Minimum size of chain saw?

[Logrod]

What's the smallest size of saw and bar to make it worth getting a small log mill? I only have an 026 with a 16" bar atm, would that work or what would I need to upgrade to? Would swapping to a ripping chain make any difference to the decision?

[agg221]

This is a bit of a 'how long is a piece of string' question, but in general terms, what you would want to do with an 026 would be very limited.

 

It would bolt to the mill, and you would get just over 13" of cut out of it. If milling small, relatively soft timber (under a foot) you could probably live with it for a while, but really it is pushing it. It won't do the saw any harm, so long as you rest it up every few minutes, but you will suffer a fair bit.

 

I would look for something in the 60-70cc range to get the most out of a small log mill. The bigger you go, the more power you have to play with so the faster it gets. If you have 70cc then a 24" mill will also run OK if you don't push it, 90cc will run 30", or 36" at a push, but really for big stuff you are looking at the 100cc+ saws.

 

Worth noting that older saws, without chainbrakes, can make good milling saws. The 041 might be worth considering as a cheap option for a small log mill, or an 038.

 

You would want a ripping chain anyway, and a precision filing jig or grinder to keep all the teeth absolutely the same length and angle to make cutting smoother. If you are running a smaller saw then the Granberg ripping chain is worth considering as it takes a bit less power to drive it. It's more expensive though, and really needs sharpening with a grinder rather than a file.

 

Alec

Edited October 17, 2013 by agg221

[Logrod]

Alec,

 

Thanks for that, it's pretty much what I'd expected about my current saw but at least I now know where I need to go and can keep an eye out for a secondhand bigger saw.

[agg221]

If you're buying bigger, buy the biggest you can afford. There are a couple decent 070s on Ebay at the moment for example, which would perfectly decent on almost anything you are likely to run across - unless you really are only milling foot diameter stuff with a small log mill.

 

Alec

[Eddy_t]

Plenty of big old stihls on eBay, from the 051 up to an 076, only one 070 though, and 2 contra's

 

 

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[ucoulddoit]

I 'd been using a Stihl MS171 with a 14" bar for a few years to cut firewood and bought a small log mill specifically to mill a lump of burr elm using that saw. After milling a few more small logs I was soon dissatisfied by the limitations of using such a small saw and looked at options for a bigger one. I felt the MS 660 would give the flexibility of continuing to use the small log mill with a 20" bar and still have the option of a bar up to 36" for the future if I bought a larger Alaskan Mill. But since it would only get occasional use, I felt I couldn't justify the cost and settled on an MS391 with a 20" bar. That has been fine for a couple of years, but now I'm feeling dissatisfied again at not being able to mill larger logs than about 18". I discovered recently that the 391 can be fitted with the same bars as the 660 and am going to try a 25" bar with a 24" Alaskan Mill. My logic being that with the mill fitted, the cutting width will be about 20" so it should hopefully not be too under powered and the larger mill, attached to both ends of the bar should make it easier to cut planks of uniform thickness across the full width. So it probably sounds as though I should have bought a larger saw and mill at the start. But to be honest, it has suited me fine to make progress with steadily larger kit rather than spending a lot to begin with when I had no specific plans what to use it for. By the way, I only mill timber for my own use. These comments are not meant as a recommendation, just relating what I've done so far.

 

Andrew

[Logrod]

I should probably say I'm only looking to "play" at this initially so probably want to start relatively small in any case. I'd been considering buying a bigger saw but wasn't thinking of dedicating it to milling, but might change my mind now. The idea of sharpening a 36" chain though is still depressing! Throwing in another question: How many board feet of softwood or hardwood could I expect to mill before I needed to sharpen the chain?

[Eddy_t]

I should probably say I'm only looking to "play" at this initially so probably want to start relatively small in any case. I'd been considering buying a bigger saw but wasn't thinking of dedicating it to milling, but might change my mind now. The idea of sharpening a 36" chain though is still depressing! Throwing in another question: How many board feet of softwood or hardwood could I expect to mill before I needed to sharpen the chain?

 

How long is a piece of string? It varies on many things, I've found nails in the middle of trees, stones where two branches have grafted together, harder wood where sparks have come off the chain, and gritty wood where I've cut a branch and needed to resharpen, on the other hand, I've used a saw a week and not even needed to touch up the chain, you wanna complain about 36"? I've got a 60" bar that I'll have to sharpen a chain on, but, buy a grinder if you don't wanna hand sharpen, there are a few battery powered dremel types available

 

 

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[agg221]

How long is a piece of string? It varies on many things, I've found nails in the middle of trees, stones where two branches have grafted together, harder wood where sparks have come off the chain, and gritty wood where I've cut a branch and needed to resharpen, on the other hand, I've used a saw a week and not even needed to touch up the chain, you wanna complain about 36"? I've got a 60" bar that I'll have to sharpen a chain on, but, buy a grinder if you don't wanna hand sharpen, there are a few battery powered dremel types available

 

 

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Not wishing to start a 'mine's bigger than yours' argument, but I can confirm that re-grinding a crosscut chain to ripping for an 88" bar is a good way to use up half a day.... Yes, for running long bars for milling you really need a grinder, to keep all the teeth the same length and angle.

 

Andrew - I would suggest you might as well go for a 36" mill. There is no down side really to the longer rails and you can use it with a 25" bar, but then if you ever do upgrade to a larger saw (which from your post sounds like it's eventually inevitable ) you will already have the mill. The price difference is trivial.

 

Alec

[Mark Bolam]

I've had some great results from a Stihl MS440 with a 24" Alaskan, giving about 20" max cutting capability.

 

I would never go smaller than this, there will simply be too much you can't do.