Milling capacity- Stihl MS660 v MS880

[billpierce]

if your really serious about milling and your buying it only as a milling saw save up for an 880 instead. kind of wish i had. but ended up with 2 660 on a double ended bar which is sweet.

 

i wouldnt mill much over 30'' with a 660 unless you hate yourself and saw.

[Rob D]

It's a tricky one really - the 660 is cheaper and a far more useable all round saw than the 880 - but the 880 is the one you want for milling... it does just power through the wood.

 

 

 

 

[Big J]

if your really serious about milling and your buying it only as a milling saw save up for an 880 instead. kind of wish i had. but ended up with 2 660 on a double ended bar which is sweet.

 

i wouldnt mill much over 30'' with a 660 unless you hate yourself and saw.

 

I'd far sooner have a double ended set up with two MS660s than a single ended mill with one MS880. I'd be fairly certain that you'd achieve twice the cut rate.

[gobbypunk]

Hi I would also invest in a winch set up from Rob D ,there are a few vids on hear ,big help

Cheers Mark

[TGB]

....

You will need proper ripping chain, and I would seriously advise the Granberg precision grinder as keeping the teeth equal in length and angle (as well as sharp) is critical for good milling.

 

Hi I would also invest in a winch set up from Rob D, there are a few vids on hear, big help.

 

Both excellent pieces of advice. The former allows you to sharpen the chain, while the saw is still attached in the Alaskan. While the latter gives a mechanical advantage and saves your energy reserves for manoeuvring timber.

[josharb87]

I only do the occasional bit of milling, i have both a 660 and 880, anything over 20" especially hardwood I don't even consider the 660.

 

The price difference between a 660 on a 36" bar and an 880 on a 48" is only £160+vat, well worth spending the extra.

[Big J]

A precision grinder isn't really necessary - free hand it offers perfectly good results. I can sharpen my 56" chain in 2-3 minutes, which means more frequent sharpens and quicker progress. I've not tried the winch, but I don't feel the need for it. The biggest impediment to rapid progress is the depth gauges. For the MS880, the stock chain has depth gauges too high. For double ended milling, they are hugely too high. No amount of chain sharpening will help that. You want the chain grabby enough that it pulls along by itself.

 

The thing to remember with a double headed set up is that it's far far more economical on fuel, oil and chain sharpens. I think a double ended MS660 set up would be very good indeed for someone who isn't a full time sawmiller. To illustrate it's efficiency - my friend and I quickly milled a 24 hoppus foot 7ft long 30" diameter dense highland oak log the other day. I can very close to getting through the whole thing on one tank (in each saw - which was left running between cuts and the whole endevour took 30 minutes), so 2.5l of fuel.

[Bogoak]

Some good advice here, thanks. "Been there, done that": it's good to hear first hand experiences.

 

Cheers

[Stubby]

I'd far sooner have a double ended set up with two MS660s than a single ended mill with one MS880. I'd be fairly certain that you'd achieve twice the cut rate.

 

Or push the boat right out and have double ended bar with an 880 or Husky 3120 on each end .....

[Big J]

Or push the boat right out and have double ended bar with an 880 or Husky 3120 on each end .....

 

Well, agreed.

 

I actually think that if logs were well set out that a team of three (two on mill, with third in rotation for milling, setting up rails for first cuts and helping with lifting), you'd cut at the same rate with a chainsaw mill as a team of three on a band mill down to about 1.5". You'd obviously have masses more sawdust and wrecked wrists, but a double ended set up is rapid. We did 450 hoppus foot of sequoia in under two days, and 196 hoppus foot of sweet chestnut in 5 hours once (that was all at 2").