Alaskan mill question

[arbormike]

Any of you use an Alaskan mill regularly?  I've been using one on ash logs and it seems to take forever!  I have a husky 395xp on it so I don't think it's a power issue, chain is sharpened for ripping.  I know saws weren't designed to cut along grain like this, but come on!
Any tips out there??

Thanks.

[zopi]

Do what I did..get an LT-15...goes MUCH faster..in fact if you wait a couple months I may be able to make you a nice deal on one.. ;D

I started with an Alaskan and an MS-660...still got 'em...bucking firewood with a 660 is alot like driving a funny car...but sawmilling with them lasted like the proverbial snowball...

Welcome to FF if i haven't said it already..you will not find a finer (or humbler)
collection of forestry knowldege anywhere....and if we don't have the answer...we'll make one up, and then squabble about it! :D

[Ironwood]

Welcome, sit back and enjoy the saw RPM's and the sweet smell of sawdust and exhaust smoke.  : Two power heads doesnt help, but a bandsaw blade would. I too have a 394 (two actually) that I occasionally mill w/. It just takes time. I did rip a soft maple the other day w/ a 6' bar free hand and it went surprisingly easy and fast (given I was having an appendicitis attack).

The fastest way is a bandsaw blade as mentioned earlier. Just the physics of the thing.

Ironwood

[Kevin]

Try a loop of full skip or semi skip stock Stihl chain and try to keep your log sloped downhill a little if you can.
If it speeds up you'll know it's the chain.

[TessiersFarm]

Ripping Chain

I got mine from labonville and Baily's has them as well, it makes quite a difference.

They are also very sensitive to being sharp, I have been quite pleased with mine.

Also I am not familiar with Husky saws but they do require a lot of power, the stihl 660 is about the smallest I would use.  I never tried to slope my log downhill but it makes sence.

Good luck!

[gemniii]

Any of you use an Alaskan mill regularly?  I've been using one on ash logs and it seems to take forever!  I have a husky 395xp

What size cut?
CSM is slow but portable and inexpensive.

[Al_Smith]

Regular old round chisel will cut circles around a milling chain ,maybe not as smooth though .If you are going to run the planks through a planer it really doesn't make that much difference and besides they are a darn sight smoother than a circle mill anyway .

I don't know about these "Alaska" mills but if you can attack the log with a little angle it cuts a lot faster .Not enough to pull Frence fries but enough so you aren't cutting straight cross grain .

I can make about a foot a minute in 16-18" oak using a Mac 125 or a Homelite 2100 but that pales in comparrison to what even a little bandsaw will do and with 10 percent of the work to boot .With a chainsaw rig you earn every board foot you cut .

[WoodChucker81]

I mill all the time with my 7900. It rips through anything that's pine but in most hardwoods it's a different story.

No matter what chain, if you're milling a wide piece of wood it's naturally going to take more time.  I've milled 20" locust in the past and I was getting (at best) about 4"-6" per minute.

Patience is a virtue needed when milling. 

[jteneyck]

I have milled several thousand feet of hard woods with a 385 XP with a 28" bar.  I now use Oregon RD chains with good results for speed and smoothness.  I'd say the rate is about 3 ft/min cutting a 12 inch wide board in red oak.  The chain has to be very sharp, at least as sharp as new and you need lots of lube.  Get the optional bar oiler if you don't have one.  I use straight oil in the saw and oil cut with about 30% mineral spirits in the bar oiler.  I can cut about one 8 foot 20 inch dia. oak log, maybe one and a half, before the chain needs to be changed.  Send me a separate e-mail if you want and I'll share some more detailed comments.  The first, long, message I wrote wouldn't post because my session "timed out".  Hmmm.  Anyway, good luck. 

[gemniii]

I have milled several thousand feet of hard woods with a 385 XP with a 28" bar.  I now use Oregon RD chains with good results for speed and smoothness.  I'd say the rate is about 3 ft/min cutting a 12 inch wide board in red oak.  The chain has to be very sharp, at least as sharp as new and you need lots of lube.  Get the optional bar oiler if you don't have one.  I use straight oil in the saw and oil cut with about 30% mineral spirits in the bar oiler.  I can cut about one 8 foot 20 inch dia. oak log, maybe one and a half, before the chain needs to be chained.  Send me a separate e-mail if you want and I'll share some more detailed comments.  The first, long, message I wrote wouldn't post because my session "timed out".  Hmmm.  Anyway, good luck. 

