chainsaw selection

[miller2b]

New to the site but been lurking and reading for a couple weeks. I have some big trees that a friend of mine thought "hey why don't you mill those." Answer to that at the time i knew nothing about milling. a few internet searches brought me to this site and got me sucked down the rabbit hole. I love falling and logging, building cedar chests and furniture, and pretty sure I'll like milling. enough with the intro and to my real question.
i feel like im at the point i have the book knowledge but need to get started first hand. (Thanks for the many posts of mill setups) My problem is i only have 2 028av. I'm fairly well versed by now on older and new stihl, and newer echo and husky saws for what will make a good milling saw. 70+ cc saws and such. im very budget minded due to how much money i make, so would like to get used instead of new. the problem with that is my knowledge of older dolmar/mccollough/others, and the model progression of huskys. my dad always had stihl. what models for these other brands/old huskys should i get/stay away from? Any answers would be considered. I dont mind waiting for parts to rebuild if i need too. If anybody has suggestions for waking up the old 28av id take those too. One of them already has a 46mm p&c from the super, and plan on doing that to the other.

 

[BobL]

At 51.5 cc the 028 super should enable you to mill small stuff and branches.
Just make sure you richen the mix/air ratio at the carby to lose about 500 rpm of teh max revs and don't push things too far
However. 70+cc will mill stuff up to what can be tackled with about a 25" bar, but milling bigger logs requires something like a 90cc saw.
In terms of older machines any of the well know names will work. A few things to watch out for are, saws that cannot be refilled with oil/mix whilst in the cut.
Depending on your mill arrangement a saw with a side chain adjust is easier to chain tension that those that have a chain tensioner on the front of the saw.
If you are going to muffler mod or port then having an adjustable H screw is pretty important.
Saws that don't shoot the exhaust out front (and bounces off the log onto the operator) are also more comfortable to use.
Often you can't find all 3 of these on teh one old saw so you just have to live with them.

 

[miller2b]

At 51.5 cc the 028 super should enable you to mill small stuff and branches.
Just make sure you richen the mix/air ratio at the carby to lose about 500 rpm of teh max revs and don't push things too far
However. 70+cc will mill stuff up to what can be tackled with about a 25" bar, but milling bigger logs requires something like a 90cc saw.
In terms of older machines any of the well know names will work. A few things to watch out for are, saws that cannot be refilled with oil/mix whilst in the cut.
Depending on your mill arrangement a saw with a side chain adjust is easier to chain tension that those that have a chain tensioner on the front of the saw.
If you are going to muffler mod or port then having an adjustable H screw is pretty important.
Saws that don't shoot the exhaust out front (and bounces off the log onto the operator) are also more comfortable to use.
Often you can't find all 3 of these on teh one old saw so you just have to live with them.

Thank you BobL. I was thinking of doing a muffler mod adding a pipe to angle exhaust away as long as it doesn't get in the way of the mill. I would love a mod to adjust from the side but hate the thought of drilling a hole if I found a side tensioner that would fit. I'm definitely gonna get another saw before I start milling just because i don't wanna risk my 28s. They are my firewood saws and having 2 houses and a shop I heat with wood I go through a lot.

 

[gnef]

I'm not nearly as experienced as others, and I bit the bullet and bought everything new, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt, and figure out what can work best for you. I went with an MS661 with 56" bar and matching granberg mill with 3 loops of ripping chain and a first cut guide off amazon.

I'm personally a fan of Stihl, really just because I have a couple local dealers, and one that is close by and great to work with. If Husky were closer and I had a relationship there, that is probably what I would've ended up with for all my equipment. I say this because if you buy your saw new, you'll be going to a local dealer, and if you buy a saw used, you may need parts from a local dealer. My recommendation would be to find the local dealers around you, and see if you can figure out which will provide you with the best service (sometimes it is as easy as just walking in and chatting with them, during non-pandemic times, of course). If that dealer happens to be a Stihl, then look for a Stihl, and if it happens to be Husky, then look more for that, etc. The dealer will be able to help you diagnose issues and get you parts as needed, especially if you have developed a good relationship with them.

Do you mind sharing what your budget exactly is?

Also, when you say big trees, how big are you talking?

