Making chainsaw milling easier....

Had this idea the other day about using a small weight at the end of wide logs to help pull the mill down the log. Not so heavy it does all the work as it'd probably bog the saw down but heavy enough so that it does 80% of the work. If the saw bogs you'd need to be able to pull the weight up with one hand and pull the mill bag an inch to release it and re start milling.

This could be easily made up and the weight changed for different log widths, types, saw powers etc. Next stage would be a pulley system on the back so the mill travels twice, three times the distance as the weight (so a heavier weight needed), so that you could do 2 or 3 times the milling distance as the stand is high.

Even better a log or similar could be used as the weight so less to carry about.

I've had someone pulling the mill on a rope before with a constant pressure and it worked well.

Nice Idea...but I just cut downhill. The guys here gave me the idea and it works great. I use it every time now. Get one end higher by say 30cm and you sort of end up guiding the saw and holding the throttle...no pushing required if the chain is setup correctly and you have a slight downhill cut.

This pully/crank system works wonderful---



Notice the clamp in front of the reel--I found that I needed it to line the string so it will feed onto the reel correctly--kind of like on a fishing reel.






I had tacked the short 2x4 to the end to givew me a little more "pull" room at the end but now just put the hook on the end of the log and push the mill the last foot or so that the crank can't pull it. As I crank I use my left hand on the saw handle to guide the saw as to the angle the saw is cutting with the log--tip cutting ahead, saw end cutting ahead, or straight on cutting. Really works great on long logs. On short stuff I just push it.

You could also use an old retractable hose reel, disconnect the lock feature on it, and let the spring inside help in pulling.

Ted

Andrew96 said:

Nice Idea...but I just cut downhill. The guys here gave me the idea and it works great. I use it every time now. Get one end higher by say 30cm and you sort of end up guiding the saw and holding the throttle...no pushing required if the chain is setup correctly and you have a slight downhill cut.

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Yes I've tried downhill cutting a few times and it works well but I'm just thinking if you have no way of moving a log or if it is just too big... and of course big logs are when you need the help most!

I like the pulley back onto the mill itself - that looks portable and easy to operate. But without being lazy I almost want something to do the milling for me while I just hold the throttle and steer

But without being lazy I almost want something to do the milling for me while I just hold the throttle and steer

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I think you are wanting a Woodmiser LT40 HD or something equivalent.
You gotta love the buzz to do this our way :chainsawguy:

My brother showed me a vid on youtube once where a young guy was milling lumber out in the middle of nowhere in Alaska with a homebrew bandmill, and used a big chunk of log as a counterweight to pull the mill through the cut. I have no idea what to search for to find that specific one now, but if i come across it I'll throw it up here.

Cheers - that's what I'm talking about! I'm going to try and knock something up today.

Rob D said:

Cheers - that's what I'm talking about! I'm going to try and knock something up today.

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easy there - knocking something up - u sure you're on the right forum? jk man

headleyj said:

easy there - knocking something up - u sure you're on the right forum? jk man

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well you never know your luck!

Brmorgan said:

My brother showed me a vid on youtube once where a young guy was milling lumber out in the middle of nowhere in Alaska with a homebrew bandmill, and used a big chunk of log as a counterweight to pull the mill through the cut. I have no idea what to search for to find that specific one now, but if i come across it I'll throw it up here.

Click to expand...

There's a similar one posted here a few years back also. Guy has a rope tied to a mill going forward over a pulley hanging from a barn and he adds weights to the rope. I have also messed around with this method but never got it working very well plus I like to be in close contact with the saw.

I know I have posted photos of me sitting back and letting a saw pull itself through the wood on a slope but I generally avoid doing this. I like to feel the saw and the mill and watch the tacho adjust the final pressure and cutting speed of the saw directly with my knee of hip or occasionally arms. Especially on big logs I can't see how an operator can optimise this final pressure as well when using a remote gismo like a winch. It's probably different on small logs when an operator can just set the saw to WOT and power through.