Sorry your post timed out -
A couple of specific questions -
"several thousand feet"  - is that board feet or linear feet?
"chain needs to be chained" - did you mean "chain needs to be changed" ?
Have you tried sharpening while it's on the bar?
thanks

/edit  - every time I sharpen a chain I figure it would be worth $5 at a shop, thus if I was getting 12' by 20" by 1" cut I'd call that worth about 25 cents per board foot.

[jteneyck]

Sorry your post timed out -
A couple of specific questions -
"several thousand feet"  - is that board feet or linear dfeet?
"chain needs to be chained" - did you mean "chain needs to be changed" ?
Have you tried sharpening while it's on the bar?
thanks
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Yes, I meant several thousand linear feet.  And yes, sorry, I meant the "chain needs to be changed".  And, yes, with the Granberg sharpener you have to sharpen the chain while it's on the bar.  I don't find this to be a problem.  I just tighten the chain well so the teeth don't rock side to side.  The Granberg sharpener allows you to set the angles very accurately, as well as set the depth of the rakers.  The stones don't last too long, probably only 3 or 4 sharpenings, but they are pretty cheap at mabe $1.50 each, and if you are careful to get the angles correct the teeth will be scarey sharp and stay sharp long enough to cut up at least one 8 foot log of a 20 inch diameter oak into 1 inch thick boards.  Unless of course you hit a nail, like I have done too many times to remember.  But chains are pretty cheap compared to a big bandsaw blade and the cut from a chainsaw is always flat and true, so the amount you loss to the wider kerf is often reduced by less planing required compared to a bandsaw cut which can wander around.  The Alaskan Mill is tough work for both you and the chainsaw, but it's about the cheapest way to mill your own lumber and it's easy to transport to the jobsite when required. 

[TessiersFarm]

Its funny almost everone who owns an alaskan mill speaks quite highly of it, I pesonally have cut a couple of thousand board feet with mine and I am quite pleased.  And most people who have negative comments either own a bandsaw or nothing at all. 

Just my observation. 

I personally cut for an hour or so a couple of evenings a week.  I have been cutting good straight logs off of my firewood pile and I have quite a backstock of various boards in my hay loft.  I also cut all the boards for my 12 x 32 sugar shack, I did break down and buy the framing material because of time constraints.

Good luck!!!

[gemniii]

Actually my first reply should have been "This should be in the sawmilling forum"

But to continue, for me I've only been doing short logs with underpowered equipment but the biggest portion of my problems/time is in setting up.  Also, I've got to get some dedicated rails and a mask so I don't breathe as much fumes.

I won't speak highly of the basic Mark III though, the height adjustment procedure needs at least locking cams and better markings for measurement.

[jteneyck]

But to continue, for me I've only been doing short logs with underpowered equipment but the biggest portion of my problems/time is in setting up.  Also, I've got to get some dedicated rails and a mask so I don't breathe as much fumes.

I won't speak highly of the basic Mark III though, the height adjustment procedure needs at least locking cams and better markings for measurement.
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I don't know what saw you're using but you should be able to mill a 12" wide board with anything of at least 65 cc.  Of course, more power is better, but a sharp chain is more important than power.  In fact, you can't fully utilize the power you have unless the chain is sharp.  With a low power saw, set the depth gages for lower clearance, maybe 0.020 - 0.025".  With a big saw like a 395XP, or larger, you can go up to 0.040" or so, depending upon what you are cutting.  The saw will tell you.  If the chain is sharp but revs high, set the depth gages lower.  If the saw bogs down, set them higher.  One more thing, use the shortest bar you can for the logs you are cutting, as power is consumed just dragging the chain around the bar. 

I use a 10 foot section from an extension ladder for my rails.  I just put some 2x4 cross pieces in and screw through them into the top of the log with long drywall screws, making sure it's adequately supported down the length so it doesn't flex.  Works great and cost me nothing.  Got long logs?  Just use a longer extension ladder.

My MK III mill is easy to adjust for height, and there are inch markings cast into the vertical columns.  The markings were hard to see until I highlighted them with black magic marker.  Problem solved.   

[zopi]

Its funny almost everone who owns an alaskan mill speaks quite highly of it, I pesonally have cut a couple of thousand board feet with mine and I am quite pleased.  And most people who have negative comments either own a bandsaw or nothing at all. 

Good luck!!!

Naw..I have a bandsaw, BECAUSE I have a MK III...Nothing against them, still have mine...was rough on my back, and that bad...plus the Admiral wanted more production...woman wants her barns rebuilt before I die.