Lough Gur Slabber

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Picking chain puzzled me alright. Picking the right bar was easy. Getting it, not so much. Anyway, mistakes were made but are now being sorted. The real kicker was being all geared up, the chain wouldn't go near the bar and not being able to get through to the guys in Chainsawbars as it was Saturday and Sunday. Family were away for the weekend (milling time) and I had nobody to vent the spleen to. I was hopping. The dog was looking out at me from under the trailer as I took to the internet, ranting and looked like a chap narrating The Nuremburg Rally. Maybe next time I'll do breathing exercises and a bit of collage. Got the driveway powerwashed....

OK. Firstly, I was absolutely mad with rage when I went to mill and the bar was wrong. I'd paid contractors over €200 to haul 4 big trunk sections up to a local farmers yard, having promised him to have them milled and gone in a fortnight. Compounding this was having contacted the lads about the bar being the low-pro already but reassured to drill it. That said, I am abashedly after learning to cool down before venting online. Today, when I succeeded in contacting Rob from Chainsawbars, he was genuine, apologetic and obliging. It was the wrong bar, which was missed in my initial feedback but the correct bar is coming (lets hope the chains fit). The lowpro bar is mine to keep. Given the circumstances, as they are, there's not much more that he can do for me. All that's left is to sweet talk the farmer whose yard I am clogging up and to get stuck in when the bar arrives. Clement weather would be nice but that's asking a lot.

Got onto Chainsawbars and told them of all previously mentioned concerns, re. wrong bar coming: not drilled, different dimensions in width, different sprocket head etc. I was told to drill the bar and it will be fine. I drilled it. It's not fine. Went to put a chain on today and show up for a job I've been hired for. It's not a .404 bar. Sickened. I expect proper customer support this time. I expect the correct bar. A .404 bar as ordered and paid for. Annoyed that I doubted myself as the newbie and took such careless advice from the experts. Talk about not even looking at the damn pictures.

Adjusted the oiler. Ran the chain a little looser. Sorted.

End of my bar started smoking and saw power waned. Had a look and the pictured insert(?) was pushed out to one side. I tapped it back in and tried started the saw. As soon as the chain brake was off and I revved a little it was smoking and sparking. ☹ Help. As Manuel says, 'I know nothing'.

Lovely.

Delighted to join the ranks of you sawyers today. Thanks for all previous advice. Addicted.

Pics

https://www.chainsawbars.co.uk/product/stihl5-husky5-hs64-63rq-gb-extra-long-5-foot-64-162cm-sprocket-nose-bar-404-063-180-drive-links/ A different bar I reckon. The one I ordered, in the link above looks to be a similar in dimensions to the 54" but longer. The one I got is much thinner and tapered. The sprocket end is different, drilled etc. The one in the link would only need one additional hole drilled at the drive head end.

I looked back on my order and checked out the pics of the bar I ordered. The one that came isn't the one pictured. Nothing was drilled. Bar back in packaging. Thought I was going mad!

Aha! Its the wrong bar.

Was looking forward to tackling a big piece today and went to fit the 64" bar to the PM60 mill. Can't figure it out. Nose end of bar is not drilled out. Do I drill the bar? Either way the mill won't be long enough to take the bar, at least not with the guard type piece that fits over the nose. Maybe if I take that off, use washers/ spacers in its place and drill the bar it'll do the trick. Is there something I am missing?

Will do.

The aim is to make table tops from these after drying them. I plan to mill 3" slabs. Stack them on tarmac drive, raised up 8 inches (blocks on side), stickers between blocks and slabs etc. Slatted shelter made of pallets with a sheet metal roof around slabs. Ends sealed. Milling a Panther PM60 with a 64" bar driven by an MS880. Being new to this it is all theory. I've run the mill over a few practice trees and have the hang of it. A guy with a woodmizer told me spalted beech draws woodworm. I know nothing about that or if it can be prevented. The weather is awful here at the moment. If I can't mill a trunk section fully in one day for whatever unforeseen circumstances, is it ok to just put a tarp over the half milled log for a week or so or should it be sealed? Theres only an hour of light left by the time I'm home on week days so I am a weekend operation until Christmas hols. Please tell me how and where my naievitey is showing. No such thing as too blunt....? The Anchorseal is on.

Sorry. Double post.

Will get the Anchorseal on right now.

I have a nice tree lined up with decent spalting. I would appreciate any advice re milling, stacking, storing, drying that might be relevant to spalted beech. Thanks.

I hate it when my dad gets sad because his sister is dying. Such a downer...... .....Irish humour too dark for you subjects??

Yep, think I will have to up the budget for a PM GB54. Thanks. More new guy questions to come...like paint recommendations for painting ends of slabs.

I ordered the following panther mill: PM-48-GB48 Panther Horizon Chainsaw Mill 48" with GB 48" Lo Pro Milling Bar 3/8 Lo Pro .050 153 drive links My saw is an ms880 with 48' duromatic bar. From reading on this forum I'm hearing that a low pro bar isn't ideal for someone new to milling. Should I only be considering 404 ripping chain with sprocket nosed bar? My budget mightn't stretch to the PM60, especially as I feel I should also be attaching an auxiliary oiler. Now I'm fed up and don't know whether to change my order and if so....to what. Have loads of trees lined up and all my new gear, just waiting on a mill but which one. My budget was totalling around £650 with tax and delivery.

Now I am worried. I've ordered the low pro 48' panther mill for my ms880...?

Just seperated my first root plate, exactly like I was taught to, thank Christ. The stump sat up slowly like an old boy in bed. Its a beech and I think it might be spalted nicely. Hoping to make tables. What do ye think?