Hey Guys, Im new on here and needed some help/advice on an old circular sawmill. I saw an add on craigslist about an old mill for sale several miles away from my home at a tractor shop. I stopped by and began talking with the seller. Come to find out, the mill belonged to my great grandmothers brother. When I learned of this, I had to have it. The only information I located was on the 16ft headblock. It is stamped with (Liddell Co. Charlotte NC). All and all, the mill is in decent shape but was considering replacing the wood with steel. I am also having a little trouble figuring the best way to construct the track section since the track part of the mill was dissasembled. Any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks.
welcome to the site, if you can post some pics
I'll try and get some pics tomorrow. any thoughts on rebuilding the husk frame. I was considering replacing the wood with 8" wide I-beam. If I just replaced the wood, what kind should be used?
Quote from: HPPDRoss on August 19, 2012, 05:23:35 PM
I'll try and get some pics tomorrow. any thoughts on rebuilding the husk frame. I was considering replacing the wood with 8" wide I-beam. If I just replaced the wood, what kind should be used?
Im not sure what the best wood be to use but if your gonna rebuild I would suggest useing steel.
There are several ways to attach track to I beams. Most weld onto it, and that works well as long as you're a decent welder, and you don't draw the track off line. You can also do it in sections, but these get pretty heavy to move around. Most put the steel down first, then put the track on top of it.
If you are going to rewood the sections, I've seen Doug fir work out pretty well. You might be able to find some that is quarter sawn, which would be more stable. That works very well for the husk.
You can also use steel for the carriage. But, you don't necessarily want to weld the headblocks to the carriage. The old Frick mills were designed so that you could move the headblocks on the carriage. If you wood the carriage, you want a hard pine like the southern yellows. Doug fir also works well.
Welcome to the forum. You have come to the right place. Post pictures with your progress and problems. You will get the benefit of many years experience. The members can point you in the right direction, no matter how deep you have gotten yourself. Let us know where you are located in NC. Regards, Clark
HPPDRoss,welcome to the forum. Ever been around a mill before? Good luck to you. Build a roof over it once you are all done and you will all set than.
Do you know if it is a Frick mill? It should say somewhere if it is. Or is Liddell the brand name of the mill?
There are a lot of old Frick mills around the Carolinas.
I was told that the original husk was replaced by the high school ag shop many years ago so the nameplate is missing. It looks like a frick to me other than the liddell carriage. Every moving part on the mill is free and appears to opperate like it should. Im located in upstate sc Anderson Co
Ah, I work out of Easley, not too far away. We have a Frick we're trying to sell, too, but it sounds like you need that one since it was in your family. :)
Your not far away at all okrafarmer, I actually live in Honea Path. Im just trying to decide the best was to rebuild the husk frame and find out the best way to build the foundation so the mill will stay level and run true.
It isn't super easy from what I understand. :-\
Welcome aboard Ross.
I always like hearing about the resurection of an old circulat sawmill. It's not every day that you get to restore a family heirloom 8)
A lot depends on what you want to accomplish. If you want to rebuild it historically I would use wood, but if you are looking for strength and indurance, you may want to use steel. ;D
My mill is a J.A. Vance, made in Winston Salem NC. I am guessing about 30s or 40s vintage. The track stringers are PT pine laid on RR cross ties and the rails are 1 1/4" angle iron. All my stuff is old and I do everything the old fashion way. ::)
Check out my photo gallery and my you tube videos... Nothing special, but you can see how things are constructed and how things operate.
Alan
Thanks Alan, those pics and youtube videos helped me out alot. What is the distance between the 4x4 track and your sawblade?
I can't remember right off. I'll measure it this afternoon. That demention will depend on how high the carrage is when you replace the wood. I think the wood in my carrsge is six inches, the bunks for the headblocks is four inch channel and the wheels and mounts make up about eight inches. I am guessing that would make it about 18" from the rail to the top of the saw blade collars. Let me get you some close up pix and dementions.
Alan
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I finally got some pics on here thanks to my wife. The carriage is in good shape, everything moves smoothly like it should and the wood is in good shape. The wood where the madrel sits looks to be sagging a little. The winch drum has got me a little confused on how to connect it to the track. Liddell Co is stamped on the headblock
I would just replace the wood that is split on the husk. When I put in an old handmill, I put the cable drum under the track.
Here's a blurb I found about Liddell:
"In the early 1870s, Walter James Forbes Liddell was working in Madison and Milwaukee, Wisc., in the rail-car-building industry. In 1875, Liddell and his wife, Anna, moved from Milwaukee to Charlotte, NC. There Liddell founded Liddell Machine Co., with manufactory Charlotte Iron Works. Based on patent records, it appears that Liddell made boilers, furnaces, steam engines, hay presses, and cotton presses. By 1881 the company was also making circular sawmills. By 1889 Walter J. F. Liddell's son, Walter Scott Liddell, was running the works and Liddell & Co. and it seems that the father was no longer active. The business remained active until at least 1936."
