Hello folks, im a newbie to your forum and am starting to build my own bandsaw mill after pricing the lumber cost for a barn i am building. as of now it is mainly in the design stage(using google sketch up), except for a bit of metal that i bought new from a local steel place here in western arkansas. I would love any advice that anyone has to offer and i am full of questions after looking at pictures and watching videos on youtube. My primary design comes from watching a youtube video of user BrotherBCoy. i am using 2 1/2" 3/16 wall tube and 3" 3/16 wall for the carriage along with some 1" x 1" angle 1/4" thick. and some 3/8" steel plate.
question 1: Can your toe adjustment and tension adjument be on the same side of the mill?
question 2: When running trailer tires for band wheels is a 4.80 x 12 suffient enough for a hobby mill?
question 3: Is there a way i can post what i have designed from sketchup for others to critique?
im sure i will have more questions once i start putting an arc to steel and truly building something. Thanks for having me on the forum guys ........ A.j.
Welcome to the forestry forum. ..dig your heels in, you'll find everything you need to know here
question 1 .... Yes
question 2 ... Bigger's better. Small diameter will brake bands.
question 3 ... Yes
question 4 ... I'm sure you got more...
My mill build link...
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,82853.0.html
design pics
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/48010/sawmill3.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1514083950)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/48010/sawmill.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1514083944)
I would advise against using the steel "tube in a tube" method for the head movement, it will give you problems in my experience. Examine a Woodmizer LT15 with the "Semi-cantilever" head, I think that design is a better way to go.
Welcome to the forum, you have come to the right place to get your questions answered.
Welcome to the Forestry Forum, Ratwagen!
I would use larger tires than 4.8 x 12, nothing less than 20" outside diameter. The tension on the blade will load the tires, wheels and axles as if they were on a 2500 - 3000 lb trailer.
Greetings from Nova Scotia!
I would be tempted to add a second horizontal cross piece (yellow in picture) as close as possible to the tires to reduce flex, as the blade is tensioned it will pull the tires together which will make setting up the tracking more difficult, (think floor truss laying on it's side) also moving the bearing closer to the hub will reduce strain on the axel shaft and bearing.
Bracing on the frame to reduce sideways flexing when cutting, something I have seen in videos when the cut is started and the saw head starts wiggling side to side, makes for a lot of extra strain on everything and a ruff cut.
I made a few mods...
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/39553/Mods~0.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1514128514)
Welcome and have fun with you project
Welcome to the forum!
My mill head is tube over tube and works well. The longer the outside tube the better. It will create less fore and aft movement and help with binding while lifting the head. As everyone else has said larger wheels.
welcome from the swamp
Keep us up to date on the project