Questions about saws for milling

[grover]

Hello....I was thinking about buying a Solo Model 694 Chainsaw for milling. Does this have the side chain tensioner? In other words is this saw setup favorably for milling or are there features which would be a PITA when using it for milling. Tell me a bit about why this would be a good saw for milling over say a Stihl 660 or Husky 390 please. I am having a hard time making up my mind. Also do you sell ANY parts for these...air filters, carb kits ect?

I was thinking any price advantage would be wiped out the first time I needed to buy parts?

I was also considering a Makita with the big bore kit. 84ccs. What would the maximum bar length be for milling in pine mostly. and would this saw be a good option for milling and how lacking would it be compared to the Solo saw?

Thanks in advance for you time!

I just posted this in the sponsered section and was thinking I might get some good feedback here also. I have red pine no larger than 24" that I would be cutting. Mostly what I want to do this year is thin out a stand of hard maple by getting rid of the basswood. These are nice trees,nothing larger than 24", and I dont want to waste the wood. I know it is not worth much but I am thinking of cutting it into 4"x6"x8' sections for carving blocks and just storing it away till dry.

Right now I have a new 372xp that I could probably mill the basswood up with. I was wondering how big of a bar could be used on that for milling and what size of Alaskan type mill would I want to get? I know it is not a very big saw but I would just be blocking up the basswood which is like balsa wood!

As far as getting a bigger saw if I did not really need it.......I just feel the need! Thank you!

 

[mtngun]

I know it is not worth much but I am thinking of cutting it into 4"x6"x8' sections for carving blocks and just storing it away till dry.

You could do that with a mini-mill and your 372, if you had to.

Even a 90cc saw will work hard milling a 24" wide cut, so feel free to buy a bigger saw, if you are looking for an excuse. :hmm3grin2orange:

No right or wrong answer about bar length. The OEM Alaskan bar clamps take up 4" - 6" of space on the bar, so to mill a 24" tree with an Alaskan, you'd be looking at a minimum 28" bar, and 32" more like it.

But -- the Alaskan can be modified to a bolt-on mount, which frees up a couple of inches of bar.

The Solo has a reputation of being a strong engine, with compression to brag about. Dunno about its chain adjuster. Yes, I've heard that Solo parts are spendy.

The Alaskan can usually be modified to allow access to a front chain adjuster. It doesn't seem feasible to modify the mini-mill for a front adjuster, though.

 

[grover]

bar lengths

What about the Makita DCS6401 Chainsaw with 84cc Upgrade Option for milling? I haven't heard much written about it for milling. What length of bar would work in the softwood with the 84cc BBkit? Also what length bar would work on the 372 in the basswood. I have a 24" bar for that.....I guess all I would need would be the ripping chain?

I can fab up a milling fixture for whatever you guys think yhe maximum bar legth should be. Thanks again for the help.

By the time I squared up the 24" logs they would be down to what.... 18" or so for the actual cuts?

 

[kimosawboy]

Having never played in basswood, but having lot's of playtime with 372/272 . I think you would be pushing a 372 if you start milling 24", you will have to run a 30" bar min. and for continuous cutting it's getting to the limits of the 372. That said I ran a 34'" bar for a year and a half while spacing on a 372 with no issues and that was balls to the wall 11 tanks a day stuff!
If you can move on up in saw size it might be worthwhile, but stick with decent saws. No Makita
G Vavra

 

[betterbuilt]

Before I bought a chainsaw mill I was perfectly happy with having a bandmill come and cut up all my logs. The cost was low and I didn't have to pay for any repairs. I still use a band will for any boards I want that are less than 23 inches wide. I would check it out before you go buying a saw. I run a 066 and a 48 inch mill. I did try my 310 on a small maple log when I first bought my mill with a 20 inch bar to see how it ran. I made one cut about seven feet long and it took a tank of gas to go six feet. I will never again waist my time to do a smaller log if I can get it to to the mill. The only reason I bought a mill was so I could make boards wider than 23 inches. It works well but the time you could save having a band mill could cut cut your basswood would be days or even weeks depending on how much your gonna cut.

 

[smokinj]

I was thinking of milling with my 460 but really like that saw, so I am using it for edging and an 880 for milling..If your going to be milling any length of time a 100cc+ saw is where you need to be.

 

[grover]

What I would be doing in the basswood is just making them into cants and then splitting them to remove the heartwood I guess,as little as possible. This is because the carvers need the heartwood removed so there carvings don't split (I was told this by a carver at a wood show),and to make the logs easier for me to move and stack till dry (years probably). If you have ever cut basswood you know it is just like balsa wood! But I have never milled so maybe just ripping any green wood is murder on a saw.

We have a small saw mill 5 minutes away just around the corner. I milled a bunch of maple up a few years ago. I built a nice loading trailer with a ramp and winch on the side...you would hook the log to a loop of chain and just rool it up the ramp.

