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Search for chainsaw is now over, now looking for longer bar + chain to suit.

Started by Ed., October 05, 2013, 04:27:00 AM

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Ed.

Hi guys, finally bit the bullet and put a successfull buy it now on ebay for a 2012 Husqvana 372XPG with a 20" bar and not many hours on it judging by the good physical condition it is in, so will now pay for it next week and wait for it to ship from Canada.

In the meantime I am thinking about making an "Alaskan type Mill" for it, I have 3 Silky Oak logs just waiting to be sliced and diced into boards so does any one know what the max length of bar is that I can fit on a standard 372XPG without causing too much load on it. The heating function won't be used and the rest of it is I think just a standard 372XP.

Is there such a thing as a rip chain for it,  or will the standard chain do for ripping? The Silky Oak isn't very hard but no doubt the majority of logs will be Eucalypt hardwoods so they should be quite heavy going.

Cheers

Ed.

thecfarm

That 372 has a generator on it for the handles. No need to take it off,just don't turn the switch on.  ;D  I have a 372XPG too. I really don't think that saw is big enough to saw lumber. It could do it,but not steady as in 2-3 hours. I think you would cook that thing. Maybe even an hour would do it in. But I just cut trees with mine,not lumber.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

angelo c

gotta be honest with ya.  372 would not be my first choice to mill with. great feller. awesome landing saw. might be light for milling. that being said 24" to 28" would be my max bar length. I would so with a thinner chain and bar as well. like 3.25 5/8 at most probably a rip chain maybe semi if you can find it.

395/660 would be smallest milling saws I would use.
make sure you go slow and watch overheating and dulling chain.

keep sharp.
wife,kids,dog,t-shirts to prove it

John Mc

They do make ripping chain that will fit that saw.  Forum sponsor Bailey's sells some.  All it is is chisel chain sharpened to a different angle (10 or 15˚ instead of the 25 or 30˚ you'd use for regular chain).  I've not done much chainsaw milling, and what I have done has been "freehand" (I didn't really need a precision cut).  I have heard that ripping chain is not any easier on your saw.  In fact, it cuts more slowly than just using regular chain.  The main benefit is a smoother cut with ripping chain. However, if you are going to plane the wood anyway, that smoother cut may not make any difference.

You do want to be careful making long cuts, especially when cutting wider boards.  As has already been mentioned, this is hard work for a saw. Think about "normal" use for a saw: a few seconds on, then idle for a bit, then another few seconds off. 30 seconds would be a long cut in normal operation.  When milling, it might be multiple minutes of continued cutting.  Keep your chain sharp, take your time, consider letting the saw rest and cool down a bit in longer cuts.  You may also want to run your mixture a little richer than normal to help the engine run cooler (certainly you'll want it richer than most saws are coming set from the factory these days).
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

Ed.

Thanks for the honest replies guys, I don't anticipate doing ripping for hours on end, at most  1 or 2 of 10-12ft logs on any given day and maybe a few times a year for a special project or so, as this is only a hobby for me, most of the logs I wouldn't imagine would be more than 20-24" thick, however by the time you lose a few inches at the tip and at the Dawg end for the bar clamps a smaller bar doesn't give you much room for a larger log should I come across one, so I was hoping to be able to fit maybe a 28-30" bar, I assume that porting and different muffler might help a little bit although I didn't want to go down that route unless I had to. Is it still doable on a non modified 372?

Cheers

Ed.

John Mc

With patience, and stopping to let the saw cool, I would think so, but you should probably hear that from someone who has "been there and done that" rather than from me.  All I've done is a few 8 or 10" hemlock logs, using a Husky 357xp and a regular chisel chain.

I'm not sure if you'd want to use a skip-tooth chain to lighten the load, or whether that makes for a rougher cut when ripping?
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

John Mc

Another thought for you:  I know you did not want to have to mod your saw, but if your 372 has a catalytic muffler, you may want to at least replace it with a non-catalytic one.

The cat mufflers are very restrictive, and make the saw run hotter. Replacing with a non-catalytic muffler (even a "stock" unmodified non-cat) can help it run cooler and give it more power.  You will need to reset the mixture after the muffler change.

