Alaska Sawmill

[Al Weber]

Has anyone used the Alaska Sawmill for slabbing off boards and if so, what are your experiences? I have several maple and oak logs that are 4-6 feet long and 12-18" diameter that I'd like to harvest some boards from and it just isn't economical to pay a band mill operator for the work. I know there is a significant amount of loss due to the chain saw but I'm most interested in knowing if the unit is worth the relatively small cost.

[Tom Andersen]

I use it a lot but only for really good wood.

[Jim Becker]

Many folks use Alaskan mills (or similar) for good purposes. The commentary about them generally runs with:

1) they work well, but the word "work" is really important to understand...you will be working hard

2) because of the amount of physical work they require to use, they are most suitable for either very occasional use or for situations where you need to be out in the sticks, literally, and can't really use another method to cut boards (such as a band mill)

3) they require a hefty saw which in itself is not going to be an inexpensive purchase if you don't already own one. You also need special ripping chains for best results.

Don't rule out the band mill. If paying the travel fee screws up the economics, ask the mill operator about bringing the logs to him. I know the fellow I uses allows for that and it reduces the cost to you. Getting access to a tilt-bed trailer, a come-along and a cheap grapple will allow you to "deliver" the logs to the sawyer and bring home the boards.

[John Headley]

I had a much longer response, but lost it when I tried to post, so this is the condensed version, sorry.

Besides the cost of the mill, you need to also consider the cost of the rip chain. Regular chains will take twice as long as rip chains. I use Granberg for my chains, but there are other sources. In addition, you need to consider what saw you are using. Alaska recommends a saw with some power, usually a decent size Stihl or a Husquavarna. If your using a common household saw with less power, you will need to stick to the smallest mill offered and take frequent breaks to allow the saw to cool. The saw is under constant load for 5 minutes during a pass, which is hard on those smaller motors. If you have a larger saw with a longer bar and hope to mill some large logs, you will need a separate oiler on the end of the mill. Alaska can provide more info regarding oilers.

In regards to use, alot depends on the environment your milling in. If it is on the ground in the woods, you will have a harder time than if it is elevated and has plenty of space to work around the log. In any case, you will feel it after milling up a few logs. You also need to be willing to sharpen the rip chain frequently. I usually touch up my chain after 2 passes. Any more than that, I notice a significant slow down in the milling. If you have a decent bandsaw, you could mill the boards thicker and resaw them later on the bandsaw. That would reduce the waste, and also saves your back a little during the milling process.

If your boards of 4'-6' long, they will be easier, but keep in mind, getting them properly dried is the key to success with these mills. You will need to get them stickered and weight on top of them ASAP in order to prevent cupping and warping. In addition, the ends need to be sealed with either Anchor Seal or a homemade recipe of latex paint followed by hot melted paraffin wax.

Overall, using one of these mills is hard work, but if reserved for small jobs, it can be rewarding when it's time to make something out of your own milled boards.

[Todd Woodward]

I made my own and it was quite easy to do. I have a mid size saw on it and it is hard starting not to mention lacking power. I'm 55cc's and it isn't enough. Let's talk about work. Work, remember the hardest day of work you have ever had??? Well, condense it into an hour and that is what it is. Don't get me wrong. I'm tuning mine up again tomorrow to go out and cut more wood!!! It is extremely addicting and I'm only cutting pine! Once I get it tuned properly it should cut alright and I'll move on to bigger and better wood. You can make your own ripping chain by cutting the tops off of two of three in line cutters and filing properly. You can google that and it'll tell you how to do it. It is extremely satisfying for me to make a cut and come out with 12 inch wide boards. I have a 20 inch bar and I can cut up to about 16 inches. Maybe a hair more. I run an older McCulloch on it, and I think if I had a newer stihl or husky of the same size it would do much better. The main problem with my saw is that it is hard starting. If I could get that worked out I'd be in business. You can buy the smaller versions on the cheap at HF to try it out. Remember, once you start you are not going to want to stop. Bring lots of gas and water to drink. I mean lots of gas. A gallon won't get you through the morning!!!!

[jerry cousins]

in my younger days we cut 1000's of bf with the alaskan mill - and everyone is right - it is very hard work - buuut - it is great fun and you can get some beautiful boards. also agree that you need some power - we ran a 36" bar with a stihl 090 on each end. if you're working out in the woods, it's also worth getting a 12 volt chain sharpener/grinder - cause it seems like it's miles of chain to touch up.

if you decide to get one and would like a description of setting up the 1st cut - no matter how long the log and how short your flat plank (which doesn't eat up the plank) send me an email.

jerry

[Timo Christ]

Hi Jerry,
i'm sure many SMC readers would like to know about your method to set up the first cut. At least i would!

