What was your most interesting recent non solar project?

[OM617YOTA]

48" bar would take a 660/395 minimum, and would still be underpowered milling, although probably fine with that much of a skip chain. The 60" makes me think it was an 880 or 3120.

I run a 500i, ridiculous overkill for what I do, but so much fun.

 

[Zwy]

48" bar would take a 660/395 minimum, and would still be underpowered milling, although probably fine with that much of a skip chain. The 60" makes me think it was an 880 or 3120.

The 880 is so heavy, only on an Alaskan type mill for this guy. I thought about trying some milling with a bandsaw mill but I already have a pile in the rafters. Local sawmill here will saw on the cheap but it seems you only get half of your wood back. I do know some Amish with a circular sawmill but have to load up logs, haul them 30 miles then pick them back up. Firewood sounds like a better idea and more fun blocking out those big logs.

I run a 500i, ridiculous overkill for what I do, but so much fun.

I didn't want fuel injection, thus the 462 and mine is not CM. Don't change altitude much here in Iowa, the CM really isn't useful here for carb adjustment but Stihl keeps pushing it.

 

[FLD]

My latest project, a reproduction of a 1970 Chevrolet LS-7 engine, took about a year to put together. Most of the components were donated to the project including a genuine LS-7 forged crankshaft.
It's still a project in progress as I'm prepping a set of correct cylinder heads.
It's my almost-zero-budget 454.

 

[peakbagger]

The 880 is so heavy, only on an Alaskan type mill for this guy. I thought about trying some milling with a bandsaw mill but I already have a pile in the rafters. Local sawmill here will saw on the cheap but it seems you only get half of your wood back. I do know some Amish with a circular sawmill but have to load up logs, haul them 30 miles then pick them back up. Firewood sounds like a better idea and more fun blocking out those big logs.


I didn't want fuel injection, thus the 462 and mine is not CM. Don't change altitude much here in Iowa, the CM really isn't useful here for carb adjustment but Stihl keeps pushing it.

I think the Lucas mill has a 20 HP onan on it.

 

[HarryN]

I did a trade with a guy for some mobile electrical work in exchange for a non working cnc wood router.

Took it apart and flipped it upside down so that it can do drilling and machining.

Still a ways to go, but progress.

It will be used at my off grid work shop running on a small DIY solar / battery setup - usual stuff.

 

[Daddy Tanuki]

No idea, its the biggest model the local logging supply store normally stocks for New England logging. They make them bigger for west coast logging. If the compression release is not pushed when trying to start it I swear the piston is scored as it turns over real hard. Its got an extra long bar for an Alaskan mill. That Lucas mill is basically an Alaskan mill on steroids. He can handle up to 60" and they make them wider. The chain he was using only had a cutter every seven links. The wood was clean (no mud on it) and he still needed to swap chains every 3 slabs.

That would be a 395 or the Mack daddy 3120xp .

Obviously that photo with the chainsaw sitting in it was misleading. I thought was you felling saw not milling saw!

 

[FLD]

My day job is aircraft maintenance.
My favorite part is still capacity testing batteries because when they fail I take them home for experiments
View attachment 203370

I did a lot of maintenance on bug smashers back in the day. That's a beautiful hangar/shop!

 

[Daddy Tanuki]

so for me it was the complete renovation of my Cabin. new siding, insulation and double pane glass. this went through July and August of last year.

come to find out my cabin had no insulation in the walls... zero. that's why I was going through 3 cords of hardwood each year even though I was only there on the weekends. this year has proved to be rather dull, same usage for the cabin, but I have only burned a little over one cord, and it does not get cold nearly as fast when the woodstove goes out. I used to wake up at 0400 to restoke it, now I sleep through that and its "reasonable" at 0630 when I climb my lazy ass out of bed.

next project is tied to solar yet it independent. a 1700 liter hot water boiler using a waste oil burner for heat as well as as a solar load for excess production. got no real photos yet as I just got the tank and am working out the rest of the system in my BHU (brain housing unit). once the plan is solidified (this means when it is implemented and screws up) I will make a fool of myself in front of all of you.

 

[SparkyJJO]

Aaarrghhh

I jinxed myself.

We just had a rain burst and I had water dripping through above the window. CRAP.

Fail.

 

[Sanwizard]

Nice. This is Dozer, our custom camper built on a M916 chassis.
View attachment 203865View attachment 203866View attachment 203867View attachment 203868

Wow. Thats some next level work. All you need is the 50cal turret!

 

[Sanwizard]

No idea, its the biggest model the local logging supply store normally stocks for New England logging. They make them bigger for west coast logging. If the compression release is not pushed when trying to start it I swear the piston is scored as it turns over real hard. Its got an extra long bar for an Alaskan mill. That Lucas mill is basically an Alaskan mill on steroids. He can handle up to 60" and they make them wider. The chain he was using only had a cutter every seven links. The wood was clean (no mud on it) and he still needed to swap chains every 3 slabs.

