assembling my new sawmill

[maple flats]

I received my Woodland Mills HM130MAX on 7/30/21, I bought it with their trailer. While I opened and unpacked the crate the trailer was in and sorted the parts, into my shop I will not start assembling it for a few days. I have another project to do first. Hopefully late this week I can begin assembly, trailer, then the mill. Pictures will come.
I'll need to assemble it outdoors, since I don't have enough room inside to do it. Once it's all set to saw, one project will be to saw lumber to build a shop addition, 32' long x 14 or 16 wide. The width will depend on room, I'm adding it to a shop with a hip roof and I want to follow the slope of the top portion  on the hip, following that angle I haven't checked to see how high the low end would be at the 14 or 16' width, if it's not too low, I'll go 16'.

[Daburner87]

It's been a fun process, got mine yesterday.  Too much drinking last night slowed me down today though.  You'll need a hand with the saw head for sure.  I'm pretty strong, but I wish I had a helper for the heavier bits.  I'm worn out.  

[melezefarmer]

oops - wrong thread.

[maple flats]

So far I've only opened the trailer box (and the band blade sharpener because it got wet, all looked OK) and sorted the pieces to see if there was any damage. Today, among other things I was teaching my 12 yr old grandson to run the excavator. I recently converted a mechanical thumb to hydraulic. I saw that I need a tougher pin on the thumb, the 1" std. pin has a big curve. I'll shop for a tougher hardened pin, or I'll weld a steel bushing on either side to beef up the attachment point. I wondered if that would be tough enough.
My grandson did well, he just took his time. There are lots of controls to learn which does what.
Here is a picture of the excavator, taken before I added a thumb:




That little mini, about 8000# lifts about 2500# but you need to have the blade down and have the load out front in order to lift that much. I don't know how much it can lift out the side, but certainly not that much very far from the machine.
Maybe tomorrow we can move more logs , by the weekend I'd like to start assembling. my plan is to put up a 10x20 canopy tent over it, for shade and shed any light rain. If it rains hard, we'll wait for a better day.
When we get started with assembly I'll get some pictures.

[maple flats]

New plan for the thumb. I now have a 1" pin going thru an end on the hydraulic cylinder that is 1" hole and 2.25" long. My issue (yes, I should have been smarter) is that I used a stack of washers to center it in the 5" space. I bent the 1" pin big time.
My new plan, I have a piece of 1.375 thick alloy steel that is 5" long x almost 4" wide. I'll cut it to make 2 pcs about 2.5" x 4", mill a 1" hole in them, then weld them in to make the space the correct width, then put a new 1" pin thru it. That should correct that end. Then for the other end of the cylinder I have some 1/2" steel plate, I'll make 2 for filling the space at the other end of the cylinder, that pin has not yet bent. Then I may need to adjust the relief valve. The cylinder is rated for 3000 psi, I already pushed the  O ring out on the cylinder, must be my old excavator is more than 3000 psi. If I need to back it off too much, I'll buy a cylinder rated for 5000 psi, otherwise I'd lose too much lift capacity and digging capability when I dig with it.
We grow too soon old and too late smart!

[maple flats]

I finally think I'll get started assembling my trailer, then the mill, this week or next. I'm thinking it may be a good time to design in a method to lift one end of the log to center the pith when needed. For those who have hydraulic  lift for that, which end is the lift at on your mill? I'm thinking I want it at the tail end, thinking I will want the big end facing the operator, does that sound like the best plan?
My thoughts are to use an electric actuator to do the lifting, 12v. I'd design it with mechanical advantage.
My main question is what would be the best way to support the weight when lifting, the mill will be mounted on a trailer, should I add a cross brace on the trailer even before the mill goes on. My mill will be able to saw 30" logs and possibly at times I've been known to stretch things (I may on rare occasion trim a slightly larger log to make it work) but my longest log will be just under 17'. Suggestions please.
I have an actuator (12V) rated to push 1300+ LBS straight line, I think I'll design it with a max 3 or 4" lift, thus I'd get at least 2.5 x that less friction loss. max extension is 10"
Dave

[Chuck White]

Most of the hydraulic mills, and several of the manual mills have a toeboard on each end of the deck.

The hydraulic toeboards operate right from the hydraulic control panel, while the manual ones operate by hand, with a crank!

