Holzfforma Portable Chainsaw Mill

[Bedford T]

It would be great if ya could work on those reading skills.

I said
"I used mine today for 4 cuts on a log I had already removed a slab from it earlier that I cut by sight."

First sentence out. To explain the imperfections. The log was far from flat, by the end the bar nose was exposed. If I had understood how much this would have troubled everyone I might have not posted it. It was not an instructional video and I did not do a single thing wrong.

Several months ago I needed a slab of wood and I cut it free hand. It left the log way far from flat but I got what I needed and having a mill now it was used to true it up best possible way so I could use the rest of the log. And it worked out. All this was meant to do was show my kit saw mounted on my mill making noise. You even marked it up. Omg lol

 

[SeMoTony]

I would suggest fast forward would be of help to you. It's often a slider and you just quit moving it when you reach an area you are interested in. It was held close so you could see the piece.

No need to uproar with our instructor from Perth. If you don't know he instructed at secondary school IIRC then had a sabatical and came back physic science IIRC proffesor college level before retiring a few years ago. I learn from my mistakes only when I get over denying I made them. He also has taken the time and expended the effort to evaluate AS member's chain cutters pictures and repost with yellow red or blue lines showing directly how to improve the sharpening. A man of very admirable character IMHO

 

[Boogedy_Man]

I was with you on the log not being true and what it wouldn't sit flat, but you really need some form of rail to make it right again.

I wouldn't feel bad about a little criticism. It's good info. In fact, makes me think I should make my own video and ask for some feedback.

 

[Bedford T]

criticism is welcome when it's in context. See the video and saying that was outta whack you must have been trying something different and then the criticisms to put it in perspective. It just kept going without perspective. So I said something. I did see a mill Bob had some quick disconnects on and I got he was advanced at that point.

Honestly I was surprised. Who wants that kind of attention when you were just sharing a snippet. I found a bunch to be troubled about. The ad says adjustable to 14". Wrong. The rails toe in the shorter you go. I saw that as I used it. I also realized that I need a rail system but for the cut being tried up close except at the end I found it acceptable once until I could get what I needed. The cutting position was wrong. There was no safe way to have sure footing so the cut was made with the top of the bar. The rest of the log can be milled from the correct side. So all this to say there is more to it. And I am sure that's true everytime

 

[Boogedy_Man]

People want to be helpful, but they also don't want someone to see that and think it's normal.

Not sure what you mean on the rails toeing in. You might need to loosen a bar clamp and get the whole mess square before tightening it back down.

 

[SeMoTony]

criticism is welcome when it's in context. See the video and saying that was outta whack you must have been trying something different and then the criticisms to put it in perspective. It just kept going without perspective. So I said something. I did see a mill Bob had some quick disconnects on and I got he was advanced at that point.

Honestly I was surprised. Who wants that kind of attention when you were just sharing a snippet. I found a bunch to be troubled about. The ad says adjustable to 14". Wrong. The rails toe in the shorter you go. I saw that as I used it. I also realized that I need a rail system but for the cut being tried up close except at the end I found it acceptable once until I could get what I needed. The cutting position was wrong. There was no safe way to have sure footing so the cut was made with the top of the bar. The rest of the log can be milled from the correct side. So all this to say there is more to it. And I am sure that's true everytime

There is what most do cut in "normal" direction and add oil near tip. i go the other way, cutting with the chain going away from saw throwing chips out other side of cut. In part because that is the part of the bar that the powerhead oils. To each their own, even if they choose to learn only from their own errors in process. On the other hand no one I have heard on this forum has claimed to have ALL the answers! Just what it is. We offer our experience to lesson the negatives 4 U. Learn or not is your choice

 

[Boogedy_Man]

Interesting about cutting the "wrong" way. I've never even thought of that. Then again, I started on a small mill with no nose bracket and it wouldn't work so hot with that setup, unless you wanted the saw to auto-eject from the log. It makes the jumpiness make a little more sense, too. You almost need to swap the posts if you wanted to do that all the time.

 

[Bedford T]

I approach things warily. I looked at the situation for an entire day. the mill the log the saw. Since milling is new to me I thought I could make it work once. I imagine that you are in the woods and you want that log. I am betting you gotta problem solve taking it some times. My first attempt was similar and was pleased with the outcome and I learned from it. I saved the wood with no drama and safely

I might be happy with another handle across the rails at the open end when using a 24" chainsaw bar. I can see having a 32" bar for it as well. I got the mill so I could analyze it to death. Usually in the end I wind up pleased in all aspects when I handle it like that. Those adjuster that the UK Company sawtroll has looks real attractive. In that same thread Bob has his take on them. Real nice stuff

 

[Boogedy_Man]

They are quite nice. I have a coffee full of bicycle skewers I thought of using to rig something up. It's also handy that a scrench fits everything on the mills, but I usually use a reversible gearwrench for all my adjustments and it makes pretty quick work out of things.

