Ideal small milling saw

[harvey b davison]

Hi, i'm wanting to get an idea about what type of saw i will require to start milling. I've never done it before and want to do it to compliment my joinery services. I dont fancy splashing out on a top of range 660 / 880 until i know a lot more about it and am more experienced. Would a makita 7900 do ? Would an 18" inch bar be long enough to start milling or do i need to go bigger.

 

Thanks for any info guys.

[Stihlben]

i use an old 056av with my mill, will run 36" all day with no problems and not too difficult or expensive to find a good one.... plenty of torque there too, have got an 880 + 660 but the 056 is my preferred choice

[Rob D]

Really you want to get a good size saw for running a mill.

 

A more powerful saw running a smaller mill will work well.

 

If you buy a small saw, you'll only be tempted to put to large a bar on it!

[harvey b davison]

Really you want to get a good size saw for running a mill.

 

A more powerful saw running a smaller mill will work well.

 

If you buy a small saw, you'll only be tempted to put to large a bar on it!

 

What would you recomend Rob ?

[agg221]

I would suggest an 044/MS440 is not too bad. It will do rather more on an occasional basis than it really should, albeit slowly. I've had to use mine a couple of times with a 36in bar on. Put a 28in bar on it with a 30in Alaskan and you'll get a max. width of just over 20in, which won't stress it too much. The other plus to this one is that, still being a current model, that hasn't changed much over a long time, parts availability is good, both OEM and non-OEM, and they hold their value so if you get fed up with it you can probably get a reasonable amount back.

 

One cheap option if you're mechanically minded would be an old 044 from ebay, in non-running condition which specifically states it's seized. This option carries a risk, but stands a good chance of paying off.

 

Most saws seize because of a fuel problem. The quick fix in this case is a new non-OEM pot and piston for about £60; that plus a bit of cleaning out of crank case and away you go. If it turns out not to be a fuel problem that seized it then ring failure is cured by the same approach. The only problems which aren't cured this way are mix problems due to fuel blockage, or air leaks. These show up by overspeeding (screaming revs), at which point so long as you stop the instant the revs start to climb you can send it off to Spudulike and get it fixed (or at least, that's what I do...)

 

If you do go this route, you can pick up the saw for about £100 (mine was £98 last year), about £70 all in for parts if you replace the gasket and roller bearing at the same time, plus the risk of some labour getting it fixed if it turns out to be tricky - but you probably still get most of your money back.

 

Alec

[robbo 110]

the older stihls are better i think, 051, 056, 075, 076.... all cracking saws for milling

[agg221]

the older stihls are better i think, 051, 056, 075, 076.... all cracking saws for milling

 

I wouldn't disagree - my preferred saw is my 076 which runs a 47in bar quite happily. However the 075/076 are still fairly expensive to set up with - good condition with a decent length bar is likely to be the wrong side of £300 which is quite a lot to have a play. The 051 is OK and parts availability is still good as it's very similar to the 076, which only went out of production a few years back (as the TS760). I managed to find a non-OEM barrel and piston for my 051 for about £80. I couldn't comment on the 056 and its equivalent cost/repairability.

 

For me, for someone want to try out milling the 044 has the advantage of being a generally useful chainsaw even when not milling and of being easy to get parts for.

 

Alec

[Big J]

My first saw for milling was an oldish 088 with a 36 inch bar from ebay for £410. Great saw, ran without any issues, sold for the same as I paid for it.

 

I had two 088s, so one went, but I've also got a Makita DCS7901 now which isn't used for milling, but I would imagine would be fine cutting up to about 20 inch timber.

 

Jonathan

[robbo 110]

I wouldn't disagree - my preferred saw is my 076 which runs a 47in bar quite happily. However the 075/076 are still fairly expensive to set up with - good condition with a decent length bar is likely to be the wrong side of £300 which is quite a lot to have a play. The 051 is OK and parts availability is still good as it's very similar to the 076, which only went out of production a few years back (as the TS760). I managed to find a non-OEM barrel and piston for my 051 for about £80. I couldn't comment on the 056 and its equivalent cost/repairability.

 

For me, for someone want to try out milling the 044 has the advantage of being a generally useful chainsaw even when not milling and of being easy to get parts for.

 

Alec

 

 

 

i been lucky, 2 x 076 from fleabay.. non runners!

the 051 was the same, v cheap!!! i also agree with your thinking on 044, guess everyone has different needs for their saws!!!

[Rob D]

What would you recomend Rob ?

 

 

Tricky one to answer that!

 

I suppose it depends on what size timber you're milling.... but I suppose an MS660 is a good modern saw in that it's light enough to use for other work and you can go up to a 36" bar.

 

As said the older saws seem to be better suited for milling work i.e. the ones with an 0 in front rather than after! And they seem to go on and on as well.

 

Up until now I've just used an MS880 but soon I hope to have an 090 and it'll be interesting to see how it compares.

 

One thing is once you go above 90cc everything gets a bit harder i.e. harder to start, heavier to lift, longer bars so more teeth to sharpen. So a 90cc (thereabouts) is a good milling saw to start with as you can use the saw for other work.

 

I tend to find myself avoiding using the MS880 for other work because of it's weight, changing the chain is awkward, and other reasons mentioned above where the 390 with a 28" bar I am happy to pick up all the time.....