husky 2100 milling saw

[usmc50bmgsniper]

does the husky 2100 make a good milling saw? i'm tired of paying sawmill prices for rough cut lumber and want to try to make my own, i'll have a up and running 2100 husky soon and was wondering if this saw will do, i would asume it would being a 100cc saw but not sure.

 

[user 2993]

It will work fine for milling, but you will be better off buying from the mill, unless you don't have anything else to do with your time.

 

[Newfie]

Chainsaw milling is about time and what value you place on it. I found the "enjoyment" to wear off after 4 or 5 MBF. If ya dig it, it can be fun but definitely hard,dusty work.

 

[weimedog]

Bet that Husqvarna would make a really nice milling saw.

Chainsaw milling can be really hard work. You get all the local loggin/lumber experts telling you how its not worth the time...you should get them or one of their buddies to do it right with a X-Y-Y big bad bandsaw mill...and for production milling they are right. I hear it dayly. Also for many that is the most time effective therefor cost effective way to approach the problem of turning trees to lumber.

But here is the other side of the story.

1) I can cut my OWN trees. Make my OWN lumber. On MY time frame. WITHOUT all the ???? experts in my face.
2) I can mill tree's in area's I can't easy skid them out...mill them right there and carry out the planks.
3) I pick a log and mill it in the morning, (I cut my trees last fall and will put some on the ground this winter for our summer projects) mill what I need, and build my project in the afternoon. I need that level of flexibility to be able to peice work projects real time. I can't always afford either the time or money to plan those type projects the way I would like. Having the flexiblity with the low setup time IS more time and cost effective in my case.


To be cost effective with having a pro come in with a band saw mill you have to cut & skid your choosen logs to a spot where they can work and have enough to make it worth both yours and their while. You also have to KNOW what you need. I can't predict that at this point. Projects are developed real time.

I choose to chainsaw mill the lumber we used in my barn.

It was hard work, but after spending my days in trucks & tractors I need the work out.
I spent maybe $400 - $500 bucks to get completely setup. I have milled aprox. 250 boards aprox 12ft long by 8 inches wide by 1.5 inches thick to build stalls with this last month or so. All the boards are either Hardwood Maple or Ash. Also made vertical support beams (24). I was able to accomplish this in an timely enough fashion to meet our goals and one hell of a lot cheaper than buying the lumber. If I was to buy just plain old Pine it would have cost over $3000 dollars. What do you think? 4 weekends? $500 bucks in capital equipment? The freedom to do it on MY schedule? AND I was able to enjoy my Hobbie of using OLD CHAINSAWS to accomplish the felling of trees, limbing, firewood from the tops, and milling. What a deal. Hobbie that saves money? How many of those are out there? For me the chainsaw milling concept has worked really well and has completely changed the scale & scope of the projects we can do here on this farm. I don't HAVE to plan as I can setup and go in minutes if I need lumber. Don't have to call and schedule anyone.

I do have a business model where I will eventually cost justify AND buy a band saw mill...but that project is very large and a year or two out. For the stuff I am doing now with the way my family, weather, and work schedule combine to scatter my life and time; the chainsaw mill works well enough. The freedom it has provided is priceless. And the ability to be able to afford to expand our barn & stall capability has created a much larger opportunity....

 

[cbfarmall]

You may want to use a saw you can easily get new parts for. The 2100 has been obsolete for some time now. I use an 075, but all the important parts are still used in the TS760, and available from Stihl and aftermarket sources.

Chris B.

 

[woodshop]

Weimedog said it all, DITTO. If it's Friday and you need couple thousand ft of lumber by Monday, don't even think about it. Prepare to spend the better part of a day making 200-300 bd ft. If you shy away from hard physical labor, serious hard work, often dirty work, forget about it. Myself, I simply enjoy it. I love the smell, look and feel of fresh cut boards. But like he said, I cut and mill my own trees on my own time when it fits my schedule, and cut them where they lay, be it in a neighbors back yard blow-down or hundred yards into the woods on my Uncles farm. But best of all, I cut them exactly how I want... flatsawn, quartersawn, 4/4 or 16/4... my choice, my whim, my time. Sure it's slow and tedious, and takes a big honker of a saw, and maybe one day the enjoyment factor will wear off, but at least for me it hasn't yet in 10 years. Its a way to burn a ton of calories and the bonus is at the end of the day you have a stack of lumber that would have cost you $500 to buy.
Dave
_____________________
this too shall pass

 

[Lawn Masters]

But in reality it only cost you a few bucks in gas an oil to mill, plus the hours of labor. I think of it as physical exercise, which never hurt anyone besides maybe the 700 pound guy that lives on hamburgers cooked in a deep fryer. its good for almost everything, provided you've got the time and patience for it. maybe that star wars light saber would help some.

 

[weimedog]

I also realize that at my pace and with my hobbie the typical "get a conventional brand where parts are readily availble" mindset doesn't compute. First many of the chainsaw stores don't stock the major parts should a saw go balistic. The net is I still can get parts (for major repairs) almost as fast for my old Homelites & McCullochs with the contacts I have established in this hobbies AS FAST AS MY NEW HUSQVARNA! The parts thing applies for many older saws...but not for the ones I have listed in my signature....

Its like the motorcycles thing. Every "expert" says buy HonSuzuYamKawaTM" because of the support and parts thing. We found out for brand new that sometimes is true. Then we found I can get parts for my 1982 husqvarna AE430 FASTER than a late 1990's era HONDA!! What gives? So much for THAT myth. And I have no trouble finding parts for my 1000series Homelites and 800-925 series Homelites. Easily as fast as a new mainstream saw. My local dealer STOCKS most wear parts. Chains Bars, Carb Kits by Oregan, Air Filiters, Clutches, Sprockets etc.....Fact is dealers (motorcycles and Chainsaw alike) support what they sell to a point. AND what I can't find from my local dealer I can get by phone...same as the husqvarna. Any real difference in actually parts availability? On paper yes. In reality NO. My old 707 Homelite is even supported to a point and I HAVE to get a piston by phone...but I found a source!

So don't be afraid of that 2100 Husqvarna. I'd rather burn up a $200-$300 dollar saw while I figure out if Alaskan Milling is for me than a brand new 3210!!!

My McCulloch is still rippin wood. $200 bucks in it. Thats all.