morten

I have been asked to take down a large walnut tree, which seems healthy. I plan on doing it in November to have the moisture content down a little. DBH is about 120 cm and the stem is about 4 metres before it branches into three. I plan on milling the stem into slabs using an Alaskan CSM and selling about half the slabs off freshly cut, and store the other half for future use/sale when dried. In another (local) arborist forum, I have asked if anyone might be interested in having some slabs, and that generated a lot of interest. Now comes the tricky part – what is it worth? Provided the brown core is healthy and without shake, what would a reasonable price be for slabs (2" - 3" thick). I am looking for a guide price per volume of the "good brown stuff" - hoppus foot or cubic metre, whichever is the norm. Would the value increase if I managed to quarter saw the stem, or are through-and-through slabs more attractive to buyers? Due to the weight of the slabs, I would most likely make 2 metre length slabs. Any suggestions on how to handle this monster? It is definitely time to get that auxiliary oiler going. And I might even use this opportunity to get an MS880 for this job (no point in suggesting a Husky 3120, as I am committed to STIHL), my old faithful MS660 is going to be out of breath with this.

You should know that the dirk chain is a speciality chain that: 1. Is not sharp, and cuts wood very slowly. 2. Cannot be sharpened (without a specialized diamond grinding wheel) 3. Is very expensive But if you want to use it for sawing through a car or a floor containing soft steel nails, it is good

I don't mean to discourage you, but... As far as I can tell, the saw is only 1,800W (120V, 15A), which is not a lot for milling. It is NOT just a matter of torque, but how much power you can deliver to the chain. In any case, it will be VERY slow going. You should also stay with 3/8" Low Profile chain to reduce the kerf width and minimise power requirements. Another issue: The built-in self sharpening PowerSharp system would probably sharpen the chain with a top plate angle of 30°, but for milling, you really need 0°-10° top plate angle. Also, I am fairly certain that the CS1500 is not built for continuous operation (hight duty cycle) that milling requires, and you may end up with plastic parts melting on the saw, or worse. You should look into these issues, to avoid ending up with an expensive, but useless mill.

I can reassure you that they do work with the "low cost" versions a.k.a. "Chilaskan". I have used the quick release adjustments on both the Granberg Alaskan and Chilaskan mills

I am not quite sure why you have posted that link. I am aware of many remote throttle solutions, but none of them have been productised, and none of them have a universal fitting bracket. Here is a Google Image search that reveals many prototype-style designs: https://www.google.dk/search?tbm=isch&q=chainsaw+remore+throttle And as far as I can tell, there are NO dimensions available on the photos in your search, so I don't really see what I am getting out of your search link.

Velcro is a good idea, but I need a clamp that fits over the top of the handle, that holds the throttle cable assembly. And I hope to be able to make one universal clamp that will fit most, if not all, chainsaw handles. For the prototypes I am using polycarbonate for the clamp.

I am in the process of designing a "remote throttle control" for chainsaw mills, and I am trying to make a bracket that fits over the chainsaw handle and -throttle, and will be offering this as a retrofit kit on Alaskan and similar chainsaw mills. Ideally this bracket should fit any chainsaw brand, but if I can make it fit the larger STIHL and Husqvarna, I would be quite happy as this would likely cover 50+% of the milling saws used "in the wild". My problem is that I only have access to STIHL saws, and I would therefore like to ask you distinguished Arbtalkers, if some of you could provide me with photos of the handle of various large displacement chainsaws with dimensional information (ruler, tape measure). I am specifically looking for pictures of the handle on the these saws: Husqvarna 3120 Husqvarna 390/395 Dolmar/Makita 9010 To give an indication of what I am looking for, I have included a photo of a STIHL handle below. I would be happy to receive the photos in any form: Attached to this thread, sent as PM, shared on the web with a link, or sent in an email to me on [email protected]. Note: Please do not photograph from close up, as this will distort the dimensions. I would rather have lower resolution than distortion. I will be publishing my design (if succesful) in the Milling forum, for inspiration, and will possibly be making kits available for sale via ebay and/or distributors. But as the current design is not yet marketable, it'll have to wait until the next design iteration has been completed. By the way... yes, I am aware that it will be impossible to design a bracket purely based on photos alone, but they will be a help in the initial design.

What about using a number of worktop connector bolts, as used when joining kitchen worktops

LockJack can, though

Buy your ripping chains here: RIPPING CHAIN | Alaskan Mill ? Mobile Chainsaw Mills

I am certain that spares can be purchased, but the lead time would be weeks, and shipment by DHL would cost about £30. Support would be non-existing (for end users).

Rob (of chainsawbars fame) made a "blind" semi-scientific survey, sending out anonymised files to a fair number of professional users, and published the responses. As far as I know, this is the only independent survey ever published. Here is a link to the results: http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/chainsawbars/47661-mirror-mirror-wall-who-makes-best-chainsaw-file-them-all-2.html#post744639 The top-rated file (and by far my preferred brand) was the SaveEdge files, due to them being more "agressive" and durable. Hope this info is useful.

I am fairly confident that Royston Resources are buying the mills from a Chinese factory that markets the mills. Not only have they copied the Granberg Alaskan Mill Mk III, but they have also copied the Granberg Small Log Mill. Like Royston, they also market (one of) the Mills as an "Alaskan" mill – clearly infringing on Granberg's trademark. The current price (FOB south-east port) of the 36" Alaskan Mill is about US$ 50 (which at current exchange rates is £35. With sufficient volume, per-unit shipping costs would be quite low, and I believe the import duties are negligible. The manufacturer is Yongkang Senmal Tools Factory, and they also manufacture (surprise) wheelchair ramps.

Quite a bit of fungal decay in that timber. How long ago was it felled?

I managed to convince the customer to GIVE me the timber for free, which basically meant that he got less firewood than he would otherwise have gotten. I am quite happy about that arrangement – in addition to the £1,000 he paid to have the tree taken down, branches cut up as firewood, brash chipped and stump removed.

The chrome plating on the Stihl chain cutters are thicker, which makes it hold its edge a little better, but also means it is a little harder to file, and will wear down the file quicker. Another unique advantage that Stihl chains have is that they are "pre stretched". So when putting on a brand new Stihl chain, it won't go loose after a few minutes use like Oregon chains do. Mind you, that is a pretty minor issue having to tighten the chain once or twice more in the lifetime of a chain.

No idea. Customer wanted the tree down, and asked for me to turn into firewood. I was allowed to keep two sections of the trunk for milling. They were milled at 2.5", so I will have a couple of years to figure out what to make of them before they have dried sufficiently. I am considering building a kiln, but my wife isn't keen on yet another big unsightly box in the back yard

Just finished milling a walnut. Stem was 85 cm at the widest point. Beautiful wood

You can find some kiln info here: WOOD DRYING | Alaskan Mill ? Mobile Chainsaw Mills

(thread revival) Here is a link to a thread with lots of pictures about fabricating the mounting bracket

PM sent

I will call up Greenmech dealer tomorrow. I find it surprising that the Greenmech manual just specifies "belt" in the parts list, and that nobody seems to know the spec offhand, for a wearable consumable spare part for a common chipper.

It might have been once. But now they are burn beyond recognition, hence my question

Har are the specs for replacement drive belts for the Greenmech CS100 chipper. Lent mine out the other day and on return had a complaint that it smoked a lot and smelled of burnt rubber. When asked what they did about it, they responded "nothing, it worked just fine". Needless to say, I need a new drive belt set. But I can't find specs anywhere.

Making Your Own Natural Oak Shingles Can Be A Fun And Useful Trade