David Hornor
Dances With Trees, I slobber my slabber knocker.
I've been around saws all my life, grew up in the mountains where stoves were our only source of heat. I was using a chainsaw before I lost my virginity. Probably because of it. Gals would say "you have such broad shoulders!" I attributed it to axe handling.
I decided to get into milling, and I'm green as a new felled oak. I have a few questions. I'll do long slabs for others, but my specialty is butts and burls.
I bought a longsaw without a lot of research and now I'm having challenges. I started with a Stihl MS 661 R-CM. I didn't like having to set up the mill then disassemble it for crosscutting several times an outing. I bought a Stihl MS 880 Magnum to dedicate to the mill, a 56" Granberg Alaskan, along with a Stihl 47" guide bar. I bought big cuz for the 66 I'd bought a 36" rig, which was too short. Now I'm too long. Fuelly loaded the rig is over 50 pounds, which is exhausting, resulting in uneven slabbing, and more work finishing the piece.
I'm a one man show and decided to ask how y'all do it. How do y'all do it?
I was thinking maybe a boom device, or rigging a mechanical advantage, or buying yet another rig that's in between, (say a 42") and powering it with the 66, or a 461, and using the 88 for crosscutting. Or maybe abandoning the portable mill for a hydraulic or something.
What do y'all think?
I decided to get into milling, and I'm green as a new felled oak. I have a few questions. I'll do long slabs for others, but my specialty is butts and burls.
I bought a longsaw without a lot of research and now I'm having challenges. I started with a Stihl MS 661 R-CM. I didn't like having to set up the mill then disassemble it for crosscutting several times an outing. I bought a Stihl MS 880 Magnum to dedicate to the mill, a 56" Granberg Alaskan, along with a Stihl 47" guide bar. I bought big cuz for the 66 I'd bought a 36" rig, which was too short. Now I'm too long. Fuelly loaded the rig is over 50 pounds, which is exhausting, resulting in uneven slabbing, and more work finishing the piece.
I'm a one man show and decided to ask how y'all do it. How do y'all do it?
I was thinking maybe a boom device, or rigging a mechanical advantage, or buying yet another rig that's in between, (say a 42") and powering it with the 66, or a 461, and using the 88 for crosscutting. Or maybe abandoning the portable mill for a hydraulic or something.
What do y'all think?