First time milling with my Panther Mill

[pcrevelli]

Been reading a lot, and finally bought the mill a few weeks ago. Today was my first chance to try it out. I still have a lot to learn, but things went pretty well.
A couple of things I will definitely need to modify are: 1)Some kind of graduations for depth of cut, and bar length adjustments. 2)Weld all the nuts in place, so it will only require one wrench to make the adjustments. 3)Get the auxiliary oiler hooked up. That will get me started, but I'm sure there will be more as I figure things out. Thanks to everyone here for all the information.

 

[Timberframed]

Yo! Instead of index marks or detents for depth just use two gauge blocks for desired thickness. Keep handy and foolproof adjustment after the first cut.

 

[pcrevelli]

That sounds like a good idea, and a whole lot easier to fab.

Thanks!

 

[bigmoose]

I cut blocks of a 4x4 several differed lengths and put one under each end to adjust mine with

 

[Yellowbeard]

What I want to know is: What's with all this tiny stuff when there are HUGE logs right by you that you could be milling?

 

[pcrevelli]

LOL. I was trying my hand at some longer boards. Besides being short, most of those larger rounds were mostly green/wet live oak. That stuff checks/cracks like you can't believe as it dries. I am really fortunate to be able to have access to this stuff. I am always fearful to lose the privilege.

 

[LowVolt]

My brother in law ordered a panther mill for me to run. I got ahold of an extension ladder from work and have it cut up and ready for some slight mods to turn it into a nice set of slabbing rails. Can't wait to try it out.

What chain are you running? Trying to decided between ripping or just some stihl full skip full chisel. Ripping chain seems kinda pricey.

 

[pcrevelli]

I just ran what I had, Stihl full chisel, full comp. Ground at 35 degrees. I was really surprised at how smooth the slabs were, I was expecting far worse. I keep lookng for a deal on some ripping chain, but like you said, it is pricey. I think I'll wait till I find some good used chain at a decent price, and regrind it for dedicated milling chain.

 

[LowVolt]

I made a few test cuts tonight with some stihl full skip and some carlton ripping chain. Now keep in mind I do not have the mill so I was just ripping some big hunks of ash, trying to cut as straight as possible. Between the two, it was pretty much a wash. It seems that either way the boards will need to be plained to get them like lumber.

 

[BobL]

I made a few test cuts tonight with some stihl full skip and some carlton ripping chain. Now keep in mind I do not have the mill so I was just ripping some big hunks of ash, trying to cut as straight as possible. Between the two, it was pretty much a wash. It seems that either way the boards will need to be plained to get them like lumber.

It makes a big difference having the saw in a mill rather than bouncing around like a mad monkey.

Here is what a CSM can do - I can get the same result with regular chain - just go a tad slower in the cut and keep the mill steady - don't seesaw.

 

[pcrevelli]

It makes a big difference having the saw in a mill rather than bouncing around like a mad monkey.

Here is what a CSM can do - I can get the same result with regular chain - just go a tad slower in the cut and keep the mill steady - don't seesaw.

What about raker depth? Do you reccommend factory settings, or more aggresive?

 

[BobL]

Factory setting for raker angles are typically 5.7º whereas I resharpen new chain to 6.5º. Please bear in mind this is for an 880, 8 pin drive sprocket.,42" bar cutting hard to very Australian wood. On a smaller bar with softer wood I would go for more than 7º. This does not sound like much but it will generate more chips and less dust especially as the chain wears. Higher raker angles will make for a rougher finish although this can be compensated for by operating in a smoother manner.

 

[thenne1713]

I just ran what I had, Stihl full chisel, full comp. Ground at 35 degrees. I was really surprised at how smooth the slabs were, I was expecting far worse. I keep lookng for a deal on some ripping chain, but like you said, it is pricey. I think I'll wait till I find some good used chain at a decent price, and regrind it for dedicated milling chain.

Just take an extra chain & regrind (down from 25-35) to (new) 10-15-deg for hardwood, zero to 5-deg for softwood; you can even bring it down 5-deg each sharpening to experiment as you go. Keep tooth length same/ equal, and reset the rakers as needed. This give you a ripping chain, and the (Granberg mods) give you a "Granberg ripping chain", which helps when you need extra HP. Granberg is like a skip chain, following the "HP divided by (Teeth in cut)= HP/tooth". Hope this helps. Bad surface is usually dull chain, or poor bar dressing. Jerky is knotty wood, uneven tooth length, or uneven rakers.