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One time DIY chainsaw mill

Started by lowpolyjoe, November 05, 2012, 10:20:14 PM

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lowpolyjoe

Hey Everybody

Can you guys recommend a reasonable chainsaw attachment for a pretty much one time use DIY chainsaw mill?

I want to throw together a temporary table, slap a bracket on my saw, and cut up three 6' logs about 16-18' diameter

It is a hobby project to try to make use of some Hurricane Sandy casualties. 

I've seen several simple chainsaw attachments for milling that vary A LOT in price.   I'd like something cheap since this will probably be a one time show.   

Apologies if this sort of milling is not discussed here

Thanks
Joe

fuzzybear

  The most simple one is called a Beam Machine.  It attaches to the bar via 2 bolts and the whole unit is run over a 2x4. The trick is to have as close to a perfect 2x4 you can find, for it to ride on. I would recomend practice on some ugly logs until you get the hang of it. This will give you very rough lumber.  It is also the cheapest one you are going to find.
  The next up from that is an Alaskan Sawmill. There are plenty of videos on you tube showing how to run one.  Again it takes some practice to get good lumber but it is doable.
  Either one is hard work. and very hard on the saw. There are many threads here if you look up csm or Alaskan Mill. If you go in armed with the information here it will make the whole process easier for you.  Good luck and remember to take pictures or it never happened.  ;D
FB
I never met a tree I didn't like!!

shelbycharger400

the biggest hurtle is getting the chain ground in just right.  any bit of rock , sand or dirt , its effect on the chain is amplified in relation to that of reg chain!
The second hurtle is holding the log down so it dosn't move during milling!
Some here have built their own alaskan style mills.  I built my own Chain bar mill but its a bit more than what your wanting to do at this point from what I can tell.
Take a look at my Gallery, its in their somewhere. A few things have changed for the better.

losttheplot

You can build a simple Alaskan saw mill from threaded rod and 2x's.
You have to drill your bar at the tip, it is possible to drill through the center of the sprocket.
And you need to drill through the bar just in front of the power head, if you have dog's you can remove them for more length, but watch out for the exhaust.


Put a 12" or so piece of threaded rod through each end of the bar and use blocks of wood to adjust the gap between the bar and a piece of 2x between the two threaded rods to ride on the rails.

You can use a couple of 2x for guide rails.

You don't need a special chain, just make sure the one you have is sharp and the cutters are even on both sides.

Do a Google image search for "daninvan chainsaw" he has a similar one that uses some store bought extrusions. If you only want to cut 16" wide you can substitute it for wood.

Good luck and Be careful  ;)
DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU THINK !

Jeff

Joe, have you checked on our members map to see if any of our members are close to you? Perhaps you could make arrangements with one of them to get your wood sawn, and meet a forestry forum member at the same time.  :)
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Bill Gaiche

Good idea Jeff. Welcome aboard Lowpolyjoe. bg

lowpolyjoe

Many thanks for the replies.  This really is a great community.   I will have to see if I can find the member map thing... I'm still restricted to iPhone use (no computer - Internet use working in my area) so browsing is a little tedious.   The mobile version of this site is very good but I have not tried to look through all the features.  Meeting a fellow member and seeing a real mill in action would be pretty sweet.  Don't have a trunk tho so I'd say chances of bringing my wood are slim :-(

Fuzzybear - those are the two setups I've researched a bit.  I'm planning on trying the beam machine becuase i beleive its the cheapest option.   Glad that these are know products around here.   

I'm planning on getting a plainer and may ask for advice on that at some point - haven't done Any research yet.  I am assuming anything I saw will need to be plained. 

I'll Definitly look for the pics you guys mentioned.   I already watched one beam machine vid and one on the Alaskan mill or whatever it's called.   

Thanks
Joe

Onthesauk

Joe,

Might want to fill in your profile, i.e. where you're located.  I've got one something like that Beam Machine that you're welcome to borrow if you happen to be in the NW.

