belsaw sawmill progress

bandmiller2 · January 08, 2011, 06:35:50 AM

Cap,spoken like a true sawyer,old mills can't run without shims. Frank C.

paul case · January 08, 2011, 09:54:56 AM

i bet when the tape wears out and you make a wrong cut you might say '' shucks, my block fell off'' pc

b dukes · January 14, 2011, 07:02:33 PM

Here are some pics of a few things I dug out of a scrap pile for my mill.

30' of 28" roller bed

cast iron sawdust blower and a 12" pulley for the drive

b dukes · January 14, 2011, 08:50:46 PM

Since I picked up the roller bed I needed today , my next question is does the roller bed need to set level with the top of the carriage or just a little below? Anybody got any pics they can post of theirs.

captain_crunch · January 15, 2011, 12:20:45 AM

If you look at my last two pics above you can see my roll case is about 1/2 lower than carrage except first roller which is the same as carrage to help suport board comeing off saw. It also stops a board from accidently getting shoved back into saw beings it is 1/2 in higher and makes a stop

Joe Lallande · January 15, 2011, 07:10:38 AM

Your blower is amost the same as mine. The name on the data plate was Garage Blower. To avoid a lot of elbows in my pipe, I had to reverse the rotation of the blower. The blower case unbolts and I reversed the paddle on its shaft. You can also re index the discharge outlet at this point. I resealed the blower case with plumbers caulk. Good luck.

Eljay · January 18, 2011, 01:56:46 PM

I bought a Belsaw M-14 back in the early 80's with a metal stand. I ran it from my 1954 Ford tractor but since I only had one tractor it became a nuisance to keep unhooking the PTO when I wanted to skid some more logs. I converted the power source to a 50 HP Volkswagen engine and transmission. I welded the spider gears up on the transmission. I ran the saw from one side of the transmission and drove a hydraulic pump from the other side. The engine speed is controlled by a flyball govenor that is designed for the VW engine. I run the saw at 600 rpm in 3rd gear off the transmission using the PTO drive shaft and over running clutch that came with the mill.
I also converted the drive to hydraulic using a flow controll for carriage speed as well as a spool valve for direction. I eventually used a converted grain conveyor powered by the hydraulic pump for saw dust removal. I haven't been doing much sawing since I finished sawing all of the interior wood for my house. I made all of the flooring, doors and trim from white ash. The ash was air dried for and kiln dried in a homemade wood fired kiln. I recently rebuilt the engine and converted it from 1200 cc to 1700cc.
B Dukes- Good luck with your project. It sure looks prettier than mine.

paul case · January 18, 2011, 11:01:07 PM

i would like to hear or see more about that wood fired kiln.
i tried it and had no luck but i would like to know how you did it. pc

Brucer · January 19, 2011, 01:06:25 AM

Blowers are always designed for a specific purpose (I used to design them). Using one that was meant for something else can be a big disappointment.

What you really, really need to watch out for is that you don't run it faster than it was designed for. When you first start it up, make sure no one is standing in line with the casing (in other words, stand at either end of the shaft). If it starts vibrating right away, shut it down.

I had to inspect a site once where someone modified the fan without checking with the manufacturer. When they hit the switch it blew apart like a bomb. Shrapnel everywhere. It was pure luck that no one was standing beside it.

Cast Iron impellers are especially bad in this regard. If it has a nameplate that gives you the speed, don't run it faster. If there's no nameplate, slower is better than faster.

Eljay · January 19, 2011, 09:25:54 AM

At the request of PC, I wrote a description of my wood fired kiln. I posted it in the Drying and Processing forum.

Leigh

gnarles · October 27, 2012, 12:09:25 PM

b dukes,did you ever get any info on your edger?
I have one that looks like it.model 802 belsaw.

Solomon · October 27, 2012, 05:50:24 PM

All you guys are awsome. I have never seen a circle mill in operation but I woild love to.
I know that restoration is whole lot of work. Fantastic job. Most people dont have it in them to do what you're doing.