Hello,

Does anyone have experience using a chainsaw to mill logs into lumber?

My saw is a Husqvarna 350, with an 18-inch bar. My neighbor has a lumber jig he'll let me borrow, but he keeps trying to talk me out of trying, saying that it is very slow going--about an inch per minute. To me, that is so slow that it wouldn't be worth it.

But I'm wondering if he isn't using a ripping chain and if that's what makes it so slow.

I'm also having a little difficulty finding a ripping chain. (I might get a longer bar for this too.)

All thoughts would be appreciated. I'm planning to cut mostly maple and ash (say, one to five trees' worth). The trees are not really reachable by vehicles larger than a garden tractor, so I think that the chainsaw would be the only way to mill the wood.

--Jonathan