The Alaskan MK III milling attachment. Fastened to your chainsaw it allows you to have your own little lumber mill. This video shows the assembly and then cutting the first boards.
Make sure you are using the right chain. There are several different kinds, some better for using with a saw mill. More important it must be sharp. Huge difference in the ease of cutting. Another great video. Vinny
I bought one a little over two years ago and I have not used it yet. I will be using it pretty soon I'm getting ready to build a 16x20 log cabin. Thanks for sharing your video.
ABW bought me an AM attachment for Yule to use on the logs that have been laying next to the driveway for six months. Was racking the brain trying to figure out how I was going to make that first cut w/o the expensive rails. This looks like it should work just fine with the short piece I have available currently. Thank you so much for sharing!
I really appreciate the demo of the Alaskan MkIII- the closest facsimile to the Powerfist Portable Lumber Mill (TM), for which I cannot find an explicative demo video (and the manual of which is even lean on assembly instruction visuals). Demo & commentary on assembly and cutting really helps; so too the logical comment about using one or more shunts or wedges on the cut behind the chain & bar.
Being a certified saw filer all my life and used to use a 7' chain bar to break huge logs down into quarters for the band ill to finish producing lumber, the secret to chain sharpening is to file the teeth at 5 degree hook angle and keep it sharp, just a suggestion.
+Thunder 1776 Thank you Thunder. I have more videos here on Joe and Zach Survival and I also have some milling videos on my other Channel, Northern Seclusion. Hopefully the info will help with any other questions. Thanks again. Joe
I want 1 of these sawmills bad. I've been eyeing 1 & saving, but when I get the money saved up, have to spend it on something else, lol. Beautiful Black Cherry boards. Thanks for sharing the vid.
Samual Iam Awesome and good luck. Your arms will be sore after that first day running the chainsaw and mills. I have been out using mine every evening cutting more boards. You can see those videos on my other channel that has more of the furniture stuff. Northern Seclusion. Thank you. Joe.
I run a ms660 on a 28inch bar and cut my tooth to10degrees and that works awesome. The bigger the saw the better. I was looking at a 460 but for the m only I just went with the 660. I cut 8.5 ft logs in about 5mins. I love this tool. one of the best tools I bought
Wranglerstar using this for his milling of logs. He has a bigger saw & some special kind of chain. He seems to get some rally great results. Looking forward to more furniture building vids.... Thanks
i may have missed you saying, there is a special sharping or a ripping chain for doing this so that it will be better, you did know this , yes, great show, i got watching part one of the building and got through all of them, great shows
One of these was my first mill. These mills certainly do have their place. The advantages including getting into milling cheap, being able to cut lumber where the log lays, and make really long beams (I put an 8x10 x36' main girder in my shop building). Disadvantages are slow, labor intensive, takes big saw, lot of kerf loss. Later bought a Woodmizer bandmill, and this is the way to go IF you want to cut a lot more lumber.
Seeing this make my ear hearts. To operate a chainsaw demand two set of hearing protection. Ear plugs and ear muffs. Earmuff will reduce 10-15 dbA and the plugs the same. A chainsaw produce 110-115 dbA. In order to protect you rears from getting damaged you have to reduce it to max 80 dbA. Take care and keep on cutting.
Joe, you always have the coolest videos! Those sawmill attachments are really neat! I wanted to ask you how to identify certain trees! Walnut, Locust, Blackcherry! I live in the Sturgeon Lake area, and I'll be doing this a lot this summer! Keep the great videos coming!!
I have a 36 inch sawmill. Just love it. One thing I learned is that the rip chains work a lot better than the cross cut chains. Im using a ms661 sthil chainsaw. Have a 24 and 32 inch bars for it.
Thank you for sharing about your alaskan saw mill. I have heard of them but never seen them before. On a homestead they would be very useful! Cute doggies!!
Get yourself a Stihl MS660 or an 880 with a 32 inch bar, a 441 won't have the stones for a lot of milling. Ideally one should have a 70cc saw with say a 20 inch bar for the mini mill for edging and a 660 or an 880 for the Alaskan. That way you won't have to keep swapping the saw between the mini mill and the Alaskan. Get yourself some ripping chain as well, the teeth are sharpened at ten degrees as apposed to 25 or 30 degrees on cross cut chains. Good work, keep it up.
I just got my chainsaw mill. I had a little trouble putting it together because the instructions I had were not as clear as yours. Anyway, I've got it together and after seeing your video I now know what I must do to get that perfect first cut. I've been making cedar chests and the way I was cutting before - well, I probably shouldn't say, but it was without this mill. I realized I couldn't afford to waste anymore cedar so I got this mill. Thanks for the video, seeing it has made my day much brighter.
