What's better for milling?

[livemusic]

A Stihl 500i or a Makita/Dolmar 7900? Have never milled before but I have a bazillion hardwood and also pine trees and my brother and I have long thought of experimenting with milling. Even if we made some rough beams or rough lumber for this and that. Also have been considering getting a larger saw (than my ported ms362), and my choice of late has been staying around one of those two saws. Which would be better for milling or would they be about the same?

 

[P.M.P.]

Milling is rough on then from what they say. I would use the 7900 over the Stihl parts are cheaper if I had to choose.

Personaly if it were me I'd sell the 500 buy 395 Husqvarna for the milling. If there was alot of wood to do.

What do you think @dall ?

 

[huskyboy]

Which would be better for milling or would they be about the same?

Neither one. 90cc minimum if your serious about this.

 

[TreeLife]

Neither one. 90cc minimum if your serious about this.

Agreed, something with a heavy duty bottom end.

 

[ucm931]

Agreed, something with a heavy duty bottom end.

You talkin saws.....or wimmins?

 

[TreeLife]

You talkin saws.....or wimmins?

Yes

 

[kneedeepinsaws]

Low rpm large displacement is best, milling is very hard on saws.
3120 with the 9600rpm rev limiter is a good choice.
The old stihl 090 is a serious battleaxe for this kind of thing as well.

I used a 395 for a couple years for milling worked really well. However Ended up blowing a seal on the clutch side and in turn ruined the big end bearing on the crank.
The point here is that you want to make sure your seals are installed properly and it passes a leak down test before you commit the saw to a milling machine.

Between your two choices the 7900 would be a better choice IMO...

 

[BlackCoffin]

Agreed with previous comments. I have a 661 and 880 for milling and I never feel like I have enough I’ve gotten done with some logs and felt bad for my saws. Done some milling with a ported ms440 and a 28” bar...definitely would have liked something larger. If you’re just looking to do some smaller logs with a 28” bar max then either would work. But milling can get addictive and if you’re at all serious I would be looking for a 90cc saw. Nobody milling ever wished they had less horsepower.

 

[livemusic]

Well, we have never milled before, it would just be an experiment, lol. I suppose I could just forget the 500i and the 7900 and get a 395, but the only reservation there is the heavier, the worse for me at my age and aching body. Another way to look at it, assuming that it would just be occasional milling... the 500i wins in the weight department and should be decent all the way around?

Let me ask this... people who do a lot of milling, do quite a few use a chainsaw or do people just chuck all that and get some kind of dedicated mill? Can you mill quite a bit with a chainsaw and not burn it up?

I can't see either one of us milling for several hours straight, lol. Both of us have health issues. We still blow and go and are active but it's only for about an hour or two, lol, a half day at the most.

 

[TreeLife]

Well, we have never milled before, it would just be an experiment, lol. I suppose I could just forget the 500i and the 7900 and get a 395, but the only reservation there is the heavier, the worse for me at my age and aching body. Another way to look at it, assuming that it would just be occasional milling... the 500i wins in the weight department and should be decent all the way around?

Let me ask this... people who do a lot of milling, do quite a few use a chainsaw or do people just chuck all that and get some kind of dedicated mill? Can you mill quite a bit with a chainsaw and not burn it up?

I can't see either one of us milling for several hours straight, lol. Both of us have health issues. We still blow and go and are active but it's only for about an hour or two, lol, a half day at the most.

I'll be honest, as I usually am...to a fault. If one truly desires to mill anything to a further capacity than hobby level things...you want a bandsaw mill...with big 4 stroke power, or even as far as diesel. It makes sense, they can plain produce more and better product faster.

If you was doing it as a hobby or for pleasure you would still want the upper levels of powersaw to be efficient and not be discouraged with lack of progress and service life of the powerhead. Ms660, 661, 395, etc for actual chainsaw milling duty. Not only for speed, but fluid capacity, oil pump capability and a stout bottom end for lots of hours and heat.

 

[BlackCoffin]

Even with a 500i, once the saw is in the mill frame it’s not very light. So you may as well throw lightweight out the window and commit to a stout setup from the start. There’s 3’ and 4’ maple in my area pretty often and it’s nice knowing I have the capacity to mill it where somebody else will turn it away. Not saying you’ll do anything that large but just an example. Hobby milling is fun, I do a lot at a time, and sometimes don’t do another for a month. Beauty of it is you can do it on your terms. So if a heavy but more efficient setup wears your out quicker, take a break and come back later!

 

[DigB]

I use an 80cc echo. I have milled walnut crotch 30" wide, honey locust almost as big, 18-inch red elm, 22-inch English walnut, some red oak and others. Years ago I had access to a Sperber mill with a Husqv 3120. It could handle up to 38 inches. When the rig went back to its owner, I replaced it with the Echo 8000 with a 36-inch bar. For a hobbiest, it works well enough and not so much slower than the bigger saw, ignoring the reduced maximum capacity.

The echoes have loads of grunt, and they are cheap and plentiful. For recreational milling, they do the job. If I wanted production, I'd go for a bandsaw.

