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A circle sawmill journey...

Started by SPD748, May 09, 2012, 07:48:14 PM

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SPD748

Greetings all...

My name is Lee. I joined the forum in March 2010 just after purchasing a 'project' mill. Originally, I bought the mill as a project for my Dad and I. He's a retired diesel mechanic and loves keeping his hands greasy. He also loves anything wood so a sawmill was the perfect remedy to occupy his (and my) idle time. Shortly after making the original purchase, I realized just how deep the rabbit hole goes. None the less, I obtained and read every single resource I could find on the subject.  :P

After many months of reading and watching and asking... I'm finally ready to set things in motion. With everyone's permission, I'd like to create this... an ongoing journal of my journey. I've taken hundreds of pictures so far and plan on taking many more. Again, with permission, I'd like to post them here.

I'll start with this:


 

This is the original engine and mill that I bought. The mill track is in the back ground. As rough as the engine looks, the track and husk were much, much rougher. This is where it started. Stay tuned for where it ends!

By the way, that's my Dad wearing his favorite plaid shirt.

-lee
Frick 0 Handset - A continuing project dedicated to my Dad.

410 Deere, 240 Massey... I really need a rough terrain forklift :)

Sawing Since 1-19-2013 @ 3:30 pm
Serving Since 2002
"Some police officers give tickets, some gave all."

bandmiller2

Lee,nice to have you and dad here.Setting up an old circular mill is a daunting task,especially if you just have a pile of parts.Anything you want to ask here, have at it,theirs many years of experiance at your finger tips.That 6-71 will have no trouble with the saw,but I'd DanG sure build a doghouse around it.Prehaps your pictures and story will inspire some of the many here with mills in a pile. Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

SPD748

Thanks Frank,

I did start with a pile of parts. Then I obtained many more parts. Finally, I think I have enough to set up a complete mill. As you said, I hope my story will inspire many others to complete their projects. This task has been daunting to say the least however it has been VERY rewarding.

-lee
Frick 0 Handset - A continuing project dedicated to my Dad.

410 Deere, 240 Massey... I really need a rough terrain forklift :)

Sawing Since 1-19-2013 @ 3:30 pm
Serving Since 2002
"Some police officers give tickets, some gave all."

SPD748

Shortly after getting the mill home we started working on the engine. It didn't take long to discover that this wasn't going to be a plug and play operation. We found this:



 

Then we found this:



 

And so, a complete rebuild began...

-lee
Frick 0 Handset - A continuing project dedicated to my Dad.

410 Deere, 240 Massey... I really need a rough terrain forklift :)

Sawing Since 1-19-2013 @ 3:30 pm
Serving Since 2002
"Some police officers give tickets, some gave all."

thecfarm

This will be quite the thread. How many HP is that motor? Good luck with your project. You are a good son.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

bandmiller2

Lee,your right that old Detroit needs a complete overhaul, that corrosion in the exhaust port often means cracked head.Myself if I was doing it I'd look for anouther 6-71 thats running,you have all the hard to find stuff,the clutch assy,and variable speed governor.Ask at your local fire barn who in your area refurbushes fire trucks,they are always repowering trucks to modern emission standards and 6-71's were popular in the fire service.Many times you can get a runner for little more than scrap value. Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

Tripp

Lee,

Love this thread. Looking forward to seeing the mill come together.

Tripp

Misfit

Hi Lee. I'm enjoying your thread already. Please keep it going. Ongoing stories like this are inspiring, educational and entertaining, just to name a few adjectives.

Have you been following lyle's build? It'll be interesting to see how yours evolves/evolved in comparison.

Looking forward to reading and seeing more!  8)
I am neither a Philopolemic Blatherskite nor a Bloviating, Sialoquent Blatteroon.

"Say nuthin and saw wood."

sealark37

Welcome to the Forum, Lee.  I will be watching closely to keep up with your progress.  I find myself in a very similar position with my old Frick 00 and it's International UD-14 power unit.  My Dad worked a sawmill as a boy, so he was not interested in playing with my mill.  My sons won't play with anything that is not connected to the internet, so I am alone on the sawmill project.  I caught the bug years ago when I went to the local sawyer to buy some pine lumber.  He said he did not have any sawed, but he would saw for me if I would help.  I ended up helping him saw, and sawing for him, until he passed away.  Let us know where you are located in Carolina.  You may have help lurking in the area.  Just my observation, but you will find that once you get the mill adjusted and sawing to your satisfaction, sawmilling becomes a material handling problem to be solved.  Good Luck, we are watching!  Regards, Clark :)

SPD748

Thanks for the comments and interest guys! I've bored all my co workers to death about this adventure. It would seem that I've found a captive audience now.

Here's a pic of my Dad, the -71 Detroit guru ripping into a well worn 6. I wish you all could have been here to see how happy he was to turn wrenches on a chunk of great American iron, once again!



 

Sorry about the poor quality of these pics. I snapped them with my iPhone.

Here's the block, mostly disassembled, sitting on the new frame that I built.



 



 

Finally, after a thorough cleaning and line bore we have this.



