Tell me your nightmares of csm'ing

[jwp]

All that I have seen posted are guys having pretty good success at using their csm.

I have a few pine trees that are 12" to 18" at their base and I would like to think that I could get a csm and maybe use these trees to make some sheds or something other than just cutting them and letting them rot.

One of the things that is holding me back is that my saw often cuts to one side. I do my best to keep the chain sharpened correctly and I still have problems from time to time. It seems to me that for milling the saw has to cut a perfectly straight line.

Another question is will I burn more fuel cutting the boards than it would cost just to go and buy the boards.

So tell me about your failures if you don't mind sharing.

 

[BobL]

One of the things that is holding me back is that my saw often cuts to one side. I do my best to keep the chain sharpened correctly and I still have problems from time to time.

When did you last dress your bar rails?

It seems to me that for milling the saw has to cut a perfectly straight line.

A correctly made and adjusted alaskan CSM holds the bar in a fixed orientation so unless the chain is very poorly sharpened, badly worn or the bar rails are uneven, the mill will make parallel cuts every time.
When the bar gets longer than about 50" the issue of bar sag kicks in but there are ways of dealing with that, although they don't always work.
The most likely reason for making sloppy cuts are setting up the guide board or log rails incorrectly which can produce a twisted or bowed cut but after a few goes you can generally work out how to correct these.

Another question is will I burn more fuel cutting the boards than it would cost just to go and buy the boards.

It depends on the price of lumber in your area and how many and what sort of boards you are chasing.
If you factor in your time at a reasonable hourly rate, milling with a CSM is almost certainly an uneconomical to make small pine boards.
If you want long term economy and need a lot of boards then I would be looking at other mills.
I generally won't mill small pine logs - mainly because I have limited use for pine and it is relatively cheap to buy, but anything hardwood here costs an arm and a leg so milling is worth while, but the main reason I mill is to access timber that is otherwise near impossible to get at the local hardware store.

 

[flashhole]

I was looking at the economics too. Aside from the fact milling your own lumber is a really cool thing to do, one way you get "payback" is milling larger lumber like beams. I'm working towards a horse shelter with an attached deer stand and need several 4"12"x12' beams and 2"x8"x10' rafters. Those would be pretty pricey to buy at a lumber yard. The economies make sense when doing the larger lumber if the money aspect is important to you.

 

[flashhole]

My milling nightmare is running out of logs to mill.

 

[jwp]

Thanks everyone for the great replies.

I am going to have to find a way to dress the bar edge. I don't know if I could be accurate enough with a hand file.

I keep trying to find a good use for these pine trees that I want to cut but I just don't seem to be able to come up with a use. unless I sell them and a lot more so that a timber company will come in and do the cutting. If I could come up with a need for some large timbers then maybe it would be worth getting a csm and seeing what I could do.

Thanks again.

 

[discounthunter]

you may want to get a bar(s) and chain(s) and dedicate it just to milling. firewood is forgiving ,milling is not. i mill for big stiff and uncommon(not found at local stores) woods. i do mill pine but try to stay over 18" in width. i mill alot of pecan,some sweetgum and other oddballs.


my milling nitghmares well the first was buying a csm combo,THEN,telling the wife. next toasting said mill saw,THEN, telling the wife.

 

[rarefish383]

It's a fairly basic set up. So, once the log is on the ground, there's not that much to go wrong. My biggest Duuhhh came when I hit the screws that held my rails to the log. If you are cutting crooked, I'd say usually chain. Yes it can be the bar, but usually the chain. Put a new chain on the saw and get a clean log up off the ground where there is no way you can touch the ground and see how it cuts. My milling saw is 40 years old, use good fuel and oil. Keep lots of oil on the bar. Keep it sharp so it doesn't have to work harder than it must. Good luck, Joe.

 

[BobL]

. . . . My biggest Duuhhh came when I hit the screws that held my rails to the log.

Yep been there - done that lucky the screws were plain steel and the chain just cut straight thru. I've also forgotten to tighten one side of a bar clamp and managed to mangle a few cutters.

 

[jwp]

you may want to get a bar(s) and chain(s) and dedicate it just to milling. firewood is forgiving ,milling is not. i mill for big stiff and uncommon(not found at local stores) woods. i do mill pine but try to stay over 18" in width. i mill alot of pecan,some sweetgum and other oddballs.


my milling nitghmares well the first was buying a csm combo,THEN,telling the wife. next toasting said mill saw,THEN, telling the wife.

If your wife has muscles like the lady in your avatar, I would be asking before doing anything.

 

[Mike-Firelands]

Make sure to clean your saw everytime after you have milled. Be sure to clean out the bar and oil ports as well. I prefer to have a little more tension on my chain when milling. Keep the chain sharp and proper depth on the cutter and you'll be fine.