We did a few thousand pounds of White Oak, Cherry and Elm yesterday with this mobile mill. Kohler engine.

 

[Brucey]

That would be a 395 or the Mack daddy 3120xp .

Obviously that photo with the chainsaw sitting in it was misleading. I thought was you felling saw not milling saw!

We have an 881 with 41" bar. Too heavy for me to even lift properly let alone use. My son handles it. Plan is to use it with Alaskan chainsaw mill. Feed it 32:1 motul 800T.

 

[HalfBaked]

Made 10 gallons of all-grain kolsch last weekend on a homemade brick rocket stove using whatever sticks I could scrounge off the ground. Works well, saves $15 in propane every batch and I'll never run out of fuel.

 

[Dagoth Ur Does Solar]

We have an 881 with 41" bar. Too heavy for me to even lift properly let alone use. My son handles it. Plan is to use it with Alaskan chainsaw mill. Feed it 32:1 motul 800T.

Wow, that thing is a beast!

Here I am feeling big and bad when I have a reason to break out my electric chainsaw with a 14" bar...

 

[SeaGal]

Nice. This is Dozer, our custom camper built on a M916 chassis...

I bet SWMBO hates it when you stop and say "we've got a puncture... pass me down the spare, please"

 

[Brucey]

Wow, that thing is a beast!

Here I am feeling big and bad when I have a reason to break out my electric chainsaw with a 14" bar...

Nothing wrong with battery saws, I have a little part time mowing/trimming business and I generally use Stihl kma/ap series battery gear for grass trimming, hedges, polesaw etc. carbon fiber extension pole for that extra reach. Still can't replace the backpack blowers too much weight not enough runtime.

 

[Dagoth Ur Does Solar]

Nothing wrong with battery saws, I have a little part time mowing/trimming business and I generally use Stihl kma/ap series battery gear for grass trimming, hedges, polesaw etc. carbon fiber extension pole for that extra reach. Still can't replace the backpack blowers too much weight not enough runtime.

I slowly got invested into Milwaukee M18 doing remodeling on our home, doing drywall, repainting, partial rewiring, running CAT6A, etc. So I ended up getting a good deal of the yard equipment. Pole saw, pruning saw, rear-handle chainsaw, blower. It's probably overkill for a homeowner, but damn it does everything I ask of it. I think out of all the Milwaukee tools I have, there's all of maybe two or three that I've been disappointed in. Everything else has blown my expectations away.

Runtime on batteries I could totally see being a huge deal for a business. With how expensive batteries are and how hard a pro would be running them, I can see why so many people stick with gas. Dumping thousands into sets of 12Ah batteries and chargers just to smoke the batteries in a year or two doesn't seem economical compared to gas.

Spoiler: For anyone considering the M18 Quik-Lok system

Also, just to anyone out there considering it, I'd pass on the M18 string trimmer if you've ever thought about it. The huge amounts of vibration rattles the hell out of the powerhead, and they end up melting batteries. I'm apparently not the only one dealing with this. I guess technically the issue is with the powerhead, but it only happens with the strimmer head. Here's hoping they add some kind of vibration dampening for the batteries on the new powerheads. I know on their high-torque impacts they had done some stuff to dampen vibrations around the battery terminals... Definitely needs to be applied to to the quik-lok powerhead.

 

[OM617YOTA]

Milwaukee is where I landed for power tools also. Had Ryobi(great for making birdhouses out of old pallets, completely unsuitable for serious work), Rigid(lasted longer but poor QC and underpowered, warranty is USELESS), and finally landed at Milwaukee(awesome so far).

I have 80v Kobalt outdoor power tools. They're definitely homeowner grade stuff, but I'm a homeowner not a pro, and I love it. Very pleased. For the average homeowner, gas tools are truly dead in a lot of categories.

We did get a gas riding mower this past year, thus far it hasn't been worth the hassle vs. the push electric mower or paying the neighbor girl to mow.

 

[Sanwizard]

Milwaukee is where I landed for power tools also. Had Ryobi(great for making birdhouses out of old pallets, completely unsuitable for serious work), Rigid(lasted longer but poor QC and underpowered, warranty is USELESS), and finally landed at Milwaukee(awesome so far).

I have 80v Kobalt outdoor power tools. They're definitely homeowner grade stuff, but I'm a homeowner not a pro, and I love it. Very pleased. For the average homeowner, gas tools are truly dead in a lot of categories.

We did get a gas riding mower this past year, thus far it hasn't been worth the hassle vs. the push electric mower or paying the neighbor girl to mow.

Gas is a no brainer. Battery powered needs charging time, are more expensive, and usually not as powerful.

In fact, as I found out yesterday, even gas power is not enough when cutting large oak trunks in a mill. (The mill uses a battery to move adjust the logs.

The battery on that mill for just adjusting the logs and starting IT needs 1000 amps to do the job. It had to be jumped once due to the workload we put on it. Diesel power is still the champ for real workloads.

 

[SparkyJJO]

I love my Makita stuff. And my Makita string trimmer hasn't melted down yet lol