 



 

Quite a difference huh? As good as things are looking, this is where I made a BIG decision and changed directions. Shortly after getting the block back from the machine shop, I discovered that the head, cam and crank were all worn or damaged beyond repair. At this point, rebuilding this engine was going to cost way more than it was worth. After consulting with my Dad and other experts on the subject, we decided to begin a search for an engine that would be more cost effective. My Dad's idea was to simply find an engine that was running, with few or preferably NO problems.

With that, the search began...

-lee




Frick 0 Handset - A continuing project dedicated to my Dad.

410 Deere, 240 Massey... I really need a rough terrain forklift :)

Sawing Since 1-19-2013 @ 3:30 pm
Serving Since 2002
"Some police officers give tickets, some gave all."

SPD748

While the search for an engine was underway, a friend of mine came over with his loader to take care of some necessary grading. My plan from the beginning was to pour a concrete pad to set the mill on. He started by pushing an old brush pile out of the way.



 

It's starting to look a little better now.



 

After the brush was cleared out, he started setting up a pad. The topsoil here doesn't exactly lend itself as a good base for concrete so he cut it out and filled with better material.



 



 

I hope you guys are enjoying so far. Stay tuned!

-lee





Frick 0 Handset - A continuing project dedicated to my Dad.

410 Deere, 240 Massey... I really need a rough terrain forklift :)

Sawing Since 1-19-2013 @ 3:30 pm
Serving Since 2002
"Some police officers give tickets, some gave all."

dblair

Welcome to the forum , I'm newer than you just joining this year . I have a friend with a 6-71 in his mill , he solved the noise problem using a barrel buried running the pipe up after it goes into the barrel with baffles . his is really quiet . I put  my mill into service last year and have had a great time with it , it's a hobby mill . I put a screw in for dust removal , I'll post some pictures later of that , and use a winch to turn my logs . you may have guessed it I'm no spring chicken . It's an old mill made in 1935 with a minn moline power unit . I'll be much interested in your trip building your mill so keep the pics coming .
old Appomattox Iron Works circle mill.

Mooseherder

Looks like you're making good progress. I know how you feel.
We're in year 6 of our Circle Mill project.  I only have a couple weeks per year to work on it and had to skip last year to work on something more urgent.
Good luck with your project.  It'll be worth it. :)

bandmiller2

Lee,sorry to hear about your engine,sometimes it just doesn't make sence moneywise to bring one back.Ask dad if he's ever heard of a 1-71 detroit they exist but are rare,two's three's and on up are common but ones not so.Older cat diesels are good power but probibly the best is a murphy diesel if you can find one.Clutches are expensive, best to find an engine with one and a variable speed gov.,most highway engines have just a limiting speed gov.Old shovels and cranes have the perfect package on a skid mount.Good luck. Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

thecfarm

You're not boring me one little bit!!! If I was digging like that I would have one BIG pile of rocks and one small pile of dirt.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

SPD748

Frank,

The original engine has HV7 injectors which would make around 120 hp at 1600 rpm. I planned on up grading those to N55's or so to make around 180 hp. After further research (and consultation with the Dad) we decided to set the engine up for 1400 rpm. These two strokes really don't like idling so I knew 1200 was about the lower limit. It's amazing how much reduction in noise there is in just 200 rpm. Though I'm no diesel mechanic, I've worked along side my Dad for over 30 years. Everything from 16v's to the incredibly rare 1-71 that you asked about. (On that subject, I built a bracket for a pair of 1's which were primary and secondary bilge pumps on an old shrimp boat. Dad overhauled both engines. I really should have shot a video of those things running. Sweet music!) Anyway, at this point in the build I thought everything was set. Man was I ever wrong...

ps - It's pretty exciting on my end to finally be able to talk to people whom are actually interested in the topic! Thanks guys.

-lee
Frick 0 Handset - A continuing project dedicated to my Dad.

410 Deere, 240 Massey... I really need a rough terrain forklift :)

Sawing Since 1-19-2013 @ 3:30 pm
Serving Since 2002
"Some police officers give tickets, some gave all."

Meadows Miller

Gday

Great story and keep us posted and I know how you feel about having a place to talk about your mill addiction as I felt the same way when I joined Mate   ;) ;D 8)

I am  tidying up an old portable 40s model Jackson Lumber  Harvester Manual and Edger Mill#132 atm I feel your pain on the motor also as I have a 453 and as We took the side covers and Lanny my diesel mechanic said not good as we could push our fingers through the liner we did have high hopes when we looked at the head and blower but that sunk the plan of just throwing a kit in it  do have a good rad, clutch and other parts so I will be going to look at a good running 453 tomorrow most likely and found a 253 for the edger localy I will most likely have the mll ready to saw again for the first time in 20 years within the next two weeks then get onto the edger  ;)

The fella also has a 671 there but LA might be to far  ???