Thanks Ron, thats probobly what i am going to do. Southern yellow pine or douglas fir right.
welcome, this will come in handy rebuilding and operating your mill.
http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/misc/circsaw.pdf.
Thanks Whiskers, that looks like alot of good material.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/27453/tues6_001.jpg) welcome to the forum , looking at your pics they look like my mill . I guess they look a lot alike looking at the husk . I posted another pic of the drum bolt to the track frame
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Your mill does look very similar to mine. If you could send me some more pics of it, I would greatly appreciate it. Especially the drum and cable. The pulleys on each end of my mill are positioned vertical instead of horizontal. Has anyone seen this configuration before? What type of powerplant do you use jblair?
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(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/27453/thurs24_005%7E0.jpg) I'll take some pics tomorrow and post them , it will be in the drum area . I use a minnie moline 403 power unit with about a 10 inch flat belt pulley running to a 23 inch on the mandrel . mine is just a syp husk , I think , i t's about 85 years old so for me it's hard to tell what kind of wood it is. this is a gasoline model and the manifold is great .
Thanks for the pics, looks like you have a very nice setup. I am considering using white oak to rebuild the husk. Is this a good idea?
A little history and background:
http://docsouth.unc.edu/nc/liddell/liddell.html
A steam engine by Liddell:
http://southeastantiquemachinerysociety.webs.com/aboutus.htm
I looked through my Frick catalog from 1907 and I couldn't find the wood type used, but many of the steam era items were ash but any well seasoned or kiln dried hardwood should do. A lot of the wooden wheels on steam engines were ash.
Gday
Welcome to The Forum it looks like you have the makings of a good mill Mate ;) ;D ;D 8) With frame stock both Frick and Meadows used Southern Yellow Pine for their frame stock as soft woods are Lighter more stable in section size and easier and quicker to dry than hardwoods ;)
Regards Chris
I've got an old circle blade. It's not carbide, 40 inch, inch and a half arbor hole. Looks in good condition to me but I know nothing about them. Anyone got a use for it?
Inserted teeth?
Puzzled what a "half arbor hole" is??
Can you post a pic for us?
Quote from: beenthere on August 28, 2012, 06:02:33 PM
Inserted teeth?
Puzzled what a "half arbor hole" is??
Can you post a pic for us?
"inch-and-a-half" arbor hole.
8) 8) Someone else with G 403 Minnie Mo 8) 8) Mine is on my Corley #5. I've got the side shields for it. Is yours gasoline or propane? I've got a second one that's setup for propane that I want to put in my MM GTB tractor and run it on gasoline ;) :). If it's gas is your exhaust manifold still good ??? I searched for a couple years before I found a good gas one. Propane ones are easy to come by but will frost up if used with gasoline.
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I love those MM tractors! I got to drive a G950 at one job I had. It reminded me a lot of the Chamberlain Countryman I drove in Victoria.
"inch and a half arbor hole." I dont know much about a circle blade but if anyone can use it to mill with, I'd be happy to give it to them.
My email address is mastermason167@yahoo.com I'll can send pictures . This site doesn't seem to like my phone for uploading pictures. I will go take some photos right now, send me your email and I will send you some pics.
Sounds like it might be off a Belsaw or similar type of mill. The heavier mills use a bigger saw, and have a bigger arbor hole.
Have pictures in my phone , Also it is 3/16 thick. I would guess the kerf to be 1/4 give or take a 1/32
Solomon,the teeth will give it away,are they hooked for ripping or is the face in line with the arbor for crosscut.?Standard for circular mills is 2" Belsaw used there own system 1 3/4". Usally cordwood saws are 1 3/8".Could possibly be for a large edger or some type of swing saw. Frank C.
Send me your email address bandmiller, I'll send you the pics. mastermason167@yahoo.com or bandmill51@gmail.com
now that you mention it, its toothed like a cross cut blade. and the teeth are not all the same. They are like a skip tooth pattern on a band blade.
Solomon,looked at your saw pictures,the blade is set up as a combination saw, teeth for boath cross and rip.My best guess is it was used on a swing saw ether manual or power swing to cut lumber on the tail end of a mill.I had a big tablesaw that would swing a 24" blade but yours is 40" much too large for a table saw.If you could post the pictures here mayby some of the guys would recognize it. Frank C.
I've tried to post pictures, the site keep saying the file is to large. I'm not a computer wiz and got tired of baning my hesd against the wall. I cant even post a profile pic.