[TimW]

Yep, my Woodmizer LHDT have two toeboards.  Awesome you get to teach your Grandson.
hugs,  Brandi

[Gere Flewelling]

My mill is not hydraulic. I ordered it with a single toe board hydraulic jack controlled lift on the forward side as it is recommended by the manufacturer to always saw from the small end.  I soon learned that it is near impossible to control where the small end of each log is when you have a pile of logs.  Most people don't seem to grasp the concept when stacking logs for you to cut.  I added a second toe board that works exactly like the original.  The problem is that I put it down near the 15-16' crossmember thinking that would be best.  I didn't take into account that there are lots of 8'-12' logs that need to be sawn and there is no toe board under the small end if the log gets put on backwards.  I end up using a hydraulic jack on a block of 8"x8" setting on the ground under the mill right behind the axle.  Had I mounted the second jack type toe board just behind the axle it would work for the 8,10,12, and 16' logs just as well.  Someday I will cut off the second one I built and re-install it where it will work best.  I find that it doesn't really matter to me which way the log is positioned on the mill  I just adapt to the taper.

[maple flats]

Wow, I hadn't thought of 2, I may get another electric actuator and put one at maybe 2-3 ft, and one at maybe 9 foot (or 8' in from my first stop). If I sometime decide I'll need a third one at about 14', I'll get another. By then I should know how to build them.
Luckily, my brother likes making things and he has a small machine shop fairly well equipped. His equipment is all 75+ yrs old, but it all works well. He bought the old equipment realizing it was far superior to what he could justify buying new. His 2 main machines are a 48" long 12" chucked lathe and a huge Bridgeport milling machine that weighs about 5000#. It's 3 ph, but he uses a converter. Besides those, he's an excellent welder, stick, wire, and all of the specialty types, I forget what they are called.
In his little shop he used to adapt ss screw augers for some equipment for Scott Paper, changing the center attachment on the auger, a procedure his SIL developed to make installing and swapping them much faster as one wore out. It seemed, other machine shops didn't want to convert them, but my brother made good money doing it.
I do also have the option to lift it using a sling strap and my excavator, or the excavator and thumb.

[Daburner87]

I've seen quite a few people using a modified scissor jack and using handheld impact guns to lift logs opposed to manually cranking.  Works great from what I've seen.  Plan to add two to my mill when I get around to it.

[maple flats]

Thanks for the idea, I'll use the actuator I have but may consider scissor jack for 1 or 2 more. I certainly have enough impact drivers and batteries to handle it.

[WV Sawmiller]

   I don't think I had seen the firm suggestion to saw from the little end. Oh, I have seen where some individuals preferred it to avoid compression wood in the butt end but the trade off is sawing from the big end, especially when it approaches the maximum diameter of your mill, ensures once you start, if you get past the start you will make it to the other end. I don't know how many times I/most of us have sawed nearly to the end then find the log was too wide to fit between the blade guides and you have to back out, which is not generally much fun.

  I am pretty sure most of us saw whichever end lands on the mill first.

[Magicman]

Yes I saw logs as they land on the sawmill bed, but I absolutely prefer to enter logs from the top end rather than the butt end.

The only exception are 8' logs because the toe board is forward of that bed rail.

[trimguy]

Why do you prefer to saw from the small end ?

[KenMac]

Why do you prefer to saw from the small end ?

I find sawing from the small end is more efficient for me due to less walking to measure pith height and also because it's easier to plan cuts since you know the log gets larger as you advance into it. Hope that makes sense and doesn't confuse you.

[WV Sawmiller]

   The top end also tends to be less dense and easier to cut especially compared to the butt log which may have significant compression wood on some logs/species.

[trimguy]

Thank you.

[maple flats]

getting far too much rain. I did get a 10x20 canopy put up to assemble under, but it was raining hard as we finished. Maybe in 2 days we can actually begin trailer assembly.

[GAB]

I prefer top down as the roller used to center the pith is easier to see when it is up.
Twice today I raised the far roller when trying to split the difference.
Ah-Yup you guessed it.  I forgot to lower it both times.
Someday I may get to see the door those wedges are intended for.
GAB

[Daburner87]

Well I can say mine is just about done.  Hurricane Henri kicked me into gear.  It's coming basically right on top of me and I finished the crane I built to lift the saw head, and lowered it onto the trailer today.    Originally expected the mill to arrive in October so I'm way ahead of myself, exhausted but I'm happy.  I was able to put her in my oversized carport and she is completely covered and dry.  I don't see the storm creating too many problems, in fact I see some good potential to get some free logs out of it.