By the way, the weight doesn't matter so much since it's carried by the mill. I try to set up so the log is angled downhill. Of course, it's all easier if you have a helper, but with just a 36-inch bar, help is not required. I have on occasion had to angle around a fat spot in the log or work from one end and both corners and finish free hand. It works, but I don't think it would handle a longer bar.

 

[deye223]

You talkin saws.....or wimmins?

Hmmm ......... both of course

 

[drf256]

Well, we have never milled before, it would just be an experiment, lol. I suppose I could just forget the 500i and the 7900 and get a 395, but the only reservation there is the heavier, the worse for me at my age and aching body. Another way to look at it, assuming that it would just be occasional milling... the 500i wins in the weight department and should be decent all the way around?

Let me ask this... people who do a lot of milling, do quite a few use a chainsaw or do people just chuck all that and get some kind of dedicated mill? Can you mill quite a bit with a chainsaw and not burn it up?

I can't see either one of us milling for several hours straight, lol. Both of us have health issues. We still blow and go and are active but it's only for about an hour or two, lol, a half day at the most.

The weight of the saw won’t matter much for milling. It’s hard on the saw and the user. Use the biggest saw you can get so you don’t abuse it quite as much as a smaller saw.

I usually use 24:1 mix ratio for milling, as opposed to 40:1 I use for the rest of my saw work. I try to do on a cooler day for both the saw and myself. The type of muffler mod and the direction of the exhaust outlet needs to be considered as well.

As said above, no one complains about a saw having too much power in the mill. You’ll always find yourself wanting more. It’s a torture test for a saw and someplace where the “ridiculous” unneeded saws meet reality. I am currently using a ported 3120 with a 36” mill and can stall it in the cut. Milling is a whole different animal.

 

[Stihl Potlicker]

A Stihl 500i or a Makita/Dolmar 7900? Have never milled before but I have a bazillion hardwood and also pine trees and my brother and I have long thought of experimenting with milling. Even if we made some rough beams or rough lumber for this and that. Also have been considering getting a larger saw (than my ported ms362), and my choice of late has been staying around one of those two saws. Which would be better for milling or would they be about the same?

I am running a 661C first Gen on my Logosol.

 

[Stihl Potlicker]

Well, we have never milled before, it would just be an experiment, lol. I suppose I could just forget the 500i and the 7900 and get a 395, but the only reservation there is the heavier, the worse for me at my age and aching body. Another way to look at it, assuming that it would just be occasional milling... the 500i wins in the weight department and should be decent all the way around?

Let me ask this... people who do a lot of milling, do quite a few use a chainsaw or do people just chuck all that and get some kind of dedicated mill? Can you mill quite a bit with a chainsaw and not burn it up?

I can't see either one of us milling for several hours straight, lol. Both of us have health issues. We still blow and go and are active but it's only for about an hour or two, lol, a half day at the most.

I started out with a 460 and a 30" Alaskan mill. not enough. ugraded to a 084 and a 60" AM. but i run a 661C on my Logosol. i like that better. it is fun. I have close to 1000 bf i have milled with my Logosol. even got the Wife to run it. my 5 yr loves running it too

 

[livemusic]

Where I was yakking about chainsaw weight, that concern is about the saw also being used for felling/bucking. It's a long story, lol. It's not just aging, it's injuries, including rotator cuff.

It would be cool to be able to turn trees into lumber. I have a couple of building projects on hold because I recently priced lumber for a project and was shocked how much it has jumped just this year!

 

[BlackCoffin]

Unless you’re limiting yourself to small diameter logs, then you’d almost be better off buying 2 saws. One for milling and a lighter setup for bucking. There now you have an excuse to buy more saws

 

[kneedeepinsaws]

Well, we have never milled before, it would just be an experiment, lol. I suppose I could just forget the 500i and the 7900 and get a 395, but the only reservation there is the heavier, the worse for me at my age and aching body. Another way to look at it, assuming that it would just be occasional milling... the 500i wins in the weight department and should be decent all the way around?

Let me ask this... people who do a lot of milling, do quite a few use a chainsaw or do people just chuck all that and get some kind of dedicated mill? Can you mill quite a bit with a chainsaw and not burn it up?

I can't see either one of us milling for several hours straight, lol. Both of us have health issues. We still blow and go and are active but it's only for about an hour or two, lol, a half day at the most.

You know the best way to experiment is with something you already have or something cheap.
You can get a timbertuff beam machine for 30$ or so and a cheap poulan pro used for probably free. File your chain at 10 degrees and put on your 2x4 and you will see how you like it. You will also see the drawbacks of using the setup for yourself, or possibly you find out you dont really want to mill.

i started milling with a 450 rancher and it worked. I spent the least amount of money and found that i enjoyed it, and if i didnt i wouldnt have lost a ton of money either.

if i were you get yourself a timbertuff and slap it on your saw and see if this is the thing for you

 

[Ron660]

Husky 395 what I’ve been told.