Milling tips, making the best of your Alaskan.

[Andy Collins]

Post em here, guys, I need tips as much as the next guy.

[Rob D]

If there's one thing with chainsaw milling for me it's getting the chain sharp and depth guages right - it makes all the difference in terms of speed and smoothness.

 

You can still cross cut with a 50% dull chain and the depth guages all over the place - not so for milling...

 

Also a worn bar can cause a lot of problems - I've got half way down a log with the mill cutting ok then suddenly it's stopped! Looking closer you can see the bar pulling down in the wood.

 

Sharp chain and a well maintained bar are the key crucial things in chainsaw milling.

 

 

 

[David Humphries]

If there's one thing with chainsaw milling for me it's............... :

 

 

 

........keeping a spare set of batteries for the metal detector, heh Rob

 

 

 

.

Edited September 21, 2009 by Monkey-D
Ooops sorry Robert

[Charlieh]

i have done some beech in the past and ended up with the washboard effect, any tips on how to avoid this? was i pushing it through to fast, it was using oregon ripping chain, and involved lots of sanding to remove the ripples

 

Charlie

[Treewarrior]

Make sure you have the clamps very tight.

 

Tried my new mill received from Rob this weekend and ended up with a damaged chain and nose guard. I had not tightened the bar clamps enough and the whole mill moved!

 

On the plus side, here is my first effort!

[Rob D]

i have done some beech in the past and ended up with the washboard effect, any tips on how to avoid this? was i pushing it through to fast, it was using oregon ripping chain, and involved lots of sanding to remove the ripples

 

Charlie

 

 

The more milling I do the more I find the chain is the all important and the dominating thing when it comes to chainsaw milling. It could have been the depth guages were a little low and/or the 'gullet' of the tooth was too acute (or too half moon shaped...? don't know how else to describe it!) and this can also give you too aggresive a cut and larger ripple effect.

 

When I really take the time the night before to get the chain right then I find milling a beautiful experience - smooth and fast, giving smoother planks with less effort. It's all about the chain!

 

 

[Rob D]

Make sure you have the clamps very tight.

 

Tried my new mill received from Rob this weekend and ended up with a damaged chain and nose guard. I had not tightened the bar clamps enough and the whole mill moved!

 

On the plus side, here is my first effort!

 

 

Great work John - really good to see people getting stuck in with their mills on Abtalk!

 

I did the same thing the other day - maybe there was a bit of grease on the end of the bar but the same thing happened..... It's best to go from one bolt to the next, then again making sure it's well tightened down...

 

Caught the nose guard with a bang - another slap on the wrist for myself!!

[Treewarrior]

Another thing as a trainee miller, the frame gets very hot near the saw, burnt my wrist. Think I'll be wearing chainsaw gloves from now on. Got any videos yet Rob?

[Rob D]

Yes will be posting plenty more vids on here! Maybe allow an inch from where the saw dogs are to where the mill clamps on to give the exhaust gases a bit more room to escape..... but yes it'll still get a bit hot!