Which Chainsaw Mill Should I Buy?

[duffontap]

Hello,
I'm looking to buy an Alaskan-type Sawmill for use with my Husky 272xp. I'll be milling a bunch of old growth Douglas Fir in various widths of 18-24" or less. I have a feeling that most of the stuff I'll be milling will be about 12" wide.

Here are my questions:

If my budget is about $200--what brand should I buy?

I'm using my 272xp and I have 32", 24", and 20" bars. Should I get a mill to fit my biggest bar or will I regret having such a big mill when I'm milling narrower cants?

I'd appreciate any advice.

Josh

 

[dustytools]

Hello,
I'm looking to buy an Alaskan-type Sawmill for use with my Husky 272xp. I'll be milling a bunch of old growth Douglas Fir in various widths of 18-24" or less. I have a feeling that most of the stuff I'll be milling will be about 12" wide.

Here are my questions:

If my budget is about $200--what brand should I buy?

I'm using my 272xp and I have 32", 24", and 20" bars. Should I get a mill to fit my biggest bar or will I regret having such a big mill when I'm milling narrower cants?

I'd appreciate any advice.

Josh

With your longest bar being a 32" I wouldnt go any smaller than a 36" mill. You wont even notice the extra rails when you have a smaller bar on the mill. I cant reccommend any mill other than the Alaskan as its the only type that I have ever used. Happy milling!

 

[dustytools]

With your longest bar being a 32" I wouldnt go any smaller than a 36" mill. You wont even notice the extra rails when you have a smaller bar on the mill. I cant reccommend any mill other than the Alaskan as its the only type that I have ever used. Happy milling!

Almost forgot. Baileys has a link at the top of the site page. They have the 36" Alaskan mill listed for about $175. Best of luck to ya and welcome to the site!!

 

[BobL]

With your longest bar being a 32" I wouldnt go any smaller than a 36" mill. You wont even notice the extra rails when you have a smaller bar on the mill. I cant reccommend any mill other than the Alaskan as its the only type that I have ever used. Happy milling!

+1

I find the the extra length rails actually help to balance out the weight of the power head

 

[duffontap]

Thanks a lot guys. I didn't realize how adjustable they were for bar length. I am really excited about this!

Josh

 

[Trigger-Time]

Alaskan mill takes up 4" to 6" of you'r bar length, and that also
depends if you leave the felling dogs on the saw.

And Welcome to AS

Gary

 

[BobL]

Alaskan mill takes up 4" to 6" of you'r bar length, and that also depends if you leave the felling dogs on the saw.

It also depends on the bar as well - Hard nose bars lose a bit of power but can give you back some of those 4" to 6" compared to a roller/sprocket nose. Some mill designs that bolt directly onto the bar bolts, and clamp onto the end of the nose rather than side on also give you back a bit of length. eg my BIL mill gets 39.5" of cutting length from a 42" bar.

 

[duffontap]

So, the consensus is--get the 36" Alaskan mill? Well, the price is right in line with what I want to spend.

Another question: Is the WoodsmanPro 30RP ripping chain what I'm after? How often should I expect to sharpen my chain when milling clean wood.

Josh

 

[dustytools]

So, the consensus is--get the 36" Alaskan mill? Well, the price is right in line with what I want to spend.

Another question: Is the WoodsmanPro 30RP ripping chain what I'm after? How often should I expect to sharpen my chain when milling clean wood.

Josh

The Woodsman Pro chain is a very good chain and it is priced well too. As far as sharpening your chain goes will all depend on type of wood, how clean the wood is, etc...

 

[BobL]

The Woodsman Pro chain is a very good chain and it is priced well too. As far as sharpening your chain goes will all depend on type of wood, how clean the wood is, etc...

I sharpen or swap to a newly sharpened chain after every two smallish logs or after every biggish logs. I would get two or more chains if you can afford it - there's nothing worse than hitting a nail on your first cu of the day and then spending time sharpening!

 

[Stihl-in-Ky]

As far as how often to sharpen I have fouind that in most clean wood you need to sharpen about every 4 tanks of fuel,White oak and hedgeapple will take you down to about 2 tanks.Of course nails fence and rocks will make short work af a sharpe chain.I use one of the 12 Volt dremel sharpeners or a file in the field to keep from removing the mill each time but I also carry at least 1 to 3 spare chains with me.
You can find the 12 Volt sharpeners at Baileys, tractor supply,northern tool or most chainsaw dealers.

 

[BobL]

As far as how often to sharpen I have fouind that in most clean wood you need to sharpen about every 4 tanks of fuel,White oak and hedgeapple will take you down to about 2 tanks.Of course nails fence and rocks will make short work af a sharpe chain..

I get up to double that in the clean hardwood that I mill. I think it has something to do with the fact that the Arborist who collects the logs (usually street or city park trees and trees from domestic settings) usually drives his truck and crane right up alongside the trees and connects his crane up to them and then they are lopped and placed directly onto the truck. At his yard they are taken off the truck using the crane and place on a pile of sawdust and chips. So most of these logs are very clean to start with. So far I have encountered one 4" nail and one piece of SS wire.

On the down side, next door to where I mill is a factory site that makes pressed limestone blocks which sends a layer of fine limestone across the pile of logs. Before I mill I hose the logs down and that gets most of the dust off.

Cheers

 

[duffontap]

This is a lot of help. I really appreciate it.

Does anyone have an opinion on the manual 'file-n-joint' or 'newfiler' file guides from Granberg? Do they just waste too much time?

Josh

 

[dustytools]

This is a lot of help. I really appreciate it.

Does anyone have an opinion on the manual 'file-n-joint' or 'newfiler' file guides from Granberg? Do they just waste too much time?

Josh

I have a generic plastic knock-off version of the bar mounted file-n-joint. Its always worked good for me and will help you keep your angles and depths all the same. However they can be a PITA to use on a bar that is mounted to the mill. After using one for a while you kinda get a feel for the angles that you are using and can do just as well by hand (this was the case for me anyway).

 

[dustytools]

I tell ya what, if your interested in using one just PM me your address and Ill send you mine to keep. I dont use it anymore and it just takes up space in the box.