few milling questions

[skindaddy]

I have a husq 460 I am starting to collect stuff to build my own mill to see if its something I will continue , I have a 20" bar on it now thinking maybe gettting a 24" and going easy with it. thoughts?
what brand of bar and chain would you go with? is a ripping chain a ripping chain?
if I get hooked I know I will be looking for a bigger saw I have 2 trees between 3- 4 1/2ft across i'm entertaining. but I cant see myself getting bigger than a 4ft bar, but that's the future!

unrelated are you guys mostly selling all the planks you cut?or just collectors

 

[BobL]

I have a husq 460 I am starting to collect stuff to build my own mill to see if its something I will continue , I have a 20" bar on it now thinking maybe gettting a 24" and going easy with it. thoughts?

That should be OK.

if I get hooked I know I will be looking for a bigger saw I have 2 trees between 3- 4 1/2ft across i'm entertaining. but I cant see myself getting bigger than a 4ft bar, but that's the future!

Them's very famous last words.

 

[skindaddy]

bobl I thought I read somewhere you drill a hole out as far as you can in bar? or do you drill your hole in bar on saw side of sprocket?

 

[BobL]

On my small mill. In place of the inboard clamp the hole in the bar is such so that the Main mill upright clears the saw itself.


On the BIL mill there is no inward clamp as the mill attaches to the bar bolts

On both the small Alaskan and the BIL mill, at the outboard a hole is drilled through the middle of the sprocket.
A short bolt is placed through the hole and the steel bar nose clamp jaws clamp onto the bolt. This mill is mostly ally so that's is why steel jaws are needed.



The bar itself is hard but the hardened steel centre of the nose sprocket bearing sandwiched inside the bar nose is even harder.
I've drilled these with a carbide tipped masonry bit, slow speed in s drill press with high pressure. The carbide may crumble but these bits are cheap so it may take a couple to get through.