Timber Tuff TMW-56 Steel Lumber Cutting Guide Portable Sawmill Tool with Small Carry Size for Versatile Timber Cutting with Chainsaw

I wasn't expecting that much from this, given the price, but since I frequently need to cut slabs from sizable logs for later resawing on a bandsaw, I figured I'd give it a try. The results were impressive - in comparison to my hand slabbing, the planks sawed using the Timber Tuff were much more planar and uniform in thickness, meaning I had to spend much less time truing up a face. I used a 2 x 6 as the guide, with a couple of 2 x 6 end pieces to support it, and it took very little time to set up. The guide board carries the weight of the chainsaw, so it reduces the fatigue of cutting by hand.Assembly is straightforward, though the included instructions are wanting, but it's fairly easy to figure out. One main modification I made was to drill my chainsaw bar so that it could be securely bolted to the jig - I wasn't about to trust the three Allen bolts to clamp the bar against the jig.One consideration is that the log needs to be elevated so that the chainsaw bar doesn't hit the ground when the saw is vertical, which can be a challenge for large diameter logs. I haven't tried using the jig with the guide board vertical, but that might be a way to avoid having to host the log up off the ground (but would only be effective for relatively short logs.)

I absolutely love this tool. I started to buy a much more expensive setup, and thought I'd give this budget option a try first. I'm glad I went with this style of mill attachment tool as the pivoting guide offers flexibility in cutting options. For stability and ease of working alone, I like to leave the slab ends attached on the entire log until I'm done. The pivoting guide of this style tool allows you to plunge the bar in for your starting cut. It also allows me to set a depth so that I can plunge and cut a kerf at a give depth, while leaving the end intact. This was useful for hollowing out some trees to cover posts with.I was very much in love with this tool, until it broke, at what appears to be a common weak spot on this style of milling attachment: the U-clamp. With this tool you can either drill your bar and attach with through-bolts, or you can use set-screws to clamp the bar in the tool. If you are only cutting slabs, just set it as low on the bar as you can and use the through-bolts. If you need to adjust the depth for different trees and are using the set-screws, prepare for this to break.My U-bolt broke as I was attempting to clamp on for my fourth use. It broke in half as the pressure from the set-screws overwhelmed the very low quality steel of the U-bolt.Despite my Timber Tuff chainsaw mill breaking after only three uses, I still gave it four stars as it is a very useful tool that even in just three uses enabled me to cut some serious cedar slabs. I looked at the competition following the premature demise of my mill attachment and ended up buying two more Timber Tuff mill attachments. There is a USA made competitor, likely that this is copied from, but the tools appear so similar that I suspect the steel is likely sourced from the same overseas vendor. If I had confidence that a more expensive model was made with better steel, I wouldn't hesitate to buy it. Until then, I'll continue to use the Timber Tuff.Major notes:Don't use the set screws if you don't have to - drill your bar and the tool should last much, much longer.Wear a face mask and good eye protection - this thing will throw a ton of sawdust in your face (I like the mesh goggles as they don't fog up)Keep it level - The key to consistent boards/slabs is the angle of your blade. I found that a more squared edge 2x4 like the western red cedar available at many home stores is good for this. I placed two of them on top of a 16' long 2x6 for some nice long board cuts.Overall, I was pleased with my tool, I've ordered two more expecting a relatively short working life, but it really is a very useful tool.

I bought this because it was the cheapest of the "lumber making guides" available. I thought that I could risk $20 to see if the process would work. Well, it does work and I was surprised at how well it works and how straight it cuts. A couple of cautions are necessary though. First, the straightness of the cut depends to a large degree on how well the shoe fits over the guide board. I tried a couple of 2 X 6 boards before I found one that was straight and was snug enough inside the shoe. Second, I think for heavy lumber making use it would be best to take the suggestion the manufacturer makes to drill two holes in the chainsaw bar and bolt the guide to the bar rather than use the set screws. It's difficult to get the set screw attachment to stay tight without risking fracturing the clamp as pointed out in the instructions. And third, chainsaw milling is not a very easy endeavor. It takes a fair amount of force to push the saw through a big log and the hand holds on the saw are not very comfortable for this application and the volume of sawdust is astonishing--and most of it ends up on the operator.But the end result in my case was a very straight and square beam.