Alaskan Mill

[fox]

I am wanting to get a chainsaw for an Alaskan Mill Setup.  It will be would for personal crafts and furniture.  Mainly just to facilitate a hobby of mine.  What would be the most appropriate saw?  Woods I expect to be cutting regularly are pine, cedar, hickories, and cypress here in West Central Florida.  Any help would be appreciated with guidance as to the actual chainsaw and as to the Alaskan Mill to purchase.  Thanks a lot.

[Kevin]

Depending on the size of lumber you'll be ripping.
I used my 62cc Husqvarna for a couple of years milling cedar.
I cut a square cant from the log so that most of the ripping cuts were 10-14" and every cut on the cant was clean which saved on the chain sharpening.


It worked fine but the saw was worked.
It was time consuming changing back and forth from the Alaskan to the Mini Mill but it worked ok.
I later bought a Stihl 066 and now use both saws unless the log is huge then I just use the 066.
You could get by with the 372 if you don't get into anything too large or too hard and it's just for occasional use.

[Oregon_Rob]

I started out with a 372 and soon wanted more power. I have since moved to a husky 2100. The saw is very old, doesn't even have a chain break, but it's got a lot of grunt.
You didn't say how much you were looking to spend. You can run the gambit from a couple hundred for a used 372 to well over a thousand for a power tuned 088. One decent compromise would be something like a used 394, roughly equal in displacement to an 066, for $300-400, lots of them on e-bay. The 066's hold their value a little better. A good, used 066 is likely to run you close to $500. Remember, most people never complain about being overpowered, but underpowered is not much fun.

[fencerowphil (Phil L.)]

Looks like you have received great advice already, Fox.

Unless you are going to be hitting some hickory over 20",  Stihl 066 or equivalent Husky (as mentioned) should do the trick.   You have to make the call, however, above that level of toughness.   Big Hickory or Live Oak, for example, are very demanding.  As Oregon said, you won't be unhappy with too much power.

If you ask, "What is the biggest stuff I would ever want to  cut?", you may start picturing a table top made of bookmatched, butterfly-jointed 30" slabs from the flare of a  Red Cypress stump.   If that's the case, get ready for Stihl 088, a used Stihl 090, or a Husky 3120.
Happy shopping!
Phil L.