Newcomer looking for cheapest option

[rkwelp]

Hi all, I just found this forum and it is exactly what I have been looking for. I am a long time woodworker who has been thinking of a way to mill my own wood for a long time. I've seen the chainsaw mills before and I believe this to be my best option. My question is this. I have fallen on some hard times lately, so my funding is very limited. I have access to plenty of timber as my in-laws own quite a bit of property here in Missouri with a lot of oak, hickory, and some black walnut(my favorite). In a small mill which one do you think would be my best option to start out with, with a very small budget? Or better yet are ther plans out ther to make my own mill very, very cheap? All the help I can get will be very appreciated.

 

[woodshop]

Hi all, I just found this forum and it is exactly what I have been looking for. I am a long time woodworker who has been thinking of a way to mill my own wood for a long time. I've seen the chainsaw mills before and I believe this to be my best option. My question is this. I have fallen on some hard times lately, so my funding is very limited. I have access to plenty of timber as my in-laws own quite a bit of property here in Missouri with a lot of oak, hickory, and some black walnut(my favorite). In a small mill which one do you think would be my best option to start out with, with a very small budget? Or better yet are ther plans out ther to make my own mill very, very cheap? All the help I can get will be very appreciated.

Tell us what kind of chainsaw you have at present if any, and what is the smallest size log you are willing to accept with this mill, and you will get some answers for your situation.

I am a woodworker also, and almost every piece of wood in my shop I mill myself. Quick and dirty answer, assuming you are starting from scratch... a used big bore saw in the 75cc+ range and a Granberg 36" mill. You're still talking $5-600 though total to get started unless you already have a big saw.

 

[rkwelp]

Woodshop, I am looking to start very small. I would be happy with being able to cut 20" logs. I currently only have a 42cc poulan with a 20" bar, but my inlaws(who own land and timber) have a larger, more powerful jonesred, though I'm not sure of the cc's.

 

[Hddnis]

You can put together a working CSM with some spare lumber and a few bolts. It won't be the easiest or safest to work with.

Going up from there you have something simple you put together yourself out of scrap metal. Maybe use an old aluminum step ladder or even window frames.

Then you get to used mills and more feature rich DIY mills. What you don't spend in money you invest in time, either building or adapting to fit your saw.

After that you have buying a saw and buying a mill. These prices are available online.

Your small saw will mill small logs. By small I mean 8" to maybe 12". In short time you will want something much bigger and faster.

Your best bet at this point is to read a lot. Go through the threads here and read all of them; you will find a lot of golden advice. Learn from what others say and don't be in too big a rush.

Good luck and let us know how it goes. Please include pictures.


Mr. HE

 

[dustytools]

Go to the Baileys site and check out the Granberg Small log mill. They can be had for around $120 plus tax and shipping. I had one for a while and they do just fine on smaller logs up to 20" or so. The guide rails can be made from anything from uni-strut to an old extension ladder or even a good flat 2X8. Good luck.

 

[Lorax1]

I would buy a Granberg Alaskan mill and borrow the in-laws saw. I am also a woodworker and just started milling. I have a brand new 64cc Stihl 390 with a 24 inch Alaskan mill. A 24 inch mill will only mill about 20", which is more than my saw should be asked to do. Takes a beating in oak larger than 15". Forget about the little Poulan. All you'll do is burn it up. Use it for trimming as it was intended.

 

[the westspartan]

Hi all, I just found this forum and it is exactly what I have been looking for. I am a long time woodworker who has been thinking of a way to mill my own wood for a long time. I've seen the chainsaw mills before and I believe this to be my best option. My question is this. I have fallen on some hard times lately, so my funding is very limited. I have access to plenty of timber as my in-laws own quite a bit of property here in Missouri with a lot of oak, hickory, and some black walnut(my favorite). In a small mill which one do you think would be my best option to start out with, with a very small budget? Or better yet are ther plans out ther to make my own mill very, very cheap? All the help I can get will be very appreciated.

A few months ago I was in the same boat as you. I picked up a Granberg Small log mill for $120 and I had the same basic Poulan saw as you. As others have mentioned the poulan is not for milling. However, I picked up a 50cc Troy-Built saw at a yard sale for $40, and even though from a quality standpoint, the saw is a piece of crap, it is a screamer for its size. I milled up to 20" pine and "15 walnut with it for a while and didn't worry about trashing the saw. Long story short, the saw still runs fine, but I moved up to an ms441 which mills SO MUCH FASTER and is so much nicer to run. I have milled thousands of board feet since I bought the little mill and I have nothing but good things to say about it. It is fun, and is good exercise.

I am a good welder and fabricator, but since I was in a hurry to start milling for some projects I was working on, I opted to just buy the mill instead of fabricating one. In the end I am glad I did. The mill is well contsructed and made of aluminum, so it is pretty light. The best part about it is that it is easily run buy one person. The only thing I use for rails is a straight piece of 2x... lumber nailed to the log.

