Alaskan mill and the 066 magnum

[tg_weaver]

Gonna toss the alaskan mill on today and mill a little lumber for...well anything. The last time i did this however things did not turn out that great the saw froze up and i needed to replace the pumpkin. Do i need to mix the gas richer or was this a fluke of some sorts? Any ideas dont wanna replace that agian.

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[BonScott46]

Little extra oil and a little richer on the high speed.

 

[tg_weaver]

Word

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[trains]

Seems 32:1 oil, and run it rich on the high speed screw is what I have seen repeated here.

 

[BonScott46]

and a sharp chain.

 

[Daniel Haglund]

I have run my 066 in my Logosol mill using 40:1 oil and a little rich on the H-screw with good results so far. I have even run 50:1 pre-mixed chainsaw gas without problems, but why push the luck? I am using a 20" bar and picco chain so no monster load on the saw.

 

[Kau]

I am looking into buying an granberg alaskan mill, I have a stihl 660, have a 36" bar, looking into running with a 42", not sure if I should go with the 36" or 48" mill, I may upgrade to the 880, I have been running a 50:1 mix with the saw, sounds like I would want to run 40:1 for milling, I mainly will be milling a native hardwood called ohia, it is at least as hard as oak or maybe walnut, some logs are well over 24"across.
Any advice will be appreciated

 

[pioneerguy600]

This site has a chainsaw milling section, perhaps you would like to go there and ask the milling experts as they have far more experience milling with chainsaws than the saw mechanics on here..
just click on the link below,

https://www.arboristsite.com/community/forums/milling-saw-mills.62/

 

[Daniel Haglund]

As you already noted 40:1 mix may help some. Keeping the chain sharp is required not to overload the saw. Slightly rich on the H screw will also help keeping the chainsaw alive. I would run the shortest bar I can get away with. Milling 25" hardwood is going to be tough on that 660, no reason to increase the load by using a longer bar than necessary. I guess you may need an external oiler too when using bars over 36" or so.

 

[Brent Nowell]

Gonna toss the alaskan mill on today and mill a little lumber for...well anything. The last time i did this however things did not turn out that great the saw froze up and i needed to replace the pumpkin. Do i need to mix the gas richer or was this a fluke of some sorts? Any ideas dont wanna replace that agian.

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You need an extension ladder or some kind of anti plane snipe to get properly planed lumber. I will say this the milk is great but without a ladder to start your cuts you will be out in thickness all over. Cuts will probably look better too.
Nothing worse than milling all day and you throw your piece up on your work table and you find that your gonna spend 2 hours planing it!!!! Just to get it flat!
Even with a power planet at 12” width this is a real real chore to get a 1/4” out of uneven lumber.

 

[Kau]

Thanks for all the advice, I will check out the sub forum on milling, yes I do plan on getting the auxiliary oiler from Granberg, they have a 12 volt sharpener that will probably save me lots of time, so here is the set up I am seeing, 660, 36" bar, ripping chain,40:1 fuel mix, keep the high idle adjusted ( with higher or lower rpms?) I suppose I will just go with the 36" mill ( does anyone see any advantages to going with the 48")

 

[Kau]

Oh and yes I will use rails for the mill as well, I saw that someone used a long 2 by 12 with a couple of 2 by 4's of equal length, that seemed to work well for them

 

[Brent Nowell]

48 is pushing it for that size saw imo, but I have not tried it myself. I run 36” with a husky equivalent.
I sharpen mine when I bring it home and I use a file guide. Driving out and milling one log into 5 sheets and coming home is a 4-5 hour Endevour. My chain lasts that long for sure, if it hits a bullet or whatnot then i have a file guide and sharpener for out in the field. If you want to go out for a full day a good idea is to bring two chains and not waste time sharpening.

 

[Brent Nowell]

Oh and yes I will use rails for the mill as well, I saw that someone used a long 2 by 12 with a couple of 2 by 4's of equal length, that seemed to work well for them

Well the problem with that is the boards can say and or they are not planes properly. Again those boards shapes directly translate to your cut piece. Use an extension ladder with the appropriate shims to make sure it doesn’t sag or bow on an uneven log for the first cut.
Imo I think you should just get out there and try it without buying anything else. You will see first hand what I mean and these posts will make more sense to you. Then you can decide what you want to do about these issues.

You sound like a guy that just wants to use a power saw, welcome to my world, that’s how I started so enjoy and there’s nothing wrong about cutting wood for the he’ll of it.

 

[Kau]

Well the problem with that is the boards can say and or they are not planes properly. Again those boards shapes directly translate to your cut piece. Use an extension ladder with the appropriate shims to make sure it doesn’t sag or bow on an uneven log for the first cut.
Imo I think you should just get out there and try it without buying anything else. You will see first hand what I mean and these posts will make more sense to you. Then you can decide what you want to do about these issues.

You sound like a guy that just wants to use a power saw, welcome to my world, that’s how I started so enjoy and there’s nothing wrong about cutting wood for the he’ll of it.

Right on, I hear what you are saying, we have loads of dead hardwood just rotting, I would like to put it to some use and yeah it looks like fun, as of now I just have the saw, I thought about making my own jig but I feel like its a good idea to buy one from a reputable company to get started.