It is a 3 hour drive for me to get to my cabin and land so the plan is I would drive up with the empty trailer and drive back with the milled wood, some of it anyway! When at the cabin I would load the logs ...drop them off at the mill around the corner and load the trailer with milled boards and drive back to get another load of logs. 5 minute trip

He was all hepped up (yep,,,we can do it!) ......untill the trees were laying on the ground. Then the tune changed. Don't know when I can get to it was the tune. As I would drive by the mill on the way to town I could see he was not even there!

I think it cost me 2 extra trips up there (each time driving back with an empty trailer!) and 2 days lost wages using unpaid personal days! I figured out the cost and I could have bought kiln dried ,hand picked boards at a small wood supplier near my house. AND I would not have had the 5'x8'x8' stack of wood sitting in my garage down here for the last 2 years. But ,hey, this was an experience and fun.....turned out not to be smart because of his dragging his feet.

If I was smart I would drop the basswood and leave it lay to rot........I don't hug trees but I do respect them, so I can't do that.

 

[betterbuilt]

I just quartered up a four foot basswood logs. It cut okay but not fast. It took part of a day to quarter up 3, 12foot logs so I could haul them to the mill. I'd say go for it. Buy a saw and a mill and mill them on site. What else can ya do.

 

[grover]

Better built ...what are you planning on using the wood for? These were 4 foot diamater logs? Big ones!

 

[betterbuilt]

yeah, they were four foot in diameter. I got the logs for free and cut some of it into carving blocks to sell in the future. I cut some 1/4 inch for a guy that makes hollow surf boards. The log was about 125 years old or so. I cut a few slabs to see how it looks for slab furniture.

 

[betterbuilt]

I forgot the rot was only about a foot up the log. the rest was really good.

 

[jdrum]

the oldtimers used basswood for drawer backs and sides. a lot of crafters should be interested in it, because it's so easy to work. it makes good utility boxes for odes and ends. my grand father made a basswood tool box in the early 1920s and carried it for about 25 years on several steam traction engens doing custom threshing. it sits today in my cousins shop in upstate ny housing a nice collection of pre 1940 wrenches, and small hand tools.

jim

 

[grover]

How were the edges of the tool box joined? How thick was the wood used in it's construction?

 

[betterbuilt]

the oldtimers used basswood for drawer backs and sides. a lot of crafters should be interested in it, because it's so easy to work. it makes good utility boxes for odes and ends. my grand father made a basswood tool box in the early 1920s and carried it for about 25 years on several steam traction engens doing custom threshing.

Do you have any pictures of that utility box Jim. I have made crates from aspen before and its amazingly strong for such a soft wood. When it drys it gets really strong. I was thinking that Basswood would make nice drawer bottom if the drawer wasn't to big. I usually use white pine or whatever I have laying around.

 

[jdrum]

that tool box is a beast it's about 16x16x40, 4/4, and the corners are dovetailed and pinned with hickory pins verticly down through the joint.the top and bottom are rabbited into the sides and lid as there are no nails or other fasteners. the only metal is the hasp, hinges, and the bolts that hold them.
i don't have any pics but if i can get ahold of my cousin i'll see if he will send me some.

jim

 

[RNeurath]

As to your question about a Makita 6401 with the BB kit.That's the route I took.I'm pretty new to milling but that saw runs pretty strong. I only have a 30"bar but it handles 18" ash with no problems.Ron

 

[grover]

Thanks for getting back on track! What kind of milling setup do you run with that? Do you run the .375 x.050 ripping chain, or a different gauge bar?

 

[RNeurath]

If that question was directed at me I have a 30" Alaskan mill with .375 chain on a 30" unbranded bar from Bailey"s.A longer bar(36") might be nice but they have these for $35 and I couldn't turn it down.Anyway the BB Makita seems up to the task.Ron

 

[grover]

Yes it was Ron ....thanks for the reply. So you just stick with the .050 gauge? I was wondering with the fact that I would be buying the bar and chain new if a deal presented itself I would be better off buying a .375 x.058 bar? No difference in these? ...stick with the .375x.050? I was wondering if the .058 would be stronger or more of a drag on the saw running through the long cut. I see they have 32" and 34" ....worth buying the extra couple of inches do you think?

 

[RNeurath]

With the 30" Alaskan mill you actually need a 36" bar to fully utilize the capacity of the mill.That would be about 24" .That's probably about all my
top end enhanced Home Depot tramp wants to chew on.
I got the 30" .058 because that's what was on sale.I would prefer .050 as that's what I generally run.As to whether the gauge size makes any difference,I don't have a clue.There no end to guys around here that know a lot more about this than I do.
I will say you need to check the squish on the BB cylinder for best performance.Mine was right with no gasket at all.Ron