Useful sawmill mods

[Ljohnsaw]

I like your welding table, I have a couple of those, too. ;)

[YellowHammer]

Nice!  How is it working? There's kind of a double bump that works real well to use the momentum of the head to break the board loose and and keep any stress off the return motor, and to give it a little time to pivot up where the shelf will grab it.  

[SawyerTed]

Wish I could try it out!  Too much rain and mud to be moving logs.

I will let you know as soon as I try it.  

[YellowHammer]

It would really help things out if you had even small, 5 foot long smooth outfeed table.  A portable one, it just has to fit behind the ramp.  Then you can push whole loads of boards onto it, drop them in stages at your pace, and saw faster than your off bearers can keep up.  
 
I had a simple home made 2'x5' oak deck with steel leg table that didn't even hook to the mill.

[doc henderson]

the rounded weld bead will break wind (sorry Howard) and reduce drag, saving countless grams of fuel per year.

[SawyerTed]

I have an odd piece of heavy gage standing seam roofing I've been eyeing as a table surface.  Thought I might attach it to a piece of plywood with the standing seams turned down.  

Maybe some sort of bracket to attach it to the Woodmizer wedge shaped table.  

[Sod saw]

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I just used a nylon ratchet strap to attach my outfeed table legs to my outfeed ramp (saw) legs.  

Not fancy but cheap and easy to remove and adjust as things shift under heavy moving loads.


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[Zgin]

Thanks for the ideas found on the forum. I am now somewhat mobile and have a few new tools. Repurposed an old trailer I had built for a small camper. Added a winch operated turning arm and log clamp.  The 4 legs in the middle and extra width give the mill a solid stance. Nextwill be a loading bed or arms on the tank side. 
 

 

[TimW]

 will break wind (sorry Howard) and reduce drag, saving countless grams of fuel per year.

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
hugs,  Brandi

[DDW_OR]

the rounded weld bead will break wind (sorry Howard) and reduce drag, saving countless grams of fuel per year.

As the fuel prices keep going up, it may be worth it
:D :D >:( 8)

[CCCLLC]

Looking good ZGIN. You'll find your hard work at improving the mill will be worth it.

[DanMc]

Somewhere in this 94-pages of mods, is there a discussion of adding a cable drag-chain like the LT70 has, so the hydraulics can have power continuously?  I have an LT35 and find it irritating that the hydraulics only work when the head is back by the hitch.

Is there such a thread elsewhere on FF?  

[SawyerTed]

For the LT35, wiring a second battery to the hydraulics is the simplest method.

Maintaining the charge on the second battery is a consideration because it only charges when the head is on the copper strip. If operating portable the second battery either has to be mounted or disconnected, moved and reconnected.

[Southside]

Search for "Hydraulics Anywhere" mod 

[Klicker]

I must be one of the few that is glad hydraulics only work on the strip. When doing mobile milling and  having customers try to use hydraulics while I was sawing relay  made me cranky. 

[Magicman]

I have never had anyone to touch my hydraulic controls.

I have no issue with the hydraulic strip setup but of course I do not use the board dragback option.  For the odd times that I may need to use the hydraulics when I am off of the strip, I use a battery jump box.

[caveman]

One of our best mods was adding an extra battery to run the hydraulics from anywhere.  We do not mobile saw but even if we did, we would have modified to have hydraulics working all of the time.  

Sometimes, lowering the backstops and moving the clamp a little will allow a big log to fit between the guides.  Also, at the end of the last cut on a cant, the clamp can be dropped, and the toe rollers raised so that the bottom boards can easily be rolled back.

When the engine is warming up prior to use or any other time it is running and we are not sawing, we try to keep the carriage on the strip in order to charge the auxiliary battery.  Seldom do we have to add a supplemental charge to it.  

[WV Sawmiller]

I must be one of the few that is glad hydraulics only work on the strip. When doing mobile milling and  having customers try to use hydraulics while I was sawing relay  made me cranky.

I am with MM on this one. Nobody touches my hydraulics but me. I'd consider that a major safety hazard.

  I also don't allow anyone working behind me when I'm sawing as they are a distraction and they slow me down having to keep looking to be sure they are out of my way. My off-bearers unload from the rear end or the loader side of the mill so I can see them all the time.

[barbender]

Yeah if anyone touched my hydraulic controls they'd get a very stern talking to.

[DDW_OR]

i only saw for myself with a Timberking 2000 full direct hydraulic. just one battery
sounds like there needs to be a safety speech before sawing begins.
one part will be if anyone touches the controls, with out permission, there will be an instant $100 penalty.

i do not use the drag back. i leave the boards on top of the cant i am sawing

[D6c]

Somewhere in this 94-pages of mods, is there a discussion of adding a cable drag-chain like the LT70 has, so the hydraulics can have power continuously?  I have an LT35 and find it irritating that the hydraulics only work when the head is back by the hitch.

Is there such a thread elsewhere on FF?  

I haven't done it yet but I have been planning on just adding a second contact strip to the end of the existing one to extend it further down the mill bed.
Would be handy once in a while if you break a blade and need to use the hydraulics to untangle the mess.

[D6c]

I been having several people bring me short logs to saw lately, and since they're kind of a pain to clamp, I built a couple of c-shaped log dogs that slip over the bed rails and rest against the side stops.  Just got them done so haven't tried them yet but it looks like it's going to work.
Doesn't take any tool to install/remove so after I saw down and get a relatively square edge on the log I can pull them off and roll the log over.
Most of the time on short logs I'm just cutting straight through and not making edged lumber.



 



 

[LeeB]

I like it. Let us know how well they work.

[CCCLLC]

Certainly  like those dogs. Didn't  see a patent # yet.

[D6c]

I like it. Let us know how well they work.

Tried the log dogs on 3 or 4 short logs and they seem to work pretty well.  Gives a good hold.  The dog point is just bolted on and can be moved to 3 positions for logs of different diameters.  Happy with them so far.  Sawing short logs is one task I kind of dreaded so hopefully these will help.