Wich Chain for fast milling on long bar?

[gonger]

Hello,

 

currently i am using a 42" 3/8 low profile Bar from GB. I recently upgraded from a Dolmar 9010 to a Huskvarna 3120 XP and got less cutting capacity on the mill because of the bigger head of the Husky. 

 

So since i wanted to upgrade the milling capacity anyways it is time for a longer bar. Thought about a GB Titanium R Series Bar in 63" in 3/8. 

 

Recently i tried the Stihl PM3 Chain on my 42" Bar insted of the Stihl PMX milling cain and was suprised of the results. The finish is not that bad, how it is described in many times with 30° chains. Also it seemed faster to me and the saw was running better with no bogging down. 

 

I just want to get the whole milling process faster and more efficient(gas usage), including the chain sharpening process. So should i try a Skip/Hyper Skip Chain?

 

Wich chain would you recommend for faster milling on a 63" Bar?

 

 

[Rough Hewn]

Personally I like stihl .404 full chisel ground to a 0 degree top plate.
Hyper skip are good too for long bars in hard wood.
I find that adjusting the depth gauge height to the species,width of cut and moisture content.
The wider and drier, keep the depth gauges higher 0.5-0.6mm instead of 0.75mm.
[emoji106]

[gonger]

But isn't it slower than a 3/8 full chisel with a 30° top plate angle?

[Rough Hewn]

But isn't it slower than a 3/8 full chisel with a 30° top plate angle?

That's a cross cut chain.
Any ripping chain will cut faster.
A 10-15 degree top plate is standard for most ripping chains.
[emoji106]

[gobbypunk]

Hi guys I might have this wrong but I have been chainsaw milling for a good few yrs now and surely fast chainsaw milling at 63 inches isn’t a thing ,don’t you just let the saw cut as fast as it’s happy to do nice and easy no over stressing the saw get a good finish is surely better than getting it done as fast as possible 

Cheers Mark 

[trigger_andy]

54 minutes ago, gobbypunk said:

Hi guys I might have this wrong but I have been chainsaw milling for a good few yrs now and surely fast chainsaw milling at 63 inches isn’t a thing ,don’t you just let the saw cut as fast as it’s happy to do nice and easy no over stressing the saw get a good finish is surely better than getting it done as fast as possible 

Cheers Mark 

The Saw will cut faster with a skip or hyper skip chain, the trade off is a more rougher finish. 

 

So the choice is a smoother but slower finish or a faster but rougher finish, same with any cutting really, be it metal or wood. 

 

Personally Id go for fast and rough, same as when Im milling.    

 

You're gonna have to finish the wood anyway and if you plan on using a Router Sled then a rougher finish is not gonna make that much difference. Id rather get the job done and get home. @Johnsond made me a cracking 62" Router Sled, looking forward to getting to use it. 

[trigger_andy]

14 hours ago, gonger said:

But isn't it slower than a 3/8 full chisel with a 30° top plate angle?

Most of my .404" Chains are ripping chains. Obviously you lose a little more material as the kerf is a few mm deeper, they are (supposedly) less likely to snap. I say supposedly as Ive never snapped a Ripping Chain yet, be it 3/8", 3/8" Low Pro or .404". Maybe Im not trying hard enough?  Id imagine you'd be a bit faster with a 3/8" Chain over a .404" Chain but as Im mostly maxing out my 48" Mill Ive not really noticed much difference.

 

I use the Granberg Precision Sharpener to get the teeth all the same length, same sharpness, same angle and rakers set to a depth uniformly. That is more important than a slightly thinner 3/8" Chain in my opinion. First pass through the log with a correctly sharpened chain almost sucks its way though initially. 

[agrimog]

the thing which dictates cutting speed more than anything when milling is the chains ability to clear chips, next thing is the top plate anglefrom arond 0-5' for hard woods to10' for softwoods, raker depth is linked to angles, power of the saw head is also a factor. the thicker the chain, the m,ore power required to drag it through, this is why the 3/8 picco chains do so well, you are going to have to experiment with these things to find which set of variables suits your style of milling, and be aware that hardwoods are not all the same, some cut easy, some are like toffee, and some are just c***s

[Rough Hewn]

Solid advice [emoji106][emoji106][emoji106]

[gonger]

20 hours ago, Rough Hewn said:

That's a cross cut chain.
Any ripping chain will cut faster.
A 10-15 degree top plate is standard for most ripping chains.

 

I am not sure about that. Currently i have 4 Chains. 3 x Stihl PMX Ripping Chain and one Stihl PM3 Cross Cut Chain. And once i tried the 30° Chain i was surprised how good it was cutting. Felt faster to me than a 10° Chain. 

7 hours ago, gobbypunk said:

Hi guys I might have this wrong but I have been chainsaw milling for a good few yrs now and surely fast chainsaw milling at 63 inches isn’t a thing ,don’t you just let the saw cut as fast as it’s happy to do nice and easy no over stressing the saw get a good finish is surely better than getting it done as fast as possible 

Cheers Mark 

It's not about killing the saw. For me it is importantnt, that the saw is running on high RPM and is not bogging down. That is, what i understand in fast milling. I am using the winch anyways and found the finish of the 30° chain not that bad.

 

6 hours ago, trigger_andy said:

The Saw will cut faster with a skip or hyper skip chain, the trade off is a more rougher finish. 

 

So the choice is a smoother but slower finish or a faster but rougher finish, same with any cutting really, be it metal or wood. 

 

Personally Id go for fast and rough, same as when Im milling.    

 

You're gonna have to finish the wood anyway and if you plan on using a Router Sled then a rougher finish is not gonna make that much difference. Id rather get the job done and get home. @Johnsond made me a cracking 62" Router Sled, looking forward to getting to use it. 

 

So wich one should i choose? A Skip, semi Skip or Hyper Skip Chain? 10° or 30°?

 

That is what i am talking about. The wood is going to be planed anyways and i calculate my wood slabs oversize so i have room for that. 

6 hours ago, trigger_andy said:

Most of my .404" Chains are ripping chains. Obviously you lose a little more material as the kerf is a few mm deeper, they are (supposedly) less likely to snap. I say supposedly as Ive never snapped a Ripping Chain yet, be it 3/8", 3/8" Low Pro or .404". Maybe Im not trying hard enough?  Id imagine you'd be a bit faster with a 3/8" Chain over a .404" Chain but as Im mostly maxing out my 48" Mill Ive not really noticed much difference.

 

I use the Granberg Precision Sharpener to get the teeth all the same length, same sharpness, same angle and rakers set to a depth uniformly. That is more important than a slightly thinner 3/8" Chain in my opinion. First pass through the log with a correctly sharpened chain almost sucks its way though initially. 

Personally i dont like the Granderg 12 Volt Sharpener. In my opinion it is hard to all the teeth to the same length with this device. I bought a stationary device and drilled trough my mill to get rid of the clamping for faster chain changes. 

 

5 hours ago, agrimog said:

the thing which dictates cutting speed more than anything when milling is the chains ability to clear chips, next thing is the top plate anglefrom arond 0-5' for hard woods to10' for softwoods, raker depth is linked to angles, power of the saw head is also a factor. the thicker the chain, the m,ore power required to drag it through, this is why the 3/8 picco chains do so well, you are going to have to experiment with these things to find which set of variables suits your style of milling, and be aware that hardwoods are not all the same, some cut easy, some are like toffee, and some are just c***s

 

I was just asking, because i dont want to buy a lot of chains and try them out. Just wanted to save some money and buy the right things from the start.