Question about Granberg Alaskan...

[chuckwood]

I'm a chainsaw milling newbie, and I'm stepping up from the small mill to the Alaskan MkIII. I have a Stihl 075 with a 36 inch bar. Will this setup work with the 30" Alaskan, or should I purchase the 36" model? I've also got a 42" bar for this saw, but I doubt if I'll need that bar for milling at this time. Thanks in advance for any replies.

 

[woodsrunner]

Get the bigger model to match the biggest bar you have now (or think you might have in the future). It will save you money in the long run. the bigger mills really only have longer rails and the bigger mills can adjust down to smaller bars.

Scott

 

[sleddude5]

The bigger bar will work on the smaller mill, but you will have to remove the sprocket guard on the mill. (***DANGEROUS***)

I don't know what you have currently for a mill, but I was able to increase the width of my mill by just buying a longer rail/handle set from here... http://onlinestore.forestindustry.com/scripts/granbergint/scan/arg=%22/fi=products/st=db/tf=sortorder%2cdescription/co=yes/sf=category/se=1508/op=eq/ml=5.html

If starting from scratch buy the bigger mill for sure.

Jerry C

 

[Brmorgan]

If you have a 42" bar, definitely go for the 36" mill. Since you "lose" some bar length due to the clamping brackets etc. on the mill, you need a 42" bar to get the maximum cutting capacity out of a 36" mill. The 36" bar would be a perfect match for a 30", but the extra cost/weight/size is negligible to move up to the 36" setup. Keep in mind that you can always run a shorter bar on a longer mill, but not necessarily the reverse (safety issues as mentioned above). Also, the rails are generally sold separately from the rest of the mill parts, so you can always buy a shorter set of rails later if you really want to downsize the mill for some reason without having to spend the full amount on an entire second shorter mill.

 

[glennschumann]

The 36" mill is perfect with the 42" bar. This is what I run. You can also use the 36" (or smaller for that matter) bar on the 36" mill just as easy... it is also lighter (and safer) when milling smaller logs. If you already have the 42" bar, get the 36" mill. Have fun!

 

[gr8scott72]

The bigger bar will work on the smaller mill, but you will have to remove the sprocket guard on the mill. (***DANGEROUS***)

I don't know what you have currently for a mill, but I was able to increase the width of my mill by just buying a longer rail/handle set from here... http://onlinestore.forestindustry.com/scripts/granbergint/scan/arg=%22/fi=products/st=db/tf=sortorder%2cdescription/co=yes/sf=category/se=1508/op=eq/ml=5.html

If starting from scratch buy the bigger mill for sure.

Jerry C

The bars are MUCH cheaper through baileys. The granberg site shows the 56" rail set at $105 plus shipping and I got them at baileys for under $90 including shipping.

They don't show them on the website but if you call, they know what to sell you.

 

[BobL]

The bars are MUCH cheaper through baileys. The granberg site shows the 56" rail set at $105 plus shipping and I got them at baileys for under $90 including shipping.

They don't show them on the website but if you call, they know what to sell you.

For about the same $ an extruded Aluminum supplier should be able to supply you with a 20 ft length of heavy-duty "highway road sign" unistrut material which will readily fit and are stronger than those supplied for standard CS mills.

From one 20' length you should have enough for at least two sets of rails. I use this material for my 54" and 64" rails (and a bunch of other stuff). If I ever go to a monster bar I would buy this rail again.

 

[gr8scott72]

For about the same $ an extruded Aluminum supplier should be able to supply you with a 20 ft length of heavy-duty "highway road sign" unistrut material which will readily fit and are stronger than those supplied for standard CS mills.

From one 20' length you should have enough for at least two sets of rails. I use this material for my 54" and 64" rails (and a bunch of other stuff). If I ever go to a monster bar I would buy this rail again.

I looked and looked for a place locally that had anything that would work. Nothing. Got tired of looking and just called baileys.

Kind of funny walking into a place describing what you are looking for and them asking what you are going to use it on. Get a blank stare when you tell them it's for a chainsaw mill.

 

[Brmorgan]

I looked and looked for a place locally that had anything that would work. Nothing. Got tired of looking and just called baileys.

Kind of funny walking into a place describing what you are looking for and them asking what you are going to use it on. Get a blank stare when you tell them it's for a chainsaw mill.

Heh, I love those looks. I've been there soooo many times. "So, whaddya want this big truck alternator for anyway?" -- "Umm... I'm building a homemade welder with it..." -- (awkward pause) -- "Well, sonuvabi7ch!"

 

[BobL]

I looked and looked for a place locally that had anything that would work. Nothing. Got tired of looking and just called baileys.

Kind of funny walking into a place describing what you are looking for and them asking what you are going to use it on. Get a blank stare when you tell them it's for a chainsaw mill.

That is very unfortunate - Maybe you need to tell them it's for a highway sign.

 

[chuckwood]

Thanks folks, I'm buying the 36" mill

The Granberg website isn't nearly as useful for getting info on their Alaskans
as this forum is. Just what are the safety issues specifically with the bar tip guard? The saw operator is on the engine side of the mill. I did have a scary moment with my golden retriever last time I milled with my Granberg small log mill. The small mill has no guard at the tip, and while I was milling, my dog blew past me trying to chase something in the woods and almost made contact with the running chain, that could have been a big vet bill. I hate to leave her behind on milling trips, she loves going in the woods....

 

[gr8scott72]

The Granberg website isn't nearly as useful for getting info on their Alaskans
as this forum is. Just what are the safety issues specifically with the bar tip guard? The saw operator is on the engine side of the mill. I did have a scary moment with my golden retriever last time I milled with my Granberg small log mill. The small mill has no guard at the tip, and while I was milling, my dog blew past me trying to chase something in the woods and almost made contact with the running chain, that could have been a big vet bill. I hate to leave her behind on milling trips, she loves going in the woods....

I think you answered your own question.

 

[oldsaw]

The Granberg website isn't nearly as useful for getting info on their Alaskans
as this forum is. Just what are the safety issues specifically with the bar tip guard? The saw operator is on the engine side of the mill. I did have a scary moment with my golden retriever last time I milled with my Granberg small log mill. The small mill has no guard at the tip, and while I was milling, my dog blew past me trying to chase something in the woods and almost made contact with the running chain, that could have been a big vet bill. I hate to leave her behind on milling trips, she loves going in the woods....

I run both 36" and 42" bars on mine. I scribed a line where the far bracket has to be with the 36" bar so it's an easy adjustment, no measuring.

I'm a happy customer with a few thousand bft under my belt.

 

[Brmorgan]

The Granberg website isn't nearly as useful for getting info on their Alaskans
as this forum is. Just what are the safety issues specifically with the bar tip guard? The saw operator is on the engine side of the mill. I did have a scary moment with my golden retriever last time I milled with my Granberg small log mill. The small mill has no guard at the tip, and while I was milling, my dog blew past me trying to chase something in the woods and almost made contact with the running chain, that could have been a big vet bill. I hate to leave her behind on milling trips, she loves going in the woods....

The nose guard also prevents the chain from snagging on brush and undergrowth if you're milling in fairly thick forest like I usually do. I realize that kickback isn't a big concern since the very CSM setup itself mitigates a lot of the dangers of kickback or chain breakage. But it's never good if you're milling along and some foreign object snags the chain and stops it during the cut; at best it'll likely result in an ugly irregularity in the cut.