Help chosing saw for milling

Hemlock121 · April 24, 2022, 07:34:23 PM

Hi guys,

I bought a clone 660 to use as a dedicated chainsaw for homeowner milling and the cylinder wall became scratched during break in. I have returned the saw and was going to get another one then decided that Im getting older and should have a good saw and not one that I will have to constantly monkey around with. What Stihl saw would your recommend? Should I spend the money for a Stihl 661 or if Im not going to be doing a ton of milling, would I be happy with a 441 or 461? I have a new 32" bar with milling chain so would like to keep the .050 3/8 105 link setup. Mostly, I will be mill red/white pine, hemlock, some maple and the occasional oak.

thank you.

lxskllr · April 24, 2022, 07:52:56 PM

I use a 661, and it fills in for my big saw on rare occasions of needing something like that for felling. My only complaint is the oiler is stingy. I've been thinking about getting a high output oiler for it. When I use the 36" bar, and it's buried, I use an auxiliary oiler. If I'm only using half or so of the 36" bar, or my 25" bar, I don't bother.

Spike60 · April 25, 2022, 06:45:29 AM

Maybe it's Monday and I'm in one of those moods, but.......Question I usually ask folks in the store is what do you have in mind to build with the lumber? Most have no answer; just an abstract idea they'd like to "do some milling". If there's a nice log that might yield a decent slab to make a table, then it's a realistic project. But milling enough lumber to build anything bigger than a dog house is a lot of work and often requires support equipment to move logs around. So, I think your thought of a smaller saw that would be more useful in a general sense is a wise one.

YellowHammer · April 25, 2022, 07:29:02 AM

I used a Stihl 440 Magnum for awhile. It cut fast enough for me to discover I disliked chainsaw milling. :D :D

So I would assume a new version of that would work, however I also have a 661 and its not that heavy.

For the price of a couple chainsaws or so, you could get a cheap homeowner sawmill.

Hemlock121 · April 25, 2022, 11:43:17 AM

Good morning Spike 60.

I have a remote, boat access cottage where I will use the chainsaw mill. I have three 25" red pines on the ground that I plan to mill into 8/4 for a number of raised garden beds. Afterwards, I plan to take additional trees down to build a chicken coop and build a timber frame 8x16 woodshed with a small portion to store my ATV. I'm also an avid woodworker so if I find that special tree, I would like to build an 8/4 book matched dining table. Then...there is always improvements to the dock...

barbender · April 25, 2022, 02:30:18 PM

Wanting to saw that much lumber, a chainsaw mill will be a disappointment imo. I'd try to find a small bandmill in that situation.

rusticretreater · April 25, 2022, 03:13:27 PM

Yeah, that sounds like a ton of work for a chainsaw mill.

Start looking at hobbyist sawmills.

esteadle · April 25, 2022, 07:25:15 PM

> Mostly, I will be mill red/white pine, hemlock, some maple and the occasional oak.

If you skip the oak, you will probably be happy with a 4xx saw.
If you will really mill the oak, you'll be much happier with the 661.

lxskllr · April 25, 2022, 07:48:54 PM

Alaskan milling is definitely a slog. I don't really enjoy it. To be fair, I don't think I'd be much into bandsaw milling or whatever either, but it is cool making square wood out of round. The big(only?) benefit of a chainsaw mill is the portability. Fairly low cost of entry too I guess.

You should carefully consider exactly where you're going with this, and figure what you need from there. If you have a use for a 661 aside from milling, your only extra expense is the mill itself. That would be a reasonable first step, and not a big money gamble. If a 661 is more or less useless aside from milling, that money could go towards a bandmill, and probably the way to go if you intend on making a lot of lumber.

barbender · April 25, 2022, 08:09:55 PM

From my vantage point I see a really slow sawmill, and a saw that is bigger than most people would want to run for normal chainsaw work. I guess it would depend on a person's patience level and the enjoyment they got out of the process.

ehp · April 26, 2022, 06:06:17 PM

If your going to run a 32 inch bar on the saw then that leaves you either the 661 or a 500i in my mind , 461 will pull it but your asking alot for it and when your cutting hard maple thats even harder on the saw . If I had to buy one it would be the 500i as it runs abit richer than a 661 and you need richer to keep the motor cooler and not pop the piston . If your going to do a ton of milling then go with the big boy 881 , Milling is quite hard on the engine as its under a load for a long time . Had a guy milling beside where I was logging for a month in the winter . Cutting big white pines into 12 inch by 18 inch squares that were 36 feet long , I have no idea on how that 660 stood that as it was just screaming for hours at a time

NOCO Jim · May 16, 2022, 09:44:11 PM

I occasionally use a 394 husqvarna with a little winch attached to the alaska frame. When everything is right ( tuned saw, sharp chain, good weather, didnt forget too many important things,) it is kind of fun. When one of the many factors involved in an alaska sawmilling set up is off, it is zero fun.

Ohioian · May 18, 2022, 07:23:38 PM

What diameter of logs will you be milling? Anything over 22" you will definitely want to get the 661. We use a 461 or 462 for anything 22" and under and a 880 for anything over 22"

wernerbrandes · May 19, 2022, 12:04:52 PM

Been following this thread closely as I may need to chainsaw mill a massive white oak log (48" diameter) b/c moving it isn't practical. I wish I could rent an 880, because I'd only need it for the one log. Everything else I got is much smaller.

Is it possible to use a shorter bar and take 2 passes if your bar isn't wide enough to make it in one pass? The 461/462 looks like a good option for my next saw.

lxskllr · May 19, 2022, 03:14:36 PM

Not with a Granberg. There may be a chainsaw mill with track mount you could doublecut with, but that would increase complexity matching up cuts(virtually impossible imo). You could get two 462s and use a bar with two tails, but that's a lot of extra money and complexity for a single log.

shelby78 · May 19, 2022, 07:58:38 PM

If anyone wants to chainsaw mill long term buy the biggest saw/saws you can. Horsepower cuts. Yes, you can use a smaller saw but you will waste a lot more time and the saw price saving are not worth the time cost even if you are retired!

I personal run twin 660's on a 72 inch Cannon bar when my lt-15 wide isn't quite wide enough. Here is a walnut from last week that was 37 inches wide. I have a 48 inch ash to mill tomorrow.

motzingg · May 20, 2022, 12:10:11 PM

I see you already bought the saw and didn't really ask this question:

-but- (in the tradition of unsolicited internet advice)

the guy who i mill with has an LT10 wood mizer and it would not be very hard at all to break it down and carry it by boat, or even backpack it into the back country. Its kindof rinkydink but it strikes me as a lot less work, less kerf waste, and overall better board quality than chainsaw milling if you really want to get into it.

Guydreads · May 20, 2022, 02:31:42 PM

Shelby your setup is sweet!!!! I love that! Never seen a duel chainsaw on a mill. Of course, I'm a noob when it comes to milling. (Have no trees to mill)

teakwood · May 23, 2022, 08:30:18 AM

How old are you? I'm 40 now and will not touch a CSM with a stick in my life again! Did a lot of CSM with a 088 in the tropics when i was 25, when you spend one tank in one 20" wide cut in ironwood with 35 degrees in the jungle, no thanks. when opening the oil plug the oil was almost boiling.
buy a small band mill.