What part of the saw actually dies?

[gemniii]

The primary reason one needs a bigger saw is to mill bigger logs,

and

you'll want to get bigger saw just for the increased speed

I also think that a big reason for getting a bigger saw is to HAVE a bigger saw, just for the sound

Last week I was clearing out vines etc. around my workshops, the biggest tree I had to cut was only about 8" DBH. I did 95% of it w/ my Stihl 021, but just HAD to fire up a 660 to cut the tree into firewood. Sure sounded GOOD.

I like to "tune" my 660's and let them both idle a bit, while I stand between them.

 

[BobL]

and



I also think that a big reason for getting a bigger saw is to HAVE a bigger saw, just for the sound

Yeah - sorry I forgot about that!

 

[WadePatton]

and...

I like to "tune" my 660's and let them both idle a bit, while I stand between them.

i saw a vid a few years back of 8 or 9 Sachs Dolmar 166's--all idling. it's probably still floating around.



yeah, i do it too...i've done with multiple "5900cc" Cummins as well. joyous noises

 

[mitch95100]

opcorn:

 

[hunt22j]

But if clutch piston and bearings are all that's gonna go, whats the sum total of those parts? I'm thinking less than 100 bucks.
You can pick up a whole new cylinder and piston kit for 60-75, a big bore kit for an 029 is like 100. and clutches come cheap.

My point is that I can do the mechanical work myself. so why spend 600 bucks I don't have on an 076 that might already be beaten into the ground?

Unless someone can show me where to get an 80+ cc saw that runs for 300 bucks, I might as well just run the ones I have and replace parts as needed.

This is my thinking. I hope someone will correct me, because I really would like a bigger saw anyways.


I'm never in a hurry, I'm just moving fast.

I believe you can find a nice size saw if your willing to look around and wait for a deal. I'd call all the local small engine shops to see if any trade-ins have been brought in. I say this because I was in the same boat last year debating on what to do about a saw for a mill. I have a smaller stihl that I tried first and it worked well enough for me to catch the bug. So on a whim I stopped by a local shop just to see what they had available, if anything. To my suprise the owner pulled out two 60-65 cc homelites (I believe) and a 281xp Husky that the mechanic had rebuilt the motor on. Long story short, I came home with the Husky for 375$ and its still running well today.

 

[chaikwa]

I dunno what you guys know that I don't know, but what I DO know is that I started milling with a chainsaw mill powered with a 3120 Husky. And it wasn't enough saw for what I was trying to do! I can't even imagine trying it with something smaller.

Finally got sick of sharpening chains, pumping oilers, refueling every other pass, generally beating myself to death with that CSM and doing everything except sawing lumber and built a bandsaw.

 

[betterbuilt]

I dunno what you guys know that I don't know, but what I DO know is that I started milling with a chainsaw mill powered with a 3120 Husky. And it wasn't enough saw for what I was trying to do! I can't even imagine trying it with something smaller.

Finally got sick of sharpening chains, pumping oilers, refueling every other pass, generally beating myself to death with that CSM and doing everything except sawing lumber and built a bandsaw.

Some people just get it quicker than others.

 

[BobL]

I dunno what you guys know that I don't know, but what I DO know is that I started milling with a chainsaw mill powered with a 3120 Husky. And it wasn't enough saw for what I was trying to do! I can't even imagine trying it with something smaller.

Finally got sick of sharpening chains, pumping oilers, refueling every other pass, generally beating myself to death with that CSM and doing everything except sawing lumber and built a bandsaw.

Anyone beating themselves to death with a CSM means they just haven't got it set up right.

If you want bulk lumber then a bandsaw is a smart move, but if one already has a CS, a CSM is still the quickest way to access some logs with the minimum $.

 

[gemniii]

Remember the C in CSM can stand for Carry (or Cheap). Look at some of mtngun's extensive work. Trucking either the logs or a BSM doesn't work for all applications. And the additional $200 for the equipment off the shelf is far less than any off the shelf BSM.

Sure you may write "I built my BSM from spare stuff I had laying around with my own time and tools", but not everyone happens to have "spare stuff laying around" and the "time and tools".

 

[chaikwa]

Anyone beating themselves to death with a CSM means they just haven't got it set up right.

With all due respect, I'd agree with you but then we'd both be wrong. I had a CSM and it was "set up right".

View attachment 218577 View attachment 218578

It was loud, hot, and dirty. Exhaust from the saw combined with the heat, made the chips that were randomly flying everywhere, stick to you because you are sweating like a pig. They have their place but not because they're easy to operate or because they're quick.

