These 17 chainsaw milling tips show you how to put your Alaskan mill in action making logs into boards. They will improve the quality of timber you can make with your mill, and/or influence the design of your mill if you're thinking about making one. They are mainly a reply to your questions about various aspects of milling as well as being common mistakes I see being made and have made myself!

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The tips:
ONE 00:18 Quality of cut can be improved greatly by easing the saw into the cut. Don’t go full throttle straight away, instead, both start and stop slowly. Same if you have to stop mid slab for any reason.

TWO 00:53 Don’t push the saw! Ideally, position the log on a slight gradient so the saw is a little bit 'gravity fed'. Winches get good reviews - I have never seen much need as a good sharp chain will pull itself into the cut.

THREE 01:22 Wedges. Talk about shape etc. Don’t hammer them into the kerf - it will change the angle of the straight edge and cause deep gouges.

FOUR 02:02 Angle the saw, nose first, and hold the angle consistently. Seesawing will leave a poor finish.

FIVE 02:27 Using the straight edge for cuts after the first again can aid accuracy and safety.

SIX 03:11 Wear Proper protective equipment, including a good dust mask. I'm now using an integrated face shield and dust mask which I got from ebay, and it's a complete game changer! I originally got it for all kinds of other workshop tasks like painting, epoxy use, and sanding. In the past, even when I wore a separate dust mask, I would get dry eyes - no more! For chainsaw milling it's perfect, giving good visibility and clean air, free of the cocktail of fumes you get from using a two-stroke engine. It's the 3M 6800 full-face equivalent which means it's a cheaper import ( see it here: https://ebay.us/MZpq5T ), but I use it with the genuine 3m 6001 vapor filters.  My radio ear defenders I won in an Instructables contest.

SEVEN 03:47 Make a full checklist before you leave. You can see my full checklist here: http://www.floweringelbow.org/17-supe...

EIGHT 03:57 Use a brush to remove dust around the caps before re-fuelling. CS milling is much dustier than regular chainsaw use...

NINE 07:00 Enjoy yourself.

TEN 04:05 Check to see if you need to refuel between slab cuts. Don’t start a slab unless you have enough to finish it. Avoid running the tank dry while milling!

ELEVEN 04:42 Aux oilier talk.

TWELVE 05:20 Dampened handles!

THIRTEEN 05:39 Let the saw cool off with the engine idling after long cuts.

FOURTEEN 05:55 Slab moving is dangerous- assess the risks and make wise choices.

FIFTEEN 06:12 Play it cool when things don’t go your way. Something will not go according to plan (!) try and make the best of it.

SIXTEEN 06:34 Stash your gear up-wind of the saw site. Dust WILL cover everything.

SEVENTEEN 06:45 How much did the mill cost? The full build details and plans here: https://play.google.com/store/books/d...

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