iDRY Vacuum Kilns

Sponsors:

roller table

Started by doc henderson, October 01, 2022, 09:14:57 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

doc henderson

I know this is talked about.  I am sure there are dedicated table for sale. Many of us are looking for used or give always.  I have some of the skate wheel style roller.  I would like to use these at the mill, but it is not under cover.  My dad had a few tracks and after many years, they had rusted and did not rolled.  I believe there are bearing ect.  I assume that the roller with wide roller are better, but do not know.  How do you set them up, how do you keep them from rusting.  I have the track, but no legs.  do you have pics or ideas how to set them on something so the are mobile, but sturdy.  @Old Greenhorn just got a truck load.  I know this stuff is on marketplace adds.  I did just get my 1000 pound lift table put together.  @YellowHammer .   take steps to save steps.  I often saw alone.  If I have a helper it is a one off and they do not know when to jump in.  a system would be nice.  
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

YellowHammer

Mine are El Cheap roller tables and they are out in the rain.  The bearings will rust but a quick shot of WD40 will make them roll again.  I've even had to use pliers to initially break them loose.  Once they are rolling, just hi them with a shot when the rollers seems to begin to hang, and they will be fine. 

Slope them downhill and let gravity do its thing.  They save an incredible amount of labor.
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

doc henderson

yes they take care of the gravity as they suspend the wood off the ground.  What do you use for stands.  any big engineering design issues already solved, like my log bunks for my trailer?
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

Old Greenhorn

Well for me, it's a work in progress and I will learn as I go and follow this thread and tell you what doesn't work.
 I felt it was a no brainer since I saw some of the setups from our members. Even one or two of these, properly installed can make a huge difference. Some guys have really made this work for them (Especially that fella that barely has to put his pants on in the morning and his mill starts spitting out perfect lumber that flies down the line to the correct sorting area, while he drinks tea and reads the wall street journal).
 Having dealt with setting up production lines in shops and factories of all sizes my entire career, I can see that this will take several iterations for us. So my plan is to start with a flexible system that allows me to move them around and keep trying different things. We have 'some' legs for the ones we got, but I plan to make some narrow I beam saw horses with slightly splayed legs to begin that I can alter easily. I am constrained by stuff (mostly logs) that is stacked closer to the mill than I would like.  I'll clear what I can and work with that to start. First priority for me is to get the slabs off and away from the mill and dropped into a pile with enough clearance under them to easily forklift them away at the end of each day. SO one rail going out the far end of the mill and two shorter ones that come off that at 90° and will drop the slabs onto bunks about 1' off the ground. Then I will work on one to work on the dragback end to handle lumber. We have plans to change the dragback system to the LT70 style because the system on the 50 is just a pita and you have to be quick to steer each board or you can get hurt or do some damage.
 This is going to take some time and fiddling but should make life easier.
Tom Lindtveit, Woodsman Forest Products
Oscar 328 Band Mill, Husky 350, 450, 562, & 372 (Clone), Mule 3010, and too many hand tools. :) Retired and trying to make a living to stay that way. NYLT Certified.
OK, maybe I'm the woodcutter now.
I work with wood, There is a rumor I might be a woodworker.

WV Sawmiller

  To piggyback on this question - I wonder if any mobile sawyers carry a set or two along to use? I have been able to park the customers truck or trailer close enough to slide finished lumber off the mill onto the trailer or truck bed. I can see where a section or two of rollers would help reduce the distance they have to carry heavy wood as far.

  If you have done so please chime in with your findings.

Doc,

  IRT your OP it looks like you could easily make a pretty decent cover with a cheap trap or two. Maybe cut it in half and roll up the ends like an old timey scroll like MM used when he started school in Mississippi. ;) The weight of the rollers could hold it in place when in use then roll it up to remove at the start of each job.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

doc henderson

good thought Howard.  I will mark it on my calendar! :)  just kiddin and could not resist.   :D :D :D  I have a friend and we help each other out.  I engrave stuff for him, and he does leather work with a heavy duty sewing machine.  he has made custom covers and bags out of leather, canvas and poly.  thanks.  

i am thinking about a tripod base for stability on ground, but also need to figure how to support is side to side.  could do fold up legs.  I hope after some movement they will stay put, but may need to move for big clean up/leveling i do with the trackloader.  i want them heavy duty but not heavy, and that takes some thought.  I have the cheap plastic saw horses I could start with.  I have expensive but well engineered stuff by Bora.  say horses that fold up and out easily.  also this roller table that accordions in and out to 8 feet and can make a 90° curve when out.  it is also adjustable for height.  



