Strategic Decision?

[Al Weber]

I have a RipSaw that I am using to mill hardwoods from my woodlot in NH. It is limited by its 14" capacity and for the most part, everything I have milled to date has been within that capacity. Now I have a felled rock maple with a base diameter of about 30" diameter that I would like to mill but I don't have the capability. The reason I don't have a CSM currently is cost of a larger chainsaw. I have a 029 Super Farmboss, a 019T, and a 036 on the RipSaw. I really do not want to buy a larger saw so I am thinking of buying an Alaskan, a 24 inch bar for my 029 and some ripping chain to allow me to get larger logs down to size for the RipSaw. I know the 029 is not an optimal saw for milling but my question is whether equipping it with a 24 inch bar and a ripping chain would be a waste of money and time. I am willing to put up with a slow milling operation for preparing the cants but if the 029 simply isn't large enough, then I don't want to do it. I can get a local mill to come to my site and I expect it would be fairly costly today given fuel costs, etc.

If it is reasonable to use the 029, what recommendations for a bar and chain would you have? The 029 currently is running an 18" bar and a 0.325 pitch drive. Is there 0.325 pitch rip chain available or will I have to change the sprocket?

 

[RAS323]

I have a RipSaw that I am using to mill hardwoods from my woodlot in NH. It is limited by its 14" capacity and for the most part, everything I have milled to date has been within that capacity. Now I have a felled rock maple with a base diameter of about 30" diameter that I would like to mill but I don't have the capability. The reason I don't have a CSM currently is cost of a larger chainsaw. I have a 029 Super Farmboss, a 019T, and a 036 on the RipSaw. I really do not want to buy a larger saw so I am thinking of buying an Alaskan, a 24 inch bar for my 029 and some ripping chain to allow me to get larger logs down to size for the RipSaw. I know the 029 is not an optimal saw for milling but my question is whether equipping it with a 24 inch bar and a ripping chain would be a waste of money and time. I am willing to put up with a slow milling operation for preparing the cants but if the 029 simply isn't large enough, then I don't want to do it. I can get a local mill to come to my site and I expect it would be fairly costly today given fuel costs, etc.

If it is reasonable to use the 029, what recommendations for a bar and chain would you have? The 029 currently is running an 18" bar and a 0.325 pitch drive. Is there 0.325 pitch rip chain available or will I have to change the sprocket?

Here's my $0.02. The 029 is too small to run a 24" bar. Take the 036 off the ripsaw, use it on the alaskan mill, put the 029 on the ripsaw.

 

[woodshop]

Here's my $0.02. The 029 is too small to run a 24" bar. Take the 036 off the ripsaw, use it on the alaskan mill, put the 029 on the ripsaw.

Agree... 029 just doesn't have the power to rip wood. Your 036 (around 60cc) will work in that csm in a pinch if you take it easy. I've milled 30 inch wide oak with a 60 cc saw before I got my 395, it just took forever, and was hard on my saw. I have a similar combo as you with the Ripsaw, have an MS361 on it, plenty of power for that. To bust those large logs into sizeable cants so my Ripsaw can slice them up, I use my Husky 395 on a 36" csm. If your gonna rip large (24" dia and up) logs into cants more than just once or twice, you need to invest in a big saw, no way around it.

 

[DRB]

I would mount a 28" bar on the 036. This will give you about a 22" cut. You may be able to whittle the log down with this setup although I would not want to cut lots at full cutting width. Hard on the saw.

I have run this set up on a 365 that I would consider in the same class as a 036. The 036 my have more bottom end power.

Hope this helps

 

[Al Weber]

Thanks everyone. Since everyone is in agreement here, I'll look into using the 036 for a CSM. This is one of those financial decisions that I hate. While I would like to buy a bigger saw just for ripping out large logs, I can't justify it with the amount of work I do. Your ideas are great options and I'll work toward that end.

 

[slabmaster]

Thanks everyone. Since everyone is in agreement here, I'll look into using the 036 for a CSM. This is one of those financial decisions that I hate. While I would like to buy a bigger saw just for ripping out large logs, I can't justify it with the amount of work I do. Your ideas are great options and I'll work toward that end.

You might want to do a muffler mod on the 036.If you're using it for milling.You'll get 35 percent more power and it will run cooler and last longer in the long run. I even mod my big saws for milling as they run hotter when used for milling. Mark

 

[aquan8tor]

Although it would be nice, a 10-15% gain in HP with a muffler mod is a bit more realistic. If you "woods ported" your saw--i.e. a professional altering the bore of the transfer ports (to advance the timing) from the carburetor to the cylinder, and the exhaust output from the cylinder into the muffler, you might see gains of 25% or more. I'm no expert, but I know that my muffler mod to my 394XP didn't give me more than 10%.

 

[slabmaster]

Although it would be nice, a 10-15% gain in HP with a muffler mod is a bit more realistic. If you "woods ported" your saw--i.e. a professional altering the bore of the transfer ports (to advance the timing) from the carburetor to the cylinder, and the exhaust output from the cylinder into the muffler, you might see gains of 25% or more. I'm no expert, but I know that my muffler mod to my 394XP didn't give me more than 10%.

If done properly you should have gotten much more than that!My 394 did.Did you remove the restrictor inside the muffler?Lets see some pictures of your saw. Here's mine. Mark

 

[aquan8tor]

yep. Removed the restrictor.

 

[guitarborist]

Look into an old saw, they are cheap and reliable. I just bought an 075 for my csm and really like it. I paid $390 for the saw head and "42 bar. It has great power for the price, about 1/2 the cost of a newer saw like the 066 mag. (used that is, in good shape). The draw back is the weight, they are very heavy saws.

 

[peterrum]

Quarter the log up with splitting wedges, then go at the 4 pieces. A bit more time consuming but no extra costs.