Hello, wilderness trappers, thought I'd share some photos of my chainsaw milling. This seems the appropriate place to do it. I'll admit, I have a sickness…. some people look at a tree and see the years it took to grow to size or the shade it provides, etc. I see a tree and wonder how many board feet I can get out of it.

I started a little project, this summer. I'm stockpiling lumber for a small cabin (shed) I'm gonna build at home. I want to do the entire thing out of lumber I cut with my mill.

Looks cool, why did you de-bark just that one section of the log?

Only because that's where it was high and the mill was gonna hit it. I didn't wanna re-string it and reset all the nail heights.

Pretty slick! Man what I'd give for and old frick or belsaw.. I too have the board foot sickness, I hear woodmizer has great programs to alleviate what ails us.

Awesome setup, thanks for sharing the pictures. What model of saw is that?

Lots of work there Aaron. Been there done that. I would be sure to cover those boards you have stickered by the house. Keep the sun off of them !

Well done. That shed will mean a lot when you are done

Wylee, I'm thinking of renaming this thread "board foot sickness" (like the sound of that). Hope your plans for relocating to the Great White North are coming together. Lever, the saw is a 66 and I run it at about 40:1 oil/fuel mix instead of the the 50:1. That's right outta Malloff's book although he didn't suggest those exact numbers. He says due to heavy stress on a saw that's milling lumber a stronger oil mix gives the added lube needed for constant running at high RPM's ... seems to run fine. White, I would love to see photos of your milling and what you built with it. What do you suggest in covering the boards. They ARE in direct sunlight most of the day. I considered covering with a tarp but thought it would impede airflow needed for the drying process. I'm open to ideas … thanks for looking everybody.

Not sure if there is a collective milling thread already but board foot sickness sounds good! Yes our plans are coming together, we were kind of side lined there other day which is costing us more time. Thanks for asking!
The second I get any kind of mill going up there I will be posting....if I have internet lol

A tarp is fine. Just keep the direct sunlight off of them.

Nice set up and great pictures!

I also learned some from Malloffs book, I modified my mill like he suggested, so I can change out the chain without disassembly. I have cut many pickup loads of lumber with mine. I started out with the factory sprocket and .404 chain, but now I use a smaller sprocket, new bar and .375 chain. More power and less drag, a bit less waste too. I tried the hand crank he had in his book, but don't use it much. A modified exhaust would be nice to direct the exhaust away from the sawyer. I painted my wedges red so I would not lose them in the sawdust. You can cut pretty fast with someone wedging behind you. But I usually mill by myself.

The largest, most powerful chainsaw you can find helps. I have the second largest Husquvarna they made 25 years ago, should have got the largest. Chain tension seems to be critical for smooth cuts , too loose or too tight, you get chatter and rough cuts.
The old timer that mad my last rip chains retired, I may have to get a power chain grinder and learn how to use it. I used to hand file the old .404 chain, but that's a chore and a half.

I now use a ladder for my first cuts, I have to support the ladder in the center or it will sag and make a curved cut.

I highly recommend a bench mounted, electric chain grinder that you can set all your angles perfectly. I know it sounds crazy but a resharpened chain is better than brand new when done correctly.

The other thing I did was to set up my log so that the start end was slightly higher. A little bit of gravity working for you helps noticeably.

A chainsaw race filer told me that, if filed properly, a chainsaw chain cuts better and faster until its totally worn out, simply due to more room for chips, once the tooth space is full of chips, the tooth stops cutting.

Here's what I've been using: a Granberg 3/8" ripping chain, and the Granberg 12 volt precision grinder. Its adjustable to any angle so it allows sharpening a ripping chain or cross cut chain, its reasonable priced. Also, it doesn't take a big bite out of the chain, extending chain life … can be taken to the milling site … been happy with it.

Thats a nice saw. 40:1 is absolutely no issue. We run 24:1 in our saws here at work, they get worked hard as well. I use the Husky 254XP, some guys run 359's and 550XP's..

This is my milling setup in the bush, I free hand and eye ball all this stuff lol. But its just for temporary camp setups, doesnt have to be too fancy. I love working with chainsaws, its fun to get creative and try new things.

Nice freehand boards Lever.I know a few guys that are good at that,you would think they were milled boards.One guy works for a fly-in outfitter out of Cochrane and builds and maintains outpost camps.Best I have seen with a chainsaw.

Chainsaw milling is something that has always interested me as well, but when you can borrow a little band saw there's not much motivation in getting one.

Thanks for all the pictures and replies. I figured I'd find a few like-minded folks here on Trapperman. Chainsaw lumber makers are a pretty small group.

I was able to escape responsibilities today and get into the mountains for 6 hours … just the dog, alaskan mill and me.

I have been wanting to try out Malloff's method of setting up the log. I made a similar plank and end boards and I gotta say I like it. It allows me to cut longer lengths. The only thing I think is unnecessary is using lag bolts to hold the guide board up. I tried it but don't see the point as large nails/spikes are much easier ( I think). So here's my efforts for the day.







Cleared this area out … look at all that sawdust. I was able to get 3, 10 foot sections out of the trunk and really made a haul in a relatively short time. It really helps the process when you have the logs ready (which I prepared my last time out). I only have one saw and have to take the mill off for log prep, then put it back on.

I gotta get all my lumber cut and out of the mountains before the snow flies or this project will sit incomplete through the winter. Who knows if I'll make it … but if not, I'll pick up again next spring. Thanks for looking and posting guys !

Awesome. I have an Alaskan Saw Mill. Only used it to cut a couple planks once. Was always short a big enough saw. And like Dale said in his post above. I used a ladder for my first support and got a sag in my cut. Was disappointed. I would love to mill enough to build something with it some day.
What would you say would be the min sized saw and length of bar? Does all that extra length on the saw any advantage other than when you want to cut a very large tree?
Thinking maybe your chain stays sharper longer since only half are cutting at a time it might give you longer cutting time between changing or sharpening. Does it change the rpm much running a really long bar like that?
What do you look for in a tree you are going to make lumber with. Dead standing? Green?

In the Homer area our spruce are infested with aphids. BAD!! Most the spruce around Homer are turning brown to some degree. I have one big tree in my yard that is completely needle-less. Across the bay I would say that 80 to 90% of the spruce are infested under a certain elevation. If we don't get some cold temps this winter the loss will be catastrophic. Worse than the beetle kill % when we had it. The like young trees too. Be another round of spruce to be harvested.