Getting Started

outpost22 · February 23, 2016, 09:31:32 PM

Quote from: SkyDoc on February 23, 2016, 08:17:47 PM
The mill is officially ordered. It should be here in 2 weeks. I am going to be setting it up static on my property. I am going to get some I-beams for the tracks. Can any of you that have static mills take pictures of how you set your mill up on the ground and post them here. Please include why you did what you did and how.

My mill is ground based, set up on pressure treated timbers and tied together with PT stingers on each side. I wanted it low to the ground for stability. According to my transit, we got it within 1/8" of level over 30'. It hasn't moved yet, even as I winched the mill into place with "roller logs". I just graveled the interior area between the tracks and just finished doing the same all around the mill to keep the mud down. I also rocked the approach road to the mill for the tractor to feed the mill easily. I'm not sure if that's the info you are looking for?
This picture is from when I just got it set up on the timbers.

outpost22 · February 23, 2016, 09:33:40 PM

Quote
Yes sir, I will do. Now I need a chainsaw. I have been loyal to Stihl all my life. However, I am looking at a husky 460 Rancher 24" bar. Do Y'all have any thoughts on Husky?

I own 4 Stihls and 1 Husky. Both are good but I TRUST my Stihl's more.

btulloh · February 24, 2016, 08:21:29 AM

Whether you go with Stihl or Husky I highly recommend going to the pro line instead of the farm and ranch line. There's a pro version of any size saw and I think the difference in price is worth it. Nothing wrong with the farm and ranch line. My opinion is that you get a better tool with the pro line.

Recently I needed a new saw to replace my old 036. I had an opportunity to try a MS 391 (the farm and ranch line). It seemed clunky and had less power than I thought it should. I bought the MS362, which spec-wise is very very close to the 391. The 362 was clearly a better saw. More power, better starting, better balance - just a better tool.

I don't if husqy saws compare that way, but I'd look into it.

SkyDoc · February 24, 2016, 09:35:14 AM

Quote from: outpost22 on February 23, 2016, 09:31:32 PM
Quote from: SkyDoc on February 23, 2016, 08:17:47 PM
The mill is officially ordered. It should be here in 2 weeks. I am going to be setting it up static on my property. I am going to get some I-beams for the tracks. Can any of you that have static mills take pictures of how you set your mill up on the ground and post them here. Please include why you did what you did and how.

My mill is ground based, set up on pressure treated timbers and tied together with PT stingers on each side. I wanted it low to the ground for stability. According to my transit, we got it within 1/8" of level over 30'. It hasn't moved yet, even as I winched the mill into place with "roller logs". I just graveled the interior area between the tracks and just finished doing the same all around the mill to keep the mud down. I also rocked the approach road to the mill for the tractor to feed the mill easily. I'm not sure if that's the info you are looking for?
This picture is from when I just got it set up on the timbers.

That is exactly what I was looking for in a picture! Thanks! I am not trying to reinvent the wheel by any means. I'm just going to take the best of each idea and figure out what works for me. I really like the gravel and the rationale behind it. Not something I'd have considered up front.
Doc

SkyDoc · February 24, 2016, 09:38:12 AM

Quote from: btulloh on February 24, 2016, 08:21:29 AM
Whether you go with Stihl or Husky I highly recommend going to the pro line instead of the farm and ranch line. There's a pro version of any size saw and I think the difference in price is worth it. Nothing wrong with the farm and ranch line. My opinion is that you get a better tool with the pro line.

Recently I needed a new saw to replace my old 036. I had an opportunity to try a MS 391 (the farm and ranch line). It seemed clunky and had less power than I thought it should. I bought the MS362, which spec-wise is very very close to the 391. The 362 was clearly a better saw. More power, better starting, better balance - just a better tool.

I don't if husqy saws compare that way, but I'd look into it.

