Good day folks, I've been waffling about buying a new sawmill for years now, sold my old Woodmizer LT-30 over a decade ago and wish I hadn't. Right now all I can afford is a Granberg mill, which should be plenty for what I need to do. Maybe 10-12 logs a year, if that. I have a Dolmar PS-6400 with a 24" bar, which I don't think is enough saw for milling, so I am considering a trade-in for a new Makita EA-7900. Still not sure that's big enough, but everything I anticipate cutting will be 30" diameter or less, most in the 18-20" range. I can't afford a new Stihl MS661 or Husky 395, but I can afford to trade in what I have. My very first mill was a Logosol M7 with a Stihl 066 power head, and it worked really well, but I don't think I ever cut anything over about 14" in diameter on it. I sold the power head with the mill. Question is, do you guys think an 80 cc saw is enough for milling 20" hardwoods? Also, for those with experience, will the stock oiler on the bigger Makitas handle the rigors of milling? I've also considered upgrading the powerhead with an aftermarket big-bore kit, but am concerned that it would not hold up to the sustained run times demanded by milling operation. The other question I have is whether or not a hardnose bar would be advisable for milling, in lieu of using a conventional sprocket-nose bar. I like the Oregon bars and GB bars but again with the extend run times I am concerned about wear. I'd really rather have a band saw mill again, but the budget office says no. Maybe in a few years.
I’ve done a good share of csm’ing. I’d say an 80cc would be fine for that size log. No experience with that brand though so I can’t comment on the oiler. I personally wouldn’t use a nardnose bar. For what I’ve done, I want some bearings out there to reduce drag and friction. What about used? The 394/5’s really do well on the mill. They are built like tanks and have awesome oilers. In my neck of the woods a decent used example goes for 700ish.
If you really want to keep on the cheaper side you can put the big bore kit on your 6400 keep your mix fat at 25:1 for milling , the oiler is adequate for milling 20"logs (24-28" bar ) longer bars for milling are better with auxiliary oiler but I have milled with a 36 many times with just the factory oiler turned all the way up , 80 cc is ok for milling keep chain sharp with frequent touch up, all bars will wear when milling but not as fast as crosscutting because you are putting even pressure on a larger surface area of the bar a lot of times crosscutting you concentrate the cutting on a smaller area usually at the back of the tip or the heel of the bar back by the bucking spikes ,cryo treated bars like frostbite hold up a little better good luck JB