Some ideas that you may not have heard of. You can build one of the G660 holzfforma kits, replacing key critical parts with oem (from your local dealer, see the theme? They may not appreciate you building a clone though), then get a forester bar and ripping chain, I've found them to be a very good value. For the mill, you can drill holes and then use all-thread rods and nuts with a board on top as your depth guide, and then a 2x8 or so as your first cut guide or a section of an extension ladder if you have one already that you can sacrifice.

If you don't want to build the clone, you can buy one premade for around $500-600, and the kit builds are around $250ish, if I recall correctly. In full disclosure, I've never run a G660 clone, nor have I built a kit, so I don't know how difficult it is, or how reliable the saw would be. I've just done some research about it, and you can find a lot of great resources to help you with this online if you decide to go this route.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes for you!

 

[miller2b]

I'm not nearly as experienced as others, and I bit the bullet and bought everything new, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt, and figure out what can work best for you. I went with an MS661 with 56" bar and matching granberg mill with 3 loops of ripping chain and a first cut guide off amazon.

I'm personally a fan of Stihl, really just because I have a couple local dealers, and one that is close by and great to work with. If Husky were closer and I had a relationship there, that is probably what I would've ended up with for all my equipment. I say this because if you buy your saw new, you'll be going to a local dealer, and if you buy a saw used, you may need parts from a local dealer. My recommendation would be to find the local dealers around you, and see if you can figure out which will provide you with the best service (sometimes it is as easy as just walking in and chatting with them, during non-pandemic times, of course). If that dealer happens to be a Stihl, then look for a Stihl, and if it happens to be Husky, then look more for that, etc. The dealer will be able to help you diagnose issues and get you parts as needed, especially if you have developed a good relationship with them.

Do you mind sharing what your budget exactly is?

Also, when you say big trees, how big are you talking?

Some ideas that you may not have heard of. You can build one of the G660 holzfforma kits, replacing key critical parts with oem (from your local dealer, see the theme? They may not appreciate you building a clone though), then get a forester bar and ripping chain, I've found them to be a very good value. For the mill, you can drill holes and then use all-thread rods and nuts with a board on top as your depth guide, and then a 2x8 or so as your first cut guide or a section of an extension ladder if you have one already that you can sacrifice.

If you don't want to build the clone, you can buy one premade for around $500-600, and the kit builds are around $250ish, if I recall correctly. In full disclosure, I've never run a G660 clone, nor have I built a kit, so I don't know how difficult it is, or how reliable the saw would be. I've just done some research about it, and you can find a lot of great resources to help you with this online if you decide to go this route.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes for you!

thank you. i have used stihl most of my life. had a husky 450 for firewood and loved it for the year i had it. some of the logs i have around here to mill are 42" in diameter. ive thought of milling those down as far as possible so i could have some nice live edge slabs then edging to get the rest. itll still be a couple months before i buy a big saw but in that time i could have 1000-1200 budget. if i find used that is a steal id do it before then. ive rebuilt a couple stihls top to bottom before so i know what is required to get them taken care of. as for the holzfforma kits i did look at them and if id go with that id go with their 105cc. i just find it weird they say to use a 25:1 fuel ratio yet they are supposed to be clones. I have watched the build videos on youtube and it seems forward enough. seems to me the biggest failure rate that comes with them is the P&C isn't squared, so id have to find a oem one for the 090. i also dont really trust chinese bearings. building car engines ive seen what cheap ass bearings can and will do.

 

[gnef]

thank you. i have used stihl most of my life. had a husky 450 for firewood and loved it for the year i had it. some of the logs i have around here to mill are 42" in diameter. ive thought of milling those down as far as possible so i could have some nice live edge slabs then edging to get the rest. itll still be a couple months before i buy a big saw but in that time i could have 1000-1200 budget. if i find used that is a steal id do it before then. ive rebuilt a couple stihls top to bottom before so i know what is required to get them taken care of. as for the holzfforma kits i did look at them and if id go with that id go with their 105cc. i just find it weird they say to use a 25:1 fuel ratio yet they are supposed to be clones. I have watched the build videos on youtube and it seems forward enough. seems to me the biggest failure rate that comes with them is the P&C isn't squared, so id have to find a oem one for the 090. i also dont really trust chinese bearings. building car engines ive seen what cheap ass bearings can and will do.

It looks like you've thought this through well! Since you've already rebuilt complete saws, a kit would definitely be in your skillset and could save you a considerable amount of money if you can't find a big used saw in time.

