Thread: Thanks !!! First time CSM

Originally Posted by bittenyakka

found it rather hard to find a suppler who knew what they were talking ( over the phone) about when I wanted to order ripping chain. Is this familiar to anyone ?

Yes it's familiar - but there's no need for it - just buy normal chain and convert it to ripping chain over successive sharpening.

Is it better to leave a log you won’t get to for a while in the paddock as a fallen tree or as a log with ends painted raised off the ground.

Best to get them off the ground os some greeblies might take up residence in the log.
Small logs can be rolled onto gluts using a cant hook.

Depends on species, insect population, general tidiness etc ( fallen tree or log off ground)

If it's a decay resistant species, and you don't care about the sapwood or the mess I'd leave it as a fallen tree. Reason being it won't end split if it doesn't have ends.

All other cases I'd pile them. Cut them longer then required, apply end sealer and if you want to keep borers and termites out spray them with diesel.

Thanks

I’ll see if I get the time to go and prepare them to put on some blocks.

Also I have used saws quite a lot but going from 18” or less bars to 25” and bigger has increased the amount of sharpening. Although I’m confident with a file and guide Does anyone have any experience with upgrading to a bench grinder and does this make decent improvements in the whole process ?

Unless you have at least a half dozen loops of chain and the bar is bolted to the mill for quick chain removal I find grinders are a slow way to sharpen short chains. I can touch up a short chain faster than I can replace a chain. With a 60" bar it means I don't have to keep multiple loops on hand. Also it takes a fair bit of practice not to remove too much metal with a grinder.

Yeah that makes sense.

I was thinking of a grinder as a tool for end of day maintenance and with the aim to fix any failures.

Originally Posted by bittenyakka

Yeah that makes sense.

I was thinking of a grinder as a tool for end of day maintenance and with the aim to fix any failures.

Grinders are good for getting all the angles back to the same settings.

Originally Posted by bittenyakka

Hi All

I need to say a massive thanks to many people on this forum I think I joined in 2010 and have quietly been reading away until deciding to finally stump up some coin and get into this CSM thing. It was also influenced by some trees the fell down in the recent storms.

So got myself a 661 and a mill about a month ago and finally got to test the milling this weekend, I’m hooked. And I just got a bigger shopping list.

I have a fair few logs which I don’t expect to get a chance to mill till autumn next year.

No idea what the species of eucalypt is, my best guess is pink gum.

But for now a few questions.

I found it rather hard to find a suppler who knew what they were talking ( over the phone) about when I wanted to order ripping chain. Is this familiar to anyone ?
Is it better to leave a log you won’t get to for a while in the paddock as a fallen tree or as a log with ends painted raised off the ground.

Oh dear, now you're in trouble. another addict in the making. Wood wood wood! Give me more wood!

I have used one of these for many years to sharpen my milling chains - GENUINE OREGON FILE GUIDE SHARPENER KIT 3/8 .325 & MINI PLUS OREGON STUMP VISE | eBay
( I have nothing to do with this seller, it was just the first one that came up with a search )
I dont have that vice, but I built a similar one that clamps onto the back of my ute tray.
I found that I would need 3 or 4 sweeps with the file for each tooth, if you dont push it too far between sharpenings ( always do the same amount on each tooth to keep the wear even ).
Once you set the angles on this jig correctly, it will keep your chains cutting well.

I used to mill side by side with a couple of mates years ago, so it was easy to compare methods, one mate sharpened freehand in the field and got his chains sharpened professionally when they got too far out of whack. Another mate had his own electric sharpener at home, he had about a dozen loops of chain and would just put a new one on when one got blunt, then sharpen the lot at home on a day-off.
I used to pull my saw out of the mill and sharpen when I noticed it was cutting a bit slower ( after every slab when I was milling Cooktown Ironwood) I had a well practiced routine, and I could do it pretty quickly, I reckon I had more slabs cut at the end of the day and I got more mileage out of my chains than both the other guys. ( they both ended up buying one of these jigs )

Thanks.

Yes I have used one of those file guides without much success compared to a freehand guide. Although this may well have been user error.

Also, does anyone have any opinions in brands of bar? Is it worth paying Stihl prices ??

