what to put under portable saw mill

[kenbees]

What  is better to put  under a  LT40  Pavement or concrete

[SawyerTed]

Concrete for a regular sawing location or stationary set up.  I wouldn't want to set up stationary on asphalt due to the variable load.  I would be afraid the flexibility of asphalt would cause it to break up. 

[rusticretreater]

Certainly not pavement.  Covered or not, pavement absorbs heat and becomes pliable.  While winter freezing and thawing will damage pavement or concrete, pavement is certainly more susceptible. The ground will frost heave.  Concrete is installed level and maintains that if there is a sufficient footer until structural failure.  Pavement moves all the time.  A concrete slab without footers is also susceptible to frost heave or ice damage if water gets under the slab.  As you live in Maine, this is a major consideration.

My own viewpoint is to have no surface at all. The ground is a natural shock absorber.  Vibration from your mill is not absorbed by the concrete and as such, your mill vibrates more under use and will jitterbug somewhat on a concrete surface.  Logs behave differently on concrete than they do on the ground.  They will be more apt to bounce if they fall, or pivot and spin on a protrusion from the log.  Then of course, there is a significant cost savings by not doing the concrete installation.  The big downside is that you have to check your mill for level often as the ground is also pliable.

You do get some great benefits from concrete though.  Easy to level the mill, easy to sweep up the sawdust, easier to clean out from under the rails. Depending on the size of your slab, ramps and log decks can have a level surface to rest on and it would be easier to stack and sticker wood.

[Gary Davis]

dirt

[Cornerstone]

Following along. Need to build a saw shed soon.

[WV Sawmiller]

  I think Gary nailed it. 

  If it is a portable mill it was designed to be used on dirt. Just make sure there is good tension on all the landing gear and the feet are secure. I believe you will find the instructions say keep weight on the tires. I saw mobile all the time and drive the low side tires up on 6" wide boards to level it side to side then adjust the feet to keep tension on them. Check the tension on the mill periodically as they can loosen with big logs rolling around. Adjust as needed. I keep a stack of cut off 6"-8" boards in the truck for this purpose.

   In winter conditions it is better to have the feet on boards than in mud as mud will freeze your mill to the ground overnight. 

[SawyerTed]

Dirt wasn't an option from kenbees. :D

And how does dirt adhere to the unwritten rule that we spend other people's money without constraint?   :D :D  

[Southside]

Get organic, gluten free dirt.  :D

[farmfromkansas]

Keep my mill in the shed, and pull it out when I want to saw. Use a 2' level to set the mill up. Dirt or gravel is fine.

[longtime lurker]

Given a choice of take a roof with dirt floor over a concrete pad in the weather I'd go with dirt.

Conveyor belting laid on dirt is a quick and cheap upgrade. You can operate machinery on it, it's easy to clean off, water drains off/ it doesn't get muddy, it's soft underfoot.

Concrete is still the gold standard for permanent installation though. It's not just about the weather it's about footings for the eventual support equipment 

[kylehamlin]

I recently poured a slab under my LT40 after a year on dirt. So far I've been really happy, especially since I don't trip over the axle anymore. I poured it 42 inches wide, 22 feet long, and 8 inches thick. I angled the corner of the slab on the right side of the tongue so as not to trip when I go to the loading arms or change blades. I had a friend build some heavy duty stationary legs and bolted the mill down with a piece of rubber belting under each foot. Hope this helps...

[WV Sawmiller]

   Doesn't sound portable any more?

[RAYAR]

Flat rocks or log trimmings, if there are some, works good for me. Solid ground is OK if you're only there for a short time.

[Menagerie-Manor]

 I poured 3 reinforced concrete piers with anchor bolts that will be spanned with Doug Fir 6x6's if the freaking rain would stop, been on hold for 3 weeks now and no end yet.




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