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Adapting a log deck to a bandmill.

Started by Dave Shepard, February 19, 2008, 06:31:05 PM

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Dave Shepard

I dug out my live deck from the giant scrap heap that is my back yard this afternoon. I am going to modifiy it a little to work with the manual bandmill. The deck is 18 feet overall length, with about 12 feet of chain.



This was originally used on a circle mill with a hydraulic chain turner. It has a kicker that rolls the logs down onto the arms, and the turner was in the middle. I need to be able to walk between the deck and the mill, so I need to modify or remove the arms. I was thinking of cutting them off, and extending the kickers so that they would bridge the gap between the mill and the deck.  Then I would weld the arms on the back of the deck for more capacity. As you can see, there is almost four feet of arm between the kickers and the end of the deck.



The kickers are fairly robust, 3/4" plate, so I think that they will tolerate being extended. You can see where the hydraulic cylinder mounts, I'll have to build a bracket for that. The kicker is upside down in the  picture.



The deck came with a hydraulic motor when I got it, but it was full of rust, and got smashed off when it was moved. I have a friend with a small warehouse full of miscellaneous drivetrain parts. He has offered up some of his goodies to get the drive system working. I am going to put together an AC powerpack to run the deck and the hydraulics on the mill. The drive system is quite robust on this deck. The deck chain is some of the largest I have seen, at least 3 inches per link.



I would be interested to hear from poeple that have a live deck that uses long kickers to bridge the gap between the mill and deck. I belive both Baker and WM use this style. I am also trying to figure out a good feed speed for the deck. I am going to figure out the speed of the one at work, and double it, or maybe quadruple it. (It's realllllly slow.) Thanks.


Dave
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

Bibbyman

 

The loading arms on our Baker deck are about 4' long. 

I don't know the chain speed but it wouldn't have to be any too fast.  I generally pull up the next log to the stop/loader while I'm sawing the log on the mill.   Our loader can put logs almost to the front of the deck with the boom extended.  With out it extended, it can place them in the middle.  So it doesn't take very long at even a slow chain speed to get them up to the loader.  If I'm loading the deck,  Mary will advance ones I have on the deck and load one on the mill while I go back and get more logs.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

Ron Wenrich

Our debarker deck has a set of long arms.  They are the same type of design as Bibby's.  That is probably the design you want to follow, if you can.  Maybe you can cut off the ramps and attach it to your stop and loader. 

Your deck looks to be about 6' wide.  We had a Jackson deck very similar to yours.  It ran with that 2060 chain.  I think that's the number.  It was a pretty good deck.  Ours had a hydraulic motor on each chain. 

Sure hope you have a good supply of Rust Reaper.   ;)
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

Dave Shepard

I think I'll have to get a gallon, or three. :D I don't think that chain has gone around in a decade or two. :(


Dave
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

Dave Shepard

Had a couple of minutes to play around with the deck today. I got the ramps chopped off and mounted a cylinder. I think it has the right amount of travel, just have to move it a bit farther forward. The stop loader is all the way up in the picture, and I want it to come up just a bit more. I am going to weld the ramps on to the back of the deck, it will give me an extra 3' of storage space. I am going to extend the stop/loader with some plate so it will reach a bandmill deck.




Dave
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

StorminN

Lookin' good, Dave... did you get the gallons of Rust Reaper yet?

-N.
Happiness... is a sharp saw.

Dave Shepard

No, but I am going to need them, the log loader is a piece of pipe slipped over the shaft that drives the sprockets, and it's rusted solid. :( I think I'll tip it up on it's side and let the Reaper run down the inside of the pipe.


Dave
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

beav39

looks good dave let us know when you get it operating    scot
sawdust in the blood

Dave Shepard

I'll add to the post as I make progress, but it'll be slow, the next steps require some money. ;) I was real close to having a sawmill leased, but it isn't going to work out, so it is less of a priority, but I've started the project and want to get it done, if for no other reason to see how it's going to turn out. :D I was wondering where my choker chains were, now I know, they are to the right in the last pic. ;D I haven't decided how to power it. I can get a 2HP gear motor from Surplus center for$200, or I could run it with a hydraulic motor. I plan on having a hydraulic power pac to supply the mill, so it may be more effective to run it that way.


Dave
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

StorminN

Dave,

Unless it's a DC gear motor from SC, a hydraulic motor sounds like a better fit... variable speed and reverse might come in handy?...

-N.
Happiness... is a sharp saw.

Dave Shepard

It was a reversible three phase. I was thinking of putting it on a VFD with a reversing contactor, but yeah, the hydraulic is probably a better bet. :D
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

StorminN

Well, that surely would work... but at that point, hydraulic starts to sound cheaper!

-N.
Happiness... is a sharp saw.

