Looking at the Husqvarna 460

[DustyDan]

First thanks for allowing me to join.

Looking at getting a Husqvarna Rancher 460.  This will be my first large chainsaw.  Have a couple of questions.

Is the Rancher 460 a good choice for milling?  Is there a better choice in about the same price range?
Found a 460 on amazon with 24" chain and .050 bar for about $650.  

Then there is gauge.  On this saw one can get .050 or .058.   Does 8 thou matter?   Any reason to choose one over the other.

Any suggestions on leg protection, looking at full pants rather than chaps. Suggestion?

Thanks DustDan

[lxskllr]

Welcome! I'd consider a 60cc saw the bare minimum for milling, and you aren't gonna mill much with it; maybe around 20". I'm not familiar with how Husky's farm saws are built, but if it were a clamshell design, I wouldn't want to mill with it. If you burn it up, it's gonna be harder to fix.

Regarding gauge. You want whatever is common in your area. They're kinda regional. If I went into a random shop and asked for a chain, the assumption would be .050 gauge. That may or may not be the same where you are, but I believe .050 is the most common nationwide.

Dunno about pants. I wear Labonville apron chaps, and am happy with them.

[DustyDan]

Looks like I need to do some reading here.
How much larger would you suggest going?   
The  MS 462 C-M maybe a possibility.  

[lxskllr]

Well, you should first consider where you want to go with milling. Size of wood? Are you milling occasionally, or a lot? Also consider your mechanical aptitude. If you're good at wrenching, and/or enjoy it, an older saw might fit your wallet better.

My non mainstream opinion is you can mill any size wood you can crosscut. In the case of my 661, Stihl supports up to a 36" bar, so I consider that the max size I can mill. I've done ~32" so far, and it's been fine, but a little suboptimal.

An off the cuff estimate, is a saw that has two sizes listed by the manufacturer, will be best matched by the smaller bar. If there's a range of sizes, somewhere in the middle will be best. This is speaking in general terms, and not necessarily milling. Bigger(CCs) is better when running a mill.

Milling is hard on saws no matter what you're using. In another thread, the Husky 395 was recommended over the 661 due to the manual carb, and a bit cheaper cost. That seems sensible to me. The manual carb will allow you to enrich the fuel to better protect the motor. With an electronic saw. you get what you get, and it was designed for more typical forestry operations. That said, my 661cm has been fine for my infrequent milling operations.

To sum it up, decide what you want to do, and buy the appropriate saw, even if it means you have to save your pennies and wait. You won't save any money buying something cheaper now if it won't do what you want, or get cooked when you push it too hard.

[Tacotodd]

That 460 is a clamshell retail special. It's not going to be the utmost in terms of anything EXCEPT it has the price points on its side. ANY pro saw will likely be more expensive unless purchased 2nd hand. Pro saws are lighter for the same displacement and faster cutting. They are also rebuild able. A clamshell can be, but much more time consuming to do so.

I went through the chain gauge problem and should have gone .050. You should as well.

I wish you luck in your decisions.

[Skeans1]

Well, you should first consider where you want to go with milling. Size of wood? Are you milling occasionally, or a lot? Also consider your mechanical aptitude. If you're good at wrenching, and/or enjoy it, an older saw might fit your wallet better.

My non mainstream opinion is you can mill any size wood you can crosscut. In the case of my 661, Stihl supports up to a 36" bar, so I consider that the max size I can mill. I've done ~32" so far, and it's been fine, but a little suboptimal.

An off the cuff estimate, is a saw that has two sizes listed by the manufacturer, will be best matched by the smaller bar. If there's a range of sizes, somewhere in the middle will be best. This is speaking in general terms, and not necessarily milling. Bigger(CCs) is better when running a mill.

Milling is hard on saws no matter what you're using. In another thread, the Husky 395 was recommended over the 661 due to the manual carb, and a bit cheaper cost. That seems sensible to me. The manual carb will allow you to enrich the fuel to better protect the motor. With an electronic saw. you get what you get, and it was designed for more typical forestry operations. That said, my 661cm has been fine for my infrequent milling operations.

To sum it up, decide what you want to do, and buy the appropriate saw, even if it means you have to save your pennies and wait. You won't save any money buying something cheaper now if it won't do what you want, or get cooked when you push it too hard.

The 395 and the 66's aren't in the same class a 395 is a step above the 66 in power and oiling. A hopped up 395 will pull a 60" bar and oil a 66 couldn't no matter what condition it's in. If you want to compare saws a 66 of any form is closer to a Husky 390 where the husky still out oils them.

[lxskllr]

395xp specs show 6.6hp, and the 661cm 7.2hp. I'll give you the oiling though. Been thinking about getting a west coast oiler for mine. I can use an auxiliary oiler for milling, but that isn't useful for general cutting with my big bar.

[Skeans1]

395xp specs show 6.6hp, and the 661cm 7.2hp. I'll give you the oiling though. Been thinking about getting a west coast oiler for mine. I can use an auxiliary oiler for milling, but that isn't useful for general cutting with my big bar.