You need to compress your files. I suggest you follow this link, it tells you how to do it:
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,56957.0.html
Do any of you guys have any suggestions on a power plant. A 2 stroke detroit is out of the question, just dont have the money to fork out on one. I was thinking of using an old ford 7.3 diesel or even a chevy 6.2 hooked to a 4 or 5 speed transmission. Maybe even an old inline 6 gasser just to get started. I found two school bus engines that run great (8.2 Detroit, 6.6 Ford) but both have automatic transmissions behind them. These two motors are also in my price range. I know the automatic is a problem, any thoughts on how to work around this. A Rockwell PTO to put on either of these engines is also out of my price range.
HPPD,the problem with the engines you describe is the lack of the propper governor.Highway diesels usally have only a limiting speed gov. gasoline engines no gov.I know guys that had milled most of their lives with old 6 cyl chevy engines or slant six chryslers,but speed control is a problem.Old farm tractors with poor tires make good mill power if their large enough,lots of torque and a variable speed gov.Pump,generator,and old shovel power units are also a good choise.Some of the guys here use automotive type engines hope they chime in.Myself I've always used diesel power units with propper gov.'s and really can't tell you how well the vehicle engines will work. Frank C.
Bandmiller, I have one other option, which may be the best, my M Farmall. I just re-ringed the engine and rebuilt the head. I was told this mill I have was powered by a Super M and flat belt years ago. The reason I was trying to avoid this was fuel consumption but I may have to bite the bullet and using it anyway.
the super m is 47 hp on the belt at 5.47 gal per hr. A little low on power but will power the mill.
Quote from: dblair on September 02, 2012, 10:52:53 PM
the super m is 47 hp on the belt at 5.47 gal per hr. A little low on power but will power the mill.
Much better torque than a car engine of 47 hp, though. I reckon it will do all right.
I ran a 40'' circ blade with an m trying to cut hardwoods and it will do it but yoiu dont want to let it loose any speed or oops will occur. PC
HPPD,probibly the best thing to do is belt up the farmall until you run across a governed diesel power unit.Alot of your sucess will depend on your saw and the number of bits,smaller saw or one with fewer bits,requires much less HP.A big saw with alot of teeth requires serious HP.Red will have a serious thurst for petrol.Frank C.
My Dad (he's 90) has been sawing with a Super M for many years.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTEnFu0FmG8
Dakota
Use the Super M for now and watch for another engine. Maybe a generator engine you can pick up cheap where the generator itself has blown up? Just thinking out loud. Or maybe somebody will scrap out some old equipment like they did near us recently.
Quote from: HPPDRoss on September 02, 2012, 07:21:18 PM
Do any of you guys have any suggestions on a power plant.
STEAM! That is a beautiful old mill and it needs a nice matching steam engine!
smiley_grin
yeah steam would be nice, but here in SC I could probobly go by a brand new f350 Lariat for what I could get a steam engine/tractor for.
Hey Ross,
My engine didn't cost all that much. Maybe you can get smitty to bird dog one for you. ;D
Im still on the hunt for some type of powerplant, hadnt give up yet.
Ross, i don't know much about US engines. But an old 6.2 V8 diesel from an old blazer or K30 wouldn't fit the bill?
I have seen a few that used an old semi truck for an engine. One actually jacked up a back wheel and ran a flat belt around it. The other had took the back axle out and made a driveshaft to turn direct from the transmission. Good luck. PC
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This setup has worked for a neighbor of mine for years. No governor, he just steps on a lever when he pulls the stick.
My dad powered a circle mill for years off of a 460 car engine hooked up to propane, with an automatic transmission behind it. It had plenty of power and if you did hang the blade in the log you didn't have to worry about smoking belts because it would just stop. He would pull the stick with the right hand and he had a lever hooked up to a cable running to the throttle he would pull with his left hand. Him and my grandpa sawed thousands of feet with that old mill for years. I still have the mill and after reading about everyones circle mills, it makes me want to set it up! Brings back a lot of memories for me!
HPPD,hang in there it just a matter of time before you connect with the right engine.I have seen alot of lashups that work but nothing beats an engine with a good governor.You might try contractors that do paving with the big tracked spreaders.Those machines are critical with alot rideing on their dependibility.Those companys change out power units often, many used to use detroits now use outhers,they have clutches on them to.Frank C.
Quote from: HPPDRoss on September 12, 2012, 10:43:08 AM
Im still on the hunt for some type of powerplant, hadnt give up yet.
If you can find yourself an old massey 95 or 97 they make good mill power plants.
The mill i'm looking to buy has an old four banger perkins with gearbox ;D
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Quote from: HPPDRoss on September 12, 2012, 10:43:08 AM
Im still on the hunt for some type of powerplant, hadnt give up yet.
