Alaskan mill

Effects

Just wondering if anyone here has used an alaskan mill and what your experiences are. I was thinking about getting one of these: http://alaskanmill.co.uk/?product=24-alaskan-mill and a new ripping chain for it to use with my Stihl 041.

I'm at the early stages of getting a house built and would like to use some trees from some land I own to make furniture. I'm taking down a couple of sycamores and scots pine. Plan is to cut planks myself now that I will need so they have time to season and then I'll have someone make the furniture.

I know I can hire a mobile mill but I'd rather do it myself and I do like the thought of using a mobile mill.

tabby aspreme

With the chainsaw mill you loose a lot of wood to sawdust especially if your cutting planks less than 50 mm , I have no experience of the mobile mills but I'd imagine they are limited in the size they can handle and would work out expensive unless you had a full days work for one, are there any mills near you that would cut it if you brought it to them. When your drying the scyamore let each plank stand vertically indoors against a wall for a few weeks to allow the surface to dry before you stack them horizontally with the spacers between them otherwise the spacers will stain the scyamore where they touch, another option is use plastic spacers and then the planks can be stacked straight after cutting, I hope you get some ripple in the scyamore it can look stunning.

Effects

I'd imagine transport to a mill might be costly as I'd need to hire a machine that can access and lift the tree trunks.

recipio

I looked into this a while ago. I found one 'mobile miller' willing to travel to the site but I didn't have enough timber to justify it.
My local sawmiller quoted me 40 euro/hr to cut them up - but like you I don't have the facilities to transport logs.
Its a sadly underdeveloped facility in Ireland.

Effects

I found a mobile mill within 50km. Charges €50 per hour.
I figured for the same price I could buy the Alaskan mill and then I'd have it for future use if/when I needed it.
Asked siblings if they wanted to get some stuff milled at the same time but they aren't really into it. I know when the planks are dry and ready to use that they will want some though!

tabby aspreme

Effects wrote: »

I found a mobile mill within 50km. Charges €50 per hour.
I figured for the same price I could buy the Alaskan mill and then I'd have it for future use if/when I needed it.
Asked siblings if they wanted to get some stuff milled at the same time but they aren't really into it. I know when the planks are dry and ready to use that they will want some though!

50 kms is a good distance away , anybody near you with a block lorry and a loading grab

Effects

The trees I plan to fell are on farmland and the access is by field. My small van just about navigates it but I wouldn't try anything like a lorry in case it would get stuck. Apart from the ease of having a mill cut it I'd get a lot of enjoyment in cutting into lumber myself.

recipio wrote: »

I found one 'mobile miller' willing to travel to the site but I didn't have enough timber to justify it.
Its a sadly underdeveloped facility in Ireland.

There was an episode of Grand Designs a couple of years ago and they guy used local trees and had them milled. Had horses pull them out of the forest. Cost the same as if he had bought the lumber from a yard but he preferred sourcing it locally from the nearby forest.

Miname

The price of petrol and chain oil would decimate your bank balance by the time you would have the first board cut. Have you ever had to work a chainsaw for a long period of time . The novelty gets well worn after the first half hour and when you've a full day done you'll never want to see it again.

CJhaughey

60cc is too small to be really good at milling, you really need a 90+cc saw.
You'll be operating at max revs to get any kind of progress with a saw that size.
Not to mention the sharpening of the ripping chains. End grain is hard to cut, Also need a high output oil pump and preferably an auxiliary oiler on the end of the bar.
I have seen some made from pole saw oilers.
High capacity air filter as well, lots of fine dust when you mill end grain.
Woodmiser is a far better job if you have any amount to do, you won't waste half as much with the narrow kerf.
Skid it out if you can with a log arch and a quad or your van.

recipio

I'd imagine its hard on the back as well.
I see a German made bandmill on E#bay for about 5K .
The Chinese are supplying half decent petrol bandmills to the American chain stores ( Harbor Freight ) retailing at $1750. It can only be a matter of time before they hit our shores ?
Personally I would prefer a 3 phase electric job - starting those petrol engines in winter can be a pain.

