Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Chainsaw milling mid April

Awesome Martin pic!

Sweet canoes Mainer. Nice shop too...

Personally,I've never been to Alaska,but it's nice to hear that a gal and her son can split the costs and "afford" an Alaskan Mill. Mainly because $300 is a LOT of money. Hint. Congratulations?!?

Credit where due,Lee is easily the best I've been around and he ripped lotsa my work. Hint.



Canoes are pretty. Hint.



Tough to beat a Larch.

Laughing!................

Big Stick,

Wow, some resource-rich living down there aye? What size bar did he use to rip that massive stuff? We're you able to keep any of the slabs for projects?

LOL ! ! ! Things no different in AK than in KY... I milled full time for a couple years until the housing market crash (WM LT40 Super). About went broke. 10 years later, I still have guys cold calling about the primo log they have in their front yard, and "How much will I pay them for the privilege of removing it?"

Not to try to steal your thread, but what model by Stihl would ya'll recommend for just very little seasonal use? I don't burn wood except in the shop.. So just occasional cutting out in the country.

I’m not too up on the newest models but I’d look hard at the 251 or 271. You might get by with a smaller saw but either of them look like they would serve your purposes well. I won an 021 in a raffle 20+ years ago. A little small but I cut an awful lot of firewood with that saw. So much I finally wore it out. I replaced it with a Husqvarna 450. Not a bad saw but wish I had gone with another Stihl. Local Husqvarna dealer had a good deal on them so I went with it.

I have an old 066 with 24" bar and a 390 with 20" bar that I use on the sawmill. Plenty of power. But, they get heavy. Last year I finally went out and bought one of the small "easy start" Stihl saws with Pico chain. MUCH nicer for small jobs and trimming than the big saws. If all you are going to be doing is occasional trimming small branches, limbs up to 4" to 6", I'd get one of the small saws and just take your time. Also, get a couple extra saw loops so you can swap out when one gets dull. My impression, more casual use saws get burnt up / jacked up trying to force a dull chain than any other reason.

Very cool Mainer, that's a whole different world for this desert rat! Thanks for taking the time to share.

I have a 660 with 36" bar for softwoods and Homelite Super 1050, 100CC's with a 45" bar running .404 chain.The Stihl will out cut the Homelite on smaller soft wood, but the Homelite will pass up the Stihl in bigger hardwood. I like the torque and 404 chain for bigger stuff. It lets me max out my mill at 34" or so. I found some Dawn Redwood that was the most fun I ever had milling. It was so soft I had a hard time keeping up with the saw.
This is some of the Dawn Redwood.


This was a small Tulip Poplar that fell across my inlaws back yard. That's a Homelite 7-29, 129CC's with a 52" bar.



This was a White Pine blow down on my property in WV. Inlaid the hinges so it can fold up against the wall. My buddy puts his cot under it at night.



I always wanted to spend some time in Alaska. But at 64 and fixed income, I'm starting to think I may not make it.

Liar Larry, your imagination and pretend are running wild... No one cept you mentioned splitting "the cost" except you... Congratulations?


I'll simply go to Sam's and get it for cost... Hint. Laughing

Nice name drop though, you fuuck him over too???? Haha 😂😂

Had to do a drive by this evening and will go back tomorrow to take some real meme-worthy pictures. There is a fallen cottonwood in a local yard hung up about 15' in the air. Well out in the suspended length a tiny Poulan is dangling by the stuck bar. Trying a vertical cut from below by all appearances...

Sitka, yah some guys don't think before the cut aye?

Anyhow, snow too rotten for skidding with snow machines, so will continue skidding with a chained up ATV. I like the older suzuki quadrunner 250 and king quad 300 as they are cheap and geared low. They're like the Skidoo Tundra R/ Yamaha Bravo of Atvs.

They have hi, low and super low. In super low, you have mechanical diff lock for all four tires. In super low difflock: They are tractors for skidding!

Picked one up for $400. It was burning oil. Tore down engine:

Carb was filthy, full of dirt, corrosion and water. Jug had no cross hatch left, exauhst valve was toast, valvestem seals were hard as concrete. Oil was leaking into combustion chamber. Very cheap to overhaul carb, fuel pump and motor. Jug cleaned up ok with the cross hatch tool:

I hope it wasn't owned by this crazy Swede!:

JD,
Id go stihl MS 261. 50 cc on a 20" bar is the sweet spot. The 50cc is light and is just enough power to wield a 20 inch bar. Less fatigue, due to light weight. You'll be safer, rather than getting sloppy with a heavier saw. I use a 50 cc Echo CS-530 that is identical weight. It is one second slower in the cut, but much cheaper price than the Stihl.


Some of those box store saws like the Husq Ranchers have a plastic oiler gear. Super cheap running at 9000+rpms, and they will strip if even the slightest dust touches them, or the bar oil be too thick. Then, you'll be pulling the saw apart for another "made in Lithuania oiler gear":

https://www.amazon.com/Husqvarna-53...oiler+gear&qid=1588112323&sr=8-7

Additionally, the Rancher piston only uses a single piston ring. Like the plastic oiler gear, that is also very cheap. You'll loose a bit of compression after only 20 cord of wood. It will then have power about like a 40 cc saw.

If you want to save a little money, keep your eyes peeled for a used Echo cs-400 40 cc saw. They can be had for $100-150 used. They are very reliable and long lived. They are even lighter with 18" bar. With ported muffler and richer high speed jet setting, they will bury a bar into a big piece of hardwood(wider than bar), and keep chugging along slightly slower than a 50cc saw. They're good for limbing as well.

If 50 cc saw/20 inch bar, I usually go full chisel lpx chain:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008PD0XMO?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

If 40 cc saw/18inch bar, I always go low profile semi chisel vx chain:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003BAJNY0?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

The thin kerf VX chain allows that little 40cc saw cut very well. It also has less kick back than full chisel, so good for limbing or brush cutting work where kick back is more of a risk.

When cutting canoe trail, I've hung off cut banks with rope, extending out single handed to cut sweepers. The echo cs-400 with vx chain is a safe/light combo for stupid, dangerous work.

I will not cut brush with full chisel. I only use full chisel/50 cc saw for bucking up firewood. A kick back into flesh is some horrific sht. Never had it happen to me, but my friend has a bad scar on his foot from a chainsaw kick-back accident from 2 yrs ago. He was alone, accross the Tanana river and away from the road. When he showed me the wound, I couldnt help but wonder how he didnt bleed to death.

Where you at man?

That ain’t no bush shop!

PM if you prefer.

Iron,
My canoe building shop is right in Delta.
I live about 35 mins up the highway, right in between Salcha and Delta up on Tenderfoot. Great area, good people too.

Lived on the little Salcha once upon a time.

Thanks for the advice!