And this is exactly why I joined the forum. I get free advice!
I researched some of the Husky's last night and almost bought one. I decided to wait a minute and see what you guys had to say first. My neighbor, who will be sharing the use of my mill, said this morning that he had a 440 that I could use. I think I am going to get an MS362 as you discussed. It is significantly more powerful than the Husky I was looking at and it's about the same price point.

btulloh · February 24, 2016, 11:17:27 AM

It's great to have the 440 loaner so you don't have to jump into it before you look around. A good saw will last a long time - the wrong saw will annoy you for a long time.

After you use that 440 for a while, the 362 will feel like a feather. I find the 362 (and my trusty old 026) do 95% of what I need to do. Of course the big saws do bigger work. It pays to fit the saw to the job. I personally don't want to horse around a 440 or 661 every time I have to buck a twenty inch log or knock off a few limbs. A well-stocked camp would have everything from little saws like the 026 up to the 661's and beyond. That's more than I need or can justify. Your mileage may vary.

SkyDoc · February 26, 2016, 09:14:25 AM

Well, I am making progress a little at a time while I am at work off shore. Found out that the hardware store is having a tax free weekend. My neighbor is going to run down and pick up my new MS 362 (per suggestions from here) Since I have access to a larger saw anytime. The mill has a 2-2.5 week delivery window. I probably wont get it up and running before I have to come back offshore.

We weathered the EF2 tornado rather well. The neighbor across the street lost 1/3 of his roof but got it covered up as fast as possible after the storm left. The report on the tornado said that the wind speeds were in excess of 120mph in our area before the storm lifted.

That brings me to my question for y'all. There are a BUNCH of trees down. Probably a lot that will be given away for free. I had a mind to get a trailer and rent a bobcat and go collect up all that I could. Even if I am not operational just yet. I know yard trees are likely to have metal in them, but how do you guys feel about blow down trees? I'd hate to see all of that softwood go to waste or firewood.

Doc

btulloh · February 26, 2016, 09:54:25 AM

Sounds like an opportunity to get some logs. I use a wand type detector to check for metal. It's not perfect but they're pretty affordable and do some good. Mine (I think it's call a "lumber wizard" or something like that) doesn't go more than three or four inches deep, which is both a good and bad thing. Some people use metal detectors. I've found MOST metal tends to be in the bottom log. Except for when it's not.

SkyDoc · April 10, 2016, 04:08:14 PM

What band sharpeners are people using? What are your opinions on the different manufacturers? I watched a video of the Norwood sharpener and was impressed at the simplicity of turning the crank and the adjustment of all the components.

On a related note, the starter mill finally showed up and has made it home....while I am still at work offshore. My neighbor picked it up for me and took it home. I only have a few days at home before I need to get my shoulder operated on and will be down for a while recovering from that. I "hope" to get the tracks laid, squared, and leveled before the 19th. I am pretty set on just buying two 20' sticks of I-beam to use as rails with the correct sized angle as the track with supports every 3 feet. Does anyone have advice to offer on the subject?

Things are coming together one little bit at a time. Before we know it, I'll be starting to make sawdust....fingers crossed...(*DanG shoulder surgery...)

Kbeitz · April 10, 2016, 04:43:55 PM

I'm still recovering from shoulder surgery. I had it doen 2 years ago. Still in pain.

WV Sawmiller · April 10, 2016, 05:21:24 PM

Quote from: SkyDoc on April 10, 2016, 04:08:14 PM
What band sharpeners are people using? What are your opinions on the different manufacturers? I watched a video of the Norwood sharpener and was impressed at the simplicity of turning the crank and the adjustment of all the components.

On a related note, the starter mill finally showed up and has made it home....while I am still at work offshore. My neighbor picked it up for me and took it home. I only have a few days at home before I need to get my shoulder operated on and will be down for a while recovering from that. I "hope" to get the tracks laid, squared, and leveled before the 19th. I am pretty set on just buying two 20' sticks of I-beam to use as rails with the correct sized angle as the track with supports every 3 feet. Does anyone have advice to offer on the subject?

Things are coming together one little bit at a time. Before we know it, I'll be starting to make sawdust....fingers crossed...(*DanG shoulder surgery...)

