Winter CSM maintenance

[mtngun]

While BobL is sizzling in the outback, it's winter here in the PNW, a good time to do saw maintenance.

Ever since reading Malloff's book (thanks, Bmorgan :yourock I've wanted to mod my Alaskan so that the bar bolts onto the mill rather than clamps on. The Malloff mod makes it easier to swap chains.

First up, I drilled and tapped the Alaskan to receive 1/4-28 bolts. The good news is that the metal there is 1/4" thick, the bad news is that it is a gummy 300 series stainless that galls very easily. I'll use it while it lasts. Someday the threads will bugger and I'll have to weld in some mild steel inserts.

Then I drilled the bar nose. First, I tried a 1/8" pilot hole, using an HSS bit at 250 rpm with lots of dark cutting oil. It made it about 1/3 the way through before the steel work hardened and that was as far as it was going to go. Out came a 1/4" carbide end mill to finish the job.

The new hole is the one in the center of the nose sprocket. The other two holes were used for the aux injector before I switched to a dripper.

The Windsor bar itself is soft as bars go. HSS was up to the job. The rear mount gets two bolts.

With the new mounting position, my non-adjustable aux dripper required adjustment. I ground it off and reattached it in a position that should work with either bar mount system.

 

[mtngun]

Here's the 36" bar mounted to the 36" Alaskan. I put blue Loctite on the bolts hoping they wouldn't rattle out. There is a single washer on each bolt between the Alaskan and the bar, necessary to avoid pinching the nose sprocket.

The mod had the happy side effect of increasing the cutting width about 1 1/2". I believe it is now 30 3/4" cutting width. A 30" tree is very rare in our 2nd growth forests, they are usually harvested by the time they reach 24".

When my new 0.050" bar arrives (for lo-pro), I'll transfer the bar hole pattern to the new bar, so the bars can be swapped without needing to adjust the Alaskan.

Still to do, if time permits:

-- new, petite nose guard

-- CSM instrument panel

-- assemble unistrut (that I bought over a year ago ) for guide rail duty

 

[Andrew96]

Still to do, if time permits:

-- new, petite nose guard

-- CSM instrument panel

-- assemble unistrut (that I bought over a year ago ) for guide rail duty

How about adding some wheels to your power head end and loose the skid...at least put them on the list.
Excited to see the instrument panel.

 

[BobL]

So far so good!
Thanks for the pics.

 

[mtngun]

How about adding some wheels to your power head end and loose the skid...at least put them on the list.

I knew someone would bring up wheels !

Honestly, it hasn't been a huge problem for me. Only while milling the bottom 1/3 of the log does the vertical post tend to dig in to the edge of the slab. I get around that by angling the mill until the rear skid pushes the mill away from the slab.

I'll ponder the wheel situation during my next milling session. Now that the bottom skid is out of the way, it would be much, much easier to mount a wheel or two. Perhaps the old bar clamp holes could serve as mounting points.

 

[BobL]

I knew someone would bring up wheels !

Honestly, it hasn't been a huge problem for me. Only while milling the bottom 1/3 of the log does the vertical post tend to dig in to the edge of the slab. I get around that by angling the mill until the rear skid pushes the mill away from the slab.

I'll ponder the wheel situation during my next milling session. Now that the bottom skid is out of the way, it would be much, much easier to mount a wheel or two. Perhaps the old bar clamp holes could serve as mounting points.

Yep - that would be the way to go.

 

[DRB]

I have to second the wheels. I did not think it was a huge deal either but I was so impressed that they on both my saws now.

 

[mtngun]

I notice most of the wheels are mounted below the bar. Seems like the Alaskan most commonly hangs up just above the bar, at the corner of the vertical post ?

I'll pay more attention to the issue next time I am milling.

 

[BobL]

I notice most of the wheels are mounted below the bar. Seems like the Alaskan most commonly hangs up just above the bar, at the corner of the vertical post ?

I Agree that is where they hang up most so 4 wheels or a pair of wheels that flip like these would work on most setups.

 

[DRB]

I find with the 2 posts on the powerhead end of my mill it seems to hang up on the bottom side more than the top. Most of the time I make cants before cutting boards so the bottom of the mill is what rides along the log when cutting off the slabs. When cutting boards from the cant the wheels still ride nicely down the cant without any friction.

 

[Andrew96]

I notice most of the wheels are mounted below the bar. Seems like the Alaskan most commonly hangs up just above the bar, at the corner of the vertical post ?

