First day with 36" Granberg MKIII and 394xp

[hardhat]

I bought a used 394xp in 2001. Great saw, good for cutting big trees. We have a 5 acre pond and I decided to build a gazebo for it. You can see the pictures below. The beams they used are sandwiched 2x4's and 2x6's. We have a whole bunch of tulip poplar on our land and I decided to use this to make the beams from instead. Got started this weekend and have produced 3 12ft long 4x8 beams that look very nice. Had a blast milling (sore all over now though). Milling with a chainsaw is kind of slow. Cutting the sides off with a mini mill cutting through 12" or so of wood is fairly slow going. Maybe about 4 or 5 feet per minute. Does this sound about right. Would there be much benefit to going up to a husky 3120 or a stihl 088 or 090. The husky seems to be doing OK. Just wondering if that extra horsepower or 2 would be some huge quantum leap that all of a sudden would triple my milling speed or make enough difference to justify buying a $1000 chainsaw.

Thanks,

Larry

 

[oldsaw]

There are no "quantum leaps" in chainsaw milling. It's going to be slow. The 880/3120 will be faster in big wood, but no faster in the smaller stuff. I use my 066 in the smaller stuff, and the 3120 in the bigger stuff, unless I need to do some bucking, then the 3120 does all the mill work. Sometimes it's overkill, but until I fill my 75cc "hole", it's the way it is.

Sharp chains are the key. Bring a few along, and change or give it a "touch up" when it feels like it is slowing down. I tend to run a chain too long before doing either, an unfortunate side effect of having a @itchy wife who wishes to limit my fun and relaxation. I'm all too often "on the clock". On the few days I'm not, I'm much more willing to take the time to do it right. I should do it every time. Much easier on the equipment that way.

Mark

 

[MikeInParadise]

Good Start on the lumber.....I can slow the MS660 if I push it but for your size of wood and you already having the 394 I don't think I would spend the the $$ on a bigger saw, but then that is just me...

Here are some pics of a log Gazebo that the Park Dept. in the City of St. Johns built using logs..

 

[redoak]

Got started this weekend and have produced 3 12ft long 4x8 beams that look very nice. Had a blast milling (sore all over now though). Milling with a chainsaw is kind of slow. Cutting the sides off with a mini mill cutting through 12" or so of wood is fairly slow going. Maybe about 4 or 5 feet per minute. Does this sound about right. Larry

Any pictures of the beams you milled out?

I've got a project in front of me milling 8x8 timbers out of 12-16" white pine, 10-20 feet long. I'd like to hear more about milling speeds and recommendations on chains for milling pine. I'm about to pull the trigger on a 660 and 36" Alaskan.

 

[flht01]

...
I'm about to pull the trigger on a 660 and 36" Alaskan.

I've got a 36" alaskan and the widest cut it can make (unless I'm doing something wrong) is about 33-3/4". Anybody using the GB line of mill that can verify the max cuts on their mills?

Keep in mind that on the Granberg mills you'll need a bar that is about 8" longer than the widest cut your after if I remember correctly.
Ex. - Using a 36" bar on the 36" mill, my widest cut is 28" +/-

 

[CaseyForrest]

I lose 6" in my GB mill no matter what length bar I use.

Redoak...660 in the size pine you are going to be in will be fine. Itll almost be like theres nothing there for the 660 to cut. Pine is real soft.

As for your chain angles...Start with a semi-chisel chain ( or ripping chain) and you can run your top plate angle around 10 - 15 degrees. Take your rakers down to .035 and have at it.

 

[woodshop]

Milling with a chainsaw is kind of slow. Cutting the sides off with a mini mill cutting through 12" or so of wood is fairly slow going. Maybe about 4 or 5 feet per minute. Does this sound about right. Would there be much benefit to going up to a husky 3120 or a stihl 088 or 090. The husky seems to be doing OK. Just wondering if that extra horsepower or 2 would be some huge quantum leap that all of a sudden would triple my milling speed or make enough difference to justify buying a $1000 chainsaw.