Buy the small log mill and borrow the Jonsered and you will only be spending about $150 including a fresh loop of ripping chain. Also, the small log mill says it is for 20" bars or smaller. I run a 25" bar on my 441 because the 20" wouldn't quite make it through some of the pine, and it works fine. I was a little sceptical because the mill is on attached to the bar at one point, but I have had no trouble so far.

 

[Stihl-in-Ky]

If you can weld and fabricate some I have pics of an alaskan mill knockoff I built from some pipe,angle iron and some unistrut and off the shelf hardware.If you are interested let me know.I also built a small log mill for my son-in-law.

 

[rkwelp]

homelite c-52

Just came across an ad on craigslist for a homelite c-52 saw for $50. Is this strong enough for a small mill such as granbergs?

 

[the westspartan]

Just came across an ad on craigslist for a homelite c-52 saw for $50. Is this strong enough for a small mill such as granbergs?

According to the guys at Bailey's when I bought my mill, they recommend a saw 60cc or bigger. In my brief research, the c-52 looks to be a 77cc saw, so it should work fine. I am not sure about horsepower or top rpm for that saw. I borrowed one from a neighbor to take down a 24" diameter white pine, last summer, and it seemed pretty strong. If the saw is in good shape and don't see how you could go wrong for $50, maybe some of the Homelite guys on this site will have more info on it.

 

[BlueRider]

Just came across an ad on craigslist for a homelite c-52 saw for $50. Is this strong enough for a small mill such as granbergs?

It should work fine. That saw is probably running .404 pitch chain unless someone has already converted it. If it has a solid nose bar it is just a matter of a new rim sprocket for under $10 and a loop chain which it pronbably needs anyway. if it has a sprocket nose bar run it as is till you can scrape up the $$ for a new bar or nose sprocket if the bar is long enough and in good shape.

If you look below for a thread about the Maloof book PDF file you should download it and read it. There are plans in it to build a mill out of 2x4's and some all thread. I saw one a guy built as well as some nice looking slabs he milled with it.

Those old saws are great for milling and parts can be had on ebay. Look on Tillotson's web site and follow the links and you can find rebuild kits for the old carbs for a very reaonable price. I have a similar vinatage saw and I have been milling with it for 15 years.

 

[excess650]

I would opt to spend the few extra $ for a Granberg 24" Alaskan over the small mill. The Alaskan holds the bar at both ends, so should produce more uniform thickness lumber. I first ran my 24" Alaskan with 272xp Husqvarna and 28" bar. This yielded a 21.5" maximum width cut, but sure worked the saw pretty hard. When I switched to a more powerful saw, it was easier and faster.

The "beam machine" or Haddon Lumbermaker units attach to the bar of the saw and use a 2x4 or 2x6 as a guide. They can make rough lumber...and with a smaller saw than the Alaskan. Granberg also makes a Mini Mill that clamps to the bar, and should be a better choice than either of these. It follows an aluminum guide rail and should be more accurate.

Don't even worry about "milling chain" to start. A sharp chisel chain will cut rather nicely. Steady, even pressure makes for a more uniform cut and resultant surface. If you have a planer, its no big deal. Skip chain may be less taxing on the saw, but leaves a rougher surface.

There are lots of threads to search and read here, so have at it!

 

[Stihl-in-Ky]

Here are 5 of the pics of the mills I made will post the other 5 and try to give pointers in next post.

 

[Stihl-in-Ky]

I made the rails from unistrut you will need to make them long enough for the bar you are going to use.
The uprights I used 1" and 1 1/4" pipe but square tubing that will slide one inside the other is better,but I used what was on hand hense pipe.
Bolts are all 5/16" so I could use the scrench for my chainsaw to adjust and tighten the mill.
The locking pin on the uprights for fast adjustment is a 1/4"x2 1/2" pin I got at tractor supply.
The upright handle is 1/2" electricial conduit with a ergonomic bicycle handle grip glued in place with epoxy.
The square tubing to hold the bar is 1" square heavy tubing the ski on the saw side is 5/8" but that is what I had.The flat stock on the tubing to space the bar so the teeth will not touch is 1 3/4" long and the bolt holes on the tubing to hold the bar are 6" apart.
To space the mill for different thickness of wood I cut 2 spacer blocks for each size I would want and then loosen the bolt on the upright and place a block on either end of the bar and then tighted the bolt or drill a hole and use the locking pin and the tighten the bolt.
If you have any ? please let me know and I will try to help. Kerry, Stih-in-ky

 

[rkwelp]

Thanks for the pics and the explanation Kerry, and thanks to everyone else who posted information to my questions.

 

[Rockfarmer]

Stihl in Ky, I love the "built it yourself" mentality It also gives you a good idea how the thing works and the more you think about it the more stuff and better job that can be done in the woods. Great pics too

 

[petersenj20]

I was in the same boat as you. I built a small log style mill and use a 47cc saw. I added a 20" bar and since the mill doesn't have to clamp to the tip of the bar, I can mill all of 18" wide boards and sometimes bigger by cutting from both sides of the log. Now I have 2 big piles of high quality w-o-o. D.