 

[Bedford T]

It's designed simply. I noticed those sleeves are going to be hard to keep up with in the woods. I wondered if having them bright orange might make them easier to see when they get dropped. Does your bar have a sprocket on it?

 

[Boogedy_Man]

I have a sprocket nose bar on one mill and a double ender with a roller handle on the other. Orange spray paint is probably not a bad call. I lose everything in sawdust...

 

[Bedford T]

I read somewhere it might have been on Madsen that a 2x12 made a great rail system. Not to drag in the woods but near by I would imagine.. the more I look the more options there are.

Any of you read "chainsaw lumber making" by will malloff 1982. Looks to have it all to get you started from tree selection, felling the tree, milling start to finish. I am reading it as I have time.

 

[Derf]

Yes, I have that book, and Will has a method explained in it. There are many ways to skin a cat and lots of ways to create a rail system.
Will even has a winch on his setup, though he stands at the far end of the log and winches the saw toward him, instead of putting the winch on the mill and walking behind it.

 

[JohnWayne]

The mill looks good enough to get the job done. I think I'll order one and do a side by side comparison to my granberg.


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[TreeJoe]

When you get around to it please do a comparison it would be helpful to see.

 

[SeMoTony]

The mill looks good enough to get the job done. I think I'll order one and do a side by side comparison to my granberg.


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Maybe getting ahead of your process of comparing but like the idea

 

[alabama xl]

I worked for years in custom metal fab. Mostly stainless, some food grade FDA approved stuff. The shiny bits looked chrome ,china is honest like Korea. Truth in advertising did not start nor continue in china. Once you've tightened the nuts on the carriage bolts to hold the height adjuster to the rails, the screws to the lock nuts to hold the tube parallel to those rails, and the other carriage bolts to hold the grip w/plastic handle, then you'll be set to place the square tube in the height adjuster with the U-bolt, and the 5" bolts at the bottom to clamp on the bar. clamp on bar & adjust height tighten it all , double check setting, re-check depth and tightness. Enjoy safely

I have also worked extensively with stainless in the past. I just ordered one of these, and the parts that are supposed to be stainless look chromed, but I was wondering if perhaps they were electropolished? That process definitely gives a weird shine to the metal. I don't care one way or another if the parts are stainless, since I'm not going to leave this outside and I don't particularly enjoy working in the rain.

 

[Derf]

They are likely aluminum, the mill isn’t that heavy.

 

[alabama xl]

After reading this thread, I went ahead and ordered one of these the other day. I ordered from huztl's website direct, on monday the 24th. The mill was drop shipped from new jersey, and arrived at my home in alabama by lunch time on the 27th. Free shipping, and I think I paid just hair over $101 for it. I can see where they cut a few corners on it compared to the granbergs, but the think went together smoothly, and looks like it will work just fine. The cross pieces are cast aluminum rather than machined from a block, but they seem true and square enough to do the job. The only part that I'm slightly concerned about are the clamping surfaces that clamp onto the bar, and whether they are relatively true to one another. If they're not, it will be a relatively easy job to clean them up. There are also a number of sharp edges that I'm going to knock down, particularly on the bar end guard and the edges of the guide blocks. The numbers in the upright bars are plagued by burrs sticking out, but not enough to really bother me at the moment

They seem to have given me a bunch of extra flat washers and no lock washers, but this is easy to remedy. They also gave me mostly short length coupling nuts and no nylon filled nuts for the center handle that isn't supposed to move once you get it set where you need it.

Final picture shows some very minor damage to the end of one of the extrusions. also some minor abrasions on other parts that aren't going to affect the operation of the mill in anyway. It's nothing that I can't fix, but it would have been nice if they packed this stuff a little better.

Waiting on a new bar and chain for my saw, and then I'm gonna try this thing out. I would still be interested to see side by side comparison with the granberg mill if anyone has one to photograph next to one of these.

 

[alabama xl]

They are likely aluminum, the mill isn’t that heavy.

the bars are aluminum. the uprights and parts that grab the chainsaw bar are definitely steel, whether stainless or chrome plated. The parts aren't big enough or thick enough to be particularly heavy. The welds are a dead giveaway as some kind of steel also.