I don't know what there is for older farm equipment in your area, but I am using a 318LH Chrysler industrial engine out of a 1976 5542 white grain combine. It is already setup with a governor and hydraulics. Combines from the 60's and 70's used gas or diesel engines and can usually be had for scrap iron price. Once you have taken the parts you want off the machine, just sell the rest for scrap iron. I would assume the same would go for other machinery as well. The one I have had to have most of the lines, hoses, belts, and filters changed. Just a thought, maybe take a drive past farmyards and see what they have sitting around. Good luck!
Guys, I have spotted a possible candidate for an engine. About 3 miles from my house theres a lates 70's early 80's john deere combine with grass and trees growed up around it a country mile. Good thing is I know the guy pretty good, but he likes to hang onto stuff. I'll give it a shot and see how it goes.
Guys, I've got a couple of questions concerning the husk. I spoke with a local bandmiller who is going to saw my beams for the husk. I have both yellow pine and oak on my land. Can someone give me a suggestion of which would be better. And also, once the beams are sawed, do you assemble the husk while the beams are green or let them dry. Any help would be grateful.
I think if I had to choose I'd pick the yellow pine,oak is strong but not stable enough.You don't want to build it green.Best would be to have the pine milled oversize dried in a kiln then recut to dimentions.If your not a purest a welded steel husk is better. Frank C.
Does anybody have any suggestions for the piers used in the foundation of the old mill. I was wondering if large cedar post every 4ft set in concrete would be sufficient with treated 4x6's for the track to bolt on.
Rossy,your a fairly young fella,if your planning for the long haul use cement,ether in sono tubes or in forms to look like a jersey barrior.Pressure treated would be a good idea unless your going to put a roof over it. Frank C.
I bought a power unit but cannot find any information on it what-so-ever. It is a Waukesha 6 cylinder flathead. All the sheetmetal,radiator, and hand clutch pto is there. I have no idea what year it is, but it powered an old hammermill. I bought from a co-worker fairly cheap because he said he needed the room to store more farm equipment. It is in very good condition and would like more information on it. If anyone knows anything about these units, please let me know
That Waukesha should make a good mill engine if it has enough displacement.I've owned and worked on waukesha engines, but all overhead valve.That flathead is probibly from the late 40's or 50's.I believe waukesha is still in business but into large stuff now,most of the stuff on them is genaric.Those old engines were noted for their torque, vital to a circular mill.All in all a good find. Frank C.
I think that Oliver used them in some tractors , but I think that they were all overhead valve.
Quote from: Don_Papenburg on September 30, 2012, 11:17:25 PM
I think that Oliver used them in some tractors , but I think that they were all overhead valve.
Yes, they did.
My hunt for a diesel power unit is finally over. A good friend of mine had a 318ci perkins diesel from a combine that he was going to use to pump water but never did. I got it on a skid with radiator and fuel tank VERY cheap. Engine is in good shape and runs good. I'll try to post pics a little later.
Either of those units will be a good fit to start you on your way to spending more on your mill. You will find all kind oif things to fix and up grade. The Waukesha is and old oil field engine in our area so Reagan Supply from Morgan City, La. might be able to help. They should be in the book. Hope this helps. Chuck
The power unit that I have has a sproket on the rear shaft that can be removed. Building a pulley and attatching it to the shaft is no problem, but I dont know what size to build. The mandrel pulley is approximately 24" round. My question is what size pulley should I build to get the engine up to speed and be able to run the blade at 550rpm. Also how do you measure blade speed to ensure that your running at the proper speed. thanks for your help.
I can't remember for sure, but I think it's simple arithmetic. (Somebody correct me if I'm wrong). I think, if you double the diameter of the slave pulley, compared to the master pulley, you halve the speed. If you triple the size of the slave pulley, then you cut the RPMS to a third of the master pulley. So (for an easy example) if your engine output shaft is running at 2000 RPM, and you want your sawmill axle to run at 500 RPM, you need to make the pulley on the sawmill axle be four times bigger than the pulley on the engine output shaft.
:P ::) I hope I did that right.
mine is a 23 on the arbor and a 10.5 on the engine , engine rpm is 1250 or so on a 48 inch blade for a blade rpm of 570 . my surface feet are around 7100 . that's a good wood speed .
The RPM does not change with the diameter of the saw blade, btw, however a larger saw blade will have a higher tooth speed (feet per second) than a smaller saw blade at the same RPM.
Hey HPPDRoss,
Are we talking about a flat belt pulley on the saw shaft?
First find the engine speed... Divide the engine rpm by the arbor rpm, like maybe 2100 on the engine by 550 on the saw. That would be roughly 3.8 to 1... Now divide the 24" arbor pulley diameter by 3.8 and it will give you the engine pulley in inches. 24 divided by 3.8 = 6.3"
I am only useing an engine speed of 2100 as an example for the math. If you have a low speed high torque engine things will work out better for you. Make sure to run your engine at its governed speed. If the rpm is higher the pulley has to be smaller and if the rpm is lower the pulley diameter would of course be larger.