Definitely update us once you start putting your setup together!

 

[holeycow]

It's not Chinese bearings as much as which Chinese bearings.

i was a little concerned when most replacement bearings from CaseNewHolland began to be Chinese quite a few years ago. They seem to be fine. Darn Chinese make good stuff just as much as junk. It's hard to know which is which...

 

[sean donato]

It's not Chinese bearings as much as which Chinese bearings.

i was a little concerned when most replacement bearings from CaseNewHolland began to be Chinese quite a few years ago. They seem to be fine. Darn Chinese make good stuff just as much as junk. It's hard to know which is which...

I found out this with a ferri flail mower. The rear roller bearing constantly were going out. We "upgraded" to a fag bearing. Made in china. It lasted 3 times longer then the SKF bearings we were supplied by the dealer.

 

[miller2b]

It's not Chinese bearings as much as which Chinese bearings.

i was a little concerned when most replacement bearings from CaseNewHolland began to be Chinese quite a few years ago. They seem to be fine. Darn Chinese make good stuff just as much as junk. It's hard to know which is which...

thats the issue is its hit and miss lol.

 

[Maintenance supervisor]

The husqvarna 395xp is a very good milling saw but very $$ on a budget.
I've milled with my PM700 a couple times but the top load fuel and front chain adjustment is not ideal, sideways exhaust was nice though.
I would definitely recommend a 660 clone saw after 4 of us bought saws this past Christmas in the 4-1 deal , 3 of the saws had minor issues but not the 660 clone from farmertech, I did change the decomp out for a sthil one.
To be honest from my perspective, milling is hard on a saw and it is absolutely going to wear it out in a shorter time than firewood cutting, its literally hours of cutting to make boards and not an ideal situation for the saw. I'd rather wear out a cheap knock of in a learning curve than an expensive chainsaw.
Now if you have a good relationship with your dealer they might say "hey I just got this big so and so in and it needs rings or whatever " that might be an option for you. I've got a couple big saws from dealers (100cc homelite and 70cc stihl) and scrap yards.
Until parts for the pre 90s saws get more available I'd steer clear of milling with them.

 

[miller2b]

It looks like you've thought this through well! Since you've already rebuilt complete saws, a kit would definitely be in your skillset and could save you a considerable amount of money if you can't find a big used saw in time.

Definitely update us once you start putting your setup together!

i might just go that route. ill just find it hard as hell waiting for my kit. thought of piecing one together of my own but i might as well buy a new saw going that route. other route is trying to find a parts/repair saw and replace what needs to be

 

[Husky Man]

If you’re going to be milling 40” diameter logs, you should consider bumping up your budget a bit, if you can.

Dave, “thechainsawguy” sells Brand New Husqvarna 3120XP’s PHO, for $1399 Shipped. At 119cc, it will handle all your logs easily, and should give you plenty of service life

Dave is a Very Reputable Seller, I bought my 3120 from him, and so have several other members here on AS, all have had Excellent experiences with Dave and the saws he has sold

Dave also sells through ebay, but the price is a bit higher, and he charges shipping through ebay, but if you have a PayPal Credit account, watch for the 0% interest for 24 Months deal on purchases over $600, that makes it about $70/Month same as cash

Remember, to subtract a couple inches from the “ Listed Size” of the mill to determine what you can mill with a given mill, and add about 6” of bar length to the mills listed size to get the full capacity from the mill

A mills listed size is typically the overall length of the mill’s frame, NOT it’s milling capacity. With my Granberg G778-36, it is considered a “36” mill”, but measures 33.5” between the inside faces of the bar clamps. That 2.5” loss is consistent through all the double clamp designs with Granberg, and should be similar with other brands as well

Add about 6” of bar length to get the full capacity of your mill, this can be reduced some, by removing the “Dawgs” from the powerhead, and a bit more by drilling through the nose sprocket center, and bolting, rather than clamping the nose end of the bar

Myself and others here have been happy with the milling results using Full Skip chain, instead of the more expensive milling/ripping chain, worth giving a try before spending the extra money on dedicated milling chain. On smaller logs some use full comp chain with excellent results as well

