shingle mill

[kcbarnes]

I don't know if I have to much time, to little sense or a combination of both. I have started the process of building a shingle mill that would use the same blades as my norwood. Has anybody ever done this, any ideas or input?

[Kevin]

Why wouldn't you use the norwood for your shingle mill?

[ohsoloco]

Norwood makes a descent shingle jig  

[kcbarnes]

I have the norwood shingle attachment but I am looking at a dedicated machine that can give me better accuracy and production. what I'm thinking of would be a band setup like the norwood but the blade guides would be on the top path of the well guarded blade and a trolley that could be adjusted for the taper of the shingle would ride on rails just uder the blade between the wheels and you could slice a shingle off the blank turn the blank 180 deg. set back in the trolley and slice again. All being powered by a 5 hp electric motor.

[Danny_S]

..............huh?.............  Maybe I have no imagination, but I cant picture your configuration for the shingle mill.  :-/  ???  

I always thought I would make a carrige turner at each end of the bed and run back and forth across the shingle jig, eliminating returning the carrige.

I'm sure your idea will work good, but I cant figure yer wordin'  can ya draw some kinda thing?

[kcbarnes]

hopefully I will have some pics in 3 or so weeks, I don't think I could draw it to make any more sense.

[Tim]

If you are looking for production, you had best think circular. I bought a Hamilton Shingle Mill last November. I haven't any pictures handy to post. I'll see what I can do to rectify that short coming shortly.

This circular can produce roughly 125 sq ft an hour. The problem is that edging the shingles slows the whole process down a whole bunch. We'd be able to produce more had we purchased a Western style machine, we didn't have the 35 grand to sink into it.

[Vermonter]

What does this Hamilton look like?  Do they have a website?

[Tim]

I'll snap a couple pictures of it tomorrow and post them...

Some of the millwork products are on this page with cedar shingles off this shingle mill...

http://groups.msn.com/OldChruchMillwork/homepage

[Vermonter]

Nice looking product.  Looks similar to the playhouses I build.  Good profit margin, but lots of cuts.  I think my wife needs one of those potting sheds, but I don't know if that's enough to convince her I need another mill. ;)  I've been thinking of figuring out a clamping system to saw the shingles on my Peterson.  I think if I saw cants first, then chop them to length, I can clamp the chunk with two pins at the back, and raise and lower the front of the chunk.  How thin do you saw the tops of your shingles?  How long do you make them?
I've got a big pile of cedar to saw for a customer starting this afternoon, I'll keep thinking on this one.  Anyone else have any ideas?

[Neil_B]

Correct me if I'm wrong, as I often am :P, but isn't there a standard that shingles are supposed to be made to ??? I remember seeing a website for an association of shingle manufacturers but I lost the address and I think there was something relating to that in there.

[Tim]

I forgot the @#$% camera this morning...

At anyrate... thanks for the compliment on the products :D There is a standard and do you think I can find the sheet on my desk? I think I need a controled burn here. You should be able to find the standards on either Sovebec's site or Maibec's site.

If you are thinking about resawing a shingle blank, take a look at Baker's site. I saw them cutting shingles with a belt on one of their resaws in a production video of theirs I have.

We normally cut the shingle with a 3/8" butt and feather edge top. Over all the shingle is 16" +/- 1/4". Wanna talk about a pain in the keester to cut the blocks square...

If you can't convince the wife to increase your equipment inventory Vermonter, those sheds break down for shipping...  ;)

I'll put the camera on top of the alarm clock tonight...

[burlman]

If my dust laden memory serves me correctly I believe that I saw a shingle mill on sawmillexchange.com  last week. check it out good luck...burlman...

[D._Frederick]

Tim,
Those old circle shingle mills were hell on fingers, I remember in my younger years of seeing older men with most of their fingers missing and learning that they were shingle sawyers. Be Careful!!!

