If you work with wood as a job or a hobby, you know how important a good chainsaw and a sharp milling attachment can be.
Milling is a process that involves the use of an attachment to cut your wood into perfectly sized boards based on your needs and requirements.
This process can be performed using a wide range of tools and attachments, but the most efficient and popular tool for this purpose is a chainsaw mill.
What is a Chainsaw Mill?
If you are someone who has no idea of what a chainsaw mill is and what does it exactly do, then put a chainsaw mill is a guide that is attached to a straight edge on top of a log, and it functions as a grip that holds the chainsaw into place so that a straight cut can be made.
There are a variety of chainsaws available in the market for both home and industrial usage.
The home chainsaws are strong, but they are not strong enough to perform heavy-duty tasks like milling.
Many factors need to be considered when you are trying to determine the quality of a good chainsaw.
With that being said, some chainsaws are ideal for milling slabs with great efficiency and quality.
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4 Best Chainsaw for Milling Slabs Reviews
Here are our recommended Best Chainsaw for Milling Slabs which will save your time and money in 2021;
1. Husqvarna Rancher Gas Chainsaw
- Weight: 21 lbs
- Bar Length: 20 inch
- Power: 60 cc or 3.62 HP
- Warranty: up to 4 years
- Automatic lubrication
- Quick and easy chain adjustment
- High-quality safety mechanism
- Easy to start
- Not as durable as other chainsaws
- Can get hot really fast
Overview
Husqvarna is one of the most popular and leading companies in the heavy machinery industry. Their products are known to be robust and ideal for performing complicated jobs efficiently.
So, if you are looking for arguably the best chainsaw for ripping logs and milling slabs, then look no further.
When using a chainsaw for milling slabs, you need a piece of machinery with the most power and easy reach. The Husqvarna 460 is ideal in both regards. The chainsaw is equipped with a 20-inch bar that ensures that you will get extra reach, which will greatly help you mill large trees.
But this reach would be of no use if it wasn’t backed up by a heavy-duty engine that can bear the brunt of chopping down trees quickly and efficiently.
Luckily for you, this chainsaw also has a 60.33 cc motor that produces 3.62 horsepower of force which keeps the chain spinning no matter how tough the wood is.
You might be asking yourself if this big motor would create more vibrations and make the process more difficult.
To answer your question, the Husqvarna 460 comes equipped with a LowVib anti-vibration system that makes sure that the chainsaw remains easy to handle and doesn’t move in your arms because of the vibration dampening.
So, all of these additional features make this machine an ideal tool for milling through slabs of lumber and produce perfectly sized and shaped boards.
2. ECHO Timber for Milling Slabs
- Weight: 17 lbs
- Bar Length: 20 inches
- Power: 59.8 cc
- Warranty: 5 years
- It has a translucent fuel tank
- Excellent in terms of balance and power
- It weighs only 17 lbs which means that it is easy to control
- Is very durable and easy to use
- Replacement bars are hard to find
Overview
The Echo brand is highly regarded when it comes to creating high-quality and professional-grade chainsaws.
The Echo Timber Wolf comes packed with a powerful 59.8 cc engine that can also support a 20-inch long bar, making it one of the most efficient and durable chainsaws in the market for milling and cutting timber.
Another benefit of this machine is that it weighs only 17 lbs, ensuring that you will not get fatigued during long-duration tasks.
The fuel tank of the Echo Timber Wolf can easily hold up to about 21.8 oz of fuel, which means you don’t have to worry about filling it up regularly.
Furthermore, the tank itself is made from a translucent material which means that you can easily keep an eye on the fuel inside the saw to be well aware of when a refill is required.
Finally, the Echo Timber Wolf comes with a unique 2-stroke engine specially designed to go through any wood with relative ease. All of these added features make it a must-buy for all your milling needs.
3. Husqvarna Milling Slabs Chainsaw
- Weight: 12.8 lbs
- Bar Length: 20 inches
- Power: 55.5 cc
- Warranty: 4 years
- Strong overall cutting power
- Excellent balance and weight
- Less maintenance required
- Not as durable as other chainsaws in the market.
Overview
The Husqvarna 455 is a machine beast when cutting down a large sum of trees easily and effortlessly because of its sheer power. It has a 55.5 cc motor, which creates up to 3.5 horsepower.
This ensures that the machine will have a lot of power behind it when dealing with heavy-duty tasks. It also starts up and shuts down easily, making it relatively easier to operate than other chainsaws in the market.
In addition to all of this, the Husqvarna 455 has an X-Torq engine which cuts down the overall fuel usage by an astounding 20%. This machine is also equipped with two additional safety features that can save you from an accident or malfunction.
The first feature is the inertial chain breaker, which can get activated when any upward movement takes place, and the second feature front handguard helps protect your arm in case of a slip.
These features and more make the Husqvarna 455 an ideal chainsaw for cutting down trees and milling lumber slabs.
4. Poulan Pro Gas Chainsaw for Slabs
- Weight: 17.8 lbs
- Bar Length: 20 inches
- Power: 50 cc
- Warranty: 2 years
- Engine: Powerful 2-stroke
- Easy start mechanism
- Affordable price
- Excellent in terms of reliability and durability
- Easy to maintain
- Easy-grip handle makes you less prone to slips and injuries
- Ignition modules might cause issues down the line.
Overview
The Poulan Pro PR5020 is a popular chainsaw among homeowners because it has the perfect combination of usability and power, allowing the owners of this beast to perform relatively time-consuming tasks easily and effortlessly.
