And another sawmill build thread...

Kbeitz · July 16, 2015, 12:19:30 PM

Silver is a nice lookin color. But i think it is one of the worst colors to hold up to the weather.
Around here it's the silver cars/trucks that rust out first.

deadfall · July 16, 2015, 12:45:34 PM

I'm liking the contrast of the black guards already.

My biggest complaint of W-M orange is the fading. Anything with red in it won't stand up to the sun, except maybe red barn paint and Rustoleum primer. Us navy vets will either love or hate gray. Forest green is a favorite of mine, but not for a mill, methinks. I must pass on the hot pink or the rainbow motif.

What can I say; everyone's an art critic.

======================

Funny thing, I have never been cut while handling blades. The cat did those cuts.

Ljohnsaw · July 16, 2015, 03:29:50 PM

Quote from: Ox on July 16, 2015, 12:12:02 PM

Your mill looks good, buddy! I hate to say this, but the lube "should" be flowing on the blade before it enters the log. It may work just fine where it is, I don't know, but all the manufacturers I've seen put it just after the idle side blade guide. This way the lube is directly on the blade as it enters the cut and not getting mostly slung off on the way around to enter the cut.

Thanks.
???
That is the entry side! Look at the teeth. The motor is on the "pull" side. Reading another thread, I can put one of the nozzles on the bottom of the blade if I have build up on that side.

Ox · July 16, 2015, 04:05:11 PM

I'm sorry, I saw it backwards. You're right and correct and I was wrong. I have dyslexia. Or to lighten it up some, I have lysdexia. :

I'm starting to become more hesitant to offer any advice the farther this brain crap progresses.

Good job on your mill, you should be proud

deadfall · July 16, 2015, 04:20:02 PM

What does DNA stand for?

National Association of Dyslexics.

Ljohnsaw · July 16, 2015, 06:35:55 PM

Quote from: Ox on July 16, 2015, 04:05:11 PM
I'm sorry, I saw it backwards. You're right and correct and I was wrong. I have dyslexia. Or to lighten it up some, I have lysdexia. :

I'm starting to become more hesitant to offer any advice the farther this brain crap progresses.

Good job on your mill, you should be proud

Thanks - re-reading my reply to you sounded snarkey - Didn't mean it that way, should of put a smiley in. ;D I think my band is going backwards from most so you possibly made an assumption.

Ljohnsaw · July 16, 2015, 08:06:25 PM

A little more progress today:

Added the top black piece to the guard. Down by the engine, there is a blue wheel on a set of blue forks off a bike. I couldn't wait for my new dual pulley to arrive tomorrow, so I faked it. I put a single pulley (about 1/2 the diameter needed), shortened one belt (3/8" profile) and fired it up. Turned on the water and awkwardly engaged the belt tension. The engine was not running at top speed, nor was the blade (too small of a pulley compounded it). It cut like crazy! 8) The engine never bogged down so I kept pushing faster until I stalled the blade due to the belt slipping. Still, I was able to cut this log in less than a minute compared to 5-6 minutes with the electric. I was getting worried as the advice above is saying a 13hp would be the minimum.

We'll see how it performs in some real logs (pine, not half-rotted redwood) next week at full throttle and full blade speed. Fingers crossed...

gww · July 16, 2015, 09:13:32 PM

They sell a couple mills with seven horse motors. I am running a nine horse. I would like a 13/14 horse If I got a fast enough cut for the fuel. Heck I would like 30 or 40 horse. I am cutting fine with a 9 horse though. I am only getting about 150 board foot before having to do something to the blade to keep it cutting strait. I don't know if the horse power affects this or if I am buying the cheepest blades on the market. I am working to get more but still use the mill and feel I am comming out ok just not great.
Good luck
gww

Kbeitz · July 16, 2015, 09:28:58 PM

northern toolhttps://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=position"> Note:Please read the Forestry Forum's postion on this company sawmill only has a 7.75 hp briggs engine on it new.
I know someone that has one and it does a fair job.

Ox · July 17, 2015, 12:17:16 PM

Yes, everything is relative. I've heard of a guy with a 2hp electric motor on a mill and it cut lumber. Was it fast? Probably not, but it cut. There are others with a 5hp gas engine and it works as well. Fast? No. I know that when I maxed out my mill with a huge black cherry I was wanting more power, but it cut. Just very slow travel speed to keep the rpms up. Will I ever see a tree that big again? Maybe, but probably not. For what I need, 13hp seems to be just about perfect.

Ox · July 17, 2015, 12:18:31 PM

Quote from: deadfall on July 16, 2015, 04:20:02 PM
What does DNA stand for?

National Association of Dyslexics.

That's funny right there! I wonder if you and I put our heads together the backwards would cancel out and we'd be able to see and do things like regular folks? :D

gww · July 17, 2015, 01:12:43 PM

My nine horse has cut several 13 inch wide boards and the tree to make a cant this size was 26 inches on one end. It made good strait cuts. I have cut lots of 12 inch wide 1 and 3/4 thick. No problim and I go slow on all my cuts so not even that much differrance. Mostly I end up with smaller cants but have cut some big ones. I thought the 26 inch butt log was about 40 inches till I measured it. It was bigg. Most of my bigg logs are about 18 inches on the small end and it will cut them just fine all day long.
gww

Ljohnsaw · July 17, 2015, 06:01:39 PM

I will be cutting lots of rafters - 5x9; planks for roof decking and floors - 2x random but shooting for 6 or 8" around 18' long; Joists 2x12 either 14' or 25' long; Posts up to 8x12, mostly 8x10. Ten Beams 8x15x30'.

deadfall · July 17, 2015, 06:35:09 PM

Quote from: Ox on July 17, 2015, 12:18:31 PM
Quote from: deadfall on July 16, 2015, 04:20:02 PM
What does DNA stand for?

