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Swingblade Input/Advice

Started by LexusLuther, January 08, 2020, 08:19:18 PM

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alan gage

Quote from: Ianab on January 14, 2020, 03:20:00 PMWhen I'm sawing I usually flat stack off the mill on a trailer. How big a load you can take depends on your trailer size of course. But once I've got a load they get hauled home and stacked to dry. Yes you have to handle each board twice, but not for any distance.


You must be more organized than me. After stacking my lumber goes into the drying shed. It's rare that I don't have to move any given pallet of lumber at least 6 dozen times before the lumber has air dried because I need to either get at lumber that it's blocking or reorganize the shed to make room for more lumber. Once it's air dried and flat stacked I'll move it another 6 dozen times before I use it.

Alan
Timberking B-16, a few chainsaws from small to large, and a Bobcat 873 Skidloader.

Don P

We can spin the carriage and be cutting again in under 30 seconds. The rails are not moved which is more accurate, many fewer steps and faster. The key is on, throttle back below clutch cut in. Hook, winch up, spin, winch down, unhook, throttle up and sawing again. No extra holes were drilled in the carriage. This is mid spin;



LexusLuther

Thank you all for the good information on Lucas and Peterson swingblades.  I wish some Turbosaw guys would give their thoughts on the 6-13.  Based on the videos, it seems like it would be easier to double cut with and be plenty portable.  TS may be more limited if you want to cut longer logs.  Maybe they are all good machines and I should just make my decision.

Ianab

Quote from: LexusLuther on January 14, 2020, 11:01:48 PMMaybe they are all good machines and I should just make my decision.


That's about it. The various mills have some different features, and some have more power, wider cuts, automation etc. But that increases the cost and limits the portability etc.

But they all work like they are supposed to. 
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

jimbarry

Lex, 

Welcome to the forum. Your described scenario was me 3 years ago, wanting to go solo, hilly terrain, etc. All the points about material handling are true, actually sawing the log is the least amount of work.  Having machinery to move material helps... a lot. With a tractor at hand, plan your work flow so that you're handling the least amount possible. I stack and sticker right off the mill onto pallets and move with skid steer.  



 



 

I bought a small manual bandsaw mill (SMG) that will cut a 23" slab off of a 36" log. When I started out I rarely if ever seen logs that big. A couple years in now, I am sourcing bigger logs. Problem for me is turning them on the bunks, so with the boss's approval, I just put a deposit down on a D&L SB1020 Super Pro. Should arrive just in time for spring.




ButchC

Quote from: LexusLuther on January 14, 2020, 11:01:48 PM
  Maybe they are all good machines and I should just make my decision.
Yes, 
If I have come across as bashing Lucas mills it was not intended. You have made the major decision (correctly😃) in that a swinger is the right mill.  I have watched all 3 brands mentioned work at the trade shows. Each one has high points. You just decide which one fits your needs best get out the checkbook and enjoy.  I am sure that they all offer good support. Peterson is excellent, that I know for certain.
Peterson JP swing mill
Morbark chipper
Shop built firewood processor
Case W11B
Many chainsaws, axes, hatchets,mauls,
Antique tractors and engines, machine shop,wife, dog,,,,,that's about it.

Dakota

@Don P How are you hooking to the carriage in order to lift it.  I can't see from the picture.  Have you found a perfect balance point on the engine and installed a lift point ?
Dave Rinker

LexusLuther

Quote from: jimbarry on January 15, 2020, 06:09:33 AM
Lex,

Welcome to the forum. Your described scenario was me 3 years ago, wanting to go solo, hilly terrain, etc. All the points about material handling are true, actually sawing the log is the least amount of work.  Having machinery to move material helps... a lot. With a tractor at hand, plan your work flow so that you're handling the least amount possible. I stack and sticker right off the mill onto pallets and move with skid steer.  



 



 

I bought a small manual bandsaw mill (SMG) that will cut a 23" slab off of a 36" log. When I started out I rarely if ever seen logs that big. A couple years in now, I am sourcing bigger logs. Problem for me is turning them on the bunks, so with the boss's approval, I just put a deposit down on a D&L SB1020 Super Pro. Should arrive just in time for spring.
Love the pictures and work flow advice.  It is becoming obvious that I need to have forks: tractor, skid, or otherwise, to really make this work. 

LexusLuther

Quote from: ButchC on January 15, 2020, 07:06:23 AM
Quote from: LexusLuther on January 14, 2020, 11:01:48 PM
 Maybe they are all good machines and I should just make my decision.
Yes,
If I have come across as bashing Lucas mills it was not intended. You have made the major decision (correctly😃) in that a swinger is the right mill.  I have watched all 3 brands mentioned work at the trade shows. Each one has high points. You just decide which one fits your needs best get out the checkbook and enjoy.  I am sure that they all offer good support. Peterson is excellent, that I know for certain.
I did not take it as bashing-- I appreciate your insight on double cutting.  That is just the kind of real practice information I was looking for.  I think Lucas makes a great machine and I have some regret for not buying a used one I had found recently.   

Don P

If I had a penny for every time something "got away"  :). Your mill will come along.

Quote from: Dakota on January 15, 2020, 09:42:30 AM
@Don P How are you hooking to the carriage in order to lift it.  I can't see from the picture.  Have you found a perfect balance point on the engine and installed a lift point ?