[maple flats]

I finally got started assembling my sawmill/trailer, as usual I forgot to take some pictures. I'll get to put in about an hour or 2 again tomorrow. Hopefully I remember to get some pictures to post.
So far I only got 1 section of track on each side and 2 sections of trailer side rail (frame) along with 1 bunk. Tomorrow I hope to get 2 more sections of track  on each side and 1 or 2 more bunks. Before I do that I'll need to get it set level front to back and side to side.

[maple flats]

New plan, I now see that Woodland mills offers a toe board accessory. It rides in a track that goes between the track horizontal members and is just a scissor jack. I'll be ordering one tomorrow. It can easily be moved from one end to the other or wherever needed. It can be run using an included handle or by using a 1/4" cordless impact driver to turn a bolt head. I have 4 such drivers and a whole pile of batteries, that will be my preferred method.
I'll save the actuator for some other project, rather than taking the time to design, build and attach it. (which may have turned out to be 2 or 3 times.)

[Ljohnsaw]

My original toe board lift:


 
But, I replaced  it with a 4T hydraulic bottle jack.  Sometimes even that has trouble with some of the bigger logs!

[kelLOGg]

I welded bottle jack platforms about 12 ft apart between the rails of my mill for log levelling. I have a 3rd moveable 2 x 6 platform for short logs. I have to make sure it is in place before loading the log.

[maple flats]

That certainly looks rugged. The Woodland mills accessory looks like it can be placed after loading the log as long as there is a few inches of log hanging over the bunk an at least 4" before the next bunk. It's far more compact.
I just placed my order, in the meantime, if I need to shim one end I'll lift it using my excavator.

[maple flats]

We got a little more done today before the heat and humidity sent me home. So far we (my 12 yr old grandson Logan and I) have gotten the track assembled, 4 sections out of 6 and bolted the trailer frame sections (4 so far) out of 6 long and 4 short sections total.


I see I need to rotate the pic, now to figure out how to do it.
This shows the last part we got done today. I hope to add 2 more tracks tomorrow, but I'll be alone, my grandson is going to the state fair tomorrow and the parts are heavy for me to handle unless I can figure out an assist.


As you can see, I rotated the picture, thanks for the help.

[beenthere]

Rotate your pic in your gallery. There is an edit function there.

[maple flats]

I did rotate it in my gallery, now it's correct.

[maple flats]

While I had planned to work on the sawmill assembly today, the weather changed my plans. This morning it is 100% humidity so I cancelled those plans. 80 degrees and 100% humidity isn't worth it. This afternoon the humidity will fall below 100% by a little, but only because the temperature will climb faster than the dew point.
Did I ever mention I like fall, winter and spring better than summer? This is why. In the winter I can dress to keep warm, in the summer only an AC will help.

[TimW]

I did rotate it in my gallery, but how do I fix it in the post?

I would add the rotated photo, then delete the laying on it's side photo.
hugs,  Brandi

[maple flats]

Thanks Bindian, that is how I fixed it. Now I need to load some more pics into my gallery.
I got a little farther, but only a little. I now have all track sections attached, but only one cross bunk.
I had to do a chore in the blueberries, prepping to plant just 1/4 acre more in a different variety. Rototilled 2x using the 5' tiller, but only about 3" deep so far. Then I added 400# of granular sulfur. It rained shortly after which will help get it down into the soil. In a few days I'll till it in deeper, about 5" is good, then by spring the PH will be right down to the root zone to plant the 250 new bushes we ordered.
Next, back to assembling the sawmill. Cooler, less humid air will heat in by Wednesday. I hope it stays long term.

[maple flats]

I did get a little more done assembling the sawmill, but only a little. The temperatures finally fell to where I could pack more syrup into retail containers. While my main thrust was to do the syrup, while it heated, 10 minutes here, 5 minutes there I added the front and back cross bunks, and I set 4 jacks at the corners as instructed in the assembly manual. I'll be back doing more syrup for at least 2 more days, maybe 3. Tomorrow I'll likely finish packing amber syrup, then on to packing 2 barrels worth of dark syrup (60 gal), I'm essentially out of dark ready to sell, both at my only local retail outlet and for online orders.
After that I can wait a few days and among other things calling me I'll get some time assembling the sawmill/trailer, then I'll need to bottle more bourbon barrel aged syrup.
I did take pictures but when I was getting ready to upload them, I decided they didn't really show much of what I had done. I'll get more when I get back to assembling the sawmill, likely next week. I think I'm close enough that it will start going much faster when I resume.
Even though I've had the sawmill for 5 weeks as of tomorrow, I likely have only gotten maybe 6 hrs total into the assembly I think 3-4 more should finish it, both trailer and sawmill. Of the roughly 6 hrs in, I had my 12 yr old grandson for 2 of those, the rest I was solo. My grandson will be with me tomorrow, but most of the time will be working on maple syrup, packing, attaching labels, grade labels and pricing, then hauling it either home, to my retail outlet or into my coolers in the sugarhouse. All backup stock is kept refrigerated, at about 35F in one cooler, and at 20-22F in the other.