I use the WM resharp process. I am confident they sharpen other brands of blades too so if interested I'd call them. Their ad on the left side is a direct link.

Hope your shoulder surgery goes well and you are back in operation soon. I worked overseas for many years and it was always a pain trying to schedule medical and dental issues on my R&R trips home. Fortunately I had a good doctor and dentist and they were very accommodating.

Magicman · April 10, 2016, 05:31:54 PM

According to WM, CBN sharpening wheels can not be used with different blade profiles.

SkyDoc · April 21, 2016, 11:11:13 AM

For those of you following I now have something worthwhile to update y'all on. I am currently typing with a right shoulder that was repaired Tuesday. I got home late last Thursday to see my mill for the first time. Since then it has been bittersweet that its here, but I am broken. I do, however, have enough information to tell all of you what I have discovered and an initial opinion/review on the mill.

The plan is that I am going to set up my mill on my neighbors property right next to our property line. He has better access to his property than I do and I would have to cut a longer driveway to get where I wanted to work. In turn, he has access to my mill to do his own milling as he needs to. my neighbor Bobby noticed a piece of concrete near an old run down shed he stored my mill under. I went to investigate this discovery and was pleased to find a 32x8 concrete pad! I am still learning how to add photos but I will attach as soon as I figure it all out. I cleared off the years of tree litter and overgrowth. I am not 100% that this was not a pad used for milling by the previous owners decades ago.

Once I got the pad cleared off and a pile of tallow trees I started setting up the track sections. The mill came with 2 6' track sections. With these two pieces bolted together I could mill an 8' board easily, but that is about it. It's simple angle iron construction with 2 log stops and clamps. All very simple construction. I knew that I was going to want significantly longer track so I declined the extra shipping cost and material cost when I could just go buy more track locally.

I did opt for the transport wheels when i bought the mill. Great decision on my part. The mill head is heavy and rolling it around is easy with the transport wheels. Knowing that I was only going to get a couple of hours playing with the mill before it was going to be put back under the cover it was nice to be able to move it around easily.

I set the mill on the track and and started figuring out the operation. This is when i discovered that I could not pull the starter past TDC. Bobby figured out that the mill had been tipped over during shipping and oil had gotten into the cylinder. I removed the spark plug and cranked the motor until I got all the oil out of the cylinder, then washed the cylinder with a little gasoline. Put it back together and pulled until she started. After a few pulls she coughed and sputtered to life puking out white smoke and excess oil onto the blade guard. (pictures) Once she had cleaned herself out she started purring like a kitten.

Next I went and cut a 5' log off a blow down that had been across my driveway. 5' was about all I could handle to load into my truck and drive over to the mill. I set up the stops and clamps to keep the log secure keeping in mind that (like so many of you) not to have the stops so high that the blade could taste them. I tried to tighten the bold to hold them in position and it was way too tight. Thinking it was cross threaded, I stopped and went to the next one, same thing, but I didnt stop and twisted the grade 2 bolt off with a 6" crescent wrench?!? Seriously? The first bolt I use was grade 2 and broke? I was not impressed at this point. I got the log secured with the chinsy clamps enough that I could make a few cuts.

This is when I noticed that I didnt have water to fill the blade lube at the site. Got some water, and per Magicmans recipe, squeezed a big "glug" of dawn into the tank followed by some water. I was ready to engage the clutch and go for it. But not before putting on the band guard.

The band guard is rather chinsy as well. Thin walled galvanized construction with spot welds. It works fine but the edges are SHARP and it's a matter of time before someone gets cut. I will need to address that before I try and produce anything in volume.
The "flow' of the operation of the mill is less than desirable IMHO. The clutch is on one side, the winch is on the other. This makes me look like a keystone cop running around the mill head starting and stopping all the time.

It was time to cut. The first cut went smoothly until the roller wheels hung up on the track joint for a split second and broke free. Not caring about the quality of wood I was cutting, I just made a mental note of the issue. The blade sang and zipped right through the log with the expected effort of pushing a loaded shopping cart. Next cut I let bobby have the mill and try his hand at it. (ergo the picture of him milling) We ended the last minutes of daylight with a random sized cant and 2 nice boards off of it.

