milling thread

I think Jay has an 076 and another big saw.

Jay understands engine tuning, too. I don't really. Not my forte.
 
I never ran different engines on my mill, just a pair of 076s.

Offhand, my guess is that you would run into problems with much varying displacement, chain speeds, and torques, but I could be wrong. For one thing, it seems like it could overburden a chain if one powerhead kept running but the other got hung up as they sometimes will do. Blow out a clutch bearing?
 
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Yeah, seems prudent to set up similar power heads, at least the same rpm and sprocket.
 
I recall hearing that the size and tuning wasn't an issue when running dual power heads on an Alaskan mill. That it's all just power going towards the milling.
 
.375" full comp with the cutter top angles at 0 or 5 degrees. Had I not burned up my mill in my shop fire, I was aiming to go to the heavier chassis .404.
 
What is the benefit of the heavier chassis?

I read on the Granberg site, IIRC, that the larger alaskan mills require .404 in order to accommodate larger metal stock/ beefier build.
 
I've never run anything but 3/8 since .404 is virtually impossible to get here.

Never broken a chain while milling, yet.
 
Sean, it just seemed to me that with all that power from two large engines and often milling wide material, a stiffer chain would make sense. For years I only milled with 3/8" inch with no problem though. Perhaps .404 would have given a smoother cut? I remember that Willard said that .404 was the way to go based upon his experience.
 
Yes, Jay, I recall that about Willard and .404. As I recall, he said Square Ground Chisel chain, not ripping chain like Granberg makes.
 
MasterBlaster said:
That makes sense, physics-wise.
Click to expand...
Sorry, not for me.
As the cut is unidirectional and in the pulling mode (the chain doesn't allow to be pushed), only the main engine has a direct effect on the cut and is in the right place to sustain the main strain of ripping the wood.
We can see different cases :
If the "tip" engine is set too low on the rpm's side, the main engine has to pull both the chain throw the wood and the secondary engine to speed it to its own level. In this case you clearly loose power.
If the "tip" engine is set exactly at the same speed, it does nothing else aside accompanying the main engine, maybe pulling a little the chain on the back side. Very kind of him, but I can't see that as a gain.
If the "tip" engine is set at a little higher speed, then yes, it actually help to cut the wood, because the chain is in tension all the way from its socket to the entrance on the cut.
If the "tip" engine is set too high, then it does all the work, and more than that, it has to pull the main engine faster. So you fall back in the first case.

It must be a sweet spot to get the most power of the both saws, but I guess it could be difficult to find and to follow during the cutting process.

That's the way I see it, maybe I'm wrong. It should be easier with a reversed differential mount or a hydraulic transmission, but it's far out of the subject.
 
That was crataegus, super hard stuff. Tried both regular full comp chain and my homebrew milling chain and got the same results.
The pine turned out really smooth with regular old round chisel.
 
Thanks, I'm new to milling so definitely on a steep learning curve.
The 394 is really stout, I'm impressed. I've got about six hundy in it including the bar and chains. Added a second port to the muffler to help it get the heat out as well.
 
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