[maple flats]

1 or 2 more days, then I think I'll be back to working on my sawmill (again). I had cooler weather so I packed a bunch of syrup from barrels into jugs. The temperature were manageable when I had a 16" fan aimed at my work station at the bottler. I still have 7 more gallons to pack, after I take a bunch of syrup to my only local retail outlet tomorrow (they were very low in stock). Restocking will take 1.5-2 hrs, then I'll pack the remainder, after which I can get back to the sawmill. I've had it since 7/30, still not done. In that time I only have 7-8 hrs actually into it.
Pictures to come.

[VB-Milling]

1 or 2 more days, then I think I'll be back to working on my sawmill (again). I had cooler weather so I packed a bunch of syrup from barrels into jugs. The temperature were manageable when I had a 16" fan aimed at my work station at the bottler. I still have 7 more gallons to pack, after I take a bunch of syrup to my only local retail outlet tomorrow (they were very low in stock). Restocking will take 1.5-2 hrs, then I'll pack the remainder, after which I can get back to the sawmill. I've had it since 7/30, still not done. In that time I only have 7-8 hrs actually into it.
Pictures to come.

Hoping you can get back to it as time allows. Following along....

[maple flats]

I was going to get my 12 yr old grandson to help work on assembly in 2 days, but that has changed. The county where we are is a fairly  low density county (population) but the covid numbers look bad. We went from 16 to 35 to 116 to over 200 new cases in 4 days. With my grandson attending in person classes in school (he is fully vaccinated) I still won't chance it. My wife had breast cancer 14 yrs ago and ever since her white cell count has been scraping the bottom. I can't chance bring anything home to her.
For that reason, I'll work on it solo.
I still have 7-7.5 gal of Dark maple syrup in my bottler. Today I stocked my rack and made a list of what I still need. Tomorrow I'll go to the sugarhouse, get the counts there then decide what sizes to pack that syrup in. Then on Saturday I'll work on the sawmill, solo. I do enjoy working with my grandson and he likes to work with grandpa, but we need to protect grandma.

[maple flats]

I only got about 1 hr in yesterday, spent most of that time swatting mosquitoes. With the rain we've had far too often every mosquito hatched and is hungry this year. I don't ever recall them this bad in the daytime. I had on 2 different mosquito repellents but they seemed to attract mosquitoes. I also set up a fan aimed at me, which helped, but every time I moved I had to move the fan.
When I got home yesterday I ordered a pedestal fan that has 2 speeds, one rated to move 8,000CFM and one at 9,000CFM. That should blow the buggers away. I had planned before that to get a fan to blow the sawdust away from me while operating the mill, now I'll have it sooner rather than later.

[Old Greenhorn]

I am usually not bothered too much by mosquitoes, but my wife is a magnet for any bug within 1,00 yards. She is always with the spray stuff, bug repellant, or whatever and I shy away form it as not worth it. But the other day I had to harvest mushroom logs on short notice and was in a poor location and the mosquitoes were eating me alive to the point I could not concentrate on were the saw tip was. One one of my runs up to drop logs I mentioned it to here and she gave me a can of 'Yard Guard' and said here, try this. "yes dear" I said and put the can in the mule with no intent of actually using the stuff, it can never work on hoards like that I thought. (but after 44 years of marriage I have learned to play along without complaint, it's easier that way for us both.) But I got back down there and they were driving me nuts, so just for the heck of it I grabbed the can and sprayed the area around where I was working. Holy cow! It didn't clear them out, but it discouraged 80% or more and it was actually quite workable.  This weekend I am splitting and stacking firewood and its the same situation and I found the yard guard makes a huge difference but wears off after about 4 hours.
 So, Just a thought. I really should get my fogger working again, that did winders, but you have to apply it in the wee hours when there is zero air movement. That would keep them down for a couple of weeks. Uses an chemical made of chrysanthemum seed oil. Supposedly 'organic'. Anyway, just thought I would throw that out there. We are all going crazy with these buggers after all the July rains.

