Newbie saw selection for mini mill?

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

English Oak

ArboristSite Member
Joined
Dec 3, 2006
Messages
69
Reaction score
8
Location
Derby, derbyshire , England
Hello, i'm new to this site and are in need of some advice.I'm a student in England doing design and working mainly in locally grown hardwoods.

I've just bought a granberg mini mill (the one that rides on top of the log) and I just want to know want kind of saw people recommend using? I have a stihl 170 myself but this takes along time to slab anything. My friend says I should get a Stihl 361 with a 20" bar but over here in England its alot of money for one. Any advice would be great, Thanks. Tom :help:
 
it depends on how big the wood is over there and what kind of you will be milling most time....
 
Well i'm wanting to mill medium size timber about 12" to 20" hardwoods. I use alot of 1"1/2 Ash and 1" oak so that the kind of wood which I want to use. I make alot of slab furniture. So Some thing with some good power but nothering too pro.:)
 
English Oak said:
Well i'm wanting to mill medium size timber about 12" to 20" hardwoods. I use alot of 1"1/2 Ash and 1" oak so that the kind of wood which I want to use. I make alot of slab furniture. So Some thing with some good power but nothering too pro.:)
...that last part of your post is an oxymoron. If you want to mill wood, you will need a relatively powerful saw, and one that will stand up to the rigors of milling. "nothing too pro" won't cut it. You can get away with (minimum) the MS361 or say a Husky 365 or 372 if you don't venture much past 10-12 inch stuff. More than that, especially hardwood like the oak and ash you refer too, will need a more powerful saw. No way around that, sorry. Milling simply take more power than cutting firewood.
 
you need a bigger saw than the 361 if you're going to be cutting 20" hardwoods, IMHO. (in my humble opinion if you're new to acronyms). I personally would go with an MS-460, or go for a husqvarna 385 or bigger. Milling takes a LOT OF HP. You will burn up a small saw in very short order if you expect it to cut 12-20" wide slabs on anything resembling a regular basis. I know that's a lot of money, but there are vast numbers of used saws available on ebay that would suit your needs. I don't know what the market is in the UK for used equipment, but it seems that everyone wants to sell their used saws on ebay. My 2 smaller stihls were purchased at a dealer (by my father--the woodboss is mine, the farmboss is 'technically' his, but I use it to help HIM) my ms361 and ripsaw were from ebay, as was my 394XP. I had to do minor repairs to both ripsaw and 394XP, but I'm pretty knowlegeable when it comes to tools and fixing things--dad is a doc--don't know where mech. engineering skills factored in.

You're going to be unhappy with a small saw, unless you're using it just occasionally, I think. I will say that the 361 has surprised me with its power. I slapped a bar on it and made a couple cuts to check it out. 4.4HP must be measured in some sort of special way compared to the 3.9 in a husky359. It has WAAAYYY more power. the 361 is also meant to be used in a professional setting---that is, frequently, and more abusive workload than you would subject a homeowner type saw to.
Bottom line, you pay for quality, and it should last a long time. Buying a used saw is certainly an option, and many of us here have done just that. Most chainsaw repairs are easy if you don't mind getting dirty. Get one that someone is willing to stand behind the condition of the piston and cylinder, as you don't want to get a saw that has a scored piston or cylinder. Hope this info helps. I'm kindof a newbie too, and appreciated the advice I got and read from others on this website. Cheers.
 
Welcome to the forum.
I run a Stihl ms440 with a 28 inch bar on my mini-mill. For the mini mill I would not go with a bar longer than 28 inch ( I have run a 32 inch but you really have to be careful and not push it or the bar will move side ways on you). Beyond 28 inches you will get a lot of side movement on your bar and end up with a very disappointing piece of lumber. I also would not go below 70cc on the saw, no matter what size of log your milling, it will payoff in the long run both in time spent and equipment wear and tear. I have a second hand MS440 which works great I have a little over $400.00 invested in the saw. If your careful and don't get in a hurry you can find some decent deals on used saws. If you are going with Stihl stay with the MS & Pro series I believe they have more longevity in their design and construction and their power to weight ratio is good.
Happy milling and send us some pictures.
attachment.php
 
some pictures of milling wood

Just some pictures of the wood I want to mill. I hired a wood mizer band saw mill to cut some of it, because my ms170 was not up to the job.Thanks for everyones advice, very well recieved.If I can afford a ms660 I will go fot that,if not a ms361or a ms 390.

Tom
 
whew... glad you went with the 441. I cringed when you mentioned the 390. Brought up memories of ol' coveredinsap. For what you say your plans are, the 441 should be fine. Considering Stihl prices in Europe, I'd be hard pressed to buy a 660 there.
 
English Oak said:
Just some pictures of the wood I want to mill. I hired a wood mizer band saw mill to cut some of it, because my ms170 was not up to the job.Thanks for everyones advice, very well recieved.If I can afford a ms660 I will go fot that,if not a ms361or a ms 390.

Tom

Wow!!! That's an ash!!! Nice color on the walnut too, but I think English walnut is darker and more brown than our black walnut which has more of a purple cast to it.

Glad to hear you went with the 441, you would burn up anything smaller than that.

Get us some pictures of some of the wood you are getting bandmilled, and enjoy milling with your 441.

Mark
 
Back
Top