National Association of Dyslexics.
That's funny right there! I wonder if you and I put our heads together the backwards would cancel out and we'd be able to see and do things like regular folks? :D

We'll just keep it stupid, simple?

I can't say how challenging it is sometimes with those matched switches on each side of the W-M control box. One is forward/reverse, and the other is up/down. Now, which was which again?

I often turn on my turn signal expecting windshield wipers. I hate it when I do that with a stater behind me.

Ox · July 18, 2015, 11:28:40 AM

It certainly is a challenge every single day that those without it will never understand. I get so darn frustrated sometimes I can't hardly stand it. Sometimes I can laugh at it. Mostly I grumble.

I had to weld a certain part on my mill 4 times. Every time I obviously thought it was right just to come back the next day to see it was backwards or upside down or something like that. It's never the same day to day which is what really gets me because you don't know what to expect. Thankfully I can read and write halfway decent. It didn't get me there. But seeing things in my head, like a carpentry project, forget it! And ciphering? Sometimes with simple addition it's ok, but usually not. Please don't get the idea I'm whining, just nice to share with someone who understands.

deadfall · July 18, 2015, 01:54:34 PM

I'm pretty good with three-D imagination and that. I can be impossible to work with, as I might not be able so see things as others do. I have learned to be careful, but get reversed nonetheless, more than I'd like. It never pays for me to get into too much of a hurry. Don't want to wind up like Wheezy Joe in Intolerable Cruelty.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eT-i-YEAMe4

gww · July 18, 2015, 07:30:27 PM

I drove a fork truck at work and can't tell you how many times I hit reverse when coming up to a corner. I still sometimes pull my blinker on when I want to back up in my car or truck. I haven't drove a forktruck for 6 years. Unbelievable.
Cheers
gww

plowboyswr · July 18, 2015, 07:56:51 PM

Quote from: gww on July 18, 2015, 07:30:27 PM
I drove a fork truck at work and can't tell you how many times I hit reverse when coming up to a corner. I still sometimes pull my blinker on when I want to back up in my car or truck. I haven't drove a forktruck for 6 years. Unbelievable.
Cheers
ww

:D :D can't tell ya how many times I have done just the same thing! We got some new cat lifts in at work and the shuttle is on the right hand armrest along with all the other controls and I am constantly reaching under the steering wheel to change direction.

Ljohnsaw · July 21, 2015, 01:26:00 AM

Worked on the mill all day today (12 hours). It was a two-step forward, one-step back kind of day.

I re-engineered the belt tension gismo and was able to continue cutting my test redwood log. Ran out of gas - had to make a run for fuel. Filled up the tank only to discover it had a rusted through spot about halfway up. :-[ Pulled the tank off and tossed it. Had to make a bracket to hold a 2.5 gallon plastic tank up on the frame. That ate up some time...

Back to the log making 1" boards just for testing. When I stacked all the boards back on to do some edging, I discovered my first build mistake. I precisely located my blade guide on the power side to be inline with the log stops. Only problem is when trying to cut more than a few inches deep, two of the mounting bolts hit wood :

Ok, shimmed the boards out. I was having problems with one of the belts jumping off so I had to re-align the belt tensioner. Finished that log and put on another. Note to self - make sure the log stops are at least up to the middle of the log, otherwise knots and such will catch the blade guides. Re-aligned the log. Still not quite tight enough belt tension, I was cutting at full throttle and stalled the blade which smoked one of the belts :(

Spent the rest of the day rebuilding the blade guide to slide back further, about an inch or so more, and gave the belt tensioner more adjustment. Will be picking up new v-belt in the morning to replace the Fener link-belts. They just can't handle the HP.

Cuts well, just belt slipping - never was able to bog the motor down. Head raising mechanism is working great. Log dogs are a little bit of trouble to adjust. Might get better with use/practice.

Kbeitz · July 21, 2015, 03:09:49 AM

Sounds like one of my first days.
My log dogs was hitting my battery box when I put them up all the way.
You learn to do a lot of welding and cutting things off to reweld.

gww · July 21, 2015, 08:44:10 AM

ljohn (not little)
If you saw my build tread at all, you will see yours is going quite well. Just keep pegging away and one day it will be eureka, success.

I had to cut mine apart so many times that I now have to bang my angle grinder on the ground to get it to work.
Good luck
gww

Ox · July 21, 2015, 10:39:12 AM

I'd like to meet the man that built a mill from scratch and didn't have to change something. I'd shake his hand and proclaim I just met the most mythical creature on the planet.

nz1h · July 21, 2015, 10:47:14 AM

gww
try replacing the carbon brushes on your grinder, it sounds as if your brushes are getting short or sticking.

alain

Magicman · July 21, 2015, 10:48:09 AM

WM and I am sure all manufacturers constantly are looking for improvements and making changes. There are many revisions.

Kbeitz · July 21, 2015, 11:23:42 AM

Quote from: Ox on July 21, 2015, 10:39:12 AM
I'd like to meet the man that built a mill from scratch and didn't have to change something. I'd shake his hand and proclaim I just met the most mythical creature on the planet.

I came close...
The only thing I change was my log dogs and I did that because I just did not like them.
I alsp change one sprocket on the carrage lift to get more speed.
Other than that no changes.