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The Official VooDooChikin sawmill build thread!

Started by VooDooChikin04, April 24, 2020, 09:02:34 AM

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VooDooChikin04

  Hello People!

Getting this thread started so I have a place to start detailing out my build and posting pictures. I have a handful of the important components gathered already. I have about 20 years of metal fabrication experience but i'd consider myself a noob, and sometimes lack the engineering grasp of things :).  

  I had started this plan with a sketchup design utilizing 2"x6"x3/16" -24ft rectangle tube for the bed, and various square tube for the carriage and head beam.  However, looking at everything we need to do here on our acreage this summer and the build time/weight of such a project, I have take a new route! I figure I'd rather get sawing sooner than later.

  The plan is a towable bandmill using the surplus center sheaves on 1.5" axles, minimum 13hp honda (which I have, but looking for larger engine), 20ft x36" (or48" if I can find it) heavy duty pallet rack upright as my base track bed, V-groove wheels on inverted angle iron for the carriage motion, ACME rod lift mechanism with dual 1.25" chrome shaft & linear rod bearings for the vertical guidance, winch or servo motor for the powered lift, more than likely 2.5"x3/16" square tube for the carriage.  Depending how rigid the pallet racking is, I may support it on 2x4"x3/16" rectangle tube.  Trying to decide if I want mechanical tension or hydraulic for the blade tension system. Ultimately I would like power feed down the track, as well as hydraulic log handling but that may be left up to a 2nd build, need to get my feet wet first.

 I have enjoyed reading through as much content on this forum as I can, and like any dedicated forum I belong to, you guys seem like a great bunch!

-Matt

VooDooChikin04

Here is my first attempt at photos on here as well as my first batch of logs awaiting to be milled. These are ERC ranging from 6-18 ft long and top out at 25" diameter. I have a 5 gallon jug of anchorseal I need to open and get on them.  That trailer is 14' long. 

 

 


VooDooChikin04

Some more pictures.  Surplus center 18.75" 1 groove sheaves with browning H bushings for 1.5" shaft. Not sure if i should use the chrome shafting rod for axles or just regular steel rod.  Also pictured is the Honda 13hp GX390 I have.  I recently added electric start using an ebay kit, works great. It is from a generator and I also had the 7/8" crank keyed, but did get a 1" tapered adapter for it too.  This system does not have the typical throttle but it does have a solenoid, when powered will idle the system, and when off it runs at max throttle.  

 I just put a deposit to hold, on a Kohler Command Pro 27hp twin engine.  However it has a 13 tooth splined crankshaft to which a hydralic pump was mounted.  I may use this power plant, run a hydraulic pump from the splined end, and run a drive pulley from the fan end.

I also picked up this HSS tap and die set for quite a nice price! for some reason over the years i've always only had the crappy carbon steel taps. This set was mispelled on ebay, it is High Speed Steel & Made in the USA!  Only one tap had been used and the comparable bosch set is $400!



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


AllDodge


YellowHammer

The Voo Doo Chicken technique is one our most common methods of fixing kiln drying problems.   :D :D :D

You don't have a kiln, do you?
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

VooDooChikin04


Hilltop366


Nebraska

So where are you located in northeastern Nebraska?

thecfarm

I always push the make it long bed. I have a mill that will cut 20 foot logs. Gives me four feet of extra room when I put a 16 foot log on, instead of inches. Also allows me to get the saw head out of the way.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

VooDooChikin04

I'm located northwest of Norfolk, Ne on a small 40acre farm in the middle of nowhere. About 2.5hrs northwest of Omaha.
--------------------------------
Holy Cow!!! What an adventure we had yesterday.

The plan: Leave at noon to  take our 16foot trailer to Omaha and pick up some 20' long pallet racking, cross beams, and a few other things.  Then head to Tracy, Iowa which Gps said was 4.5hrs from Norfolk (2.5hrs from Omaha). Where the 27hp Kohler command was being sold.  Expecting a 9hour road trip with a 30 minute stop to load pallet racking, and maybe 30 minutes checking out the Kohler engine, food stop and gas stops.

The Goal: Have a fun road trip with my beautiful fiance, get some heavy duty pallet racking to make this sawmill easier to build, and get a smoking deal on a 27hp engine.  Be home before midnight.

