very basic manual saw ideas

[litewood]

Hi,
want to build a very basic saw and wonder what is the minimum size of motor hp? this is just something for me to play with.

what is the smallest log worth cutting for self? what I have most of is 10/12 to about 16/18 inch dbh oaks,and other mixed  a guy who cut ties asked about them several months ago so guess they are ok?
then the trees go to big trunks but not tall as if someone cut all tall/bigger and midsize trees in the past
wouldn't need to cut  lumber over 8 feet most would be half that size and just want something simple.
any reason it couldn't be made like a regular bandsaw and run log through it? reckon it must work better other way around
thinking about just making one stationary and hauling short logs on trailer to it
sunday a guy in nearby town cut down the pecans where old post office was the trunks over 36 easy he cut them into about 8ft and moved to a burn pile the city has by the dumpsters,I was hauling trash talked to him he does this alot splits all the small stuff for firewood then city burns the rest,the city just hauls to burn to. I wished I had a big saw when I saw that.

any good pictures or diagrams around for ideas? saw some pictures in here haven't seen everything yet
thank you

[Buzz-sawyer]

Sounds good..... pecan is hard to come by and valuable!...If you have a place to store it I would set it aside for the future pronto!..could easily be worth a couple of hundred to ya
Don

[Kevin]

If you already have a chain saw, you might consider a chain saw mill.

[D._Frederick]

Litewood,
See if you can buy a used manual mill, will save you a lot of headaches. Unless you have the shop equipment and the skill level, you most likely will make a lot of costly mistakes. If you go with a band mill, the band wheels should be no smaller than 19-20 inches, a 5hp motor, or a 13hp engine will provide sawing power for the size logs you want to cut.

[ronwood]

Litewood,

If you are interested in buying a sawmill you might want to call Brian at www.sawmillexchange.com. He can give you some unbiased opinions on what you might buy. His website has a lot of used mills for sale.

Sawing lumber can be hard work, but I enjoy just getting outside to do it. Set in front of a computer all day.

Good luck on your endeavors.
Ron
  ;)

[DanG]

You can get a basic bandmill for chump change. Woodmizer's LT-15 goes for about $5k, plus extras, and there are oodles of others out there in that price range. Payments on a $5,000 investment aren't very much, and you can easily pay for it, especially if you can get free logs. Stick around here for a bit, and you will learn all you need to know to get started. The work ain't easy, but the rewards are very satisfying.

[Haytrader]

If I was going to cut short logs that aren't to big I would find a used vertical commercial bandsaw with a sliding table.

[Jeff]

I ws checking out all of the sponsors sites for a very minimal saw and I found something I think is new on the Baker website.
Wood Buddy

[litewood]

thank you for the replys
well if i wasn't as poor as dirt i would buy a mill.
but then that would take the fun out of trying to build or change something,I like all the problems/headaches i run into when doing something it makes you think.(sometimes its not to nice of thoughts!)
I think i will go to muskogee today and check out a junk yard place a guy told me about yesterday evening  he saw a great big green bandsaw there about two months ago said it would take several folks to move it  and i could grab it for next to nothing ..
if I get it I can fix and modify it to suit my purposes.I hope it is! but if its not I will find something.
thought about a chainsaw rig and have 4 saws but saws are not big enough for alot of use milling and  have a chain grinderand several rolls of chain and have ripped afew chunks
would need a bigger saw
smaller kerf and cheaper bandsaw way i think(I have some bandsawblade and can silversolder to size. later on if i run into a big chainsaw will make something like a procut or woodbug
I will just see what I come up with.

[solidwoods]

litewood.
What do you want wood for?  
If it's general projects just hire a mill, it's pretty cheap, and you and the sawmiller can cut years worth of fun lumber in a couple days.
If you build, build full size and strong. I noticed your letter mentioned 30+".  you will find when you start milling med. and large logs will come around.
You could build a chainsaw mill pretty cheap and lower tech than band. maybe 4 post design, dual elec motor 220v (or gen your own 3ph to run a large cheap 3ph motor), feed-DC elec gear motor, rheostat, bike chain.  Large kerf yes, but if you are not cutting allot no prob + you can sharpen your own chain and save$.
Make it portable if possible, because moving logs can become another problem.
JIM

[litewood]

just want wood for own use and make afew things for others,have plenty of trees around.later on may want to do other stuff.
what is the smallest red cedar worth cuttin up?this is for own use glueing 1 1/2 to 3 inch

talked to a man over the phone he has two beam/ timber cutters(thats what he called them) he said they cost over 5 grand each and that they are used in a lumber yard to cut beams to size or you can rip anything with them electric 220v
also said one would cut 18 inches and they use circular saw blades.
He said you could cut logs to lumber and build houses with them he said he built with green oak and told me how to nail it all etc.then he told me all about smoking meat with the slab wood and said he would show me how to make a smoker.

Would this be worth getting for small logs?
lots of things around if i hunt abit.
lite

[Minnesota_boy]

The motors on those beam cutters would likely be 3-phase and your home would have single phase.  Check before you get too far into the negotiation.

[solidwoods]

Lt wood.
You can cut Cedar as small as you want.
  One of the small tree/lumber general rules is, small tree or juvenile tree lumber is not very good to kiln dry and use for furniture.  It's good for use as air dried projects like siding, fence, outdoor furniture.  
It still can cause a few more problems than wood from mature trees.

I don't know what the Beam cutter machine you are looking at is (sounds like a circle Scragg Mill), but it sounds a little specialized.  For 5000 you could get a used mill that is low/mid range.
I use a Kasco and would recommend it for your use.  I would go used.  If you want less $$$ get the Kasco (or any mill) without pwr feed and add it later yourself (12vdc gearmotor, rheostat, chain).

It's very hard to do "Just a little sawmilling". ;D

It's habit forming. :D
JIM