Portable Mill???

pineywoods · September 25, 2006, 10:53:46 PM

Any body ever seen a mill like this??I took this picture at the Old time threshers convention in MT Pleasant, Ia. Labor day weekend 2006.

It is mounted on a 40 ft flatbed trailer. Note, there are TWO sawblades, one mounted directly above the other. they both saw the same kerf. It was in full operation, took 4 men to run it.
The glass cab is not part of the mill. Thats a forklift being used to load the log deck.

This is the power plant.

getoverit · September 25, 2006, 11:24:28 PM

what is the second blade used for?

Tom · September 25, 2006, 11:31:24 PM

It is the circle sawyer's answer to large logs. It allows the slab to be removed with one pass rather than burying the saw and then finishing the cut with a chainsaw. It is called a Top Saw.

DanG · September 25, 2006, 11:47:13 PM

Somehow, I don't believe that is the original powerplant for that mill. Sure looks like fun, though! 8) 8) I don't think they had 40' flatbed semis in that ol' steamer's heyday.

Portable sawing isn't really a new concept. Way back when, they would set up a big ol' circle saw in the woods and skid the logs directly to it. It saved a lot of transport, which wasn't nearly as easy as it is now. Of course, ya didn't pull one of those babies to the woods with a pickem up truck. It was more akin to movin' a small city!

:

I'm not sure, but I think Meadows still builds a portable conventional circle mill. I saw one at Moultrie just a few years ago. That may be what this one is, and they're just using the steam engine for the fun of it.

Ron Wenrich · September 26, 2006, 05:59:32 AM

I ran a Jackson portable for a number of years. Fully hydraulic and automatic. You could pull it behind a pickup. But, you needed a few other trips for the power unit and the log deck, if you used it.

Set up time for the mill was a couple of hours. It would be great if you were cutting a couple of hundred Mbf.

The other advantage was that wood waste was left in the woods. Its an advantage for the miller, no the landowner. Besides, there's money in wood waste.

woodbowl · September 26, 2006, 08:11:45 AM

Someone, somewhere on the forum has picture of a top saw in their gallery. I can't seem to find it now. I don't know why there are not more of them.

In the future I believe that there will be a double swinger, either top mounted or configured to the side.

getoverit · September 26, 2006, 08:48:04 AM

I had proposed an idea a while back to make a cantilevered swingmill, but the idea got shot down. I still think it would work. Maybe I didnt convey my ideas thoroughly enough so that everyone else could see the vision I had???

IL Bull · September 26, 2006, 09:46:49 AM

I was at old threshers Sat, Sun, & Monday. Did you notice the guy running the mill didn't have all his digits?.

Must come with the territory.

Ron Wenrich · September 26, 2006, 04:52:08 PM

I really don't see any need for a top saw. For the most part, there isn't any need to saw a board any wider than 20". There isn't too much slow growth timber left, so stuff that wide is pretty unstable and likes to warp and twist.

I have a vertical edger, so I can edge the board as I saw. It also means I don't need to use a chainsaw to cut them loose.

With all the hydraulics and automation, its really pretty easy to rotate the log a little to get that shotgun barrel effect. In the old days, you had to have half of the crew there just to turn the log.

Top saws are very hard to keep in alignment. That's why I doubt you can use one in a swingblade operation. If you're off a little bit, your board will be stepped. Then there's the problem of saws having a mind of their own at times. One could be cutting in, and one cutting out.

Big problems.

thecfarm · September 26, 2006, 08:22:06 PM

I thought top saws were used for big logs.In big I mean 4 feet and bigger,this would be in my area.Now adays people see a log 3 foot tree and thinks it's a big one around here.I always thought they sawed a big cant and than sawed it into managelable lumber.Most of the really big ones are gone.Saves them the bother of splitting the logs.

Ron Wenrich · September 27, 2006, 05:47:39 AM

In most configurations, a top saw would give you about 32" of board. If I had a top saw, I would be using them on logs over about 26". Bells on the logs and butt flare are usually your worst problems.

Many foresters are marking anything over 18" around here. They also don't mark anything under 14". It makes their average diameter higher. If you see a big tree in the woods, chances are its a low grade tree like gum. This is what has become known as a thinning. This isn't managing timber, its mining timber.

A lot of the markings are species specific. I rarely see any black gum come in, since it has low market value. Same goes for beech. I rarely saw any hickory or red maple until the markets rose in value. I'm seeing smaller and smaller diameters coming into the yard. If its a big tree, its probably a tree that's close to the line and has metal. >:(

Bibbyman · September 27, 2006, 06:17:43 AM

The two production sawmills operations in our area had mills with tops saws. They've been closed for 20 years. I've not seen one since then in the few other sawmills I've been in with circle mills.