Homemade Chainsaw Mill

[Stompy]

Have any of you made one? I'm going to have a go myself, purely for personal use.

 

Have a welding plant and tools and access to a metal working shop should i need anything else.

 

Just after some tips or feedback from you guys really. What would make your set ups better....

 

I have looked all of the internet and tried to pick what I think to be the best elements of the homemade ones I have seen .

 

So far the most important design features seem to be...

 

Adjustable to take different bar lengths

Adjustable handle positions

Possible rollers on the base (flat contact part)

Rollers on the sides to help move along the log

Some sort of precision depth of cut adjustment

 

Is the weight a huge factor? I know you have to move it around but in use the log takes the weight. I mill mainly at the yard so not a problem I guess...

 

Anyway any advice or some pics much appreciated

 

Cheers

[agg221]

The two mills I am personally familiar with are the Alaskan Mk III and the Stihl.

 

The down sides to the Stihl mill are that it is not adjustable in length, it is made of steel which makes it pretty heavy and vertical adjustment is on a screw which means it takes forever. The Alaskan addresses all of these points, however adjustment in particular is a compromise.

 

The Stihl mill is designed to be used by two people, with a double-ended bar and a powerhead at each end. This means the weight of the mill is less of an issue. Operating singlehanded, the weight of the mill matters when you have to lug it back along the log plank after plank after plank Milling is pretty physical. It also matters because when you start the cut referencing off the cut face, the balance point of the mill is not on the log so you have to hold it there, keeping it level, pretty much just using one hand as the other is on the throttle, until the mill is far enough into the log to keep it level. I use a 36" mill but have set it up with a 47" bar on the 090 once (working with Burrell) and I started the cut alone, although we both pushed it through. I wouldn't have wanted any extra weight when doing this. The Alaskan is largely made of aluminium and bolts together, although there is a bit of welding in the construction. There are a few steel bits and I reckon with careful material selection you could now replace many of these if you wanted to drop the weight a little further.

 

I wouldn't put rollers on the mill base. Although it looks like a good idea to reduce friction, and some mills have been made this way, a square section works much better as it scrapes the sawdust out of the way rather than running over it, which keeps the mill running level more effectively so the boards stay flat. Adding a winch is, however, a good way of reducing the effort (I just haven't fitted mine yet )

 

Not having fitted the winch, I am pushing the mill through the log. On the Alaskan, I have the handle fitted but to be honest I very rarely use it - I tend to push on the round crossbar and keep it level by varying the lean on the back rail.

 

The only things I would consider as improvements over the current Alaskan design are:

 

A better system of height adjustment. The current system is fairly quick, but is a bit of a pain to get the two ends level as they tend to jam when going up and down. The clamp piece is not captive in the U-bolt which means it's easily lost if you take the top plate off the posts completely. It is also a pain to have to keep finding the spanner to adjust, and constant torqueing is not great as if you under-do it the mill height drifts but overdo it and it shears off eventually. I wonder if a rack and pinion system with a locking knob would be an improvement (would cost more but this may not matter if you are building your own).

Standardise the bolt sizes - most of them are the same but the ones for adjusting the length are different which is a pain.

A better skid plate could be designed - when starting and finishing the cut you have the end rail and the centre support only, which can mean tricky positioning to keep the mill square as it enters and leaves the log, sometimes adjusting the centre support to ensure it runs on the log. I have another mill (bandsaw type) which uses a flat steel skid plate faced with PTFE sheet and this is much better.

 

Anyway, this has turned into a very long ramble but some thoughts at least!

 

Alec

[Stompy]

Cheer for that Alec, quite an in depth reply!! Lots to think about and all makes sense....

 

I know the overall weight is an issue in single person use but at present I'm a fairly young pup so it's not so much of an issue. See what I feel about it in 10 years.

 

My thinking was the toss up between stability and weight.... Yes Aly is light weight but you do get some amount of flex. From a furniture making point of view any flex or vibration in machinery is not a good thing, hence the use of cast iron in all my big machinery. I know they are stationary tools and built for precision but the principles remain the same. I'm thinking some hybrid construction, steel where I need it and aly everywhere else.

 

I know what you saying about entry and exit from the log, I always thought a more stable method was required, I found using the ladder on each cut made it easier but this adds time and effort which I'm trying to reduce. Maybe some sort of flip over frame extension to give more contact in front of the saw at the start which can then be flipped to allow the same but behind the saw at the exit from the log?? Again this will add weight....

