Chainsaws for an Alaskan Mill - advice please.

[Hymer]

Grateful for any advice regarding a suitable saw for a 30"/36" chainsaw to use with an Alaskan Mill or a Logosol equivalent.

 

I will be milling oak and so far have looked at both the Husqvarna 395XP and the Stihl MS 660 and, whilst I do have an old and very reliable Stihl 029, have absolutely no badge preference.

 

Whilst talking to a Husqvarna dealer regarding price/availability he mentioned the Makita 9010 as a viable alternative to the 395XP and though, as a recently retired soldier, I have seen Makita's in use in the Army, I have never seen the larger saws or indeed any of the Blueys used by anyone locally. As Makita had never even entered my mind as a potential purchase my initial thoughts were that it was perhaps a chainsaw too far away from the established and well respected market leaders.

 

I went to see the saw as it was considerably cheaper than the 395/660's and after getting over the rather old fashioned design ( appreciate it is a reworked Dolmar) was struck by the solidity of build (and weight). It looked robust and capable of pushing a 30"/36" bar through my oak trees. It doesn't have a decompression valve which for a large capacity saw might make starting a bugger but it does comes with a full 12 month warranty.

 

I would be grateful for any views, good or bad, on the Makita 9010 bearing in mind that it will not be lugged around and will spend 90% of its time on the chainsaw mill.

 

I have budgeted for the 395/660 but do like a bargain. Is the 9010 a good buy at approx £250 less than the two other saws or would I regret not staying with the established brands?

 

Many thanks

 

Pat

[sylvestris stew]

I haven't used an Alaskan for a few years now, the 1 I used had 2 x 088's I think,

Most folk I know with Alaskans use Stihls, however the Scottish School of Forestry have been using Makitas for a couple of years without any problems.

 

My old man used a Dolmar for years , I think they'll have a good enough pedigree.

[Rupe]

An 066 with a 30inch bar will only allow you to do 24 inch boards. A 36inch bar would in theory do 30inch boards but it will struggle especially in oak.

 

An 088 is what you need!

[Tom D]

Willie who runs logosol is a friend of mine, he can get quite good deals on the stihl saws, I'd go for the 88 too, you're not holding the weight of the saw with a mil anyway so go for the biggest you can. On that note I used to use a 3120 quite a lot, it was pants, very unreliable. That was an older one though.

[Andy Collins]

I think the large Makita is meant to be a good saw, I believe Rob Dyer runs Makita saws on his Alaskans. I like the grunt of my 090 on my Alaskan, and surprisingly it doesnt seem to transfer so many vibes when milling. I have used the 066 on the mill too, for smaller dia planks. I have no experience of using the larger Huskies on a mill, but they are a good saw, so I would see no issues.

[MasterBlaster]

An 088 is what you need!

 

I'm with Rupe! Anything less will be overworked.

[Mr Ed]

The Makita is not a 'reworked' Dolmar, its a Dolmar with Makita Badge. as such, I think the 9010 is a good competitor to the 395 or 660.

[John Wilson]

I was going to put a mikita on my mill but was offered a cheap 066 instead. If you want grunt I would put the Makita on:001_tongue:

[Hymer]

Thank you all very much for taking the time and trouble to reply.

 

Pat

[ChrisSaunders]

With apologies for perhaps stating the obvious - whichever saw you ultimately choose to use, make sure you equip it with a chain that has teeth designed for the ripping wood - cutting along the grain, rather than the more conventional crosscutting design of tooth. Your mill saw will be so much more efficient if you get the right chain for the job. Safer too.

 

Keep safe,

 

Chris