Question about milling

[chass]

I would like to start chainsaw milling using my stihl 290 18’’ bar. Nothing big, I just want to do small stuff for my own projects. Any recommendations on the brand of mill adapter I should get for my saw?

Also, is there someplace I can get a ripping chain already sized for my bar?

Thanks

Chass

 

[woodshop]

Get a Granburg 36 inch mill, it will adjust down to your 18 inch bar... but a 290 (57cc) is a bit on the small size for milling unless all the logs will be less than 10-12 inches dia? As for ripping chain... Baileys is where I get mine. Match up the size to your bar.

 

[Adkpk]

small log mill

Small log mill by granberg. Although, I don't recommend using anything under 7 hp to mill with. I was using my 359 and the small log mill to cut up some 4" wide cedar here. Very soft and not much wood to push through. I wouldn't put that saw through much else, even pine.

Maybe that cedar is 5 and a half inch.

 

[chass]

Thanks Guys,

I’ll take your advice. Granburg was the brand I was looking at.

Also I hear you; my saw is under powered for anything of some size. I have some 10-14’’ balsam fir that I will use to practice on the with the 290. If I like it I will upgrade the saw to something more powerfull for the hardwoods.

Thanks again

Chass

 

[flht01]

Hello Chas, welcome to the forum. Nothing much to add to the already good advice you've gotten. Be forewarned, this can be everybit as addicting as woodworking

There's a lot of good reading in this forum, let us know if you need any help learning the search abilities of the site.

 

[stonykill]

Get a Granburg 36 inch mill, it will adjust down to your 18 inch bar... but a 290 (57cc) is a bit on the small size for milling unless all the logs will be less than 10-12 inches dia? As for ripping chain... Baileys is where I get mine. Match up the size to your bar.

right on cept for the max log size. A 290 is far from ideal as far as 50 cc saws go. Rather gutless, but I can tell you from experience, it will pull a 24 inch bar with low pro chain thru 17 inch birch, and 15 inch cherry. Pine, 20 inches no problem. The key is the low pro chain. Its the only way to mill with a 50 to 60 cc saw. They are all I mill with. All of my milling saws are 70's vintage low rpm torque monsters. They will outmill a 290 by 1/2 a log length, but my old mans 290 does mill, and he insists on using it. Don't even bother trying it without the low pro chain.

 

[chass]

Thanks Stony,

Where would one get a low pro chain? Is that a brand name or a type of chain?

I’m new to all of this milling stuff, very new. I don’t know anyone that has done it or know anyone that knows anyone that has done it. My experience is only from watching you tube clips. So I’m as green as you can get.

I have cut a lot of fire wood the last three years, which is when I bought the saw, so I’m ok with the saw. Not a pro, but ok.

Yesterday I picked up five 10” to 12” cherry logs about 4’ long. This coming weekend will be my first go at this if I can find a ripping chain in town.

Thanks

Chass

 

[stonykill]

Thanks Stony,

Where would one get a low pro chain? Is that a brand name or a type of chain?

I’m new to all of this milling stuff, very new. I don’t know anyone that has done it or know anyone that knows anyone that has done it. My experience is only from watching you tube clips. So I’m as green as you can get.

I have cut a lot of fire wood the last three years, which is when I bought the saw, so I’m ok with the saw. Not a pro, but ok.

Yesterday I picked up five 10” to 12” cherry logs about 4’ long. This coming weekend will be my first go at this if I can find a ripping chain in town.

Thanks

Chass

I get my low pro at Baileys. Of our local saw shops in a 35 mile radius, only one even has ripping chain, and its not low profile.

Not too long ago I was in the same boat as you, had no idea how to do it, didn't know anyone who milled with a saw, and everyone thought I was nuts for wanting to do it. I even had an 88 cc saw to mill with at one point, a good stihl 056. That saw wore me out in short time everytime I milled. I tried an 031 stihl I had around on some 20 inch birch, found I could get more wood milled with that in a day than I could with the 056. Now my main milling saw is a late 60's Pioneer Holiday, 58 cc, low rpm, mounds of torque. I also use a 70's Lombard Comango, 68 cc's occationally. I still use the little 031 (48cc's) with a 16 inch bar, low pro chain, and a homemade mill attatchment to mill 10 inch cants that I make with the Pioneer into furniture quality boards

I mill shorts like that all the time. Always free, and more often than not its dumped off by a tree service guy in my town. Milling is addictive, someday you'll likely be like me, always a 1/2 dozen saws around, 3 mills, one slabbing mill, dozens of bars, chain making equiptment, bulk chain, it never ends.

Enjoy and welcome!

 

[timberwolf]

Ripping chain is not too hard to make, just take your regular chain and file it straight across or maybe give a little angle 5-10 deg. Downsize the file a size and drop the file a little lower down to give a little more hook on the cutter. Then try it, if you need to realy push to get the chain to bite take some off the rakers. Standard milling chain has lowered rakers but with a small saw the standard .025 raker clearance may work beter than going to closer to .040 as with milling chain on a larger saw.