Well I think you're going to enjoy the speed at which you can swap chains much more than the addition of some wheels (with your latest mods). I put them on mine. The old mill had wheels as well. It can make it easier to mill over a bump (cut uphill, then down the other side) but unless you have them stuck way out (reducing your cutting width) they are not going to help much on the little diameter stuff. My mill sort of vibrates along the cut, the wheels are not 'always' stuck hard to the tree. They still get stuck in dips in the bark. I then have to twist the mill to get the foward wheel up again...just like you do without them. For my milling, I'd say I value them 50/50. Great when the tree is flat, bark free...just as much of a problem as I think skids would be when it's not smooth sailing. They cost me 1/2" of cut width though.
I'm sure you've already thought of this though (considering the wheels IMO only really help on a bark free, or smooth bark tree), make some up, use those holes on your skid..stick them on when you have a smooth run up a tree and can afford the width. Now you'd have the best of both worlds. I'm suggesting this based on how much milling you've done (way more than me), and the fact that you are happy with the skids. I'm ready to add some skids (ramps to the ends) to the wheel portion of my mill, so I can loose the wheels for really bumpy barked trees. I'd then have a setup like yours...a skid when bumpy, wheels for smooth. Running up the side of a beech is not the same as the side of maple.

 

[mtngun]

Instrument panel, made from 1/8" thick scrap flexible plastic, hose clamped to handle.

Got the new 0.050" bar drilled and started on the nose guard.

 

[BobL]

Instrument panel, made from 1/8" thick scrap flexible plastic, hose clamped to handle.

Nice - is your tacho wire tucked in thru the fan housing?

 

[mtngun]

Nice - is your tacho wire tucked in thru the fan housing?

No, the wire is zip tied to the handle, follows the handle to the bottom of the saw, and then back along the bottom of the fan/starter housing, and then up to the spark plug.

The wireless $85 Fast Tach would be much more convenient, but for $30 I can live with the EDM's wire.

 

[BobL]

No, the wire is zip tied to the handle, follows the handle to the bottom of the saw, and then back along the bottom of the fan/starter housing, and then up to the spark plug.

The wireless $85 Fast Tach would be much more convenient, but for $30 I can live with the EDM's wire.

Thanks, that arrangement looks a lot tidier than mine.

 

[mtngun]

How about adding some wheels to your power head end and loose the skid...at least put them on the list.

Here we have wheels. They started out in life as 2" casters. I rebored them to 5/16" so they could bolt to the Alaskan's existing 5/16" holes. Haven't tested the wheels yet, but it looks like they'll suffice.

Note the wheels, along with my aux dripper, limit the cut height adjustment of the Alaskan. However, providing you use a guide board for every pass, as I do, there will never be any reason to adjust the cut height low enough to bump into the wheels.

 

[BobL]

Looks good - should work really well on cutting boards from cants.

The only times I can see a problem is on larger logs where the curvature is so shallow the log will still contact the upright or bottom of bolts before it touches the wheels.

 

[olyman]

Here's the 36" bar mounted to the 36" Alaskan. I put blue Loctite on the bolts hoping they wouldn't rattle out. There is a single washer on each bolt between the Alaskan and the bar, necessary to avoid pinching the nose sprocket.

The mod had the happy side effect of increasing the cutting width about 1 1/2". I believe it is now 30 3/4" cutting width. A 30" tree is very rare in our 2nd growth forests, they are usually harvested by the time they reach 24".

When my new 0.050" bar arrives (for lo-pro), I'll transfer the bar hole pattern to the new bar, so the bars can be swapped without needing to adjust the Alaskan.

Still to do, if time permits:

-- new, petite nose guard

-- CSM instrument panel

-- assemble unistrut (that I bought over a year ago ) for guide rail duty

you got some unistrut--like bobl?? where???

 

[mtngun]

I've assembled a unistrut guide thingy, no pictures to show until I have a chance to mill with it, which may be quite a while.

It was inspired by BobL's unistrut, but I did things a little differently.

Since 99% of my milling is to 12 foot lengths (the longest that can be carried in the bed of a pickup) I made the guide rails about 14 foot long.

Instead of bolting it together, my unistrut guide is welded. Nothing to assemble, nothing to adjust, nothing to rattle loose.

To my surprise, the unistrut is more prone to twisting than my old 2x12 guide board. The unistrut will require significant support on the initial slabbing cut to avoid twisting.

The unistrut is also heavier than the 2x12.

However, the 2x12 warps and splits, while the unistrut should last forever.

 

[BobL]

I've offered my mill makeover services to Hud and Sandi, the owners of the farm where I go for my milling holidays, on their conventional Grandgerb style mill to take a 72" bar.

I'll probably be copying your wheel setup, and it will need an anti sagging device of some kind. I'll probably start a new thread when I get around to it!