iDRY Vacuum Kilns

Sponsors:

Alaskan Mill, do you run your saw wide open?

Started by Roy Beauchamp, July 25, 2016, 02:38:55 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Roy Beauchamp

Hi, I will be pushing my stihl saw and 36" bar through a mature oak tonight cutting up some big slabs. This will be the maiden voyage of my Alaskan mill and im very excited. This question may show my chainsaw ignorance, but do yall run your saw at full throttle when in the cut? Specifically when ripping? as a note: Obviously there is a point at which the saw climbs into the torque band and I'm not referring to cutting below that.

Thanks!

sawguy21

You and the saw will be working hard, run it wide open but give it periodic rests. It will need all the cooling air it can get.
old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

Ianab

You want to be cutting at Wide Open throttle as this is where the carb is tuned to provide the correct mixture. At part throttle it can lean out a bit, and that's a bad thing running long term under load.

Revs will be something below maximum because you have some load on the saw. So, full throttle and adjust the feed speed to keep the saw humming around it's sweet spot with maximum torque.,
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

Upper

I ran one all weekend in some 48 inch Sugar Pine,Yes full throttle.I looped a rope on the passenger side post ran it to a pulley then back to my dad sitting in the shade with a rope come along.Almost made it fun..........
Stihl 661
Alaskan 36 CSM
36" guillotine splitter powered by a GMC V6
I like to build stuff
LT35HD Wood-Mizer

PineHill4488

That is exactly how I run my 660 and 36" granberg and early last October ( NE Ark still had 80° temps) experienced what you are planning for this evening.  It was a dead standing red oak that had slipped all bark and most sapwood, butt end was 34 inches or so and 10 feet long. It took 3 1/2 tanks of gas and oil to make a pass for a slab.

I ran hotter than the saw, enjoyed the work!

My $0.02, keep chain sharp, chain speed up, and drink water.

Greg
Fall 2013 purchased Stihl MS 660 and an Alaskan 36" mill, am happy with the setup, hobbyist not a volume producer, have milled oak, hickory, yellow pine, and power poles.

celliott

Wide open and tuned on the rich side on my 395xp.

Go slow and let the saw work, don't force it and bog the engine down. That causes excess heat in the clutch area, and slows the flywheel fan down increasing engine heat as well. Depending on the length and width of the log, I will stop multiple times in the cut and let the saw idle for a couple minutes. Could be halfway, could be every 1\4 or 1\3.

Keep the chain sharp. Might need a touch up every single tank of fuel, it could be necessary.
I've burned an entire tank of fuel in making one slab cut with my 395 before.
Chris Elliott

Clark 666C cable skidder
Husqvarna and Jonsered pro saws
265rx clearing saw
Professional maple tubing installer and maple sugaring worker, part time logger

BUGGUTZ

If you are planning on using the wood as rough sawn, be sure to keep your saw squared or the same angle through the cut. It will keep the saw marks consistent and leave a nice looking surface. After I make a pass i like to run the chain a bit at low throttle for lube and then idle for a minute or so to cool down. It also is a good idea to use an air hose and blow the saw out real good every couple passes.
Everyone has to be somewhere.

Chop Shop

Chainsaw mill!!  haha!

This is where it all begins.  The gateway mill!

Once you smoke the chainsaw mill a few times it wont satisfy, then you will need a bigger faster mill to get the same high!  Then comes the loader, then a skidder, then a,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


Haha!   Have fun!

cbla

Wide open
Quote from: Chop Shop on July 26, 2016, 01:31:44 AM
Chainsaw mill!!  haha!

This is where it all begins.  The gateway mill!

Once you smoke the chainsaw mill a few times it wont satisfy, then you will need a bigger faster mill to get the same high!  Then comes the loader, then a skidder, then a,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


Haha!   Have fun!

LOL :D

Roy Beauchamp

Really helpful tips, thanks yall.
I burned about a tank of gas on every cut and with my oiler turned all the way up the oil tank empties at the same pace as the gas ( i thought it would empty faster with the oiler turned to max)
Cuts went really really well. Ran the saw at full throttle but it was totally obvious that's where it needed to be once it was in the cut. Ill be sure next time to let the saw idle occasionally to help with heat. With the oiler turned all the way up the chain seemed to stay lubed better during the process. I don't know how to gauge whether or not its getting enough oil. It wasn't dripping wet- wasn't bone dry either. Does anyone run an auxiliary oiler on their mills?
Ill post pictures when I figure out how...
Fun Fun stuff. I'm addicted.

mad murdock

If your saw has an oiler output adjustment, crank it up all the way.  If not, in big slabs, say 16" plus in width a tip oiler setup is good, and will reduce bar and chain wear considerably.  Be kind to your saw, after each cut, let it idle for a couple minutes before shutting off, this will allow cooldown after a long hard cut at WOT.  Happy sawing!
Turbosawmill M6 (now M8) Warrior Ultra liteweight, Granberg Alaskan III, lots of saws-gas powered and human powered :D

Brucer

I always ran my saws wide open, with the carb tuned just a little on the rich side. Finish the cut, and let it idle for a minute or so. After a long or wide cut, instead of shutting the saw off with the kill switch I would pull the choke and flood it (learned that from an old faller). The evaporating gas would cool the piston and cylinder.

No saw marks on my lumber -- I used kerf wedges every few feet to keep the slab or board from squeezing down on the chain on the back of the bar.
Bruce    LT40HDG28 bandsaw
"Complex problems have simple, easy to understand wrong answers."

Roy Beauchamp

Loving these tips- especially the ones about tricks to keeping the powerhead cool- probably my biggest concern. Ill be hitting the logs again thursday evening. I'm posting a couple of pics from the other nights cuts. Enjoy, and thanks again for all the helpful comments

  

  

  

 


 

Upper

Blade tip shield is a Must for the protection of your helper!Nice rig,also a 2x4 at each end of the log to support the ladder can make it good to center the pith and stabilize that first cut.
Stihl 661
Alaskan 36 CSM
36" guillotine splitter powered by a GMC V6
I like to build stuff
LT35HD Wood-Mizer

Thank You Sponsors!