Rough sawing with a 372xp?

[Jim Timber]

I'm aware the 71cc is a bit small for a milling PH, but I'm wondering about roughing out some 4x8 and 10's in green white and red oak?

I need to build a boardwalk and would rather not swallow the expense of a bigger saw, and don't want to wait until my BSM is done either. I'm thinking of making something like a beam machine and getting started cutting over the winter if conditions are favorable (not too much snow). Being able to move the wood into position while the water it will traverse is frozen is another distinct advantage to working on it now too.

I have a 20" bar, and that would likely handle all the trees I'll be milling. I can modify chains to 10 degrees too - there's no problem there. I just don't want to burn up the saw in the process. The boardwalk will be about 250' long, so the volume of lumber produced will be somewhat substantial.

Thoughts?

 

[mdavlee]

I'm aware the 71cc is a bit small for a milling PH, but I'm wondering about roughing out some 4x8 and 10's in green white and red oak?

I need to build a boardwalk and would rather not swallow the expense of a bigger saw, and don't want to wait until my BSM is done either. I'm thinking of making something like a beam machine and getting started cutting over the winter if conditions are favorable (not too much snow). Being able to move the wood into position while the water it will traverse is frozen is another distinct advantage to working on it now too.

I have a 20" bar, and that would likely handle all the trees I'll be milling. I can modify chains to 10 degrees too - there's no problem there. I just don't want to burn up the saw in the process. The boardwalk will be about 250' long, so the volume of lumber produced will be somewhat substantial.

Thoughts?

No wider than that won't be too taxing on the saw. Just tune it down some to get more fuel to it to cool it. Try not to run it out in the middle of a cut.

 

[Jim Timber]

Any suggestions on what optimal RPM should be? I have an IR thermometer too, I could keep tabs on the cylinder temps if needed.

 

[Jim Timber]

Working on closing the deal on a 2188 tomorrow. Looks like I posted this a bit too soon.

 

[mdavlee]

Any suggestions on what optimal RPM should be? I have an IR thermometer too, I could keep tabs on the cylinder temps if needed.

Under 13k for milling. The 2188 will do nicely. I wouldn't go to a 36" bar and max it out though. I did that one day in cherry and it was hard to keep it from stalling.

 

[Jim Timber]

I don't have much wood worth sawing that's over 24" DBH. I'll be cutting up the cull trees for the boardwalk, and then maybe in a few years my crop trees will have put on some girth. My current 3'ers are wolf trees and are probably hollow based on the other bigger trees I've dropped near them.

I appreciate the advice!

 

[Yooperforeman]

Used a 372XP to saw 3 yellow birch logs in half so I could get them out of the woods.12' long logs and a 28" bar.Never had a problem,sure did burn a lot of gas!The only time it got a rest was when I
refueled.

 

[Jim Timber]

I'll eventually have a bandsaw mill, but I'm fighting a sinking corduroy trail to get from the cabin back into the woods. Down the road I'd use the CSM for doing things bigger than I want to run on the BSM, but for the time being it'll be a stop gap solution.

 

[Lutty440]

Not sure if you're talking about freehand milling or rough sawing with a CSM. Either way, my opinion is for a 250' boardwalk, you would be able to accomplish it with an alaskan mill and your 372xp. I currently use a 440 magnum( also 71cc's) and mill 10x10's 10x 8's 6x6's ect. But I've tried freehand milling and it is very taxing on the back. Post more detailed info on your current setup, and you might get more replies.

 

[Jim Timber]

I don't have a set up yet. I'm just trying to figure out a good approach to getting some wood cut up before I'll have the infrastructure in place to build my bandsaw mill.

I do have an engine, pulleys with urethane tires, and some other stuff for my BSM, but I'll need to construct the bed in my driveway - which won't be happening until spring at the earliest.

I'm thinking something like the mini mill, a beam machine, or a full blown Alaskan for my CSM. Mainly just don't want to be working with odd sized round poles.

 

[Lutty440]

Oh ok, makes sense. I would go for the Alaskan mill for sure. You won't regret it.

 

[Jim Timber]

Closed the deal on my 2188 today, so that's coming.

I'll probably rig up an Alaskan for the 24" bar that's coming with the PH and that should do me well for the boardwalk.

 

[Blanc]

Great!
If it's just for a while why don't you build a simple mill (fixed cut depth) instead of buying one?

 

[Jim Timber]

Who said anything about buying a mill? I'm a machinist.

 

[Blanc]

Then it would be OK, well for a first mill small square tubing and a mig are more than one needs, I made the mistake of making my first in aluminium extrusion and it was a real mess, a chainsaw is a lot of vibrations and some profiles are just unable to handle them...

 

[Jim Timber]

I have a whole bunch of metal cutting toys. I'm more partial to TIG if I have to stick stuff together.

I've also been contemplating something like Logosols that follows a rail along side the log. I'm not really set on anything yet, but being able to cut a cant out without much more than rolling the log looks slick for my needs. With the pole wood oak I'll be milling, I doubt I'll have much for boards left and plan on just chopping up the scraps and selling them for camp firewood (once it's dry).

 

[Blanc]

I'm more on the mig side, now that I'm only welding for myself a tig would be a poor choice, I weld 90% outdoors,

I'm also thinking about a rail style csm, but am really worried about wobble and waves due to the lack of stiffness of the guide bar.

 

[Jim Timber]

I've got some ideas floating around in my head to address that.

 

[pa.hunter]

I have a whole bunch of metal cutting toys. I'm more partial to TIG if I have to stick stuff together.

I've also been contemplating something like Logosols that follows a rail along side the log. I'm not really set on anything yet, but being able to cut a cant out without much more than rolling the log looks slick for my needs. With the pole wood oak I'll be milling, I doubt I'll have much for boards left and plan on just chopping up the scraps and selling them for camp firewood (once it's dry).

Logosols i like that set up i will be building one soon as well

 

[Jim Timber]

Today I played around with a black ash stump I cut last week (it was frozen when I dropped it, and it's 41F now). Just seeing how the 35 degree chain behaved in a rip on the 2188. I was pleasantly surprised how smooth it was if I did my part. Even the "shaggy" surfaces aren't enough to turn my nose at.

Now I need to get fabbing up some mills for this thing.