Hey fellas I'm looking at getting into chainsaw milling. I found a used stihl 881 for $450 but I see o Amazon I can buy a Farmmec of similar cc new for close to the same price. Says these farmmecs use stihl parts. What would you do?

When milling is a shorter bar preferred?

There's no downside to a longer bar other than it takes a bigger saw to use it. I milled my cabin logs with a 60cc saw using a 24" bar. Most everything I read said you needed a 100cc saw. I just took my time and didn't stress the saw.

I would go with the Stihl saw. I have two a 170 and 290 easy to use and trouble free for over 10 years. I prefer a short bar. Just my 2cents

Sixteen inch bar and a sixteen inch log. It's a good bar length for whittling notches but it wouldn't work for milling logs of that diameter..

Done a lot of milling with an 046 and a 620 with 20 and 24” bars. Slow going but puts out good lumber. If doing a lot I advise to get a 100’ roll of ripping chain and make your own loops

Thanks fellas
If a guy is cutting 20" logs , would it be easier on the saw and me to use a 24" bar or go with the longest bar that'll fit in the mill frame?

My mill ran along a forty foot long rail system I set up. Most of the logs were in the thirty-six foot range. I don't know what type of mill you're using but I'm glad I went with the 24" bar. You'll become very proficient at sharpening chains. I milled these logs top and bottom and sharpened the chain on every pass.

If you can buy a used 881 for that price you better be all over that even if it needs some work. The China clones are not bad saws, but will never last like the original. A new 881 will cost you close to two grand.

Yep. 450 for a 881 is a screaming deal.

Looks great posco. While building did you use green wood?

I wish I would have. The logs would have been much heavier but the notches cut better when the wood is green. Lot less splintering.

Looks great though.

Another question

Seen a guy on YouTube using his mill. He was cutting with the top of his bar. Is this preferred to expelling the sawdust?

I don't know what you mean.

Using the top of his bar. I'm guessing the sawdust will spit out the tip rather then spit out on the powerhead end? Lol. Don't know how else to explain it.

Dang Posco, It looks like you had that going on!!!

Yeah Posco you shouldn’t be ashamed of those cuts.

Thanks. It's not hard to do, just tedious. Helps if you have a touch of the OCD.

Due to the chain rotation, I think most of it is being expelled near the powerhead. You'd think I'd remember with as much milling as I did.

It would expell out the bottom if using the bottom of the bar for sure. Looked like the guy was using a smaller saw. Maybe he was having problems with it plugging up. Hard to say lol.

Did you turn up the bar oiler to give it more oil? All my saws use a tank of bar oil with a tank of gas.