The blade speed is critical, you have to keep within 50 rpm for the blade to stand up in the cut. You may need to go larger on both pulleys to avoid belt slipage. On a flat belt I would say a minimum of 10" on the engine pully might be necessary to avoid the slippage.
To the other extreme... My arbor pulley is 20" and my engine pulley is 42"... a ratio of 1 to 2.1... My blade is hammered for 500 rpm and my engine turns 250 rpm. That works out to 525 rpm on the arbor. Under load on the governor I can stay nearly dead on 500 rpm.
My sheaves are 12" on the pto and 30" on the mandrel for a ratio of 2.5:1 I have a 56" saw and I'm told that 8000 fpm rim speed is a good medium so, 56/12 x pi = 14.64 ft (rim circumference). The desired rim speed of 8000 fpm divided by the saw circumference (8000/14.64) = 546 rpm. Now, with a 2.5:1 pto to mandrel ratio that means my engine will need to run (546 x 2.5) = 1366 rpm. I was planning on running at an even 1400 rpm (loaded) which will spin the saw at 560 rpm for a rim speed of ~ 8200 fpm.
-lee
Thanks for the replies, that really helped me out alot because I had no clue. Also can you use one of those hand held rpm gauges that looks similar to a fluke meter to read rpm's.
Hand held RPM gauges are very handy I use a Stewart Warner to check arbor speed.Have someone hold the gauge on the arbor wile your cutting to find how much droop or if you have belt slippage. Your wise to go diesel if possible as big old gasoline engines gulp gas. Frank C.
Here's what I use...
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The black thing is a vibratory type tac, you rotate the face and it extends the wire in and out. You extend the wire to where you get the widest oscillation on the tip and read the scale on the dial. This tac is highly accurate but is best suited for higher rpm... 1000 rpm and up.
To use either of the other two you need access to the end of the shaft that you want to check. The Stewart Warner is direct reading by 100 rpm. You stick the pickup stem of the tack into the center hole of the shaft and read the dial. It can be used in either cw or ccw rotation. The other is a revolution counter that is used with a stop watch. I usually time for a full minute, its more accurate that way.
Alan
Alan
Better put bottom one up as it may be older than your steam engine ;D ;D I got one just like it in antique cabnit
I actually have two of them Cap, both are Starrett. With a good stop watch they are very acurate.
Can anyone give me some advice on purchasing a small bandmill. My old circle mill is coming along nicely, but I would like to have a small bandmill to go along with it. Ive looked at the LT10, the Woodland hm126, Hudson and Cooks but really have no idea which would be the best for me. Im working with 3K with a little to spare on shipping. If someone could point me in the right direction I would greatly appreciate it. Again, I'm not looking for production, just a hobby type bandmill.
For 3k or less, hard to go wrong with a used LT-10. If you're not in too much of a hurry, you may even find a used LT-15 in that price range. We bought our used LT-40HD for around 27% of new price, so the deals do exist out there. ;)
Rossy,a small bandmill will just duplicate what your circle rig will do why not a swing mill then you can handle the large stuff and be portable also.Oversize logs could be canted out and finished off on the circular for wide boards. Frank C.
I was looking on Craigslist and found a Mixon bandmill close to my house for sale. Seller stated it had a 25 horse Kohler and fully hydraulic. I dont think this company is in business anymore but this mill is listed in my price range. He stated everything worked good. Anyone got info on these mills?
False alarm, I called the guy and the price was wrong.
Oh, I hate that! :-[
Ross, come up and see me some time! Were you one of the ones who looked at our Frick before we sold it?
I remember yall having a frick for sale on craiglist but I bought that old circle mill of my kinfolks that they were going to throw away. I'll do that some time, just give me your number or address, and one day Im off I'll ease that way.
I sent you a PM.
I just scored an old belsaw and am looking for a new blade for it. Currently has a 36" blade that is pretty pitted. The former owner used the saw regularly and it cuts well. Anyone have a resource for circular blades?
I haven't moved the saw yet but I will post some photos of it.
Craig-
Iowaprepper@gmail.com
http://www.menomineesaw.com/
they will be able to help great people to deal with and know their bussiness
Iowa Prepper
Welcome to the Forestry Forum.
Menominee Saw (sponsor as seen in the left column) is a good suggestion, but are you sure it needs a new saw or just some saw doctor work on it? You said it saws good, so wondering if the pitting may not be serious enough for new.
Yeah, if it cuts, use it! But the good people at Menominee will be able to tell you such things for sure, if you give them a call.
