Building my mill...

[Don_Papenburg]

A quarter turn will look good but I think that you will really like a  1/2 turn better . A few years back I made some walking sticks that I steamed and twisted .  I tried to get a full twist but never got that ,3/4 was about the best I could get . That was too busy and the half twist looked the best and a1/4 was a clean ,smooth look .   

[Kbeitz]

Fantastic!  Are you still amazed at how much time all this fabricating takes?  Or is it easy for you and tough for me which makes me always be amazed at how long it takes?

I never knew about the brake rope stuff.  I learned my one thing for the day!

I guess that it is easy for me because it's all I do all the time. One project
done and another one gets started. Some days I say that's enough and I
just get on my motorcycle and go for a long ride.

[Kbeitz]

A quarter turn will look good but I think that you will really like a  1/2 turn better . A few years back I made some walking sticks that I steamed and twisted .  I tried to get a full twist but never got that ,3/4 was about the best I could get . That was too busy and the half twist looked the best and a1/4 was a clean ,smooth look .

I will try them both thanks.

[SineWave]

Neat project, I'm interested to hear how it works out.

I would like to make something similar to make table legs like this, but I don't want to have to do it all with hammer and chisel (maybe put it on a lathe and use some kind of router mount linked to a gear somehow?):



Larger view:

https://s8.postimg.org/ayvhjnx85/Lorimer_twisted_leg_table.jpg

I like the twist because it kind of mirrors the way trees grow (except the twist on these table legs would be for trees in the Southern Hemisphere, rather than the Northern Hemisphere)...Did you ever notice the way the bark on trees twists counterclockwise as it goes up the tree? I noticed that sitting in a deer stand one day...I wondered why and then realized that it's probably because the leaves follow the sun (from E to S to W), and the branches follow the leaves, and the bark follows the branches...

[Ljohnsaw]

Wow, that table is valued at $7-10k!  Can't wait to see Kbeitz build a cabin with twisted timbers.  That should be worth millions! :D

Interesting thought about the twisted bark on trees.  I'll have to pay more attention in the woods now...

[Kbeitz]

I finished up the three guards today. One more to go.



 



 

[Kbeitz]

Neat project, I'm interested to hear how it works out.

I would like to make something similar to make table legs like this, but I don't want to have to do it all with hammer and chisel (maybe put it on a lathe and use some kind of router mount linked to a gear somehow?):



Larger view:

https://s8.postimg.org/ayvhjnx85/Lorimer_twisted_leg_table.jpg

I like the twist because it kind of mirrors the way trees grow (except the twist on these table legs would be for trees in the Southern Hemisphere, rather than the Northern Hemisphere)...Did you ever notice the way the bark on trees twists counterclockwise as it goes up the tree? I noticed that sitting in a deer stand one day...I wondered why and then realized that it's probably because the leaves follow the sun (from E to S to W), and the branches follow the leaves, and the bark follows the branches...

Witch way are you looking at the twist ? From the top down or bottom up ?
This tree is in the Dominican Republic.



 

[Kbeitz]

Sears sold a lathe that would cut a twist. They called it a Sears Router Crafter.

https://books.google.com/books?id=CYy5hoY-tZwC&pg=PA358&lpg=PA358&dq=sears+lathe+can+cut+a+twist&source=bl&ots=GM_AnllIp0&sig=_pcGmNg7kXI0DfPTMrnuf-Qne3U&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiO1dG295rTAhUjjVQKHZKOCvAQ6AEIQzAG#v=onepage&q=sears%20lathe%20can%20cut%20a%20twist&f=false

[SineWave]

Witch way are you looking at the twist ? From the top down or bottom up ?
This tree is in the Dominican Republic.

I forget, I'll have to look next time I'm in the woods. Look for yourself – they all seem to twist, and they all seem to twist in the same direction, or they did where I was sitting.

As you look up from the bottom of the tree, I believe the twist is counterclockwise, which is where I got my theory that it's caused by the leaves following the sun from E to S to W (in other words, from 9 o'clock to 6 o'clock to 3 o'clock). Not sure whether vines would grow the same way, though it seems as though they should...

