iDRY Vacuum Kilns

Sponsors:

Crusarius’ sawmill build - started with Linn Lumber basic kit

Started by Crusarius, September 18, 2017, 01:02:23 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Crusarius

Hydraulic tensioner
You can see the hydraulic tensioner just resting on the saw frame. That is not the final location for it. You can also see the hydraulic ram pushing the tensioning sled. The holes you see in the top of the sawframe are for the engine / carriage mount. I have not started working on that yet.



Crusarius

Adjustable guide end of the saw frame.
It is hard to see in this picture but there is a piece of ¼" key stock that the pillow block bearing is resting against. After taking a closer look at the pictures I think the reason the keystock is there instead of an adjuster is for clearance. The adjuster would interfere with the bolt holding the adjustable arm to the saw frame.
The adjustable guide arm is bolted to the saw frame with 3/8" bolts going through ¾" holes. The arm is bolted to the main sawmill frame through the square hole I cut into the saw frame previously. At first I was confused about this feature, then I realized before this was added when the blade breaks there would be nothing to stop the wheel from taking off. In this configuration when the blade breaks it should only move about ½" max.


The bolts on the sliding frame are there to keep the frame straight when changing blades. There is also a single bolt on the other side to take up the rest of the slack. The guide is in a slotted hole that uses the adjuster to set the correct location. The T bolt is for locking the arm in place. Currently I am brainstorming trying to figure out how to add a little more support to that arm. The ½" block you see on the back side of the guide is for the tensioner rod to press against. It is not in the correct location in this image.



Crusarius

The arm is bolted on the same way as the fixed side. 3/8" bolts with ¾" holes. I am not sure how I am going to like trying to adjust these but we will see when I get to that point. Ignore the extra hole. That is there to lighten the frame. Truth is, I measured from the wrong datum line.






Crusarius

This is how the frame is sitting now.


I am working on the carriage assembly currently. It may take a while to get some pictures of that since I am designing it on the fly.

grouch

Do you braze? If so, you might want to braze a blob on the ends of those bolts that are used to take up slack for sliding pieces. They won't be doing a lot of sliding, but a sacrificial dab of phosphor bronze or brass on their ends would keep them from scoring or scratching the frame.
Find something to do that interests you.

Crusarius

That is a good idea. unfortunately I am not setup to braze. I actually thought about a thin piece of HDPE to take up the slop.

Could just get some nylon bolts.

mad murdock

that is going to be one SWEET mill when you get it done!  Thanks for taking the time to share the journey with us!! Nice work too!
Turbosawmill M6 (now M8) Warrior Ultra liteweight, Granberg Alaskan III, lots of saws-gas powered and human powered :D

Crusarius

Thanks Murdock. I am really looking forward to it. I do love a good challenge :)

William1961

When you start sawing logs will you be on the left side of the mill pushing it down the track.

Ox

K.I.S.S. - Keep It Simple Stupid
Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without
1989 GMC 3500 4x4 diesel dump and plow truck, 1964 Oliver 1600 Industrial with Parsons loader and backhoe, 1986 Zetor 5211, Cat's Claw sharpener, single tooth setter, homemade Linn Lumber 1900 style mill, old tools

larrydown60

Very good job excellent workmanship helps to have the right tools for the job  smiley_thumbsup

Crusarius

When I first started fabricating I had a grinder, a sawzall, and a stick welder. My times have changed. Thanks everyone for your positive comments. This is definitely helping keep me motivated.

grouch

Don't get a big head -- I bet you'll still have saw marks in the lumber from that thing.



BTW, you're not going to leave that hydraulic hose laying against the wheel, are you?

It's great to see the progression from a pile of parts to the heart of a bandmill. Thanks for the details!
Find something to do that interests you.

Crusarius

Believe it or not the hose barely clears the wheel. That is not the final resting place for the tensioner. I would be afraid of a broken blade taking it out and those are not cheap. It will be mounted above the blade on the engine platform. Hopefully this weekend I get the roller base for the carriage put together and the engine mount.

Once the engine mount is done, in theory, I could cut something.

grouch

How is the eccentric turned by the bolt in this picture?