 

3 sets, a 8 footer and two 10s



 

 

 

the custom made ones i would like to be adjustable for height, and attach to the rollers, so a small movement does not turn into a finger pinching frustration moment.  maybe with a groove or pin.  
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

SawyerTed

Doc, I made I beam sawhorses out of 2x6s and adjusted the leg length so lumber and slabs rolled downhill.  I just screwed the roller conveyors to the top of the sawhorses for easy setup and break down. 

Unfortunately the roller conveyors belonged to a friend and he "needed" them and sold them.  Never offered them to me.
Woodmizer LT50, WM BMS 250, WM BMT 250, Kubota MX5100, IH McCormick Farmall 140, Husqvarna 372XP, Husqvarna 455 Rancher

Larry




This is the style I'm using.  I've had them about 10 years with zero maintenance.  The first three or four rollers on this table have some kinks in them from big slabs hitting them when I drag back.  Still work fine.

They can be found at online industrial auctions.  I bought about a dozen in all different lengths up to 10 foot.  Played around with different setups until I came up with one that worked for me.  Sold all the long ones and kept three short ones.

I hardly ever go mobile, but two tables always go with me.  Two fit in the back of the truck fine along with my other stuff.  I would much rather have my dragback and tables over most off bearers.....they do what is required, don't eat much, and don't talk. :)



Larry, making useful and beautiful things out of the most environmental friendly material on the planet.

We need to insure our customers understand the importance of our craft.

moodnacreek

Working alone sawing, edging , resawing, resplitting firewood etc. a waist high flat powered belt conveyer, remote forward/ reverse is the thing to have at any cost. Overkill? absolutely. If you had this you could never go back.

doc henderson

i have that for firewood.  reverse is to un stick it if that happens.  i thought about a roller table as I sawed a few things tonight.  to the right is flitches to be sawn for firewood and would land on my table for cutting to 16 inches,  to the left is a pallet or just track loader forks for good boards.
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

moodnacreek

Quote from: doc henderson on October 01, 2022, 08:11:27 PM
i have that for firewood.  reverse is to un stick it if that happens.  i thought about a roller table as I sawed a few things tonight.  to the right is flitches to be sawn for firewood and would land on my table for cutting to 16 inches,  to the left is a pallet or just track loader forks for good boards.
There is no end to the labor saving things you could and should have to keep you going. Aches and pains and age stop most guys who do everything by hand walking back and forth carrying stuff. The object is to stand in one place and produce. I have been accused of getting lazy with all my hydraulics and push buttons but I can load the green chain fast and then what? All that lumber must be sorted and put on sticks. Thanks for noticing my locust burl question, Doug

47sawdust

Doug,
I don't think that is lazy.I am a firm believer in economy of motion.As a carpenter of 75 my cut station is well laid out to eliminate unnecessary steps. I get more done and the client doesn'tpay for me wandering around the job site.
Mick
1997 WM Lt30 1999 WM twin blade edger Kubota L3750 Tajfun winchGood Health Work is my hobby.

KirkD

I have wondered how well lumber would slide on UHMW bolted to a ladder or ladder sized platform? You would have to push it but it is pretty slick.
Wood-mizer LT40HD-G24 Year 1989

stavebuyer

The Woodmizer roller table is worth what they charge. If you have metal and fab skills, they also sell the replacement rollers which are larger diameter and much heavier duty than the warehouse rolls commonly found. I kept mine even after selling all my sawmill equipment. Just this week I used it to support a 275 gallon water tote to gravity feed a trough for a pasture that doesn't have water. Legs fold and independently height adjustable for uneven surfaces.


SawyerTed

For some reason I can't find my photos with the roller conveyors.

With an LT 35, I set two roller conveyors perpendicular to the saw on the side stop side about 30" from the sawmill tire.   My off bearer and I would put lumber on the conveyors.  I put stops on the end so boards would accumulate on a "green chain".  Once the conveyors were full, we would stop sawing and stack.  So 2 ten foot conveyors would hold 20 2x6s. 

Off the end of the mill, I set up one roller conveyor to roll slabs and waste away from the mill.   The slabs rolled off into a rack with fork pockets. 

For off bearing lumber it speeded things up.  Getting slabs away from the mill was easier but not necessarily faster. 
Woodmizer LT50, WM BMS 250, WM BMT 250, Kubota MX5100, IH McCormick Farmall 140, Husqvarna 372XP, Husqvarna 455 Rancher

VB-Milling

Doc

I lucked out on my roller tables...sort of fell into them.

