what size mill for ms 460?

[rich91]

hi,

 

iv been thinking about getting into milling, my largest saw is a ms 460.

 

my question is what mill to go for?

 

the small log mill or the mrkIII 24 alaskan.

 

i would be looking to produce planks for seat bases and shelves, stuff like that.

 

any advice welcome.

 

all the best,

 

rich

[agg221]

I would either buy a 24" or 36" Alaskan. I would go for this as you mention shelves and boards which are relatively thin and the unsupported nose will dip on the small log mill, making it less accurate on thickness, particularly with a longer bar. The 460 will handle a 30" bar when milling, which will just about allow the full 24" cut if you take the dogs off, a bit less if you leave them on. I would also have a ripping chain on a 24" bar as the decreased vibration and bar friction will give faster milling and smoother boards up to 18".

 

On the Alaskan you can shorten up the rails. If you enjoy it you will inevitably buy a bigger saw, longer bar and want to mill bigger things, and 36" is enough for most things in the UK.

 

That said, I'm contemplating the 72" rails and aux oiler myself....!

 

Alec

[rich91]

cheers for the response,

 

I think ill go for the 24 and invest in a big bar.

 

how do the different brands of ripping chain compare to each other?

 

rich

[agg221]

No problem, all brands of chain work quite well. The Granberg chain is reckoned to be a bit quicker and leave a smoother finish but is more expensive. It also takes a bit less power from the saw, which may not be a bad thing if you are running a 30" bar.

 

Have you found chainsawbars.co.uk?

 

Alec

Edited December 6, 2013 by agg221

[WoodED]

I went for the 30 inch but wish I'd got ly the 36 as u can adjust it smaller anyway

 

 

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[rich91]

 

Have you found chainsawbars.co.uk?

 

Alec

 

aye i ordered some bits earlier got a 30 power match bar. Oregon ripping chain and 24 inch mill

 

ill upload some pics of my first attempts at milling when they arrive and i get the chance

 

 

cheers for the help guys

 

rich

[agg221]

ill upload some pics of my first attempts at milling when they arrive and i get the chance

 

Excellent, we like pictures

 

When you get your mill set up and start cutting, time it. Really, with a stopwatch or similar, down a cut. When the time starts to go up a lot, your chain is dull.

 

Have you considered how you will sharpen the chain? You can't do it freehand or with a simple filing jig as you can't get all the teeth exactly the same length (well, you can if you are prepared to measure each one with a vernier gauge, but practically speaking...). You can touch it up a few times by hand and get reasonably close, but after a few sharpenings you will either need a precision filing jig, or a precision grinder - the Granberg one is good and helps with longer bars.

 

Alec

[morten]

Excellent, we like pictures

 

When you get your mill set up and start cutting, time it. Really, with a stopwatch or similar, down a cut. When the time starts to go up a lot, your chain is dull.

 

Have you considered how you will sharpen the chain? You can't do it freehand or with a simple filing jig as you can't get all the teeth exactly the same length (well, you can if you are prepared to measure each one with a vernier gauge, but practically speaking...). You can touch it up a few times by hand and get reasonably close, but after a few sharpenings you will either need a precision filing jig, or a precision grinder - the Granberg one is good and helps with longer bars.

 

Alec

 

Alec,

 

I don't agree with you. I have sharpened my ripping chains by hand for the past five years, and have never had a problem.

[agg221]

Alec,

 

I don't agree with you. I have sharpened my ripping chains by hand for the past five years, and have never had a problem.

 

What sort of timber are you milling (size and species), with which powerhead? Have you tried timing adjacent cuts near the centre of a log so they are near-identical with a hand sharpened chain and then a precision sharpened chain?

 

I'm interested because I wasn't just passing on other people's views in commenting on the effect of precision sharpening. My own experience has been that milling with a really big saw (076/070/090 in my case) you can drive on through 2' or so cuts without it feeling noticeably slower as the chain dulls, although it's not great for the saw and you can measure the difference if you time it.

 

However, using the 066 on a 2'6" cut, or the 044 above 20", I really noticed the drop-off. I used to hand sharpen when I only had the 066, and milled a lot of oak, mostly 15-20' cuts at around 2' average width. Machine sharpened Stihl ripping chain about 5mins, dull took 15mins, but hand-sharpened would take about 8mins. Not too bad, but not as good as it could be.

 

Having bought the precision grinder, I don't run the 066 as much, but having tested it on the 076 I get noticeable decrease in cut times, and having made some very big freehand ripping cuts in 7' wide oak using a 7'6" bar and not struggled, I know the chain is spot on in a way I just couldn't get it by hand.

 

Hence the interest in your experience

 

Alec

[morten]

What sort of timber are you milling (size and species), with which powerhead? Have you tried timing adjacent cuts near the centre of a log so they are near-identical with a hand sharpened chain and then a precision sharpened chain?

 

I'm interested because I wasn't just passing on other people's views in commenting on the effect of precision sharpening. My own experience has been that milling with a really big saw (076/070/090 in my case) you can drive on through 2' or so cuts without it feeling noticeably slower as the chain dulls, although it's not great for the saw and you can measure the difference if you time it.

 

However, using the 066 on a 2'6" cut, or the 044 above 20", I really noticed the drop-off. I used to hand sharpen when I only had the 066, and milled a lot of oak, mostly 15-20' cuts at around 2' average width. Machine sharpened Stihl ripping chain about 5mins, dull took 15mins, but hand-sharpened would take about 8mins. Not too bad, but not as good as it could be.

 

Having bought the precision grinder, I don't run the 066 as much, but having tested it on the 076 I get noticeable decrease in cut times, and having made some very big freehand ripping cuts in 7' wide oak using a 7'6" bar and not struggled, I know the chain is spot on in a way I just couldn't get it by hand.

 

Hence the interest in your experience

 

Alec

 

The majority of my milling is done in softwoods (pine and spruce) between 12" and 25" diameter, using an MS660. I use 3/8" LP ripping chain (STIHL) on 25" hard nose bar and 3/8" Full Profile ripping chains (Oregon) on 30" and 42" bars.

 

Reference milling speed on newly sharpened chain: Spruce, 12" wide cut, using 3/8" LP STIHL ripping chain: 12 seconds/foot.

 

But I have milled larger diameter Oak as well, without any problems. Obviously, I have no way of comparing to a machine sharpened chain, but I honestly don't see why it would be any sharper/faster.

If, at some point, I need to mill large quantity, large diameter hardwoods, I may try ordering a sharpener, and do the comparison.

Edited December 6, 2013 by morten