I've looked back through the all the photos and can't see it. It looks like the bolt just passes through and therefore can't act on the disk, other than to clamp it in position. C'mon, out with your secret!
Find something to do that interests you.

Crusarius

you are correct. the bolt is just a clamp. that is only intended to hold the angle in place vertically while you adjust horizontally.

Not the finest of adjustment but a nice light dead blow hammer will adjust it pretty easily.

grouch

Thanks.
Simple means less stuff to break down and stop your work.
Find something to do that interests you.

KirkD

Wood-mizer LT40HD-G24 Year 1989

Crusarius

I began working on the engine mount / top guard over the weekend. I started off trying to use a piece of 3" channel. It started out looking really good till I did some measuring inside and found that I only have 2.25" inside the channel. With a 1.25" blade that leaves me ½" per side. I started thinking about what happens if my tracking ends up shifting. That would probably turn into blade crashing into guard and ruin it. I also thought if I ever wanted to run a larger blade I will not be able to. So unfortunately I did not have any 4" channel so I had to pause on the engine mount.

Here is a rough image of how much clearance I have with the dummy blade. That is a piece of 3" channel.


This image shows the drive belt side of the assembly. The red material rollers are the perfect height to mock everything up.


This image shows the cut side of the assembly with engine in place and the 3" channel. I should be able to get some 4" channel this week and try that. Overall I like the design. I am planning on mounting blade guards directly to the ends of the engine mount on hinges to be able to flip them out of the way when changing blades.

Crusarius

Since I did not have the material I needed for the engine mount I moved to the carriage. My ultimate goal with the carriage is to make it as tight to the track as possible to prevent any debris buildup.
I started with a piece of 2x3x3/16. I through drilled the tube for a ½” bolt. Then I machined a groove to clear the track while leaving the rest of the material tight to the main rails.







I used 2x2 to connect the wheels together. I wasn’t happy with this gap so I decided to machine a groove between the wheels.


Machined groove.




Looking from the side the 2x2 appears flush with the top of the rail. I forgot to get a picture of this. The groove is roughly 1/8” deep. By grooving the steel instead of just cutting it open it is going to create one less spot for the bees to build a nest. It also does not change the strength.

Crusarius

Here is the completed wheel assemblies.




Assembly will end up square eventually. Apparently my clamping was not very good. I did give it a good push down the rails and had to chase it before it ran out of rail.
If I end up doing this again I will use cold rolled steel for the rails. The hot rolled has a good deal of mill scale on it that I sanded off. It got a lot better but still seems like more resistance than it should. Maybe after everything is complete it will smooth out some more.

Crusarius

I just realized that last picture was before my final rail location. the gap is a little tighter than that on the finished assembly.

Kbeitz

Turn the 3" channel upside down and weld a flat plate on it to mount your engine.
Collector and builder of many things.
Love machine shop work
and Wood work shop work
And now a saw mill work

Crusarius

Thought about doing that. I am trying to keep weight down as much as possible and not create any places for the bees to build nests. Plus then I would have to deal with drainage and debris buildup.

The other reason to have it legs down is it does a real nice job covering all around the blade.

Ljohnsaw

Quote from: Crusarius on September 25, 2017, 12:14:07 PM
Thought about doing that. I am trying to keep weight down as much as possible and not create any places for the bees to build nests. Plus then I would have to deal with drainage and debris buildup.

The other reason to have it legs down is it does a real nice job covering all around the blade.

I would stay away from the channel iron for a blade guard no matter how wide you make it.  Its just looking to mess up your blades.  I would look at doing wood with no exposed screws or nails to the blade.  That way, when it jumps off (and it will at least once... ;) ) the wood will act as a braking mechanism rather than a breaking mechanism that will eat the teeth.  smiley_furious
John Sawicky

Just North-East of Sacramento...

SkyTrak 9038, Ford 545D FEL, Davis Little Monster backhoe, Case 16+4 Trencher, Home Built 42" capacity/36" cut Bandmill up to 54' long - using it all to build a timber frame cabin.

Thank You Sponsors!