I agree with oldsaw, there is no quantum leap going from a 395 to a 3120 when chainsaw milling alone is concerned. Sure with more power it's going to be a little faster. But chainsaw milling is just not going to be speedy unless you're slicing say 6-8 inch pine or cedar. In THAT case my 395/36 inch bar (the longer bar is actually counterproductive then) I can push it down the log 15 seconds per foot. But once you get into hardwood more than a foot or so, slows down to a crawl even with a sharp chain. Example, in 18 inch wide oak, with a sharp chain my 395 moves down the log 5-7 seconds per inch, or about a minute and a half per foot. Sometimes a little faster than that, depends on the wood, knots etc. I can gage this pretty accurately because I have part of my Ripsaw aluminum guide bar I use for my csm also, marked off in inches, and so it's easy to count one onethousand two onethousand etc as I pass the marks and get a feel for how fast things are going. btw, thats where a bandsaw really shines, speed. Even my little Ripsaw powered by only a 60cc 361 can move through 12 inch wide oak at an inch per second with a sharp blade. In small stuff like 8 inch pine, it will mill about as fast as you can "walk" it down the log.

 

[Railomatic]

Change down pitch

Would there be much benefit to going up to a husky 3120 or a stihl 088 or 090. The husky seems to be doing OK. Just wondering if that extra horsepower or 2 would be some huge quantum leap that all of a sudden would triple my milling speed or make enough difference to justify buying a $1000 chainsaw.

Thanks,

Larry[/QUOTE]

I can never understand why one goes for max power, when there are other ways of doing things, I will explain here.

You can always convert your bar, chain and nose sproket to a smaller pitch instead, I use Cannon Superbars at 50" giving me a good 45" of cutting width and my 066, 660, 385 XP and 9010 handle them very nicely.

I have changed the pitch down to 325, this is just like moving up to a bigger saw in cutting speed without needing the horse power, and its a lot cheaper than buying a bigger saw.

The smaller pitch also has more cutters per chain length, giving a better finish to the boards, once you try it you won't go back to the very wastefull brutes of 3/8 and 404 chains.

Moving up to a bigger saw will not triple your output, it will give you 20% at best, but what you will have is the same cutting speed in wider logs as your 395 has on smaller logs, changing the pitch of your chain, will take you up to the next level and then you will be able to compete with the bigger boys, and save on fuel,
over here in the UK that is a big advantage, when the price of one of our litres of gas is the same as one of your gallons.

 

[hermit63]

[
Thanks,

Larry[/QUOTE]

I can never understand why one goes for max power, when there are other ways of doing things, I will explain here.

You can always convert your bar, chain and nose sproket to a smaller pitch instead, I use Cannon Superbars at 50" giving me a good 45" of cutting width and my 066, 660, 385 XP and 9010 handle them very nicely.

I have changed the pitch down to 325, this is just like moving up to a bigger saw in cutting speed without needing the horse power, and its a lot cheaper than buying a bigger saw.

The smaller pitch also has more cutters per chain length, giving a better finish to the boards, once you try it you won't go back to the very wastefull brutes of 3/8 and 404 chains.
:help:

 

[hardhat]

once you get into hardwood more than a foot or so, slows down to a crawl even with a sharp chain. Example, in 18 inch wide oak, with a sharp chain my 395 moves down the log 5-7 seconds per inch, or about a minute and a half per foot.

This makes me feel better. I thought I may have been doing something wrong to make it go so slow. I guess this is just the way it is. Thanks for all the input guys. Milling is really neat. I will try to get some pics this week. Got 3 nice 12 foot 4x8's sitting down in the garage.

Larry

 

[hardhat]

[
Thanks,

Larry

I have changed the pitch down to 325, this is just like moving up to a bigger saw in cutting speed without needing the horse power, and its a lot cheaper than buying a bigger saw.

The smaller pitch also has more cutters per chain length, giving a better finish to the boards, once you try it you won't go back to the very wastefull brutes of 3/8 and 404 chains.
:help:[/QUOTE]

I read something about the .325 pitch not being strong enough to handle a big saw and you risk breaking the chain. Having said that it sounds like a really good idea for ripping as it is narrow kerf.

