Ripping chain filed from old .404 chipper. Think it'll work?

Late this week I expect to try cutting some slabs for the first time with a secondhand Granberg mill. As luck would have it, the available tree is a 24"+ honeylocust. I'm guessing that would be a bit much for my 044, and the only bigger saw I have at the moment is a Homelite Super 1050, for which I have only the .404 chipper that came with it. I'd really rather not buy a new ripping chain for this venture, so I set up the FG2 and filed the top plate angles to 5 degrees and set the rakers to roughly 0.035. Any thoughts from the experienced millers here on how well this might work?

 

That should work fine.5 to 10 degrees is the usual,I've even heard some set at 0 for frozen or abrasive stuff.

Have fun & hang on.

 

I think that will work well for that application. I like having the rakers a little lower than normal. You want the chain to cut aggressively, not just sitting there spinning - it will run cooler and stay sharp longer that way. Locust is some hard stuff, and the windfall black locust that I get is especially hard on chains. So going with the semi chisel as you have is probably a good choice.

Have fun and don't forget the pics!

 

Thanks, guys. This tree was live and healthy, just taken down because it was worrying the owner of the house it was leaning over. Hopefully the green wood will be a little easier to cut.

 

Incidentally, this will also be the first time using the 1050 for anything. I've had it for the better part of a year, I think, but dragged my feet finding a replacement for the jellied fuel line. It's kind of jury-rigged right now, but seems to be running pretty well. Floods more easily than my more modern Stihls and Huskies. I can't do much testing around home because it's a dense suburban neighborhood, and this saw is loud.

 

The chain should be fine. Don't expect it to be fast and you'll be fine.

 

One other question while I'm at it -- this will also be my first experience running a saw with a manual oiler to supplement the automatic. How do you judge whether it needs a little extra lube?

 

Check the chain before it goes back to the sprocket. If you're getting a lot of buildup on the chain as well is a sign you need a touch more oil.

 

Yep, it works!

 

Incidentally, those slabs are about 25 board-feet apiece.

I owe a shout out to DexterDay because this is the saw he grabbed for me when I found it on Craigslist last fall. As a once-in-a-while milling saw, it's perfect for me.

 

Nice!!!!!

 

Nice looking lumber, good work!