Keeping a Milling Saw Running

[Aggie Sawmiller]

Hey guys,

I am going to be getting started here in the next week or so with my first milling. I have a used, good condition 394xp on the way. I want to try to keep it in as good a condition as possible while milling. Good news is that I don't have any huge logs on the agenda yet, but I'm sure that'll change...

Anyway I have been scowering the forums trying to gather info on how best to keep your saws running in good condition while putting them thru the torture of milling. What I have so far is:

• Idle the saw for 30 seconds or so after finishing the cut to let it cool down
• Max out the oiler (or add an auxiliary if milling in the 24" and up range)
• Clean out the filters every cut or two
• Use a 32:1 gasil mix

Any other helpful tips for me? Is there an ideal RPM to run at? Do I need to warm up the saw before getting into the cut? Take breaks during cuts?

Thanks guys!!!

 

[BobL]

Idle the saw for 30 seconds or so after finishing the cut to let it cool down

You need at least 2 minutes idling to get the temp down to near idle temps.

Max out the oiler (or add an auxiliary if milling in the 24" and up range)

Maxing out the aux oiler out makes little sense as it depends on the flow rate of the oiler and if too high could just waste a lot of oil.
The amount of oil needed depends on the dryness and hardness of the wood, the amount of resin released during cutting, and how well it sticks to the chain.
A basic guide is to duplicate at the nose what the saw delivers at the drive sprocket.
If the saw delivers 20 mL/min then aim for the Aux oiler.
However even this can still waste a lot of oil especially on narrow cuts
I don't have much softwood experience but for the hardwoods I mill I target a total oil volume (saw plus aux) of ~20 mL/min of oil per ft of width of cut and up to 50% , more than that for dry wood.
Where possible half of that should be delivered by the saw and half by the aux oiler
For example on the 880 (max of ~40 mL/min at the powerhead) in a 48" cut in green hardwood I like be running at least 40 mL/min at the aux oiler.
As you don't want to be farting around changing the oil pump settings on the power head it's easier to max that out and be able to adjust the aux oiler.

Clean out the filters every cut or two

That should only be necessary in some very dry hard wood. If you need to do this in green wood your rakers are too high. clean out the air filter maybe once during a full day of milling in green wood and maybe 2/3 times in dry wood.

Use a 32:1 gasil mix

I recommend using what the manufacturers recommend for the saw but make sure the saw is tuned correctly on a regular basis and then set the H screw on the carby a little richer than this.
Extra 2 stroke oil just adds more unburnt gunk to the air around the operator.
If you decide to use 32:1 then make sure the saw is re-tuned to that mix as lower ratios make the fuel:air mix LEANER.

Is there an ideal RPM to run at?

Not really - run the saw at WOT and apply sufficient pressure so the saw cuts at its maximum speed.

Do I need to warm up the saw before getting into the cut?

No

Take breaks during cuts?

If you need to.
RE: Warmups - not really necessary - modern saws can run immediately at WOT.
The most important thing is to keep the chain sharp. Touch ups before the chain gets really blunt save a lot of B&C wear and tear.

 

[Iron.and.bark]

Modern or not. You can still cold seize a saw. Yes you can go wot straight out, but your intake side of the piston will show the results. Is 30 seconds really to long to wait?

 

[BobL]

Modern or not. You can still cold seize a saw. Yes you can go wot straight out, but your intake side of the piston will show the results. Is 30 seconds really to long to wait?

Probably not. In practice after I start the saw for the first time that day, while its idling on the log rails I double check everything like, every is locked down, aux oiler flow, any clearances, run the saw for 10 seconds and check the chain tension, double check I have wedges and the hammer sitting on top of the log, it's getting on for more than 30s. On subsequent cuts its probably less than 30s

I'm not sure I would call running the saw at idle warming up a saw. It takes at least several minutes under load to get the saw fully warmed up and even then I always see the temp continuing to rise as the cut proceeds which I attribute that to the chain getting blunt. The reason I say that is because the temp increases to a greater extent during the cutting of harder and wider the wood. If the chain starts out sharp the load on the saw at the start of a cut will be less anyway.

 

[Aggie Sawmiller]

Alright guys. Getting closer. I'm a bit of a rule follower - so I looked up the OM for the saw. I see sections on using bearing grease on the bar tip and the needle sprocket. I hadn't seen that until now. Is that normal practice? If so, does a general multi purpose vehicle grease like valvoline or pennzoil work? And what kind of grease gun do you use to apply?

 

[BobL]

Alright guys. Getting closer. I'm a bit of a rule follower - so I looked up the OM for the saw. I see sections on using bearing grease on the bar tip and the needle sprocket. I hadn't seen that until now. Is that normal practice?

My experience is that it is not that common to grease tips.
For example I think I have greased my 60" bars a couple of times and the 25" bar on the 441 maybe 3/4 times because I dos use it for bucking.

I have never see the guys that service the tree loppers (~25 ) saws grease tip and there are no suitable grease applicators around his workshop that look like they have been used for some time. In the tree loppers trash I found two used 25" Stihl CS bars with seized nose sprockets, one of which was also slightly bent. I took them home and with a bit of care and CRC I managed to free them up and straighten the bent one up on my anvil. I still have these and they get occasional use.

If so, does a general multi purpose vehicle grease like valvoline or pennzoil work? And what kind of grease gun do you use to apply?

Pretty much any grease will work.

I think it depends on how much plunge cut/bar nose work you do with your gear since this places extra load on to nose bearing. On an alaskan CSM the nose is usually out of the wood so not usually a problem and if you run an Aux oiler there's more oil on the chain anyway and this also lubes the sprocket.. Cutting up those park benches with the 25" bar and 441 the nose was cutting for multiple lengths up to 6fit long the nose go noticeably hotter and I probably should have pre-greased the tip.

 

[Aggie Sawmiller]

OK. Maybe I'll let it be for now. I'mm milling small stuff to start, so I don't expect the tip to be buried at all.

Now I just have to figure out how in the heck to get the chain brake to release on this clutch cover. It seems to be stuck on and I can't get the clutch cover to go back on and align right. Probably another easy fix I just am unaware of, but any help is appreciated.

 

[Pauls_Workshop]

OK. Maybe I'll let it be for now. I'mm milling small stuff to start, so I don't expect the tip to be buried at all.

Now I just have to figure out how in the heck to get the chain brake to release on this clutch cover. It seems to be stuck on and I can't get the clutch cover to go back on and align right. Probably another easy fix I just am unaware of, but any help is appreciated.

On the Husky saws, you must have the chain brake lever set only one way when you take off the clutch cover or it will mess up and not go back on again. To fix it you have to manually reset the whole chain brake in the clutch cover, then you can get it back on again normally. I found this out on a PP5020, equivalent to Husky Rancher 455 I worked on a bit a while back. Google on some online videos of how to do it. - Paul

 

[Aggie Sawmiller]

I got it figured out. I just put it in my vice and yanked on it real hard and it reset. Now the clutch cover goes on nice and smooth. Thanks

 

[Pauls_Workshop]

I got it figured out. I just put it in my vice and yanked on it real hard and it reset. Now the clutch cover goes on nice and smooth. Thanks

Well I guess that would work too then! - Paul