 

I like the idea of rollers so maybe the issue for me is just removing the debris before, a simple brush in front to clear the way?

 

And yep some sort of manual rise and fall system would work, something that acts on both sides to maintain a constant uniform thickness. I have seen then on trailer mounted chainsaw mills but again it's adding weight.....

 

Weight seems to be the issue..... Maybe I'm thinking about it all too much and current designs are fine????

 

Cheers for all the advice

[Rob D]

Weight seems to be the issue..... Maybe I'm thinking about it all too much and current designs are fine????

Cheers for all the advice

 

 

I'd say you've summed it up there!

 

 

I would agree with Alec in that the height adjustment system for the Alaskan is a bit fiddly - but then it does work and it does withstand vibration well...

 

I would stay away from rollers - they sound good but Alec has already pointed out the cons - they ride over sawdust and I think you're making something more complicated when it does not need to be...

 

Weight is important - with a big saw in the Alaskan it's heavy and although as you are using the log takes the weight - you still have to finish and start cuts...

 

 

 

Personally I would see if you could get hold of a second hand Alaskan - then see if you can modify/improve on it rather than starting from scratch.

 

 

But if you really are determined it would be worth looking here http://www.arboristsite.com/community/forums/milling-saw-mills.62/ on which there is a wealth of info.

 

 

 

[Mike Dempsey]

As long as your ladder extends over the ends of your log by a few inches you shouldn't have a problem of curves in the plank if you are careful. I made my own ladder up out of square box section steel. Weighs a ton but there is very little flex in it. I go for a maximum length of plank of 8' as this is the size that will fit in my kiln. My ladder is nearly 9' long and don't produce curved planks unless I am being sloppy. If you do produce a curved plank either put the ladder back on to make a flat plank or get a hand plane and flatten out the top of the log. As with a lot of things taking time and care can produce better results!

[Forest2Furniture]

I do a lot of milling on my own and of all the bits of kit I bought last year the best by far was the winch for the alaskan mill.

 

Not only does it save time, you get a better cut and most importantly you don't knacker your back! waking up the morning after a day of milling and being able to get out of bed without assistance is a real improvement.

[Big J]

One thing I've always wanted is a purpose built slabbing machine, something along the lines of a chainsaw mill but with a lot more power.

 

Toyed with the idea of an electric motor driving the chain, but then you need a generator for remote work. Alternatively, a hydraulic power pack driving a hydrostatic drive type motor driving the chain. Still tricky though.

 

You could have direct drive from a vertical shaft mower engine, but then that means having all the weight of a large 4 stroke engine going up and down the log.

 

Either way, 8.8hp just isn't enough for a 40-50" cut where 10mm of sawdust is being removed. What are the options?

 

Jonathan

[agg221]

One thing I've always wanted is a purpose built slabbing machine, something along the lines of a chainsaw mill but with a lot more power.

 

Toyed with the idea of an electric motor driving the chain, but then you need a generator for remote work. Alternatively, a hydraulic power pack driving a hydrostatic drive type motor driving the chain. Still tricky though.

 

You could have direct drive from a vertical shaft mower engine, but then that means having all the weight of a large 4 stroke engine going up and down the log.

 

Either way, 8.8hp just isn't enough for a 40-50" cut where 10mm of sawdust is being removed. What are the options?

 

Jonathan

 

I think I'd go hydraulic. Every now and again an old ex-MOD hydraulic Danarm turns up and apparently they used to have some monster bars fitted so I'm pretty sure that would make a good starting point. It would want a big bar to justify it - I reckon 72"+ and it would need a hydraulic power pack of some considerable size - probably on a hand trolley, but the whole thing would be portable-ish

 

Alec

[Big J]

I think I'd go hydraulic. Every now and again an old ex-MOD hydraulic Danarm turns up and apparently they used to have some monster bars fitted so I'm pretty sure that would make a good starting point. It would want a big bar to justify it - I reckon 72"+ and it would need a hydraulic power pack of some considerable size - probably on a hand trolley, but the whole thing would be portable-ish

 

Alec

 

Bit of quick ebay scouring on my end has concluded that electric is out as motors in the 11-15kw range are just too heavy (best part of 100kg).

 

Hydraulic power pack, 72 inch bar (would need to be bloody rigid though - some sort of bar tensioning system ideally to prevent bar sag) and harvester chain to take the power. Who's up for building a prototype?!

[difflock]

Hydraulic motors are relatively inexpensive new.

Take a look at

Hydraulic Gear Pumps | White House Products | Hydraulic Pumps

And pick a spec to suit.