Testing out mods to MK3

[dallasm1]

Hi yall. I haven't posted in a while as I haven't had much to show, but I did get a chance to make some mods to my MK3. I have added an oiler, wheels, and a handle bar with remote throttle.

I was happy with my stock setup until I found this forum!

I do have to say, the handle bar and wheels make a significant difference.

It did rain this weekend but I did some test milling anyways...

I know we love our pics so here you go...

Thanks to everyone on the forum for sharing their wealth of ideas, suggestions and experience.

 

[BobL]

Hi yall. I haven't posted in a while as I haven't had much to show, but I did get a chance to make some mods to my MK3. I have added an oiler, wheels, and a handle bar with remote throttle.

Cool stuff, especially the handle bar and throttle setup. It looks like you have nice smooth logs for now but I wonder how it will go steering the mill around lumps and bumps on the side of the log?

I see in that last picture you also hit the vertical limit on the Mk111. I have no idea why they make them so short.

BTW what sort of tree is thta?

 

[mtngun]

Why the doubled unistrut ? Is that for rididity ?

In one pics the unistrut seems to be laying on its side, in another pic it is standing up ? Were you experimenting ?

Is your homemade oiler a dripper or an injector ?

What kind of wood is that ? Thanks for the pics.

 

[dallasm1]

I have the unistrut doubled up to reduce sag. On the first cut, I use the strut on end, after I have a table top, I lay the strut over just to give the mill a smooth surface to run on.

The oiler is a dripper. I use a needle valve and fitting to drop it onto the chain.

The tree is is a silver/white/noble fir. They are common around here and are considered a low quality tree, compared to the doug fir anyways.

 

[dallasm1]

Cool stuff, especially the handle bar and throttle setup. It looks like you have nice smooth logs for now but I wonder how it will go steering the mill around lumps and bumps on the side of the log?

I see in that last picture you also hit the vertical limit on the Mk111. I have no idea why they make them so short.

BTW what sort of tree is thta?

The handle bar works surprisingly well, especially when the wheel is in contact with the log. The bar swivels left and right and up and down, and is actually loose. It is a piece of tubing that just drops over top of the stock handle. I was going to "pin" it but I wanted to try it loose and it works very well. It sure is nice being able to stand up!

 

[BobL]

Yeah, being able to stand up it alone worth the effort of such mods.

I have a set of handle bars from a Harley Davidson that I was going to use in a similar way but the main reason I haven't used them is I like to be in a position to place at least one hand on the saw so as to retain some the feel of the saw in the cut.

For example, in this picture the end of the handle is quite a long way from the saw and I didn't think I would quite get enough feedback from the saw/mill using these long handlebars.

The other thing in such a deep cut is there is no pressure direct in the line with the cut or level with the saw. In most cutting situation I like to put my knee or leg up against the top of the wrap handle to provide this in-line pressure - but that is just my preference. You may still be able to do this if you move the handle bars forward enough to the front of the mill.

With my right hand I also like to vary where I hold it on the mill during the cut, so being confined to having both hands continually on the handles doesn't provide as much variety of holding locations. I also like to keep milling while I add wedges. I lock the throttle and keep a forward pressure on the mill with my leg/knee this leaves my arms free to add wedges. This also provides a smoother finish because every time the mill is stopped and started it marks the surface.

Another potential problem I can see with single point loose fitting handle bars is that if the saw bogs down there is limited or no ability to twist the mill out of the cut, there is only a back and forth action available. Also they make it virtually impossible to cut at an angle to the log. In your softwoods it probably doesn't matter all that much but at the end of a long Aussie hardwood slab the chain is often starting to get quite blunt. On some long wide logs I even remove the mill from the cut and touch up the chain. An alternative is to take the strain off the saw by milling at an angle and see-saw my way through the remainder of the cut. This requires riding on one wheel and then the other down the side of the log.

All these factors are why I also don't like using winches or carriage CS mills. But who knows I may get over around these issues at some stage and try the handle bars out.

I hope you can take this as constructive criticism, hopefully you can tell I have thought long and hard about various handle setups etc.
At the end of the day mill mods is all about working out what works for you and if it does that's all that really matters.

 

[dallasm1]

Actually my handle swivels left and right as well. I can pull the saw to any angle I like and still keep the same posture. I do this when I hit a knot, or a branch stub and I have to rock the saw from wheel to wheel to clear the obstruction. I was also concerned about lack of feel, but I haven't noticed any difference from when my hands are on the saw itself. I do notice that standing upright makes me more relaxed and I actually put less pressure on the mill and it is doing more of the work. Having the mill maxed out in depth is not common for me, as I only do this when I am cutting a large beam, in this case a 12x12. Most of my cuts are in the 2 to 6 inch range. I have a video of me milling that deep cut, but it is too large to post here.

 

[BobL]

. . . . . . I do notice that standing upright makes me more relaxed and I actually put less pressure on the mill and it is doing more of the work.

It sounds like you've hit a sweet spot

 

[Kicker_92]

Nice logs, lower grade logs still will yeild some really nice beams.