I milled my shop floor boards and several beams with an 036 and a 24" bar using a regular cross cut chain... I haven't tackles the trees I have down now but I have 6 firs and 2 cedars that I will be ripping here in a few days with the same 20 year old 036. Been a great saw to me all the years I've had it. 2 spark plugs is all it's cost me other than the several chains I've gone through and the longer bar...
wow! I can't believe how many comments there are about this guy's chain. I guarantee most of them are from people who have not actually used a chainsaw mill before. It's always slow! and milling/ripping chain might be minimally faster than crosscut in certain situations, but it primarily produces a smother finish because the alternate high angled cutters don't chatter as much. And milling always makes dust, not chips! try it and you will see for yourself. A brand new milling chain makes dust because of the way it severs the fibers. This guy's biggest challenge is his under-powered saw (which he admits). But even with a big saw (like Stihl 660) it's still pretty slow and tedious, just not as slow and not as much stress on the engine, and the ability to go with a longer bar.
my dad just got his in the mail. we havnt used it yet. he wont be able to use it for a few months due to double knee surgery but we are eager to see how well it works with his Husqvarna 359XP with a 24" bar
Nothing like making your own lumber out of found (free) wood, after years of making lumber with an Alaska Mill, (with an 066 Sthil, a 36" bar and skip tooth chain), I recently bought a real mill, (55hp diesel, fully hydraulic and 36"x21' capacity), but will always keep the Alaska handy for remote cutting because of its portability to anywhere trees grow. One suggestion is to move the cross bar with the handle to the center, or just to the right of center of the piece you are cutting. This gives you support to help square the mill to the log mainly when beginning or ending the cut. Also its important that you not have the bar tip clamp pressing on the sprocket in the tip, not an issue on solid-tipped bars but not many people run them anymore.
Nice job on the new mill. I was and am looking at a bansaw type mill but with winter coming and that being the time I do most of my workshop projects I wanted to get the chainsaw mill so I could get some cut and drying prior to the big freeze. Would you please email me Danny? I have some questions on the 066 and would like your opinion a few things before I get a bigger saw. Thank You. joe@homeandcabinconstruction.com
JoeandZachSurvival Hey Joe, I live out here in OR now but hale from good 'ol MN. I agree with Danny on the 066. I worked in the woods here for years and the company I worked for had 044's for knot bumping and and limbing and bucking. The boss had an 064 for falling and when he upgraded to an 066 I got the 064 it was a little heavier but oh what a difference. I would pack it around all day limbing and bucking and never went back to the 044's,,, more power is good! LOL
I use a door jamb shim to buffer the clamp from the running track in the bar and the sprocket- cheapest easiest way i've found that doesn't change the angle or impede my saw from rolling smoothly.
gun lover 1955 is right ....you need ripping chain #1...also you need to make you some dozen or so wooden wedges about a 1/4 inch thick and 6-8 inches long , these you place behind the saw as it cuts to keep the weight of the wood from pressing down on the bar. I have had my Grandberg now for some 15 20yrs., mine is set up so as to be able to stand at the other end of the log and with a hand boat winch guide the saw through the wood , away from all the dust and noise, I have a 30 inch bar on mine run by a Josered's biggest saw.
+Richard Siegler Yes, without a ripping chain he is taxing his chainsaw and fatiguing himself. Probably why the taking turns with his friend. A ripping chain should cut through the log at least twice that fast and be much more gratifying. Hope he has seen your suggestions and ordered one by now.
Richard Siegler Did you make the hand winch assembly yourself? I need that bad. Running my 99 cc husky with 36 in bar from my wheelchair is killing me...
Larry Wood ......I did make the hand winch myself, but it was copied from an old timers set up he had made. Besides the winch you will need to make a yoke with pulleys on each end.....the yoke is aligned with the cut and attached to the log from the start of the cut....then you set up your winch at the other end , run your cables. The setup also has a throttle adjustment cable that can be operated from the winch end. This system keeps the operator away from the major noise and dust.
