posifour11 723 #1 Posted August 23, 2018 I bought this thing around 2002 from a friend that was getting out of the homesteading thing. I doubt she ever used it. In an attempt to do a "proof of concept" for my wife, I used one of my old felling chains. She loved it! It's going to take several posts to say what has been done, so, bear with me. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 69,410 #2 Posted August 23, 2018 Trina and I are very interested in doing homesteading in the future and we both love tools and are fascinated with this home Sawmill subject. I'm in on this one! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
posifour11 723 #3 Posted August 23, 2018 I think I paid about $100 for this thing, probably in 2001-2002. But I wound up doing the army thing for lots of years and never used it. I'll tell y'all about the bandsaw mill I bought later as this goes. 😀 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
posifour11 723 #4 Posted August 23, 2018 (edited) I've carried this thing from Missouri, to Arkansas, to Kansas, to Oklahoma, to Missouri and back to where I'll die in Arkansas. I didn't even try to use it until last week when I told my wife to keep 911 ready because I was doing it! Turns out, that she doesn't get my life insurance just yet! Using an MS290 with the normal 35 degree chain, I made slabs good enough that she wanted me to make a bench with them because they were "bookends" to each other. Edited August 23, 2018 by posifour11 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 69,410 #5 Posted August 23, 2018 Just now, posifour11 said: I've carried this thing from Missouri, to Arkansas, to Kansas, to Oklahoma, to Missouri and back to where I'll die in Arkansas. I didn't even try to use it until last week when I told my wife to keep 911 ready because I was doing it! Turns out, that she doesn't get my life insurance just yet! Using an MS290 with the normal 35 degree chain, I made slabs good enough that she wanted me to make a bench with the because they were "bookends" to each other. That's pretty awesome. What's the chain supposed to be? Like 10 degrees or something isn't it? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
posifour11 723 #6 Posted August 23, 2018 After my "proof of concept" tryout, I had the local Stihl folks cut me a ripping chain. (They don't carry them because so few people have the same requirements). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
posifour11 723 #7 Posted August 23, 2018 After my "proof of concept" tryout, I had the local Stihl folks cut me a ripping chain. (They don't carry them because so few people have the same requirements). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
posifour11 723 #8 Posted August 23, 2018 I mounted the chain and mounted the attachment again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
posifour11 723 #9 Posted August 23, 2018 I screwed my "pressure treated" 2x6x12 to the slab side of the log. (Apparently, you can't trust PT not to warp, either.) My PT was kept dry and warped anyway. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
posifour11 723 #10 Posted August 23, 2018 Once I'd run the right screws into the log and had the "guide board" level, I started in on it and it was amazing! Tore right through it and left just enough to make it feel like a hand-hewn board! 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
posifour11 723 #11 Posted August 23, 2018 Sadly, I broke the starter rope on the last pull on the saw (totally my fault, it spent years being abused before I got it). Can't wait to give y'all a review of the sawmill I bought in 2010 when I was deployed. 😀 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
posifour11 723 #12 Posted August 23, 2018 26 minutes ago, ebinmaine said: That's pretty awesome. What's the chain supposed to be? Like 10 degrees or something isn't it? That's what I had the Stihl shop do for me. I'm guessing they charged me less because I just bought a limbing saw from them. They cut it and sold to me below their list price for just the chain. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
posifour11 723 #13 Posted August 23, 2018 44 minutes ago, ebinmaine said: Trina and I are very interested in doing homesteading in the future and we both love tools and are fascinated with this home Sawmill subject. I'm in on this one! Besides the years that I was playing army, I've been living the homesteading life. I've done about all of it, minus the sheep thing, I hate sheep! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JAinVA 4,629 #14 Posted August 24, 2018 (edited) Almost thirty years ago I too was interested in a chainsaw mill.I tried something similar to this rig with mixed results.This type of rig will help you square up larger timbers but it takes a lot of time and you are using up in most cases an expensive chainsaw.There was a fellow in PA that had been experimenting with band mills and for $20.00 he would share his results and I bit.Best $20 bucks I ever spent.When I built this mill I had less than $600.00 using all new parts except the engine.The screen shot is of a 2014 refresh and I have used this to cut thousands of board feet of lumber.This mill will cut 28" diameter logs at 16' length but by adding more track length can give you what ever you need.I tend to build much of my junk from scratch but there are companies who will sell components to create something similar at a decent price. If interested PM me for info. Check out the video at the bottom of the post. 2012_09_27_0322.AVI Edited August 24, 2018 by JAinVA 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
posifour11 723 #15 Posted August 24, 2018 @JAinVA I bought a band mill that I have yet to use. I still need to build the track for it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