[maple flats]

I put 2 cans of Cutter's brand of "yard guard" in my truck yesterday. I've never used it in the past, but I will today to try it out.

[maple flats]

Slow going, but I finally got all of the log bunks on the sawmill, next will come 4 jacks, then raise the mill, remove the steel shipping crate and then add 2 more jacks. I think I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, I just hope it's not an oncoming train

 

[maple flats]

Today I pulled the steel shipping crate out from under the trailer frame, added the 5th and 6th jacks, then I added some of the cross braces that attach low on the 45 degree angle on the frame siderails. I still have 2 more regular ones and 2 or 3 specialized ones, then I'll add the axles and wheels. Getting closer, but the next 2 days I'll be doing more syrup. The sawmill will have to wait. After the next barrel (bourbon aged maple syrup) is all bottled I can return to working on the sawmill.
The temperature has moved into the comfortable range which helps quite a bit.

[maple flats]

Today I worked on syrup, all I got done on the sawmill is add the 4 carriage stops I had missed in an earlier step. I'll likely be 2 more days bottling, labeling, pricing and repacking into cases on all of the back up stock. Then I'll add a portion of the stock to my store inventory, including the new size I've added. After that I'll be back to working on the sawmill assembly. If all goes well I think I'll finish and be ready to saw some lumber sometime next week.
While I've had the mill for 2 months now, in reality I've only put in about 10 hrs into assembling it, on day 1 only I had the help of my 12 yr old grandson for about 1.5 hrs. After that his football practice as school started went to every day right after school, until 5:00, then he had supper and homework to do.

[VB-Milling]

Today I worked on syrup, all I got done on the sawmill is add the 4 carriage stops I had missed in an earlier step. I'll likely be 2 more days bottling, labeling, pricing and repacking into cases on all of the back up stock. Then I'll add a portion of the stock to my store inventory, including the new size I've added. After that I'll be back to working on the sawmill assembly. If all goes well I think I'll finish and be ready to saw some lumber sometime next week.
While I've had the mill for 2 months now, in reality I've only put in about 10 hrs into assembling it, on day 1 only I had the help of my 12 yr old grandson for about 1.5 hrs. After that his football practice as school started went to every day right after school, until 5:00, then he had supper and homework to do.

Tough to find the time.  Hope you have a chance to get it assembled next week.
Looks like they resent the email about the update to the blade tensioning and tracking procedure yesterday.  Make sure you follow that process when the time comes.

[maple flats]

That toe board accessory I ordered on Aug 24, arrived 9/30/21`, less than 5 weeks, not bad. When I ordered it said shipping by Nov 30, thus it arrived 2 mos early.
I see it rides on the track,on each side, but it sets on the bottom, flat, not up on top of the track. It is portable, so I can place it on either end as necessary, thus I don't need 2. It has a hand crank and also can be driven using an impact driver cordless tool. It just happens I own 5 of them, and one is rated DeWalt's highest torque of any brand of cordless 1/4" impact drivers, it should do well. I also have a DeWalt cordless 1/2" impact driver if needed, or I have a pneumatic 1/2" impact and most of the time my sawmill will be within air hose reach of my shop.
I ran into a health issue on 10/1, woke up with diverticulitis, still on antibiotics but it feels normal now. I'll be back to working on packing the rest of my bourbon barrel aged syrup in the next 2 days, then back to assembling the Woodlander HM130MAX again.

[maple flats]

I sort of finished the base, I am calling it the base because I got in a hurry to do one project. I assembled the trailer to the point that the trailer frame and the tracks, the log bunks and the trailer frame braces are complete, but I didn't yet add the axles, tires and other finishing touches to the trailer. Then yesterday I started assembling the mill head. At this point my plan is to finish the mill head carriage, stand it upright and lift it onto the track tomorrow if all goes well today. Then I'll set an oak slab I've been needing to resaw to remove a curve it took on while drying, then finish the project I'm doing with that, and after that is finished I'll go back and add the rest of the trailer build to make it portable. I'll get some pictures today.