Thanks

 

[hermit63]

tankyou, now ive been milling a bit with a 385xp on a 24" alaskan mkIII both new, i also have a 2065 jonsered i use with a beam machine. At first i was pittyful milling 10-14" elm,oak, walnut, ash. Gotta wach the chain and i found the bar! has got to be dialed in perfect, or your going nowhere. last week i started running the jonny on the beam machien and was suprized to see that the cut seemed to be a little les effort than, the mill hmmm.. so ive been reading threads on sharpening and have really started to pay close attention
to my chain and rakers. Got a grinder coming soon(been doing it freehand 22+ years).
So. when i first purchased the mill i tried to order a .325 sprocket for the 2065 and go with a bar off my little 350( which seems to crosscut as fast as the2065) but nobody knew wat i was talking about. I think the rim is the same on both of my biger saws ill find out today. hey rail guy lets here it on conversion .375<>.365<>.325,
Do i just buy a rim for .325 and slap on a bar( spacers Mabey) ill ck the 350 Too

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

I've got a 36" alaskan and the widest cut it can make (unless I'm doing something wrong) is about 33-3/4". Anybody using the GB line of mill that can verify the max cuts on their mills?

Keep in mind that on the Granberg mills you'll need a bar that is about 8" longer than the widest cut your after if I remember correctly.
Ex. - Using a 36" bar on the 36" mill, my widest cut is 28" +/-

If I remember correctly, my GB with 44" bar gives me 41" of cut but that's after the mods I did to it. Before the mods it was around 38".

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

Railomatic-

Have you used the 325 pitch chain on any bars over 50"? If so, any adverse results?

What guage is your bar?

 

[Railomatic]

Railomatic-

Have you used the 325 pitch chain on any bars over 50"? If so, any adverse results?

What guage is your bar?

50" is the longest bar I have used on 325, my bar groove is 1.60mm, the engine sproket is a 9 toother, as it takes away the shock on the rapid start up speeds.

I have used this combination on both a 660 and 880 Stihl's, the 660 fares best as the 880 tends to stretch the chain quicker.

If you use 325 on a 660 with a 50 inch bar you definately have the edge over the 880 using 404 and 50 inch bar, you use less fuel and oil and save quite a bit on new/start up prices, the 660 magnum outfit weight for weight is a better saw than the 880.

I also have a Husky 385XP running on a 30" 3/8" Cannon Superbar which is good for 24 inches wide cutting only, any more and things slow down considerably.

I find it best to keep the engine revs to their limit and let the saw do the cutting without hearing the engine drop off, and tilt the saw to as much of an angle across the cut, as this alters the direction of the cutters, which are more like taking a slicing cut than a straight cut when cutting at right angles, the chain also stays sharper longer.

I gauge all my set-up's on a 30% increase to normal use, for and against milling, you need at least 30% more power than normal use for milling, I have seen some folks using big 44" stellite tipped bars, this is not as good a choice as a sprocket nosed tip, hard nose bars give too much friction, which slows things down.

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

Where did you find the .325 sprockets for your 088? I'm having trouble locating them.

 

[Railomatic]

Where did you find the .325 sprockets for your 088? I'm having trouble locating them.

I got the sprokets from www.tavistockchainsaws.co.uk they are the UK's main dealer for Cannon bars.

I think Stihl do a limited number each year, if not ask for Dougie at Tavistock
to send you a couple in the post.

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

Thanks

 

[flht01]

Aggie, might give Madsen's a try. They have the Cannon bars listed and I see a .325 replacement tip offered for the oregon bars. Not sure if it will replace the .404 or not but worth calling about. 800-822-2808

Sure wish this thread had come up about 4 weeks ago.

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

Aggie, might give Madsen's a try. They have the Cannon bars listed and I see a .325 replacement tip offered for the oregon bars. Not sure if it will replace the .404 or not but worth calling about. 800-822-2808

Sure wish this thread had come up about 4 weeks ago.

Thanks- called them but no luck either. I have actually found standard spline (stihl) .325 9t rim sprockets from GB but I have to buy a full pack of 10. I wanted to give it a try before investing too much $ into it but it's not working out that way.