Islander
ArboristSite Operative
Hi Folks,
My first post on this forum. I am in awe of the skill and experience of this group. I've read hundreds of posts and responses, and learned a great deal. Keep up the good work!
We had a nasty storm this August, and it took down about 15 trees on our property. For years, my wife and I have been cutting firewood every year, and end up making firewood from nice straight ash logs because we have no way to get the logs out of our woods. This year, with all the down trees, we decided to try milling some lumber with an Alaskan Mill. Most of the logs are ash, with some basswood and box elder. Most are 12-18".
We have a post-HD Makita 6401, which I know is low on power for milling (I've been looking for a reason to upgrade to a 7900 if needed). I figure I'd start with some low pro ripping chain and see how that works. I hope this combination is acceptable for the 4-5 logs that are ready to go...I should probably take it slow starting out anyway.
My question is...I'm ordering some ripping chain and a 28" bar from Bailey's. I'm trying to decide between an Oregon Power Match and Windsor Speed Tip bar. Any thoughts on which brand is better for milling?
The Windsor bar appears to be a little narrower width (not thickness). Seems like that might be more tolerant to parallelism error of the bar with the rails. It also seems like the sprocket plate is shorter, which might be more clamp-friendly where the Alaskan clamps to the bar. However, both points are pure speculation...and I have no data, just pictures.
Are there other considerations I should think about? Anyone have direct experience one way or the other? Should I expect both to last about the same?
Thanks!
My first post on this forum. I am in awe of the skill and experience of this group. I've read hundreds of posts and responses, and learned a great deal. Keep up the good work!
We had a nasty storm this August, and it took down about 15 trees on our property. For years, my wife and I have been cutting firewood every year, and end up making firewood from nice straight ash logs because we have no way to get the logs out of our woods. This year, with all the down trees, we decided to try milling some lumber with an Alaskan Mill. Most of the logs are ash, with some basswood and box elder. Most are 12-18".
We have a post-HD Makita 6401, which I know is low on power for milling (I've been looking for a reason to upgrade to a 7900 if needed). I figure I'd start with some low pro ripping chain and see how that works. I hope this combination is acceptable for the 4-5 logs that are ready to go...I should probably take it slow starting out anyway.
My question is...I'm ordering some ripping chain and a 28" bar from Bailey's. I'm trying to decide between an Oregon Power Match and Windsor Speed Tip bar. Any thoughts on which brand is better for milling?
The Windsor bar appears to be a little narrower width (not thickness). Seems like that might be more tolerant to parallelism error of the bar with the rails. It also seems like the sprocket plate is shorter, which might be more clamp-friendly where the Alaskan clamps to the bar. However, both points are pure speculation...and I have no data, just pictures.
Are there other considerations I should think about? Anyone have direct experience one way or the other? Should I expect both to last about the same?
Thanks!