OK some of you know me because of the chainsaw mills I make, and others well i hope you get to know me or we can share insight and experiences, in this awesome addiction whether it be as your source of income or a hobby. as a mill maker I don't actually get to mill as much as you would think, i spend more time making them, but i got a great deal on a husky 3120 a couple months ago, and thought i would get to mill alot sooner than last week, so finally had some free time and a nieghbor had a 32" cedar fall across thier drive, and me finally having some time seized the moment, the night before i pulled out a couple saws, including mounting the 3120 into one of my panthermill 2 chainsaw mills, checked the chains and fluids, safety gear, etc. loaded up the trailer i've been considering turning into a milling trailer and the next morning away I went. I loaded the log onto the trailer with one of the winchs to get to a comfortable working height, also i did lower the tongue of the trailer to ground level which will let gravity do the work and save me any effort of having to push the mill through the wood (please also note that if you do have to push too hard to mill through a log something is wrong, usually incorrect sharpening or worn/bent bar or chain), which I do recommend when when using a slabbing mill of this type. mounted the slabbing rail/starter rail and away i went, my first cut I used a standard chain sharpened at 30 degrees, rakers filed just a bit and used an auxillary oiler filled with pinesol and water, as well as the standard oiler, through the whole session. going downhill it did cut well, but for my next pass i filed the rakers down more and the cutters to about 20 degrees, the cut was better and i noticed it cut faster, my next pass i took it to 10 degrees and filed the rakers down even more, oh yeah this babies runnin now....
as far as the chainsaw mill this thing is so accurate it's not even funny, it is stable and stoic, weight isn't even an issue as your milling in fact one of the reason's it is made of steel is for durability, and in my experience the steel construction actually helps the milling process, it is a pleasure everytime i do get the chance to use this mill. The husky 3120 is a monster it's 120cc of pure torque, it pulled that full chain through that cedar like nothing, and as filed the rakers down more and more i started to get the curly q's, it usually takes me a few sharpenings to get those from my chains, but basically for those of you who don't know, you do not need to buy ripping chain, you can use a stock chain either full or skip, and sharpen to your preferrance usually 10-18 degrees depending on what your cutting and the power of the saw your using, also i did notice that with some of the ripping chain I havepurchased may be too aggressive through the species of wood or power of certain saws, i preferred skip but after using this full I may change my mind, my last cuts were so smooth i almost wouldn't need a planer, I plan on getting some more full, skip and carbide and try them out and let you all know what I find. ok to mill the entire log took me less than 2 enjoyable hours it was about 3-5 minutes per pass, which through a 32" by 8' log is good, it really felt more like 30 seconds, I used about 3/4 gallons of gas, and for under $450 including the mill and the saw, like i said I got an awesome deal on the saw. i really can"t complain, some i'll use for a sofa table some more of it i'll do some light fixtures with, there is a big burl on the back of one piece i haven't decided what to do with yet. here's a few pics don't want to overlaod as i now relized this is almost a book. as for the pics i'll try again