[maple flats]

I got my sawhead stood up and the rear posts  are attached to the base carriage, after lunch I'll attach the top of the frame that connects all 4 posts at the top.
I did take a couple of pictures and however far I get today I'll take another picture or 2 and upload them to my gallery so I can post them. I'm hoping to be ready to set the sawhead on the tracks tomorrow and to be ready to saw this week on the slab I need to flatten. After that I'll just lock the sawhead down and go back to finishing the trailer assembly. Lots of little stuff for that and until that is finished I can't put any logs on the mill. But, the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter and I don't hear a train coming.
Once this is ready to saw, I've got some Hemlocks to fell. I won't need all of them yet, but I counted about 25 at 20"+ DBH in my woods. The first of them will be made into a pavilion type roof for me to keep the sawmill under, and to saw under too. After that it's a toss up, I plan to build a small sawshop adjacent to the pavilion roof just to keep my sawmill tools, my planer and sawmill accessories. I slso plan to add an addition to my 14x28 shop, it will be 16x32' and be attached to the side of the existing shop. I'm trying to decide how to do that. My 14x28 shop is a shed with a wooden floor, thus it likely moves with the frost, the addition I'm planning to make it a pole barn. I'm not sure how the handle the movement between the 2. Any Ideas?
I also plan to build another storage shed to house my ATV and some other equipment. That will replace a 10x10 tent shed that collapsed under the snow load last winter, after doing ok for about 10 years.

[maple flats]

Today I got the sawmill head stood up on the tracks. I still need to adjust the frame and then torque the bolts. I also still have several smaller things to do, maybe I can finish those tomorrow. If I do, I'll take the slab down the next day and flatten the surfaces, top and bottom. Once done, I'll final shape it. I did one corner to decide how I wanted it to look, 3 more to do. I'm likely going to route the top outer edge in a slight rounded shape. If that goes well I'll take the slab back home to sand it smooth and then epoxy it.
I did get 2 pictures today, I'll upload them tomorrow and post them.
Once the slab project is done, I'll finish the sawmill/and trailer, then I'll saw some lumber, finally. It will be nice to be making lumber again. I think it's been 4 years since I used my Peterson, then i sold it last May. Now I have lots of projects planned. First a 16x32 addition on my shop, and followed by 2 smaller storage buildings, one by the normal resting spot for the sawmill, the other to replace a collapsed tent shed.

[maple flats]

I now have the saw head on the track/trailer, oil in it and gas, battery hooked up too, still doing little things. Today I added the second of 3 log clamps, working under my tarped pavilion, (it's raining). My plans were to add the third log clamp, re-torque the frame bolts and fire it up, BUT, the mosquitoes drove me out. I do have a 30" pedestal fan but no way to get it under the pavilion roof. That makes to too hard for mosquitoes to fly. When I build my sawmill wooden pavilion it will be set up for the fan. My 15+ acres are about 20% wet land, with all of the rain 2021 has brought us, those pests are the worst ever. I guess , being at the head waters of that water flow makes it so I at least don't ever flood. The mosquito problem will end with the first hard frost.

 

[maple flats]

Yesterday I finally got the bolts re-torqued to spec, when the sky opened up. Today according to the forecast we will get 2-4" of rain, thus I won't go work on the mill. The next time I do get down there I'll check the tracking at blade tension, adjust as necessary and then do my first sawing. I have an oak slab that needs to be flattened, after getting it planed (after 6-7 years air drying, under a heavy weight) it still cupped. The slab is 9/4 x 20" live edge and I glued a 6" piece off another slab to end up with about 25" final. I of course had to saw off the live edge on 1 side to square it up before gluing the extra on.
Anyways, I will flatten it, both sides on the sawmill, then sand it smooth, epoxy it and mount it on a 53 gal oak barrel for a display table for selling my syrup. It's now 44" long, I may even cut it a little shorter for stability.
Once this is all finished, I'll finish the final items on the trailer to make the sawmill portable. I still need to add the tongue and the lights.
After that I have some logs waiting to be sawed and I'll also drop a few 18"-28" hemlocks to saw for building a saw shed. Let the fun begin, soon I hope.

[maple flats]

I got down for a while this morning and I adjusted the saw head level. I now have it set parallel with the bunks. Then I started adjusting the tracking but ran out of time. I have a Dr's appointment this afternoon. I hope to get time to finish the tracking adjustment tomorrow, then level the slab I mentioned recently.
I keep working on it in tiny baby steps for sure. hopefully when I have the mill ready to cut, I can get more done.

