My Alaskan chainsaw mill.......

**martrix** · 21st January 2007, 08:06 PM

yes, Ive been at it again

.

Pretty pleased at the results so far.

Its basically a straight rip of Stu Ablett in Tokyo's mill.
At the moment its made to fit a 14" bar, but will be easily made adjustable to fit a bigger bar when I get to it. This will do for now, as it gives me 300mm in width.

Chainsaw is just a McChulloch 14" electric

.....but for $150, hey it works and did not slow down through 6" redgum

....easy on the neighbours too

Pic 1.
All the bits needed for the mill cut to size with an angle grinder.

Pic 2.
All welded together and clamped to the chainsaw. Depth of the board to be cut is fully adjustable.

Pic 3.
Another view. Added a good sized guard for the tip of the saw.

**Lignum** · 21st January 2007, 08:15 PM

So simple we all should have one

Great post

**dai sensei** · 21st January 2007, 08:18 PM

Looks great Martrix.

One question, what's the center vertical for? Is it to help handle the beast while cutting?

**martrix** · 21st January 2007, 08:20 PM

Pic 1.
This is the reason I have made the mill.
Apparently they were railway edging from platforms. Each one has 1 big bolt (1" dia) in each end and all have a good coating of crud!

Anyone remember them?

Pic 2.

Other side. Some kind of thick white paint which seems to have a kind of grit in it. Guess it was for grip? Very abrasive.
Where the saw cut was going to be made, I chipped off all the crap with a sharpened tomahawk.

Pic 3.
First cut done. Surprisingly easy and very straight. Only problem was I had to keep stopping and withdrawing the saw because I could see it was not getting enough oil. Ran it vertically for about 30 secs to get the oil flowing again.

Is this a common problem with using chainsaws horizontally?

Do I need to add a remote oiler on the nose of the bar?

For the next session I will be definitely getting a rip chain. Hopefully it makes a big difference in ease of feeding and the speed of the cut.

Pic 4.
Just a pic of the grain with water......just try and stop me now

**scooter** · 21st January 2007, 08:50 PM

Good onya matrix, interesting to see one of those beasties made for a smaller saw.

The rip chain is supposed to be the go, it may need more power to run it though, will you have enough poke d'ya reckon?

Cheers....................Sean

**scooter** · 21st January 2007, 08:54 PM

What are you going to use the boards/slabs for?

If you need to plane them flat and thickness them, you are welcome to bring them out to run my router planer over. Did a good job on some heavily figured redgum I did a while back. Thread linked here.

Cheers.................Sean

**echnidna** · 21st January 2007, 08:55 PM

Try using engine oil instead of bar oil.
Being thinner its got a better chance of reaching the end of the bar.
Though because its thinner it won't last as long as bar oil.

**martrix** · 21st January 2007, 09:17 PM

Originally Posted by dai sensei

Looks great Martrix.

One question, what's the center vertical for? Is it to help handle the beast while cutting?

Hi Neil, yep its a handle.

Originally Posted by scooter

The rip chain is supposed to be the go, it may need more power to run it though, will you have enough poke d'ya reckon?

I haven't done a full width rip yet (about 280mm wide) but I don't see why not. It didn't flinch when doing a 170mm rip, as long as I don't push it. Pushing it would create extra heat, which is a killer for the blade life and sharpness anyway isn't it?

Originally Posted by scooter

What are you going to use the boards/slabs for?

If you need to plane them flat and thickness them, you are welcome to bring them out to run my router planer over. Did a good job on some heavily figured redgum I did a while back.

Cheers.................Sean

First thing I need from them is some 100mm x 100mm posts for a workbench and an Entertainment unit.
Thanks for the offer, but they come out pretty straight as long as your guide is straight. I have a 10" jointer and a 15" thicknesser so they should pretty much cover it.

Originally Posted by echnidna

Try using engine oil instead of bar oil.
Being thinner its got a better chance of reaching the end of the bar.
Though because its thinner it won't last as long as bar oil.

Yeah, I have read here that some people use old petrol engine sump oil?
Maybe I could use that for the oiler on the end of the bar. Should be pretty easy to rig up something that just drip feeds the oil to the chain.
That way I get the best of both worlds. Chain bar oil being fed as best it can from the saw and engine oil on the nose from a reservoir.
mmmm.....maybe the Hiace is due for an oil change

**Stuart** · 21st January 2007, 09:23 PM

Looks almost identical to the one Stu-in-Japan made (and included as a video on the forum). Looks a great tool - excellent results!

One day I might have time (and timber to justify) making one for myself!

Just reread the first post (rather than looking at the excellent pictures) - is based on Stu's design - thought it looked familiar!

**joe greiner** · 21st January 2007, 11:03 PM

Nice piece of equipment, martrix. Very well executed.

Quite a few years ago, I slapped together something similar, but much less finesse. IIRC, just used angle iron for the riding surface, and threaded rod for thickness control. Some C-clamps involved too somehow. All components now gone to other projects. I used it to plank a felled log, by attaching a flat plank to the upper side to ride on. I didn't notice oiling problem, but maybe I should have!

Definitely need something like the McCullough; lesser beasties can't quite make it, especially ripping with crosscut chain.

Joe

**Wild Dingo** · 22nd January 2007, 01:06 AM

Great job Matrix!!

Now I really need to get my act together and make not only Seans router thingy but also your alaskan mill thingy

Well done!

What about a Stuhl farm boss? mine seems to have shyteloads of oomph for most of my chainsawing needs reckon that would work with your unit? If so.. you should be able to guess my next statement eh?

yep post the measurements!! with that and the pics one shouldnt have a problem makin one similar

**Bleedin Thumb** · 22nd January 2007, 08:06 AM

Matrix, when you use the rig do you stand beside it, pull it towards you or push it away from you.
I have to admit I hate chainsaws even though I use them all the time. They scare the ...... out of me after witnessing a bad accident 25 years ago.

**Ianab** · 22nd January 2007, 11:58 AM

Only problem was I had to keep stopping and withdrawing the saw because I could see it was not getting enough oil. Ran it vertically for about 30 secs to get the oil flowing again.

Is this a common problem with using chainsaws horizontally?

Do I need to add a remote oiler on the nose of the bar?

It's not a problem with chainsaws generally, but I dont know what sort of oil pickup and pump those little electrics have. It might be pretty basic

A simple aux oiler would fix the problem anyway

For small stuff like that your little mill should work fine

Cheers

Ian

**joe greiner** · 22nd January 2007, 02:36 PM

Most electrics don't have a pump. Oil goes in an internal plastic bottle. After capping, press on the cap, bottle deforms, and oil squirts out a deliberate hole in the bottom onto the bar and chain. I guess that's about as basic as it gets.

Joe

**Wongo** · 22nd January 2007, 02:58 PM

Incredible. You make a lot of us jealous.

Amazing, absolutely amazing.

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