Timo

[Todd Woodward]

I just screw the board to the log. Don't tighten it down to the point of twisting. I used a jointed and planed 2 by 6 and it works good for my set up, but a wider board would be better if running a long bar and chain.

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

I did this, here in Tokyo, there is a long thread about it here.........

Logging in Tokyo (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=27490)

I made my own mill, it was not hard for me to do so, and I also made my own ripping chain, again, not hard to do, just take your time.

If you can find it, get an older saw, they have more torque, which you NEED for this, I found an old, like 1976 Husky 185, which is an 85cc saw, it worked great. I was cutting up Keyaki, which is VERY hard wood.

For the first cut I too just screw a 2x8 to the top of the log...........

http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/jackpot/jan_10th/guide_board1.jpg
http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/jackpot/jan_10th/guide_board2.jpg

http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/jackpot/jan_10th/1st_cut.jpg
after the first cut...........

http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/jackpot/jan_10th/jan_10th_work_log_hog_a.jpg
and a few more cuts after that :rolleyes: :D

and on another day.....

http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/jackpot/feb_13th/bib_log_haul1.jpg
hard work, yeah, you bet, but I had no choice, so I got it done.

http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/jackpot/feb_13th/poor_little_truck.jpg
If I can do this in the middle of Tokyo, I'm sure you can do it back in the US.

The nice thing about having one of these mills is that you can saw lumber from stuff that most mills would not bother with, I mean, look at the wood in this pic............

http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/jackpot/feb_15th/feb_15th_hall_big_stuff.jpg
No mill would have bothered with this piece of wood, but the flaming grain in these are UNREAL...........

Check out this one post in my Logging thread, it has most of my thoughts and such on the whole deal.........

NOTES (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showpost.php?p=303327&postcount=213)

Cheers!

[Todd Woodward]

Nice wood Stu, I made mine out of aluminum and it is light, I just need to find a good saw for it. I have access to an old Homolite Wiz 66 with a 30 inch bar. It is loud and the chain turns slow, maybe I can get it hooked up and give it a try. How does your saw attach? I drilled a hole at the tip and base of the bar to attach mine to the mill. It looks pretty much like yours, I guess there aren't many design changes in something like that.

[Roger Bell]

Al........I really dont have much to add to the previous posts. The mill has it's place in the world, that's for sure. And it is not for everyone, particularly those who dont wish to perform arduous physical work. If you decide to go the Alaska mill route, I have one that is nearly new (used once) that may be available at a fair price.

[Ian Abraham]

I have access to an old Homolite Wiz 66 with a 30 inch bar. It is loud and the chain turns slow

What you need for milling is torque, and those old beasts have a reduction gear box, hence the slow chain speed. I bet it would chew through just about anything though:D

Get some good earmuff and a loop of ripping chain for it and give it a go.

Ian

[Al Weber]

Thanks for all the feedback. A lot of good information here and more things to think about. I will think more about this in the coming winter months in NH. If I am lucky, maybe by spring I will have enough logs to justify hiring a band mill and if not, I'll further investigate the Alaska.

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

What you need for milling is torque, and those old beasts have a reduction gear box, hence the slow chain speed. I bet it would chew through just about anything though:D

Get some good earmuff and a loop of ripping chain for it and give it a go.

Ian

Yep, and the older saws are HEAVY, so lots of guys have moved to the newer lighter saws for real lumber jacking, you know, lugging them into the bush, but on the chainsaw mill the heavy saw is not much of a big deal, if you are doing it off the back of a truck, like I was, in fact, I'd put my logs on a bit of an incline, so the saw ran down hill, in this case, the extra weight was a bonus :D, just remember to use wedges ever foot or so. I almost had to hold the saw back some, as with the ripping chain, and the slope the saw was just going too fast............you notice I said "Almost" ;) :D

Cheers!

[jerry cousins]

I did post a description for setting up the 1st cut -
http://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=43134
hope it works for you

jerry]

[Todd Woodward]

Stu, is your saw a gear reduction saw, slowing the chain even more? Do you push very hard on it when milling? I'm trying to figure out if I am doing something wrong when I am milling with my current saw. I can't push very hard or it just bogs right down until the chain stops. It doesn't have a broad enough power band I think. I am going to have to get a better saw for milling I think. How do you attach your saw to the mill? I have some bolts that run through two holes that I drilled in my bar.

[Ian Abraham]

I can't push very hard or it just bogs right down until the chain stops. It doesn't have a broad enough power band I think.

