wineandwood
ArboristSite Lurker
I am a fairly new woodworker that is looking to possibly get a chainsaw mill for personal use. My first question is which saw to start with? I realize bigger seems to be better in the milling world but also would like to start with a saw that is small enough to still be useful for everyday use if I decide not to mill with it. Eventually I would like to upgrade to a bigger saw if I stick with it. My chainsaw use to this point has consisted of firewood and clearing fence rows and power lines. The biggest saw I have ran is a stihl 361. Currently I don't own a saw due to moving out of state and all the saws were family saws that stay on the farm so I am in the market for a new saw. Also I have came into some 100 plus year old barn wood. Mostly beams That are no bigger than 12 inch. Would a chainsaw mill work for breaking these down? Typically with barn wood I would first run everything through with a metal detector first before any cutting. My other milling would be pine as well as taking the saw back to MO to hopefully do some milling on our farm. In a nutshell I am wondering what would be the smallest saw I could get away with and which saws would be good to look at? I dont have brand loyalty yet so looking for bang for the buck. Also what chainsaw mill to look into? As well as any other info on milling I should know about. I have been looking for used saws in my area but haven't had much luck. Did find a Husqvarna 372XP for sale. Also what about the 555 by Husqvarna?