Husqy size for Alaskan Mill

[Siphon]

Greetings all, new member although I've attempted to read quite a bit.

Background: I'm a hobbyist woodworker/turner.  My goal is for my hobby to make enough to pay for itself. Recently I have gotten into reclaiming or using storm/disease felled trees. I've been actively harvesting and processing wood for my turning. I'm now looking at the possibility of processing it for bf for some of the furniture and fixtures I build and sell/gift. Being in SC I generally end up collecting maple, ash, red/white oak, cedar and pine. I run a Husqy 450-20", and add long as I keep the chain sharp it's been a beast.

My question: 1) Will my Husqy 450-20" run an Alaskan sawmill? 2) if I put a 24" blade on it?

If it won't, given I'm a hobbyist/part-time woodworker (career is medical) what suggestions would those of you with far more exp have? Much of what I harvest gets carried out, and loaded onto the truck, or jeep.

[cbla]

Welcome Siphon! I run a 390xp Husqvarna which is 88cc with a 36inch bar. Chainsaw milling is very hard on both the operator and the saw. I would recommend if you plan on doing any amount to stay in the 80cc - 100cc saw class. Chainsaw milling is very slow. In my case its a hobby and it allows me to make better use of larger logs that would be otherwise bucked up for firewood. Keep reading through the older posts, lots of good info to be found. 

[celliott]

I run a 395xp on my 36" alaskan. If you're gonna stick with 24", I'd say a 372xp would work but probably be the minimum displacement you'd want to run. 390xp, 395xp, would be better. For occasional use and only a 24" bar, a 3120 is probably overkill but would leave room to upgrade to larger logs.
Looking at older husky's, a 288xp, 394xp, 2100 would all be excellent choices for a mill as well.
Stihl, a good 066\660 would work well too.

Key when CSM'ing is to keep your chain sharp and let the powerhead cool. Idle between cuts. Maybe give it a rest halfway through a really long cut if it's struggling. Run a richer tune and fuel mixture.

[thecfarm]

Siphon,welcome to the forum.
Have you ever seen a bandsaw mill cut lumber? Some of the smaller ones can be bought for $3-4000. Yes,that's money,but I feel much easier on you than a chainsaw mill.

[Savannahdan]

I'll echo the advice of others.  You'll need a larger saw to use with your CSM unless you are only doing small logs and not that many.  I started with the 30" mill thinking it was just fine.  I just got a 56" bar and will upgrade the mill's rails and bars to accommodate that.  I'll also keep a look out for a larger chainsaw.  My Makita DCS 7901 is at 79cc and isn't large enough over the long haul.  I also have a bandsaw mill and it works great and quicker on logs within it's limits. 

[JohnW]

I would tend to think the same thing, I mill with a 395, and at times it doesn't seem like enough.  But what is that you want to mill and how much?  The biggest square in an 18" log would be something like 12".  Seems like your saw might do that, if you don't need high production.

[Momatt]

I ran a 394 xp on my Alaskan.  I have a 36 inch bar on mine and usually cut large oaks.  It was very slow and not much fun.  Hardwood cuts slow.  One piece of advice is saw smaller logs.  I always got excited to get a big log and that's all I cut.  A 8 foot cut with 30 inches of bar in the cut on oak would take 15 min.  I only ever stabbed trees, never tried to make a cant.  While I did make a lot of lumber and built projects I couldn't have afforded, it was rough work. Silly thing is I cut all those wide slabs don't small enough to fit in my planer anyway.

[Siphon]

Thx for the feedback guys. I figured a larger saw would be preferred, but until I've done it and know it's a viable way for me to get lumber to feed the hobby (rather than paying for all that finished stuff at Lowe's/HD) I can't justify buying a second, bigger saw. If a CSM earns it's way, then I could work up to a 90cc dedicated. That's why I asked if my current saw would get by. My cutting length wouldn't be more than 8' and I don't see cutting wider than 16-18", as I'm a hobby furniture maker and have no plans to make slab tables.

Would my 450 handle (slowly even) a 24" bar w/ ripping chain, and 18" of board? Or should I stick to the 20" bar I've got now (which gives a max 16" wide rip, iirc)?

[cbla]

I would stick with the smaller bar. even with that, in hardwood your saw is not going to like it.

[Kbeitz]

If you go slow enough and give your saw enough breaks anything possible. 

[CJennings]

I milled up a 16" butternut log last winter freehand with my 445 with an 18" bar. It was slow, the saw got incredibly hot if I didn't stop it between cuts, but I got it done. Pulling that log out of where it landed was not an option, it had to be milled where it lay. I've got the small log mill attachment I plan to use on some small balsam fir logs too. If you run a longer bar the saw will be more strained. Check the bar oil frequently, my saw was running through the oil quicker while milling.

[Siphon]

Thx all. Again, I appreciate the feedback. I brought up the points mentioned here and elsewhere w/ the Wife and I'm gonna go for the 24". When the job req's or I find a good deal on a bigger CS I'll upgrade at that time.