The reality: ................... An hour into our tightly scheduled trip we lost a tread on one of the trailer tires at 75mph. Bent the hell out of the fender.  While putting the spare on, found out it lost half it's air pressure since we left. Realized the other tires weren't looking to healthy either.  We called around to several tire shops in Fremont as we were right outside the town. Amazingly we found one with the right tires and they cleared a bay for us immediately!!  We received 4 new tires and put the best one on for a spare. I tipped the guys each $20 for their work as they were busting their butts and were more than accommodating.  1.5hrs of lost time on the tally. 

Back on the road again we finally get into Omaha as it's spitting some decent rain, traffic is insane and we finally make it to destination #1 which was a recycling yard in a very old industrial area of the city underneath huge overpasses. Initially it looked like an area you really would not feel safe in haha, BUT wow did they have everything. It was amazing, thousands of pallet racking uprights, beams, pieces of iron in every size shape and weight. Electric motors out the wahzoo.. stood next to a 60hp baldor which was impressively large.  The owner of this fairly large enterprise treated me like I was buying the kingdom even though I only wanted a few pieces.  We talked about what I was building and he dug through all kinds of stuff to get me the right parts.  We ended up taking two uprights, three C-Channel 5" tall cross beams and two 15" x36" roller conveyors tables I plan to make in and outfeeds for my large vertical bandsaw. $340 with tax.  Spent way longer there than we had planned but got the load secure and back on our way to battle for our lives in rush hour Omaha traffic.

What seemed like an eternity later and we were finally into Iowa and on our way past Des Moines gaining ground towards Tracy.  The seller of the Kohler was the nicest guy, he understood how it goes and stuck through it with us. We originally figured we could be there later afternoon and delay after delay it's now 7pm and we still have 2.5hrs to go just to get there.  After a couple detours for gas and food we finally make it to his place at 9:40pm or so.  Way out in the boonies it reminded me of home, and I was desperate to just lay down and sleep haha.  The seller grabs some head lamps and we start tracking back through a horse pasture, througg some gates and finally to a small shed in the pitch black.  There inside is the treasure I'd been seeking all day. Dusty but wrapped up nicely was the Kohler twin, in excellent shape, next to a few Kohler vertical shaft engines awaiting their buyers the following day.  I help load them onto a trailer and back through the pasture.  After some small talk and laughs, I pay the remaining due ($100 deposit on PayPal held me 1st in line).

On the road again....can't wait to get on the road again... And we are off!  5 hours of delusional and drowsy driving, we make it home absolutely exhausted. My fiance took the helm from Omaha to home which was excellent!  3:30am and bed never looked so good!!!....


The conclusion: There couldn't have been a better time or place during this trip that the tire could have lost its tread. We had a big clearing to put the spare on, real close to town and it all worked out. I thanked God for the blessing of how it all went down, as it could have been far worse!  The best part was spending that time with my lovely companion, sharing so many laughs and looks along the way.  


I got the engine for $200....  It was totally worth it!


AllDodge

Long day and worth all the memories.  Be great story for the grand kids some day ;D

VooDooChikin04

Here is the pallet racking I picked up.  I hope its sturdy enough.  I might end up bracing the bottom with 2x2 or 2x4 tube to made a solid trailer base for towing.


 

 

here are the 15" wide roller conveyors


 

Our towing rig for the adventure-


 

The daily thorn in our side...


 

And my beautiful bride to be.




VooDooChikin04

@thecfarm  I have read your posts pushing for atleast 20' bed which you are the reason I wanted to go 24' long on this mill.  The racking I have is 20' but I thought about extending another 4'.  That's probably overkill for what id be sawing. 

Anyways Im kind of at a cross roads now.  My original plan was to go big and heavy duty with the 24' long 2"x6"x3/16" rectangle tube and cross supports, 4' wide so I could accommodate a monster 40"+ trunk if i needed too, and then I thought....13hp......lmao

I didnt know If I would come across a larger engine, but I figured I could always upgrade the power plant in the future and i'd have a strong base already.  

Then I made the choice to downsize to 36" wide and use my 13hp honda best I could so i made the deal for the rack a week ago.  Not being one to go back on my word, I bought the smaller racking.   Now that I have this 27hp kohler I'm wondering if I shouldnt go back to my plan of a larger mill?
---------------------------------------------------------------
On another note,  I'm on the fence about how to start my track.  Initially my plan was inverted angle iron and V groove wheels which seem to be common practice.  However angle iron on end in the L shape would fit so much nicer on the pallet rack so im not sure with direction to take there.