I've ran both for years a spec sheet doesn't always tell the whole story a 66 is closer to a 390 when actually cutting timber it doesn't have the power of the 395's.

[DustyDan]

After reading replies I can see the Husqvarna 460 is out.  I am kind of burned out on fixing so would rather stay away from a used saw.


lxskllr  said " Milling is hard on saws no matter what you're using. "

I am a bit of an amature machinist.  So maybe the answer is to build a chainsaw mill starting with a lawn tractor engine.    Have several engines on hand ranging from 7 to 21 'claimed' HP.  I imagine others have done this?  I know there are a few bandsaw mill builds but don't recall one with a chainsaw bar.

If I plan on doing that I can skip the milling bit and get a saw for cutting down trees.   Still need to figure out how much saw I need for that.

[sawguy21]

 "I know there are a few bandsaw mill builds but don't recall one with a chainsaw bar."
I am not sure what you mean by this, a bandmill doesn't use a bar or chain. A vertical shaft lawn tractor engine is really not suitable to drive a mill, you would likely need a mule drive which gets more complex than necessary and robs power.

[DustyDan]

"I know there are a few bandsaw mill builds but don't recall one with a chainsaw bar."
I am not sure what you mean by this, a bandmill doesn't use a bar or chain. A vertical shaft lawn tractor engine is really not suitable to drive a mill, you would likely need a mule drive which gets more complex than necessary and robs power.

Let me see if I can better explain myself.   I have seen where people built bandsaw mills.   And I have seen where people buy or build mills with a chainsaw, aka chainsaw mills.     What I have not seen is a mill build that uses a chainsaw bar and chain but not the powerhead, is the correct term?    As I understand it people don't do it this way because of the lumber lost to the wide kerf.   But I am thinking it would be easier to build.

I have a 13HP horizontal briggs twin if needed.   But with the bar laying flat the drive need to be perpendicular to it.   That would be vertical.   

[Skeans1]

Look up a company called 6k products it might give you some ideas.

[Greenhighlander]

There is an alaskan chainsaw milling group on facebook that I am part of and someone shared their build of exactly what you are describing.   They used an old b & s ride on engine to drive a chainsaw bar and chain.   Other then the chainsaw bar and chain it looked just like a bandsaw mill .   

As for the 460 rancher I would stay away from it . Especially for milling .  But ya a few farmers I know have a couple and they have had a fair amount of problems with them and that is just using them around the farm and for firewood. 

[DustyDan]

There is an alaskan chainsaw milling group on facebook that I am part of and someone shared their build of exactly what you are describing.   They used an old b & s ride on engine to drive a chainsaw bar and chain.   Other then the chainsaw bar and chain it looked just like a bandsaw mill ....

Thanks I will be looking into that.   Not having to build the bandsaw part should get it up and running in much less time.   Later if I see the need it could be converted to a bandsaw.    Small steps.   

Still need to figure out which saw to get for cutting down the trees but it will not be a rancher 460. 

[ladylake]

 Get a Echo CS590 a long time before a Husky  460.   Steve

[Greenhighlander]

There is an alaskan chainsaw milling group on facebook that I am part of and someone shared their build of exactly what you are describing.   They used an old b & s ride on engine to drive a chainsaw bar and chain.   Other then the chainsaw bar and chain it looked just like a bandsaw mill ....

Thanks I will be looking into that.   Not having to build the bandsaw part should get it up and running in much less time.   Later if I see the need it could be converted to a bandsaw.    Small steps.  

Still need to figure out which saw to get for cutting down the trees but it will not be a rancher 460.

I went the route I did because I did not have the money for a bandsaw mill . Plus I don't have a way of getting the logs to the mill , plus the terrain does not allow for machine or even horse hauling of logs to get to the mill .  I saved my pennies for a few years and ended up getting a 395xp and a Jobber J100 mill.  It cost me about $2500 cad total as I found someone with the jobber, unused and still shipping wrapped from the company, for $1000 cad.   It has been quite a learning curve using that mill as there is very limited information out there on it . But after ruining 6-8 subpar 12' spruce I finally figured it all out and am very happy with how it mills .   I don't have the extensions yet to make it unlimited length and width but do plan on getting them for the larger high value trees once I get to them. 
As for saws it is hard to recommend one to you without knowing the size and species of trees you are dropping. I use a little husky 445 for anything up to 18" . Anything over that I use the 395.  
I run .058 on the 395 and .050 on the smaller saw.    
 For protection I have been happy with the Husky technical chaps .  They offer great protection but I wouldn't wanna wear them in the warmer months. I don't run a saw from May-October anyway so no biggie for me. 

[pezrock]

First thanks for allowing me to join.

Looking at getting a Husqvarna Rancher 460.  This will be my first large chainsaw.  Have a couple of questions.

