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  1. #1
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    Default To Alaskan Mill Or Not

    I have an option to buy 4 logs of plane tree about 450mm wide each.
    To get them milled will cost me $1800
    Now I had a quick look I can get a Granberg Alaskan Mill MKIII for $520
    Fire rakes, fire swatters, McLeod tools and brush hooks
    plus Granberg Slabbing Rail Brackets for $90
    I can buy a second hand Husqvarna or still for $800 - $1000
    Like this one
    Husqvarna chainsaw 576xp | Garden Tools | Gumtree Australia Latrobe Valley - Boolarra | 1216879379
    And I can buy a roll of rip chain for $250.
    Plus Petrol Plus $50 of oil
    So it comes to about the same cost and I will end up a mill that I can use again and again.
    Is it something that I should consider? I is something that I have always considered and it maybe time.




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  3. #2
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    If you see future use in it then go for it,
    Regards
    John

  4. #3
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    As long as you know that chainsaw milling is painfully Slooooowwww even with really big saws.

    Some comments:
    Before you make any decisions goto CS Milling 101, Hints tips and tricks | Arboristsite.com and read the whole thread.
    Unfortunately some of the images are missing but I have gone back and entered most of mine again.
    You will get lots of ideas, tips, advice etc.

    For your specific case:
    450 mm wide logs will need a minimum of a 24" bar, preferably 28" or 30".
    You will need to add an auxiliary oiler to help reduce bar a chain wear and tear.
    The 576 is a 74cc saw - that saw is limited to about 600 mm logs (30" bar), and milling those logs it will be slooowwwww.
    The logs look like spotted gum - pretty hard wood to learn on - I'd be looking for something softer if you can find it.
    Milling is only the beginning, then you need appropriate space to store the wood while it dries.
    PPE wise You will need chaps, boots, face shield and really good ear muff and ear plugs.
    You will need to learn how to tune the saw and sharpened a chain for milling, most chainsaw shops might not even know how to do this properly and charge a premium to do it anyway.
    You will learn a lot quicker if you can pair up with someone that knows what they are doing.

  5. #4
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    London Plane Platanus x acerifolia Janka Hardness: 940 lbf (4,180 N)
    London Plane | The Wood Database - Lumber Identification (Hardwood)

    How slow is slow? Meters per hour? Or more slow because the chainsaw is to small?

    Pairing up would be possible their is a men's shed I could tap into maybe.

    I am thinking a 30" bar would be best.

    PPE wise all I would need are chaps as I have the rest.

    Regarding sharpening how long will a sharp chain last, how often will I need to sharpen?

    Food for thought

  6. #5
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    How long did you want your slabs , because vertical free hand slabbing might be an option.

  7. #6
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    As long as possible plus I do not have the self assurance that I will be able to cut straight.

  8. #7
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    How slow is slow? Meters per hour? Or more slow because the chainsaw is to small?
    Your logs look like they're about 2m long. I have a Stihl 660, I'd be using a 36" bar, I reckon 2 hours each log cut and stacked, possibly less.

    Assuming you buy the mill, get yourself a small boat winch and attach it to the mill.

  9. #8
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    You could "dip your toe" with a hoinkin big chinese saw, long bar and chain and a basic guide off ebay, see if it suits, get this job done, then upgrade later if you want to...

    chainsaw 92cc | eBay

    Baumr Ag SX92 SX82 MTM Chainsaw Milling Mill Kit 36" Bar & 3/8 Full Chisel Chain | eBay

    They also do kits on ebay for huskys if that floats your boat.

    I guess this is flame bait but most of my friends have stihls and they are constantly amazed at my $100 chinese saw. Starts, runs, cuts just like a brand. Only problem is the chain keeps going blunt . And if it stuffs up just buy another one...
    I'm just a startled bunny in the headlights of life. L.J. Young.
    We live in a free country. We have freedom of choice. You can choose to agree with me, or you can choose to be wrong.
    Wait! No one told you your government was a sitcom?

  10. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Feckit View Post
    about 2m long. I have a Stihl 660, I'd be using a 36" bar, I reckon 2 hours each log cut and stacked.
    They are closer to 2.75 - 3 meters each so I would looking at 3 hours per log for a total of 12 hours of work.

    Quote Originally Posted by damian View Post
    You could "dip your toe" ........... get this job done, then upgrade later if you want to...


    Worth considering

  11. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Feckit View Post
    Your logs look like they're about 2m long. I have a Stihl 660, I'd be using a 36" bar, I reckon 2 hours each log cut and stacked, possibly Assuming you buy the mill, get yourself a small boat winch and attach it to the mill.
    2 hours would be ~50 mm slabs provided you know what you are doing and that would only be slabbing ie not cut into beams/board/planks.

    The difference in cutting time can be as much as a factor of about 5 between someone that knows what to do and someone that does not.

    Once you know what you are doing the cutting time is then not the slowest part of the process. If you want to maintain the chain it should be touched up after every tank of fuel. Setting up logs take time as its best to get them off the ground at one end - kneeling in the dirt has knobs on it after a while, and if the logs are on slope a winch is not needed. You will need some log rails and making sure they sit flat and parallel on the log all takes time. Moving and stacking the timber specially big slabs also takes time. If you read that link I provided above it will describe "log rails" and setups.