CJhaughey

recipio wrote: »

I'd imagine its hard on the back as well.
I see a German made bandmill on E#bay for about 5K .
The Chinese are supplying half decent petrol bandmills to the American chain stores ( Harbor Freight ) retailing at $1750. It can only be a matter of time before they hit our shores ?
Personally I would prefer a 3 phase electric job - starting those petrol engines in winter can be a pain.

Finding three phase can be a pain as well.
I'd have no problems with a Honda Powered saw, those little GX engines just keep running if given the most basic care and attention.
You don't need as much HP either as you aren't dragging a big chain through the cut, just a skinny bandsaw blade.

Effects

Miname wrote: »

Have you ever had to work a chainsaw for a long period of time . The novelty gets well worn after the first half hour and when you've a full day done you'll never want to see it again.

Yeah, I've spent a good bit of time working on the chainsaw over the past ten years or so. I find having to move brash into a pile to burn later in the year more of a chore.

CJhaughey wrote: »

60cc is too small to be really good at milling.
You'll be operating at max revs to get any kind of progress with a saw that size.
Not to mention the sharpening of the ripping chains. End grain is hard to cut, Also need a high output oil pump and preferably an auxiliary oiler on the end of the bar.
High capacity air filter as well, lots of fine dust when you mill end grain.
Woodmiser is a far better job if you have any amount to do, you won't waste half as much with the narrow kerf.
Skid it out if you can with a log arch and a quad or your van.

I guess I figured the 60cc would be enough for all the milling I need to do at present. The seller in the UK recommended a 25" bar with 24" Alaskan mill. It is their business to sell them though. I was factoring in a couple of days to get it all cut. I have noticed the standard chain finds it hard to cut end grain alright but I figured a ripping chain would do a lot better at it.

Starting to have second thoughts again now and maybe it would be better to get a wood miser in. I thought doing more myself would actually be more worthwhile and satisfying.

CJhaughey

Effects wrote: »

I guess I figured the 60cc would be enough for all the milling I need to do at present. The seller in the UK recommended a 25" bar with 24" Alaskan mill. It is their business to sell them though. I was factoring in a couple of days to get it all cut. I have noticed the standard chain finds it hard to cut end grain alright but I figured a ripping chain would do a lot better at it.

There is no way a 60cc saw will pull a 25" bar through end grain and last for long.
Don't get me wrong chainsaw milling is great but you need to be set up for it and the cost of a milling saw and the mill will be less than hiring a mobile band mill for the job and a lot less work on the saw and yourself.

Effects

You are making total sense to me. What sort of milling saw are you recommending?

CJhaughey

Effects wrote: »

You are making total sense to me. What sort of milling saw are you recommending?

I'd be looking at a Stihl MS660 or Husky 395XP at a minimum.
You can get away with a little smaller but if you plan on doing any amount of timber a bigger saw is the first thing you will be looking for.
Have you looked at the Logosol series of mills?, they have a lot of options for bandsaw/chainsaw etc.

Effects

I guess I didn't factor in the cost of a new saw on top of the alaskan mill to be honest. Already hiding the cost of the mill from my wife!

karltimber

here is my little baby
I got it made for my 85cc stihl, with a 3 foot bar.
I used it mainly for a yew trunk i got a while back.

The height can be adjusted for different cuts.

does the trick.

CJhaughey

karltimber wrote: »

here is my little baby
I got it made for my 85cc stihl, with a 3 foot bar.
I used it mainly for a yew trunk i got a while back.

The height can be adjusted for different cuts.

does the trick.

Are the teeth 10° or 30°?

karltimber

Hi,

can't remember.
I usually cut diagonally, instead of straight on endgrain and it's normally wet timber.

Was on holidays in Canada years ago and won an ebay auction and got the 3 foot bar & 3 chains for 40punt
Miss' loved me bringing the bar back on the plane.

Effects

karltimber wrote: »

here is my little baby
I got it made for my 85cc stihl, with a 3 foot bar.

Looks great, how much did it cost to get made?