Turn Your Chainsaw into a Sawmill
Creating planks and boards by cutting slabs of wood using a portable chainsaw mill sounds a bit far fetched for those of us who have only used a chainsaw to cut down and trim trees.
However in reality, a chainsaw plank cutter can be a very useful addition to the various uses you can put your chainsaw to.
The easiest way to turn your chainsaw into a sawmill is by buying a portable chainsaw mill kit. These kits are quite reasonably priced. They allow you to cut planks and boards with the same chainsaw you have used to cut the tree down.
By turning your chainsaw into a portable sawmill you can save both time and money.
- You can cut your planks on site without having to transport the tree to a sawmill.
- Time flexible – you can cut your wood into planks at any time – no business hours to consider.
- you can easily make adjustments as you go.
There are obvious limitations to this method as well, including:
- It can be physically challenging if you are cutting lots of big planks using this method
- The chainsaw cut is not as fine as a conventional sawmill so this method produces a lot of sawdust
Nevertheless, you can still achieve a heck of a lot by turning your chainsaw into an easily portable sawmill.
What about size?
Board width
The portable chainsaw mills are designed for chainsaws with bar lengths that range from somewhere around 14″ to 48″(or roughly 35 – 122 cm). However remember that most of the manufacturers of these chainsaw attachments won’t cater for that spread with a single attachment.
In other words you might find one that caters for chainsaw bars from 14’to 36′(35 – 91cm). Another will be suitable for chainsaw bar lengths from 18″to 48″ (46 – 122 cm)
This means that the width of the planks you can cut is determined by the length of the chainsaw bar length.
However, to be practical and ensure an even finish on the edge, you probably wouldn’t want to have the log you are planking to be as wide as the chainsaw bar is long.
As a rule of thumb then. When you attach the mill to your chainsaw, you will lose 2″ to 4″ of width. So for example, if you are going to get a 36″ chainsaw mill, then a 42″ chainsaw bar would be a good bar length to use.
Board Depth
The depth of the board you can cut is determined by the range of the model of the saw mill attachment and not the chainsaw bar length.
Depending on the make of your chainsaw sawmill, you should be able to cut boards from about 1/2″ to 12″ thick (1.5 – 33cm).
Board Length
Again this is unrelated to the length of the chainsaw bar. It depends entirely on the length of the timber you are working with.
Chainsaw Requirements
In theory just about any chainsaw can be used to cut planks. However, the size of the planks and the volume of wood you want to cut will influence the chainsaw requirements.
However, bigger planks and higher volumes will require a bigger and more powerful chainsaw engine. In these cases, you will almost certainly need to use a gas chainsaw as they are more powerful than battery powered chainsaws.
Good examples would be the Poulan Pro or one of the bigger Husqvarna chainsaws such as the Husqvarna 460 Rancher.
As we have seen, the width of plank that you can cut depends on the length of the chainsaw bar. It is quite useful to have a number of bars (and their chains) of differing lengths if you are going to be milling planks from a variety of sizes of trees.
You might well need to change the chain that you normally use on your chainsaw for one that is more suitable for this kind of job.
Most manufacturers of these portable chainsaw board cutters will recommend what type of chain is best e.g. a 3/8 pitch ripping chain is not an uncommon recommendation.
For the best results and chain longevity, some people advise sharpening the chain after every plank cut, especially if you are cutting long planks.
Joining the Chainsaw to the Mill
Watch the video below to see how the chainsaw and mill fit together (you can start at 2 min 30 secs) and how the first cut is made.
Chainsaw Mill Guide Rails
As you have seen in the video above, you will need a rail guide system of some sort to cut your first slab of wood.
You can either make your own or you can buy one but either way this is an essential piece of equipment if you are going to turn your chainsaw into a mill for cutting planks of wood.
For more information on how to do this, read this article
In Conclusion
Cutting boards with a chainsaw is hard and messy work.
However, for many people, the benefits of turning their chainsaw into a saw mill are many and varied.
Are at all interested in turning your chainsaw into a saw mill and have no experience? Then perhaps reading “Harvest your own Lumber” will get you off on the right foot! (just click on the image on the left for further information about the publication)