Sorry guys sometimes I'm long winded with my thoughts.

VooDooChikin04

@AllDodge  I literally said the same thing to Taelor when she was being irritated haha...
I said this is life experience right here! Imagine telling our grandkids how we lost our trailer tires flying down the highway and trekked through the pitch black backwoods to find an engine... or we could tell them how we sat at home and watched tv.  ha

RAYAR

If you want to go with your track angle with the leg up, seek out 'U' groove wheels. My mill is smaller than what you're building. My 'U' groove wheels are 3" Dia. My channel is 1/4" and the wheel groove is 3/8" wide.



mobile manual mill (custom build) (mods & additions on-going)
Custom built auto band sharpener (currently under mods)
Husqvarna 50, 61, 254XP (and others)
96 Polaris Sportsman 500
2006 Ranger 4X2 w/cap, manual trans (430,000 Km)

VooDooChikin04

@RAYAR  hard to see on my phone, is your track angle iron set in the L formation? 
I've seen those U groove wheels on builds but had no clue what to call em lol. See.s obvious now.  I've seen those wheels riding on round stock welded on top of a base.  Your mill appears to be stout from what I can see in that picture. 

tacks Y

VooDoo, I would think you do not need chrome for drive axles. My Log-Master runs chrome shaft for the up/down slide with bronze bushings. 

VooDooChikin04

I ordered 1.25" chrome shaft two pieces 5' long that way I have plenty of leeway. $150. From a local metal supplier. Probably overpaid ha.

I've been scoping out round linear pillow blocks and round linear bearings you seat into a machined tube. Hadn't considered bronze bushings. Heck of alot cheaper. 

RAYAR

Quote from: VooDooChikin04 on April 25, 2020, 08:32:44 PM
@RAYAR  hard to see on my phone, is your track angle iron set in the L formation?
I've seen those U groove wheels on builds but had no clue what to call em lol. See.s obvious now.  I've seen those wheels riding on round stock welded on top of a base.  Your mill appears to be stout from what I can see in that picture.
Yes, my track is set in the L formation. My mill is quite stout for its' size. The frame rails are 2" X 4" X 3/16" X 16' long. It seems to be a shop built mill, not my build, but I have done several mods and up-grades to it since I bought it in 2018, and more to do. It's been built to mill 12' logs, but looking at building an extension or two.


 
mobile manual mill (custom build) (mods & additions on-going)
Custom built auto band sharpener (currently under mods)
Husqvarna 50, 61, 254XP (and others)
96 Polaris Sportsman 500
2006 Ranger 4X2 w/cap, manual trans (430,000 Km)

Walnut Beast

Quote from: VooDooChikin04 on April 25, 2020, 11:41:02 AM
I'm located northwest of Norfolk, Ne on a small 40acre farm in the middle of nowhere. About 2.5hrs northwest of Omaha.
--------------------------------
Holy Cow!!! What an adventure we had yesterday.

The plan: Leave at noon to  take our 16foot trailer to Omaha and pick up some 20' long pallet racking, cross beams, and a few other things.  Then head to Tracy, Iowa which Gps said was 4.5hrs from Norfolk (2.5hrs from Omaha). Where the 27hp Kohler command was being sold.  Expecting a 9hour road trip with a 30 minute stop to load pallet racking, and maybe 30 minutes checking out the Kohler engine, food stop and gas stops.

The Goal: Have a fun road trip with my beautiful fiance, get some heavy duty pallet racking to make this sawmill easier to build, and get a smoking deal on a 27hp engine.  Be home before midnight.

The reality: ................... An hour into our tightly scheduled trip we lost a tread on one of the trailer tires at 75mph. Bent the hell out of the fender.  While putting the spare on, found out it lost half it's air pressure since we left. Realized the other tires weren't looking to healthy either.  We called around to several tire shops in Fremont as we were right outside the town. Amazingly we found one with the right tires and they cleared a bay for us immediately!!  We received 4 new tires and put the best one on for a spare. I tipped the guys each $20 for their work as they were busting their butts and were more than accommodating.  1.5hrs of lost time on the tally.  

