I want to start milling.

[Oddsandends]

I live in Virginia, and here we have some surprisingly large trees and some beautiful wood. I am considering starting to save up for a milling setup because lumber prices are also soaring which makes all of my projects more expensive. I also want my own lumber. I am looking at building a rice burning 880. Any advice?

 

[Czed]

A 880 and 3120 are extremely large and heavy saws they will mill of course but
we use 394/395s to mill here also the 066/660s are most popular.
It would be much cheaper to run these compare to the 880 there's tons of parts readily available for the more popular saws
i just have a holzfforma 32" mill it works just fine.

 

[Junk Meister]

Another consideration if you are buying a saw to mill with, Where the oil and fuel gets filled, and a chain adjuster in the side of the clutch cover. I have older Stihls that will be contrary for those reasons.
Exhaust for heat build up and fresh air for YOU to breath EZer.

 

[Zee33]

I have just started into milling my own lumber and you will definitely need to choose the right saw firstly . From what I found , the harder the wood the more powerful saw your gonna need.

My first shot at it was 2 weeks ago . The wood was 24" width of red oak 8 feet long .

The setup I am using is a Stihl 084AV , Granberg edging tool and the 24" Alaskan milling attachment. Had to narrow the trunk to get it to fit in the milling jig tho. Lesson learned. Also a note , if you decide to use one of the Alaskan mills , I would highly suggest purchasing the winch attachment as well. What a back saver and make sure you have wedges.

So the end result was 18" x 96" x 1" planks. Took a half tank of fuel and 3/4 tank of bar oil.

Again , lol mileage will vary depending on what saw , what chain , and what type of wood.

I was lucky selecting a saw because the guy that sold me his was already milling with the saw . You want a saw with a lot of torque with plenty of rpm left .
I also saw on this forum to run the saw a little wet (rich) . Hopefully some of this helps and that someone else can verify that I'm giving you the right info. Good luck

I also use my Stihl 084 for regular felling of trees . It's a beast , so when there's any doubt about making sure I get my cut thru quick to drop the tree , it's my go to saw. So also keep that in mind. Multi-purpose saw , not just a milling saw.

 

[Czed]

I have just started into milling my own lumber and you will definitely need to choose the right saw firstly . From what I found , the harder the wood the more powerful saw your gonna need.

My first shot at it was 2 weeks ago . The wood was 24" width of red oak 8 feet long .

The setup I am using is a Stihl 084AV , Granberg edging tool and the 24" Alaskan milling attachment. Had to narrow the trunk to get it to fit in the milling jig tho. Lesson learned. Also a note , if you decide to use one of the Alaskan mills , I would highly suggest purchasing the winch attachment as well. What a back saver and make sure you have wedges.

So the end result was 18" x 96" x 1" planks. Took a half tank of fuel and 3/4 tank of bar oil.

Again , lol mileage will vary depending on what saw , what chain , and what type of wood.

I was lucky selecting a saw because the guy that sold me his was already milling with the saw . You want a saw with a lot of torque with plenty of rpm left .
I also saw on this forum to run the saw a little wet (rich) . Hopefully some of this helps and that someone else can verify that I'm giving you the right info. Good luck

I also use my Stihl 084 for regular felling of trees . It's a beast , so when there's any doubt about making sure I get my cut thru quick to drop the tree , it's my go to saw. So also keep that in mind. Multi-purpose saw , not just a milling saw.

Oddsandends is no longer a member here
I've set up to run a 395 on my mill if i ever get time.

 

[Fleethirte]

j have chainsaw milled and their is no comparison to a bandsaw mill.
i would recommend saving up for a woodland mills bandsaw mill. but just my 2 cents….

 

[Czed]

j have chainsaw milled and their is no comparison to a bandsaw mill.
i would recommend saving up for a woodland mills bandsaw mill. but just my 2 cents….

No
What's the point of buying a band mill and not being able to get it to where the tree's are located.
And having no way to transport the tree's to the mill
That's why people buy chainsaw mills.

 

[Fleethirte]

No
What's the point of buying a band mill and not being able to get it to where the tree's are located.
And having no way to transport the tree's to the mill
That's why people buy chainsaw mills.

ahhh that is a good point. never thought about it in that aspect!

 

[Fleethirte]

i started chainsaw milling with a oem 395 then when the clone 395s came out i tried one just to see how it did. the only gripe i have with the clone saw is it dosent like to idle sometimes. i use it now over the oem just because i works almost as well and is like 4 or 5 times cheaper.

also use a respirator.

 

[Seachaser]

Oddsandends is no longer a member here
I've set up to run a 395 on my mill if i ever get time.

????
His profile said he was on this morning.

 

[LAWN BOY]

????
His profile said he was on this morning.

I noticed that too. His profile is not fully visible, but I can see when he’s on cause I followed him. He got banned from posting.

 

[Czed]

????
His profile said he was on this morning.

Probably still pming his dad dallas
But can't post on the forums

 

[EFSM]

j have chainsaw milled and their is no comparison to a bandsaw mill.
i would recommend saving up for a woodland mills bandsaw mill. but just my 2 cents….

Totally agree. Especially if you're dealing with hardwoods. We just milled some white oak and swamp red oak...

No
What's the point of buying a band mill and not being able to get it to where the tree's are located.
And having no way to transport the tree's to the mill
That's why people buy chainsaw mills

We have a trailer kit on our Norwood.

But obviously there is a significant price difference. Each to their own.