Bought a chainsaw mill

So I finally pulled the trigger on a small chainsaw mill, Granberg G777.

I need three 6x6 beams (two 10' and one 16') to repair a second story porch on my house and found I was going to pay almost $200 for them! Thats PT. I figured I can get this mill for $115 to try out and maybe make those three beams!

Im planning to pick up a ripping chain for my 20" Husqvarna 562xp to do the milling. I understand that saw is a tad small for milling...but Im hoping I can at least get these 3 beams cut and if it's something I want to pursue I can get myself a bigger saw.

Has anyone ever milled something like a 6x6 with a 60cc saw? Ok results? Any tips?

As for wood type, the power company recently did a LOT of trimming on the powerlines going through my property so there is an abundance of down trees available for the picking. I was thinking oak? But does oak hold up ok to weather over the years? There is lots of maple, oak, hemlock, pine and probably others available out there.

Cant wait to give this a shot! I really hope to get a small bandsaw mill in the next few years so I did not want to invest too heavily in this chainsaw mill....hoping I can at least get these 3 beams and if I ever need a bigger 6x6 beam in the future I'll have this as an option instead of spending big bucks at the lumber yard.

 

That is of interest to me. I hope you’ll be posting some progress pics, and a short review of the Granberg. Fir is about your best bet for those spans.

 

What kind of Oak? What kind of exposure? White oak is very durable & resistant to rot, Red Oak not so much. If you do it right paying attention to drainage and drying, as well as using preservatives & painting properly, you could use practically anything. And then the softwoods would be much easier on the 60cc saw, which may be a little under powered.

 

I have never cut any squares with my mill but have done a lot of slabs. You will probably end up cutting through sections that are more than 6 inches wide to get what you want.
That will be hard on a 60cc saw. But I would not let that stop me from trying it. Give it a shot and let us know how it did.

 

Thanks for the replies, I'll take a walk down the powerlines this week and see if I can find some logs that will do. Im hoping to find logs that are big enough to make a 6x6 but not TOO big...to minimize the amount of material Im cutting through.

The beams will be used to hold up a second story porch, so the 16' will be horizontal holding up the stringers and there will be 2 vertical 10' 6x6's holding that horizontal beam up. The porch is setup like that now but the beams are in bad shape and I also want to shorten the deck by 1/2, so my plan was to put in the new support beams, then cut away the 1/2 Im getting rid of and let it fall out basically. Then of course re-deck/new railing. The beams will be under the deck so not direct weather exposure I guess...but still plenty of sun/water from rain etc. They'll be sitting on a concrete pad, so really just the base thats sitting on the concrete Im thinking is what I will need to treat. I will probably just treat the entire beams in something though - any recommendations?

I think finding the right logs will be the trick....luckily I have a lot to choose from.

Would you hesitate to use different types of wood for the three beams? If I find good logs of different species is that a big no-no? I can't imagine it would really matter...just a thought.

 

The only thing I would take into consideration is the shrinkage from green wood. Different species might shrink a little more than another type of wood.
I am not an expert by any means but just something to consider.

 

Hemlock is a typical framing lumber but isn't very durable as far as rot resistance or insect attack, but again, if treated properly (I suggest pine tar) should do fine. Though lots depends on what kind of construction you will be doing (techniques, joinery etc) & the loads at play there. Using different woods, pardon the pun, goes against the grain for me, but as a post, shouldn't be a big deal, again, depending on other factors. Important that the posts be UNDER the beam, not the beam bolted to the side of the post.
Wood posts in contact with concrete will rot, even when treated. It should be set on a stanchion that for one, anchors it to the concrete pier and two, separates it. Lots of metal stanchions made today for that purpose, by Simpson Strong Tie and others.

 

A good document you may want to study. https://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplgtr/fplgtr190/chapter_05.pdf

 

Well I am not interested in starting another career in engineering I am retired. I guess that could be useful for the OP but something tells me.

