bundyal
ArboristSite Lurker
Ive got alot of timber Id like to use for my own reasons. Any good thoughts on what to buy (saw, portable mill)etc... Thanx I have alot of pine and some hardwoods.
newbie here
- Thread starter bundyal
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woodshop
Addicted to ArboristSite
You will have to give us more details... how much money are you willing to spend... do you have tractor or some other way to transporting the logs around... what kind and how much volume of lumber are we talking about here, couple trees or a couple acres of woods?
Your question so far is kinda like me telling you I want to buy something I can drive to work ... what vehicle should I get?
Your question so far is kinda like me telling you I want to buy something I can drive to work ... what vehicle should I get?
Woodshop is on the money here, we need more info before we can help. You can also help yourself by reading through some of the threads on this forum.
Use the Search facility within this forum to find more specific info or just have a browse/read. Then you can ask us more specific questions.
Use the Search facility within this forum to find more specific info or just have a browse/read. Then you can ask us more specific questions.
parrisw
Tree Freak
What do you want to do with the wood??? Whats your budget?
bundyal
ArboristSite Lurker
I do have a tractor,Ive got around 4-5 acres of trees to play with. I like to build furniture etc... mainly wanna do it for a hobby so I dont need to invest more thousands of dollers.Just looking for a decent priced chainsaw mill to use and reccomendations on what type to use along with what saw y'all would reccomend. Im just getting started here so all advice is really appreciated. Ive checked alot of the posts on the site and theyre all good. I see alot of info on the Alaskan mill. Thanx everyone!
Now we're starting to get somewhere.
Next question to ask is, how big are the trees/logs?
bundyal
ArboristSite Lurker
The biggest I think Id be working on is maybe 24". Thats plenty of tree for me now,LOL. I wont have to drag them far as the stand is a few hundred feet from the house.
timberwolf
Addicted to ArboristSite
Stihl 066 and Husky 395 are well proven milling saws. Going smaller than that is going to be asking a lot of the saw to deal with a 24 inch log.
You should be able to get away with 32 inch bar, that lets you stick with .050 gauge chain without trouble.
Might happen on an older big saw to buy cheep and use, but that might become more a restoration parts hunting hobby than a milling woodworking hobby.
You should be able to get away with 32 inch bar, that lets you stick with .050 gauge chain without trouble.
Might happen on an older big saw to buy cheep and use, but that might become more a restoration parts hunting hobby than a milling woodworking hobby.
MJR
ArboristSite Guru
Norwood LL24 bandmill comes in a little under $3000 and does a 24" stick. I am by no means saying it is a better option, just a different one. Welcome and good luck.
dustytools
Addicted to ArboristSite
Ill second this reply. a 660/066/395 with a 32" bar and 36" Alaskan set-up would be the trick for your 24" logs and give you a little playing room should you encounter something a little bigger. My 395 does very well on the 24" +/- logs that I have milled.
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bundyal
ArboristSite Lurker
thanks everyone,sounds like some good advice. maybe after I hit the lotto (my retirement plan)Ill invest in that LL24, LOL maybe one day...
Thats easy,Chevy truck :hmm3grin2orange:
As for the saw, I have had good luck with my 394 that I got for 400 on ebay.
timberwolf
Addicted to ArboristSite
Ony small detal to watch for on a milling saw is a side chain tensioner, mill really gets in the way of adjusting chain on front tensioner setups can be a PITA.
Think husy 395 does a better job of filtering, but I think the 066 has a slight edge in the big cuts just my feeling though, but it does have a little longer stroke so that would make sense and a lower cost BB jug option, that scores it points in my pea brain esp if looking at used saws.
Think husy 395 does a better job of filtering, but I think the 066 has a slight edge in the big cuts just my feeling though, but it does have a little longer stroke so that would make sense and a lower cost BB jug option, that scores it points in my pea brain esp if looking at used saws.
slabmaster
ArboristSite Guru
I 2nd that! On both counts.
I've milled alot with both the 066 and 394&5 and found the husky a much better suited saw for milling.As TW said the 066 filter can be a real problem with the amount of dust that milling produces.The chain tensioner on the husky isn't much trouble as i don't have to adjust it much when milling anyway.But when i do.,a small screwdriver works just fine.You can also drill a hole in the mill to access it easier if you want. Mark
slabmaster
ArboristSite Guru
Here's my rig.It does all that is asked of it with no greef. 395 husky with the alaskan mill.
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Like slabmaster said , a drill bit will solve that. Took me getting fustrated several times to figure it out though.
As for the filters I wonder if this is the same for all stihl's ?? I have a ms290 and the filter gets dirty way way faster than my husky's.
Anybody know how the dolmars filter compares ?
timberwolf
Addicted to ArboristSite
Yep, thats a good trick, good point.
Stihl filters seem to pick up more junk, quite possible they do a better job but require more cleaning. Seems Stihls latest offerings are going more the way of filtration more like used by Husky and the others, guess they caught the message.
Stihl filters seem to pick up more junk, quite possible they do a better job but require more cleaning. Seems Stihls latest offerings are going more the way of filtration more like used by Husky and the others, guess they caught the message.
glennschumann
ArboristSite Operative
I vouch for the 066's filter clogging up quickly when used for milling. My work around is to remove the air filter cover and replace it with a plate of aluminum leaving the filter more exposed. I get plenty of mileage out of it that way before it needs cleaning. With the regular filter cover, I've actually had the filter area packed full of shavings when milling. Yes, Husqvarna has a better design in that area.
