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Any tips and advice welcome

Started by Greenhighlander, March 16, 2020, 08:29:56 AM

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Greenhighlander

Longtime lurker, first time posting.  

I am about to start milling some wood for the first time and would appreciate any advice the experienced folks around here may have.  

I will be running a Jobber J100 chainsaw mill with a 395 XP running a 24" bar and full ripping chain to start. I will be milling mostly red and white spruce for lumber for constructing a cabin and a few out buildings.  I also plan on milling very large Yellow Birch , Sugar Maple, and some Red Oak for undetermined added value use of some sort once I have a better idea what I am doing.
For now I won't be milling any logs over 20" .  

I know bandsaws are the way to go for production but I have no way of hauling logs to a mill nor can I afford a bandsaw mill.
I haven't been able to find a whole lot of info on this chainsaw mill, but the design seems good and I got a great deal on it.

Anyway thanks in advance for any tips you may have.

Cheers 


terrifictimbersllc

Get a copy of Will Malloff "Chainsaw Lumbermaking".
DJ Hoover, Terrific Timbers LLC,  Mystic CT Woodmizer Million Board Foot Club member. 2019 LT70 Super Wide 55 Yanmar,  LogRite fetching arch, WM BMS250 sharpener/BMT250 setter.  2001 F350 7.3L PSD 6 spd manual ZF 4x4 Crew Cab Long Bed

Brad_bb

Chainsaw milling (CSM) is hard and slow.  I only do it to slab very large logs that I can't do with a band mill.  After a log or two you will see.  I'm assuming you haven't tried it at all yet?  I only mill hardwood so that may color my perspective.  Softwood may go faster? These entry level band mills are getting cheaper and cheaper.  Woodmizer has been focusing on this.  The LX55 is $3995 US right now.  And I'm sure you could find a way to pack it in with a sled and a snow machine or whatever.

In any case I looked up the Jobber j100:
J100 operation

What diameter logs are you limited to?  The bigger the log, the more you'll get out of it.
One thing that helps with slabbing is the crank/winch.  Would that help you?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZRNA7yo6s8

Also, have you seen the J200 band mill for the J100 frame?
j200
Anything someone can design, I can sure figure out how to fix!
If I say it\\\\\\\'s going to take so long, multiply that by at least 3!

Greenhighlander

Thank you both for the replies.  
I am going to see if the local library can get that book in. 

With the extensions I have I am limited to 20" logs right now.  There are multiple upgrading options including the J200 option you showed.But that bandsaw power head would be a real pain trying to carry through the woods.  I also have the option to upgrade to the J150 which has unlimited size restrictions on the log while still using the 395xp  

I may very well end up getting a bandsaw for my high value logs later on down the road. But again that also requires hauling the logs to the mill which would be very difficult given the terrain and size of logs.

Is there a recommended period of use before milling with a new saw?  

Cheers 


Greenhighlander

My new baby arrived today. It is just a little larger and heavier then my firewood saw .......


 

Cheers

Brad_bb

Let the chips, or dust fall where they may.  Well get to it, we want to see some saw dust.
Anything someone can design, I can sure figure out how to fix!
If I say it\\\\\\\'s going to take so long, multiply that by at least 3!

Nebraska


Greenhighlander

The 395 xp seemed to break in roughly halfway through the 7th tank of fuel dropping trees and bucking. It was great from the start but really came to life around then. I ran a total of 10 tanks through her before hooking it up to the mill. The tune seems fine still so that hasn't been touched.  
Going to take a bit for me to learn the adjustments and such but it is super easy and quick to set up and is also very user friendly to operate. 
I am going to have to figure out a better sawdust deflector as right now you get absolutely coated in sawdust .

Very happy with this setup  8)



 



 

Cheers 

Evanguy

Nice saw, that should do some work for you. also that's a sweet CSM setup looks like first use went well for you. 

Greenhighlander

Quote from: Evanguy on April 04, 2020, 01:23:40 PM
Nice saw, that should do some work for you. also that's a sweet CSM setup looks like first use went well for you.
The saw is an absolute beast to me. I love it .     Also I am very happy with the Jobber 100 . It is very simply and well designed.  I helped a friend build his cabin using an Alaskan style csm a number of years ago and this CSM has that style beat for speed and how easy on my back it is lol   
If I keep it in two pieces instead of the 4, each section only weighs 85lbs and it only takes 3 bolts ( Maybe 5min ) to set up and get going. I also love the fact that I do not need even slightly even ground to run it on.
Cheers 

Evanguy

Yeah i bet is a beast to run. I have a new to me stihl 084. Ive put like 2 tanks of gas through it. Heavy as all hell lol. But its on my alaskan CSM now so i plan to try it for that today.

Yes that mill looks waaaay easier on the back then the regular csm lol.

I may end up building something like that here one day. I got too many projects on the go now lol like my bandsaw mill.

Im from Nova Scotia too. I have some family in cape breton(margaree) they retired to their cottages upthere. Nice place for sure. Big trees up that way.

Good luck on the build man!! I hope to make a log cabin or timber frame in my woods some day. That was the reson for my mill setups. No time though lol

Oddman

Couple suggestions to keep your milling saw alive as long as possible - run the best mix oil you can get your hands on and consider mixing at 40:1. 
Keep your air filter clean, clean, clean - that saw is a real good one for filtration but it will still need frequent cleaning, I would clean it every tank of gas. Keep a new one on hand so you dont hesitate to replace it when needed. 

Good luck with the building!

Greenhighlander

I am about 10 min from Margaree and yes there are some very large trees around these parts. 
I am still a ways off on the cabin. I figure building a much needed woodshed is a good starting and practice point with my smaller trees. 

Quote from: Oddman on April 05, 2020, 02:27:14 PM
Couple suggestions to keep your milling saw alive as long as possible - run the best mix oil you can get your hands on and consider mixing at 40:1.
Keep your air filter clean, clean, clean - that saw is a real good one for filtration but it will still need frequent cleaning, I would clean it every tank of gas. Keep a new one on hand so you dont hesitate to replace it when needed.

Good luck with the building!

Thank you for the tips .
I am running husky oil and supreme. Because of warranty I am running 50:1 . Plus the shop I got it from didn't seem to feel a need to run anything other then 50:1.  He has my back on warranty so I will go with his suggestion for now.  
I have been checking my air filter , checking all the bolts, and sharpening every tank of gas.  I have yet to see even any dust on the air filter yet , but will certainly keep checking it.  I like the idea of having a second one on hand so I will be grabbing one as soon as the shop is open again.

I really need to figure out how to rig up some type of sawdust deflector so it isn't going pretty much straight into my face like it is now.  Other then that I really wasn't expecting it to be as much fun as it is.  :)

  




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