Milling Lumber with a Chainsaw Mill

When it comes to milling lumber, chainsaw mills offer a low cost of entry, with some big capacities.

- Logan Wittmer

The more and more I get wrapped up in the milling, logging, and lumber industry, the more and more questions I seem to get about chainsaw mills. What are my thoughts on them? Are they worth the cost? Will they produce good, usable material? So, out with the chainsaw, fuel cans, and some long johns to answer these questions.

Chainsaw Mill Basics

A chainsaw mill, obviously, utilizes a chainsaw powerhead and bar to rip logs into usable pieces. One of the most common setups, designed and sold by Granberg, is shown below. Commonly referred to as an "Alaskan mill" (which is a trademark name owned by Granberg), it's a fixture that captures the chainsaw bar under a pair of guide rails. The guide rails can be adjusted to make different-sized cuts when milling a log.

One of the most common questions when it comes to chainsaw mills is "will my current saw work?". And the answer is... maybe. For chainsaw milling operations, you need a saw with a minimum of about 70cc. At 70cc, you're starting to get into the professional saw category, and that's a good thing, as professional saws are generally built better than "homeowner" saws. And, I want to be clear: milling can be hard on saws. In fact, most saw manufacturers don't recommend milling with their saws. But, when it comes to milling, the bigger the powerhead, the better. Here, we're using a Stihl MS880, which is the biggest saw they currently make. If more power is needed, then you start to get into the realm of double-headed bars (yes, two saw heads on a bar is a thing). However, that only makes sense if you're cutting logs over 60"-wide.