Alaska Mill - Some advice needed

[wesdor]

I'm trying to decide which Ganberg Alaskan Mill setup is best for my situation.

A nearby friend has a LT-70 which we use to saw anything of size.  However, I have some short (less than 6 feet) pieces of crotch wood which might yield some interesting grain.

When I look at Bailey's I see the small log alaskan mill and the Mark III Alaskan mill with 24" rails.  Either one is within my price range for this experiment.  My biggest question comes down to which one is easier to use with the small logs I have and also which one holds the tip of the saw best? 

As I look at the videos, it seems that the small log mill has a free floating tip while the Mark III has the tip attached. 

Any observations or experience you can pass on would be greatly appreciated.

[zopi]

I have an alaska III..36"...go ahead and take about 4" off the cut width from that...

You will need a professional quality saw to run one...they eat chainsaws for breakfast..

Dunno about the small log mill...looks flimsy to me..didn't investigate further..

[Fla._Deadheader]

  Why can't you saw the short logs on the band Mill ???  We did it all the time. Logs as short as 2', X 30" wide ???

[oldsaw]

How big of a saw do you have/are willing to get?

If I were buying an Alaskan, which I did, I wouldn't go smaller than a 36" with a 42" bar.  I run both 36" and 42" bars on mine, the 42" will get you a 34" wide slab, the maximum for a 36" mill.

Now, if you really want to use it, you will need a saw 70cc or larger, preferably 90 or larger.  I really miss my 3120, but the 066 does fine.

[wesdor]

Sorry, I should have included that I hope to use my Stihl 361 with this. 

oldsaw - anything bigger than 20" and I would try to have it sawn with the LT70

Zopi - Looks to me like I'm better off with the Mark III

Fla_deadheader - I was under the impression that cutting anything less than 6' was difficult due to the distance between log dogs.  In the past we have pretty much agreed to keep logs at least 6' long and cut usually twice a year. Maybe I need to have a talk with my sawyer.

Please understand, this is a hobby for me, not a business.  I only saw about 5,000 board feet a year.

Thanks for your responses.

[zopi]

361 will work...sorta...441 would be better..

for sawing short stuff on a big mill..frame up a short platform and mount a pair of pipe clamps on top, and spike a couple boards so they will grip the log and mount them across the pipe clamps..clamp the platform between the dogs and 2 plane clamp..and cut...gently..
this works pretty well for burls and crotches and little oddball short pieces...

[Fla._Deadheader]

Wesdor, Those short logs will be more difficult to hold using a chainsaw mill, I would think.

  On the LT70, you lay a board down on the bunks for the log to lay on, so it reaches across the 2 bunks that are on each side of the clamp. Put a board against the back stops, and run the clamp up against the log.

  Can't find the photos that were in my Gallery. If you don't understand what I wrote, I can look on the computer and find the photos and load them in my gallery.

 

[wesdor]

Cutting the shorts on the LT70 makes sense to me.  Just slower.

Sounds to me like buying the Alaskan would be a waste of my money.

Thanks guys!

[Fla._Deadheader]

 Slower ???  We did this for a customer, on a regular basis. He got exotic species and used the slabs for carving. It's relatively easy to put those chunks up and 6' logs would be easier. Just need to think a little, how to load them. Put a board across the loader arms, and put the short logs on that board, need one or 2 more as the loader raises.

  It worked very well for us.

  Here's the photos I had to reload in my gallery.

 

 

 

  You also will get more pieces using the lesser kerf, AND, can turn the piece, if the grain pattern would be better in a different position ???  Crotch stuff and ALL figured wood, has more value, so, this is what we did.

[wesdor]

by slower - I meant slower than a longer log.  But no doubt faster than the chainsaw method.

Your pictures are GREAT.  Thanks.

You are very correct that the smaller kerf will give more useable wood.  Now to get a time setup to have use of his LT70.

Thanks again.