panther cub versus granberg mini mill

[autis]

hey guys im new to milling but done enough to like it! im using a 372xp with a 24 inch bar mounted on my alaskan mkIII. i have over 50 seasoned oak logs ready for milling, also some walnut, ash, cherry. the vast majority of these are small enough to be milled with the 24in bar. im needing something to edge my logs so that i dont have to turn the log and setup slabbing rails, etc.

soo im looking at the mini mill and also the panther cub. im liking the panther because of the price and the fact that it has an adjustable width so i can use a piece of steel c-channel that i have laying around as a guide rail. id love any feed back from you guys on these mills, also any other ideas would be appreciated!!

 

[mad murdock]

I have never seen the cub mill, but I did fashion my own version of granberg's mini mill and use that for edging. I too mill with a 372xp I started with a 28" bar and 3/8 milling chain. After about 5,000 bd ft of milling with that set up, plus a lot of other cutting, including 25 truckloads of sawlogs, I needed a new bar, so I now have a 32" bar, and I retrofitted my mill to 36". I use the stihl PMX "picco" milling chain, and it is by far the best change I have done to date, along with my home made mini mill, used on one of my Mac 10-10's for edging, my production is pretty satisfying!

 

[Stihlman441]

I have a mini mill and have found it very usefull from edging slabs,10 x 5 post to making seats from logs using a 460 and 25'' bar.

 

[autis]

looks like some real nice work, stihlman! thanks for the pics!

hey murdock, im interested in the picco chain but i dont know the specifics on it and havnt actually seen it. im guessing it requires some sort of special bar for the narrow kerf? Different drive sprocket? info would be greatly appreciated, id really like to speed up production!

thanks guys!

 

[mad murdock]

The picco chain and the 32" bar I bought from Bailey's. Logosol has a bar specifically for the picco chain, but on advice from the guys at Bailey's, I bought an Oregon power match bar in .050 and it runs the picco chain fine. Call them and they will set you up with the right combo of bar/chain and drive rim

 

[autis]

thanks for the reply murdock! rep sent

 

[clova]

hey guys im new to milling but done enough to like it! im using a 372xp with a 24 inch bar mounted on my alaskan mkIII. i have over 50 seasoned oak logs ready for milling, also some walnut, ash, cherry. the vast majority of these are small enough to be milled with the 24in bar. im needing something to edge my logs so that i dont have to turn the log and setup slabbing rails, etc.

soo im looking at the mini mill and also the panther cub. im liking the panther because of the price and the fact that it has an adjustable width so i can use a piece of steel c-channel that i have laying around as a guide rail. id love any feed back from you guys on these mills, also any other ideas would be appreciated!!

Purchased a panther pro mill 2 years ago, nothing worked as it should. Throttle control didn't hold from day one, aux oiler leaked like a siv, log dogs bent and failed miserably. Found alot of sheet metal screws where bolts and set screws should have been used. I bought the panther pro mill to save $$$ versus the norwood portamill. I saved a few dollars to wind up with a useless steel track and carriage. I would recommend spending the money on a mini mill.

 

[kpantherpro]

Purchased a panther pro mill 2 years ago, nothing worked as it should. Throttle control didn't hold from day one, aux oiler leaked like a siv, log dogs bent and failed miserably. Found alot of sheet metal screws where bolts and set screws should have been used. I bought the panther pro mill to save $$$ versus the norwood portamill. I saved a few dollars to wind up with a useless steel track and carriage. I would recommend spending the money on a mini mill.

hey I am very sorry to hear that, but you should of called me, and I would of made things right, my mills have come a long way and the quality has improved quite a bit, that was probably the old design you have, the new ones are rock solid and work as they should, but even the old ones worked well, as with any mill set-up is very important, sounds like the throttle control wasn't set right to your saw, did you set the whole mill up as the instructions indicated? I do get calls once in awhile saying the mill won't cut right then I ask if they read the directions....pause ooohhh sorry they usually call me back or if i'm still on the phone say now it's working.
as with any mill you get whoever makes it you will get better cuts if you set the mill up square with your saw installed, if you get a carraige system and remove the saw you may need to reset it and retighten all the bolts. this is especailly true for double clamp designs.