Newb needs advice...

[LAndrews]

Okay, I finally got the 395 back together and running sorta okay, still need to get the high speed carb setting right. I got lazy and just bought a Granberg - wanted to build my own CSM but will save that project for later. Setup a 'ladder' with sq. steel tubes that stayed remarkably flat with the weight of the saw on them. Anyway...got to where I did my first cut late this afternoon and it seemed to go okay. At least, I thought it went okay until I flipped the top section over.

Don't know how obvious it is, but the cut started off nice and flat and got progressively wavier - there's 1/4" scallops at the end of the cut. Now I'm trying to figure out what contributes to waviness in the cut and what I can do to fix it.

I know the chain is tired. It's a Stihl .404/.063 full skip with about 25% of usable tooth left. The guy I bought the saw from did a pretty good job keeping the gullets clear and the chain still seems sharp but it just doesn't seem to cut like it should.

I know the chain got a bit loose, but didn't seem too bad. It started off where I could pull the driver about half-way out of the bar, seems ok but maybe a little tight. Wound up able to pull the driver out of the bar about 1/4".

Thought I could have done a better job of keeping the CSM flat on the steel rails, and know I should have just pushed the saw through rather than wobbling my way through with my usual front-of-bar then root-of-bar CS technique. It's clear where the cuts cross, but the waviness just follows and doesn't appear to be caused by that motion.

I was *really* impressed with the 395. Really something to let it cool for a bit mid-cut and then just pull the trigger. No BS whatsoever, just get-er-done.

Would appreciate any insights that people can offer. Really want to get the next cuts right.

 

[mtngun]

If the wood is going to be planed eventually, then the rough cut probably won't hurt anything.

If you want a better finish, get ripping chain. Pretty cheap from Bailey's. Slower than conventional chain but much smoother.

You're doing fine. Thanks for sharing the picture.

 

[Narwhale]

I think you have something funny going on with the mill, don't know if the problem is in the saw, chain/bar, or mill.
I also just use reg chain for the little milling I've done, and it is much smoother that you are showing.
Rich S.

 

[BobL]

What you see is standard washboard effect of skip chain.
If you go to full comp the ridges will be half that distance apart.
if you slow down the cutting it will be even less pronounced
Also this effect is compounded by high top plate cutting angles as the cutters will dig further into the sides of the timber when cutting, what angle are you using?

 

[excess650]

I'll agree, lose the skip chain, and keep your chain SHARP. Part of the problem with the skip chain is that it torques the saw into the powerhead side of the log when it grabs.

I've had my best results with Stihl RM chain (semi chisel). It has cut the smoothest, produced bigger chips, clears the chips better, and the saw uses less fuel.

 

[irishcountry]

Agree with all the above search on here its a wealth of info and everyone has ran into the same problems ect. and have soloutions. Great to see you started its addicting!! Thanks for the pics

 

[LAndrews]

Thanks for the help everybody! I really appreciate the input. Didn't turn up too much searching for 'waviness' and 'scalloping' so I figured I'd turn to the experts. Just need to keep digging to figure out what the standard jargon is.

Bob: cutter angles are typical for crosscut - ~23 degrees by eyeball. (half of 45) I can tell that's not the best, but there's not much cutter left in this chain.

Looks like I'll be saving the chain I've got for dropping/bucking the bigger stuff around here. That silver stihl chain (stainless or nickel plated?) sure does look nice in the sunlight.

Will do some searching/reading on milling/ripping chain and see what people's thoughts are. Seems like there's a wide range of opinions which I'm guessing means that there's a wide range of what works best in a certain situation.

Thanks again for the input guys!

 

[BobL]

Thanks for the help everybody! I really appreciate the input. Didn't turn up too much searching for 'waviness' and 'scalloping' so I figured I'd turn to the experts. Just need to keep digging to figure out what the standard jargon is.

Bob: cutter angles are typical for crosscut - ~23 degrees by eyeball. (half of 45) I can tell that's not the best, but there's not much cutter left in this chain.
!

That will explain 90% of the waviness. The high angles really dig into the sides of the slab and leave a ripple. A 10º angle will make a much better finish but as others have said will also take a bit longer to cut.

 

[artie__bc]

I find that when my cut looks like that, my chain is either too loose or too tight. Usually too loose.

 

[arbadacarba]

Have a look at the woodmizer band sharpening manual (it has a chain section too, but the band info will answer a lot of your questions).

