Never CS milled before but i'm getting real excited to start.I'm planing on running a MKIII with 30'' rails on a Stihl 660.I'll be milling mostly birch and aspen and some occasional spruce.Average diameter is around 20'' give or take.I've read through most of the old threads but i'm still not clear what bar and ripping chain I should run?
I assume you have or will have the stock crosscutting 3/8 0.063" chain?
If so, then your options are
1) Stick with that and practice till you get smooth cuts
2) Get some ripping chain or
3) File the stock chain top plate cutter angle to 10º - which is all that ripping chain is.
4) Look into narrower gauge bar and chain
I would recommend 1) first and then experiment with 3) and then look at 4) later
Another question I have is i've read on here you can buy longer rails for the mills and I was wondering how much they usually run and who sells them?Any advice would be much appriciated!
Baileys have longer rails for sale separately but unless you are working in dense forest I suggest just buying the rails longer than you need. I used to run a 40" bar on a 54" bar but since I used my 60" bar with my 64" rails, whenever I swap back to the 42" bar I keep the 64" rails on. Longer rails help to balance the weight of the powerhead across a log.
All those milling rails on the MkIIIs are made from a standard form of highway sign unistrut. As I drive around I see the stuff on the back of signs and keep looking for a sign long enough for a mill
This ally profile is readily available here in Australia for about US$50 for a 20ft length. If you cn get it in the US (so far no one seems to be able to get it) this means from one length you can cut 2 sets of mill rails for less than the price of one from Baileys - the only thing will be they will not be black powder coated.
For a 660 in 20" wood I would look at a 36" long bar. This will give you 30" of cut and help you get around lumps and bumps on logs and enable you to cut the odd wider crotch.