Steve :)
John Deere 3038E
Sukuki LT-F500

Don't attribute irritating behavior to malevolence when mere stupidity will suffice as an explanation.

lowpolyjoe

Good point Steve - I filled out my profile a bit.  I'm in northern NJ.   

lowpolyjoe

Beam Machine ordered and on the way  :)

Although I'm a little worried i'm in over my head.  I used my rancher 455 the other day and it started bogging a bit.  I like the saw but don't have much reference.  After some further reading around these forums i'm seeing a startling amount of complaints about it.  At least the Beam Machine is cheap.  Between that and the lumber needed to build a little table, i can't see this experiment costing me more than $100.


Jeff

I'm afraid this may be detrimental to your chainsaw.  Milling with a saw means extended periods of wide open under a load. Your saw simply isn't built to hold up to such operations.
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

lowpolyjoe

Quote from: Jeff on November 12, 2012, 06:42:19 PM
I'm afraid this may be detrimental to your chainsaw.  Milling with a saw means extended periods of wide open under a load. Your saw simply isn't built to hold up to such operations.

yeah, that's what i'm thinking.  this is probably gonna be a one-time project but i fear my saw will be kaput before i get through.

my dad has had a stihl for probably 20+ years.  i don't know the model but he brought it over my house a few years ago to help me out and it was a beast compared to my saw.  maybe he'll let me borrow it.  i'll have to see if i can find out the model and get some feedback from you guys.

clww

You'll definitely need a bigger saw. I would not try any milling without at least a 75cc motor. I've done quite a bit of what you are describing. I only use two of my saws for this-the Stihl 084 and the 090.
Many Stihl Saws-16"-60"
"Go Ask The Other Master Chief"
18-Wheeler Driver

Sprucegum

I have chainsaw milled several logs with my 359 Husky saw. You are not punching a time clock so you don't need to get through the whole log at once. Run wide open for 20 seconds - idle for 10 seconds - repeat. Those numbers are arbitrary, the point is take your time and give the saw lots of chances to cool down a bit. Then you get to cool down a bit too  ;D

lowpolyjoe

I watched a few beam machine vids somebody posted on youtube a while back.  I think he was using a rancher 445 so i thought i would be able to get by with my saw.  I do have my doubts, but i would think i can probably limp along, cutting a little at a time and it'll just take me forever and shorten the lifespan of my saw (or perhaps kill it)

Obviously that's far from ideal.  Rather than harass my dad for his saw i was wondering what the rental rates are like on pro saws.  I have one or two chainsaw shops near me (do they typically rent?) and 2 equipment rental shops.  If i can rent a beefy saw for a day or two and tear through my little bit of lumber, maybe that's an option. 

I have some time to decide because i don't have the Beam Machine yet and i still need to build a jig/table of some type.  I did get my new Husqvarna Pro Forest Helmet delivered this morning  8)   Should really have bought one years ago

shelbycharger400

From what I have seen at rental joints, they are toys.

I have free hand rip'd logs with reg chain with my deere 50v  (50cc saw) with a 16 in bar,  I have done it with a pouland 3816 too. But it was night and day running my craftsman 917, or my Jonsered 630.   You need 60cc +  or your back will be killing you before its done!

Parents house they have a 455 in the fleet, it has 3/8 chain on it with a 20 in bar.
personally if I inherit that saw, im putting on a 16 in bar     2700-9000 rpm range.

I like the jonsered that pegs out at 12 k !!

John S

I was on French Hill road today and used to live in Wayne.  How large are the logs that you need to mill?  I have a 32" bar, Stihl 066, ripping chain and an Alaskan mill that I would be willing to bring down to you for a one time use.  I live about 40 miles from you.  Let me know.
John Snyder
2018 LT40HDG38 Wide

lowpolyjoe

shelby - don't jinx me!  I just went through a couple months of physical therapy for back problems.  No fun at all.  It's holding up surprisingly well considering all the yard cleanup i've been doing.  Fingers crossed  ;D

That's a mighty generous offer John.  Much appreciated.  But i would hate to expose your equipment to any abuse at my unpracticed hands.  I'll give it a shot with my rancher and after seeing how bad it goes maybe start requesting help or further advice.