[Tim]

Thanks for the concern for me digits... I've been around equipment for as long as I can remember... sawmills... farm equipment... etc. My finger count is still at ten. seven on the right and three on the left...  :D

[Frickman]

Around here we have what we call "wedge machines", which are what others call a shingle mill. Most have about a 30" circular saw, and yes, they are hard on fingers. The wedges are used in the coal mines on top of posts. Two wedges are used, one pointing each direction. They are hammered in to tighten the post against the roof. Most wedges are 5" X 12" and about 3/4" thick on the butt end. Years ago they were used by the millions, two or more on each post. With longwall mining today there are fewer posts used, and thus fewer wedges, but they still need some.

The blocks used to make wedges are usually trim ends from cribbing blocks. A crib is just what is sounds like, two are used in a layer, alternating direction until you reach the roof. Most cribs are 5" X 6" X 30", so a trim end is 5" X 6" X 12". This block is run past the saw on a sliding table. The wedges are bundled and banded in packs of 10 or 20, and piled on pallets.

If you have access to the wedge blocks making wedges can provide a decent profit. Some of the smaller sawmills back in the mountain still make them, selling them not only to the mines but also mobile home dealers, factories, and anyone else who needs them. We still have a wedge machine here, but we don't run it as OSHA wouldn't like the looks of it.

Frickman

[woodmills1]

back in the middle 70's I cut wedge blocks, 12" tree sections, in W Va. and sold them to the wedge cutters.  not one of those guys had all his fingers.

[kcbarnes]

I know this thread has been dead for awhile but this is where I am on the project, the mill is at the 85% mark with more safety features to be added before I run it again. The motor is a 5hp that I had and the shafts that hold the wheels are axles out of a thunderbird the other parts are just scrounged.one thing that I am going to add is a hold down wheel for the shingle blank. It isn't fancy but here is the start of my web page with some pictures   //www.cbpu.com/kcbarnes

[Vermonter]

Nice looking machine....
Are you planning to saw cants first so the shingles are edged, or short chunks of roundwood?

[JN68]

HI ; I have and still running a shingle mill sawed 12 bundles today. It is a Mclennan made in cambleton N.B. about 50 to60 years ago, 38 in main saw 36 in  trim saw. Cedar is cut at 16" bolts,placed into the carrige then is moved into the saw and back ratched thick too thin on it's own. Does 20 strocke a min, take the shingle off the saw and place on the trim saw , throw the shingle too the proper grade pile then bundle at the end of the day. The shingle is 3/8 to 1/8 16" +/- 1/4 ". No need too square the blocks, i have sawed some on my lumbermate but toooo slow and rough or fuzzy shingles. Great too find some shingle mill's out there , i file all mine saw's by hand ,wished that i could have found someone too show me but learn as you go , now i have 20 years under my belt and still learning. ;D JN

[UNCLEBUCK]

Have a peek at the wanted section of the forum here where Corley is looking for a old shingle mill and in that post you will see sawdusts homemade shingle mill and he tells about it a bit . Very clever thing he made .

[dad2nine]

Frinkman, can you tell me the specs and selling price of crib blocks and wedges used in the coal mines. I had a guy call me almost begging me to saw some up. Didn't seem like it was worth the effort. But I did say I would get back to him so just trying to do a little research.

Thanks

Around here we have what we call "wedge machines", which are what others call a shingle mill. Most have about a 30" circular saw, and yes, they are hard on fingers. The wedges are used in the coal mines on top of posts. Two wedges are used, one pointing each direction. They are hammered in to tighten the post against the roof. Most wedges are 5" X 12" and about 3/4" thick on the butt end. Years ago they were used by the millions, two or more on each post. With longwall mining today there are fewer posts used, and thus fewer wedges, but they still need some.

The blocks used to make wedges are usually trim ends from cribbing blocks. A crib is just what is sounds like, two are used in a layer, alternating direction until you reach the roof. Most cribs are 5" X 6" X 30", so a trim end is 5" X 6" X 12". This block is run past the saw on a sliding table. The wedges are bundled and banded in packs of 10 or 20, and piled on pallets.

If you have access to the wedge blocks making wedges can provide a decent profit. Some of the smaller sawmills back in the mountain still make them, selling them not only to the mines but also mobile home dealers, factories, and anyone else who needs them. We still have a wedge machine here, but we don't run it as OSHA wouldn't like the looks of it.

Frickman