If you look at the pic we welded up a frame (painted black, old piece of bedframe angle) on the back of the carriage opposite the front push bar and at the same elevation. It shares the far carriage wheel bolts. Across the center we ran a square tube bar from that rear frame to the front push bar. There is a U bolt bolted to that bar at center of gravity front/rear. We have marked on the carriage the CG left/right with a sharpie. Before lifting, the engine is centered left/right and lock handle applied. The winch is on top of the "swingset". Its a little ~2000 lb ATV winch running on a motorcycle battery. It is charged with a little solar battery charger panel or in the barn we hit it with the plug in charger every few days of use. There is a shackle with a spring loaded gate hanging from the winch cable.

We usually saw as a 2 man team. As I'm finishing the 1st cut my tail man is holding the hook and winch control. I'm throttling down and centering the engine. We are on opposite diagonal sides of the carriage. He lifts the carriage wheels clear of the rails we both walk around spinning the carriage with us. I pick up the winch control and lower as he guides his wheels and I guide mine back onto track. He unclips as I move the engine into place left/right and throttle up.

The legs of the swingset are just slid up into the next size of pipe that are welded to the top horizontal pipe, there is a winch and battery platform welded on top of that top bar. We took the upper bolted on part of the swing handle off to clear our parts.

TKehl

Quote from: LexusLuther on January 14, 2020, 11:01:48 PMI wish some Turbosaw guys would give their thoughts on the 6-13.


TS is the newest to the game in that group, so fewest in the field by numbers.  However, the key people at TS came from Peterson if I remember right, so the experience is there and there are people on here who have them and have reviewed them if you search.  ;)
In the long run, you make your own luck – good, bad, or indifferent. Loretta Lynn

Dakota

@Don P Thanks for the description.  I like the idea of a single lift point, instead of the four straps I use on the corners of the carriage.

 

 
Dave Rinker

NZJake

Hi,

Just to clarify a couple of points regarding Turbosawmill:

1) The modern manual version can be extended to any length due to its cantilevered design. You just add additional legs (extra vertical winch posts).
2) The M12HD is also extendible due to this same design.

The only mill that is restricted to 26ft of cut length is our standard Automated range. This is due to the fact that the frame is located at the very end of the beam.

With regards to double cutting: In my opinion, the automated option is the best machine for this as you can set the feed rate while you lift the slab off the blade (at the other end of the log) without wedges. The guard can swing partially up to allow the double-cut too (without completely removing it). Also because of the worm drive which raises and lowers the unit you can adjust out the horizontal lead which matches the cut without playing with your blade settings.

Here is a quick video of some sawing I did while I was down south a week ago. It's our computer sizing option that we can fit with any of our automated mills.
The new section feature is now standard with the computer system. This same section option is also achievable on our hand-crank/drill operated option.

We will be at the Kentucky Farm show and the Oregon Conference showing our Automated mills in February.

Turbosawmill computer sizing - YouTube
Wife says I woke up one morning half asleep uttering thin kerf and high production, I think I need a hobby other than milling?

Biocmp

Jake, I wish you'd bring a manual mill to the shows (specifically the midwest shows). I want to take one off your hands but i want to see it in action.  Do you have any videos setting it up on uneven ground? 

NZJake

Wife says I woke up one morning half asleep uttering thin kerf and high production, I think I need a hobby other than milling?

mad murdock

I can speak to the Turbosawmill manual 6" and 8". Mine is the chainsaw powered one.  The newer ones that Jake builds now are aluminum beam, light weight and strong.  Mine has a steel beam and a 2 meter extension, when I want to use it. I started with my mill as a 6" cut mill, probably milled about 20,000 bd ft with it like that, and then bought the kit parts from Jake at turbosaw to change it to an 8" mill, still chainsaw powered. I like the lightweight and versatility of the chainsaw powered mill for remote ops and it works very well.  I have probably around 100,000 bd ft with the mill now and it is in a word, AWESOME! Very easy to work around with the single beam. Set u0 and adjustments are easy, and even for chainsaw power it is pretty fast.  In cedar, the best production we have had to date,(my brother helping with adjustments and off bearing), has been 400 bd ft an hour. I have cut logs as large as 7'+ in diameter and as long as 20.5 ft long. I am working on extending the mill capacity to 32' this year, using the older design aluminum beam and newer design vertical gearboxes for vertical adjust. Jake has a lot of vids on his YT channel, as well as his swingblade app, which is a real handy tool for setting up and troubleshooting the mill, as well as other handy tools on there. The have been great to work with,and I am very happy I have the mill I do. Much less work than any band mill, especially with larger logs.  Double cutting is pretty easy to do, once you get a couple double cuts under your belt, you will be off the the races.  
Turbosawmill M6 (now M8) Warrior Ultra liteweight, Granberg Alaskan III, lots of saws-gas powered and human powered :D

Biocmp

Thanks mad murdock. Appreciate the review.  Have you cut many big beams (6x6 and greater)? Or attempted to QS whole trees?  Curious about your experience with that.

And thanks Jake for the video.

NZJake

Wife says I woke up one morning half asleep uttering thin kerf and high production, I think I need a hobby other than milling?

LexusLuther


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