Rob D

Yes but the shavings we have will not be like these you are describing! They will make a mess and they will be dusty!

I have tried loads of set ups with loads of different combos - and for my pennys worth it comes down to this. If you ran them full tilt out of the wood one saw (the faster) would drive the other. But once buried in the wood both saws revs come down. Say an MS880 max revs is 9000. Say an MS660 max revs is 11000. Start cutting with these and the revs of both fall to 6000. So both are trying to push that chain around... it's not really relevant whether they rev higher than each other unladen as long as when cutting the revs on both are below their max revs. More info here if you need it:

Seems to be working ok

The little Panthers seem better - nose sprocket seems better fitting tolerance and they seem a little stiffer - but really only time will tell. I've been using one on an Echo 2511and seems fine.

We should have some of the 1/4 .043 bars for this Husky - would be great if someone could double check the Stihl 1/4 .043 chain travels smoothly around the Husky 1/4 drive sprocket (but if it is driving 1/4 .050 it should do). In fact we will have dedicated 10" bars running the 1/4 .043 - one for this Husky and the 536Li/Stihl 150T/Echo2511 all taking 56 drive links of the Stihl 3670-71PM3 1/4 .043 chain (but all different bars particular to that saw). Had enough of all the different drive link counts and this chain not fitting on this bar hence we have got these made somewhere else... hope they are good!

Really the hyperskip is good for over 4 foot bars - under that and a big powerhead you may as well use full comp. But it is mad how it smoothes out the cut - push hard and the saw just keeps it's revs and does not bog down. It is very user friendly. Lo pro can stretch more, less stay sharp and more stretch - but it does give a lovely fine cut particularly the Stihl PMX.

Yep I have that and it is a good read. Lo pro set ups are around 8mm kerf - so you save 20% over .404 but of course you do have the disadvantages of lo pro. Have you tried the 27RX yet? That is crazy chain on a larger set up - only a few teeth to sharpen and so smooth to cut with.

We are starting to make a few custom double ended set ups now - these are not production ready as such and things like bar drilling and the nose end need tweaking but once up and running they seem to work well. This is Scott in Devon going from a smaller Panther up to a 72" double ended version MS880 one end and MS660 on the other.

Could you drill an access hole in the skid to come into the tensioner that way on those older saws? Also having trouble tracking your address can you PM it over to me? Thanks for letting us use the vids and keep any feedback good or bad coming please.

Haha! Yep as said really find what works best for you and stick with that - very hard in someways as folk are always asking for 'what the best' is (for everything not just ripping chain). But there is no best!

Great vid - like the way you held off the nearside saw to keep the mill in the middle of the first cut rails. I reckon that is the Oregon 27RX Hyperskip that allows this - a full comp chain I think there would be no fighting it! I'd like to use the vid for a bit of marketing purposes if ok? If so happy to donate a couple of smaller stainless brackets so you can brace your first cut system in the middle rather than needing wedges. Will send a PM as well.

Sorry late reply Mark - the parts are not interchangable between the two I'm afraid..

