Alaskan mill help

[Woodslasher]

A neighbor gave me this mill awhile back and, while I’m not going to be milling anytime soon, I’m trying to get it cleaned up and in good shape but I can’t find any manufacturer‘s name on it. Can anyone here I’d it just by looking at it? Also, is there an alignment pin is missing from the spot shown in the last picture?

 

[buzz sawyer]

Interesting design. As for the pin, are you referring to the slot to the right of the bolt head or the hole below it? In either case, looks like you'd have to drill a hole in the bar to install it and there may not be room for a sprocket tip bar. I wouldn't want to run a hard-nosed bar for milling.

 

[Woodslasher]

What's wrong with a hardnose bar? I was gonna bolt the chainless Mac up to the mill for the rare occasions when I'd use it but if that'd be stupid please let me know.

 

[buzz sawyer]

Hard nosed adds drag and chain is not adjusted as tight. If it works for you, go for it. I wouldn't use it unless it was my only choice.

 

[Ancient One]

That is an old original Alaskan from way back. A photo on the Alaskan site.

I will take another look at your photo, if I can figure out what pin you are talking about I may be able to help. You may have to visit a machine shop, your mill is long time out of production.

Hard nose bars are a no-no for a chainsaw mill. Too much hard use for a long time when milling.

 

[Ancient One]

On a closer look the helper handle can use a bolt that goes through the bar which has been drilled. Your bar needs to be drilled on the powerhead end also to fasten to the mill, there should be a bolt on the lower end of the vertical upright on the powerhead end.

I have a helper handle for my 56 inch Alaskan Mill that has a tip roller in it, so with a longer chain you can use a hardnose bar, but the chain passes over the roller instead of the hard nose.

You can see the roller in this photo.

You can buy the roller from Alaskan.

66 inch bar with the helper handle installed.

I run my Stihl 090 with the 66 inch bar, a 36 is installed in the photo.

It takes a lot of chain for this setup with the 66 inch bar, this is why I bought the Super Jolly grinder in the background.

 

[Ancient One]

I bought a 36 inch Alaskan for the smaller logs, below it has my 895 Geared McCulloch:

The winch really helps and gives a smoother cut with less time sawing.

 

[Ancient One]

After some more looking at the your second photo I see the bolt for the powerhead end. It is the one that clamps the two round discs, I think the bar goes between the discs.

On the bar tip end, the bolt holding the helper handle is also the one that goes through a hole drilled in the tip end of the bar.

 

[Ancient One]

If you use the old Mac, run a heavy oil mix. I use a premium two stroke oil and run 20 to 1 in the old Mac 895.

What size is the Stihl in your first photo?

I am a newbie to milling, but I have found that the bigger the saw the better. There is no replacement for displacement!

And the correct chain grind helps.

Read BobL's long thread at the beginning of this section.

 

[Woodslasher]

Thank you for the info, I’ll definitely avoid using a hard nose bar. The Stihl in the pic is a near-new 045 Super that is getting a rim sprocket conversion that is not destined for a mill saw. For a long-term mill saw I’d use my 075 once I get the new top end put on it or my 298.

 

[Ancient One]

075 makes a good milling saw. I use mine with Carlton ripping chain, cuts fast. (Woodland Pro chain from Baileys. Carlton makes the Woodland Pro chain.)

I will take a photo of the other side of the helper handle today and post. The funny screw arrangement you see in the photo allows additional chain adjustment. And the extra holes down by the chain groove are for the auxiliary oiler.

 

[Ancient One]

Flip side of the helper handle.

Just to the right of the 9/16" nut is a roll pin about 5/16" diameter. It goes through the helper handle and into the bar. Prevents the helper handle from rotating about the bar end. To the right of the roll pin is the bolt that holds the roller inside the helper handle.

If you have a roller in the helper handle, you can use a hard nose bar as the chain does not contact the bar tip, it runs over the roller.