Just not enough power to drive the number of cutters. :(

You could try going to a skip chain with only 1/2 the numbers of cutters, and talking to the guys at Peterson sawmills they actually use a sort of double skip chain with a couple of teeth every 8 inches or so. You have less cutters in use, but you can keep the pressure on the ones that are there and make them cut properly without bogging down the saw. If you have to ease up on the feed pressure the cutters are only just scraping away at the wood and not cutting efficiently.

The old gear driven saw probably has the torque to drive a full complement chain, the cutters will be going slower, but that saw wont bog down :)

Cheers

Ian

[Ted Christiansen]

Al,

I started in May 2005 doing what you are thinking about with a Logosol TimberJig and Husqvarna 385XP (85cc). It worked well, but was a lot of work. After about three hours of pushing the saw through the wood I was bushed. It was a good workout however, and gradually I could last longer. Five hours is about the limit. Since starting I have cut well over 1000bf of walnut, cherry, ash, oak, elm, maple. I have already used some in projects - you should invest in a moisture meter to be sure the wood is dry enough for your climate.

I have since upgraded to the Logosol Woodworkers Mill. It allows me to work longer because I dont have to push the saw through the wood, I can stand upright while milling and it requires less log handling. Making quartersawn boards with it is a breeze (compared to Alaskan type mills). Now I find the TimberJig and WWmill to be good combination. I can break up large logs into smaller pieces (quartering, thirds, etc) that can then be milled on the WWmill.

There is some good information here. There is even more on Arboristsite (Google it) in the milling forum.

Ted

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Todd, I agree with Ian, you need more saw! :D

My old Husky does not have a reduction gear, AFAIK, but the older saws have a longer stroke, giving them a slower chain speed and more torque.

The "Skip" type chain that Ian is talking about is what I had the most success with.

Taken from my "Notes" page..........



One of the things that I've heard a lot about is chains. I started with a regular cross cut chain, this worked just OK, it was a lot of work to cut the hard wood, and left a very rough surface.

Next I re-filed my chain to what is called a ripping chain by some, this is where the cutters are filed to a 5 degree angle on the cutters, but no cutters are removed. This was an improvement over the standard cross cut chain, and I think it would work well on softer wood, but on the hard wood I was cutting it was not so great.

I next got directed to the Granberg style of ripping chain, the Granberg style Ripping chain has a set of teeth that have had every other set (pair) of top plates removed. (A set meaning a tooth from each side when possible. See the picture below.) You would take 2 teeth next to each other, one on one side and one on the other, and grind off the top plates using a bench grinder, Dremel, or belt sander. You don't shorten the tooth at all but merely remove the top plate that sticks out to the side of the side plate. What's left on top is nothing wider than the thickness of the side plate.
http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/jackpot/husky/ripping_chain.GIF
The tooth with the top plate removed now goes through the wood with less resistance than pulling a top plate along with it and effectively severs the wood fibers. The next set of teeth to go through with the top plates, clean out all the severed fibers. This results in less heat buildup, faster chain speed, and smoother cuts with reduced clogging.

This set up was a great improvement, the saw worked so much better using this chain.

I could keep the saw hogging through logs all day long, the saw would run just below the "four stroking" you get when a saw hits it's rev limit, which is the peak of the saw's power band, right where you want your saw to be running.

This set up worked very well for me.

Like Ted says, this is hard work, but your body will get used to it, and as you are working for yourself, you don't have to work like a rented mule, you can pace yourself.

One other consideration, you need to think about noise. Running a chainsaw is not quiet, but running it on a mill is really loud, as the saw runs near flat out for extended periods of time, this can PO neighbours very soon.

Good luck!

[Nathan Talley]

I've had a alaskan mill for a few months now. I use it in hopes of supporting my woodworking habit, so that's my only production goal. I found an old Husqvarna 61 for a fraction of a new saw. It's not the fastest but it gets the job done. Every since I got it people keep giving me trees and logs that they want removed. Just last week I cleared 1/2 an acre for a former college professor and got several ashes, cedars, and oaks all for free. So just in these trees it would pay for my set up many times over.
Good luck

[Ted Christiansen]

Nathan,

Sweet. That is exactly my logic as well (milling setup is paid for rather quickly in the value of the lumber).

I too now have so many sources for logs that I have to choose which ones I want and let the others go (it's sad to know they will be chipped or burned). I have limited time and lumber storage space. I have cut so much in the last year, that I will have to build quite a few projects this winter to make space in the drying area (my basement). I plan to build a dehumidifier kiln to allow me to stack the wood unstickered, thus increasing storage capacity!! My wife says I am nuts.

Ted