Help me spend $1000 on freehand milling

[U&A]

Question,

If you spend $1000 on gear and end up not wanting to do it or not liking it......then you just wasted $1000 right?


Sent while firmly grasping my redline lubed RAM [emoji231]

 

[toadman]

Question,

If you spend $1000 on gear and end up not wanting to do it or not liking it......then you just wasted $1000 right?


Sent while firmly grasping my redline lubed RAM [emoji231]

Nope.
At least that's not how I see it...
You end up knowing first hand why you don't like X POS & so gained some insight, likely skills & almost certainly can sell it for a small loss if it's not broken.
Or in some cases a slight profit

 

[jamieS]

Yeah, life is short and the list of things I want to try is long.

I'm getting pretty good at reselling things I no longer need. In a way, buying/trying/selling is almost like buying a class or renting equipment for a while. Even if I don't take something up, I'm happy to KNOW that I don't like it and I'm happy to pass on my used-but-not-abused gear to someone else for a good price.

 

[csmillingnoob]

No, I wouldn't consider $1,000 a waste even if I turn out not like milling. A $500.00 chainsaw can have value down the road even if the resale value drops. A chainsaw has value after a hurricane, tornado, ice storm, beetle infestation, or just cleaning up at the lot/cabin at the river.

Anybody wanna buy some antique bamboo flyrods. Time to fish for trout has been drastically altered.

 

[csmillingnoob]

csmillingnoob, I'm talking with thechainsawguy now... but any suggestions on where to purchase bar and chains?

-j

That's a bit of a tricky question.

I have never used low-pro bars and chains. I've pretty much stuck with 3/8 .063 (though I.m going with 404 .063 on my new 3120xp.) It's easy to find decent deals on 3/8 bars and skip chains on fleabay. Just go with price and big volume/likes on Oregon stuff. Remember that Stihl and Husqvarna have different mounts.

However, I might consider buying Stihl skipchain from your local dealer if you get the 660 from dave. Stihl makes high quality chain. Also, it doesn't hurt to establish some relationship with a Stihl dealer. As a general rule, they won't work on stihl clones but they might if you build up a relationship with them before you need their help.

Dave will have tested and run your Holzfforma/Hutzell 660 clone. He's at about 170 ft. above sea level. I'm at 200 ft. My 3120 came perfectly tuned out of the box and a bit rich. What's your elevation? Are you ready to tune or need a lesson? Stihl dealer might give you a lesson. Hint: Big dealers are less helpful than smaller guys.

 

[jamieS]

That's a bit of a tricky question.

I have never used low-pro bars and chains. I've pretty much stuck with 3/8 .063 (though I.m going with 404 .063 on my new 3120xp.) It's easy to find decent deals on 3/8 bars and skip chains on fleabay. Just go with price and big volume/likes on Oregon stuff. Remember that Stihl and Husqvarna have different mounts.

However, I might consider buying Stihl skipchain from your local dealer if you get the 660 from dave. Stihl makes high quality chain. Also, it doesn't hurt to establish some relationship with a Stihl dealer. As a general rule, they won't work on stihl clones but they might if you build up a relationship with them before you need their help.

Dave will have tested and run your Holzfforma/Hutzell 660 clone. He's at about 170 ft. above sea level. I'm at 200 ft. My 3120 came perfectly tuned out of the box and a bit rich. What's your elevation? Are you ready to tune or need a lesson? Stihl dealer might give you a lesson. Hint: Big dealers are less helpful than smaller guys.

Thanks, I appreciate the info on chains. I've been doing a lot of searching... I'm sorta, half-way, starting to make sense of it all (!)

And interesting about the tuning. I'm at ~500 ft. I think I'll do a little searching to see if I can learn about tuning...

 

[toadman]

Plus 1 on making friends with a local shop!!
I have been blessed with a local shop who goes way out of their way to help me when I need parts, warranty work, or advice, but sadly that's not always the case & it took me years to get a good relationship with them, as well as spending a fair amount of money with them to get to this point.

 

[jamieS]

An update: I went ahead and bought the Granberg mini/edging mill... and also bought a 85$ fake "Alaskian" mill just to give it a try. I'll replace the bolts before using the mill. 660 clone with replaced piston and oiler is on it's way...

I don't have an aluminum ladder, but I can run some decent 2x4 through my jointer and planer as references for the first cuts... or maybe if this is definitely the way to go, I can borrow one from a neighbor...

Thinking about how I'm going to mill. I'm leaning towards quarter sawing most of it, which will work best for the cabinet/shelves I plan to make. (Plus less likely to warp in drying.) Trying to figure out the order of cuts so that I have flats to reference each board...