Is the Rancher 460 a good choice for milling?  Is there a better choice in about the same price range?
Found a 460 on amazon with 24" chain and .050 bar for about $650.  

Then there is gauge.  On this saw one can get .050 or .058.   Does 8 thou matter?   Any reason to choose one over the other.

Any suggestions on leg protection, looking at full pants rather than chaps. Suggestion?

Thanks DustDan

Dan I actually did this with a Husky 465. It worked, but after $600 on the saw and about another $600 on Granberg mill with bells and whistles, chains, sharpeners, (ripping chains dull quickly) and then an upgrade to a $1000 Husky 572, more chains and bars it started getting real pricey. With that it is absolutely back breaking, dirty and you inhale so much exhaust you need to take breaks and that is with a mask on. Also the cuts were almost never perfect and needed a lot of jointing and planing. After all that I finally got a Woodland Mills HM 130 Max. If that is not in your budget, just get a brand new Harbor Freight band saw mill for $1,000 with the 20% off coupon and get a used Husky 450 for $250 to get yourself started. It will be a more pleasant intro to milling. And if you like it, you can sell the mill and chainsaw at 80% to 100% of what you bought it for in the current market. 

[Spike60]

Steve; you do crack me up with these pop-up ads for Echo but no other participation in the overall discussion.   :laugh:

A 460 really isn't built for milling. Not just the 60cc engine size, but the small mount bar is hardly an asset. But I even get people looking to mill with the smaller homeowner saws. They ask for .325 ripping chain. Couple weeks ago a guy asked for a loop of rip chain for his 440. I'm thinking he must own a Stihl 440, but no, it's the little 41cc Husky that isn't much more than a yard saw IMO. I think the 70cc class is the absolute minimum, and thst's just for playing. If you really want to do some volume and maybe build something, then you need a 90+ cc saw. 

I like to ask, "What do you want to build?" And they typically have no idea. They just want to mill some wood because they saw it on youtube. 

[Greenhighlander]

Steve; you do crack me up with these pop-up ads for Echo but no other participation in the overall discussion.   :laugh:

A 460 really isn't built for milling. Not just the 60cc engine size, but the small mount bar is hardly an asset. But I even get people looking to mill with the smaller homeowner saws. They ask for .325 ripping chain. Couple weeks ago a guy asked for a loop of rip chain for his 440. I'm thinking he must own a Stihl 440, but no, it's the little 41cc Husky that isn't much more than a yard saw IMO. I think the 70cc class is the absolute minimum, and thst's just for playing. If you really want to do some volume and maybe build something, then you need a 90+ cc saw.

I like to ask, "What do you want to build?" And they typically have no idea. They just want to mill some wood because they saw it on youtube.

That is a legitimate point .
I have been milling for various things.  I was able to use my crappy first boards for a few planters and rotten foot bridge board replacements so far .  Now that I have half an idea of what I am doing a proper firewood shed that holds 10 cord is what I am milling for now. Once that is done I will be milling for 2 separate cabins and a small barn.  Other then that I use boards for repairs on my out buildings and such when needed. 

[Tacotodd]

I'm just glad that I can use the double ended bar for my 2 70cc power heads that I have, IF a full decision for CSM work approaches, and I WILL have help (1 for each powerhead)!👍

[Skeans1]

Steve; you do crack me up with these pop-up ads for Echo but no other participation in the overall discussion.   :laugh:

A 460 really isn't built for milling. Not just the 60cc engine size, but the small mount bar is hardly an asset. But I even get people looking to mill with the smaller homeowner saws. They ask for .325 ripping chain. Couple weeks ago a guy asked for a loop of rip chain for his 440. I'm thinking he must own a Stihl 440, but no, it's the little 41cc Husky that isn't much more than a yard saw IMO. I think the 70cc class is the absolute minimum, and thst's just for playing. If you really want to do some volume and maybe build something, then you need a 90+ cc saw.

I like to ask, "What do you want to build?" And they typically have no idea. They just want to mill some wood because they saw it on youtube.

I think the only Echo that might be worth a dang for a good hot supper is the 1201 but probably a bit more then most guys on here would want.

[DustyDan]

The Harbor Freight bandsaw mill is more like $2K.     

Currently thinking of building similar but better track etc but using one of the 4 stroke engines I have to power a bar and chain.   It has been done. 



Should be less unpleasant then using a traditional chainsaw mill.    If I like it and find I can get enough trees I can convert it to a bandsaw mill.

[Tacotodd]

I have a side recommendation for you on your milling to make it easier & faster for you: secure the far end of the log so that when you mill it, the log will end up with the grain as close to parallel for a quicker noodling effect as opposed to the milling effect. Same outcome but faster and easier on both you and machine. The longer the log, the less easy it is to make sure that it's going to happen. Just the tip of the day.  ;)

[DustyDan]

The Husky 395 XP  was out of stock in the places I checked.
Several sites claimed their price could not be listed because it was too low.
Suggestions on where to buy it and what what would be a good price?