Welcome to the Forum, IP!
Craig,our friends at Menominee saw can take care of you.Ask around if theirs a local hammersmith most have used saws for sale or know someone that does.You want something around 40" diameter I wouldn't go over 46" on the belsaw arbor.Be aware saws made for belsaw have a smaller arbor hole than the standard 2",an adapter bushing can be used in the big hole.Be sure to get a saw with incerted bits and shanks. And Welcome. Frank C.
I have a 42" on my mill and it has been great! Sometimes you have to whittle the big ones with a chainsaw, but 95% it has been more than adequate.
Levi
Levi is right, I cut for years with a Simonds 44" saw and ran into few logs I couldn't mill.A smaller saw is easier on your power plant if your not awash in power. Frank C.
I just ordered me a saw wrench and a file for the teeth. I took bandmillers advice and bought the Dexter File Guide.
Ross, I came down to Belton last week. I looked at a bunch of nice Shortleaf pines. :)
Where at in Belton?
Quote from: HPPDRoss on December 12, 2012, 07:11:19 AM
Where at in Belton?
Ha! I forget the road now. Not too far from highway 25. I don't think I'll get the job though, at least not right away. They want someone to selectively cut six acres in exchange for milling enough lumber for a barn and some other projects. Not sure it's the kind of thing I want to get into.
Ross,
Nice to have another S. Carolinian in here. I am up the road from you near Okra in Dacusville.
Charlie
Hey, Charlie, I keep meaning to come by. I haven't forgotten, just been snowed under!
No Hurry Im not moving, Well I hope I'm not moving I didn't check with the wife first....
My old sergeant at Laurens Police Dept. told me about a mill in Laurens that he had been getting wood from to build a fence. Being that I am in need of some white pine lap siding, I made a trip down there yesterday and spoke with the sawyer. He appeared to be in his late 70's and was very knowledgable about his equipment. When I told him that I had an old circle mill that I was putting together, I think he got excited and began to show me every square inch of his meadows mill and how it operated. He gave me tips and advised of dangers to watch out for while sawing. This old fellow was very nice and I cant wait to go pick up my order so I can chat with him again.
I just met another Meadows user in Dacusville / Marietta area.
Im over half way through with building the track for this mill. I used 6x6 post every 4ft and 2x8's bolted together on top of them. I had a guy within the last couple of days offer me a pair of I-beams out from under a single wide mobile home (approx. 50ft). My question is do I continue with the wood since I'm this far along, or tear that part down and replace it with the steel?
Take the steel, you can use it anytime and it'll give you reason to get a welder if you don't already have one.
Hadnt posted anything in a while, but finally got my mill together. I need some help on the flat belt. when I cranked the mill for the first time, the (short) flat belt kept running away from the engine. I tried to level and adjust the skid, but it just kept doing it. I know v-belts would be much better but im gonna have to work with what I got for now. I feel like the problem is the short belt, less than 6ft. Everyone I see on here looks to be at least 15 or 20 feet long. The belt that was on there is shredded now, so i'll have to get another one. Any help would be appreciated. I'll get my wife to post some picks tonight. thanks
Are the pulleys for flat belts? i.e. are they (or at least one of the two) crowned a bit for the belt to seek the high spot?
Yeah, both pulleys are for flat belts. The Madrel pulley is flat (24") and the pulley on the engine is flat (9") with some crown. I don't see any crown on the Madrel pulley
You are saying the mandrel pulley is flat, no crown.
At least one pulley should have some crown, and that keeps (or helps) keep the belt riding up on the crown and centered on the pulley. What is the history of the drive pulley?
Here is a link to crown on flat belt pulleys.
http://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/scenario/crowning.htm
Maybe steamsawyer of others will have more knowledge about this and chime in, and have a helpful idea how much crown is needed.
Its been a long time since I've been around any flat belts. But, I do know that conveyor belts will run off if one side is longer than the other. In other words, if your sheaves are not in line, they'll run in or out.
The drive pulley is from a wc allis chalmers and does have some crown. It is mounted to a 4cyl Perkins
Check alignment of the two flat pulleys, as well as checking the squareness of the belt splice. A crooked splice will give you fits!! Another thing that I've seen, especially with an older belt is that it may be coming apart internally in some spot. That will let it start to wander wildly. You can't always see what's the matter until it fails.
I did some more adjusting this morning and actually got the belt to run true. When the blade began cutting the log, the belt pulled the engine towards the other pulley causing it to slide off. I had two come alongs attached to the engine to keep it from moving, but the post wasn't secured good enough. I'm going to mount this engine on concrete and steel, I really feel like this will take care of this problem. By the look of the cedar boards that came off of it, I think everything is working as it should.
