The Official VooDooChikin sawmill build thread!

[Crusarius]

I spent a little more time on sketchup today.  I have a question before I move on to my backstops.

On this bed version I have the cross beams lifted 1.5" up from flush.  However, should I make them flush and then bolt on some stainless square tube?  (taking that reference from reading about green wood causing corrosion on the log bed and from Matt Cremona on youtube).

I do still plan to change the spacing of the cross beams or add two movable units to accomodate shorter logs.

Those 4 legs are stabilizers, I do plan to have atleast 6 jacks for leveling.



 

I made the bunks 2" higher than the side rails. In hindsight, it was a bad idea. With the end open like that you get alot of junk that wants to collect in the tubes. I capped all mine then sealed them with caulk. But when I went to remove my backstops that are bolted into the bottom of the bunk I had water come pouring out. 

After that I decided that was a bad idea. what I should have done was put my trailer jacks inside the frame at an angle so when the feet came down they pushed out more giving me a wider more stable foot print. Then make the bunks and side rails all level and hang the carriage wheels over the side of the rail to allow the blade to get within 5/8" of the deck. 

Even with the bunks painted I end up leaving black lines on all the wet wood I cut from the bed. It needs something between the steel and wood. I think adding either 1" square stainless or aluminum bolted directly to the bunks would have been great. Or another thought was 3/4" HDPE. This would make sliding the log to center it quite a bit easier and make removing slabs from it also easier. 

Now one issue with the bunk caps is what are you going to do for log clamps? My clamps slide on my 2x2 bunks that are spaced 12" from my 2x6 bunks. So the 2x6 is for strength and the 2x2 is for clamping.

The spacing I have on my bunks is 12" between the 2x2 and 2x6 then 36" to another 2x2 then 12" to another 2x6. Another hindsight, I should have made an area with 2 clamps within 12" of each other to allow me to cut super shorts and cookies.

After using the mill for a while I could exceed the character limit in a post if I went through all the random thoughts I have on my design. One day I may start a lessons learned thread.

[Crusarius]

oh yea, forgot about trailer jacks. I bought 8 of them from surplus center. I started 3' in from the ends then spaced them to clear the axle and tires. Placing them at the very ends does not allow you to utilize them to their full extent.

I probably could have gotten away with 6 but the 24' bed was kinda marginal knowing I would be dropping logs on it. I do get the entire mill wiggling on the trailer jacks just from the slop in them. That is why I said diagonal in my previous post.

The movement I get from them being vertical I think is actually a good thing. it allows for a buffer when something shifts suddenly, or the idiot on the tractor drives into it. if the legs were rigid then they would want to bend.

I hope you find my ramblings helpful

[doc henderson]

some folks strap the log load side to the ground so they do not knock it off the supports, and out of level.  I have thought about triangulating some straps to each jack to try to make them more stable.  more annoying than anything.

[VooDooChikin04]

All this info is golden!!  

@Crusarius  i had actually thought about ways to mount my carriage track towards the bottom of the 2x6, 1 for more clearance and two to keep the center of gravity a hair lower.  If I go that route I'm not sure how to effectively do it with the angle iron.  My original thought for that was to use flat bar and weld square tube as spacer/mounts off thr 2x6 then bolt the flat bar track to those.   I haven't cut any metal yet so the sky is the limit on thr design.   

I could go the stainless square tube route for my bunk toppers pending it's not like $10/ft because that seems wasteful. I do have access to a large aluminum siding break, and could make C channel caps with powder coated aluminum.. easy to replace. 

[VooDooChikin04]

As a side note. I really like the green monster sawmill that @homesteading posted about. I've studied their mills everywhere I can online and really like their features and simple approach to things.  I thought their use of trailer hubs from the blade wheels was cool. They use the axle stub to mount the saw wheels and the 5lugs mount to the saw carriage frame.  Also their back stops & log dogs seem very simple yet effective, as well as their leveling and stabilizing system. 

Idk, without ever using a mill its hard to say what works and doesn't but I really like their whole setup. It just makes sense.  Probably should have just bought one lmao. 

[Crusarius]

yea. same boat I was in. But now that I built it and used it I know what I think I really want.

Hence version 2.0 and 2.5. already have v2.0 designed and am working on 2.5. Leaning towards building 2.5.

[RAYAR]

My mill is constructed with 2" X 4" X 3/16" tubing 16' long. It has 7 cross bunks of 1/4" X 4" flat bar spaced at 23" apart except for the first one, it's at 19". Flat bar works good for log bunks, you could probably use something along the lines of 3/8" X 6" for the size of your mill, a few cross tubes with flat bar in between.

[VooDooChikin04]

Well I have that 3rd 2x6x3/16 rect tubing that was intended to be my cross bunks. Paid $120 for it, I feel like I should use it lol.   I feel like a pretty set on using the 2x6 for the cross bunks. Im going to price out stainless square tube monday for putting on top of my bunks.  
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I am confused a little about the back stops.  I understand mills generally have a small stationary stop for putting a cant against. The part that seems to confuse me is the various types of movable stops. I have seen ones that are all connected and pivot up to the desired height.  I've seen the kind that are round bars that you manually raise up and down at each point, and square tube you manually raise.  I'm really not sure what type to even start thinking about.


@Crusarius  you asked as far as bunk caps how am I going to do my clamps?..  I had been thinking about sliding units that will mount next to my 2x6 bunks.  They would flip up and either be screw or cam lock style. that was my thought at least.

[JoshNZ]

My log stops are like your bed stabilisers idea,but upsidedown. Works ok but if you could have a control that raised and lowered them in unison that would be awesome.

