iDRY Vacuum Kilns

Sponsors:

New to the board and the Sawing world

Started by No_Dude, August 04, 2018, 08:08:06 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

No_Dude

Howdy all, I'm from Arkansas and have started reading in pretty heavy in sawing for the last week or so. I'm dreaming about building a portable Mill, but that's a little way out. Just wanted to say hello, ask if y'all have any good places to read on running Mills, and to see if anyone e else is in the NW AR area, or maybe the NE OK. Thanks for having me yall

never finished

 Welcome No_Dude. Your in the right place. Just keep reading. There are a few on the FF from up in your area. Give me a shout if your ever in the central part of the state. I can teach you all I know in a real short visit. But stay as long as you wish. I didn't build my mill, but made a lot of mods. Dennis         

CX3

John 3:16
You Better Believe It!

samandothers

Welcome!
  Several threads recently about mills people are building. As never finished stated just keep reading and you'll absorb a good bit.

SawyerTed

Woodmizer LT50, WM BMS 250, WM BMT 250, Kubota MX5100, IH McCormick Farmall 140, Husqvarna 372XP, Husqvarna 455 Rancher

No_Dude

Quote from: never finished on August 04, 2018, 08:56:29 PM
Welcome No_Dude. Your in the right place. Just keep reading. There are a few on the FF from up in your area. Give me a shout if your ever in the central part of the state. I can teach you all I know in a real short visit. But stay as long as you wish. I didn't build my mill, but made a lot of mods. Dennis        
If I get to the point I'm convinced I want to throw down cash I may take you up on that offer. I may have to hit you up on spring break or sometime like that, finding the time to scoot down there while in school and being an intern makes it hard to find time for much of anything anymore haha. Hope y'all dont mind, but I'll probably just make this a dumping ground for a slew of questions so I don't flood the place with new threads.

No_Dude

What's a size reference to compare 1 MBF to, because I can read all these numbers on how many board feet something is, and without having a mental image to compare to, it doesnt mean much.

No_Dude

Also on your porta-mills what are the outside rails and the supports that span the inside made of size wise? Any good place to read on the relations of band thicknesses, FPM and the like?

Ljohnsaw

1MBF is 1,000 bd-ft.  A board foot is 12"x12"x1" - a measure of volume.  A 10' 2x6 is 10 bd-ft.

Band thickness is related to the wheel diameter - the thicker bands (.045 vs. .042) will fatigue and crack going over smaller diameter (<20") wheels.  Also, the wider the blade (1", 1.25", 1.5"...) the thicker the band will likely be.  The wider and thicker the blade, the tighter the band must be stretched.  Also, the more HP you will need.  The wider the cut, the heavier the band (and higher tension) and more HP needed to keep the cut going flat.
John Sawicky

Just North-East of Sacramento...

SkyTrak 9038, Ford 545D FEL, Davis Little Monster backhoe, Case 16+4 Trencher, Home Built 42" capacity/36" cut Bandmill up to 54' long - using it all to build a timber frame cabin.

No_Dude

Quote from: ljohnsaw on August 05, 2018, 01:11:01 AM
1MBF is 1,000 bd-ft.  A board foot is 12"x12"x1" - a measure of volume.  A 10' 2x6 is 10 bd-ft.

Band thickness is related to the wheel diameter - the thicker bands (.045 vs. .042) will fatigue and crack going over smaller diameter (<20") wheels.  Also, the wider the blade (1", 1.25", 1.5"...) the thicker the band will likely be.  The wider and thicker the blade, the tighter the band must be stretched.  Also, the more HP you will need.  The wider the cut, the heavier the band (and higher tension) and more HP needed to keep the cut going flat.
Thanks for the band explination. I understand that a MBF is 1000BF and how BF is calculated, I just meant for like a size comparison, like a fridge is about X amount of board feet, just so I have a mental image of what it looks like.

Ljohnsaw

OK.  You know a cord of wood is 4' x 4' x 8' or 128 cu-ft of wood.  A cubic foot of wood is 12 bd-ft so a cord is 128 x 12 or 1,536 bd-ft.
John Sawicky

Just North-East of Sacramento...

SkyTrak 9038, Ford 545D FEL, Davis Little Monster backhoe, Case 16+4 Trencher, Home Built 42" capacity/36" cut Bandmill up to 54' long - using it all to build a timber frame cabin.

Ianab

Quote from: ljohnsaw on August 05, 2018, 01:36:12 AM
OK.  You know a cord of wood is 4' x 4' x 8' or 128 cu-ft of wood.  A cubic foot of wood is 12 bd-ft so a cord is 128 x 12 or 1,536 bd-ft.
Except a cord of firewood accounts for the air gaps in the stack because the firewood is round or randomly split. When you measure sawn boards there aren't air gaps. 
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

No_Dude

That works for me :) Just was looking for a ballpark idea on what it would look like.

Chuck White

Welcome to the Forestry Forum, No_Dude!
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

Den-Den

Quote from: No_Dude on August 05, 2018, 12:46:34 AM
Also on your porta-mills what are the outside rails and the supports that span the inside made of size wise? Any good place to read on the relations of band thicknesses, FPM and the like?
there is a LOT of variation on how sturdy mills are constructed.  The less expensive mills just have angle iron for rails (they need supports placed fairly close together).  Home built mills range from that up to fair size I beams.  My home built uses 4" channel iron made into a truss with angle iron tension members.  If I did it again, would consider using larger steel and leaving off extra work of all that bracing.