I'm not even sure if a 372 comes with a cat or non-cat muffler, however.
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

Al_Smith

It's not enough saw really to mill with .However it will cut but before hand it needs to be set to run slightly rich. A rich mixture burns more slowly and causes less heat build up although with some slightly slower cut speeds . Use a sharp chain .Good old round chisel will cut circles around a milling chain which even if used is smother than a circle mil and often nearly as good as a bandsaw mill .A trip or two through a thickness planer you'll never know the difference .

HolmenTree

Quote from: John Mc on October 05, 2013, 11:05:21 AM
I would think so, but you should probably hear that from someone who has "been there and done that" rather than from me.  All I've done is a few 8 or 10" hemlock logs, using a Husky 357xp and a regular chisel chain.
John. :D
Ed, for what little milling you want to do the strato charged 372 will work just fine. Mill with a 24" 3/8" chisel chain with the cutters filed down small around 1/2 or less,10° top plate angle and the depth gauges fairly high around .015
If the cutters are filed down to half size and the depth gauges never filed they will be around .015 or a little less.

With this chain the 372 won't be too overloaded, you can mill with the chain filed right down to the witness marks so you have lots of chain life left.
If you are a little more serious try a narrow kerf .325 Oregon 95VXL chain [.050] driven by a Oregon 9 tooth standard 7 spline rim sprocket. You'll have to have a .325 bar nose though , or find an old sprocketless roller nose bar or just go solid tip. I've used all 3 and they all work fine.
 
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

sawguy21

old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

HolmenTree

No its not, you have to go Husky large mount .050. The NK chain can't be filed down to the witness marks because it would cut too narrow for the thick standard bar, just use the chain from new to 1/2.
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

Ed.

Oh well, I suppose the only thing I can do is to just wait till it arrives in a few weeks and try it out on the logs I have and see how it handles them with the 20" bar, the little voice in my head kept warning me that I should be looking for a bigger unit. All the reviews I looked at stated that the 372 had heaps off cutting power, but then again thinking about it, they were all cross cutting.

Another possibility I could try is to slab off the two sides and top or even alternating the cutting from the top and the next cut from the side, which will reduce the log thickness significantly and then get stuck into it. With the small size logs that I probably will deal with, they should be reasonable easy to manhandle and flip over using a bar.

When making that mill, I don't think that it would be too hard to make it with an adjustable bar length holder to handle the different sized bars and see how the saw handles it, then later on, maybe get a longer 28" blade if I do come across larger logs, again slabbing the top and sides off first or alternating the cutting from the top and the next cut from the side. Would that be better?

Cheers

Ed.

Ed.

Another question I have is regarding the chain bars themselves, while looking for longer chain bars, I read of laminated and solid bars and those with or without replaceable tips/sprockets. Are there any advantages or disadvantages with regards to any of those features or should I just get what ever is available seeing as I only do it as a hobby and not as a full time logger and will only do limited amount of sawing/milling.

Cheers

Ed.

HolmenTree

Quote from: Ed. on October 05, 2013, 08:01:18 PM
Oh well, I suppose the only thing I can do is to just wait till it arrives in a few weeks and try it out on the logs I have and see how it handles them with the 20" bar, the little voice in my head kept warning me that I should be looking for a bigger unit. All the reviews I looked at stated that the 372 had heaps off cutting power, but then again thinking about it, they were all cross cutting.

Another possibility I could try is to slab off the two sides and top or even alternating the cutting from the top and the next cut from the side, which will reduce the log thickness significantly and then get stuck into it. With the small size logs that I probably will deal with, they should be reasonable easy to manhandle and flip over using a bar.

When making that mill, I don't think that it would be too hard to make it with an adjustable bar length holder to handle the different sized bars and see how the saw handles it, then later on, maybe get a longer 28" blade if I do come across larger logs, again slabbing the top and sides off first or alternating the cutting from the top and the next cut from the side. Would that be better?