Made this page on ripping chain which is something I've been meaning to do for years but never got round to it. Mainly all the questions on ripping chain tend to be the same so hopefully this covers the subject pretty comprehensively - however if there is anything missing or not answered please post and I'll add it in. It's copied and pasted from the CSB website so not sure if the links will work or not. Chainsaw ripping chain comes in several different sizes so please select your chain from the options below: . .404 .063 Ripping Chains 3/8 Ripping Chains .325 Ripping Chains 3/8 lo pro Ripping Chains . . Ripping chain is chainsaw chain designed specifically for cutting with the grain. Ripping chain is always micro chisel or semi chisel chain which features a re configured cutting angle of 10 degrees. . With Oregon and Stihl ripping chain this is the only difference - the chain is not made differently or any different from 'normal' chain. Only the cutting angle is different. Granberg ripping chain has been modified further - this configuration features x2 scoring cutters followed by x2 clearing cutters. The easiest way to sharpen this is by making all the cutters 10 degrees however if you wish you can sharpen the scoring cutters to 20 degrees and the clearing cutters to 5 degrees. Please bear in mind this process is carried out manually on a grinding machine at the factory and so some of the scoring cutters can become hardened in the process. This makes them very hard to sharpen using a round file and some sort of grinder may be required. . [caption id="attachment_19422" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Idenitfy Parts Of The Chain[/caption] . You need Ripping Chain to work with a chainsaw mill. It is dangerous to use ripping chain for ordinary cross cutting purposes as kick back could be more violent. . FAQS on Ripping Chain Can I simply adapt my existing chain to become a 'ripping chain'. Yes you can but only if it is of the chisel or micro chisel variety. If you are not sure what type of chain you have then first job is to identify it. You can ID exactly which chain you have using our Essential Info pages here and the Chain ID table found here. Now you know what make and size chain you have look down the chain at the outer profile - check the pictures below of the Oregon 27R and Stihl 46RCX). Does your chain profile look similar to this? If so it is micro or semi chisel chain. If you have semi or micro chisel chain you can alter the angle from 30 degrees to 10 degrees. Chisel chain has a very right angled appearance while micro or semi chisel chain as a more rounded appearance. Remember chisel chain is no use to convert into ripping chain. Check the end profile and confirm if you have chisel chain - it will look something like the below picture. What happens if I use chisel chain or 'ordinary' cross cut chain to rip timber? You can use it for one or two jobs but it is not recommended. You will find the vibration is a lot higher and the quality of the surface a lot rougher than if you used dedicated ripping chain. The harder the wood the more pf these issues make themselves felt. Skip link and hyper skip link ripping chain - pros and cons For longer bars (bars that are over 3 foot) you may consider using skip link chain on your chainsaw mill. Skip link chain has an extra tie strap between each cutter. This means there are less cutters taking 'bites' out of the wood, more space for chip waste to be expelled from the cut and less resistance on the chain so chain speed is kept up. So why doesn't everyone use it all the time? Because if you have a shorter bar and plenty of power you have less teeth cutting and so your cut will actually be slower and rougher than full comp chain. So it only starts coming into it's own as bars become longer. What chain sizes are available? There are now very few chains available in full skip that are micro chisel - you have Oregon 27AX which is full skip chain in 30 degree cross cut format. So you would have to alter the angle of this from 30 degrees to 10 degrees to make a skip link ripping chain. The other option is Oregon 27RX. This is known as hyperskip ripping chain with x10 tie straps between each pair of cutting teeth! This comes pre sharpened to 10 degrees. Lo pro ripping chain - pros and cons Similar to skip link chain 3/8 lo pro ripping chain is not for everyone. However most chainsaw millers are always looking out for a longer bar to go on their existing chainsaw being that chainsaw is generally the most expensive part on a chainsaw milling system. 3/8 lo pro chain takes a very slightly thinner cut (around 15% to 20% thinner) than the larger standard 3/8 chain. This allows a smaller powerhead to drive a longer bar. PROS Faster milling speeds Smaller kerf lost as sawdust Longer bars can be used on smaller chainsaws without straining the powerhead CONS Lo pro ripping chain will suffer more chain stretch than standard 3/8 ripping chain Stay sharp ability is reduced due to smaller area doing the cutting Lo pro ripping chain is not as strong as standard 3/8 ripping chain - more chance of snapping particularly if abused Who makes 3/8 lo pro ripping chains? Oregon makes 91R - good for small chainsaws but not suitable on larger set ups. Stihl makes 63PMX which is an excellent chain which gives superb performance straight out of the box and works well on larger set ups. Granberg adapted 3/8 lo pro ripping chain is made from a Carlton chain and also provides good strong performance. . Differences between various manufacturers ripping chains There are no concrete answers to this question. A little like which chainsaws are the best Stihl or Husqvarna. Suffice it to say if one was far better than the other then everyone would use the same chain. But they do not and really it is simply a case of which one you think works best for you. . Sharpening Technique and best practice Within normal chainsaw use sharpening is one of the most important aspects of using a chainsaw. In chainsaw milling it becomes crucial. There is nothing new to be learned except to reinforce the basics of - consistent tooth length, consistent angle, correct chain shape, correct depth gauge setting. Just getting one aspect wrong can slow your chainsaw milling to half the speed you could be going. Quickly touching up a chain and chainsaw milling will cause poor results. Most people would benefit using some sort of fixed guide that controls tooth length. File size and where it is placed against the tooth controls the side plate angle and shape of the tooth. All chain sharpening principles remain the same - only the angle is different. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMYnxtCYW8g

Thanks for such well informed feedback and I will try and keep it up!!

Good idea - would be nice if the bags were not plastic - will look into options...

Yep have been doing or trying to meditate for a couple of years - but it is hard to do and results have not seemed that obvious.. but will keep doing it until I get results. I think it ties in with how you live your life and how you percieve things... Can't say I've got far with it but had enough with all the meaningless twaddle my brain churns out all the time. I want control of my brain - at the moment it does what it pretty much pleases! Headspace app is a good easy way to try it.

Brown paper could be a way to go although you'd need a lot to make sure the mill didn't roll around too much. But got to be better than plastic. Hard to give customers the choice Josh as we'd then have to have a tick box specially put on checkout... but it's possible...

Just checked back in on this thread... well last 3 months has been shall we say character building! I'm still holding tight and not thinking ifs buts and maybes... (I didn't sell anything at the peak ). But I believe in the technology and this year coming I feel will be epic in all ways crypto.

Thanks for the offer but it's just the Panther mill we're looking at in this thread.

I may be a gentleman but I can still behave in an ungentlemanly manner at times!

Ok fair enough - I think the Treestuff vid is a little or even a lot exaggerated really. If the bars lasted for the large majority for as long as they say then people would only use Sugi bars and nothing else. I'm not sure why it does not oil well on your saw - not heard of this before but perhaps the oiler hole is a little smaller than the Stihl possibly? But that's a guess... If you PM me ref buying another Sugi bar we'll do something on it for you if you choose to go down the Sugi route again or even better e-mail me on [email protected]

I think just lifting the mill out the box will provide that mechanism

I will certainly do my best... if you post it up on the Panther mill thread please.

No it wasn't was it!

Quite possibly Gary but a tenner is a tenner right? But opinion on myself seems to go both ways and a lot of customers love chatting to Laurence so I'd say the bias should balance out!