so.

To get a bit more cutting width, you should be able to move your nose clamp out to at least the last two rivets closest to the nose, looks like you would need a new top indexing plate to do that, but that shouldn't be much of a challenge, looking at what you have already accomplished, it just be a matter of whether the little extra cutting width would be worth the effort for you.

What part of Portland are you in? I'm about 15 miles east of Sandy, between Brightwood and Zig Zag, North of 26.


Doug

 

[Ancient One]

Eckie, mine is a stock Alaskan Mill. Using a Stihl 090AV with 66 inch bar (hardnose) and helper handle, the helper handle has the roller in it for the chain so I have no worries of clamping the outboard mill clamp too hard. I plan on converting to a bolt on at the bar end instead of the clamp.

Below photos show the Granberg oiler bolt, requires drilling the bar at the tip.

Toothpicks showing the oil holes

Below is the helper handle, the oil injection bolt is a brass bolt drilled similar to the Granberg injector above.

Oil tubing slips over the end of the bolt. I bought the mill used, it came with this brass bolt instead of the Granberg bolt. Works fine. I plan on buying or making a smaller mill using a 32 inch bar, I will save the Granberg bolt for the 32.

The mill below, I have it apart now for making some additions as per BobL's recommendations. Extra cross brace, helper handles. and a tie bar to go across the tops of the vertical members. And I will raise the tubing "handpiece" that goes across the mill, above the saw bar. And adding rollers. Have all the parts, just got to find the time to do the work. Spring on the farm is very busy!

Note the chain roller in the helper handle, lets you use a hard nose bar but at the expense of needing a longer chain.

 

[BobL]

In case you missed it, Nose clamping options are described in the Milling 101 sticky post #25
https://www.arboristsite.com/commun...nts-tips-and-tricks.93458/page-2#post-1508894

The best but to execute most difficult options involve drilling through the centre of the bearing in the mill. This normally requires a tungsten carbide tipped drill bit, a drill press, high pressure, low speed and lots of coolant/lube. You may even break/destroy a drill bit or even two so I use (re)sharpened masonry bits.

As well as gaining extra cutting length Option #8 listed n the link above allows for removal of the chain from the saw without removing teh saw from the mill - This is really useful.

For your aux oiler, there is no need to drill the bar for this - you can allow the oil to just drip onto the bottom half of the chain. Its not as efficient as the bolt method but it will also not become clogged.

 

[rarefish383]

Welcome aboard. I use my saws for firewood one day and milling the next, and I'm to lazy to switch chains. I use notheing but Stihl yellow box chain. I feel it cuts just as quick, maybe a little quicker than milling chain. My buddy came over and was milling some Red Oak I had, and I think his cut was a little smoother with the milling chain. If I had it to do over I would have bought my 660 with 404 chain. I can hit a piece of barbed wire fencing with my Homelite Super 1050 and 404, it will make a little jump and keep milling. Maybe dull two teeth on each side. If I hit a piece of barbed wire with the 660 and 3/8's, it wipes out the whole chain, every tooth. It may have something to do with the 660 spinning a lot faster than the old 1050. Or, if you look at the size of wire in barbed wire, or a framing nail, the piece of wire will fit completely in the gullet of the 404, and sometimes doesn't even hit the top plate. The 3/8's is small enough that it takes out the gullet and top plate. I built a fold up table for my hunting cabin for extra room. Inlaid big hinges in the end of the table. When not in use we fold it up against the wall. My buddy puts his cot under it.

 

[Eckie]

Djones....i had read about how folks lift the log to let gravity help. The log lift ideas for jacks are impressive. Is that the granberg winch, or did you buy some kind of other winch and adapt it?

I first saw chainsaw milling on you tube, watched 'the homestead craftsman' mill some big logs, and he had a winch that looked like it really helped. That is one of the add-ons i would like to add soon, whenever i get started....

Ancient one...thanks for the pics. I definitely dont think i will be going the bar drilling option any time soon. I will look through the bar mounting options again as Bob L suggested. I need to get the mill and get started just to make some sawdust and start learning hands on.

Rarefish, i really like that fold away table. I will probably stick with the 3/8 to start with, but that is good info on the 404 and barbwire....we have plenty of that around here, and im sure i will eventually find some.

Anybody on here near southern Virginia?

 

[Ancient One]

"Heading North to Richmond, on I-95"

Nope, I live as far away as you can get and still stay on dry land! NW Coast of Washington, right on the salt water.

But Travis Tritt tried once to get to Richmond. A little lady slowed him down.

My boat below with Vancouver Island, B.C., in the foggy background:

 

[Ancient One]

This photo shows that yes Virginia, the long bars will flex. From looking at some of BobL's photos, I think he has devised a way to hold the long bars in the middle while starting the cut. Might be my imagination, but I think he is using the Force (remember Yoda?) enhanced with magnetic properties.