best mill to start out with?

[Dirtscooter5]

Wow these milling pictures are really awesome. I would like to buy just a cheaper mill to cut some boards with. I have a ms 660 that I could use to mill. Just not sure which mill I should get I could look at new ones or try and find a used one if I knew what to look for? thanks

 

[DavdH]

Peterson warrior.

 

[hopm]

I know most on this board endorse a chainsaw mill but I jumped in several years back with a small band mill. No regrets at all.

 

[Dirtscooter5]

I am just trying to stay pretty cheap I guess what did you band mill cost ya?

 

[BobL]

If you want cheap you can always "roll your own" CSM with some ply , one wooden spacers and some all thread rod.
Shouldn't cost more than $10.

 

[Dirtscooter5]

not a bad idea, that is more along the lines of what I was thinking to start out. just something to mess around with and see if I even like milling.

 

[BobL]

not a bad idea, that is more along the lines of what I was thinking to start out. just something to mess around with and see if I even like milling.

You should also have a go at free handing a small slab or two just to see how tricky it is.

 

[Dirtscooter5]

okay I will do that. should I buy a milling chain or just change the pitch of the one I have?

 

[BobL]

okay I will do that. should I buy a milling chain or just change the pitch of the one I have?

Neither, just use the chain you have.
Start by standing a short log up and see if you can straight slabs off it.
They lay a longer log on the ground on some blocks of wood and see if you can split it in half

 

[CR888]

That's AS for you......you're not sure weather you will get right into milling or not and want to try it something out on the cheap before committing to an expensive mill and get advised to buy a band mill!lol Soon you will be told your 660 needs porting to mill properly!lol Milling is a relaxing, rewarding hobby that is versatile in the fact you can take the mill to the tree not the other way round. If you decide to make a mill post your ideas/plans and some very experienced members will help you make the most out of it. CSM's are cool.

 

[Dirtscooter5]

alright I may give it a shot tomorrow bob I have some walnut logs close by the logger didn't buy so I may try some cuts on one of them. cr888 ya I think being able to cut a nice slab out of a log would be pretty fun. some of the stuff you guys make on the milling pictures page is amazing (big slab top tables and such)

 

[Adamant]

If you want cheap you can always "roll your own" CSM with some ply , one wooden spacers and some all thread rod.
Shouldn't cost more than $10.

View attachment 419990

Plus some rails of some kind...

Also, if you're going to try freehand slabbing, start with crappy logs - as BobL implied, it isn't so easy - you wouldn't want to botch a nice log straight up. After doing it the hard way, you'll appreciate the mill much more

 

[Dirtscooter5]

okay sounds good so I see baileys has granberg Alaskan mills. Is this a good mill to start out with? will it provide everything I need to start out? Or would I be better off to make my own or buy a different mill?

 

[CTYank]

okay sounds good so I see baileys has granberg Alaskan mills. Is this a good mill to start out with? will it provide everything I need to start out? Or would I be better off to make my own or buy a different mill?

I'm just getting into this, but as @Adamant said, you'll need rails. That's to guide the first slab cut. Subsequent cuts will leave a top face on the log, that'll provide the reference for the next cut. For the rails, you can spend hundreds for special-purpose rails, or you can scan down to @hazard's post on the first "page" of the "CSMilling ..." thread.

I made mine per his design, with some rectangular steel tubing to lag-bolt onto the log end. I made the rails from a ripped-in-half 2x4 and a 2x6 with one edge ripped square.

Then I screwed & glued a half 2x4 to a face of the 2x6 along the ripped edge of the 2x6. Shortly, they'll get a coat of spar varnish.

Those rails sit with the half 2x4 side of the 2x6 on the steel tubing, held on with BIG spring clamps. I've not seen a simpler approach.

Once we get caught up on a bunch of other projects, we'll see how all this works with my new 576XP, which is now breaking in.

 

[Adamant]

I have angle steel with lots of holes that I screw to the log ends parallel with each other (I just stand back and do this by eye like winding sticks but I see some people use a level) then plop the rails on top and secure. Mine are just a big welded rectangle of steel rhs - very heavy and unwieldy - read pita. I'd say alum rails if you can afford, with crossbar(s) in the middle and wedges to prevent sag if necessary. Or just copy BobL's ideas. Trouble with wood rails is that you'll get them straight for one session then come out for another session and they won't be straight anymore, least that's been my experience

 

[Adamant]

As to whether to buy granberg or other or make your own, don't know what's best for you but maybe see if you can try one first or cobble something together. Do a bit more reading and work out what kind of size logs you might need to cover. My whole setup was homemade but I bought it with my saw. It's a bit out of square and setup is slow. Changing height from slab to slab is slow and annoying cause of different size nuts everywhere ... Buying something new and "refined" may have been better but it's all relative. I can refine my own or make one. Others may have a different view.

 

[Dirtscooter5]

Alright thanks for all the input guys, I have never been around a csm so I think I need to watch some videos on you tube. I understand basically how the granberg works after you make the first cut but I am not exactly sure how to set up to make the first cut and cut the bark off, and set up the "rail". I have access to welder and build stuff pretty often and my dad is a machinist, I just need to get a little more familiar with it all I think since I have never been around one.

 

[Notomo]

My Panther mill 2 just came last week $120 shipped for a 24" http://pantherpros.com/panthermill2.html. I am still waiting on my saw and bar etc. But for only $120 shipped I I don't see how you can go wrong, everything I read about them has been good. I will be doing video of mine once I get it setup, I have not even taken it out of the box yet just looked at it in the box a bit want to do an unboxing video as well. "I do a lot of youtube vids"

 

[mad murdock]

Baileys has the timberjigg by Logosol on sale now for 139. The timberjigg is a good setup, but geared more toward smaller logs and dimensional lumber. The Alaskan mk III is a good mill. I have had both, I sold my timberjigg as I upgraded to the bumblebee sawmill. I still have the Alaskan for those big logs.