What chainsaw mill to buy for medium sized logs?
- Thread starter rynosawr
- Start date
Help Support Arborist Forum:
HuskStihl
Chairin'em for the sound
I don't know nothin' bout mills, but if'n u'r gonna be working a 385 hard like that, make sure you use plenty of good oil to help the bearings
Yes Sir, I already have my buddy who owns the saw hooked on Bel Ray H1R at 40:1 with non ethanol 91 for all of his 2 strokes
HuskStihl
Chairin'em for the sound
The 385's weak link is the clutch side bearing. I always run a good oil at 32:1 in mine. Maybe overkill, but I wouldn't mill with a 385 at less than 32:1.
IyaMan
Addicted to ArboristSite
24" wood with 36" bar = 36" Granberg mill (this allows for about a 32" cut width, which is good for if/when you decide to go for more than 24")
Get milling chain.
Be sure to get an auxiliary oiler for the bar nose, or make your own. Lots of resources here if you search for making your own oiler.
But above all, be sure to first read through BobL's Milling 101 thread. (He actually does not recommend too thick of a gas/oil mix -about 50:1 to at most 40:1, and he mills A LOT). but do adjust the carb to run rich.
And do consider @HuskStihl's point about the 385's bearings. Its debatable, but that model isn't particularly suited for longer bars even though its got the power to pull them. A 28 - 30" bar may be better.
Get milling chain.
Be sure to get an auxiliary oiler for the bar nose, or make your own. Lots of resources here if you search for making your own oiler.
But above all, be sure to first read through BobL's Milling 101 thread. (He actually does not recommend too thick of a gas/oil mix -about 50:1 to at most 40:1, and he mills A LOT). but do adjust the carb to run rich.
And do consider @HuskStihl's point about the 385's bearings. Its debatable, but that model isn't particularly suited for longer bars even though its got the power to pull them. A 28 - 30" bar may be better.
Small correction, USED to mill a lot. I haven't that done that much in the last few years and nothing since March of this year. The main reason is pain, and loss of balance and strength in my feet and lower legs especially in the last two months. Going up and down stairs or ladders really wipes me out. I used to walk my dogs 3-4 miles a day but can barely manage 1/2 mile these days. At first the docs thought it was related to my type II diabetes but my sugars are well controlled and my circulation is OK and so far the docs don't think that's the problem. I've been seeing a neurologist and he identified that I'm finding it hard to distinguish between temperature/pressure and pain which signifies nerve problem in my back and the latest scans do show my lower back has "problems". This is weird because I don't have any back pain. The docs instructions are not to lift or carry any more than a bag of groceries so no chainsaw work or handling lumber until things are sorted out. I also have kidney problems but that might not be related.
IyaMan
Addicted to ArboristSite
Very sorry to hear this Bob. But even though you aren't currently milling at the moment, you certainly hold a wealth of milling knowledge and your contributions have helped and guided many, including myself, and will continue to do so. I imagine @rynosawr here will also benefit as well.
For now, take it easy and I do hope you find the road to recovery!
HuskStihl
Chairin'em for the sound
I know nothing about milling, but a good bit about a 385. It's a really good falling saw, with a lot of power in a fairly compact/maneuverable power head, but it doesn't have nearly as robust a bottom end as a 394/395/660
steve easy
ArboristSite Operative
Adamant
ArboristSite Lurker
Hi Bob, I may be opening a can of worms, but here it is anyway... If you haven't already done so, go see a reputable naturopath (or two) and a reputable acupuncturist. Both. Nothing to lose except a little of your hard earned and, by the sound of it, a lot to gain. Now I 'm gonna go hide in the corner. Edit: @BobL
Yesterday morning I visited a friend who is not that much younger than me but unlike me is very fit and he suggested doing stretching exercises before any physical activity. I tried 30 minutes of stretching last night, and 15 minutes this morning, and then a ~1 mile walk with the dogs. Definitely not cured because my feet and lower legs still have some pain but it seems to have helped quite a bit with tiredness. Normally after that walk I would have to have a lie down. Also I think footwear has something to do with my foot and leg pain. Normally I walk the dogs wearing joggers with orthotic supports but because we have had a fair bit of wet weather in the last few months the joggers are no good in the long grass so I have been wearing my steel caps (also with orthotics) but they are not really the best for walking in. If this all it is I feel I bit stupid about it. Anyway I'm feeling a lot more hopeful than I was 2 days ago.
KiwiBro
Mill 'em, nails be damned.
Yoga. Start out with something like Hatha Yoga and don't worry that it seems very general and not actually targeting your specific problems. Give it time, say, a few months.
You will be amazed.
You will be amazed.
