What size cc saw does it take to mill with

[Cut4fun]

I just posted some hand hewed beams, logs in the used equipment section. If I dont get rid of them, I just wonder if it is feasible to mill them into 1" to 2" slabs of wood 8' to 13' long, most being 12'-13'. Barn dated 1880's. What is the cc's of a good milling saw?

 

[Lawn Masters]

Somewhere round 80 is a min, like a Mac 250, with the auto oiler, would probably do quite well, or a Stihl 046 for the smallest.

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

I myself don't mill, but a friend of mine does extensively, and he uses a 660, and often he wants more saw. It does the job, but that's about as low as I'd go for regular use. If this is a one time gig, just milling what you described, you could get by with a smaller saw, and just take your time doing it.

Jeff

 

[Lawn Masters]

For an IDEAL milling saw, I'd go with a Homelite 2100, or a Stihl 090, either one of which would suit the task PERFECTLY as they're HUGE machines with massive torque outputs. this game is all about torque, speed in rpms is uselsss, its ALL about torque.

 

[Al Smith]

Yep the big Homie,big Stihl or the the big Mac will rip cut like a maniac,but first you have to find one.

 

[smcowboy1974]

I'd go with a 076, 084, 088, 090, or one of those big old Macs with 5.0 cubicles or better. The older saws get down to that certain rpm and just boogie. You don't have t o have something running fast to mill. Load one of those old ones and listen to them old dogs bark at the moon. And keep on barking until they're out of 100LL.

 

[smcowboy1974]

Or 4 quarts 32 to 1 and 1 quart of kerosene to help keep everything cool, and from boiling in the gas tank. I think somebody once told me something about kerosent in an old Mac.
I actually saw the old bug run, and it ran just fine. It even started REAL good, so if you don't believe it try it. IT DOES work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

 

[ozflea]

Osd and Al your certainly right, grabbing a really big and brutish saw is about the only way to go as milling would have to be about one of the hardest jobs any saw can do besides ripping long lengths of timber as it shakes the living daylights out of any saw.

And keep a few tools handy ie; screwdriver and spanners.

Mc Bob.

 

[shtoink]

From what I understand, you'll need to have it squiting oil like crazy. The long bar and the constant buttload of sawdust sucks the oil right up.

Would it be better to run 3/8 chain to minimize the size of the cut? I imagine this is one of thise times that you don't want to waste your wood by taking a really wide bite. Would this still be an option if you are running one of those old tanks that normally sport a 404 chain if you got an appropriate bar?

 

[oakman]

well, i disagree with the majority of the previous advice. i have personally milled over 20,000 bd.ft. mostly hardwood, oak and maple, and i can tell you one thing. you need SPEED, lots of it, and torque. i have 29 vintage saws, all 80ccs or bigger. lots of big macs, including 2 sp125's. they all suck at milling. yes they have more torque, but milling with a chainsaw is a slow process, at best. you try milling with a 250 mac, or any of the others of that line, and you are gonna be pushing the saw for 15 or 20 minutes wide open to make one cut. the 125's will mill, but don't try it in summer or you'll have chunks of aluminum coming out the exhaust. try wrestling one with a long bar and a mill attached. my 066 is 50% faster than any of them milling, hard or soft. if the logs are bigger than about 20" or so, and hardwood, then i break out the 088, which doesn't spin as fast as the 066, but is much faster than any vintage saw. i prefer the 066, and use it 90% of the time, because of the higher rpm's, and it is better on fuel than the 088.

 

[Al Smith]

Now then,first of all ,I am not a fan of chainsaw milling.I know a lot of folks are,and that is just fine with me.If I were going to try and wear out a saw by milling,it wouldn't be a 2100 Homey or a 125 Mac I would much rather wear out a Stihl 066 or 084/88.All I do along those lines is to on rare occasions rip a log.Recently I free handed an 18" by 8 ft log in about 2 minutes with a 2100, [how smooth thread]Now had it been with an Alaska type mill it would have been faster,but as I said,I don't do that.Now why in the world Oakmans 125 is spitting out aluminum,I haven't a clue.Could be the cylinder is starting to delaminate,ugh.

 

[Lawn Masters]

Well, from where I sit, I'd prefer a Stihl 090, or perhaps even something bigger, like an old 2 man saw with 3/4" pitch chain, something along those lines would do quite well for milling, slow? yes, but powerful, definately.

