Sperber Mill on eBay

[agg221]

With what you currently have I would buy a 36" or 48" Alaskan and a long roller or sprocket nosed bar. The 48" will do almost anything you will ever find but is a bit more of a pain to transport while the 36" will do 90% of what you find and is a bit less unwieldy. The 46" Sugihara bar would be a good choice, or the 41" Cannon. Others are cheaper but flex a bit more. Try chainsawbars.co.uk for options.

 

One of your 076 power heads will run any of the above singlehanded, which is the big plus, although you will need either the aux oiler or frequent rests with liberal use of the manual oiler if you use the bigger ones.

 

You could use a hard nose bar but it will be noticeably slower. I wouldn't think around using the 066 - you'll find it painfully slow after trying the 076, although if you put a 25" or 28" bar on it then it will give a good finish on smaller stuff.

 

Alec

[muttley9050]

I'm no expert like alec, but with an 076 running, would the cheapest option not be to buy a roller sprocket thing or helper handle to run the mill and bar he's got single handed? I thought about this option for me, but didn't think my 051s would run the big mill alone, so bought the 24" Alaskan. You could buy a helper handleand a 24"alaskan for smaller stuff. You have a 30" bar which is the right size for 24" Alaskan.

James

[agg221]

I'm no expert like alec, but with an 076 running, would the cheapest option not be to buy a roller sprocket thing or helper handle to run the mill and bar he's got single handed? I thought about this option for me, but didn't think my 051s would run the big mill alone, so bought the 24" Alaskan. You could buy a helper handleand a 24"alaskan for smaller stuff. You have a 30" bar which is the right size for 24" Alaskan.

James

 

Yes, it would be the cheapest option - stick a roller or sprocket-nosed bar on the Sperber mill. However these mills are pretty heavy and they're slow to adjust, so if I had the money I would go with the Alaskan as well, just aim to make it do something 'different' so either go large to maximise capacity, perhaps buying the upright extensions too, or small and easily managed with the best possible surface finish. Once you've lugged one by hand about half a mile into a wood, small and light is definitely good.

 

I'd agree with your assessment on the 051 - should be ideally matched to a 24" mill or would handle a 30" (I've run 28" width cuts with an 044, but this is really not something I want to repeat). It would just about handle the 36" but would be painfully slow.

 

Alec

[muttley9050]

Thanks alec, but it was more robs assessment than mine. I've so far only used my Alaskan for a few hours and not adjusted too much, but find the big stihl mill quicker to adjust, this May change in time though.

[Rob D]

I must come clean about this one. I was the high bidder and won the auction. I panicked when I saw the post and hoped playing it cool may win the day. I am surprised there only was one bidder against me from the beginning. Thanks for you earlier advice, i'm looking forward to putting them to use.

 

 

Ha ha - well played!

 

 

I think you've done well there as the saws look in good condition.

 

 

 

 

[LeBucheron]

Good advice all round. I have a helper most times, which is why I thought the Sperber setup was such a find. At my last job we had a similar setup (not Sperber though, I think it might have been a Stihl) with 2 084s. That chewed through pretty much anything.

 

I might run the 066 on the mini mill then to cut sides without having to constantly mate and unmate chainsaws. That Sperber I think is 34in (will need to check) so having a 36 alaskan seems a bit pointless. Big bar and big mill, here we come! I would also still like a 090 if one turns up that is at the right price.

 

Although most of the stuff I would mill falls well under those sizes...

 

Choices...choices...

 

Rob, am I right in thinking there is a forum discount available?

[LeBucheron]

Ha ha - well played!

 

 

I think you've done well there as the saws look in good condition.

 

 

 

 

 

I did feel a little bit sneaky but I had been looking for something for a while and that seemed just too good to be true. Still amazed that only one other bidder got involved. Good for me though as it also comes with 30' single bar and chain, 2x ripping chains and some spares!