 

[toadman]

I use a known flat 2x12 for a first cut reference a lot when a ladder is unavailable.
Mine has 2 2x2's screwed to it, one on each side of the 2x12 where it sits on the log.
I find it's really hard to get 2 2x4 sections lined up perfectly with each other on top of an uneven log, even with "rungs" of 2x4 screwing the 2 long ones together.
I have used that method before though & it works quite well when given some effort to get everything aligned, tight & square before putting it on the log.

for the mini mill, a planed & edged 2x4 would be a dream!!

 

[jamieS]

Ah, 2x12 with 2x4 rails makes sense! I can see how this is easier than trying to level just rails alone.

 

[csmillingnoob]

I use a known flat 2x12 for a first cut reference a lot when a ladder is unavailable.
Mine has 2 2x2's screwed to it, one on each side of the 2x12 where it sits on the log.
I find it's really hard to get 2 2x4 sections lined up perfectly with each other on top of an uneven log, even with "rungs" of 2x4 screwing the 2 long ones together.
I have used that method before though & it works quite well when given some effort to get everything aligned, tight & square before putting it on the log.

for the mini mill, a planed & edged 2x4 would be a dream!!

I don't have any experience with the Granberg mini mill. I use a Haddon lumbermaker for edging or field ripping.


Most of my sellable cuts are live edge slabs. Edging the plith can help reduce a big log down to something small enough to go through the mill. Therefore, I sometimes edge the plith of too-big logs.


The plith is pretty useless as live edge and can do crazy things in your drying stack. I now always rip a 3-5/8ths plith cut of a log in half or along any noticeable crack/stress lines with the Haddon. Careful! Those cuts can blow up when they separate along stress lines. The Haddon works best with a straight 2x6 that has been lightly "cleaned" on one edge through the table saw. I usually just cut the true plith into posts. Depending on the log, I sometimes do this on the 9/4ths slabs on either side of the 3-5/8 "true plith", then saw them into boards instead of posts after drying. This means I do not have live edge slabs from the @8-1/2 inch heart of the log.


After I field edge/rip, I follow up with a Skill 10-1/4" worm gear (cut depth 3-11/16ths) circular saw in a homemade ripping jig. Pretty close to perfect. Later, I rip off the other edge with a table saw or cut the "true plith" into posts.

 

[toadman]

So, I got My Ebay clone today!!
I didn't take any pics as my camera is MIA & the one on my phone hasn't worked since I got the phone (oops) but it did need a couple little things to work well;
-the selector switch was very hard to get to stay in half choke. It actually started fine like this, but I fixed that pretty easily anyway, it was the linkage was slightly too long by half a mm or so, so I bent it just slightly in themiddle of the straighter section.
Seems to start very easily now & stay in half choke/fast idle properly.
-the pull cord return spring was not wound properly & after 15 pulls or so it stopped retracting the pull cord all the way, leaving 6" or so of cord hanging out... I tried to put a few more twists in the spring, but I can't be ceratin after it sproinged out in a mess on me (as usual, lol.) & seems to function as intended.
This is my first kit saw I haven't assembled myself, so time will tell how it performs

 

[csmillingnoob]

So, I got My Ebay clone today!!
I didn't take any pics as my camera is MIA & the one on my phone hasn't worked since I got the phone (oops) but it did need a couple little things to work well;
-the selector switch was very hard to get to stay in half choke. It actually started fine like this, but I fixed that pretty easily anyway, it was the linkage was slightly too long by half a mm or so, so I bent it just slightly in themiddle of the straighter section.
Seems to start very easily now & stay in half choke/fast idle properly.
-the pull cord return spring was not wound properly & after 15 pulls or so it stopped retracting the pull cord all the way, leaving 6" or so of cord hanging out... I tried to put a few more twists in the spring, but I can't be ceratin after it sproinged out in a mess on me (as usual, lol.) & seems to function as intended.
This is my first kit saw I haven't assembled myself, so time will tell how it performs

That's why I suggested that OP buy a bugged-out version from Dave. The reports of the engines are very good, but they have a reputation for small bugs out of the box. Check your oil/gas lines when new and then fairly regularly thereafter.

 

[jamieS]

Well, not bad for a first milling job. Finished with all my eyes, fingers, and toes.

I decided not to freehand afterall. It wasn't that much more expensive to buy the grandberg edging mill and a chinese cheap horizontal mill.

Got about of cord of fire wood and a 2' x 4' x 6' stack of lumber. (And an amazing amount of sawdust.) And learned a bit more that I knew before I started.

Thanks for everyone's help on this thread!

 

[Whiskers]

Nice! Bet you woke up the neighborhood!

 

[csmillingnoob]

Well, not bad for a first milling job. Finished with all my eyes, fingers, and toes.