The mill itself, and by itself, is constructed well. It moves easily up and down, the blade guides are a little hard to get to and tend to rattle loose, but the mill overall, less the guard and the track system is solid.

Keep in mind that this is my starter mill, the Lumbersmith Bantam 26 and will be used for milling boards longer than the hydraulic mill can produce (when I get it). Last discovery was that between the herniated discs in my lumbar and C-spine (coupled with a recently repaired right shoulder) working from the ground is NOT for me. Before I go too far I am going to need to mill timbers to build an elevated mill platform. Arthritis and a life of military service have caught up with me and i need to work smarter not harder. Of course the VA says that the issues are not service connected....Riiiiggghhhttttt ;)

I cant figure out how to add pictures right now, I have them in my gallery if you'd like to go take a look. Comments and thoughts are welcome as well as any design ideas for an elevated mill deck, like Wallee has.

Thanks
Doc

Magicman · April 21, 2016, 07:16:05 PM

QuoteI cant figure out how to add pictures right now

Click on the picture that you want in your reply. Scroll down and click two more times as instructed. The picture's address will appear in your reply. Click on Preview and scroll up to view how your reply/pictures will appear. Make any adjustments that you want to make and then click Post. After your reply has been posted, you can always click on Modify to make any adjustments or corrections.

The last (bottom) entry on the FF index page gives very detailed instructions and even videos.

Dave Shepard · April 21, 2016, 07:33:43 PM

One of my first paying jobs was cleaning up after a tornado. It's a really dangerous twisted mess. Nobody wanted to buy the saw logs because they had been twisted.

Kbeitz · April 21, 2016, 07:54:52 PM

If you send a copy of this letter to your doctor you will be grounded...
You better take it easy....

SkyDoc · April 22, 2016, 02:39:29 PM

First Cuts

Picture of the mill before I put the blade guard on. I also turned the mill around when i figured out which end the dust came out...Learning as I go lol

The track system. Note my comments. It "works" but I can improve on the design and add some much needed length to the abilities.

So, the problem of having oil in the cylinder...This is what it puked out once I got it fired and running. No worries, cleaned right up with a rag.

I was so lucky to have found this pad to work from. Looking at the mill it looks like it was made for a mill. We are going to rehab that shanty in the back and use it for storing our tools and the mill head when it's not going to be used for a long period of time.

Thanks for your direction and help MM. I was frustrated and tired from my surgery when I posted last.

Comments, suggestions, and advice are more than welcome. I am going to go up and see Fishfighters operation this weekend to see how he does things and learn what I can. I'd like to see MM in action but he's a good haul from me.

Thanks
Doc

tnaz · April 22, 2016, 05:07:23 PM

Looking good Doc, don't hurt yourself their having fun.
Thanks for sharing the pictures too.

Terry

Magicman · April 22, 2016, 08:50:08 PM

Nice pictures SkyDoc, and you are very welcome.

QuoteI'd like to see MM in action but he's a good haul from me.

I was sawing just down the road from you last week in Madisonville, La.

SkyDoc · April 23, 2016, 11:05:55 AM

MM,

If I'd have known that, and I was 100%, I'd have come helped just for the experience of learning. I am hoping to get up to see fighfighters operation this weekend.

The plus side of working offshore is the time off, however, this time I am down for maintenance.

Doc

Magicman · April 23, 2016, 10:39:39 PM

My Bucket List also includes a trip to visit fishfighter.

SkyDoc · May 17, 2016, 02:08:25 PM

Ok, for those of you following this thread here is my update.

The mill has sat idle while my shoulder healed from surgery. The good news was that it healed much faster this time around than last time. There wasnt as much damage in the joint as there was on the other side. That being said, I have been running full tilt trying to make things happen.