 

Yeah...I'll just cut them all about 1' longer than I need to compensate. Im planning to get them cut and place them neatly along a wall in my heated garage to sit for the winter - hopefully by May or so when the weathers better they'll be dry enough I won't have any issues.

 

Just a quick opinion for you 60cc saw will mill ok if you do not push it and keep real sharp run 25to1 mix for milling keeps the saws alive longer 6x6 will be ok size limit try to get small logs with a good centering on the grain in the log be careful with powerline trees they grow to the row opening and they will have a lot of stress wood you will see the center of grain offset in log best to dry outside not in a heated garage that will cause checking because it will dry to fast support and sticker them and cover to keep direct sun and weather off I have had good luck with plastic post blocks between post and concrete footers keeps them from rotting a lot longer and dont forget to seal the ends after cutting logs slows down checking Good luck JB

 

Milling sure can become an addictive hobby. It's a lot of work and literally stinks. A leaf blower or fan of some sorts really helps redirect fumes. I've milled a bunch at 40/1 and have tore the saw down multiple times to keep an eye on wear. So far so good.

60cc is doable and it sounds as though you have the right pregame plan. Where your wood sits, what is sits on and proper top weighting is very important. Your beams twist and bow and you end up with wasted time. Don't skimp on the sticker stacking.
Another rookie mistake is to not have your first cut depth below screw length. I've skimmed screws twice. It sucks period. Be vigilant in making sure you clear 'em. I've used an old aluminum ladder and length of 2x6 as a first cut guide. If you can get the log on a downhill slope, it will ease the amount of pressure needed to make the cuts.

 

Wouldn't pine or hemlock be easier to mill with a 60cc saw ?

 

softer wood is easier to mill.

 

With enough time, I believe you could mill nearly anything with any saw.
When trying to figure out if I wanted to put money toward a milling setup, I cut up an ash and a few other things with my CS-490 (50cc) and a Granberg. With a 20" bar on the saw and the dogs removed I was able to open the mill up to 13.5" width and used near every bit of it in some parts of the ash. Most of the passes in that ash were between 5-7". It was a lot to ask of that saw and was very slow going but I don't believe I damaged it and was able to get some pretty boards out of it.

Here are some of the things that worked for me:
-Allowing plenty of time to do the work.
-Making sure the chain is sharp and keeping it sharp!
-Running the saw at the same pace you usually run it. On the throttle for a few seconds like when you're bucking up firewood then let it idle for a few seconds like when you're repositioning for a new cut. Every few cycles letting it rest a little longer, maybe even letting it idle then shutting it off for a bit. (This gets fairly frustrating and took more patience than I probably have but is likely the main reason I didn't burn up my saw.)
-Working the angle of the saw back and forth so you're not taking a full width cut the whole time. The wood the cutters on the chain is in contact with becomes more of an arc shape letting you nibble off a smaller chord of that arc at a time rather than the full width in a straight line.
-Not pushing the saw into the wood too hard. Let it spin. If the rpms are dropping you're just making the work take longer and beating up your saw.
-Using lots of wedges. In cuts as long as you're talking about the wayne cut will sag making the wedge at the start of the cut worthless after a few feet. I'd wedge both sides of the kerf every couple feet At least. Not driving them in. Just enough to hold the kerf constant. The point is to make sure every bit of power your saw can spare goes toward cutting wood. Not dragging the back side of the chain through the kerf.
-As much of a pain in the butt as it is to pull the whole thing apart mid cut, if your chain is starting to dull, take the time and do it. It will be worth the effort.

Good luck!

 

Hey JB Sawman i just got a mill too but iv been so busy with firewood i havnt tried it yet. Do I have to get a ripping chain for my 576 or can i just use my regular chain?

 

Hey sorry for getting back to you late I do not get home from job A untill 4:00 ripping chain works much better cutting across the grain than regular chain top plate angles are 5 to 10 degrees instead of the 25 to 30 on regular chain you can get 3/8 skip rip chain also 325 rip is available I stock most sizes good luck and happy milling JB