 

[djones]

I bought a 36 inch Alaskan for the smaller logs, below it has my 895 Geared McCulloch:

The winch really helps and gives a smoother cut with less time sawing.

I like your setup. I resembles mine with a few changes.

 

[djones]

The bar on the end is 1" square tubing with a piece of flat stock loosely bolted to it. It is screwed to the lowest point on the log. The golf ball serves as a buffer and to hold the bar off the log. The hook eyelet is adjustable vertically for the thickness of each cut. When you get to the end you just unhook and the bar falls away allowing you to finish the cut. This also works with the ladder in place. My other change is to use a piece of 1" angle iron on the ends of the ladder which can be slid along the lower portion of the rail and bolt clamped in place at your log length and then screwed into the log ends. By adjusting my first cut to 4 1/4" I am below the thickness of the ladder and the 1" angle iron by 1/4" and safely away from the screws holding the ladder in place.

 

[Ancient One]

Yea my winch tail hold is still evolving. The one now is temporary as I was in a hurry to mill the logs, they are in the way for planting some new trees, want to have the trees in by Oct 1.

Back when I wanted a winch arrangement I tried to buy the Granberg winch, but none in stock anywhere and Granberg would not answer emails or phone calls. I like the small trailer winch anyway with the reduction and the anti reverse ratchet, don't think the Granberg would work as well.

Now milling the bigger logs with the Stihl 090. Note the counterweight, a piece of shafting with a hole bored through. Weighs about 30 pounds. That 090 is heavy! 42 inch bar.

 

[Down Home Dave]

On a closer look the helper handle can use a bolt that goes through the bar which has been drilled. Your bar needs to be drilled on the powerhead end also to fasten to the mill, there should be a bolt on the lower end of the vertical upright on the powerhead end.

I have a helper handle for my 56 inch Alaskan Mill that has a tip roller in it, so with a longer chain you can use a hardnose bar, but the chain passes over the roller instead of the hard nose.

You can see the roller in this photo.

You can buy the roller from Alaskan.

66 inch bar with the helper handle installed.

I run my Stihl 090 with the 66 inch bar, a 36 is installed in the photo.

It takes a lot of chain for this setup with the 66 inch bar, this is why I bought the Super Jolly grinder in the background.

that is a thing of beauty. i lust after that saw.

 

[BobL]

Hard nose bars are not a problem for milling provided a decent aux oiler is being used. I milled about 40 (mostly really hard) logs with a hard nose 42" bar on my 076 before switching to a sprocket nose 60". Roller noses have the advantage of being able to swap chain pitches but I haven't been able to get any for some time.

 

[mikerudder]

Flip side of the helper handle.

Just to the right of the 9/16" nut is a roll pin about 5/16" diameter. It goes through the helper handle and into the bar. Prevents the helper handle from rotating about the bar end. To the right of the roll pin is the bolt that holds the roller inside the helper handle.

If you have a roller in the helper handle, you can use a hard nose bar as the chain does not contact the bar tip, it runs over the roller.

How many extra links you figure you need if you add the helper handle on the hard nose?

 

[AussieFarmer]

I bought a 36 inch Alaskan for the smaller logs, below it has my 895 Geared McCulloch:

The winch really helps and gives a smoother cut with less time sawing.

Howdy,
I just bought a cheap mill and am looking at you winch setup.
It looks like a rope and not steel cable?, What size rope and poundage winch do you use.
Thanks in advance

 

[toadman]

Not the one tagged, but here's what I use;
I'm using #5 starter cord with about the same setup, and I really like it.
Slight stretch, which allows for a bit of forgiveness in the winching speed without overloading the saw.
I tested it (stens #5 cord) up to 750 lbs and then I let off with a hydralic cylinder, which is probably 5-7x more load than it actually sees.
I chose it for abrasion resistance & because I had 250 feet of it. there's a couple guys on U-tube using starter rope as well IIRC