When we were running diesels as our power unit, we would take a piece of heavy angle iron and anchor that to the concrete. Then we would drive wedges between the angle and the engine frame to give the needed tension. If you're pouring a pad, maybe just put the angle in the pad.
Rossy, what I did on my mill is make a screw adjuster,mount a pillow block bearing on the arbor shaft that extends beyond the flat pulley with a section of heavy threaded rod and a nut.Put that in a piece of pipe attached to the engine near the pulley.You adjust the nut to hold boath pulleys apart and keep the belt tensioned.That also takes alot of strain off the arbor shaft.One of the reasons heavy duty mills have such large diameter arbors is to prevent flexing when a load is applied which would affect the saw running. Frank C.
you need crown on both belt pullys to get it to run correct not much but like 1/16
Hey HPPDRoss,
I'd say that most everyone has pretty well covered the crown and alignment issues. I think if you anchor everything down your problems will be solved.
The flywheel on my engine has the crown but the pulley on the arbor is flat. For the most part it works fairly well. I wish the saw pulley was wider though. The belt is 8" and the pulley is 8". The problem I sometimes have comes from belt slippage. If that happens the belt will run off of the edge of the arbor pulley, once it starts over the edge it's hard to keep from throwing the belt. The best thing I have found for belt dressing is cane syrup. It does not take very much, just drizzle a little on as the belt runs and you will have no more slip. Last year I put an idler on the belt to help tame down some of the flopping.
You can take a look at my gallery and some of my videos to see how I'm set up. There is one video where we are splitting some utility poles. In that case the belt was loose because I didn't have the come along hitched to the back of the engine tying it to a stump to keep the belt tight. I had to leave the chain off so the tractor could go past to off load the poles.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XQN9H9nJOE&list=TLcHrLGa-ccjs
Alan
Alan,I'am sure you have tried reversing the engine and crossing the belt,although yours may be a little short for that.I used to have problems with my belt flapping that would cause the boiler to rock,sympathetic motion,the sloshing of the 275 gallons of water would have everything rocking.I bolted a pipe from the top of the rear wheel to the bottom of the front, rock solid, no more rocking. Frank C.
I have seen several methods to put crown on flat pulleys.The simplest is wrap many wraps of friction tape around the center of the pulley.Anouther is to rivet a narrow piece of leather belt around the center of the pulley,which is the preferred method. Frank C.
I got the belt in working order and was able to saw some wood. But now, I got another problem. When the log gets halfway into the cut, its like the cable gets slack and it quits pulling. I then have to back it out and the cable appears to be tight again. No matter how tight you get the cable, it will also slip on the drum. Just wanted to see what you guys thought.
HPPD
How many wraps on the drum?
Have a pic of what it looks like? Expect someone can give you a leg up.
I got 3 wraps on the drum, I don't have a recent picture, if you look at page 1 of this thread there a pic of the drum before I assembled the mill
I think I have about 6 or 7 wraps on my drum, never have a problem
You may need a few more wraps, but I've seen mills that have had very few wraps and they weren't having a problem. Are you sure everything is adjusted right? Your lead should have been set. If its not set right, you could be having some drag.
One thing that you do have to make sure is that you're not hitting the board splitter. If that's not adjusted right, it'll cause a lot of drag against the log and make it tough to pull.
Rossy,first thing I would do is remove the log from the carriage and run the carriage back and fourth watching the cable,almost sounds like its riding on something and when the carriage is half way down it drops off and slacks the cable.Feather the controls and check for binding.If the bare carriage has no problems suspect the log hitting or binding on something. Frank C.
I think I got the problem solved. a friend of mine that works for the power company stopped by this morning and he braided the steel cable where it runs through the eye bolt at the front of the carriage. after that, we got the cable tight. I think the cable was pulling itself through the clamps. I cut a couple of pine logs this morning and everything worked as it should. I also put new teeth in morning, man what a difference that made.
I believe my saw is in need of hammering. Is there anywhere in SC or NC I could take it instead of having to ship. I know lee took his somewhere in NC, but don't remember where.
Can anyone here explain to me the proper way of lining up the board splitter behind the blade. I have one of those small round splitters approximately 8". also, how close to the blade does the splitter need to be.
Don't want it to rub on the sawn face of the log on the carriage, but otherwise lined up. Also don't want a splinter to slip in between the splitter and the saw blade as it goes by.
Here is a link to Stan Lunstrum's book on Circular Saws that may be of some help to you.
http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/misc/circsaw.pdf
Rossy,I to have the round splitter and set it up so its flush with the saw on the cant side,board side it it prys the board away from the saw slightly. Frank C.
Another question, has anybody replaced their original carriage feed setup to hydraulic? using a drive motor to turn the drum.
Seems a pic was posted yesterday showing a hyd. motor driven drum for moving the carriage. Will look.