[maple flats]

Well, it only took me forever, but I made my first cut on my sawmill yesterday. I did have to adjust the throttle cable because the blade stopped, after raising the rpm twice it cut well. I suspect I'd be best off if I get a meter to read the rpm to be certain I'm at 3600rpm. The big issue is that to use one that reads off the end of the shaft I'd need to do it with the drive exposed, that is a no no with a blade on, any suggestions? Is there an electronic one that reads off the spark?
My thought is that the blade stopping was partially because I was sawing oak that had dried 7 years. I believe that would be harder to cut, am I correct?
When I finally saw some logs, I'll get pictures. So far my mill is ready but the trailer it's mounted on still needs the tongue attached, the wiring run and lights installed.
I did have a tent pavilion over the mill, but mother nature took care of that in a windstorm a few days ago. The tent pulled the stakes, lifted up and blew about 30' away and landed upside down. It looks like it might have survived the flight and landing. I'll get my grandson down to help move it back in the next week or 2. We may need to disassemble it, move it back and put it back up. Then I may need better stakes to anchor it. If it sustained damage I can't easily repair I'll just go without it until I can build one out of wood I saw, that was my plan in the first place. The wind that took it was not a twister , just straight line wind about 45-50 mph, from the east. I very seldom get wind out of the east and where the tent was I have lots of woods on all sides except the east.

[Old Greenhorn]

Well, we don't have an AP for that, but in true FF fashion, we do have a thread for it. ;D Check here: https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=111752.msg1751993#msg1751993 
I mention the one I bought, it works well and I am still happily using it. It was cheap and well worth the cost. 5 minute install.

[TimW]

When I first got out of A&P School, my boss had a hand held unit (kind of looked like a tuning fork) he just held up to and rested the end on the instrument panel, next to the tach and it would vibrate and tell you the rpm, confirming or not if the aircraft's tach was accurate.  Neat little thing, but that was 42 years ago.
hugs,  Brandi

[maple flats]

I ordered one from Amazon, should be here in a day or 2. I has a wire that gets wrapped around the spark plug wire 5 wraps. The reviews were good. It also tracks hours and can be set to remind me of scheduled maintenance needed.

[VB-Milling]

I ordered one from Amazon, should be here in a day or 2. I has a wire that gets wrapped around the spark plug wire 5 wraps. The reviews were good. It also tracks hours and can be set to remind me of scheduled maintenance needed.

Thinking I might jump onboard this train and order one as well.  Which one did you go with?

[btulloh]

Tach is a good idea. With low HP full rpms are essential. 

One thing to watch out for is the throttle cable stretching gradually on a new mill. Since it happens gradually over time it's possible to lose rpms and not notice. No big deal, just part of running a new piece of machinery. After a few hours run time it's good to go back and check all adjustments and alignments. No big surprise I'm sure but it's easy to be focused on sawing and not notice little things wearing in or settling. 

Maple flats, sawing a 7 year old oak is a brave step early on. That really puts these low powered mills to the the test. Mine is the 9.5hp because the bigger engine wasn't available when I bought it. I learned early on to saw my oaks ASAP or I'd be taking my time on really hard stuff.

Glad to hear you're making some sawdust with your new mill. 

[VB-Milling]

One thing to watch out for is the throttle cable stretching gradually on a new mill

Good advice, thanks Bob.  When I assembled the mill originally, the setup from the factory was definitely leaving HP and RPM on the table.  Took but a couple mins to make the proper adjustments and get that 14hp Kohler to scream at me.

[maple flats]

I ordered this from Amazon:

Runleader Backlight Hour Meter Tachometer, Maintenance Reminder, Battery Replaceable,

I hope it performs well. I don't see a model # for it. They had a few different choices, this one seemed to have more functions than the others. According to tracking it should be here tomorrow.

[maple flats]

I took the oak slab home and ran the belt sander on it, almost done. It feels smooth but I can still see  some barely visible lines from the blade. I think I'll need another 20-30 minutes sanding, and maybe with a new belt, and finally with a finer grit belt. Next week the forecast  calls for warmer temperatures, should work out good for applying the epoxy finish. Once almost sanded I'll route the edges using a rounding bit. I'll get a picture when I set it up in the store I'm building it for, at least 1 shot empty and 1 shot with product set up on it. While my main display is kept filled, I think I'll leave spaces between the products on this display.

[Old Greenhorn]

I think that one will work fine for you. Mine looks the same except it doesn't have a green screen. I think I paid about 15 bucks, but I use it all the time as a reference to augment to other things I am sensing as I mill. On lower powered mills, it's a no-brainer handy tool. On a 38HP diesel, it doesn't really have as much impact. ;D

[rusticretreater]

Hey,

Really late to the thread, but I only joined the forum recently.  I have a 2021 Woodland Mills HM130Max w/ track extension in a shed.  I also added the lap siding upgrade and the toe board.  I would make a recommendation on the lube system for the blade.  Folks have complained about the needle valve at the tank getting clogged with sawdust, dirt etc.  I had my own travails as I couldn't get the flow rate I wanted.  So I leave the valve wide open and pinch the line between the distribution block at the motor and the nozzle with an adjustable line clamp.  Other folks have used a ball valve.  I think I will be purchasing a tach for my mill too.  

