Milling with a 71cc saw

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Big Block

WFO or I don't go
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How big in diameter can I mill with a 71cc saw? I know about running it a little rich and on 32:1 mix but what is max dia. that won't over work the saw It will also be ported soon too........
 
I find my 038 Magnum is at its limit, or maybe a little past its limit, pulling full comp chain on a 30" bar when crosscutting. So you might get away with skip chain on 30" when milling. How big a log that translates to depends on your mill design -- if you're clamping on a sprocket nose, that'll reduce your effective millable size a lot more than bolting through-and-through, for instance.
 
25" would be about its limit.
Running the fuel/air ratio a bit richer is appropriate.
Absolutely no need to use 32:1 unless you like taking a bath in unburnt 2 stroke lube additives like smoke suppressors.
Use what the manufacturer recommends and just mix it accurately and you should be OK
 
I run 40:1 in it normally and most porters recommend 32:1 and 40:1 as a minimum. I figured 25-28 was the limit. Thanks
 
Is a sprocket nose preferable to a hard nose?

Yes, especially if you're running a bar at the limit of what the saw is capable of, anything that reduces load on the powerhead is worth doing. Since you (hopefully) won't be doing anything that a hard nose is better for (burying the bar in dirty wood), a sprocket nose is definitely the way to go.
 
I doubt it is what you are asking for. Watching videos on the internet I see what appear to be swing blade circular sawmills some of the smaller ones seem to be using a chainsaw powerhead. Using this tactic probably size of the log to be milled does not matter. One carves out boards one at a time.
 
I have ran 32" on my 371xp for quite some time, mostly cedar and fir. not hardwoods by any means, but it preformed very well. i never pushed it to hard. tried 32:1 and learnt my lesson! don't do it, your lungs will never forgive you and it is not needed. like bob said, manufacture recommended works just fine ans long as tune properly and you are not over working your power head. there is a ton to be learned here and from your own experiences. Good luck to you.
PS if you are planning to do lot of milling at the size, i would suggest a bigger saw. but yours will do the job. you are going to want to mill up to 7" anyways, lol. you just wait.....
 
I went with a new 390xp, mainly because i am a small fella, and i got a fair price vs the 395 i was after. it does very well. i bought a 5 dollar muffler on ebay so i can keep the original safe in case of warranty. opened up the muffler and re tuned. very happy for what i use it for. I am not sure on the quality of Forester, i have never used them. either way you dont want to push the saw for the power head sake, and also the bars sake. you will burn up a bar fast. i will also mention that i never ran an aux oiler on my 371. i just maxed out the saws oiler and had plenty. never had a issue. with that being said i am anal about my chain in all aspects, and always maintain my bars.
when i mill with 32" or larger i now use an oiler just because i have it now, and wouldnt want to go any lager with out it.
you can tell me to stop rambling when ever....
cheers
 
I would most definitely be using an auxiliary oiler and have a properly sharpend chain.
I mill with a 32 inch bar ,but use .404 chain ,with the .063 and .404 i do not need the extra oiler anymore ,when i ran .050 on a 28 3/8 the bar got real hot and needed the extra oiler .Hope this helps ,if you have a 3/8 tip on the 32 inch bar ,it can be swapped to .404 if decide to try it out .will need a different rim sprocket also .10 degrees on the chain top plate will give a nicer finish ,not as grabby ,keep your chain sharp and a ported 70cc should mill fine .
 
I use a 28 sometimes with no trouble and also run 32:1 synthetic with minimal smoke... pictures are with the 20 inch bar

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Oy BobL, not to turn this in to an oilthread but you mean that it´s due to additives thet the oil does not smoke rather than esterbased lubes burn cleaner???

Motorsen
 
Oy BobL, not to turn this in to an oilthread but you mean that it´s due to additives thet the oil does not smoke rather than esterbased lubes burn cleaner???

I'm not sure what it is but what ever it is it's not burning.

Back in 2009 I milled for a few days with a mates new 3120 using 25:1. After an hour of using his setup I got a low level headache which hung around for the next few days and at the end of the day my chaps were much greasier than the previous dozens of days milling on 40 and 50:1. I noticed my skin and hair were also greasier. I have used other peoples saws at 32 and 25:1 and the same thing happened. Maybe I'm just a canary because it doesn't seem to effect the mates running these setups although they do agree about the greasiness of gear. All of these were semi synthetic and I think fully synthetic lubes would be better but in that case even less lube can be used.
 
How big in diameter can I mill with a 71cc saw? I know about running it a little rich and on 32:1 mix but what is max dia. that won't over work the saw It will also be ported soon too........

How big you can mill will also depend on what kind of wood you cut. Softwoods will allow for more, but hardwoods will be a struggle over 18".

Also, length of cut is a factor due to heat build up. A 12 foot long cut will generate much more heat than a 2 foot cut. You may want to allow the saw to cool mid cut on longer logs (just let it idle).

And regarding heat, there are mixed views on porting, since the increased flow allows for a hotter burn, which means more heat generated. What might be great for ten second long bucking cuts might not be so good for a two (or ten...) minute long rip cut. You may want to check back threads more before deciding on the extent of the port job.
 
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