Finished my new alaskan 60" with the old Mac 895! Pics

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golddredgergold

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Got it all done and ready to cut. Threaded rod to adjust thickness on each end. Lighter than my old setup. Winch for milling alone. Only thing I need to finish up is the aluminum tank for the tip oiler. Its cut out just need to tig it up. But love the entire setup. Ripping chain and all. Cant wait to cut the next redwood slabs.
 

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Looks good - one thing I don't like about that saw in a mill is the location of the starting cord.
Hum I played with several config on my first mill. I like this setup straight off to the pulley then down the log through a pulley and back to the frame at the power head and clipped on an eye loop where it is in the photos. This way the rope always feeds to the winch pulley exactly the same. My anchor point for the other end being my truck or a nearby tree whatever is always just a bit left or right up or down. So I always had the rope feeding to one side of the winch or the other need consistent. So When I changed my old one to this setup I never had a derailment of the rope again. So I went with it again. Here it is running on my old alaskan. This one ended up with the pulley mid mounted then a rope off the tip and back of the frame. But it is simplified on the new one. But still this way the rope always feed o n the winch the same.101_0004.JPGa
 
I was referring to the pull start cord on the saw itself.

FWIW I recommend some face or at least eye protection.
The first time I used my big mill a nut fell off the mill , hit the chain at WOT and ricochet it fair between my eyes - luckily I had a face shield on.


Ok got ya! Yes its on the bottom of the saw when on its side. Kind of a pain. But good part is this saw has a great compression release and it starts litterly in half a pull. So if it where not so easy to start it would be a real pain.

Yes no glasses at that moment. I tossed them to the side just a bit before that. To much sweat and sawdust I could not see out of them. So yes not safe for the last of that cut. I had a hat on to to keep my darn head from getting sunburnt.
 
Very nice!

I am curious, at what size cut do you find the winch becomes important?
 
I don't have a winch on the 20" frame. But I think I will install one. They say it should not need much pressure if everything is perfect. I have yet to find that kind of perfection and I have bad bone and joint disease so I can't put pressure on my hands, wrist, elbows, shoulders, back you get the picture. So I need my setup as easy as I can get things to be for me. So I rig the winch for every cut. Lots easier to crank the handle then stand there bent over holding pressure with my body.
 
Nice, I notice you have wheels on your mills. How much better is it with the wheels?
I'm considering adding wheels too. I do know it makes a huge difference getting one end up higher and cutting downhill. I think I may drill my bar and do away with the bottom clamp to make chain swaps easier.

Sent from my Moto E (4) using Tapatalk
 
I'm considering adding wheels too. I do know it makes a huge difference getting one end up higher and cutting downhill. I think I may drill my bar and do away with the bottom clamp to make chain swaps easier.

Sent from my Moto E (4) using Tapatalk
Yes my first unit I built for my 34" bar I drilled. This one I decided to try the bar clamp setup. See how it pans out. I put wheels on the first onemounted to the upper frame. Was amazed how much better it glided down the log. Rolls up over limb nubs and bark much easier. Very happy I did it. So the new one got them for sure. Planning to mill a 54" redwood in the next few days to break the new setup in.20171207_141048.jpg 20171207_141059.jpg
 
I don't have a winch on the 20" frame. But I think I will install one. They say it should not need much pressure if everything is perfect. I have yet to find that kind of perfection
Optimization of the cutters and rakers are the key.
The chain parameters used for bucking are not the same as that used for milling.
For example, you can be MUCH more aggressive with lowering rakers because the chance of saw kickback in a mill is NIL.
Rakers are best dealt with using the Progressive raker depth method.
A brief description is https://www.arboristsite.com/commun...nts-tips-and-tricks.93458/page-6#post-4107285) if you want detail and discussion go here https://www.arboristsite.com/commun...ly-progressive-depth-raker-generators.114624/
My experience in fixing and maintaining other peoples saws is that raker depths are one of the poorest understood aspects of chains

The Top plate cutting angle (TPCA) can also be more aggressive. NB TPCA is different to the Top plate filing angle which is nominally 10º on milling chains.

There are no single set of optimum parameters as it depends on saw power, wood type, wood width. On large Cedar on the mac I would start with a Raker depth angle setting of around 7º and a TPCA of 45º and vary it from there.

I have bad bone and joint disease so I can't put pressure on my hands, wrist, elbows, shoulders, back you get the picture. So I need my setup as easy as I can get things to be for me. So I rig the winch for every cut. Lots easier to crank the handle then stand there bent over holding pressure with my body.