I was at a point were I had a couple of logs down, I have a mill, but I had no way of moving the logs to the mill. That coupled with "short" track system that came with the mill I am still unable to start milling the lumber at 12' for my pump shed. I got the steel to make a 20' track system picked up the other day. Just need to weld it all up now.

The big advancement came in the form of a 1975 Case 580B that I picked up for 3500.00. I had been on the lookout for a backhoe for a while and everything was out of my budget. I even went to look at a '83 D model that was missing parts and the guy wanted 6500 for it. I just happened upon this machine that came with pallet forks, the clamshell bucket and a litany of things to fix. Keep in mind, it was what I could afford. With a battery, some fuel, and some dumb luck this machine fired up on the 3rd revolution of the engine. Not bad for sitting up for a year. I got the hydraulics all working by adding some fluid but I could not make it drive forward or backward. Everything else worked. I got it home on a borrowed trailer and went to work draining and replacing all the fluids and filters. I took the shuttle valve apart and with some guidance from a man with more knowledge than me, cleaned it all up and reassembled it. Got it put back together last night and took it for a real spin in the dark, navigating by flashlight.

All in all, for the price, and condition I think I did well. It will need all of the hoses replaced as they pop one at a time. I will add some pictures here shortly once I get all the cosmetic stuff put back on the machine.

I hope to get my track system all welded up soon and maybe have my pump shed lumber cut before I have to go back off shore for work in mid June.

My progress is measured in inches, but it's still progress.....know anyone that is in the market for a nice 5th wheel camper? Once I sell that I can order my bigger, portable fully hydraulic mill....

fishfighter · May 17, 2016, 04:18:32 PM

Good to hear you getting thinks in order.

On that backhoe. Been there, done that to my 580C. :D I ended up replacing every hose on it and rebuilding just about every cylinder on it. Case parts are not cheap. :(

I should be around the house next weekend if you want to come by.

SkyDoc · June 05, 2016, 08:27:47 PM

Ok folks here is the update that you probably havent been waiting for.

Since my last post I went ahead and replaced all of the bucket control hoses. Despite labeling them I still messed up the sequence and had to switch a few around to get the desired responses. Then came the tires. They were dry rotted and leaking badly. I called my local tire place just to see what I could get a set of new shoes for and he surprised me with a quote of 1400.00 out the door...FOR ALL 4! Good rubber too! So the Hoe has new shoes and some new hoses.
She's not going to win any beauty contests and she still needs some more work but here she is in all her glory.

I got the first version of the lengthened track system welded up and put on the slab. I did my best to level it but at the end of the day my attempts proved futile. The slab is not level, there were no adjusting feet on the track, and dropping logs (no matter how small of a distance) on the track is a bad thing... So, back to the drawing board. I took some 2x2x1/4 box steel that I had been saving for a different project and built a subframe system to place the newly constructed track system on. All of this came with its own set of challenges but I persevered in a truly Army style and got it DONE!. Set it on the slab complete with her new adjustable feet to level it.

I was milling alone so I figured I'd get a small log out of the pile and give her a run. Things were going smoothly, I checked the level of the tracks repeatedly as I squared the cant. Everything was going so smooth...until

I rolled the cant off the track...smh and a few cuss words later I got the hoe, bridled it up with chain and set it back on the track.

Everything was moving along swimmingly when it started to drizzle. With all the rain lately and getting tired of being soaked I took a break to have lunch and call Magic Man. Had a very informative chat with him and took his advice back to the mill to apply it.

The small log before it met the saw...

As I was winding down after cutting 20 2x4's I noticed that the right side of the blade guard was bulging outward. I wrestled it off to investigate and found this band wheel pin had walked out.... great! One more thing.... took the wheel off, drove the pin back in, checked the other side, drove that one in a bit and put it all together. Started the day getting greasy putting the Hoe back together, cleaned up to mill, finished the day greasy....

All in all, with all the adversity I have been dealing with for the last bit I think things came out pretty good overall for flying solo.

I needed to have 70 12' 2x4's put up for my pump shed before I head back to work...I have about 57 done. I have to go back next week...

Thanks
Doc...