Author Topic: Alaskan Mill Goes Electric!  (Read 3588 times)

Offline Tim Pettigrew

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Alaskan Mill Goes Electric!
« on: July 05, 2019, 03:03:41 PM »
I have been experimenting for some time with the idea of using an electric chainsaw with a small "Alaskan Mill" for preparation of some of the larger pieces of timber I get given from friends, relatives and friendly estate managers.

A lot of people have said that I'm wasting my time and such milling can only be done using a petrol driven saw >:(

Well here's a link showing the results of my first attempt: Alaskan Mill Goes Electric

Best viewed Full Screen.  Please feel free to laugh  :D as it is also my first attempt at doing a You Tube video  :-[

I was given an Akasio head camera for my 70th birthday this year and it seemed a good opportunity to try it out ;D

Cheers

Tim

Offline fuzzyturns

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Re: Alaskan Mill Goes Electric!
« Reply #1 on: July 05, 2019, 05:10:47 PM »
You clearly are a tinkerer of the highest note. So, let's see the Chinese jig cost you about £80. The material for the rest of your setup is probably somewhere between £50 - £100. And then I reckon you spent at least 10 hours building that rig, which in my book is equal to no less than £200. In my estimate this means you've already spent more than if you were to buy the Granberg mill. Although, admittedly you probably had more fun.

And then you claim that if you hadn't used that jig, you would have "butchered" the wood. Well, I have two chainsaws, and I have cut up a fair few trees by now. Some of them in excess of 3ft diameter, and I can tell you that with a little bit of experience, and a nice sharp chain, you can get a very decent straight clean cut without any jig whatsoever, just free hand. It does get a little tricky if the trunk in question is more than about 6ft long, but I don't get many of those anyway.

So overall, I think you had some good fun and the results are worthwhile (although you might want to try a skip-tooth chain, tends to work better on these rip cuts), but efficient it is not.  ;)

Offline michaelb

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Re: Alaskan Mill Goes Electric!
« Reply #2 on: July 05, 2019, 07:50:45 PM »
Absolutely brilliant lot of thought and effort to be able to have come up with such a cost effective idea with tools that we all have is great and I take my hat off to you. I hoe you don't mind bit might just copy some ideas

I use petrol chain saws and great to see you wearing chain saw gloves,  chains can come off please buy chain saw trousers positions of blade will bring tears to your eyes and you will not be cutting the straight lines in your great garden.
No pockets in shrouds spend it now

Offline Tim Pettigrew

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Re: Alaskan Mill Goes Electric!
« Reply #3 on: July 05, 2019, 08:05:57 PM »
Many thanks Michael - please feel free to copy anything - glad it is helpful.  If you need any other detailed info, just let me know.

Very good comment about the trousers, a flying chain would definitely bring tears to the eyes :o  :'(.  I do have and usually always wear such trousers but they got omitted during the videoing activity - a bad mistake and a poor example for others :-[  I also have a proper chainsaw helmet but used my woodturning visor because it was adapted to take the Akasio helmet camera.

Thanks again

Tim