Dave Shepard

You haven't seen my friend Vernes back room yet. ;) There's lot's of options stacked 8' high in there, you just have to let your imagination run wild. ;D


Dave
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

Woodchuck53

Morning guys. Thats some great picture's of the log deck. I have just poured my footings to mount/fabricate a deck. The pc. of one I scarfed up had frozen chain. Took those puppies off and let my grandson drag them back and forth between the shop and barn on the gravel drive. Took the front end loader and hung them high for the pressure washer, worked great and he was in hog heaven. He's only six so any time papa lets him on something that rolls he's the man. I have power to spare think god so I'm going hyd. all the way. Hopefully one day to let Cleco bring in 3 ph. Just can't justify it right now. Have you guys thought about using a cyl. to advance and retard the arms to the track or deck so that they are out of the way. All my life my dad referred to yankee ingenuity, here in the south you would probably call it something else but I like to try things and see what works good. With the size of stuff I get I use all the hyd. I can. Theres never enough help on a circular mill. Have a great one Chuck
Case 1030 w/ Ford FEL, NH 3930 w/Ford FEL, Ford 801 backhoe/loader, TMC 4000# forklift, Stihl 090G-60" bar, 039AV, and 038, Corley 52" circle saw, 15" AMT planer Corley edger, F-350 1 ton, Ford 8000, 20' deck for loader and hauling, F-800 40' bucket truck, C60 Chevy 6 yd. dump truck.

Dave Shepard

Had a few minutes to play with the deck again. I seperated the chains, they are a little stiff. :D




I removed the shaft that drives the sprockets. I need to weld and reinforce the U shaped portion on the insides, if you look in the top right corner you can see one of the cracks at the bottom of the U. The pipe that the kickers are welded to is rusted solid. If I decide to keep the kickers I will have to free it up some how. I may use a totally different kicker design, if I do, I will probably cut them off with the torch. With the chains off I could rotate the kickers enough to measure the length of cylinder I will need.




Dave
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

Woodchuck53

Dave do you know any info on the chains? That looks like the same stuff thats on the one I found. Chuck
Case 1030 w/ Ford FEL, NH 3930 w/Ford FEL, Ford 801 backhoe/loader, TMC 4000# forklift, Stihl 090G-60" bar, 039AV, and 038, Corley 52" circle saw, 15" AMT planer Corley edger, F-350 1 ton, Ford 8000, 20' deck for loader and hauling, F-800 40' bucket truck, C60 Chevy 6 yd. dump truck.

Dave Shepard

It appears they are stamped C188, a common chain for this purpose. There is a smaller variant called C55, I believe. Both should be readily available. I think I'm going to need a barrel of Rust Reaper to soak them in. :D


Dave
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

beav39

yeah they look a little dave,looks like you are making progress.hows milling in mass lately?
sawdust in the blood

Dave Shepard

I think it's going to get a lot better, new job, and a new LT40HDD51 arriving tomorrow at 11:00. 8)


Dave
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

Woodchuck53

Dave, thanks for the chain numbers. Chuck
Case 1030 w/ Ford FEL, NH 3930 w/Ford FEL, Ford 801 backhoe/loader, TMC 4000# forklift, Stihl 090G-60" bar, 039AV, and 038, Corley 52" circle saw, 15" AMT planer Corley edger, F-350 1 ton, Ford 8000, 20' deck for loader and hauling, F-800 40' bucket truck, C60 Chevy 6 yd. dump truck.

Bibbyman

I looked for a couple of years for a used live deck that bolt up to our Wood-Mizer.  Then I went to the get something and adapt it mode.



We collected this old heavy 4 strand deck and found a big gear box, etc.  We did some work on it but to hack it all apart, rebuild it wide as we wanted it and then add a loader was going to be more trouble and time than I had.



We looked long and hard at the WM deck - one shown here loading a LT300 at the Rock Island Lumber Company.



But we finally talked the Baker guys into building one that would work with our lower Wood-Mizer mill.  We had it up and going within a couple of hours of hitting the ground at our mill.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

Dave Shepard

Well, I was playing around "out back" today, and I have to move the deck out of the way. I did get a hydraulic power-pack, so I'm going to run it off of that. What I'm really guessing about is the speed of the chain. I've seen the Wood-Mizer deck run hooked to an LT300, it moves fast, but I'm not really sure how to quantify it in fpm. I've got a good supply of hydraulic apparatus available DanG cheap, so I just need to figure out what size motor would be sufficient for this application. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I did discover that if I got the next size cylinder, the geometry works fine for the loader arms. I think I have an 8" and a 10" will be just right.

Nice big power-pack, on wheels even! :D

Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

bandmiller2

Dave,I'd google the specs on a commercial deck and do the math for yours,power is more important than speed.You don't want to rush a project like this.Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

etkoehn

If things are seized up, heat it up with a torch and tap on it with a hammer if you can also get a pipe wrench with a pipe to make the handle longer to have more leverage will also help. But heat it up and cool it downs. My dad showed me that trick works great. And if all else fails its a torch, cut it off :D
Farm Boy

Dave Shepard

Frank, I've searched a few manufacturers sites for information on the log decks, but they just say they are available with electric of hydraulic power. I'll have to go to my engineer/parts stockpiler with my sprocket sizes and see what he recommends/has in stock. :D He's the one that gave me the powerpack.

et, I'm not sure I could get the whole pipe hot enough, it's about 5 feet wide. I may have to torch it off the shaft and rebuild. In a way, a lot of work, but I need to redesign the stop/load arms anyway.

Thanks all.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

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