Looked, and it was not hyd. that SEMO79 showed. At least I don't thing so when I looked again.
Hydraulic feed is a good but expensive option.Theirs a lot of forces on the feed and gigback remember most carriages weigh close to a ton and a good size log is a ton. The feed is also used as a brake. Most of the original feed systems work well if the belts are the right length. On my mill I incorporated a four speed transmission to change feed speed,third gear for pine second for oak.
I changed one over many years ago. I got help from a hydraulics guy to give me the best combination and did the install. We ended up with using a pump driven off the arbor, and used a small fuel tank as our oil reservoir. We had a fairly large motor with gear reduction. The gearing kept things at a good speed, but had enough torque to move the carriage and log back and forth. It worked really well.
I changed over my old Belsaw. I tried everything to get the old flat belt feedworks to function properly but just couldn't get there. I had an old power pack that I bought at a farm auction. They had it set up to operate a couple of cylinders to dump fruit totes. I built a bracket and ran it off the main belt pulley on my Perkins engine. I also had an old log splitter valve laying around. I bought a new motor from Surplus Center and plumbed the whole thing together. Coupling to the cable drum was real easy. I just mounted a chain sprocket the the end of the shaft and mounted the motor on the frame. I got a good idea about how to do it by looking at Capt. Crunch's set up. The modification was the single best thing I did to that old mill. At the end of each cut, I could pull the lever to gig back and (because it was set up for a log splitter) it would stay engaged by the internal detent. That afforded me the ability to offbear by myself while the carriage giged back at a speed much slower than the belt drive would have given. It might not be everybody else's cup of tea, but it sure worked great for me.
Dave, I sure would like to have the hydraulic feed on mine. Im sure most friction feeds work good like there supposed to, but mine doesnt. It looks like Im up on the deck wrestling a wooden handle. Sometimes it goes slow and sometimes it takes off like a rocket. could you get me some pictures of your setup? also, what size hydraulic drive motor does it take to pull the carriage?
Unfortunately, I sold my mill. The motor I used was a 23.6 cu. in. motor and it worked great.
You can get your headsaw hammered and serviced by Union Grove Saw, In Union Grove, NC. It is a few miles North of Statesville, NC on I-77
I designed a hydraulic drive system for my mill around a Charlynn 2000 series 24 cu in motor with a #60 roller chain reduction. The motor will need to be plumbed with a cushion valve to prevent the system's back pressure from building to the point where it destroys components. The system cost would be $1000 - $1500 if you purchase new components. I still plan on converting my mill however I'd like to get things up and running as is first.
-lee
You fellas that have converted to hydraulic feed do you have to use what they call a motor spool valve so when you release the valve things don't come to an abrupt stop.?? Frank C.
I was cutting yesterday and noticed my blade keeps eating up my inside saw guide. It doesn't look like it ever touches the outside guide. Could be a operator problem since this is very new to me.
HPPDRoss
"inside" meaning the operator side, not the log side?
Check out some of the hints and suggestions in this thread from the past few days and see if something in the mill setup tips you off as to what the problem might be on your mill. There is a problem, just need to find it.
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,68917.0.html
The blade shouldn't be "eating" the guide, maybe rubbing it leaving a shiny ring on the saw. Is the guide out too far on the rim of the saw so it's hitting the gullets?
First off, check your teeth. If they are old or worn or even a few of them chipped, that can be part of the problem. First thing I always do is change teeth to see if the problem clears up. Many problems involve tooth maintenance.
If you still have a problem then your lead is probably a little too light. Just because you have it set to a predetermined setting doesn't mean its the right one for your saw. Your saw is leading out. Throw a little more in and see if the problem doesn't clear up.
Hey guys, hadn't posted anything in a while just wanted to give an update. Everything is steel except for the husk. We built the carriage out of 3x3 1/4" tubing, new axles with pillow block bearings. I was able to find 100ft of 12'' channel for the track. I also changed the flat belts to v-belt configuration. I finally was able to saw some pretty decent lumber. The blade began wobbling and getting hot. I took it off to have it hammered and found two hairline cracks near the eye. Today I called BH Payne and ordered a new 7 gauge 48" f style blade with carbide teeth. I went ahead and purchased a jones grinder to go with it. I also replaced the 4 cylinder Perkins with a 6-71 Detroit. The engine is still in the truck, I guess I'll run it through the 10 speed transmission. I'm on here all the time, just hadn't posted anything. Thank y'all for everything.
Good to have you back, was wondering what happened. I would build a doghouse around that Detroit so you can hear yourself think. You should have plenty of power. Frank C.
We always took the exhaust and extended the pipe so it was outside the mill. We ran a chipper, which helped drown out the noise of the Detroits.