They are 10ft long and 24" wide. Adjustable legs for height. The best part is the rollers are some seriously strong plastic and no exposed bearings. They have lived outside for a year and before I got them, they lived below a roof leak inside an abandoned warehouse for 10+years.

If you can find plastic rollers, that would be my recommendation. I have no idea about weight capacity from the manufacturer, but I've definitely had north of 1000lbs on each.

I just yesterday winched this 17ft cedar log across no prob.

I believe they are made by Matthews.

 
HM126

YellowHammer

I do not use a roller table for my dragback system, I have the WM version, but I don't like it for that.  The rollers cause the board to bounce and jump during an outfield cycle and it causes the board to fall off the dragback shelf.  The WM roller table is perfect as an infeed for my Baker edger, but it's terrible as a sawmill outfield with drawback.

As a matter of fact, WM built a custom table design for Nathan (Out of the Woods) based on my configuration, a long flat top metal table with a single roller at the end.   

A solid white oak top is nearly as good, as it will get very slick after a little use.  I also use metal flat top tables for in and out feed on some machines based on what I want the wood to do.

Roller tables are great for super low friction or driven transfers but their disadvantage is that they "steer" or force lumber direction based on the rollers.  Sometimes that's a good thing, sometimes not.  For example, with our Straight Line Rip saw, the manufacturer told us not to use roller tables as an infeed or outfeed, as it will cause the boards to not feed in straight, and we ignored them, and sure enough, while the bulk weight of the board is on the rollers, they will overcome the steering force of the machine and it will cut crooked boards.  So were went with metal flat top tables open both ends, and problem solved.  With the planer, I use a roller table as an outfield set at an angle so that it will cause the board to traverse out of the planer and line up with a waiting pallet.  So small angles are easily accomplished with a roll table, but not a flat top metal or wood.

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

jpassardi

Does anyone have a refined material handling (boards & slabs) layout for us poor saps without a dragback?

Maybe I should start a new thread - someone must have figured out the most efficient way. I'm always open to new ideas.
LT15 W/Trailer, Log Turner, Power Feed & up/down
CAT 416 Backhoe W/ Self Built Hydraulic Thumb and Forks
Husky 372XP, 550XPG, 60, 50,   WM CBN Sharpener & Setter
40K # Excavator, Bobcat 763, Kubota RTV 900
Orlan Wood Gasification Boiler -Slab Disposer

WV Sawmiller

   I'd suggest searching this board using "Sawmill layout" in the search. You will see lots of options and suggestions. You will still have to pretty much customize to fit your own site constraints but it will give you some thought provoking options. I saw mobile most of the time so have to customize  little at each new site. Good luck.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

kantuckid

The skate wheels don't like weather! Been there, done that.
 I'm currently using an Amazon conveyor roller thats on a bracket to move wall logs into my cabin build. Check that out, mine came from a conveyer supplier on there. Always!!! check Amazon Warehouse to see if the bargains are there.  FB Marketplace if your lucky to find something close enough. 
Kan=Kansas;tuck=Kentucky;kid=what I'm not

barbender

I'm sawing a lot of 16' material as of late, it's pretty cumbersome to handle.
Too many irons in the fire

redbeard

 

roller tables for drag back, the metal stands didn't work very well for big beams and cants so we built sturdy wood bases that have held up still using this set up.
I think this pic was after we built the bases in summer of 2019.
Whidbey Woodworks and Custom Milling  2019 Cooks AC 3662T High production band mill and a Hud-son 60 Diesel wide cut bandmill  JD 2240 50hp Tractor with 145 loader IR 1044 all terrain fork lift  Cooks sharp

Deese

I've got a bunch of these light duty rollers and decided to cut some into short movable sections. They have really taken a beating and slightly bent in a few spots but still holding up surprisingly well. With limited width inside the chicken house, it's nice being able to move them around easily. Also, I like being able to walk in between them rather than being "trapped" in here being forced to walk around a single, longer one. I already had'em so I used'em. 
<1br>
 

 

 
2004 LT40 Super 51hp w/6' bed extension
Cooks AE4P Edger
Cat Claw sharpener/Dual Tooth Setter
Kubota svl75-2 skidsteer w/grapple, forks, brushcutter
1977 Log Hog Knuckleboom loader/truck

Thank You Sponsors!