If you buy a Granberg mill, try to get a G778, instead of the Earlier G776 model mills. The 778 mills have the upgraded CNC machined end brackets, rather than the cast end brackets of the 776 mills. The G776-xx mills, are still Excellent tools, but the price difference is rarely very much, and it is money well spent to get the CNC end brackets. The 778’s have been out long enough that you won’t see too many New 776’s out there, but NOS 776’s do show up on ebay and some slow turn over vendors, and with used mills of course, just something to watch for. A 776 mill should give you excellent service, just adjust the price to reflect the cast ends, don’t pay the same for a 776 that you could get a 778 for

The Granberg G555, Edging mill is an Excellent companion tool for the G776/G778 mills, and runs about $160 last I looked. The G555 was also known as the “Mini Mill”, the name has been changed to better reflect its use, but AFAIK, the name is the only thing that has changed

Granberg also offers the G777(IIRC) “Small Log Mill “ which only clamps at the powerhead end, and not at the bar end, and is rated up to a 20” or 24” bar, I don’t recall which. It doesn’t sound like the G777 would do what you need, I only mentioned it because if you come across one in your searches, you are somewhat familiar with it, and don’t buy it Hoping for it to do what you want, which sounds beyond the capacity of the 777

Enjoy CSMing, just be forewarned, that CSMAD can be every bit as Bad as CAD, it STARTS as CAD, and develops from there

Doug

 

[miller2b]

If you’re going to be milling 40” diameter logs, you should consider bumping up your budget a bit, if you can.

Dave, “thechainsawguy” sells Brand New Husqvarna 3120XP’s PHO, for $1399 Shipped. At 119cc, it will handle all your logs easily, and should give you plenty of service life

Dave is a Very Reputable Seller, I bought my 3120 from him, and so have several other members here on AS, all have had Excellent experiences with Dave and the saws he has sold

Dave also sells through ebay, but the price is a bit higher, and he charges shipping through ebay, but if you have a PayPal Credit account, watch for the 0% interest for 24 Months deal on purchases over $600, that makes it about $70/Month same as cash

Remember, to subtract a couple inches from the “ Listed Size” of the mill to determine what you can mill with a given mill, and add about 6” of bar length to the mills listed size to get the full capacity from the mill

A mills listed size is typically the overall length of the mill’s frame, NOT it’s milling capacity. With my Granberg G778-36, it is considered a “36” mill”, but measures 33.5” between the inside faces of the bar clamps. That 2.5” loss is consistent through all the double clamp designs with Granberg, and should be similar with other brands as well

Add about 6” of bar length to get the full capacity of your mill, this can be reduced some, by removing the “Dawgs” from the powerhead, and a bit more by drilling through the nose sprocket center, and bolting, rather than clamping the nose end of the bar

Myself and others here have been happy with the milling results using Full Skip chain, instead of the more expensive milling/ripping chain, worth giving a try before spending the extra money on dedicated milling chain. On smaller logs some use full comp chain with excellent results as well

If you buy a Granberg mill, try to get a G778, instead of the Earlier G776 model mills. The 778 mills have the upgraded CNC machined end brackets, rather than the cast end brackets of the 776 mills. The G776-xx mills, are still Excellent tools, but the price difference is rarely very much, and it is money well spent to get the CNC end brackets. The 778’s have been out long enough that you won’t see too many New 776’s out there, but NOS 776’s do show up on ebay and some slow turn over vendors, and with used mills of course, just something to watch for. A 776 mill should give you excellent service, just adjust the price to reflect the cast ends, don’t pay the same for a 776 that you could get a 778 for

The Granberg G555, Edging mill is an Excellent companion tool for the G776/G778 mills, and runs about $160 last I looked. The G555 was also known as the “Mini Mill”, the name has been changed to better reflect its use, but AFAIK, the name is the only thing that has changed

Granberg also offers the G777(IIRC) “Small Log Mill “ which only clamps at the powerhead end, and not at the bar end, and is rated up to a 20” or 24” bar, I don’t recall which. It doesn’t sound like the G777 would do what you need, I only mentioned it because if you come across one in your searches, you are somewhat familiar with it, and don’t buy it Hoping for it to do what you want, which sounds beyond the capacity of the 777

Enjoy CSMing, just be forewarned, that CSMAD can be every bit as Bad as CAD, it STARTS as CAD, and develops from there