For someone that has these problems then milling on your knees is probably not a good idea either and its far better to be standing up.
A remote throttle will negate the need for a finger on the throttle - it also will prevent the development of white finger.
Higher up handles on the mill will reduce the need to bend over.
Compare the height of the handles on a standard Granberg (bottom) with the height of the handles on my mill (top)
comp.jpg

This arrangement allow for a working stance that is more upright and has the operators arms much closer together.
I'm not pushing with my arms - I'm leaning on the wrap handle with my left leg and as the MC throttle used here is lockable, this frees up both arms to add wedges.
This means no stopping - just constant pressure on the mill throughout the cut which improves the finish.
stance2.jpg

If a winch is used then that too needs to be up higher.
A extra pulley down near the mill rails redirecting the winch cable uptake to the winch high up on the inboard mill vertical is one solution

Will Malloff's approach is completely different.
Note how the winch able arrangement generates a force directly in line with the cut.
MalloffWinch.jpg
 
Optimization of the cutters and rakers are the key.
The chain parameters used for bucking are not the same as that used for milling.
For example, you can be MUCH more aggressive with lowering rakers because the chance of saw kickback in a mill is NIL.
Rakers are best dealt with using the Progressive raker depth method.
A brief description is https://www.arboristsite.com/commun...nts-tips-and-tricks.93458/page-6#post-4107285) if you want detail and discussion go here https://www.arboristsite.com/commun...ly-progressive-depth-raker-generators.114624/
My experience in fixing and maintaining other peoples saws is that raker depths are one of the poorest understood aspects of chains

The Top plate cutting angle (TPCA) can also be more aggressive. NB TPCA is different to the Top plate filing angle which is nominally 10º on milling chains.

There are no single set of optimum parameters as it depends on saw power, wood type, wood width. On large Cedar on the mac I would start with a Raker depth angle setting of around 7º and a TPCA of 45º and vary it from there.



For someone that has these problems then milling on your knees is probably not a good idea either and its far better to be standing up.
A remote throttle will negate the need for a finger on the throttle - it also will prevent the development of white finger.
Higher up handles on the mill will reduce the need to bend over.
Compare the height of the handles on a standard Granberg (bottom) with the height of the handles on my mill (top)
View attachment 632797

This arrangement allow for a working stance that is more upright and has the operators arms much closer together.
I'm not pushing with my arms - I'm leaning on the wrap handle with my left leg and as the MC throttle used here is lockable, this frees up both arms to add wedges.
This means no stopping - just constant pressure on the mill throughout the cut which improves the finish.
View attachment 632800

If a winch is used then that too needs to be up higher.
A extra pulley down near the mill rails redirecting the winch cable uptake to the winch high up on the inboard mill vertical is one solution

Will Malloff's approach is completely different.
Note how the winch able arrangement generates a force directly in line with the cut.
View attachment 632798
Awesome! The info on the chain and links I have gone over prior in great detail. My new chain on this bar is ground exactly as you and others have talked about here. So I am sure to have more luck with my chain on this setup. My old bar and chain where pretty worn out. All this stuff is brand new so should be effective. I got my takers down a bunch. So see how this goes. They are down and at a 6.5 degree slope. I made a gauge like you had pictured in a thread. Also at 10 degrees on my teeth. And super accurate throughout. So this bad boy should cut much better. I will try a higher handle setup for sure. I would really really like to get off my knees. Well right knee is shot cannot kneel on it at all. So I end up on the left. Thanks for all the info. I will apply it soon as I get to cutting in the next few days and will report back how it cuts.
 
Awesome! The info on the chain and links I have gone over prior in great detail. My new chain on this bar is ground exactly as you and others have talked about here. So I am sure to have more luck with my chain on this setup. My old bar and chain where pretty worn out. All this stuff is brand new so should be effective. I got my takers down a bunch. So see how this goes. They are down and at a 6.5 degree slope.

Just to make sure. It's not the angle on the top of the rakers (it's better if the raker tops are rounded)
Its the angle between the wood, cutter edge and the line from the cutter edge that first strikes the raker.
If a constant 0.025" raker depth is used all the time the angle gets shallower and shallower as the cutter wears so mo matter how sharp the cutters are they will bite less and less wood.
rakercorrect.jpg[
 
Just to make sure. It's not the angle on the top of the rakers (it's better if the raker tops are rounded)
Its the angle between the wood, cutter edge and the line from the cutter edge that first strikes the raker.
If a constant 0.025" raker depth is used all the time the angle gets shallower and shallower as the cutter wears so mo matter how sharp the cutters are they will bite less and less wood.
View attachment 632862[
Got it! Thats exactly how I ground and filed my new chain. .025" takers and yes I rounded them off after filing down. Looking forward to this new chain. Should be a good cutter. I have applied many tips you have given and others here. Should see some great results because of it.
 
Got it! Thats exactly how I ground and filed my new chain. .025" takers and yes I rounded them off after filing down. Looking forward to this new chain. Should be a good cutter. I have applied many tips you have given and others here. Should see some great results because of it.

0.025" depth rakers on a new chain translates to a raker angle of 5.7º. Given the slower rpm but high torque of your saw I would looking at least at 6.5º in cedar expect you could use 7.5º or more.
 
Ok thank you! I will give this a run at .025" and see how hard it pulls. If its cutting great I will drop the takers some more and get it cutting even more. Thanks again Bob!
 
That's an awesome saw! I have a 795 (same engine, no gearbox). What gear ratio do you have? I also agree with Bob, that saw produces huge torque and can have the rakers taken down quite a bit.
 

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