Optimum band thickness depends on the diameter of your wheels and your tolerance for band breakage.  Thick bands and small wheels equals short life for the bands.  My wheels are 24" diameter and I get good life with .055" thick bands and can wear out .045" bands without breaking them.
Lots of information about FPM but much of it is about optimum speed for production cutting with high horsepower.  If you are using a smaller engine, those speeds are way too fast.
You may think that you can or may think you can't; either way, you are right.

armechanic

Welcome to the board.  I Mostly try to keep up with all the info on here.  I join the Buffalo National River between Compton and Ponca.
1989 Lt 40, D6C CAT, Home made wood processer in progress.

SawyerTed



Just so you can get a different mental picture - theoretically, 10 logs 18" in diameter 8' long will yield 1000 board feet (more or less).  "Theoretically" because logs aren't perfect cylinders of wood, sweep, taper and other imperfections will reduce that number somewhat. So 11 or 12 logs might be more realistic.
Woodmizer LT50, WM BMS 250, WM BMT 250, Kubota MX5100, IH McCormick Farmall 140, Husqvarna 372XP, Husqvarna 455 Rancher

Crossroads

Welcome!
A fridge that is 36"x36"x6' tall would figured..
36x36x6=7,776/12=648 bf
With the right fulcrum and enough leverage, you can move the world!

2017 LT40 wide, BMS250 and BMT250,036 stihl, 2001 Dodge 3500 5.9 Cummins, l8000 Ford dump truck, hr16 Terex excavator, Valley je 2x24 edger, Gehl ctl65 skid steer, JD350c dozer

Percy

Quote from: Crossroads on August 05, 2018, 10:29:22 AM
Welcome!
A fridge that is 36"x36"x6' tall would figured..
36x36x6=7,776/12=648 bf
BUT....if there is beer in that fridge, your calculations go out the window....specially on a hot day......ya.... ;D ;D
Welcome to the forum No_Dude....
GOLDEN RULE : The guy with the gold, makes the rules.

SawyerTed

Dead stacked a stack of lumber 25"x40"x12' is 1000 board feet
Woodmizer LT50, WM BMS 250, WM BMT 250, Kubota MX5100, IH McCormick Farmall 140, Husqvarna 372XP, Husqvarna 455 Rancher

Tom the Sawyer

Most of my clients are talking about freshly milled lumber.  Generally, a 1000 bf of 8' - 4/4 lumber, stacked 4' deep with 3/4" stickers, would be right at 5' tall.  And 40-50 gallons of sawdust.   ;D
07 TK B-20, Custom log arch, 20' trailer w/log loading arch, F350 flatbed dually dump.  Piggy-back forklift.  LS tractor w/FEL, Bobcat S250 w/grapple, Stihl 025C 16", Husky 372XP 24/30" bars, Grizzly 20" planer, Nyle L200M DH kiln.
If you call and my wife says, "He's sawin logs", I ain't snoring.

No_Dude

Sounds like a good stack of wood then. I know this will probably vary widely by region and everything, but for you portable guys, BF and time wise, whats an average job? I have been thinking about if I decide I want to porta-mill on the side, how big of trees are common in my area. I know that we have a lot of probably 20-28's, but some monster tree's arent rare either, and I'd hate to have to turn an opportunity to mill down because I'm too small. What are your opinions sizing wise?  

Tom the Sawyer

There will always be logs too big for your mill.   ;D
07 TK B-20, Custom log arch, 20' trailer w/log loading arch, F350 flatbed dually dump.  Piggy-back forklift.  LS tractor w/FEL, Bobcat S250 w/grapple, Stihl 025C 16", Husky 372XP 24/30" bars, Grizzly 20" planer, Nyle L200M DH kiln.
If you call and my wife says, "He's sawin logs", I ain't snoring.

WV Sawmiller

No Dude,

   A little late chiming in but one of the best ways I tell folks to imagine a Mbf of dead stacked lumber is that a a 5X8 tailer stacked 12" high is 480 bf so 2 trailer loads would be just under one Mbf (Actually 960 bf). Actually one trailer stacked 12" (12 rows of 1" lumber) and 13 rows on the second trailer would be exactly one Mbf.

   I find people tend to understand a 5X8 trailer load since it is commonly used and easier and better for people to visualize. 
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

bwstout

This is what I know for facts. building your own mill is a rewarding experience when you final cut your first board. You will find some helps in Useful Sawmill Mod threads. I sawed my first board a year ago and just finished another mod this weekend. There is a guy on YouTube named Texas Ben that has a good set of prints he did sale them on eBay I used his prints. The expense for building your mill if you buy all new metal along with the stuff that makes it a mill will cost you about the same as a LT15 wide which is what my mill looks. Even though I could have bought one for less money I am still happy and the knowledge gained of building my mill is valued.   I live in East Texas just south of Texarkana if you are on I 30 to Dallas  or Hy59 to  Houston PM me and you can stop in and see all of the good the bad and ugly of building your on saw  mill ;DHappy Milling.
home built mill

Thank You Sponsors!