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Log turner design question

Started by HOGFARMER, February 01, 2007, 10:02:15 PM

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HOGFARMER

Am just about done building a homebuilt mill based on the Simple Saw designed by Bill Rake.  Saw bed is made of 3X5X1/4 angle iron which is set on top of 3X3X1/4" box tube.  I want to include a hydraulic or manual log turner.  Which type do you recomend a claw turner or a chain turner.  I am leaning toward the claw turner as I think it would be easier to build.  I want to make sure I get the geometry right does anyone have experience building one?  Photos and measurments would be great.  All input is welcome.  Thanks!
Manual LT-30

pineywoods

I have a homebuilt log turner on my wm lt40. It also serves as a very good log holder. bunch of pics in my gallery. All hydraulic, has 2 hydraulic cylinders and control valves. Small pump driven by a 1 hp electric motor. I can give you deminsions if you like, but you'd probably have to make changes to fit your mill frame.







I've built 2 of these, one for me and another for a friend. Both work well. Total cost for the turner and 1 toe roller using all new parts and materials was around $600
1995 Wood Mizer LT 40, Liquid cooled kawasaki,homebuilt hydraulics. Homebuilt solar dry kiln.  Woodmaster 718 planner, Kubota M4700 with homemade forks and winch, stihl  028, 029, Ms390
100k bd ft club.Charter member of The Grumpy old Men

HOGFARMER

Thanks, what dimension of metal did you use for the various parts?  How large of a flow rate do you need on the hydraulic pump?  Will probably pick your brain some more as I proceed.  Am I understanding right that it also works as a log clamp?

Are there any other homemade log turners out there?
Manual LT-30

mike_van

I was the smartest 16 year old I ever knew.

pineywoods

Mostly 1/4 X 3 steel plate, plus whatever I had in the junk pile. Pins are all 1 inch steel bar. Yeah, it makes a good log clamp.  There are 2 hydraulic cylinders, one for up/down, another for in/out.  Jamm the sharp teeth into the side of the log with the in/out cylinder and that log ain't gona move at all. The design is similar to the woodmizer factory turner, except wm uses a couple of springs to hold the teeth against the log. A hydraulic cylinder works much better.
The pump is a small 3gpm job only turning 1700 rpm, could use a bigger pump. One off a wood splitter would be ideal. control valves are off-the shelf open center
valves from surplus center.
1995 Wood Mizer LT 40, Liquid cooled kawasaki,homebuilt hydraulics. Homebuilt solar dry kiln.  Woodmaster 718 planner, Kubota M4700 with homemade forks and winch, stihl  028, 029, Ms390
100k bd ft club.Charter member of The Grumpy old Men

Swede

I made a claw-turner for my sawmill that also can hold a log or a block down to 5x7" or 6x6". 2 cylinders, 2 valves and 2 springs from a Volvo 740-hood.  Need to put engine to idle or the claw moves to fast for me to handle. ;D
Welcome to my gallery!

Swede
Had a mobile band sawmill, All hydraulics  for logs 30\"x19´, remote control. (sold it 2009-04-13)
Monkey Blades.Sold them too)
Jonsered 535/15\". Just cut firewood now.

TexasTimbers

I think the chain turner is the preferred method HogFarmer. At least that has been my impression. With a reversible chain turner if you go past where you wanted to, instead of having to go all the way around again you can just reverse your direction.
I am not speaking from experince I have only run a hydraulic mill a couple of times for short periods.
Also, don't know how much thought you've put into the clamps but  one thing Norm pointed out to me (this FF Braintrust sure is handy) when I was shopping for a mill was to make certain whichever one I bought had the 2-plane clamps, because they are real handy when handling the log too.
The oil is all in Texas, but the dipsticks are in D.C.

woody1

I have an older claw type turner I am selling. I would be glad to give you any demension you would like. It is a factory built unit.
If you don't want to row, get out of the boat !

HOGFARMER

Thanks for the help I really appreciate it.  How does the woodmizer manual log turner work with their log deck?  I want to look at as many different claw type log turners as I can before I start to try to build one.  THANKS AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!
Manual LT-30

Brucer

The WoodMizer manual turner is a lighter duty version of the hydraulic one. It's operated by the loading winch. The winch cable runs down the inside of the main bed rail, runs through a pulley about half way down the mill, and heads out toward the loading ramps.

The cable can be slipped onto a set of pulleys to operate the turner. There's a fixture directly opposite the turner on the outboard side of the mill with a couple of pulleys on it. Also a pulley on the end of the main turner arm. Cable goes to the fixture, back to the turner arm, and then out to the second pulley on the fixture. From there it hooks onto the frame. This gives you a 2:1 increase in turning power.

It's pretty effective -- I turned logs that would put a strain on a hydraulic turner. But it was a bit of a pain turning really big logs. Sometimes you have to turn the log part way, clamp it, back off the turner, back off the clamp, and then repeat. With a manual system that's a lot of winch cranking -- and un-cranking.

Having experienced both manual and hydraulic claw turners, my preference would be a bi-directional chain turner ;D.
Bruce    LT40HDG28 bandsaw
"Complex problems have simple, easy to understand wrong answers."

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