[Kbeitz]

The reason I ask is because to me looking at my picture it looks like the twist
goes to the right as it goes up. A right twist to me would be clockwise.

[SineWave]

Maybe it's because the Dom Rep is only 19°N latitude, and the coriolis isn't as strong there.  :D That's my story and I'm sticking to it! (Sorry for the OT hijack!)

[Ljohnsaw]

Kbeitz,
It dawned on me, you are going to need to modify your final drive.  You need to have a reversing gear after your speed controller.  Then you could cut both left and right twist.  Then you would have the right timbers to sell for both the east and west coast... :D

[Ox]

You guys are making me dizzy and I don't need any help in that department...  ;)

[21incher]

Looks good, waiting to see how it cuts.
It almost looks like you could mount a small 14 inch electric bandsaw with a 12 inch cut on it and have a dedicated machine that would use more forgiving narrow bands.

[Gearbox]

Guards ?? Whats that . Prototypes don't need guards . Just thinking with my morning coffee. Would a narrower blade let it turn in the cut better .

[Kbeitz]

Guards are done and painted. All that left is the connecting arm.



 



 



 

[Ox]

 8) :laugh:

[Jemclimber]

Sinewave,

There are discussions about righthand and lefthand twist growth in trees. Most trees that twist do have a righthand growth, some more pronounced than others, but there are plenty in the northern hemisphere that grow with a lefthand twist. Many also grow with no apparent twist at all. It's something that sticks out to me with every tree I see.  Some old timers would say lefthand growth makes bad lumber. I don't have enough sawing experience to know. Severe twist makes bad dimensional lumber because no matter how it's cut there is much slope of grain.

[Kbeitz]

This one I own...



 

[SineWave]

Sinewave,

There are discussions about righthand and lefthand twist growth in trees. Most trees that twist do have a righthand growth, some more pronounced than others, but there are plenty in the northern hemisphere that grow with a lefthand twist. Many also grow with no apparent twist at all. It's something that sticks out to me with every tree I see.  Some old timers would say lefthand growth makes bad lumber. I don't have enough sawing experience to know. Severe twist makes bad dimensional lumber because no matter how it's cut there is much slope of grain.

Interesting, thanks. So you're saying the wood fibers also twist, not just the bark? I'm not a sawyer yet (except for woodworking), so I've never opened up a whole tree to see what's inside...

KBeitz, your walking stick seems to follow what I've seen, as opposed to that vine or tree in the Dom Rep...

Now (with yesterday's full moon), I'm wondering whether the moon might have something to do with the twist. Given its tidal influence, where in a sense it makes gravity less and more powerful, maybe it makes it alternately easier (and then harder) for plants to move water up to the leaves. The Old Farmer's Almanac sure seems to think so! (Here on the coast, we live by the moon and the tides...)

[Kbeitz]

Well I got it sitting on the mill. If the weather is nice maybe tomorrow will
be a testing day. I snapped a 1/4 cable trying to load it on my mill.
I was using my log turner to lift it off the trailer. Block and tackle is
hanging from the roof. This lathe sure is heavy.



 



 



 

[fishfighter]

Going to need a video or it didn't happen. :D

Good Luck. That is some fancy work you done.

[Ljohnsaw]

What is that additional silver strap over the face plate for?  Another guard or a blade stop so you don't cut into the gear head? ;)

[Kbeitz]

What is that additional silver strap over the face plate for?  Another guard or a blade stop so you don't cut into the gear head? ;)

If you look back in the first picture that silver strap is my lifting hook.
It helps to keep it upright when lifting.

[Kbeitz]

This is how it's tied in to the mill head.

I was wondering if my wheelchair motor had enough power to move
the mill head and also have enough power to pull the chain to run the
lathe. I never tested it before for pushing strength. The little motor could
slide my feet across the sawdust so no problem there.

If I use this a lot I think I will make two new plug in limit switches so
I don't saw into the face plate or bust the back sprocket off the lathe.
Right now there is no safety stop. Thinking about it... It would not take
anything but two brackets on the lathe to hit the already mounted limit
switches. Guess what I'll be doing in the morn.