[thecfarm]

Glad to hear you are sawing!!!

[VB-Milling]

Folks have complained about the needle valve at the tank getting clogged with sawdust, dirt etc

My problem always seem to be at the zerk fitting at the blade guide, although I have taken the whole system apart once already to clean out everything at only 10 hrs run time..  I started running without the zerk and it seems to help.

[maple flats]

My tach came 3 days ago. Too busy with my slab project to install it now, maybe in a week or 2.

[Waspu]

Hi, how long in total does it take to assemble the 130 max 

[VB-Milling]

@Waspu

Welcome to the FF.

I'll give you my 2 cents...it depends.  Its a pretty open-ended question.  Some people may work every day on it and still need a week.

The more mechanically inclined and familiar with tools you are, the quicker it can go.

You can do it in a long day alone or in a shorter day with 2 people if you have all the tools, you have already uncrated and taken inventory of everything, follow the instructions carefully (preferably already read them ahead of time), have a flat, dry open space to work, and skip lunch.

[rusticretreater]

You can do it in a day, but its a lot of work.  I did mine over several days as it was hot as hades and I was melting as bad as the wicked witch of the west.  You want to use a battery hammer drill with socket adapters to help assembly as there are a ton of nylon lock nuts that will wear you out if you are hand tightening things.  You do need a big tractor or someone to help put the saw head on the rails.  Its not only heavy, but pretty unwieldly too.

Check the tool list. The bolts for the wheels are pretty big.  A lot of the bolts are larger than what you get in a metric tool set. 19mm and bigger. A quality crescent wrench set will also help.  

If it will be not be mobile, take a good amount of time building the mill supports.  The more solid and level your supports, the easier it will be to dial in the setup and it will not move much after that.

[maple flats]

Hi, how long in total does it take to assemble the 130 max

Mine took about 7 weeks, but that was a few minutes here and a few there. In reality I think it took about 12 hrs if un-interrupted. The time included help for about 1 hr on day 1. It was assembled about 30' outside my crowded shop, on uneven ground. If you have space in a shop, with a flat floor and an organized workbench, likely 8-9 hrs. I'm neither organized nor neat, and at my age it won't likely get better.
For things like standing the sawhead up and then lifting it onto the track I had to get a way set up to lift it alone using my mini excavator, using straps, chains and ropes to control any alignment issues from the seat of the excavator. That likely took an hour, but if help had been present likely 3-4 minutes.

[maple flats]

I guess mine took a lot more than 7 weeks, closer to 6 months and counting. While it's true I used the sawmill way back when, I just added the tongue, rear bumper and lights the last 2 days. I still need to add the clamps that hold the wiring harness, but I think that's it. Maybe tomorrow, weather and other obligations depending. 
Since I have surgery this Friday, and I'll be in prep mode Thursday, my other to do need is, if I get more Amber Syrup I'll need to bottle some before surgery. After surgery I'll be on "no lifting" orders for 6-8 weeks. In the meantime, once I can get to watch my brother, he will be sawing some hemlock. He has logs from just 2 trees, and will be sawing some lumber to build some raised beds for growing vegetables in. By the way, he helped me on the final assembly. He helps me when I need it and vice versa, but he also has a SIL who helps whenever he needs, but only on weekends, during the week his SIL works long hours.
Once my back to work OK is given by my surgeon (and I'll bet my wife will also voice an opinion) I'll be felling hemlocks and start sawing for a sawmill shed (open pavilion type) and after that I'll saw an addition to my shop. Fairly certain I'll add a 14x36' addition, but it might be a 16x36'. That decision will need to be decided by the time I start sawing the rafters. I can fit 16' wide, but it would be a little tight because I want a roadway between the addition and the sawmill pavilion. If I don't put a roadway there, into my woods out back, I'll need to make a new roadway in which would be far less convenient, it would then route out past my solar array, and across a wet spot, necessitating a few loads of gravel and a culvert. I haven't yet decided if I want to go thru between the addition and the sawmill pavilion or out and around the solar.

[Ljohnsaw]

I can fit 16' wide, but it would be a little tight because I want a roadway between the addition and the sawmill pavilion.

Can't move the sawmill further out?  What's your minimum for the roadway you want?