Regards Chris
4TH Generation Timbergetter

Don_Papenburg

I have a couple of 6vs I could part with one of them if you would be interested.
how many hp does a 1-71 pump out? 
have you guys ever worked on or even seen an aluminum block Detroit?
Frick saw mill  '58   820 John Deere power. Diamond T trucks

SPD748

Don,

Thanks for the offer on the 6V. I really want to stick to an inline configuration. I'll have to talk to my Dad on the hp of a 1. I would guess 25 or so. They are neat little things. I have only read about the aluminum block Detroits. I've never seen one in person. I suppose it was for weight savings? Maybe saltwater corrosion resistance?  ???

-lee
Frick 0 Handset - A continuing project dedicated to my Dad.

410 Deere, 240 Massey... I really need a rough terrain forklift :)

Sawing Since 1-19-2013 @ 3:30 pm
Serving Since 2002
"Some police officers give tickets, some gave all."

SPD748

I suppose at this point in my build I got side tracked. My day job became very busy for a couple of months so I wasn't able to devote as much time as I would have liked to the mill. Once things at the office cooled down, I found myself back at it. I considered purchasing a portable bandmill for a while and even narrowed that search to a Timberking 2000. My Dad was never too excited about going down this road. He's more of a 'finish what you've got' kind of guy. So, back to the Frick we go!

To bring everyone up to speed... At this point I have a Frick 0 with 51' of track, husk, carriage. All steel and all needing major repairs. I also have a 6-71 Detroit Diesel which will cost more to rebuild that it's worth. Essentially I have a pile of parts. After a long talk with my Dad we decided to finally get serious and make this thing happen.

A good friend of my Dad's decided to retire and sell his mill after almost 50 years of sawing. He had a Frick 0, all steel in nice shape. Originally it was driven by a 4-71, which he sold to someone else. I was able to pick up the mill for MUCH less than it would have cost to rebuild what I had.



 

My Dad inspecting as usual.


 

The mill came with a Miner edger and International gas power unit. All in all, not a bad deal. Here's the edger:



 

I going to mount the edger on a steel channel frame at some point.

-lee




Frick 0 Handset - A continuing project dedicated to my Dad.

410 Deere, 240 Massey... I really need a rough terrain forklift :)

Sawing Since 1-19-2013 @ 3:30 pm
Serving Since 2002
"Some police officers give tickets, some gave all."

bandmiller2

Thats the usual senario you buy an old mill that needs alot of work,then you  find anouther in better shape and buy that.For a wile I had enough parts to make three or four mills.You can cut your sawyer teeth with the gas engine but it will eat you out of house and home with fuel.Have faith the right diesel will come along.Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

SPD748

Frank,

The International power unit is for the edger. Its a U4, the same engine found in Farmall H tractors. This one's just stationary with a pto clutch. I think it's around 25 hp or so. It ran the edger before so I don't think I'll have any problems. Well, other than the cracked exhaust manifold. I think I have that solved as I've ordered a new one.

Here's a picture of the International:


 

And a few more of the mill:


 


 
The 4-71 in the background was sold to another guy. Bummer. It is a newer engine, 4 valve with a single screw rack. Oh well, the search continues...

-lee
Frick 0 Handset - A continuing project dedicated to my Dad.

410 Deere, 240 Massey... I really need a rough terrain forklift :)

Sawing Since 1-19-2013 @ 3:30 pm
Serving Since 2002
"Some police officers give tickets, some gave all."

customsawyer

Two LT70s, Nyle L200 kiln, 4 head Pinheiro planer, 30" double surface Cantek planer, Lucas dedicated slabber, Slabmizer, and enough rolling stock and chainsaws to keep it all running.
www.thecustomsawyer.com

SPD748

What a story it is gentlemen. I've been through one running engine that didn't work out in the end. (that thing was a beast!) Then there is the engine in the pics that didn't work out. I scored a complete 6-71 with a pto that was taken from a crane (I think). It broke a rod and damaged the crank and block however there are PLENTY of good parts left. Did I mention the sawmill graveyard that my shop has become? I picked up a 10C27 sheave and 5 sets of arbor bearings along the way somewhere. A guy gave me two blades that were, "In real good shape." Well, at least they'll make nice wall ornaments in the shed. I managed to pick up an old belt lacing press. I need to put up some pictures, maybe someone can tell me more about it.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining in the least. My Dad and I have spent many hours together tinkering with all this stuff and talking about how it's all going to look once things are up and running. We've made some real progress and suffered some set backs along the way. Either way, any time I get to spend with him is time well spent.

I kind of lost sight of the goal for a while. Things are back on track now.

-lee
Frick 0 Handset - A continuing project dedicated to my Dad.

410 Deere, 240 Massey... I really need a rough terrain forklift :)

Sawing Since 1-19-2013 @ 3:30 pm
Serving Since 2002
"Some police officers give tickets, some gave all."

Dave_

Quote from: SPD748 on May 13, 2012, 11:43:36 AM
Did I mention the sawmill graveyard that my shop has become?


Now that's something that we all have in common :D  If we all scrapped out our boneyards, we could all meet in a tropical place and sip a Mi Tie together.  But what fun would that be!!

Thanks for the story.  Many of us can totally relate!!!

p.s. good on you for fighting off that itch to buy a band mill 8) ;D

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