Do you use a mini-mill for edging the sides, or do you rotate the log? Your setup and mine are very similar, except I use some 2"x4"x1/8" wall tubing for rails rather than the double unistrut.

Any pics of the end results of those beams? What are you using to mark your cuts on the end, look like a paint stick or chalk?

 

[dallasm1]

It certainly feels that way. It might be that because of the left/right swivel, the handle bar is actually pushing at two points, on the center stock handle postion AND on the near saw vertical post. I can vary the pressure from one point to the other very easily. This is, of course, pure luck. I didn't not consider that when I cut this handle of the road kill "Ab-ercizer".

 

[irishcountry]

Very nice!! Like the handlebars different take and look like it would come in handy like that!!!

 

[dallasm1]

Nice logs, lower grade logs still will yeild some really nice beams.

Do you use a mini-mill for edging the sides, or do you rotate the log? Your setup and mine are very similar, except I use some 2"x4"x1/8" wall tubing for rails rather than the double unistrut.

Any pics of the end results of those beams? What are you using to mark your cuts on the end, look like a paint stick or chalk?

I am torn between the mini mill (I have a cobbled up superstrut setup) and rotating the log. The beauty with the minimill is there is minimal setup and no log rotating of course. The problem is that the saw I am using for the mini mill is only 60cc and it struggles with cuts of this size.... I have been wanting to test a winch setup for the mini mill so I may try that....

I havent finished this beam yet, but here are some examples of other beams that I have cut....

And more (yes, I know they are warped, as this is before I learned about tension in wood!)

 

[dallasm1]

Any pics of the end results of those beams? What are you using to mark your cuts on the end, look like a paint stick or chalk?

I am using a "Lumber Markng Crayon". It is very much like a paint stick. You can get them in different colors at a construction supply house.

 

[mtngun]

I have the unistrut doubled up to reduce sag. On the first cut, I use the strut on end, after I have a table top, I lay the strut over just to give the mill a smooth surface to run on.

The oiler is a dripper. I use a needle valve and fitting to drop it onto the chain.

The tree is is a silver/white/noble fir. They are common around here and are considered a low quality tree, compared to the doug fir anyways.

OK, no silver fir on my mountain so I didn't recognize it. The quality of the wood sounds similar to my white/grand fir, which is used mostly for pulp and crates, but I made a few white fir beams back before I became a doug fir snob.

How do you like the 084 for milling ? Do you use a 7 pin sprocket or an 8 pin ? Can you push the 084 into the cut without bogging ? What do you feel limits your cutting speed ?

Sorry for all the questions but I am always trying to learn more about our hobby.

 

[dallasm1]

OK, no silver fir on my mountain so I didn't recognize it. The quality of the wood sounds similar to my white/grand fir, which is used mostly for pulp and crates, but I made a few white fir beams back before I became a doug fir snob.

How do you like the 084 for milling ? Do you use a 7 pin sprocket or an 8 pin ? Can you push the 084 into the cut without bogging ? What do you feel limits your cutting speed ?

Sorry for all the questions but I am always trying to learn more about our hobby.

I tried the embedded quote thing but I wasn't too successful, so I will answer without the fancy split quotes:

There is no comparison between the doug fir and the grand fir - the doug fir is wonderful. It is strong, rot resistant and beautiful as well. If you leave grand fir on the ground you can almost watch it decompose. That is why I mill them up as quickly as possible.

I absolutely love this saw. I am currently using a 7 pin, but I have a new 42 inch bar and an 8 pin that I will be putting on when the opportunity comes and I think the 8 pin will be an improvement. The saw cuts best when the rpms are up. I can bog the saw down by pushing, but I don't have anything to compare it to, so I am not sure if it is down on power or not. it cuts just fine without much push. If I let it rev out with slight push, it throws a PILE of chips.

Because I can push the saw to bog down, I believe I am being limited more by horsepower than anything else, but I do not know as this could just be too low an rpm.

 

[excess650]

Bogging the saw will be worse with an 8 pin vs a 7 pin.

 

[dallasm1]

Here is a frame from a video showing the rig in action:
Yes it was raining..

 

[BIG JAKE]

Very innovative Dallas(handle bars). Looks like a very comfortable proposition not only with position/posture but also farther away from exhaust/dust. That's always a good thing!

 

[dallasm1]

Very innovative Dallas(handle bars). Looks like a very comfortable proposition not only with position/posture but also farther away from exhaust/dust. That's always a good thing!

Thanks. No more sore back! I am totally surprised at what a difference the posture makes.

 

[BobL]

Here is a frame from a video showing the rig in action:

Nice pic!
Why the knee pads?

Yes it was raining.

I don't like milling in the rain but in WA you probably don't always have a lot of choice. In Southern Hemisphere WA (Western Australia) it's the other was around - we take all the rain we can get. Tropical Cyclone Laurence just made a run down the north coast and went inland dropping a heap of water but we are so far south (over 1000 miles away) we didn't get a drop of rain or a breath of wind from it.