milling thread

HolmenTree said:
Man that's beautiful wood Jay!!
If I had access to that Chestnut I would shut down my tree service and go full time into milling.:D

Yeah I found those ripping chains with the modified cutters didn't help all that much, was a great marketing strategy for Grandberg though. I had good success with round filed .404 and .375 chisel full skip chain over the years filed at 10 degrees top plate. But since last winter trying .404 full comp square ground chisel bit chain I found it's the best milling chain and the cutters are at the factory set 20 degrees. Smoother faster and holds a edge longer then round filed.
I have yet to try it in full skip which will mill even better.
Trouble is square filing is a PITA when you don't do enough of it. I will have to get a square chisel bit bench grinder to reshape the angle to proper spec after doing every 3 or 4 free hand filing touchups.
I know of only a very few hand filers who can square file a chain from start to the end of the chain at the stump.....if any of them are still alive yet. There are a few jigs available today though.
Click to expand...


I've been wanting to switch to full comp just so that I can give the Atop Filing Guide (from Sweden) a try. But for now, when my hand-filed square chains start to curve a bit in the cut (maddening!) I just barely touch the top plate with the round file to get it a perfect 20 degrees again, and then I use the triangle (hexagonal) file again on it; just barely grazing the tie straps with the wide, flat part of the hexagon on the downward stroke. Trues it up every time. :)
 
Jay actually the opposite full skip in the wder wood full comp in narrower. .....unless I'm missing something?
.404 is the best for your 880 or 076. Holds a bettet edge, far less stretching and more stable in the kerf with the larget drive links.

Jed, I do have that A Top jig on my radar, may work out real nice, may have to slide a piece of rubber fuel line over one of the pegs to get a blunter 10 degree top plate.
 
I know that the general idea for cross cutting is full skip for wider wood, for some reason I found a couple people saying the opposite for milling. It does seem like it would be the same for the milling application as in crosscutting, especially with a larger engine. In terms of speed, I have a hard time picturing which type of chain would be best for moving along faster. Chain stability from the larger chassis .404 is a good idea.

With wood like Chestnut, which has a very rough bark that no doubt is holding some dirt, I wonder if square ground chisel is still the best choice? Helpful when you can let logs sit around for awhile and be able to pull off the bark easily before putting a saw into them. I see some commercial mills around here using a powerful pressure wash to remove bark before cutting.

One idea that I picked up from Malloff's book, is to replace the milling saw's sprocket cover with a block that clamps down on the bar, to give maximum clearance for the waste. He recommended a wood block, which is what I have used for a long time. I think I'll make up a steel block one of these days. Perhaps some safety factor using a block if one wanted to get technical, but I have yet to see any problem. Theoretically if you threw your chain, it might more easily get you. With the sprocket running facing the ground, it seems like it would call for bad luck.
 
Deva, I can measure exactly tomorrow, but I think it is around 32" max width. What sort of width logs do you think that you will be wanting to mill? I have some thoughts on mills, depending on what you are going to be milling.
 
Probably no need to get a mill larger than you need to be cutting, it's only extra weight to move around, and if cutting without a helper, they are pretty awkward. If you were after one to do real large logs, if there is a buddy to help, the type that is designed to handle two powerheads makes a big difference in the speed and efficiency. It's not impossible to manage a two header by yourself, but it's pretty crazy. One that has a supplemental oiler is probably a good idea for larger wood, like 32". I'd recommend the largest engine that you can come up with.
 
Nice looking chunk jay. Someday i recon ill end up with a band ill. There seems to be a trennd as of lately. I waitied 2 months for a mobile mill to come out last time. Hes very busy.

I scored a nice clear 10' long 20"+ walnut log today. Not sure what ill do with it. Anyone have any idea what logs are worth in their true form per board ft? A friend might be interested in trading milling for the log. Just dont know where to be at.
 
Brendon, a green log is always a little suspects how it will end up after drying, but Walnut is sure an easy wood to dry without a lot of loss, has been my experience, and it seems to dry pretty fast. A nice Walnut is a wonderful thing. If you can't decide what to do with it, you can let it sit around until the bark easily pulls off, not a bad idea in general to add to stability once it gets milled. Good to paint the ends and to keep direct sun and rain off of it. I'd keep it if I were you. Whatever you can get for it, it most likely is worth much more to you if you can slab it and find a use for the wood someday yourself. Air dried Walnut is beautiful, mush nicer in color than the kiln dried that most places sell.
 
I was thinking of slabbing it. Is there a suggestion you have for width? I have some red oak, some day id like to have a friend build a nice desk or something. Or just keep it in log form. How long will it last?
 
You mean width of the slabs? It isn't so hard to find a 24" planer in a shop if you wanted to have it planed off some day, perhaps pay to have it done for your own use if you don't have the machine yourself. I guess you are thinking to maybe hire someone to build something. 20-24 inch wide is a real purposeful size, if such is available. Wide as possible to start out width, but chainsaw milling real wide wood is a chore. Furniture like a desk needs both wider and narrower pieces, but starting out as wide as possible with the material never hurts, and width doesn't much affect drying time above a certain point, is my understanding.

Logs will last a surprisingly long time without deteriorating. Direct sun and rain will negatively affect them, but otherwise if you remove the bark asap to also help keep out the bugs, it isn't usually a concern if they will keep. Bugs like certain species more than others, so checking for insect activity from time to time is a good idea. Really important to get the bark off, but with Walnut, i haven't seen the bugs go after it much very soon. You can let nature shrink up the wood so the bark easily peels off.
 
Played around with the mill today, and made a way to prop up my cell phone to take some videos. I thought it was kind of funny watching the mill run with nobody actually running it.:lol:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/wacDqjavGZA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
A little bit faster than a CSM, eh, Jay? Well, for $40k, it ought to be!

The other vid finally loaded. I took the vids for two reasons, first, there is only one other Wireless Remote vid on YouTube that I can find, and the other is to assess the sawing speed of the mill, mostly for curiosity.

16.5"x8'-6" Eastern White Pine.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/TlMTxUwF-YY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
OK...
So I guess we are officially in the milling game too. Since we keep getting more and more logs... Robert has opted to buy a mill with some money he had from a previous engagement prior to our little Co. So he first set about making an Alaskan Mill from some items that can be had from hardware and plumbing stores.
The channel stock with the holes is from the plumbing store and is for hanging pipes. Slotted holes are already there. Cut to size. I think it comes in 8' lengths
Some threaded rod (1/2") nuts and washers. .
Some flat stock so you can make a clamp. Just cut and drill some holes. Totally adjustable.
The rails are an aluminium extension ladder section.
 

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So now some projects, a wood shed and equipment shed coming together.
Once we get the band mill, we will be making thinner 1" planks and more.
Rob is mixing a little joinery with other ideas in his learning. Having some fun with it.
This is an equipment shed that is about 16 X 8 and will have a double door on it.
Seth was helping him set rafter today.
 

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Looks like the CSM is doing a great job. Interesting building approach. It will be nice to get your stuff under cover.
 
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