Is Stihl 660 big enough for a Grandberg Mill?

[OneWithWood]

In the wake of the tornadoes that swept through Bloomington a few weeks ago I inherited a number of 36"+ oak, ash, maple, hickory and poplar logs.  Once before I was faced with milling a large log and used my MS 460 with a 36" bar coupled to an old Grandberg mill set up to cut the beast down to a size that would fit on the Woodmizer.  The 460 did the job but I could tell I was pushing the saw hard.  It is not worth milling these logs if I destroy the 460 so I think I need to upgrade.

Would an MS 660 stand up to splitting 20 or more of these big boys?  I would put a 47" bar on it with skip tooth ripping chain.

[Dave Shepard]

I haven't done a lot of ripping, but I would say it would be fine for what you want to do. I used my Husky 394, which is comparable to the 660, to split this big sycamore log, and it did just fine. I didn't have a Granberg, I just put plumb and level lines on the end and snapped lines. It was close enough, and I probably on lost two boards worth in the cleanup cuts. I think it took an hour and a half including sharpening after I sawed through the bottom into the dirt. :-\

This log was something like 42"x46" big end and not much smaller on the small end.

[groomer_guy]

I too agree the 660 should be fine. That is a strong saw and with the chain combo you would use it would work just fine.

[Brucer]

I ran an Alaskan mill with a 70 cc Jonsereds for 20 years. Never a problem, just slow sawing. The only mod I made was to run the high-speed jet a little richer.

[acco1840]

The 660 will do the job, but I would lean more to an 090. These are not as higher revving, but have bucket fulls of tourque, just what you want for milling.

[Ianab]

Main thing with chainsaw milling, is the saw up to running full throttle  / full load for a whole tank of gas?

Big pro grade saws like that are. A bigger saw with a bit more power will get the job done faster, but a 660 is designed to be run 8 hours a day for a year or so before it gets tired.  Only thing that will kill it sooner is lack of lube or lean fuel mix, so make sure it's running a little rich, and use good quality oil.

It will git-R-done  ;)

Ian

[jteneyck]

If you are contemplating buying a new or used saw just so you can mill these logs, why not hire a bandsaw mill to do the job instead?  I've milled quite a bit of lumber and logs of the size you're talking about are tough work.  Once a log gets bigger than about 24" diameter the fun is gone and it's just work.  I would cut them into smaller cants even if I did mill them with my saw (385XP), so I see no reason for the long bar you're talking about unless you plan on making some big slabs.  For normal woodworking purposes anything wider than 16 inches or so is unmanageable in the shop.  Good luck no matter what route you take. 

[tyb525]

He needs the long bar because he needs to split them, if not quarter them, in order to get them on the mill. His bandmill cannot handle 36"+ logs.

[Johnny]

i use a 660 for ripping with 36" alaskan frame and granberg rip chain.  use a oregon 12v clamp-on grinder to sharpen the scoring cutters, coz they're too hard for the file.  but even with fresh chain, milling through a 30ft oak butt that's 29inch at the start, it can use getting on for 3 fills and leaves the saw looking pretty hot!  i'd say the 660 is better suited to logs 24" dia and under.  so i tend to use a 075 with the 36inch for the bigger stuff, though fuelling up half way is longwinded coz old style top filled tanks...  don't know whether you made your move yet, but an 084 - 880 with side fill tank would be more satisfying way to go for your large oak pieces (but a heavy saw to use for much else!!).  sure is nice when you slide the first cuts off!   :

[Ax- man]

Good luck in doing this project. Sounds like too much work for my taste using a chainsaw mill.

[Al_Smith]

I agree .Chainsaw milling might be fine to cut an occasional plank out of a log but much more than that it's just plain and simple a lot of work .

[OneWithWood]

Boys, I as lazy logical as the next guy  :

I will only be using the Granberg set up to break the logs down to fit on the Woodmizer.  The last time I did this I just halved the logs.  I may quarter these if I can do it efficiently so they are a bot easier to set on the mill.

[Al_Smith]

A Grandberg clamp on mini works okay,it's what I have . I tried it with an 048 Stihl which probabley has about as much grunt although not the speed of a 460 ,slow like a snail .With a 125 Mac or 2100 Homelite about a foot a minute in 18" red oak .Cut er down and stick it in the mill,great plan .

[wernerbrandes]

In the wake of the tornadoes that swept through Bloomington a few weeks ago I inherited a number of 36"+ oak, ash, maple, hickory and poplar logs.  Once before I was faced with milling a large log and used my MS 460 with a 36" bar coupled to an old Grandberg mill set up to cut the beast down to a size that would fit on the Woodmizer.  The 460 did the job but I could tell I was pushing the saw hard.  It is not worth milling these logs if I destroy the 460 so I think I need to upgrade.

Would an MS 660 stand up to splitting 20 or more of these big boys?  I would put a 47" bar on it with skip tooth ripping chain.

It's now years later and I'm wondering how you faired with all this big timber?! I've got a 46" wide piece of white oak and I think the only way to process it is where it lies (at the bottom of a big hill on my property). I can't find anyone with an 090 or 880 to help me, so I'm thinking of just buying a 660 and giving it a go with the 48" Alaskan mill.

[sawguy21]

OWW hasn't visited here for almost six years. It seems a shame to spend that kind of money for one time use, maybe you can find a used one on e-bay and flip it once you are done.

[Al_Smith]

I've got most of the books Gerry B authored .In one of them he has pictures of ripping either a Douglas fir or a big redwood with I think an 056 Stihl .It might take 4-5  hours of churning away on a big log to split it .They had no other choice because it was too plump to fit in the mills .That's in the big timber country in California to boot ,the land of big trees .I can't imagine ,wow .