Help Me Make The Right Choice

[Timberwerks]

Hi Guys

I'm about to get set up for milling with an Alaskan Mill. I will be using an 880 with a 48" or 56" Granberg. All the wood I will be milling will be hardwoods, mostly Maple, Walnut and some Oak. I'd like to mill with as thin of a kerf as possible and as efficient as possible. Can I do this with 375 pitch or am I better of with a stronger 404?

I just may go with the 56" so I have the capacity needed for the occasional wide crotch. If I do so, will this be to much bar for the more typical 36" and under diameter milling?

Thanks

 

[flashhole]

How big are your trees? You will give up about 5" of your bar length and mill to the attachment mechanisms. With the 48" mill you can mill logs about 43" - 44" in diameter. Good for you if you have a steady supply of hardwoods that are that big. I surveyed my trees, some I consider large, but discovered I did not need a mill bigger than 30". I use a 36" bar with my Husky 394.

 

[Timberwerks]

How big are your trees? You will give up about 5" of your bar length and mill to the attachment mechanisms. With the 48" mill you can mill logs about 43" - 44" in diameter. Good for you if you have a steady supply of hardwoods that are that big. I surveyed my trees, some I consider large, but discovered I did not need a mill bigger than 30". I use a 36" bar with my Husky 394.

Realistically the 48" will be fine. So far the widest crotch I've seen was about 44". It's the "what if " scenario I'm thinking about. Yet, I don't want to waste power on an extra width bar that's not needed at all times.

 

[BobL]

Hi Guys

I'm about to get set up for milling with an Alaskan Mill. I will be using an 880 with a 48" or 56" Granberg. All the wood I will be milling will be hardwoods, mostly Maple, Walnut and some Oak. I'd like to mill with as thin of a kerf as possible and as efficient as possible. Can I do this with 375 pitch or am I better of with a stronger 404?

Look here and you will see there is very little difference between the kerf generated by 404 and standard 3/8.

There is a 15% difference between standard 3/8 and lo-pro 3/8 but I would not use lo-pro on a 880 as it stretches too much and it won't last.

There is very little difference between 48 and a 56" bar and both will be a bit unwieldy on smaller logs.
I have dozens of bars but my goto bars are 25" for stuff up to 20", 42" for logs between 20 and 39", and 60" for the bigger stuff.

 

[john taliaferro]

190 link chain 125.00$ ? stihl is 47.00 $

 

[Timberwerks]

First millings will be Burr Oak, along with White & Red. The butts in the background are straight and clear. I'm thinking the Burr Oak in front may make interesting rustic slabs if the remain fairly stable.

View attachment 300061

I do a lot of live edge furniture work. Current table has a 32" x 3/4" steel rod running through the crotch and butterfly to keep slab stable.

View attachment 300062View attachment 300063View attachment 300064

 

[mtngun]

Can I do this with 375 pitch or am I better of with a stronger 404?

Use 3/8 chain for milling with 120cc saws.

No advantage to 404.

 

[Timberwerks]

Saw arrived today. I ordered it with a 41" bar that I will use on 36" mill. 56" mill is on order but Granberg needs to get more 66" bars for this kit so it may be a week or two before 56" mill arrives.

Quick video: MS 880 For Milling - YouTube

and photos:

View attachment 302417
View attachment 302418

 

[flashhole]

The video looks like a mini earthquake.

 

[Big Beech]

looking at it, I presume the saw is new.
therefore I would not be using it straight away for milling due to the flat out revs needed. a few steady weeks of logging would be a good bet first as this could end in tears quickly if its not bedded in gently first!

good luck
simon

 

[Timberwerks]

looking at it, I presume the saw is new.
therefore I would not be using it straight away for milling due to the flat out revs needed. a few steady weeks of logging would be a good bet first as this could end in tears quickly if its not bedded in gently first!

good luck
simon

Agreed, just doing some bucking to break it in. Running premium gas and synthetic oil.

 

[BobL]

looking at it, I presume the saw is new.
therefore I would not be using it straight away for milling due to the flat out revs needed. a few steady weeks of logging would be a good bet first as this could end in tears quickly if its not bedded in gently first!

A few weeks steady logging . . . . . ? I doubt many CSMs would do this with new saws. There was a long discussion over on the chainsaw forum as to how many tanks of fuel are needed before a CS can be considered as being run in. The responses were as long as a piece of string. Some folks are fanging them from tank one, others say two, some said five, and some said more. The user manuals don't even mention running in although I do agree it's safer to undertake some running in for milling.

I think the key to "running in" is not so much running max RPM as running continuously at WOT. If the chain is well sharpened and set and the log is appropriately sized and sloped, the powerhead shouldn't be running at flat out rpm while milling. For something like branch trimming an operator is more likely to hit and sit on max RPM than when milling. When I got my 880 I had limited opportunity to log and cross cut as my logs arrive at the tree loppers already cut to size. I went through 2 tanks cross cutting and then 3 more tanks with the saw on the mill. I worked on a medium sized (30") log and used ~30 s bursts over a range of RPMS be, just as one would do for cross cutting. It's a bit of a PITA and the finish was average, but it is possible to run a powerhead in while milling.

 

[Timberwerks]

My mill arrived today :msp_smile:

View attachment 303712

 

[cityslicker]

Well you are in for it now! I would only mention to try to run the shortest bar you can when milling. No need to have a six foot bar on your 880 to mill a 30" log. I have found the longer bars seem to sag no matter what magic tricks you impart on them. Not to mention the reduced wear on the power head pulling less chain and if you hit metal short chains are cheaper!

Grip it and rip it!

 

[flashhole]

I hope you have some big logs to mill. That is one heck of a bar. Any plan to set it up for two saws?

 

[Timberwerks]

I'll be running a 36" mill for the smaller stuff. I went with the 56" for the large stuff I have here already, Burr Oak and some Maples. I get the logs from local tree services. No plan for running two power heads at this time.

 

[Timberwerks]

The mill is assembled. I'll mount the power head after I run a few more tanks of gas through it to break it in.

View attachment 305379

 

[flashhole]

Go back and tighten (again) all the nuts. Nothing more frustrating than having something come loose when you are in the middle of a cut.

 

[flashhole]

Congrats by the way.

 

[mortenh]

The mill is assembled. I'll mount the power head after I run a few more tanks of gas through it to break it in.

View attachment 305379

Unless I am much mistaken, it looks like a double-ended bar, which is meant to be used with two power heads. There is no nose sprocket, and I see no way of running a chain across the non-existent nose sprocket.

Am I wrong here, guys?