Go with 40:1 or 32:1 mixed with good oil, keep the jetting fairly ric, not the time to push the lean limits at the upper end of the RPM range, and give the saw lots of breaks Full throttle then let it idle for a bit and keep the chain sharp. Nice hobby wood can be made, but got to be patient on letting it dry, about a year to an inch of thickness to even get close to dry.

 

[stonykill]

I just remembered that most 290's have .325 chain on them. If yours does then follow the directions for making your own above. If yours has 3/8 as my old mans does, go with baileys low pro. happy milling!

 

[chass]

I got some stuff to learn as I have never sharpened a chain before.

I take my dull chains and 6 bucks each to a guy at the shop. A couple days later I stop back and he gives me sharp chains. Not sure how he sharpens the chains with paper money but apparently there is nothing left of the money when he is done.

Yes, I’m going to have to learn how to sharpen my own chains if I get into this CSM.

I couldn’t find any .325 74 .063 ripping chain locally so I sent your directions off to my father in law. He sharpens his own chains (never done a ripping chain) but he will have a better idea then I do.

Chass

 

[computeruser]

STOP!

The 290 is NOT an appropriate saw for milling, since it is a plastic-body saw. Some fellow named SAP bought a 390 to do the same thing and cracked the plastic engine cradle quite quickly. The rest is history; you might be able to find the old post about it somewhere.

EDIT: Found it - http://arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=31315

 

[Marmaduck]

New member outed

My first post...I was waiting to get some better pix before posting, but this thread called me out.

I too, just started milling and am already addicted.

My story: While rebuilding my Katrina flooded house and accumulating some decent woodworking tools, I wanted to somehow salvage some of the millions of tons of ruined local wood before it rotted away.

I bought a 36" Granberg and power it with a new-to-me Husky 570. I also bought the Granberg small mill (for my MS290). I didn't know about Bailey's at the time and bought the Granberg ripping chains from them. I haven't even used the small mill yet. The 570 seems to work fine, but, of course, I NEED more power.:chainsawguy: Current object of lust is a 395xp or 3120xp.

To date, I've milled an 18" pine for mantles (read: the first thing available) and several pieces of a Katrina-downed Pecan. As it turns out, the pecan is spalted and quite beautiful...pics to come, I promise.

The point is that the MS290 would be underpowered for most anything, but I plan to use it to slab the sides off of some huge white oak so I can fit the Alaskan on the log with my 28" bar. That pecan was pretty big and I used the full capacity off my 28" bar (24.5" or so), but the 570 was able to get through it...RPMs are the key.

I've really enjoyed this site and the valuable info. here...Thanks all.

 

[woodshop]

welcome to the forum... so... Katrina wood is still available and not too far gone (rotted) at this stage? Interesting. Nice spalting on that pecan though.

 

[flht01]

... so... Katrina wood is still available and not too far gone (rotted) at this stage? Interesting. Nice spalting on that pecan though.

The Katrina/Rita wood is still out there but the best are the trees that are layed over either on top of others or didn't make it all the way down. Those still seem to be pulling from the root bundle and somewhat surviving. Most of the trees that went down or most of the way down are a little too far gone by now. I did manage to cut a few pines and get them off the ground until I can get around to cutting them. I'm running out of time though, they seem to be drying out a little too much and some have signs of spores starting to show up.

I have heard a few folks comment that some of their trees (mostly pines) didn't start dying off until the next spring/summer after the hurricanes. Some think it's due to internal cracks/breaks from all the twisting/bending during the storms. Don't know if there's anything to that theory or not, sounds possible.

 

[ThatWoodGuy]

Thanks Guys,

I’ll take your advice. Granburg was the brand I was looking at.

Also I hear you; my saw is under powered for anything of some size. I have some 10-14’’ balsam fir that I will use to practice on the with the 290. If I like it I will upgrade the saw to something more powerfull for the hardwoods.

Thanks again

Chass

I've got the small log mill and like it, I've milled with with my McCulloch super pro 40 (40cc), Poulan Pro 4620avx (46cc), McCulloch 250 (80cc), Husky 142 (40cc) AND my little Poulan 1950 woodshark (33cc). I've milled hard and softwoods with all the above, finished milling a bunch of 16" doug fir for my smokehouse a couple of weeks ago with the Husky and McCulloch 40cc saws. I'm not brand specific or size specific, I actually like the smaller saws and the small log mill because I can carry the dang things into the hills without breaking my back. For financially challenged guys like me those $200-$300 saws are just fine for milling and bucking.

Re: chains, yep you better get real good at sharpening chains too, and you're not good at it until you bleed every time you get a couple of inches away from one

 

[MJR]

Time here seems to be judged by pre/post Sap. I came to this site in the post Sap days.

The past day I have read through the Sap Thread.

It was just painful….

Thanks a lot Computeruser! (joke)

 

[chass]

Looks like I need to have a talk with my dealer about my saw and if I should try this.

Chass

 

[Marmaduck]

Katrina/Rita Lumber

welcome to the forum... so... Katrina wood is still available and not too far gone (rotted) at this stage? Interesting. Nice spalting on that pecan though.

FLHT01 is right. If they're off the ground, they may still be ok. I've got plans for several trees that are down/severely damaged, but still alive...water oak, cherry, pecan. I'm concerned that there may be inner stresses that may cause problems after milling, but otherwise, they're firewood.