First semi-serious milling today!

[Brmorgan]

Thanks for that. I've been himming and hawwing about modding one of my milling chains to that configuration, and I think I will now. Nothing to lose except the time to modify it.

FWIW I prefer a 5° angle to 0° - even that small difference seems to produce more of a shearing cut than a straight-on chiseling cut, and seems faster and smoother to me. Just my experience though.

 

[Zodiac45]

Even though my arms felt like they'd fall off this morn I had only a half day of work so I broke out the 090 again. This time on a narrower big leaf maple 12-16" 11' log. Still using the 36" bar because I haven't fit the 660 to the mill yet (but plan to soon).
This time I tried both of the other chains that came with the rig which I mentioned in a post before, first an Oregon 3/16 semi-chisel, 2 scorers, then 2 clearing. I sharpened the scorers to 20º cutter and 10º upwards, then the clearing ones straight at 0º.
Each cut took half the time as yesterdays cuts, granted the log is half the size. The cut was much easier, but not as clean. Cutting went well till the bar pinched itself as the lengths of the cutters on one side must be longer, cutting crooked. I need to bring it to someone with a good grinder to even everything up.
So to finish up the last 2 cuts I broke out the square ground Stihl chain with the same 2/2 config. and Man Oh Man did that chain cut. I never even sharpened it as it was getting late (good thing, i probably would have messed it up). That chain cut the length of the log in maybe 2 min. Not super smooth but I have nothing but respect for whoever sharpened that chain. I love it and plan to use it alot. That maple cut like butter.
Thought I'd let ya'al know that this story has a happy ending for the moment and that if I can figure out how to sharpen my chains by hand anywhere near what that Stihl chain is like I'm gonna be milling up ALOT of wood soon. (neighbor has a big, big oak that fell last month with about 10 ft of straight trunk.)
Thanks for all the input and good advice. I'll post pics of the oak next week.
-Mark

Yep 10 min and a tank of fuel was a bit much so that square ground chain was your culprit. I wouldn't use square ground too mill. It's really designed for bucking up large softwood. Try a standard milling/ripping chain 10 degree for smooth cuts or a regular 30 degree round ground semi chisel for speed. Nice looking maple planks!

 

[madrone]

Yep 10 min and a tank of fuel was a bit much so that square ground chain was your culprit. I wouldn't use square ground too mill. It's really designed for bucking up large softwood. Try a standard milling/ripping chain 10 degree for smooth cuts or a regular 30 degree round ground semi chisel for speed. Nice looking maple planks!

The full comp. square was definitely the major slowdown but as to your thoughts on square, it was my 3rd chain, the Stihl square ground with the 2/2 set up that milled the fastest by far with no noticeable difference in surface texture than the boards I cut with the round ground 2/2. I'm going to have my local sharpener clean up the other 2 chains on his grinder and maybe i'll try all 3 out on the oak next week.
I still have yet to hear what the cutting angle should be for the square, full comp. Any thoughts?

 

[BobL]

The full comp. square was definitely the major slowdown but as to your thoughts on square, it was my 3rd chain, the Stihl square ground with the 2/2 set up that milled the fastest by far with no noticeable difference in surface texture than the boards I cut with the round ground 2/2. I'm going to have my local sharpener clean up the other 2 chains on his grinder and maybe i'll try all 3 out on the oak next week.
I still have yet to hear what the cutting angle should be for the square, full comp. Any thoughts?

I used 10º on mine but rarely use this type of chain now. Depending on how clean the log is, I found square ground cuts faster than round ground semi chisel, for a little while (a few feet to around half a slab) but it goes blunt quicker than round ground semichisel.

I used to change chains and then sharpen the square ground at home, because it is easier to sharpen in the home shop than the field, but when I started cutting bigger harder slabs I had to swap out the square ground after every slab or every second slab so I would quickly run out of chains. When I switched to round ground semichisel I found a quick touch up of the chain after every slab meant I could keep the same chain on the bar for a whole log or two. Sharpening round ground in the field is much easier than square ground. Some of my logs like these take a whole day to cut as they hard as nails. These logs have taught me to maintain a razor sharp edge and equal length on my cutters, and rakers at their optimum depths.

 

[madrone]

Bob, those are great looking slabs you milled. It sounds like your aussie hardwoods work much better with the round semi-chisel.
When you say 10º on the square ground do you mean the top plate angle or the cutting angle?

 

[BobL]

Bob, those are great looking slabs you milled. It sounds like your aussie hardwoods work much better with the round semi-chisel.
When you say 10º on the square ground do you mean the top plate angle or the cutting angle?

Top plate angle. I use a 13/64" file on the 3/8 chain and accept whatever cutter angle that makes.

 

[madrone]

Top plate angle. I use a 13/64" file on the 3/8 chain and accept whatever cutter angle that makes.

I thought we were talking about "Square Ground" chisel chain?

 

[BobL]

I thought we were talking about "Square Ground" chisel chain?

Whoops - yes - of course.

I match the angle marked on the topplate (10º) and sideplate (80º) of the chain - and accept whatever cutter angle that makes.

I used to file by hand but found I was lowering the angle so now I use a modded Oregon file guide.

This file guide gives a very consistent cutter length.