Great advice in this video. I recently bought a 36" Granberg mill and used it for the first time with my MS461. Though I LOVE the 461 and have been incredibly pleased with how it has handled everything I've thrown at it I was pretty disappointed in the saw's capabilities milling. Off to the saw shop I went to go HUGE and buy an 880. My saw shop knows me and knows my needs and talked me OUT of the 880 and into the 661. After my first real weekend of milling I couldn't be happier with my decision and you outlined all the reasons in this video.
Sounds like you have a great start on milling! Make sure you are running milling chain, it works much better than traditional crosscut chain. Granberg has some available.
@@SlabGuy Thanks! Yes, I bought ripping chains in several of the bar sizes I have available. I'm hooked, this is really fun. But damn is it hard work! I sure hope I can build some good stuff out of the lumber I'm sourcing
Thank's, that's a down to earth approach. I would like to mention that the chain setup for the 881 is at least 1,6mm whereas the 661 can go with an 1,3mm chain on a large bar as you said, like 48 inch or more. That's roughly 20% more wood the 881 needs to cut due to the increased with of the cut which is more than the power difference between the 661 and the 881. Still the 881 has more torque which might give a somewhat faster cut but the difference isn't that big. I basically try to move all the logs to the electric sawmill instead of milling on site. If not possible, I also stick with the 661.
I purchased an new 881, almost 10 hp. After 40 years I was sick of not having the artillery when needed...... NOT An ALL DAY SAW. 881 to deal with what my 261 can't. Covers all my needs nicely. Love the 404 chain. In looking back a 661 would have been fine I think.😁
Trying to decide between a chainsaw for milling and your video was a very practical common sense approach. I don't need all the technical details right now. But it helped me decide which way to go. Thank you
Thank you, This was very helpful to me, been wood working for over a decade but only just now getting into milling my own stuff. I was nervous about getting pigeonholed with a smaller blade length on the 661 I did not realize there was even a possibility of putting on a blade longer than 36" on a 661, the stihl site only sells them with up to 36". Currently the widest i would be looking at milling based on trees in the area would be ~32" but I wanted to be sure that in the rare case I get an even wider tree I would still be able to handle it even if that means taking it slow and easy in the extra wide slabs, and getting an new bar and chain of course, but that is way better than getting a new saw.
Spot on. I have the 880 and 60” bar. I’m not a big guy. It’s a very very heavy set up. I forgot to load my chains on the last milling project and was an hour away from home. Guess what? I called every saw shop around and nobody carried enough .404 chain to outfit me in a pinch. Great thoughts.
Not all regional forest are the same, here in the Pacific Northwest the power ban to perform and the size of tree is critical for safe falling. Cutting 8 and 12 ft across the stump and bigger requires 881 or 3120 type saws to push the chain through the wood. But most everyone is running 90cc saws for smaller 48 to 36 inch trees and smaller. 90cc will only hold so much bar effectively and you'll be destroying your clutch, and other parts.
Generally, when it comes to cutting speed in stock for stock with a good chain, the 661 is just as fast as 880. Power to weight ratio is better with the 661. The 880 is very specialized for limited uses.
@@SlabGuy My take is that the 880 has use with very large milling and some very large felling. Being that many of the trees in the midwest don't often live up to that size, The need for this is specialized. Western felling may be a different story.
Great to listen to a man that talks sense for a change ‘ I have both saws and do a fair bit of milling ‘ the 661 is like a f1 car to rev ‘ where as the 880 is like a tractor ‘ but don’t get me wrong the 880 is a big strong saw for harvesting big timbers ‘ ask me to choose ‘ it has to be the 661 for all around performance and flexibility ‘ correct me if Ime wrong ‘ stihl are discontinuing the 880
I picked one up yesterday. I used to be a logger until i got my engineering degree and we used Hudq 395xp saws. I'm trying to slab now and went for the big saw and i'm shocked at how big and heavy it is. I've definitely lost the flexibility of using this for much more than milling.
Im new to milling. I bought a 36” mill. I used my 271 and a 034 both got overheated. My friend gave me an old 660. Will that overheat on me? Currently I am just milling green pine for a small pole barn walls. Thank you for your time.
Ive got a 661 for milling and love it, but the look of that huge 880 speaks for it self, other than that though I agree with all your points on the 661.
You’re right, I think it does share the same bar mounting as those older saws. I guess I was just speaking in terms of currently available, new chainsaws. It runs fine, I’m sure it’s more work on the clutch but it cuts well overall.
Killed it! I finally made my mind up. Have you offered any information on a mill? Like you said here, "gotta go as big as I can." Is 48 inches too much for a 661 or a certain operators? thank youfor this D
I ran a 56” bar on a 661 for years without issue. It should also be noted that I have upgraded to a 881 with a 74” bar/mill combo. Look for all of my milling Monday videos, they might be helpful.
