Alaskan saw mills

[Chris Harris]

I've not long bought an Alaskan saw mill & i'm really enjoying playing around turning some of my pile of timber into fence rails & posts etc. (i'm easily pleased!). Today i milled a 8x8" by 6ft oak post to replace a broken gate post at the yard, again i was pleased with the result but i could'nt quite get it square. I was wondering how you other millers manage to get square cuts & also if theres any other good tips for getting good cuts. At the mo i just cut of any bits that are sticking out then place a ladder section on top to make my first cut. Does anyone else use this or are there any better methods, cheers Chris

[treedave]

Have you had a look at the link below?

 

http://www.granberg.com/alaskan_mill.html

[Chris Harris]

Cheers treedave i've had a look on that link, theres some good stuff on there:icon14:

[Vertical Lmit]

Use the mini mill for your side cuts once you have taken your first through cut.

Use to use a latter when i started.

Now i sit the alaskan on a mill frame for convienience and push it a long the rails, works a treat and cuts are more accurate

[Andy Collins]

Milled Douggie Fir, done on my Alaskan

[Andy Collins]

heath Robinson, bargain basement, Blue Peter stylee auto-oiler, made from bits of junk kicking about various yards across Suffolk.

[MattyF]

looks good andy ,im seriously considering getting one... are they easy to use ,do you have the ripping chain on your bar?

[Andy Collins]

No matty, I dont have a ripping chain, yet, and tbh I dont think I'll bother. I was using a chain on its last legs for that slab, and it cut well. Some recommend filing the chain to about 10deg angle, but i havent tried that yet. Yes its easy to set up and use, the oiler I'm making up is for when I use the 090 (manual oiler) and button for that is going to be awkward to depress when the saw is set up to mill.

[MattyF]

so is the o90 manual oiling or do you need the exta oil when milling... i ripped some planks of yew the other day with the 395 with out the mill(seem a waste as the customers firewood)...came out very rough and a bit dodge dont think the chain was oiling to well... dont think the victorian garden hoe i found in the middle helped to much either! but i was pleased with the rough result. i imagine the mill by yours pics would of done a much better job

[treedave]

It's good to see that you're getting good results on the dougie with standard chain. I've just got a ripping chain for my mill and the difference it makes is noticeable, both in finish and speed of cut. I would recommend getting some if you're going to cut Oak and the like, or bigger widths. What's the dougie going to end up as?

:wave: