Is milling hard on saws?

[Khriss]

15 hours ago, Marc Lewis said:

16 hours ago, Paddy1000111 said:

Are you sure about the warranty? Seems odd that it doesn't mention that in the Manual or Stihls warranty guide. It even says on the stihl site that it is designed for the hardest conditions of forestry and saw milling. The product page even says it can be fitted to a saw frame? 

I would not worry about it, how are they to know you are milling?

Yr stooopping bent over back as you walk into shop  😄 K

[Khriss]

12 hours ago, Paddy1000111 said:

Lucky I boarder on the anal side when it comes to saw maintenance. I wrap the saws in anti abrasion tape (the stuff that's used on helicopter rotor blades in iraq) so they never look like they have been thrown around in a truck. On the maintenance front I blow them out at the end of every day with the compressor on the truck and check the filters once a month. On top of that I boroscope the bore and save the pictures and replace all the filters, plugs etc every 12 months no matter the condition.

 

Fingers crossed that doesn't happen to me! Interesting that you don't think there was any performance increase. Did you find a fuel saving? 

 

I'm not going to be regularly milling. maybe only 10-15 times a year. An 881 appeals to me as a usable saw instead of the 661 I was originally planning on. If I get an 880 then I will also need a 661

.... Just got to to 'anal'  ,   ' borescope'  and 'antiabrasion tape'  and wondered if i was on the right website 😆  K

[Wonky]

18 hours ago, Paddy1000111 said:

Well I would climb with my 261 for most stuff but for chunking things down I want something that can handle chunking down big bits. I have been up a tree before on gaffs sectioning the rounds into quarters to throw it down. This is why I wanted a 661 as it would be the biggest saw I am happy to climb with but if the 881 has the ergonomics it will be a stop fill until I get 500i or something! I was a bit lost really saw wise, a 461 is too close to a 261 and a 500i is too close to a 661. If I have a 881 then a 500i seems like a good middle ground! 

Talk to someone about a ported saw, then tell me about saws cos a  461, it ant like any 261..... 🧐

swinging a 500i would be a lot easier in a tree than a 661 but a lot of peeps say the 462 has it all  then there’s the 880\881 

but maybe you want all the toys

Also I’d look at sharping a chain a bit  differently 

 

it’s just how I see it..😉 ymmv 👍

 

 

Edited December 18, 2020 by Wonky
Adding stuff

[Paddy1000111]

3 minutes ago, Wonky said:

Talk to someone about a ported saw, then tell me about saws cos a  461, it ant like any 261..... 🧐

swinging a 500i would be a lot easier in a tree than an 880\881 

but maybe you want all the toys

Also I’d look at sharping a chain a bit  differently 

 

it’s just how I see it..😉 ymmv 👍

 

 

Oh yea, 100%. I wouldn't ever want to swing an 880 in a tree. What I meant was, I was going to get a 661 for big jobs off the ground but it left things a little muddy size wise. I personally don't see a big enough gap between a 500i and a 660 to make it worth owning both and there's not much of a saving between a 462 and a 661 to make it worth owning both as for the bigger stuff it doesn't make much of a difference. 

 

I guess if I got a 661 then a 500i/462 are so close weight and size wise that it doesn't make it worth buying both a 661 and a 500i/462 apart from luxury. At the other end of the spectrum a 462 can run a 25" bar, my 261 will run an 18" which is enough for most jobs. 

 

Theoretically, if an 881 is more ergonomic and not a engine with handles anymore then I can have an 881, a 500i or a 462 and the 261 which seems like the perfect balance of saws with the add on of my 200T it covers pretty much everything. Obviously if I lived in a budget free world then a 661 as well would be nice as I wouldn't have to climb with the 881 but I am younger and can cope with more of a work out for now anyway.

[lux]

Oh yea, 100%. I wouldn't ever want to swing an 880 in a tree. What I meant was, I was going to get a 661 for big jobs off the ground but it left things a little muddy size wise. I personally don't see a big enough gap between a 500i and a 660 to make it worth owning both and there's not much of a saving between a 462 and a 661 to make it worth owning both as for the bigger stuff it doesn't make much of a difference. 
 
I guess if I got a 661 then a 500i/462 are so close weight and size wise that it doesn't make it worth buying both a 661 and a 500i/462 apart from luxury. At the other end of the spectrum a 462 can run a 25" bar, my 261 will run an 18" which is enough for most jobs. 
 
Theoretically, if an 881 is more ergonomic and not a engine with handles anymore then I can have an 881, a 500i or a 462 and the 261 which seems like the perfect balance of saws with the add on of my 200T it covers pretty much everything. Obviously if I lived in a budget free world then a 661 as well would be nice as I wouldn't have to climb with the 881 but I am younger and can cope with more of a work out for now anyway.

Consider a full wrap handle on the 880 / 881.
Makes it a lot easier using a big saw for big take downs.

Unless ported the 661 is only recommended for a 36” bar. You would be better off with a ported 661 if weight is an issue, have a 42” or similar bar for it. Full skip chain.

[Paddy1000111]

1 hour ago, lux said:

Consider a full wrap handle on the 880 / 881.
Makes it a lot easier using a big saw for big take downs.

Unless ported the 661 is only recommended for a 36” bar. You would be better off with a ported 661 if weight is an issue, have a 42” or similar bar for it. Full skip chain.

That's the only thing is then it blows the milling out the window because it's hard enough on a 881 let alone a ported 661 plus the availability for big bars and the need for adapters and bla bla bla 

[lux]

That's the only thing is then it blows the milling out the window because it's hard enough on a 881 let alone a ported 661 plus the availability for big bars and the need for adapters and bla bla bla 

Just by a bandsaw mill and not worry about it. Woodland mills seem a fair price and look half decent. Any chainsaw milling is slow.

[Moose McAlpine]

Just now, lux said:

Just by a bandsaw mill and not worry about it. Woodland mills seem a fair price and look half decent. Any chainsaw milling is slow.

 

We have a Woodland at work and it's a nice piece of kit. Not run it myself yet but it cuts with a nice finish.

[Rough Hewn]

Just by a bandsaw mill and not worry about it. Woodland mills seem a fair price and look half decent. Any chainsaw milling is slow.

You can’t cut 72” slabs with a woodlands.
Or carry it into the woods/Forest/through the kitchen etc.
[emoji106][emoji106][emoji106]

[AHPP]

2 hours ago, Paddy1000111 said:

Oh yea, 100%. I wouldn't ever want to swing an 880 in a tree. What I meant was, I was going to get a 661 for big jobs off the ground but it left things a little muddy size wise. I personally don't see a big enough gap between a 500i and a 660 to make it worth owning both and there's not much of a saving between a 462 and a 661 to make it worth owning both as for the bigger stuff it doesn't make much of a difference. 

 

I guess if I got a 661 then a 500i/462 are so close weight and size wise that it doesn't make it worth buying both a 661 and a 500i/462 apart from luxury. At the other end of the spectrum a 462 can run a 25" bar, my 261 will run an 18" which is enough for most jobs. 

 

Theoretically, if an 881 is more ergonomic and not a engine with handles anymore then I can have an 881, a 500i or a 462 and the 261 which seems like the perfect balance of saws with the add on of my 200T it covers pretty much everything. Obviously if I lived in a budget free world then a 661 as well would be nice as I wouldn't have to climb with the 881 but I am younger and can cope with more of a work out for now anyway.

We think about saws very similarly. I've got a 500 with a 25" and a 661 with a 36" and it is a luxury. I'd rather not have the 661 but swapping 25" and 36" bars on the 500 just isn't realistic (unless you're one of those mad Scandinavians who can change a bar in 4.3 seconds). I got the 661 because it was a good deal and it'll ideally live in a mill for stints as long as possible. I always reach for the 500 if I can for normal stuff. 

Edited December 18, 2020 by AHPP