I got my 660 back. 36 inch bar will mill a 29 inch log without the dogs. A 42 inch bar will run a 36 inch grandburg mill to its fullest. This cat won't tell you what important.
Hello, I've been milling for the last two years with a rebuilt (Stihl parts) stihl 066. How does the Stihl 066 compare with 661 pertaining to milling? Thanks.
Do you use an auxiliary oil kit with big bars when milling wider logs? I've got some large Marri logs I want to mill and the stihl dealer told me not to go over 36 inch with a 661, I've looked at a few 880s second hand but I'm not very experienced with chainsaws so I'm not to keen to use something so powerful straight up. Cheers
I haven’t. I actually did another video on comparing the 880 to the 660/1. If I were doing exclusively wide slabs and had access to a fully authorized shop I would consider one but I’m more than happy with my 661 for now.
Thank you for the reply and your content. I am going to upgrade my 661 mill to a 52" forester and a 48" mill. I have a full saw shop in my neighborhood with an 880 sitting in the window but man that is a steep price tag. Most of my pieces are between 28" to 36" in diameter. I just really want a big mill for those wide crotches! Keep up the great work.
Really confused about the maximum mill cutting width of my MS661C w/28" Rollomatic ES bar... While the bar says it's 28" long, I'm measuring only 26.25" from the body casing of the saw to the tip of the bar (or 26.75" if I measure to the cutting tooth at the tip)--and that's only if I remove the bumper spikes. What would be the widest cut after installing the Alaska mill as close as allowed to the tip of this particular type of bar? I have to cut a 24" diameter log and wondering if I can get away with it. I have this idea that I might make this work by plain sawing all 4 sides of the log first (like making a square beam first), which would ultimately make my 24" diameter a lot smaller. I'm trying to avoid having to buy a 36" bar just to cut a 24" log.
As a general rule, you lose 6” of bar length when milling but that’s variable. I just did a video for Milling Monday where I talked about maximizing cut width.
thank you Second Life,, question; i got 6 logs ( 30 to 38 inch diameter ) , i need to mill it , do you think the ms661 has enough power to do the job ?
I've been milling up to 46 inch with a 660 both full and skip chain. Just let it cut. No issues this far. I run 40:1 mix and change spark plugs regularly. I also use soybean oil as my bar oil to keep from potentially polluting my well. No issues so far. Keep the air filter clean.
Thanks! This is exactly the real-world info I was looking for! I'm looking to upgrade from my Stihl 391 to either the 661 or the 880(1) for milling. After watching this, I'm going with the 661. What's the longest bar you would commonly use for milling on the 661?
@@t5150 I never actually got the 661. I ordered it and waited 6 months and finally gave up. They charged me upfront so I want to get my money back to use for other shop needs. My understanding is that the 391 and the 661 will use the same bars. Once you get to the 881 then the bar is different.
@@SlabGuy can I ask what you mean by flexible. I’m going to be buying my first mill and I have the MS 661 and plan to order the 48” mill with the 56” bar. I was just wondering if that is the biggest choice and hopefully it will be avoiding any major problems
Great advice in this video. I recently bought a 36" Granberg mill and used it for the first time with my MS461. Though I LOVE the 461 and have been incredibly pleased with how it has handled everything I've thrown at it I was pretty disappointed in the saw's capabilities milling. Off to the saw shop I went to go HUGE and buy an 880. My saw shop knows me and knows my needs and talked me OUT of the 880 and into the 661. After my first real weekend of milling I couldn't be happier with my decision and you outlined all the reasons in this video.
Sounds like you have a great start on milling! Make sure you are running milling chain, it works much better than traditional crosscut chain. Granberg has some available.
@@SlabGuy Thanks! Yes, I bought ripping chains in several of the bar sizes I have available. I'm hooked, this is really fun. But damn is it hard work! I sure hope I can build some good stuff out of the lumber I'm sourcing
Thank's, that's a down to earth approach. I would like to mention that the chain setup for the 881 is at least 1,6mm whereas the 661 can go with an 1,3mm chain on a large bar as you said, like 48 inch or more. That's roughly 20% more wood the 881 needs to cut due to the increased with of the cut which is more than the power difference between the 661 and the 881. Still the 881 has more torque which might give a somewhat faster cut but the difference isn't that big. I basically try to move all the logs to the electric sawmill instead of milling on site. If not possible, I also stick with the 661.
I purchased an new 881, almost 10 hp. After 40 years I was sick of not having the artillery when needed......
NOT An ALL DAY SAW.
881 to deal with what my 261 can't.
Covers all my needs nicely. Love the 404 chain.
