Thread: Sthil MS 660 36" with alaskin mill

Very nice I attempted to build one before buying the alaskin but I need a bit more practice before my welding will hold up!!

Thanks for posting the link BobL haven't had a chance to get on for a while been working some long days of late.

The 42 inch bars are easy to come by GB make and sell them so anyone who sells GB bars can easily get them or I think you may even be able to order them direct from GB now that they have taken back their own distribution. Otherwise lawrie (sawmill on the forums here) should be able to sort you out.

one thing I have found is that if you are seesawing you are trying too hard and you need to not try so hard. look at what your saw is throwing out and try to keep it consistent. When your saw is "bogging" dont seesaw just back the pressure off a little so that it isn't. full comp chain WILL bog more than skip chain, and what BobL says about it blunting is a buy off against horse power required to drive it. Yes more cutters will stay sharp longer but it also takes more to pull those teeth through the cut. with a 660 and a 42 inch bar experience has shown me that skip is easier on the saw than full comp, i can run my 660 easily with a 42 inch bar (in easy going timber) but with the 36 inch in the same timber with full comp it tends to struggle a little, and can be bogged easily. You will also find that the timber you are cutting makes a big difference and that you can easily cut say blackwood but cutting sheaoak or redgum is a completely different story. These are just obvious examples but even the difference between ash and stringy are noticeable, and you need to learn how to find the "happy" spot where your saw works well in each timber you cut. I have found that cutting a 12 inch sheaoak was actually harder and made my saw bog more than cutting a log of iron bark of the same size, and in fact I could have cut the ironbark (higher density timber) at close to twice the speed. All timbers work differently and what works on one will not work on another, sometimes the "softer" timbers blunt a saw quicker than the "harder" ones.

Myself I wouldn't dream of running bigger than 42" in what you see around our area unless you are going to cut some of the big cypress around and I would run skip over full comp here as the timbers here in eastern vic BITE a bit harder than what they have in w.a. I.E. they tend to be a bit easier for the saw to bite so the saw will bog a bit more than the harder more powdery jarrah and redgum BobL and the people in other parts experience.

Enjoy it what ever you do.

Oh and one thing with the 660 on a mill take off the air filter shroud (orange plastic one not the fillter felt) and just use the filter with the screw on bit out of the filter shroud to hold the filter in place and seal it. you will find that the saw runs cooler and goes longer between needing to unclog the filter.

Originally Posted by dai sensei

They may not be easily available but they are available. I bought a 42" and 60" for my 660, purchased at 2 different stores after a lot of chasing around. I don't do a lot of slabbing as I am only a hobiest. I have run the 42" with skip chain with no problems a number of timbers and big eucy burls. I'm yet to use the 60", but have single and double skip semi chisel chains ready to trial, and intending taking it slow for obvious reasons. I may get to use it on a big Blackbean in June

Nice mill neil!!! my prediction is that the 660 will struggle with the 60 inch bar! will be interesting to know how you go though.

Just curious what a 42 and 60 bar and chain cost now days, been using mine for so long im out of the loop

PS: awesome alaskan mill knock off