chainsaw milling

[nrobert10]

I am new to trying to use a chainsaw for milling. I am using a stihl 066 and have had a few chains ground for ripping. I am ripping dry old growth cedar use a boardmaster. the question i have is, It seems i can only gut about 20 feet or so before the chain goes dull. To me that seems like a chain should stay sharp longer than that. Or do chains really dull that quick. thanks for any help

thank
Rob

 

[Tree Machine]

Chains should really stay sharp longer than that, especially in a softer wood like cedar. Sure wish I could help you.

Anymore, I do all my ripping with full chisel. Ripping chain is a lot slower, in my experience, but it gives a smoother cut, if you can call a chainsaw cut 'smooth'.

How long a bar are you running, Rob?

Are you sure the chain is dulling? Sometimes with really dry wood, fibers can lay over the cutting edge of the tooth and the teeth don't bite like they should. This can be cured by running a brass brush over the teeth. That cleans em up quick. Inspect closely.

 

[nrobert10]

I am running a full chisel skip tooth i have 2 diffirent bars 32 and 24 inch, the chains are ground to i believe 0 degrees, i had the local stihl shop grind them for i will try the brass brush and see if that helps

 

[nrobert10]

i am really new at all of this chainsaw milling but i have found a gold mine of wood. i have run across unlimited supply of old dry cedar most anywhere for 18" to 32' in across so i am trying to learn how mill all that down any help would be great

 

[Tree Machine]

An unlimited supply? You dawg.

One thing you have probably already learned is that milling with a chainsaw is hard work, very dusty and rough on the saw, especially the bar if the chain is not super sharp.

Have you lurked through some of the other milling threads? There's an ongoing one called Milling Lumber Woodshop Style, http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=19709 that's about a hundred fifty posts long.

Another good one for you might be how to sharpen your own chain vs having it 'professionally' sharpened, http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=19958&page=1&pp=15


As far as having major buttloads of nice diameter cedar, have you considered putting your time into accumulating the logs where you'll be stacking and stickering, and hiring a Woodmizer in for the day? You can really create board feet quickly doing it that way, saving your saw for more traditional sawing uses. I only mention this because chainsaw milling does tend to wreak havok on important personal items such as wrist and forearm tendons, shoulders, hands and other essential parts.

 

[preach it]

Cedar tend to have dirt ingrained into the bark. If you are cutting with the bark on you will dull your chains quickly. If you strip the bark off you will get a lot further.

 

[clearance]

A guy I met who has cut shake blocks for a long time gave me a lesson on cedar wood. He showed me 1st and second growth wood. Old growth cedar is a lot different from second growth (which he called garbage) for starters the growth rings on old growth are tighter than a nuns....I mean like less than 1/32". The rings on second growth are huge and visible. The most interesting thing is that old cedar is full of natural oils and grit or fine sand. This combination of grit and oil is why it takes years and years to rot. I can't remember why the or how the grit gets there though. He told me it was hard on his chain, I have only cut second growth 4' at the butt max. bucked and limbed it, never noticed my chain getting dull. Old growth cedar is worth huge money, investigate your options here. If you are going to mill it yourself get lots of files.

 

[Newfie]

Cedar is a dirt magnet. I'd say 20 ft. is pretty good for old dry cedar.

 

[nrobert10]

the cedar doesn't have any bark on it but has been out in th eweather for a long time, must of the wood is old growth but their is some second growth, which is quiet diffirent. Some thing I have been running across is yellow cedar which i hear is rare and expenisive.

I have a buddy with a band saw mill but it seems like we go through alot of blades and the cuts wonder alot. I have just found a circular saw mill for sale pretty cheap with a 30" blade and 28 horse power motor. Does anybody know the adavantage or disadavantages of a circular saw mill