In looking back a 661 would have been fine I think.😁
Trying to decide between a chainsaw for milling and your video was a very practical common sense approach. I don't need all the technical details right now. But it helped me decide which way to go. Thank you
Thank you, This was very helpful to me, been wood working for over a decade but only just now getting into milling my own stuff. I was nervous about getting pigeonholed with a smaller blade length on the 661 I did not realize there was even a possibility of putting on a blade longer than 36" on a 661, the stihl site only sells them with up to 36". Currently the widest i would be looking at milling based on trees in the area would be ~32" but I wanted to be sure that in the rare case I get an even wider tree I would still be able to handle it even if that means taking it slow and easy in the extra wide slabs, and getting an new bar and chain of course, but that is way better than getting a new saw.
Have fun and be safe!
Spot on. I have the 880 and 60” bar. I’m not a big guy. It’s a very very heavy set up. I forgot to load my chains on the last milling project and was an hour away from home. Guess what? I called every saw shop around and nobody carried enough .404 chain to outfit me in a pinch. Great thoughts.
Not all regional forest are the same, here in the Pacific Northwest the power ban to perform and the size of tree is critical for safe falling. Cutting 8 and 12 ft across the stump and bigger requires 881 or 3120 type saws to push the chain through the wood. But most everyone is running 90cc saws for smaller 48 to 36 inch trees and smaller. 90cc will only hold so much bar effectively and you'll be destroying your clutch, and other parts.
I’m just getting started with milling, and this was really helpful! Thanks for your points of view!
Agree, aligns with my reasoning on getting ms660. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
A friend and I are using a Stihl 661 with a 42" bar on a Granberg for milling, Works great !!
Have fun and be safe!
You did not ramble one bit and held my attention gave very good advice in such a short time thanks I appreciate your time given be happy
Thanks for the kind words!
I picked up a 661 a couple months ago. Absolutely love it chainsaw milling. 36" bar
Fantastic Powerhead.
Is there a big difference between the 3/8 and 404 chain?
Excellent information. Even the more reason to get the 661. Thank you!
Thanks for the tips, that helped me make my choice
Pretty sure you convinced me on the 661...i know you convinced the wife lol.
I’m all for more power but the 661 is a beast as is, making the leap to the big boy isn’t going to be an incredibly large difference.
Generally, when it comes to cutting speed in stock for stock with a good chain, the 661 is just as fast as 880. Power to weight ratio is better with the 661. The 880 is very specialized for limited uses.
What do you think the benefits of the 880 are then?
@@SlabGuy My take is that the 880 has use with very large milling and some very large felling.
Being that many of the trees in the midwest don't often live up to that size, The need for this is specialized. Western felling may be a different story.
GREAT info. saved me a good amount of money
I use an ms 310 n with a 20inch bar n it cuts board really well .
Great to listen to a man that talks sense for a change ‘ I have both saws and do a fair bit of milling ‘ the 661 is like a f1 car to rev ‘ where as the 880 is like a tractor ‘ but don’t get me wrong the 880 is a big strong saw for harvesting big timbers ‘ ask me to choose ‘ it has to be the 661 for all around performance and flexibility ‘ correct me if Ime wrong ‘ stihl are discontinuing the 880
I picked one up yesterday. I used to be a logger until i got my engineering degree and we used Hudq 395xp saws. I'm trying to slab now and went for the big saw and i'm shocked at how big and heavy it is. I've definitely lost the flexibility of using this for much more than milling.
660 is a 395. 880 is a 3125. Now you know the comp.
This exactly what I needed ty!
Im new to milling. I bought a 36” mill. I used my 271 and a 034 both got overheated. My friend gave me an old 660. Will that overheat on me? Currently I am just milling green pine for a small pole barn walls. Thank you for your time.
A 660 is a substantially bigger saw. It will work with your 36” mill very well.
Ive got a 661 for milling and love it, but the look of that huge 880 speaks for it self, other than that though I agree with all your points on the 661.
I really appreciate the strait up info. Have you ever owned an 880? If not, have you ever tried milling with one personally?
I thought the 880 ran the same bar mounts as the 070 and 090. I run a 660 personally with a 36" and 42" setup. How does yours mill with a 56" bar?
You’re right, I think it does share the same bar mounting as those older saws. I guess I was just speaking in terms of currently available, new chainsaws.
It runs fine, I’m sure it’s more work on the clutch but it cuts well overall.
Killed it! I finally made my mind up. Have you offered any information on a mill? Like you said here, "gotta go as big as I can." Is 48 inches too much for a 661 or a certain operators? thank youfor this D
I ran a 56” bar on a 661 for years without issue. It should also be noted that I have upgraded to a 881 with a 74” bar/mill combo. Look for all of my milling Monday videos, they might be helpful.
