New to forum;Building Procut

JD · September 25, 2009, 10:34:51 PM

Hi,
I guess it's about time to give this a try, after looking around for a couple of days.
I would first like to say that this forum looks like one of the best that I have visited! Everything is well organized and all seem to be neighborly and very helpful. Thanks in advance for your time and help!
I own about 17 acres of mixed hardwoods in rural southeast lower Michigan for the past 23 years. Up until now my wife and three kids have heated the house entirely with our wood stove; with about 95% of the wood coming from our land, that we cut and split by hand. We have a Stihl 026, 044, a Husky 3120, and three smaller saws for limbing and trimming.
For once I would love to put some of that beautiful wood to use creating something, instead of just burning it. Since I'm financially challenged, I decided to use equipment I already have, to build a mill. I'm totally without a lick of experience in milling lumber, but I do know how to run a chainsaw; and have been reading, studying, watching and gathering information from people like yourselves, for some time now. In the near past, (when our country wasn't sinking) I was a mechanical engineer for the auto industry, designing assembly lines.
With that long winded explanation of my endeavors over, I am now building a Procut portable chainsaw sawmill! The building has been going fairly smooth so far, and I'm about half way through........when it hits me.......HEY!!...... I'm supposed to be an engineer!! I just HAVE to add to, rethink, redesign, remove, revise, reinvent or just plain alter something on the mill, or I wouldn't be worth my weight in sawdust, as a designer!
So....... here I am wondering.....how do I get these enormous 20" dia.x 16' long, solid hardwood logs, up to that 18" high saw deck, without blowing out my back, spleen, or some other body part that I,m not willing to part with yet? My tractor doesn't have a front end loader, and my wallet doesn't have any money.
I know....(thinks me).....I'll design retractable ramps, then just peavy and push that over sized Lincoln Log up to that deck! YEAH!!!... RIGHT!!!... DAH!!! Back to the emergency room again!
I do recall seeing a hand winch on a bandsaw mill some time ago, in a catalog. In fact, this winch system could also rotate the log once positioned on the deck to further ease the pain and free up time to cut wood.
I have three 1000# hand winches in my barn, ready to use. I have my thinking cap on and am researching winches, pulleys, and block and tackles to come up with a design.
Does anyone out there have any idea what I'm talking about, or if it sounds feasible?

If anyone is building, using, owning or knows someone who owns a Procut sawmill, could you please get in touch with me?
I could go on all night long with things to ask and talk about, but I guess I'll leave you all alone for now!
Thanks again for your time, opinions, and experience!
JD.

Magicman · September 25, 2009, 10:41:34 PM

Hey JD, Good for you and Welcome to FF....

There are several chainsaw millers around. Looks like you have found a Forum Home...... 8)

fishpharmer · September 25, 2009, 10:55:22 PM

JD, welcome to the forum. Those are some of my favorite initials you have there ;D

Lots of great questions you have. Some that I too have asked. You state you have a tractor. Does it have a three point hitch? If so make a lift boom pole to move logs. If you are making a mill you can make one. If you got an older tractor that may not work.

Plan B. search on this forum for the term "parbuckle" sounds like that's what you are trying to do with the winch.

Your ideas sound feasible to me. But I am sort new around here myself. Have no fear someone with better answers than mine is bound to help.

fish

Tom · September 25, 2009, 11:25:54 PM

Sometimes we get hung up on having to roll a log up onto a mill just because the mill is off of the ground.

You have to develop the same kind of logic that the little boy used when the semi truck was stuck under the bridge and nobody could figure out how to get it out. "let the air out of the tires", he said.

So what you could do is make your log ramp such that you could drag the logs onto it at ground level. Then place the mill below the level of the ramp so that the log can be rolled onto the mill without rolling it up hill. Don't like the idea of digging a hole for the mill and don't have hilly country? Well, you could build the ramp up with a few loads of dirt and place a couple of logs in the dirt for runners to make rolling easier. Just don't let them stick up too high or the tractor will tear them out when you drag the logs up there.\

Welcome to the forum. I love to see you guys making do with what you have. Anybody (with money) can solve problems by buying the solution. :D

ronwood · September 26, 2009, 12:19:40 AM

Welcome to the JD!!
Ron

Banjo picker · September 26, 2009, 03:53:33 AM

JD welcome to the forum. You have made a friend for life with just those initals. Don't break James heart now by telling him your tractor is not green. :D Tim

thecfarm · September 26, 2009, 09:55:05 AM

Welcome to the forum.I never been to MI,but suspect it's like ME.You must have knolls on your land with 17 acres? I would set it up on the backside of one of these and set 2 logs to act like a bridge to roll the logs to the mill.

beenthere · September 26, 2009, 11:01:56 AM

JD
Welcome to the FF.

8)

Chuck White · September 26, 2009, 08:15:54 PM

Welcome to the Forestry Forum JD.

The Wood-Mizer LT40 Manual mill has a winch built-in, and a winch of similar design may be applied to your mill!

TreeWinder · September 27, 2009, 03:03:08 PM

Welcome JD

I also started a procut a couple of months ago in my part-time. Great people, info, and ideas here, i've read every archived post and find time to re-read them.

Base frame pic. early summer.

nas · September 27, 2009, 03:37:21 PM

Hey JD and TreeWinder welcome to the Forum, and good luck with your mills, 8)

Nick

379hammerdown · September 27, 2009, 05:04:58 PM

I built one of these a few years ago and enjoyed it till i got my LogMaster sawmill... I've enjoyed that more! All in all... My Procut served its purpose, and it was fun while I used it.

I built mine more or less according to plan, though for the main rails, I used 20' pieces of 10" channel because I had that lying around. Works the same but mine may look a little different than yours.