Foot wear can be a real problem- particularly the junk that is passed as such from the local discount places. Big names ( and prices) really do not mean anything. Inserts such as you are currently using help - but an awful lot has to do with the construction of the item in the first place. I have a couple pair that externally look Identical and construction description read the same yet one is very stiff in the sole and the other is a bit more flexible. the second I have no issues with the first causes some problems, funny part is the more flexible ones are 1/2 the price of the other. I get about a year of use from either, I also alternate between them daily ( dry out time). I am on hard surface all day 12-14 hrs so foot wear is a bit important to me.
Bob you should check put Rockport shoes....could be a great $100-$200 investment. I have had aurthotics for years, Rockport shoes made a big difference to my life.
Well I just did my 30 minutes of stretches again and then climbed up and down a 10 ft flight of stairs 10 times, a bit puffed but hardly any pain?
I could easily have done it a few more times but I didn't want to push things
Last week, I would barely make it up and down a set of stairs like without pain.
Now I feel really stupid - especially after spending all that money on doctors.
I could easily have done it a few more times but I didn't want to push things
Last week, I would barely make it up and down a set of stairs like without pain.
Now I feel really stupid - especially after spending all that money on doctors.
Jimbo209
ArboristSite Guru
Great to hear your on the mend Bob
these are the guys I swear by www.healthcentral.com.au/
and would drive from your rockingham milling yard to visit( about 30miles of congested freeway)
these are the guys I swear by www.healthcentral.com.au/
and would drive from your rockingham milling yard to visit( about 30miles of congested freeway)
Adamant
ArboristSite Lurker
I'll second that, after 20 years or more of back problems and trying all the usual options, chiro/osteo/Bowen/accu/massage/physio I have finally found yoga to be a true fix. Trouble is each time my back gets strong and settled I get slack and stop. I use an app on my phone/tablet by the way, though some classes also. I didn't mention earlier because I have had this convo with a few people and the resistance is usually too high... Most seem to just want the quick fix.
This is great to hear! Not the stupid bit, but that you have found a solution. Another thing I have noticed is that I tend to have problems a day or three after doing intense or prolonged repetitive activities, particularly in " out of normal " position/posture, like scrubbing/ sanding/ tractor slashing/ slabbing on my knees ;-) oops. So now I am more proactive with stretches before, during and even for a few days after these kinds of activities. Anyway, good for you and good on ya, too.
Sorry to derail this thread but I don't want to start a new one. 2 weeks on and there has been some small improvements.
The stretches seem to be improving things slowly.
I can now even "just" stand up from a kneeling position using my right leg, not my left leg which is weaker.
Further scans have also shown my back is not as damaged as I first thought and the doc thinks my problem is old nerve damage from untreated diabetes together with letting myself get run down.
He says to keep up the stretching and to lose some weight.
Yesterday I went with a couple of blokes, 2 were 10, and one was 20 years older than me, to a small horse farm just out of the city where we removed a fallen tree from one of the corrals.
It was a relatively small tree about 40' high, 12ft long main trunk ~20" in diameter at the base. One of the blokes had his 35cc Talon saw and I had my 441 with the Lopro on it.
By the time he got the Talon started I had trimmed off the smaller branches so he stopped his saw and helped drag away and pile up the branches.
I then bucked the rest of the tree up for firewood and we moved the smaller blocks to the side corral and left the bigger clocks there for someone younger to move.
It was great to get behind a saw again.
This morning I am feeling a bit sore but not much more than usual.
The stretches seem to be improving things slowly.
I can now even "just" stand up from a kneeling position using my right leg, not my left leg which is weaker.
Further scans have also shown my back is not as damaged as I first thought and the doc thinks my problem is old nerve damage from untreated diabetes together with letting myself get run down.
He says to keep up the stretching and to lose some weight.
Yesterday I went with a couple of blokes, 2 were 10, and one was 20 years older than me, to a small horse farm just out of the city where we removed a fallen tree from one of the corrals.
It was a relatively small tree about 40' high, 12ft long main trunk ~20" in diameter at the base. One of the blokes had his 35cc Talon saw and I had my 441 with the Lopro on it.
By the time he got the Talon started I had trimmed off the smaller branches so he stopped his saw and helped drag away and pile up the branches.
I then bucked the rest of the tree up for firewood and we moved the smaller blocks to the side corral and left the bigger clocks there for someone younger to move.
It was great to get behind a saw again.
This morning I am feeling a bit sore but not much more than usual.
Glad to hear you are on the mend. Loosing weight is hard. I spent two months loosing 11 pounds, went to a collectors gun show for two days and put it all back on, Joe.
Similar threads
