Chainsawmills.

[Danny_S]

Hello people, I am still alive.  You may remember a while back that I was building my own mill, a bandmill, but I have changed my mind and am going to use the Husqvarna 3120XP instead. I cut siding for my camp out of old cedar slabs with my little husky 345, which worked fine for the thin slabs. I liked the way it worked and ease of maintenance. The research I have done about bandmills reveals to me alot of maintenance, blade sharpening and setting, blade guides ect. Not bashing bandmills, they work good, but for what I want I am thinking chainsaw.  

Just looking for feedback from past or present chainmillers with your experiences. Pics of the siding coming soon..

Buck

[Kevin]

What type of chainsaw mill Buck?

[Danny_S]

I started to build a mill similar to a early model Norwood but decided to go chainsaw instead of band. The chainsaw simply mounts to the bulkhead that the motor and bandwheels were to be mounted on.



You can see the unpainted bracket in the center of the head where I mounted my small saw. The 3120XP will be mounted outside of that upper carrige frame and the bar will span the full width. (32")

[Carl_B]

Buck  I am posting a picture of the chainsaw mill that my son and I built. It is a procut.we are cutting the first log that we put on it. we cut around 5000 board feet on it last year.It makes some real nice lumber. My son got bit by the saw dust bug and went out and bought a LT 15 even a better mill. You can cut real nice lumber on a chainsaw mill but will give you a good workout. Carl B.

[Danny_S]

Nice looking machine Carl. I see you are cutting there with the top of the bar, do you cut both ways usually? Does the saw lug down very bad when cutting a wide cut?  People here think I am a bit crazy, well, they are right, but using a chainsaw to make lumber? They kinda snicker but I know that it does work.

 Thanks for the reply Carl

[Carl_B]

Yes you cut going in both ways with the procut. You can pull the saw down but you control this with how hard you push on it. We were runing. a 066 on the mill a bigger saw would be better.The best chain that we found was a skip tooth ripping chain filed to 10 degree.We were cutting around 500 board feet of 1 inch hard wood in 8 hours.    Carl B.

[rebocardo]

I have been thinking about a Alaska MK III (24 inch), but, these ones mounted on a trailer seem pretty nice too. As long as you do not fall into it, do you think it is quicker and easier than the MK III?

Do you drill the bar to help hold it in place and square?

How do you push the log through, by a winch or by hand?

Do you have a set of rollers for the cant?

Sorry for all the questions, it looks kind of neat.

[fencerowphil (Phil L.)]

I have a Stihl 090 on a 36" Alaskan and, with a little modernization, use the methods in the book Chain Saw Lumbermaking by Will Mallof.   In response to your questions,...

"Do you drill the bar to help hold it in place and square? "

     I haven't drilled, but Mallof recommends it.  If you don't drill,
     be sure you understand the torque required on the bolts
     which clamp the frame to the bar, and be sure to gradually
     and  carefully match the pressure each bolt in the pairs.
     If you don't, the frame will slip.  (Don't worry
     too much, however, since the smoke will tell you, when the
     frame has slipped, and the chipping sound will tell you that
     you are cutting away that hardened bolt with your
     expensive ripping chain !   :D
 
"How do you push the log through, by a winch or by hand?  "

      Small logs and cants by hand.    Over 20" or so, by
      winch.
 
"Do you have a set of rollers for the cant? "

      Since I don't move the log and don't move cants off the
      base on which I am cutting, rollers don't apply.  I work
      the log on the ground, perhaps chocking, blocking, or
      bedding the log for stability.  I also came up with some
      methods to stabilize cants and slabs atop the base log
      to improve the situation.

Hard, hard work, though !      ;)

Phil L.

[rebocardo]

Thanks!