I spoke with my dad the other day and it sounds like he's fine loaning me his Stihl for a while.  He didn't know the model off the top of his head and didn't want to dig through the garage in the middle of the night when i was talking to him.  That saw may help me significantly.

Funny that you were on French Hill ... i live very close to there.  Not sure where i stuck my location pin in my profile.  I was paranoid of putting it at my exact location.  Were you working?  Do you work with trees for a living?  There's certainly a lot of cleanup work to be done in Wayne since the storm. 



mad murdock

I have milled a lot with a CSM, if you choose your equipment setup wisely, it can be done without the hassle that a lot experience.  How you cut up the log has a lot to do with it as well. i have used a beam machine with a McCulloch 10-10, and it did a fair job, though it is a slight bit tougher than a 455 Husky.  I built my own version of a Granberg Mini-mill, and have it affixed currently to a Mac 10-10, and it does a great job edging.  I cut up a 20" dia Western Red Cedar with my Husky 372XPW on the Alaska Mill for the first cut, and edged with the Mac, worked really well, though a ripping chain will make it better.  If you do much of it, you can buy a loop of Stihl Picco ripping chain, (Baileys sells that), and that will make the saw not work so hard.
Turbosawmill M6 (now M8) Warrior Ultra liteweight, Granberg Alaskan III, lots of saws-gas powered and human powered :D

woodmills1

You guys are makin me misty eyed


I grew up in Newton in sussex county and took my first driver re education courses after tickets in wayne



let john come down and show you how to free hand rip

for just a few logs that is the way to go


other than that get a mill to your logs or the logs to a mill
James Mills,Lovely wife,collect old tools,vacuuming fool,36 bdft/hr,oak paper cutter,ebonic yooper rapper nauga seller, Blue Ox? its not fast, 2 cat family, LT70,edger, 375 bd ft/hr, we like Bob,free heat,no oil 12 years,big splitter, baked stuffed lobster, still cuttin the logs dere IAM

John S

Joe,
Sawmilling is a hobby.  I work two days a week for Space Farms picking up road-kill deer.  I have been in Wayne quite a bit lately, although I could not get to any locations in there on the Wednesday after Sandy hit.
If you still need help after trying the CSM, I also have a Woodmizer LT40HD that I would be willing to bring down.  Have a neighbor with a few dozen EWP 14 footers to mill first, so I will be busy for a while.  Good Luck!
2018 LT40HDG38 Wide

lowpolyjoe

Murdock - I found some pics of Granberg Mini-mill...  looks like a pretty similar principle to the Beam Machine, just a little fancier.  My Beam Machine arrived last night.  For some reason i was expecting a huge hunk of steel, but it's pretty small.  Guess that should make it easier to manage.  I've got a bunch of stuff to take care of this weekend but i'm hoping i get some time to try it out.

Further inspection reveals that my dad may have an 032 AV from ~1982.  Looking up the specs it doesn't look much better than my 455    :-\    i remember it looking and sounding like a monster last time he brought it down.  But i may have been comparing it to a ryobi 'toy' saw i had at the time which could barely cut its way out of a paper bag. 

John - i'm actually a huge fan of Space Farms!    Been there a few times because it's about 1/2 way between me and my parents' place out in PA.  Certainly no shortage of roadkill this time of year.  I hate seeing all the deer mangled on the side of the highway around now  :(    Never ocurred to me that a zoo would scoop them up - feed them to the lions and bears i guess?  Better than watching them rot on the shoulder.

Glad we could spark some memories woodmills1.


Kingmt

I know this is old but how did this project turn out?

ETA: After looking throught you galary it seems you figured it out. It looks like you are quite crafty.
Sawmill=Harbor Freight Item#62366
Chainsaws=MS180CBE(14"), MS290(18"), MS038(20"), MS660(20" & 36")
Staff=1Wife & 5 Kids :)
Please excuse my typing. I don't do well at catching auto correct.

lowpolyjoe

Thanks Kingmt.

You may find this thread interesting - I think it follows most of my experience and should link to some videos.  It was an impractical project with mixed results.  But it was fun :)  (sorta  ;))

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,62806.msg929480.html#msg929480

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