portable sawmill length?

Revival Sawmill · November 20, 2016, 03:00:58 PM

How long should a portable sawmill be? I have enough steel to make a 32' deck which would let me cut logs a bit longer than 24', but with the tongue and hitch and whatnot the trailer would end up being 8.5' wide and 40' long. I'm thinking that it would be a nightmare to tow, and would probably bottom out on hills and bind in curves here in the NC mountains, so maybe I should design for a 16' log and make the whole thing shorter/more maneuverable? Anyone have any experience with a portable sawmill being too big?
Thanks,

Kbeitz · November 20, 2016, 03:08:21 PM

Make it short and then make an extension that folds down over your tongue.

Revival Sawmill · November 20, 2016, 03:14:34 PM

Good idea! I'd been thinking about some sort of log-on-a-trolley system where the log moves back as the head-rig moves forward. Complicated.
I'm way overbuilding this thing (deck frame is going to be out of some 7"x14"x3/8" ibeam I snagged... I'd have to put the extension on some sort of jack to fold it up, and it would probably smash hell out of the deck if it came down too fast.
How long is the original part of your mill?
Thanks,

Ljohnsaw · November 20, 2016, 03:15:44 PM

I'd go for 16' plus the hitch and make the other 16' an add-on, if necessary, for big jobs. I'm in the middle of making some light weight 5' add-ons for each end of my mill that will allow the head to be off the main track. They will only support the head (about 40" wheel base), not any log weight. My frame is super heavy and I'm NOT mobile. Depending on your head design, a setup like that would give you a little more than the 16' track cut length.

Are you really going to loose 8' of cut length with your head? That seems excessive. You should only loose what your wheel spacing is, plus maybe a foot of wiggle room.

Revival Sawmill · November 20, 2016, 03:25:23 PM

Right now I'm planning to make the head about 6' long. I know that's bigger than normal, but I'm guesstimating that it will weigh around two tons, so I don't want to sacrifice stability there. Since I'm planning on putting the rails on a 6' center, that would make it nice and square.

Kbeitz · November 20, 2016, 04:06:30 PM

Quote from: wooddust on November 20, 2016, 03:14:34 PM
Good idea! I'd been thinking about some sort of log-on-a-trolley system where the log moves back as the head-rig moves forward. Complicated.
I'm way overbuilding this thing (deck frame is going to be out of some 7"x14"x3/8" ibeam I snagged... I'd have to put the extension on some sort of jack to fold it up, and it would probably smash hell out of the deck if it came down too fast.
How long is the original part of your mill?
Thanks,

Original part is 20 feet. extension is another 10 feet. I can saw 26 feet 3 inches.
Your extension doesn't need to be as heavy as the first part. It sure is nice to have
room to work.

Den-Den · November 20, 2016, 04:40:07 PM

For mobile work, 16' long framing material is a reasonable goal. Logs will need to be a little longer than 16' and some wiggle room puts you at 17' - 18' plus the length of head plus hitch.
6 ft rail spacing sounds really big, is the saw head going to be street legal width?

Brian_Rhoad · November 20, 2016, 04:45:47 PM

The track on my Breezewood mill is 32' long. I can saw 26.5' on it. It is portable but I have it set up permanent. The guy who delivered it said you had to be careful around turns and at sharp dips and humps. If I was building a portable mill, I would build it to saw a 16.5' log. That would probably be about 24'-25' of track.

Revival Sawmill · November 20, 2016, 06:24:01 PM

Sounds like the shorter option may be what I should go with- I'll just leave some room at the end to attach an extension later-
Thanks for the ideas and feedback!!
It will be street legal width from what I've found here in NC; 6' centered rails each 7" wide gives the deck itself a 79" width. The type of trailer axle I used on the little trailer I built a few years ago puts the outside of the hub/tire/rim assembly within 11" of the edge of the trailer, for an additional 22" of width, or 101" total. From what I've read, you have to get a wide-load permit for vehicles 8.5' and wider. I hope.

thecfarm · November 20, 2016, 07:43:59 PM

I like the ability to be able to cut a 20 feet long,BUT I don't move the mill. Gives me plenty of room to put a 16 foot log on my mill,instead of inches to spare,I have feet to spare.

bags · November 20, 2016, 09:13:53 PM

DOT regs--- oversize permit for any load or unit over 8'6" or 102".

larrydown60 · November 20, 2016, 09:17:53 PM

I built my frame 24' long my head unit is 36" long so I have 12"+ wiggle room between the blade and the log so I can cut a 20'+ and my tongue is 3' long but I made it removable and added tandem axles

Brucer · November 20, 2016, 09:23:44 PM

My LT40's both had/have the same frame -- 21' log capacity, frame of the mill was 24' long, add the hitch and the overall length was 26'. The mill is very easy to tow and maneuver. Everything that hangs down a lot below the frame is near the axle so there isn't much chance of getting hung up on rough ground (well, most of the time, anyway ;D)

Revival Sawmill · November 21, 2016, 03:12:24 PM

Ok; I'm sold! I'm even thinking about making the headrig/carriage shorter and I might be able to fit it on some of the i-beam I've got without splicing any together! The pieces are 248", so if I could keep the headrig under 3', I could still cut 16' logs. Barely. Thinking about dragging a 36-40' x 8.5' trailer around on mountain roads just isn't sitting well with me. Maybe I'll make a permanent longer track somewhere at the house with a lift-hook to swap the headrig off the portable machine onto that one when I need something longer.
Thanks,

Leggman · November 21, 2016, 03:25:28 PM

Mine will cut 17 feet 3 inches max without any extensions.
If I ever need to go longer I could make an extension for it I guess.
I have videos on youtube (Portable sawmill walkaround)
Dave

Ljohnsaw · November 21, 2016, 03:27:31 PM

Quote from: wooddust on November 21, 2016, 03:12:24 PM
Maybe I'll make a permanent longer track somewhere at the house with a lift-hook to swap the headrig off the portable machine onto that one when I need something longer.
Thanks,

Or... Just make it so you can back up your trailer/track to a bit of permanent track at the house, level it up and good to go. Maybe even use the track/trailer to haul home the oversize logs with the headrig left at home. If I were doing that, I'd make the trailer a tandem axle!