@@SlabGuy im catching up. Good stuff! i ordered a 60 inch granberg and 661 today,just fyi follow up. D
Awesome saw
Great info
To the point.
Smarter to use a regular bar or would a light bar be stiff enough and save some weight? Thanks 👍 Rick
I got my 660 back. 36 inch bar will mill a 29 inch log without the dogs. A 42 inch bar will run a 36 inch grandburg mill to its fullest.
This cat won't tell you what important.
Hello, I've been milling for the last two years with a rebuilt (Stihl parts) stihl 066. How does the Stihl 066 compare with 661 pertaining to milling? Thanks.
Thank you
Hey man I have a question, what type of chain do U use for slabbing & what angle do you sharpen it at?
I use Granberg Branded milling chain. I actually just did another TH-cam video on chain. Check out my Milling Monday series.
Do you use an auxiliary oil kit with big bars when milling wider logs? I've got some large Marri logs I want to mill and the stihl dealer told me not to go over 36 inch with a 661, I've looked at a few 880s second hand but I'm not very experienced with chainsaws so I'm not to keen to use something so powerful straight up. Cheers
Have you ran an 880 side by side with your 661 to compare the power in the cut?
I haven’t. I actually did another video on comparing the 880 to the 660/1. If I were doing exclusively wide slabs and had access to a fully authorized shop I would consider one but I’m more than happy with my 661 for now.
Thank you for the reply and your content. I am going to upgrade my 661 mill to a 52" forester and a 48" mill. I have a full saw shop in my neighborhood with an 880 sitting in the window but man that is a steep price tag. Most of my pieces are between 28" to 36" in diameter. I just really want a big mill for those wide crotches! Keep up the great work.
Hi, the longest bar I found was 42” usable, in the mill it can cut 37” max, what brand can go up to 60” and will fit the ms660 ?
Check with forester or cannon bars. They should be able to set you up. I have a 56” forester.
@@SlabGuy What chain do you use for milling with that bar? Looking at getting a 52" or 56" forester formy 660.
Really confused about the maximum mill cutting width of my MS661C w/28" Rollomatic ES bar... While the bar says it's 28" long, I'm measuring only 26.25" from the body casing of the saw to the tip of the bar (or 26.75" if I measure to the cutting tooth at the tip)--and that's only if I remove the bumper spikes. What would be the widest cut after installing the Alaska mill as close as allowed to the tip of this particular type of bar? I have to cut a 24" diameter log and wondering if I can get away with it. I have this idea that I might make this work by plain sawing all 4 sides of the log first (like making a square beam first), which would ultimately make my 24" diameter a lot smaller. I'm trying to avoid having to buy a 36" bar just to cut a 24" log.
As a general rule, you lose 6” of bar length when milling but that’s variable. I just did a video for Milling Monday where I talked about maximizing cut width.
What is the best saw to start with?
What about the heating issue??
thank you Second Life,,
question; i got 6 logs ( 30 to 38 inch diameter ) , i need to mill it , do you think the ms661 has enough power to do the job ?
I've been milling up to 46 inch with a 660 both full and skip chain. Just let it cut. No issues this far. I run 40:1 mix and change spark plugs regularly. I also use soybean oil as my bar oil to keep from potentially polluting my well. No issues so far. Keep the air filter clean.
Thanks! This is exactly the real-world info I was looking for! I'm looking to upgrade from my Stihl 391 to either the 661 or the 880(1) for milling. After watching this, I'm going with the 661. What's the longest bar you would commonly use for milling on the 661?
Can the bar from the Ms 391 fit the Ms 661??
@@t5150 I never actually got the 661. I ordered it and waited 6 months and finally gave up. They charged me upfront so I want to get my money back to use for other shop needs. My understanding is that the 391 and the 661 will use the same bars. Once you get to the 881 then the bar is different.
@@joebyrne98 cheers man thanks 👍
What 6 months that's ridiculous!!! They'd want to be doing you a favour whenever you do pick up the saw
What is the biggest bar you can put on the 661
I’ve seen 72” bars for them, with the smaller mounting pattern. I personally ran a 56” bar and it was pretty flexible towards the end.
@@SlabGuy can I ask what you mean by flexible. I’m going to be buying my first mill and I have the MS 661 and plan to order the 48” mill with the 56” bar. I was just wondering if that is the biggest choice and hopefully it will be avoiding any major problems
How do you think a 441 would handle compared to your 660?? Thank you
It’s a fairly big drop in cc’s, you’ll notice a decent power drop. It will still definitely mill, it will just take longer.
Anyone know bar from ms661 is good for ms881?
No a bar that fits a 661 will NOT fit a 881. Now a 881 bar WILL fit a 661 with an adapter.