 

[oakman]

al, i don't mill with my 125's, either. parts are too hard to come by these days. these saws are notorious for running hot/ vapor locking in the summer heat. all that metal, you know. they also have a nasty reputation for throwing rods and chrome delamination, if its an aluminum cylinder. they were never designed for the extended full throttle sawing that is required to mill. neither are the new ones. i am not greatly impressed by the chainsaw mill, either. although in my case, most of the time i have to go in the bush and selectively drop trees. usually no way to get a skidder or anything in there. so i go in with my mills and come out with boards. i don't mill in the summer either. way to hard on the saws. i didn't say my 125 had chunks coming out. after 35 some years of sawing, i know the limits. i used that phrase to describe what will happen if you try and push these old saws to the extreme as in milling large logs. that must of been a softwood log you did in 2 minutes. also if you freehanded it, you probably got some angle on it and got some curly fries. with a mill attached on a big log, you can't get hardly any angle, and are forced to cut directly across the end grain. this makes a huge difference in speed. you get fine dust, not curly fries. try it in a 30'' maple or ash.

 

[Al Smith]

Oakman,it was a piece of red oak.We don't have any softwood in this part of Ohio.I held it at a 45 degree angle,with a full comp .404 chisel.I had way too much bar[36" ] I hit the dirt.It's a little warped but not bad .Along the same lines,I bucked about 40 ft of soft maple ,for a friend,34"in diameter into 16" pieces,at a shade under one minute per cut.Did the whole thing on less than one tank of fuel.

 

[oakman]

ya, a 45 degree angle makes a huge difference in the cut speed. i been hashin around a mill design that will allow the saw to cut at that angle. problem is on a big log you need an even longer bar to accomodate the angle. i run a 36'' on my homebuilt mill, and thats alot of filing, as i'm sure you know and its awkward holding the saw sideways at that angle. eventually i think i'll build a bandmill. i got a 18 horse twin b&s motor that should power a small one ok. i will admit though that a chainsaw mill has been a viable economic choice for me. i would definately be making my own bandsaw blades from coil stock however. they want way to much for 'em. heck, my 125 will go through 34'' of maple in under 30 seconds. whats up with that? i don't run .404 though.

 

[Al Smith]

Check out a pro cut mill,by Alan Combs.It's a cheaper alternative then a bandsaw mill.It uses a carrage the holds the saw at a 45 degree angle.I am in the process myself ,building a bandsaw mill myself.I've got all the stuff,just don't have the time,right now.I also have a pair of 125 Macs,and to tell the truth I don't know which has more guts the 2100 Homey or the big Macs.This little clip doesn't show much,my camera man was a little under trained

 

[Marco]

For what these larger saws are bringing in good shape I think that some of you gentleman would be better off finding at least an old Belsaw sawmill. This was the kind where the carriage went over the arbor. Portability is not as good, but a blade will stay sharp alot longer, your fuel economy will be better, and your production will be higher.
I have a chainsawmill, still in the box. I purchased it to cut up shorter sections of more valuable wood that would not work on our circular mill.
I've thaught of rigging up a hydraulic motor to run a chainsawmill with a remote engine (small diesel even). I have seen hydraulic driven chainsaws, guess you could mill with one.

 

[t_andersen]

well, i disagree with the majority of the previous advice. i have personally milled over 20,000 bd.ft. mostly hardwood, oak and maple, and i can tell you one thing. you need SPEED, lots of it, and torque. i have 29 vintage saws, all 80ccs or bigger. lots of big macs, including 2 sp125's. they all suck at milling. yes they have more torque, but milling with a chainsaw is a slow process, at best. you try milling with a 250 mac, or any of the others of that line, and you are gonna be pushing the saw for 15 or 20 minutes wide open to make one cut. the 125's will mill, but don't try it in summer or you'll have chunks of aluminum coming out the exhaust. try wrestling one with a long bar and a mill attached. my 066 is 50% faster than any of them milling, hard or soft. if the logs are bigger than about 20" or so, and hardwood, then i break out the 088, which doesn't spin as fast as the 066, but is much faster than any vintage saw. i prefer the 066, and use it 90% of the time, because of the higher rpm's, and it is better on fuel than the 088.

Oakman, do you use additional chain lubrication with the long bars?

 

[oakman]

yea, i rigged up a plastic quart oil can hung upside down on my mill. gravity fed to a hole in the bar rail that has a piece of steel brake line welded in which connects to the can via rubber tube. i cut the bar oil 25% with kerosene or wd40 to help it flow.