Evan Caird It all had to do with that lake. I have caught many big pike on many lakes but that one lake was just the perfect lake and I have no idea why. it was shallow, I was always fishing in 8 foot of water with a live sucker minnow and it worked well. The DNR drained that lake this year and made it very shallow just for ducks. That sucks. Thanks Evan. Joe
wow... that seems like something the Canadian m&r would do..... so it was just one of those places to catch big fish, also does that mean there will be no more ice fishing videos... I enjoy all of your videos, especially the ice fishing ones
Evan Caird This is Minnesota. Land of 10,000 lakes and we have closer to 14,000 in reality. I will be on the ice as soon as its thick enough. I have a few videos ice fishing at different lakes. I will be "Back on the water" soon enough. Thank you.
log cabin looms is building a log cabin from trees cut on site. He just bought a smaller version of this sawmill and made a modification. You should check it out to see if it suits your circumstances. Granberg Alaskan Sawmill modification
Upgraded from a little Husky from cheapo Depot to a 562XP (?) AND a 372XP XPATH with 20, 24, 28, and 32 inch bars with stock and ripping chains. i think i watched to many Tube videos and thought I would mill some lumber. NOTE TO SELF: BUY CHAPS B4 YOU BUY THE REST OF THE EQUIPMENT. By chainsaw injury standards it was just a paper cut. Much worse than the 10 or 12 stitches was my shredded jeans and dignity. You can't beat me up any more than I have beaten myself.
I have a 361 with a 20" now and just got my mill. I also just received a 32" bar w/ripping chain...and sharpening file...My thought was, the saw itself wont be cutting over the rated 20", and now I would have 12" of jig space to adjust.
Thanks for the video. I just purchased the 24" version. Were you using a ripping chain? I have a ripping chain and have done some free hand cutting and it went through smoothly on med density wood. Did your dogs have ear plugs in? They were pretty calm with all the noise. ;-) I have 2 McCullough 10-10 53cc that have more power than an equivalent Stihl MS260.
I would buy the biggest saw you can find then down size the bar 2 inches under. On a new chain if you take one stroke off the rackers with a flat file you won't have to work so hard to get the saw through. Your chain you have now is dull too much fine saw dust, and if you keep the saw on an angle it will cut strings instead of chips. When you put a new chain on your saw you should really study th angle cut of the teeth, with a round file that matches the chain try to keep that same angle and count each pass you make on one tooth and do the same on the rest. If you do 3 passes on one side and 5 on the other side the chain will not cut straight. I have always sharpened my own chain saw free hand with a cheap file, and always take the rackers down as those teeth get smaller. You could get a guide for the rackers so as not go too far down. When the rackers are down a little extra it wears the chain out faster but it sure saves on the back, you won't have to even push if you got a real powerful saw.
Normally chain say s equipped with cross cut blades. A chiseling cut shape on the chain blades is very helpful. you can modify the teeth your self but ripping chain can be bought
like this video good job, now, i think that is better to wear safety gears ... minimum it glasses and gloves .. 1 you never know what it can be happen with with the chainsaw 2 Perhaps young people are watching your videos and it is always better to show a good example ... Happy new years 2018 and thank for your videos
AWESOME I JUST BOUGHT THER 30 IONCH SHOULD BE HERE TODAY . FORGOT TPO ORDER THE METAL BRAKES TO PUT ON END OF LOGS GLAD IO WATCHED YPOUR VIDEO GONNMA GET TWO GOOD 2X4 AND THE METAL BRAKETS WAY CHEAPER NICE SLABS TOO
I have been doing woodworking for years but I have zero experience with a chain saw. If I follow your videos and all instructions in the box, will this let me keep all of my appendages?
I've gotta try this and let you know how my attempt went. Ok, safety glasses, hearing protection, ripping chain, oiler working, sharp teeth, 10 fingers and my dog stays out of the way. Gotchya. Jim
Great video. Do you think you could get it to pay for itself and a new saw??? or would a guy be better off to just buy??, that is if he is building a cabin or a house.
Yes, I wonder how long it would take to cut Australian hardwood? I reckon you'd be there all day on the 1st cut if Red/Grey box or Iron Bark. (you'd only be there 15/16ths a day on Red Gum because it's soft)
Bet you've learned a lot since cutting this first bunch? Get your logs up off the ground(think hi-lift truck jack), make sure one side is lower then the other(think gravity). Being older, like we both are, those knees start to hurt the next day. Remember to have fun....BTW, are your pups deaf? They sure picked some weird spots to nap during the video'ing?!?!?
The other thing is on the ground the way you are, if you get any kickback at the start of the cut or your chain breaks etc, your thighs are going to get messed up pretty quick.
Do you think the mill would benefit from having a counterweight to balance out the powerhead? and also do you use a wedge in the back of the cut once through to prevent binding of the blade?
i tried that if you put a wedge the tool surface become higher and your cuts are not straight... they bow if you put a wedge it cant be any higher than the thickness of the chainsaw blade or it wont make a straight cut
I can observe the cam sprocket adapter is dry and so flitching the oiler unit.. which will cause blanding on the ripper-teeth, in due course. Otherwise stay safe, wear two at all times and don't do it at all, unless you must. Regards
