Which Mill?

[jamesd]

I'm getting a MS461 and would also like to do some milling with it but what size mill should i get and what is the largest size timber i could mill with that saw?

[Dan Earp]

A461 will run nicely on a 25" bar and chain, then from reading the milling threads i think you have to minus 6" from the bar length due to fitting the mill so you'd be looking at 19" bud

[WoodED]

I went for a slightly bigger mill as you can adjust it to fit your saw, the 30" Alaskan and a mini mill make a good combo, I originally only had a 576xp with a 24" bar but now have a Makita 9010 with a 30" so I went for the 36" Alaskan mill. Hope this helps buddy, feel free to pm me or 'rob d' is the bloke to talk to

 

 

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[WoodED]

A461 will run nicely on a 25" bar and chain, then from reading the milling threads i think you have to minus 6" from the bar length due to fitting the mill so you'd be looking at 19" bud

 

And 19" inch is still a decent board, if you bought the mini mill to take the sides of you can mill bigger diameter wood to get it to 19 wide

 

 

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[MattyF]

I would get a 36" incase you get a bigger saw in the future or you could run a 30" on skip chain I would of thought.

[WoodED]

Would think a 30" Alaskan would do, you can alway purchase the bigger rails if you do get a bigger saw

 

 

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[josharb87]

Millings much tougher on he saw than cross cutting. If you've just got a 46 and have no real plans to get a 100cc plus saw maybe consider the mini mill, cheaper, smaller to store, still do 18" and prob what a 46 would be happy milling

I was going to mill 16-18" with the 46 a few weeks back but bottled it and used the 88 instead

[WoodED]

Millings much tougher on he saw than cross cutting. If you've just got a 46 and have no real plans to get a 100cc plus saw maybe consider the mini mill, cheaper, smaller to store, still do 18" and prob what a 46 would be happy milling

I was going to mill 16-18" with the 46 a few weeks back but bottled it and used the 88 instead

 

my 576xp pulls the mill well (same size as a 460) for milling smaller peices, i think a combo of a mini mill and a 30" alaskan would be ideal,

[agg221]

The mini-mill is very useful, but for milling reasonably accurate thickness boards/slabs you really need the Alaskan.

 

With that saw, I would buy a 36" mill (because inevitably you will either enjoy milling and buy a bigger powerhead or not like it and sell it on, in which case the 36" is more versatile). As mentioned, you lose quite a lot of bar length - about 7-8" if you leave the dogs on. This means you can afford to put an over-length bar on, something around 28" or 30", which would give you a cutting width of around 22" and the saw will handle this reasonably well.

 

If you want to run a bar which is on the long side, Granberg chain is reckoned to demand a bit less power (~10%) although it's more expensive. You also need a precision grinder to keep the teeth absolutely identical to put less demand on the powerhead.

 

Alec