I decided not to freehand afterall. It wasn't that much more expensive to buy the grandberg edging mill and a chinese cheap horizontal mill.

Got about of cord of fire wood and a 2' x 4' x 6' stack of lumber. (And an amazing amount of sawdust.) And learned a bit more that I knew before I started.

Thanks for everyone's help on this thread!

Welcome to the club.

How did the dave-worked Holzfforma run?

Hope you get a solid, long life out of it - that will tell you whether you want to continue on with this pasttime.

How's the budget looking? $1,000.00 spent yet?

 

[jamieS]

Yeah, the 660 clone Dave put together is a beast. It has the Meteor piston and a new oiler. Worked great.
The safety gear put me over $1000, but that was money well spent

 

[csmillingnoob]

Yeah, the 660 clone Dave put together is a beast. It has the Meteor piston and a new oiler. Worked great.
The safety gear put me over $1000, but that was money well spent

So, tell us what all you got. What you think you still need. Mill modifications.

Cant hook?
Lifting device like floor jack, etc.?
Slab moving cart/devices?
wedges?
bar(s)?
chains?
Sharpening tools?


I'm barely out of the "noobie" stage myself. It's interesting to watch someone else get set up. I'm sure you will be getting more tools as you progress

 

[jamieS]

Sure, so here's what I got...

36" cheap horizontal mill
36" cheap forester brand bar, 0.50,
woodlandpro 36" 3/8 0.50 ripping chain
granburg edging mill
24" oregon brand bar 0.50 (spent more here since this will also be my general crosscutting saw)
woodlandpro 24" 3/8 0.50 ripping chain and crosscut chain (cross cut for bucking stove rounds for the stuff I didn't turn into lumber)
stihl sharpening kit with file, plate, depth gauge jig
chainsawdave's 660 clone, with replacement piston and oiler, test run before shipping
4 plastic felling wedges (could make own out of hardwood)
helmet with noise muffs and face shield
long safety chaps (I'm 6' tall and the "42 inch" husq chaps drapped over the top of my boot -- which is what I wanted)
(used gloves and boots and fume respirator that I already owned)
gas container, fuel oil
bar oil
homemade bar-end oiler made out of plastic bottle, 1/4" tubing and brass fittings/valves from homedepot
I would say that's about what's minimally required.

I milled all the logs where they had been dropped, so no additional equipment needed to move the wood --- otherwise that would have added the cost of a winch,/come-along, jack, peavey, etc. Basically by buying the edging mill, I could make quartersawn lumber without having to rotate the log. But I would have loved to have had the wood jacked up higher and be standing, not kneeling.

I just got the book "chainsaw lumbermaking" by Maloff and really like all the jigs/fixtures in that book to make milling easier. Being able to stand up straight, winch the mill, operate the throttle remotely, etc. I can see that as being the next thing I pursue.

Hope that helps!

 

[csmillingnoob]

Sure, so here's what I got...

36" cheap horizontal mill
36" cheap forester brand bar, 0.50,
woodlandpro 36" 3/8 0.50 ripping chain
granburg edging mill
24" oregon brand bar 0.50 (spent more here since this will also be my general crosscutting saw)
woodlandpro 24" 3/8 0.50 ripping chain and crosscut chain (cross cut for bucking stove rounds for the stuff I didn't turn into lumber)
stihl sharpening kit with file, plate, depth gauge jig
chainsawdave's 660 clone, with replacement piston and oiler, test run before shipping
4 plastic felling wedges (could make own out of hardwood)
helmet with noise muffs and face shield
long safety chaps (I'm 6' tall and the "42 inch" husq chaps drapped over the top of my boot -- which is what I wanted)
(used gloves and boots and fume respirator that I already owned)
gas container, fuel oil
bar oil
homemade bar-end oiler made out of plastic bottle, 1/4" tubing and brass fittings/valves from homedepot
I would say that's about what's minimally required.

I milled all the logs where they had been dropped, so no additional equipment needed to move the wood --- otherwise that would have added the cost of a winch,/come-along, jack, peavey, etc. Basically by buying the edging mill, I could make quartersawn lumber without having to rotate the log. But I would have loved to have had the wood jacked up higher and be standing, not kneeling.

I just got the book "chainsaw lumbermaking" by Maloff and really like all the jigs/fixtures in that book to make milling easier. Being able to stand up straight, winch the mill, operate the throttle remotely, etc. I can see that as being the next thing I pursue.

Hope that helps!

Good expenditure on Maloff!

3 ton floor jack from Harbor freight or Craigslist combined with can’t hook/peavy will help you maneuver and jack up logs. Elevation to cut down hill is better than a winch.

have fun!