You said your chain was worn, so three likely problems -

Inconsistent rake - yes ( you are eyeballing the teeth angles )

Inconsistent gullet angle- ditto to above,

Inconsistent gullet length - this is the most likely with bands, and also the most likely with chains. Have a look at the remaining length on your teeth. If they are different lengths then your gullet length is also different, -leading to large amounts of chatter. (try your chain out on a crosscut. If it cuts in an arc this is the cause a large proportion of the time. )


I have filed so many chains by hand that I know instinctively what is wrong now, but a good sharpening handbook and a decent motorised sharpener should put you right without having to waste the time that I did.

I'm also going to start sharpening my good chains on the woodmizer setup we have for any chainsaw milling I do as I just picked up a 660 and an Alaskan for some quick slabbing. Too much work to do by hand!:monkey:

 

[LAndrews]

Okay - got another crack at the log today. Did figure out a few things that were wrong. The bar that came with the saw is supposed to be 0.063", but is more like 0.085". Guess that turkey was pretty well worn. So, I got a new 050-3/8 bar, chain and rimsprocket. Wanted to say thanks to the team for all the inputs...really had no idea what I was getting myself into and am pretty happy with these results.

 

[carvinmark]

Wow! You sure got that figured out. Very nice looking cuts.

 

[excess650]

The 3/8 .050 will take less power, so should cut more quickly. Your surface looks smoother than before, but still on the rough side. Is your mill handle centered in the cut, and is everything tight? Are you pushing the mill, or allowing it to pull itself?

I've cut pretty smoothly with chisel chain, but Stihl RM (semi-chisel) cut more freely and smoother. Bailey's milling chain cuts very smoothly and freely as well. The RM made the biggest chips, and really cleared them well.

 

[BlueRider]

I'm located 2 hours south of you but I get some of my parts and supplies from B&D small engines, they are located near Moe's Alley. They stock Stihl Bio plus bar oil and have a great price on it as well as stihl ultra mix oil. Nice people and their prices are fair on dealer only items. For chain it is hard to beat Bailey's, even with the shipping charges.

Something some peope miss is that when you switch to 3/8 chain with the same #pin sprocket your chain speed will drop. Depending on the saw you can usually go up one size on your sprocket when switching from .404 to 3/8.

 

[excess650]

Are you using wedges to keep the kerf from closing on the bar?

 

[LAndrews]

Thanks again for the help. Chain I'm using is a Stihl 33RSLFK - it's a full skip but was the only thing I could find locally that has the cutter angle at nearly 10 degrees. It's a very nicely made chain and managed to stay plenty sharp through three full cuts in ~12" chestnut. Have a couple Oregon 72RD chains from Madsens ready to go, but need to get another 063/404 bar. Meh.

DO think that I need to follow the advice of moving the handle to where it's more centered as I've been keeping the CSM rail against the wood which offsets it somewhat. Figured that I was doing a reasonable job of keeping the mill flat on the cant surface but I can see how that would help.

Wish the camera batteries weren't dead. The chestnut is just gorgeous with a bit of Watco on it after sanding. Really neat looking grain.

 

[LAndrews]

There we go.

 

[BlueRider]

When you first posted about milling a chenstnut in the bay area I thought it must be a horse chestnut (california buckeye) but that looks like the real deal genuine american chestnut. Nice score.

 

[LAndrews]

Yeah, there's a few dead ones around that are big enough to mill. THere's a lot of younger ones that are still doing fine. Am guessing that the blight came and went a few years back - the dead ones almost always still have the leaves hanging on there but most of the bark is gone.

There's a few people around me that gather the nuts every winter. Ours always seem to be gathered by the squirrels and I'll be derned if I'm going to tear into those freakin sea urchin copy seedpods. Maybe the splitting maul is the right approach?

 

[excess650]

Yeah, there's a few dead ones around that are big enough to mill. THere's a lot of younger ones that are still doing fine. Am guessing that the blight came and went a few years back - the dead ones almost always still have the leaves hanging on there but most of the bark is gone.

There's a few people around me that gather the nuts every winter. Ours always seem to be gathered by the squirrels and I'll be derned if I'm going to tear into those freakin sea urchin copy seedpods. Maybe the splitting maul is the right approach?

Chestnut hulls open on their own, and the nuts are dropped when they are mature, generally after frost. Squirrels, deer, turkey, and my dad's dog eat them from the ground. Black bears will climb into the trees and break the branches off:censored: to get the nuts.