I cut a LOT of lumber with that thing and built a place in Maine with it.

View attachment 218576

 

[sixteenacrewood]

BobL, I love that photo!
I have been reading up on csm milling here for a year or so. and yes a big saw is preferable, but rather than wait until I could afford it, I started with a husky 455 that I already owned and went at it free hand, no mill. I keep my saw clean and tuned, my chain very sharp, and my feed speed resonable. After two + years the only thing I've broken was a few clutch springs and clogged bar oiler. Both are easy and cheap to fix. I'm sure one day the little husky will give out but so far she has been a money maker. and I heat with wood, all from the 455.(I live in the woods)

That said...I just bought a used dolmer 9010, and have an alaskan mill kit on the way, should be here tue or wed, and yes I am VERY PUMPED! not sure if I'll ever freehand again...but who knows.

Gemnii is right, once you get into it there is no turning back.

 

[lone wolf]

Tell you what to do.

You can experiment a little with your 55cc saw by simply trying to rip a log freehand.

Just go all the way down the middle of,,,say a 10' log.

I am almost sure that you will see how slow and difficult a task this is.

Now consider doing this over and over as if you were cutting this log up into lumber.

I bet you will see that a larger displacement saw is in order.

Bob

What he said and make it oak.

 

[sixteenacrewood]

Great reply trad tool. I've never blown up a saw so this was very informative.

but I do have a dumb question.

what do you mean "run a tad rich" and how do I start doing it? is this a carb adjustment?

Is this something I should do on my dolmer 9010 and my husky 455?

Thanks

 

[VA-Sawyer]

Piston ring made of Aluminum ? I'd like to see one! I call BS on your post!
Rick

 

[BobL]

Heres what happened to the first 50 cc (a circa early 1970s Mac 10-10) I put on a CSM.

It was my BIL's (not the same BIL as the BIL Mill but another - I have 7 BILS:eek2 saw that both he and I used mainly to cut out stumps!

Before using it I did nothing to it by way of checking or tuning etc, just put it on the mill and several logs later it just dropped the little end.

I don't believe this was cause by the fact that it was on a CSM, I'd say the same thing would have happened on the next stump.

Since then I have milled up about 25 small logs using my gardening/pruning saw, a plastic bodied Homelite 340 - a 50 cc saw with a 20" bar - no problems.

 

[hamish]

Piston ring made of Aluminum ? I'd like to see one! I call BS on your post!
Rick

Most are either cast, aluminum of an aluminum alloy, so yes aluminum piston rings do exist.

 

[BobL]

. . . . Another thing you can do is mix your fuel with more oil, I like to shoot for 50:1 rather than 40:1, as many on AS do,

Huh?

50:1 is 1 part oil to 50 parts gas, or 1/51th oil and 50/51ths gas, or 2% oil
40:1 is 1 part in 41 oil or 2.4% oil

So how is 50:1 more oil?

 

[hamish]

I think what TraditionalTool was getting at is......you have two options, either adjusting your carburator (aka fuel-oil/air mixture) or adding additional oil to your fuel and leaving the carburator settings as is.

\every body has there own way of doing things, but I do agree with the statement of 50:1 and make a carb adjustment ( opening the needles to introduce more of a charge).

Its a touchy subject on here when one starts talking rich and lean and gas and oil etc.....
Till such time as all can agree on common terms and definitions etc.....its a battle.


Just adding more oil to the fuel-oil mix and not adjusting the carburator to compensate for this is not a good idea, and remeber gasoline/fuel/go-gas/petrol what ever you want to call it has cooling abilities of its own. Think of how a two stoke works and where the charge to the combustion chamber comes from...................a two stroke run on straight gas will take a beating before ever failing without a load on it, heat is the major cause of failure.

 

[sachsmo]

Most are either cast, aluminum of an aluminum alloy, so yes aluminum piston rings do exist.

C'mon bro,

Pistons aluminum? indeed.

Rings aluminum? hardly.

All the ones I have ran across in the last 40+ years are Cast Iron, period!

And DO run a higher ratio of oil, (we use 30:1) and run the highest octane fuel we can find.


And if Y'all believe you can just sit back in the chair like Bob does in that pic. And procede to mill yourself a home.

GOOD LUCK.

 

[sixteenacrewood]

And if Y'all believe you can just sit back in the chair like Bob does in that pic. And procede to mill yourself a home.

GOOD LUCK.

Bob?
Do you set it on a slope, lock the trottle and sit back? how long, time wise does a cut like the photo, take?