Chainsaws for milling

[cus_deluxe]

i wouldnt wanna mill with anything less than 90ccs. outboard clutch and an oiler that puts out enough oil is key

 

[MaddBomber]

i wouldnt wanna mill with anything less than 90ccs. outboard clutch and an oiler that puts out enough oil is key

Why outboard clutch? Heat issues? Just trying to learn.

 

[Brent Nowell]

I’ve had the most success with the 395 myself. The 3120 is a monster but out of the box imo it is not a good choice for milling without upgrades. This is especially so if you don’t have much mechanical knowledge of these machines.
395 out of the box has an adjustable carb and an ignition coil that gives you the power band you want.
Just my two cents

 

[Brent Nowell]

Bare minimum requirements really can be as small and crappy as a poulan pro... I’m not kidding.
If your looking for reliability where you just buy one saw and want a minimum req 60- 70cc pro class with a 20-24” bar imo.

 

[cus_deluxe]

Why outboard clutch? Heat issues? Just trying to learn.

yeah. i havent done a ton of milling, but heat is the enemy and milling is just hard on the saw. lots of oil is good, and in theory an outboard clutch keeps heat away from bearing/seal

 

[Huskybill]

Interesting cus.
Im going to be new to milling. My dream milling setup is two husky 2100’s in the ak saw mill setup. With a adjustable extra oil tank if needed. I’m going to have very large diameter trees to take down soon. I hate to waste lumber quality trees into firewood. Probably talking a 50” to 69”+ mill. I do have husky 570’s with outboard clutches I believe. For a single power head mill I have a 100 cc r40 partner.

 

[Brent Nowell]

Interesting cus.
Im going to be new to milling. My dream milling setup is two husky 2100’s in the ak saw mill setup. With a adjustable extra oil tank if needed. I’m going to have very large diameter trees to take down soon. I hate to waste lumber quality trees into firewood. Probably talking a 50” to 69”+ mill. I do have husky 570’s with outboard clutches I believe. For a single power head mill I have a 100 cc r40 partner.

Lol have fun carrying that around!

 

[toadman]

my 661 does fairly well. I haven't experienced and trouble with power or had any mechanical failure to date.
I mostly mill stuff too large for a portable band-sawmill, and stuff that's too good for firewood.. . Also keep my chains very sharp... #1 cause of cumulative overheating & saw failure I have witnesses has been a dull chain & heavy feed pressure-> all cuts are made longer and harder by dull chains.
My 394 spends most of is time on the mill & does well.
Better oiler output on the 394 than 661, even after putting an HO version oiler on the 661.

 

[sean donato]

I cant say a definitive cc range would be better then another. If your only pushing say a 24" bar through a 18" tree, sure a big saw will great, but something in the 70cc range would work just fine. It's really a matter of perspective. And I agree 100% a sharp chain is a world pf difference when milling.

 

[buttercup]

Definitely go 90cc+. Otherwise you'll be very disappointed

Well... I wasn't, Wood Doctor wasn't either, so how do you know?

 

[CaptainRuss]

my 661 does fairly well. I haven't experienced and trouble with power or had any mechanical failure to date.
I mostly mill stuff too large for a portable band-sawmill, and stuff that's too good for firewood.. . Also keep my chains very sharp... #1 cause of cumulative overheating & saw failure I have witnesses has been a dull chain & heavy feed pressure-> all cuts are made longer and harder by dull chains.
My 394 spends most of is time on the mill & does well.
Better oiler output on the 394 than 661, even after putting an HO version oiler on the 661.

My 661 has been milling just fine. Keeping the chain sharp helps of course, but the torque is strong and just keeps chugging along and I haven’t come close to working it too hard at all. Anything in the same cc range will likely work as well or better though

 

[Brent03]

I’m a very very novice miller. I’m using a husky 61 with a 28” bar. All I’ve done is a couple ash trees. It’s slow going and the Chain tension adjuster as well as the bar oil reservoir are in a terrible spot to get to on my home built setup. But she does the job.

 

[AUSSIE1]

Havent seen it mentioned, but it matters on the hardness of your wood also. Width of log/cut and hardness of wood should be considered when choosing a saw for slabbing.