Doug

I think I'm already there. I was definitely thinking of that 3120 deal. The local dealer here quoted me 1200 on the 395 so I didn't even ask the price of the 3120 knowing about Dave. As far as the mill goes I have the materials to build a bolt through bar mill. I'd just gotten a tig welder and had a bunch of aluminum square stock to learn tig welding, and I won't go back to mig or stick unless absolutely needed. I'd still have to make the end plates,but was planning on making that to fit different widths of rails ranging from 8" to 24" wide, or make a few plates with different widths. As for the rails was gonna use 2x2 square stock cut at 6ft long unless I can find some 8ft sliding door rails. The 8ft rails will have provisions to be connected together on the ends to extend the length. The widths will be be held parallel by sticking concrete form cleats in between the rail which will also just happen to be where my screws will go through into the log. The door rails come into play also being connected on the inside of the rail. The nylon wheels will be connected on the mill to slide into the door rails to make a smoother operation. Might have to change rail to 2x3 to do so and still work with the cleats. I'm waiting to get the chainsaw before making the mill due to not knowing the bar width which will determine the width of the mill. Want to have maybe 6" on each side of the bar to help support the mill when starting and ending my cuts. Unless somebody pipes up and says I could get by with less or need more. Yeah it all takes time but time is what I got just not alot of money.
On to the chain. Thank you for your insight. Full skip with BobL's progressive rakers method is what I intended to do. Ran across his thread after I made this one and it makes alot of sense. Figured full skip would help with bigger logs and a bit underpowered saw. Now onto the saw. I found a guy with a 066 that's been sitting in the barn for 10-15years. He doesn't wanna mess with it. And no idea of the condition it's in anymore. He says he wants 350 for it though. Can't believe I'm even saying this but am having a serious consideration of buying the China kit 660 and replace the jug with a big bore as well as OEM bearings seals and rubbers. At least to get me started and I can afford that nice 3120 easier. The China saw and upgrades I had a finish price of 550. Have no idea what it would take for the 066.

 

[Husky Man]

Just offering what insight I can, I learned about the mill size and bar length the hard way.

Sounds like you definitely have more fabrication and mechanical skills and knowledge than I do. If I tried to fab something like that, it wouldn’t be pretty, and of questionable functionality

CSMAD is definitely a “Thing” be careful it is more contagious than the China Virus

Doug

 

[Maintenance supervisor]

Thats "B" of the bunch for a hobbyist sink 2400.00 into a milling rig and find out its more work then fun? Or 600.00 and tinker around until you get the results you wanted.
Theres a lot to be said for dropping the big dime on stuff , brakes,boots,insulated tools for electrical work and other things to keep yourself out of the E.R. but for messing around making boards from logs unless your feeding your family I think its ok not to sweat the name brands.
Theres plenty of proof that we can use a cheap knock off to make a mill and plenty of nay sayers that disagree with anything but husky or stihl . Frankly you can't buy a" Best for milling" saw from a dealer because no one makes a 100cc + gear drive anymore and that will cruise through a 42" log without complaining.

 

[miller2b]

Thats "B" of the bunch for a hobbyist sink 2400.00 into a milling rig and find out its more work then fun? Or 600.00 and tinker around until you get the results you wanted.
Theres a lot to be said for dropping the big dime on stuff , brakes,boots,insulated tools for electrical work and other things to keep yourself out of the E.R. but for messing around making boards from logs unless your feeding your family I think its ok not to sweat the name brands.
Theres plenty of proof that we can use a cheap knock off to make a mill and plenty of nay sayers that disagree with anything but husky or stihl . Frankly you can't buy a" Best for milling" saw from a dealer because no one makes a 100cc + gear drive anymore and that will cruise through a 42" log without complaining.

Gear drive is the best built no matter what machine you are running imo. But you are running into more expense when it does break.

 

[Maintenance supervisor]

Gear drive is the best built no matter what machine you are running imo. But you are running into more expense when it does break.

If you break a gear drive you should step back and be proud for a moment...

 

[miller2b]

If you break a gear drive you should step back and be proud for a moment...

Rare but have seen it happen, not on a chainsaw. Never even seen a gear drive chainsaw

 

[Maintenance supervisor]

There are many , the last one is belt driven .

 

[miller2b]

View attachment 886377View attachment 886378View attachment 886379
There are many , the last one is belt driven .

Those are beauties