A Chain Saw Lumber Mill… Oh the possibilities!

Last year, I was beginning to seriously look at constructing a cabin – an idea that has resonated with me for a long time now. In doing some background research, I came across an article referring to milling logs into beams using a chainsaw mill. I found this to be pretty exciting… to be able to convert logs into something more usable than firewood? …and to be able to create my own lumber? …this would be way cheaper than buying logs from a lumberyard, mill or buying a log cabin kit. I watched a bunch of YouTube videos on chainsaw milling and I was hooked. I decided I wanted to try it out. Even if I only made a few planks from the mill, it could prove very worthwhile and cost effective.

After doing some more research, I decided to purchase the Alaskan Mark IV Chain Saw Mill by Granberg International (~$260) [see link below]. I went with this company because all the reviews and videos I watched gave this mill a pretty good report. (Granberg has been making tools for chainsaw milling and sharpening since 1957, so I felt pretty confident in going with them for a mill.) I also liked the fact that this mill clamps onto a chainsaw’s bar and does not require drilling or other modification to the chainsaw or bar.

One of the things I needed to address, is that the chainsaw I owned (A Stihl MS 251) would not be sufficient for doing milling work. Granberg recommends a minimum engine displacement size of 60 cc’s. My Stihl MS251 only has a displacement of 45.6 cc’s, so it would be under-powered. I was able to locate a used Stihl MS 461 online (for about half the cost of a new one) so I decided to purchase this saw as it would have plenty of power (76.5cc’s) to run the mill. I took this saw in to my local Stihl dealer after it arrived and had them go over it for any issues. Some tweaking and it was good to go. I also had a new 32″ bar installed which would allow for cutting logs/boards about 27 or 28″ wide (the full width of the bar is not available due to how the mill attaches; one losses some distance on both sides of the mill due to not being able to attach the mill above the sprocket and also due to the kickback bar.) I opted for a 36″ mill, which is about as big a mill as I figured I could handle on my own. The mill is made of heavy-duty aircraft aluminum and zinc plated steel parts. It is capable of cutting planks and beams up to 32″ wide (depending on bar size) and 1/2″ to 13″ deep. I figured this ought to be more than adequate for what I intend to do with it. Granberg sells larger mills (up to 84″)… but they recommend using an auxiliary oiler kit on bars larger than 36″… this requires drilling two holes in the saw bar tip. Not something I really want to do right now.

I also upgraded from a crosscut chain to a ripping chain. A ripping chain is designed to cut lengthwise as opposed to cross cutting. This, from all the video reviews I watched, makes lumber milling much easier and much more enjoyable. (More on this in a later post)

I had everything I needed. My dad said he had a big willow tree that had come down and I was welcome to practice on it. So I loaded everything into the truck and headed down to try out the mill… as you can see everything went well.

Suddenly, opportunities and options started to present themselves to me. I would be on a drive somewhere and notice a tree that had fallen down. Now, instead of thinking to myself, “Boy, someone is going to have a big job of cutting that big tree into fire wood!”, I found myself considering things like, “Hmm… I bet you could cut some interesting boards from that” or “That would probably have some amazing grain to it… would make awesome boards!”

I am very pleased with this mill and have big plans for it in the future… I hope you will follow me on this journey!

Links:

https://granberg.com/product-category/alaskan-mill/

https://www.stihlusa.com/