    I would avoid an unbranded saw if you can because its a bit of a lottery as to what you get. Some are amazing but many are less so. Milling is a much harder use than any chainsaw was ever intended to be used at. There's no way of going easy on them in the process so a branded saw will give you a better chance in the longevity lottery. It's easy enough to trash a branded saw hen milling let along an unbranded one.

    Sorry if I sound a bit negative. I personally find CSMing incredibly satisfying and even though I have access to a 35" BSM I still like using my chainsaw mills. I just don't want to sugar coat the process.

  12. #11
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    Regardless of which way you go you need to work out whether you want the timber quarter sawn back sawn. Dont know what the characteristics of London Plane are but some timbers are prone to cupping when back sawn. If you have a preference for one or the other then that is going to mean a fair bit of turning the log or flitches to get it right.

    Tony
    You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have. ~Oscar Wilde

  13. #12
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    I have 2 questions. I don't want to take this thread away from the OP so if this is inappropriate so be it but I'll ask...

    Is splitting logs feasible ? I've never tried but given slabbing seems to be so much expense and time...If I had rough split slabs I could dry them and mill on my jointer, planer and table saw...given I'd only do this once in a blue moon could some splitters be a better investment ?

    BobL given you have both, I've read so many times over the years how inferior chainsaw milling is, can you tell us just how much slower it is than a bandsaw mill ? Does it take twice as long ? 4 times ? 10 times ?
    I'm just a startled bunny in the headlights of life. L.J. Young.
    We live in a free country. We have freedom of choice. You can choose to agree with me, or you can choose to be wrong.
    Wait! No one told you your government was a sitcom?

  14. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by damian View Post
    I have 2 questions. I don't want to take this thread away from the OP so if this is inappropriate so be it but I'll ask...
    Is splitting logs feasible ? I've never tried but given slabbing seems to be so much expense and time...If I had rough split slabs I could dry them and mill on my jointer, planer and table saw...given I'd only do this once in a blue moon could some splitters be a better investment ?
    If you think CSMing wastes a lot of log by the amount it converts it into sawdust, then splitting will waste an awful lot more. Logs split along grain lines so if you have any slight twist or bends in the grain you could end up with with almost completely useless bits of timber and piles of sawdust if you put them through the a J/P/TS. Splitting works on nice straight grained timbers but its best to leave it with the split grain finish.

    BobL given you have both, I've read so many times over the years how inferior chainsaw milling is, can you tell us just how much slower it is than a bandsaw mill ? Does it take twice as long ? 4 times ? 10 times ?
    Again it depends if you know what you are doing, how you are doing it and size of the bandsaw. Bandsaw milling has a longer/steeper learning curve. If you know how to sharpen a chain for milling you are 80-90% of the way there. Bandsaws a a bit more fiddly but once they are "on song" they are probably 3-5 x faster.

    The kerf is about 3mm so every cut saves about 5mm so after 5 cutss you gain a 25 mm board

    When CSMing in hardwood, to minimise engine load and not let the chain get too ragged, I touch up the chain whether it needs it on not after about every tank of mix, while in softwoods maybe after every second tank of mix. With a BS you can mill a whole large hardwood log (sometimes 2) with one band. I can touch up the cutters on my 60" bar in under 6 minutes, I touch up the rakers (2 swipes) about every 4 tanks of mix.

    Some BS millers would get their bands sharpened for them. We have our own band sharpener and setter and although I've invested some time in learning how to do this so it st takes me about 20 minutes to touch up and reset a band. I recant I could do it a bot faster if I did it more often. The sharpener does the sharpening automatically but you have to watch it like a hawk in case it goes pear shaped and cuts teeth off! A complete sharpening pass of all the teeth on the band the sharpener also takes about 6 minutes and I do at least two passes. The teeth resetting if needed is done by hand cranking a machine and it takes about 2 minutes to do the complete band.

    Real times and effort gains are made on big logs if you have machinery to help move the logs and slabs. Where I use the BSM we have a fork lift so I can easily work alone - some of the bigger slabs would be a nightmare for me to move these days with my dickie knee etc without the forklift. 10-12 years ago I used to send big slabs up and walk them 10-15 metres over to their drying location - no way I'd do that these days.

  15. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by thumbsucker View Post
    I have an option to buy 4 logs of plane tree about 450mm wide each.
    To get them milled will cost me $1800
    Wow !! $1800 for logs that size . Id be running from that .

    I have milled and used London Planetree .
    Its Nice stuff ! Its got nice pronounced medullary ray on the 1/4 like silky Oak but its a blonde wood like Rock Maple or Sycamore.

    I used to mill on the workshop Band saw and eventually stepped up to a Chain saw and Alaskin mill . My Only regret is I didn't do it ten years earlier . Twenty would have been better.

    If it were Me in your position right now Id be thinking of grabbing the right saw for future milling and either setting it all up with a mill and doing the job , Or , Freehand cut the logs with your new saw into manageable sizes. You will lose more wood. Paint the ends and get them out the way and then get the rest of the milling gear later .
    I do that sometimes and re saw on the workshop band saw.

    Didn't you get a huge Elm (edit . Oak , Just saw other thread ) log a while back ? I saw a thread on it in Market Place . Do you want to mill that as well ?
    that was a giant !

    Rob

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