Cheers

Ed.
Ed first thing is if that 372 is coming out of Canada it will probably have a .058 b/c chain , a size you may have a problem finding in your area. Being an X-Torq strato it will do well with the high stress milling, the old style 372 with a less torque high peaked powerband would not be so good.
I made a homemade Alaskan for my 20" b/c 066 / 395XP but it is only set at 1 9/16" to rip lumber off the pre cut cants. You'll need a adjustable Alaskan or Logosol because slabs can vary so much in thicknesses. But if your on a budget anything can be hand made.
2 slabs removed from a log 90° from each other reduces a log diameter very quick, 24" would be fine on the average. I never hardly ever use all the 36" of my Alaskan and I'm in some trees as big as 48".
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

HolmenTree

Quote from: Ed. on October 05, 2013, 08:10:03 PM
Another question I have is regarding the chain bars themselves, while looking for longer chain bars, I read of laminated and solid bars and those with or without replaceable tips/sprockets. Are there any advantages or disadvantages with regards to any of those features or should I just get what ever is available seeing as I only do it as a hobby and not as a full time logger and will only do limited amount of sawing/milling.

Cheers

Ed.
Laminated bars are more of a consumer hobby type of bar, with normal wear the rails spread and can't be resized  to last a long life.
Solid bars[soild body and nose with no sprocket tip] in 24" and over take a looser chain tension but at wide open throttle is not a problem, they do rob power if tensioned as a normal sprocket tip bar, very versatile for various chain pitchs and the chain runs true in them with the even kerf they have.
Start out with the 20"b/c then save up for a 24" and before you know it you'll have lots of different options.
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

HolmenTree

If you run into a too big diameter a log , go 3 slabs removed from 3 sides. To position your slab rails or plank you'll need a level for your first slab and a 90° carpenter square for the other slab or slabs.
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

Ed.

Thanks HolmenTree for that info, so I suppose ideally I should be looking at a solid bar with removable sprocket tip as my best option?

I am quite a newbie at this chainsaw stuff so trying to come to grips with all the options, terminology, methods,etc. I have only had 2 chainsaws in my life a small electric powered unit and then upgraded it to the 62cc Chinese one and 20" bar, but most of the wood I have cut has been just in the thinning out bamboo clumps, ie" 6" poles and once off a couple of small 4m trees on our property. So until a few weeks ago I haven't needed to cut anything thicker. My chainsaw stopped working, no parts available for it so need to get a new one. All the timber for my projects I have just usually ordered in sized and finished, again just cut length down size with a power saw.

In the state (Queensland) I live there is a lot of building development going on where they just clear fell entire estates, pile it all up in big mounds and just burn it off. Which to me is such a big waste. There are Silky Oaks, Acacias, Eucalypts and Camphor Laurel etc. just going up in smoke. Hoping to put some of that timber to better use, we don't use it for firewood as we only have about 6 weeks a year of colder weather here where the day and night  temps drop to 8C-20C  and the rest of the year is 25C-34C.

Therefore getting into the larger chainsaws/cutting is a learning curve for me. I had a look at the pics of the chainsaw I am getting and on the bar it states, Origon Power Match plus and a 3/8" in large letters, the rest is very blurred and out of focus, but I think I can make out the following which possibly looks like #5, 136 or 138 and then 783, don't know if that relates to or even makes sense.

Cheers

Ed.


HolmenTree

Ed, check this Australian site out. Their lowest price chainsaw mounted mill start around a few hundred dollars. They offer many accessories
www.logosol.com.au
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

HolmenTree

Making a living with a saw since age 16.

Ed.

Thanks HolmenTree for that link, I found it anyway,  I will have a look at that site,  but mainly for some ideas as I am on an almost drained budget, I recently built a large wood lathe and having spent way more on this unforeseen chainsaw purchase,  I will therefore have to make a mill up myself out of whatever I have lying around.  I am now off to the shed to inflict some damage on some poor unsuspecting bits of metal.  :D.  By the way, did those number mean anything to you?

Cheers

Ed.

HolmenTree

Quote from: Ed. on October 05, 2013, 10:10:59 PM
:D.  By the way, did those number mean anything to you?

Cheers
Ed.
No they didn't, but I do have a 20" Husqvarna  PowerMatch bar somewhere in the far reachs of my shed, did find a 20" PowerMatch Stihl bar but # not close to Husky #s, but only came up with a 18" PowerMatch bar for a large mount Husky and the numbers on it go like this:
RSN B 18"/45cm .058"/1.5mm
3/8 68DL 92750 UE
MADE IN CANADA
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

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