It is a gas-powered chainsaw and has a capacity of about 55 ccs. The engine used for this machine is a 2-cycle engine labeled as an oxy power engine. The chain has a length of 20 inches which makes the Poulan Pro PR5020 an ideal tool for professionals and novices.
The construction and design of the Poulan Pro PR5020 are both very sturdy, and it has an overall weight of 17.8 pounds which makes it easy to carry around.
The PR5020 comes equipped with an Oxypower Engine which cuts down the fuel usage by almost 30%, making this chainsaw extremely fuel-efficient.
The rotating power of this chainsaw is close to 900RPM or rotations per minute, which ensures that the PR5020 has enough power to deal with any wood, no matter how tough it is.
Furthermore, if you are someone who has never used this type of chainsaw before and are worried about operating it, the Poulan Pro PR5020 comes with an instructive manual that can be used to get further assistance on any issue that you are facing with the machine.
All these features and more make the Poulan Pro PR5020 an excellent choice for professional milling.
Buyer’s Guide for Chainsaw for Milling Slab
Chainsaws can be really intimidating, especially if you are not well-versed in the kind and features of chainsaws. They are high-power tools that work best in the hands of someone who has experience in operating them properly.
At the same time, they can be a crucial and necessary tool for commercial and home usage and should be present in the house in case of an emergency.
Today, there are thousands of models of chainsaws available in the market, so it is important to know what kind of chainsaw you are looking for beforehand. With that being said, here are some things you need to consider when you are looking to buy a chainsaw.
Design and Compatibility
You must make sure that your chainsaw is perfectly compatible with your milling attachment because a mill itself can be easily bought for less than $200, which is relatively inexpensive when compared to a dedicated milling saw but at the same time, it is not something you want to buy more than once. So, properly checking the compatibility beforehand is paramount.
Power
Milling is a process that requires you to cut lengths of wood and not cross-sections of it. Cutting down huge chunks of wood is something that would require a machine with great power.
It would help if you bought a chainsaw with enough power to get the job you have in mind done properly and efficiently.
Gas vs. Electric Chainsaws
The difference between gas and electric chainsaws comes in terms of power and consistency. Electric chainsaws are usually designed to perform routine household or relatively small tasks, and because of that, they are not nearly as powerful as gas chainsaws are.
You can use the chainsaws to perform heavy-duty tasks, but they will get overtaxed relatively quickly. Still, at the same time,e these chainsaws are relatively quieter and can easily be used in a highly-populated area without making excessive noise and bothering the people around you.
So, the choice between gas or electric chainsaws essentially boils down to the type and the amount of work you want to get done.
Bar Length
The length of the bar determines the maximum width of the lumber that you can properly cut with your chainsaw. If you are looking to cut massive trees or mill wider boards, you require a chainsaw with a bar length of at least 20 inches to get the job done properly.
Weight of the Chainsaw
If you are using a heavy-duty chainsaw, there is a great chance that you will get worn down or fatigued after using it for a relatively large amount of time. Now, consider the same chainsaw connected to a heavy milling rig, and the pain and fatigue get multiplied by a hundred.
If you suffer from back or joint pain, it is not terrible to go for a lighter chainsaw that can perform all the tasks that a normal chainsaw can but with a bonus that it weighs less and will reduce the chance of you getting hurt or fatigued.
Price of the Chainsaw
Price also plays an important part when you are looking to buy a chainsaw. If you have two chainsaws that are compatible with your milling rig, it is a good idea to go with the one that costs less so that you can save some money.
It is also important to keep in mind that the price is for more than the chainsaw itself because you need to think about repairs, maintenance, and fuel.
Final Verdict
In the aforementioned text, we have discussed some of the best chainsaws that you can use for milling slabs in great detail. We have also discussed some important points that you need to consider beforehand when looking to buy a chainsaw.
These factors basically consisted of user requirements that can help you choose the best chainsaw for your particular set of needs.
These factors were the design and compatibility of your chainsaw with your milling attachment, the power needed to perform a task, the better choice between gas and electric chainsaws, the bar length, the weight, and the price of the chainsaw.
You have many choices when buying a chainsaw that is ideal for you, so get yourself a new chainsaw today for all your milling and other carpentry-related needs.
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FAQs About Chainsaws
Here are a few questions that people also asked for this type of saw;
Which one is the Best Chainsaw for Milling Slabs?
Here is my recommended list of the Best Chainsaw for Milling Slabs in 2021;
- Husqvarna Rancher Gas Chainsaw
- ECHO Timber for Milling Slabs
- Husqvarna Milling Slabs Chainsaw
- Poulan Pro Gas Chainsaw for Slabs
How often do I need to sharpen my chainsaw chain?
This is entirely dependent on what you are cutting. Chainsaws are specially designed to cut clean timber so things like dirt, nails, and sand can dull it almost instantly. Additionally, even if you are cutting just clean wood, the chain will become dull with time. So, a lot of professional chainsaw users sharpen their chains in between each refuel.
How long does the chain last?
This question is directly related to the last one. The lifespan of a chain is entirely dependent on the type of material that is being cut. If you decide to use a dull chain without properly cleaning it, its lifespan will almost be cut in half because of the added friction and heat produced. Other factors like poor chain and bar lube quality can also directly impact the chain’s lifespan.
How often should I get my chainsaw serviced?
It would help if you got your chainsaw serviced once every year so it can keep working at a high rate. It is also important to note that maintenance is a lot cheaper than the complete replacement of a component or item because of failure, so a chainsaw should be serviced regularly to ensure that this does not happen.
How much does it cost to get my chain sharpened professionally?
Getting your chain sharpened by a professional will cost you somewhere between $13 to $16 on average at a garden machinery shop.
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