Hi bittenyakka, firstly ignore my "pictures please" thing on the first post. I clicked like then clicked again because I didn't think it worked. Now I can't undo it.

Anyway, regarding bars I've only used Oregon bars, two in total in about 8yrs. I liked the first so just stayed with the brand. Not much cost considering the lifespan. Proper bar oil makes a difference. Must admit I used to use used engine oil years ago.

You said something earlier about rip chains. I too wanted rip chains to try. I freehand cut because my logs are too small for a CSM but wanted to try rip or even chisel chains. One local mob just said no when I asked whereas the second shop had two boxes of Oregon brand ready made chisel chains. Not specifically rip chains but they were 10deg bevel and full chisel, or chisel, and kind of satisfied two curiosities in one go. They're the 73lgx second down on the box below. Out of the box they were the sharpest I've experienced and cut fantastic until they dulled. I reckon I'm pretty good with freehand sharpening, improving every year, but I couldn't get the edge back let alone the point of the chisel. By all means try a rip or chisel chain with low deg bevel if you find em but I agree with Bob, if you can accurately grind a 10deg bevel, try it on a regular chain. I previously ground a normal Archer semi chisel to a near flat grind and found the chain to wander. More to do with my accuracy of grind. But now I just use regular semi chisel at 30deg bevel for rip and cross cuts with Carlton my fave brand at the moment.

No problems, I didn’t even know there was a request pictures button.

Well I’m using Oregon 75RA or 73RD I think (the box has the label and I’m not with the box) which is a ripping skip chain, and it rips. I thinking a lot of it is about trial and error so I don’t yet know if this chain is doing well or not but I’m learning!! I haven’t had to sharpen it enough to really notice the differences in variations and I’m not yet used to sharpening with 10 degrees of angle on the file compared to 0 but I really like sharpening skip chain!!. I’m keen to try out BobL’s Constant cutting angle with the progressive raker depth trick and see how that goes.

Due to me finding deals most of my cross cutting loops are Stihl RS which is full chisel and I have been very impressed. Although all my previous experience has been on ms291 size saws with .325 chain so it might just be the fact that I’m using a much bigger saw. I have a RS chain but that hasn’t come out of the box yet.

In the future I think I will probably sharpen normal chain into ripping chain as it allows the chain to fully stretch before it is used in a mill rather than trying to adjust new chain in the mill.

Except for the price I generally keep coming to the conclusion that Stihl chain is the best I have used.

I have ordered a 36” bar which probably won’t be used for milling until autumn. Which means the next plan is developing an auxiliary oiling system!!

Originally Posted by Canoath

I freehand cut because my logs are too small for a CSM

You might get some idea from this

For small logs I have this rig it grips really awkward shapes and cuts accurately
All1.jpg

I blew up the 30 year old 50 cc McCulloch and then used a 50cc all plastic Homelite
DesertGum.jpg

Now I have this 441 with a 25" bar running 3/8 Lopro chain - this cuts a kerf 30% smaller than regular 3/8.
I can write up a bit of a tutorial if anyone wants to get into Lopro chains.
Mill2.jpg

As far a full chisel goes, I found it cuts like a demon for about half a slab but then goes blunter quicker especially in hard woods, I found it also leaves a slightly poorer finish than semi-chisel.
This matters naught if you are going to put your timber through a thicknesser but if you want to be able to just run a belt sander over a slab to get it smooth then semichisel is less work.

That's pretty cool Bob. I've never considered lopro chains except I do use a Stihl lopro on a little top handled GMC lopping saw that was given to me. I'd usually turn my nose up at all things GMC but this thing is brilliant and just keeps going.

My saw is my dad's Oleo Mac 350af from '85ish which I got over 10yrs ago after he replaced it with a smaller Sthil. With 18" bar my method of slicing up small diam logs in lieu of a CSM is to freehand a flat then run it through my bandsaw then tablesaw. My freehand flats are rarely if ever flat enough so I'll use an electric planer or Arbortech turbo plane if my accuracy was woeful to make that side flat. Later, pieces will get thicknessed or hand planed depending on size.

For accurate cutting up of logs within minimal kerf loss I can used this BS sled.
They must be shorter than 750 mm to fit in the sled and less than about 285mm in diameter to pass full width under the under the saw throat.
Bandsaw log cutting sled.