Back on the road again we finally get into Omaha as it's spitting some decent rain, traffic is insane and we finally make it to destination #1 which was a recycling yard in a very old industrial area of the city underneath huge overpasses. Initially it looked like an area you really would not feel safe in haha, BUT wow did they have everything. It was amazing, thousands of pallet racking uprights, beams, pieces of iron in every size shape and weight. Electric motors out the wahzoo.. stood next to a 60hp baldor which was impressively large.  The owner of this fairly large enterprise treated me like I was buying the kingdom even though I only wanted a few pieces.  We talked about what I was building and he dug through all kinds of stuff to get me the right parts.  We ended up taking two uprights, three C-Channel 5" tall cross beams and two 15" x36" roller conveyors tables I plan to make in and outfeeds for my large vertical bandsaw. $340 with tax.  Spent way longer there than we had planned but got the load secure and back on our way to battle for our lives in rush hour Omaha traffic.

What seemed like an eternity later and we were finally into Iowa and on our way past Des Moines gaining ground towards Tracy.  The seller of the Kohler was the nicest guy, he understood how it goes and stuck through it with us. We originally figured we could be there later afternoon and delay after delay it's now 7pm and we still have 2.5hrs to go just to get there.  After a couple detours for gas and food we finally make it to his place at 9:40pm or so.  Way out in the boonies it reminded me of home, and I was desperate to just lay down and sleep haha.  The seller grabs some head lamps and we start tracking back through a horse pasture, througg some gates and finally to a small shed in the pitch black.  There inside is the treasure I'd been seeking all day. Dusty but wrapped up nicely was the Kohler twin, in excellent shape, next to a few Kohler vertical shaft engines awaiting their buyers the following day.  I help load them onto a trailer and back through the pasture.  After some small talk and laughs, I pay the remaining due ($100 deposit on PayPal held me 1st in line).

On the road again....can't wait to get on the road again... And we are off!  5 hours of delusional and drowsy driving, we make it home absolutely exhausted. My fiance took the helm from Omaha to home which was excellent!  3:30am and bed never looked so good!!!....


The conclusion: There couldn't have been a better time or place during this trip that the tire could have lost its tread. We had a big clearing to put the spare on, real close to town and it all worked out. I thanked God for the blessing of how it all went down, as it could have been far worse!  The best part was spending that time with my lovely companion, sharing so many laughs and looks along the way.  


I got the engine for $200....  It was totally worth it!
What a story and adventure 😂😂😂. Glad you got your treasures and made it back home👍👍

VooDooChikin04

@RAYAR  the 2x4x3/16 feels plenty strong? I think I'm going to line the bottom of my pallet rack upright with it to create the trailer base. 

VooDooChikin04

So due to the circumstances of picking the Kohler motor up, I wasn't able to test It out which goes against my normal policy but for $200 I was fine taking the gamble.

Today I blew it off with air, cleaned the plugs and oiled the cylinders. Hooked up a battery and it cranked over nicely. Checked compression and got about 120psi on both sides. Ran a line to a fuel tank but it wouldn't fire.  The pump sucked fuel right up into and held the line full.  I got it fired with starting fluid but the carb must be plugged up. There are a lot of linkages going onto this carb so it looks like a pain.  I went ahead and pulled the flywheel to discover the common issue where the magnets came loose.  One was broken but I mended it. Hoping it still will charge, as I did see some green corrosion on the copper windings.  I did find someone selling two ch25 magnets from a Kohler command 25, but at $37....ehh.  I'm really thinking about an automotive alternator setup.   Here's a couple pictures. I took a short video but would have to link it from YouTube.

(BTW I'm taking pictures with a 16mp camera but dang they look kinda blurry once uploaded. Am I missing something?)



 

 

 


Ianab

Quote from: VooDooChikin04 on April 26, 2020, 01:07:22 AMBTW I'm taking pictures with a 16mp camera but dang they look kinda blurry once uploaded. Am I missing something?)

A clean lens? The forum software shrinks the images down to a "sensible" size to save storage and bandwidth, but images should still be pretty sharp. 

But a fingerprint on your lens can blow all that.  
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

VooDooChikin04

Cleaned it off right before! :) 
Didn't know if there was a compression setting I needed to adjust. 

doc henderson

there is a fingerprint in the last photo.  the black curved broken magnet piece.  your photos look good otherwise to me.   :)
Timber king 2000, 277c track loader, PJ 32 foot gooseneck, 1976 F700 state dump truck, JD 850 tractor.  2007 Chevy 3500HD dually, home built log splitter 18 horse 28 gpm with 5 inch cylinder and 32 inch split range with conveyor powered by a 12 volt tarp motor

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