Sorry for the late reply. Yes exactly right, scalping both sides of a 450mm diameter log would then allow it to be milled.

@@TimPettigrew1 thank you

Hi there, well spotted! I use the braces when moving the hoist on it's castors. Once the hoist is in place the braces would be in the way and are removed as, in use the hoist is quite stable without them. Put them back after use before activating the castors to roll the hoist out of the way.

Glad you enjoyed it Andrew

Thanks for commenting. Apart from the default Oregon 18" blade I have only used the Panther 20" blade. However, I have been in e-mail correspondence with someone in the USA who has successfully used a 32" narrow kerf Cannon bar (See the Cannon website www.cannonbar.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/page-4-SuperMini-CSM.pdf). These take Lo Pro chain which can be used with the default CS1500 chainsaw sprocket (used with the PowerSharp chain). He also sent a link with a photograph showing the CS1500 fitted with this bar using a milling rig (See photos.app.goo.gl/9JZs6HP7REWne2m49).

Many thanks Charlie. Yes an auxiliary oiler is essential but the commercially available ones (e.g. Granberg) are much too big for these small bars. I successfully improvised one using an M5 banjo bolt made by Cammozzi (Product code 1631 01-M5) and cheaply available on Ebay (UK) for about 3.50GBP (including carriage). The other components needed are also cheaply available from either Ebay or Amazon. The 20" Panther bar (Product code E20-GA-42K-CV-1) is the only 20" bar that will fit the Oregon and is commissioned and distributed by a UK company called Chainsaw Bars (www.chchainsawbars.co.uk). At the time of writing this (November 2022) the bars are unavailable due to a change in manufacturer. It would be well worth contacting them to see when the bars are due to become available again. If there is anything else I can help with don't hesitate to get in contact.

@@TimPettigrew1 Thanks for the additional tips. You continue to surprise me at how resourceful you are! I will definitely take up your offer for help. Cheers!

Glad it was helpful!. Am using the setup on a regular basis for producing woodturning blanks for me and my woodturning club. Am making further tweaks and improvements s I go and will post an amended version of this vid in due course.

Many thanks for your comments. Yes, these mills usually rest directly on rails or a ladder attached (screwed) to the wood for support during the cutting traverses (this is essential for the first cut to get an initial flat surface). However for this smaller-scale milling, mounting the mill on a plywood carriage with castors running on rails make its support completely independent of the wood which is therefore much easier to orientate (especially irregular or branched pieces) to ensure the cuts maximise the potential of the wood whilst also ensuring a straight and even first and subsequent cuts. So yes I agree that milling larger trunks and boles would be more impractical using my carriage on rails approach and the usual approach of an attached ladder or rails screwed to the wood is certainly the better (or the only) option of getting a flat first cut.

Not entirely sure what you mean. I haven't had a problem with clogging as the oil feeds directly into the guidebar behind the chain and is driven outwards by centrifugal force which prevents ingress of sawdust. Hope that makes sense?

Thanks for commenting Anna. Glad you're getting good results.

Not sure if the CS1500 would have the power for a bar above 20". The 20" bar uses thinner chain than that of the default 18" bar (1.1mm as against 1.3mm for the default Power Sharp chain). The guy I would ask would be Rob Dyer at Chainsaw Bars (A UK company)

I'd need to know more about the bar you intend using as that dictates the chain specification and the sprocket required to drive it

Thank you! Cheers!

Glad I could help!

Thanks for commenting. That's an interesting suggestion about turning the saw through 180 degrees (electric motor above the guide bar). With the Oregon CS1500 this would result in the orientation of the oil filler to be upside down and impossible to top up whilst mounted on the jig. I have found that it's much easier to have an independent oil flow controlled with an in-line tap from a reservoir container which can be simply topped-up at anytime during operation of the saw on the jig. As regards chain I have used both the standard 18" bar with the default PowerSharp chain as well as the thinner Panther Mini Chain (with a 20" Panther bar) and hopefully you can see from the videos I have had no major problems. The on-board sharpening of the PowerSharp Chain works well on the 18" Oregon bar but this cannot be used with the Panther Mini Chain (and 20" guide bar) as it is a completely different design and can only be sharpened as per conventional chains. I have yet to experiment using ripping chain on this set-up.

With the CS1500 saw, I leave the sharpener in place when using either the Panther Mini Chain or the Stihl equivalent (3670 PM3) chain, and this would certainly apply to the CS1400. The sharpener must never be used with anything else other than the Power Sharp chain as it is a completely different design to "conventional" chain which the sharpener would seriously damage.

Hi Mark. No it's not ripping chain but you can get more info on the bars and mini chain at www.chainsawbars.co.uk/panther-chainsaw-guidebars/ The setup was recommended to match the Oregon saw by Rob Dyer At Chainsawbars. If you have any queries about the Panther products Rob is the guy to contact. The Panther mini chain looks to be compatible but you would need to fit a 1/4" drive sprocket.

The Oregon parts should be OK as Oregon is a USA based corporation. There are now a lot of manufacturers of portable chainsaw mills. Other bits and bobs should be available via Home Depot, Amazon or Ebay etc. If you have specific problems let me know and I will endeavour to do some research for you.

@@TimPettigrew1i made a nice adj. first cut flat plain i just got the saw the mill comes soon i need at least a ripping chain but thin chain and 20 inch bar is ideal im giveing live edge mantels for x mas

Glad it's been useful John

Many thanks Brad, yes I have done quite a bit of milling of Oak, Apple, Yew and most recently Horse Chestnut. Have added a couple of new videos earlier this year which show the use of a different bar and chain. Overall it works well for me.

Hi Daniel, the wood is Horse Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum). It's to be used for various woodturning projects where the pale colour is a good background for texturing, pyrography and colouring using spirit stains.

The default PowerSharp chain is indeed excellent for general use. However for the occasions I want to use the saw in a portable chainsaw mill the Panther Mini chain gives a much better performance.

Hi John, The Alaskan Mill I used (Royston) was the cheapest I could find. It is still available on Ebay (UK). One 6mm additional hole was drilled in the Oregon bar. For more details see my other video kzbin.info/www/bejne/rmWUl3ljYtClfLM and also see my website www.pettigrews.org.uk/odg/project-06-chainsaw-mill.htm. Do contact me if you require any further assistance.

Thanks for commenting. The reason I'm working with the Oregon CS1500 electric chainsaw is that it is one of the most powerful corded electric saws available (2.4 kw [about 3.2 hp]) and one of the few with an 18" (45cm) bar, but even so it's pushing it to it's limits and the norm for milling is a petrol saw. I did contemplate using a Bosch AKE 40-19 S but the rating is significantly less at 1.9 Kw with a 16" bar giving less potential milling width.

Many thanks for your comments. Yep, I'm sure you are right about one oil screw in the middle of the tip as the oil flow is quite sufficient with just the one feed operating. I am currently experimenting with a 20" Panther guide bar and will almost certainly just have one feed as you suggest. The Panther uses 1/4" 0,043" chain which should give a much better performance for milling than the PowerSharp chain. I have just added a video on using the Panther Bar and Mini chain with the Oregon electric saw and it works very well indeed although I have yet to try it in my milling setup.

Hi Teraina, Yes the Oregon CS1500 is a really good electric saw (3.2hp petrol equivalent) which I have had for more than 3 years now. I have found it ideal for preparing green wood for turning as well as using in my portable chainsaw mill.