Alaskan for a 038M

[Friggs]

I have a Stihl 038M with a 20" bar and I'm interested in purchasing an Alaskan G776-?
Should I purchase the 24" or the 30" model for my 20" bar?

I'm thinking of buying a longer bar and was wondering which size bar should I buy for my 038M and what model of Alaskan with this new bar?

I was told that I would have to have a 32" bar for the 30" model if I want to use the handle and rail, basically I need a 2 inches longer of a bar than the model length.

Any input...Frank

 

[BlueRider]

I have an 038M with a 32" bar that I use to buck logs to mill with my other saw, but I have used it a few times to mill with. When I bolt my saw in my granberg mill I clamp it so the clamp is a bit behind the sprocket. on the 32" bar this will give me 26" of milling capacity.

My mill is 48" and normaly it gets bolted to a 42" bar. it is not a problem to adjust it so it can bolt onto a 32" bar, I just have to be sure to allow enough room on the outboard end for the rails to clear other logs and stuff.

The 038M will pull a chain through 26" of hard wood but it is more comfortable on 18" or less. I think a muffler mod would help.

 

[excess650]

I concur that you'll lose a nominal 6" of bar length when using an Alaskan mill. A 28" bar on the 24" mill will yield just under 22" maximum width cut if you remove the bark dogs from the saw. The 30" mill will give you about 28" maximum width cut, but will need a bar more than 32" long.

Your 72cc(?) saw will be happier running full skip chain on cuts wider than 16" or so. For wider cuts, it'll be slow, and hard on the saw.

The 30" mill is probably a better choice than the 24" in that you'll be able to make wider cuts. The 36" would be a good choice if you had a 90cc+ saw. If you go too wide with the mill, it becomes cumbersome to work by yourself. Of course, if you bought one wider than you needed, you could shorten the rails if you felt that a good option. Granberg does sell rails seperately in case you would like 24" and 36" or whatever combination.

I find milling more satisfying than just cutting firewood.

 

[BobL]

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If you go too wide with the mill, it becomes cumbersome to work by yourself. Of course, if you bought one wider than you needed, you could shorten the rails if you felt that a good option.

My BIL mill started with 54" rails and a 42" bar so when I needed longer rails for my new 60" bar I made new 64" rails. But then when I switched back to the 42" bar I just left the 64" rails on and it's not too bad and I do 90% of milling on my own. There can be problems with longer rails when milling in the bush with other trees/logs getting in the way. I can't see myself going back to the shorter rails anytime soon.

On my baby mill, the rails are made from SHS steel and slide inside each other so there is no overhang. The bar size range is limited to 16 to 24" and an allowance needs to be made for the different sizes of the rails but that is not difficult to do. This little mill is a real pleasure to use.

 

[Rockfarmer]

From a newbie

My 87 cc 045S pulls my 24" Alaskan along ok. I would like more power and/or a bigger mill. I would say that you might want a 24" mill with 30" bar and try a couple different type chains. I find I lose about 7" of bar to the mill. Theres so many options and so little time,...

 

[Friggs]

Thanks for all the replies guys,

I guess I'll go with the 30" Alaskan with a 32" bar.
Which 32" bar on a Stihl 038M works good with a 30" Alaskan ?

Another question... How small a bar will the 30" model fit ?
I never ever saw one before but from photos online it looks like it shortens up for a smaller bar.

BobL, I like your homebrew CSM, my brother does prefabing and made a mini mill/beammaster. I will pass this photo to my brother.

I own 200 acres which is 1/2 mixed forest (second growth) in southern Ontario, Canada most of the large trees are about 20"-24"dia. and a couple over 24"-30", lots of acres of white cedar and spruce and some maple.
So most of my largest cutting will be 20"- 24".

Thanks again....Frank

 

[excess650]

The 30" mill will adjust down just as far as the 24" or 36" as in until the uprights nearly touch. You could use a 16" bar but would have a 10" width cut, so its not really a matter of how small of bar. The 30" mill should have a theoretical 28" maximim width cut, but the 32" bar will limit you to 26". Because of where you need to clamp(behind the sprocket nose) you are going to have a maximum cutting width some 6" less than the bar length and 2" less than the mill width.

I'm not sure that there is an ideal bar for milling, but a sprocket tip of whatever brand will have less friction and rob less power than any solid tip bar. Stihl bars are great, but I have no compalints about my GB or Oregon bars either.

 

[rb_in_va]

Get a new 30" bar.















With an 066 attached to it!