Using a stihl 076

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Hi all

I have a healthy stihl 076 with a 48in bar , I'm needing to make up 8by8 beams and am thinking about the granberg mill , would the stihl rollermatic bar be fine for milling or would a sugi bar be better ?.

Cheers

[agg221]

No problem with the Rollomatic bar.

 

8" is quite narrow to mill with a 48" bar on a large powerhead if you are learning. Making the slabs is easy enough, but cutting them down at 90degrees whilst maintaining accuracy is tricky as there are a lot of things to watch and check they are level. If you have a smaller saw, around 60-90cc with a bar length between 15" and 20" and can run to a mini-mill to go alongside your Alaskan, it will make it a lot easier to get starting cuts. If it is a decent size saw (70cc or more) it may well be easier to then mount that in the Alaskan once you have a face to work off, as it will be a lot more controllable. I tend to do this with an 066 running a 25" bar once cuts are below 15" or so as it is just as quick, more fuel efficient and a lot more manageable.

 

Alec

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Cheers Alec,, I may try a smaller setup, is there any particular way to do the joists from the tree, as in quarters of use the centre, I'm not sure on how stable it would be when used green then drying .

I was thinking about having say a 17inch slab by 8inch thick ready then doing a vertical cut down the centre

[agg221]

Cheers Alec,, I may try a smaller setup, is there any particular way to do the joists from the tree, as in quarters of use the centre, I'm not sure on how stable it would be when used green then drying .

I was thinking about having say a 17inch slab by 8inch thick ready then doing a vertical cut down the centre

 

Cutting so the grain runs in straight lines across the joist will give the most stable timber, but there is a trade-off between optimum cut for material and optimum cut for yield. Say you have a 24" diameter butt. This will comfortably yield four joists from the quarters but if you cut a slab out of the middle you can only get two. However, if you need a load of other depth material (for example rafters) then this may still be OK as you can cut the slab out with its centreline in the middle of the tree. The 'offcuts' from each side will yield a good slab; these can then be ripped down the other way into for example 1off 8"x3" + 2off 6"x3" or 2off 6"x3" + 2off 4"x3", depending on what you need.

 

This is why it helps to have your whole cutting list worked out before you start as it lets you optimise your cuts.

 

Once you have cut out all the bigger stuff, don't throw away the small offcuts. You will be amazed how many decent battens you can get out of it using a table saw. I would avoid getting any sapwood into the battens though.

 

Alec