What Chainsaw do you run?

Take your wood to a mill far better cut and far more accurate and a lot easier on your saw. Another issue is the chain, a cross cut chain does not rip worth a hoot your planks will look like waves on the ocean.

 

I bought a 395xp to mill with and haven’t milled with it yet. Found out my neighbor has a mill on wheels and he is willing to mill my wood for $40 an hour. Now the 395 only gets used for cutting rounds and dead heading stumps. I want to get a 20” or 24” bar for it

 

What are you cutting that's 2 feet +? When I'm in the woods I take the lightest smallest saw I can take to get the job done something that big will involve at least a tractor just to roll it. You will need a pretty good pole saw unless you don't have a problem with limbs clobbering you.

 

24" bar means you don't have to bend over, just have to be careful the tip stays out of the dirt. Us old guys trade off weight for convenience.

 

I wish it was that easy. I have since segmented it up into about 4 ft pieces since that was about as much as I could muster to roll out of my back yard. I had a beetle kill oak fall down that had a rotten base which landed on my fence and metal gazebo. It was a giant pain in the ass to clear up but now its behind my property and as the saying goes, out of sight out of mind. I'd still like to get it cleaned up. With the burl on it and its odd shape and width at most the widest, I cant wrap my arms around it. I measured using two levels and got about 38" at the widest. Now where its resting is impossible to get a vehicle back there to move it. I'd have to tear down 2 segments of fence and my children's swing set to drag it to the street. I have neighbors on my left and right with a creek behind the property so no way to easily reach it through the forest. I guess pictures would help so here's when I started cutting it into manageable pieces.



I'm at work so I'll have to check to make sure that link works when I get home since that site is blocked but according to my phone, that's the correct link. Anyway, I'd like to salvage the burl or at least slice it correctly. Fear not, I'm not about to make any rash decisions on that burl yet and it is still in tact. Hell, its been sitting back there for over a year since a deployment prevented me from doing anything with it and its back to 'out of sight, out of mind'.

-J

 

Ok you only need a 20" bar then to cut though it.

 

I had to make 2 cuts from opposing ends just to slice it into manageable pieces, there's no way I can slab it with a 20" bar. My 18" Poulan Pro gave up the ghost which resulted in me going out and buying the Husqvarna. The Rancher made quick work of it but still, Oak is a tough nut to crack. Unless you weren't talking to me specifically, I couldn't tell. I did fix the photo in my post though. That was after I took the top of the tree off. Just that slice you see there was 20". You can see that it widens as it gets closer to the burl to at least 36" at its widest. I was under the impression that Alaskan mills needed to be completely through the log since the oiler is attached to the tip of the saw blade. I figured I'd need at least 4" of extra saw sticking out the side so I guestimated 42" just to be safe.

It doesn't have to be this one specifically, but this is what I had in my mind when I think Alaskan Mill. I know there are smaller ones without a secondary chain oiler. I could turn those slabs into tables and recoup the cost of the mill but Id rather not break the bank.

-J

 

Husqvarna 550XP

 

Added a 16” light bar to the 261.
born with a 20”, grew into an 18” and now will live as a 16. The 400 will be for bigger lumber.

 

16" bar on a 261 that thing must be a ripper!

 

I’ll let you know when I have time to retune and get into it.

 

I've got a 20" on my ported 026 and it does just fine but one of these days I'd like to throw an 18" bar on there.

 

The light bars are super nice! I put a light 20” on my 261. I guess the thin kerfs are starting to catch on. Overseas they’re really popular.

 

Well the 046 performed well today. Yesterday I climbed 70’ up to limb and set a cable. Today we took it down. The old growth cedar was 100’ tall and 18’ in circumference. That is 69” in diameter. I’m running a 28” bar with a skip tooth. So I had to get to the sweet spot of 14.5’ in circumference for a 55.5” diameter. That was about 9’ off the ground. Built a scaffold around the base. But still had to cut at shoulder level. Double cut the notch and the back cut. Went right where I told it to go. Even jumped the scaffold. Will send three 25’ sections to the mill and will end up with a cord of limb wood to sell for firewood. Stay Well…Stay Safe

 

Nice work! Do you usually run your chain that loose?

 

Thanks. No…Picture was taken just after getting it in the ground. It was a new chain after 30 minutes of cutting at shoulder height and in all kinds of opposing angles. Slack was tightened for next tree though.

 

What is the best way to get into climbing trees? YouTube videos? Don’t really have any time to apprentice with anybody. Also don’t really have any need other than it looks like fun.

 

Great question. I worked for Davey Tree for several years while living near Yosemite National Park. We were responsible for maintaining the clearance near the power lines. I worked my way up from groundsman to climber. Learned from some great climbers. It’s very technical and lots of room for things to go horribly wrong. Sometimes you can find classes or logging jamborees where they will give you the opportunity to try it out. Maybe check out a local tree service to see if they would be willing to let you try it out using their gear. Good luck…be safe.

 

I’d definitely want to have a mentor.
I have worked with a tree company a few times when they were down a man or 2.
(It’s a friends business).

I don’t climb. But there’s more to it than climbing.
Knots, equipment, rope types, ect.

The type tree you are climbing, where to tie off, and even where you place your equipment.

It’s a dangerous job. Things can go wrong fast.

 

This is the truth.