Saw Mill on 361?

10range said:

In the next year I anticipate needing to replace the decking boards on my trailer. Cheapest I can replace them is around $125 but that is cheaper wood. I have access to some white oak that the land owner wants taken down and am thinking that may make some nice boards. What I am considering is buying one of the small mills to cut my own deck boards.

I have no experience with saw mills so questions I have,

My biggest saw is a 361. Is this capable of milling 15" oak?

Are there things in addition to the mill and ripping chain required for this?


Can you tell that I am looking for an excuse to buy a mill? Any advice would be great!

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That'll do it,but would be a struggle for extended use.Granberg & others recommend a minimum 70cc saw for logs up to 18",80-100+ for larger ones.Auxiliary oiler is nice on bars over 30",electric chain grinder if you're going at it full time.I use a straight Doug Fir 2 x 12 7ft long with 1/4 x 2 x 2 angle iron screwed to the bottom side as my guide plank for the first cut.Some buy the aluminum EZ Rail system from Granberg or use an old straight 8 or 10 ft aluminum ladder,those work great too.I keep 2-3 sharp chains handy so havent felt the need to spend the extra coin on that yet,maybe some day.I had a McCulloch Pro Mac 610 3.7 cubic inch/61 cc 24" bar back in early 90's,used it for a few months until it was too much for it.Went to Poulan 475 4.7 cubic inch/77cc/36" bar in '94,its great with 125000RPM & loads of torque but a bear to start with no decompression button.Used as backup now.Recently purchased 1996 Husky 288XP is its 'replacement' it has same bar mount pattern as the big older Poulans,so bars are interchangeable.About 1/2 more horsepower,compression is very close,chain speed a little higher.

Like anything else,its all in what you want to spend or the amount of work involved to get the final results.Main thing is take your time,follow all the instructions & keep safe work habits & milling area.You'll be rewarded in the end with a nice product for your efforts.

Have you checked @ sawmills for rough sawn planks, look into an old barn being torn down? That is quite often some really good lumber, & cheap or even free, just make sure to weather seal it one a year or so. A C

15 inch oak you will be fine. Idle alot through out the cut. Buy the small mill.

If you search around you'll see I'm getting decent mileage on the Granberg small log mill (what jay suggested) paired with a Husky 359, which seems to be comparable to the MS361. (I've also used it on my Rancher 455, which is probably less wise. I'm trying to get my hands on a used Makita from HD with no success.) It's not speedy on hardwoods, but I've managed to max out my 24" bar on 22" wide hardwoods when needed. I wouldn't blink at milling 15" oak, I could even step down to the 18" bar for that. (Small log mill loses about 2" for the clamp.) I run 40:1 mix, and stop and idle a few times down the log while I put in wedges. I have a single ripping chain that I hand sharpen in the field. Get a stump vise, one of the handiest little tools I have.