I think stops that swung up in an arc might not take the forces so well when you are rolling a log against them with a peavy or hook

[Crusarius]

my stops rotate up and I have no issues with them holding. What I do not like is they are an absolute nightmare to try to true 90 degrees to the bed. They have to be squared up the full range of the arc not just all up or down.

one of the things I absolutely love about my mill design is the log clamps. you can see them in the pic below. They are 2.5x2.5x.188 wall. 6" long with a piece of 3/8" flat bar that flips up. They slide on the 2x2x.188 wall tube next to to 2x6x.188 wall bunks. I keep the bolts just tight enough they stay where I put them. then I slam them into the side of the log and hook the chain that you see hanging from the bed. The chain has a spring on it and it holds the logs better than I ever expected.





You can also see the backstop in the background. I have 4 of them linked together with 1x1x.120 wall tube. I use a trailer jack on the one end of the mill to raise and lower them all together. I like that setup alot to.

I did borrow other ppls ideas wish I could remember who, but my first backstop is 1/2"higher than the rest, so if I clear first one I clear them all.

[VooDooChikin04]

HA!!  I remember seeing that chain and spring setup in action on a youtube video back before I joined here and thought it was pretty clever idea. Had kind of forgot about it.

@JoshNZ  Ive been thinking of ways to get vertical moving backstops today, other than hydraulic.  I had a vision of a saw tooth shape and when pulled would ramp the stops up wards but to get a foot of vertical movement your "Cam" would have to be as tall. Think of of like a row of shark teeth, and the log stops have rollers on the bottoms that ride these shark teeth.  sounds ridiculous lol.    Another option was acme rods driving the log stops upwards all connected with a chain and sprockets.   There is probably an excellent existing way of doing this that im oblivious to. lol.    

[RAYAR]

As far as bunk caps go, you can always use hardwood strips. I have seen a production mill with those on and they're replaceable when they get worn a bit.

For vertical back stops, there are some mills that use a rack and pinion set-up. They will have to have very little play to keep them square though. If the tubes are long enough, they'd have less play.

As for pivoting back stops, the pivots would have to be square in every axis, to carriage travel, to the top surface of log bunks. It could be shims or bolt and lock nut type of adjustments.

Cam lock dawgs are so much quicker to use and set and release if designed properly.

I know, some things require a lot of thought and head scratching to solve things you'd like to have on your mill and hopefully get it right the first time.

[VooDooChikin04]

Just remember, all this discussion will lead to a successful mill build and you guys are being a major part in that.

I've been getting my shop cleaned out so I can get this going. Also waiting on a box of Lenox blades for my band saw so I can get cutting!

Picked up a wellsaw model 600 last summer. Takes a 98.5" x 3/4 blade. Weighs a lot of pounds lol.  Beast. 


 

[tacks Y]

VooDoo, Look at my LM3 in the for sale area here. They have a lot of simple sturdy ideas. I always said if I was building I would copy theirs. There are some things I would change just as with my new Baker which I have not used yet.

[thecfarm]

On your supports. I went and looked at how Thomas does it.  They have 6. But they did not go in at an angle with the set bolts. Those are flat. Now the log supports are at the angle, but the supports are at the flat part. That have never moved since '07. When the big cants are flipped over they hit hard. Never had to relevel in all those years. But I never move it either. On the bottom of each leg is a ¼" piece of flat stock with a rod in the middle. The rod goes up into the 1½X1½ support. This allow the water to drain out.

[VooDooChikin04]

@tacks Y  thanks I'll take a look at it!

@thecfarm how many Jack's are in conjunction with those 6 support legs?

[thecfarm]

none. It was levered with a farm jack. I did not get the wheels with it or the tongue to trailer it. I do not plan on moving it either. 

[VooDooChikin04]

Well I got it!

Guy said it was on a 2015 fertilizer trailer, running the hydraulics. Said they only used the trailer 1-2times a year and then it would sit.  

I got the engine, fuel cell, hydraulic pump, hydraulic tank, and a large car battery.

The engine is also equipped with a remote throttle controller as well. 

Only took 9hour round trip.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Crusarius]

That is a good score. well worth it.

[VooDooChikin04]

The specs I found online say 60lb ft of torque. Should be better than my original 13hp Honda. Lol

I got one metal cutting blade out of the 4 I ordered last week. So now I can start cutting.  (Could use a cutoff wheel)

However this weekend we are having people over to celebrate my fiance's 1yr of nursing school under the belt! 

[VooDooChikin04]

Found this thing for sale at a trading post type shop.  Figured it would be handy to own.


 

[Crusarius]

nice. that will help on setup. after that probably not so much.

[VooDooChikin04]

I need some input on a couple things.

My idea is to go hydraulic on the movements of the mill.  Hydraulic motors to drive the acme rods for vertical movement, Hydraulic motor to drive the carriage down the bed, and probably hydraulic blade guide movement.  Also Id like to have a log loader, log turner, and leveler be hydraulic.  So that being said...  I have some options.

1: Run the hydraulic pump from the 36hp powerplant and then run my blade drive belts from a flywheel mounted pulley system.
2: Run the hydraulic pump from my 13hp honda seperately and put all power of the 36hp to the blade.

3: dont use hydraulics and bust my butt man handling the logs, and saw.  lol..

opinions?

[Crusarius]

for head travel I would look at electric. 

especially if you want hydraulic drive blade.

Then again if hydraulic drive blade and carriage then when one slows the other will also. may work good for preventing waves.

[Nebraska]

FWIW,I like option 2, I'd put the power to the blade...Electric up and down on the carriage.