sawdust removal options?

[mikes47jeep]

Hi all

as some of you know i have been rebuilding an Ireland No. 2 sawmill

I am now to the point where I am starting to make lumber, and ALOT of sawdust

what are some of the types of sawdust removal set ups?

pro's con's

blowers vs chains

and where can i get them

best regards

Mike

[thecfarm]

All I remember is a little on this thread. Ron and Jeff was going back and forth on which is better and why, Really gives an in depth look on 2 diffeant way of removing sawdust. I think it starts around page 40. You'll find it.
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,58233.800.html

[mesquite buckeye]

Too bad you are 2800 miles away. We use our sawdust in our potting mix for our saguaros. ;D

[nk14zp]

Congrats on making sawdust.

[drobertson]

I am kinda thinking it may not matter as to how you move the dust away, it will end up either close to the mill or at some distance away. It really is at this point as to what you do, and where you go with the dust.  A bucket loader would be very helpful.   david

[LrryFrrw]

I use a JD tractor with bucket and haul it away with a dump trailer.

[Brucer]

I have a trench beside the mill, about 10' wide and 18" deep. When the wind is to my back I raise the sawdust chute and just blow the sawdust across the width of the trench. When the wind is in my face, the chute dumps the sawdust on the edge of the trench and I can easily push it in.

Once or twice a season I put the bucket on the Cat loader and dig out the trench. Sawdust gets piled near the entrance where folks can drive in and help themselves. If the pile gets too big, I spread it over the field where I store my slabs. It composts faster than I can add it.

[Ron Wenrich]

What is "alot of sawdust"?  What are your market plans?  We were selling ours to farmers and horse people.  So, that meant we had to find a way to load trailers.  Ours went out on a blower and into the trailer.  The dust stayed dry, and was loaded and sent out.  We were doing a couple of trailerloads a week.  If you're blowing onto a pile, there's a lot of dust that floats around the yard and over to the neighbors.  Chains tend to work better for piles. 

Collection from under the saw can come from chains, blowers or conveyors.  If you don't have lots of room under the saw, a box with a blower attachment works pretty well.  There are other options if you're not using a blower.  Chains are the easiest and can be run off the mandrel.  Conveyors are ok to get dust from under the saw and taken to central spot for a blower or chain.  They don't work as well for putting onto a pile. 

[mikes47jeep]

getting rid of it isnt an issue, getting it out from under the mill is the problem

im looking for words of wisdom from others, on what the pros and cons are, with blowers, belts, and chains

[Babylon519]

Hi M47J,
I'm having the same issue. I just completed my circle sawmill resto and put a few logs through it last weekend. That's a lotta sawdust it makes! I have an extra pulley in the husk, and there's lots of clear space on the mandril, so I could power a rake or sweep system. That'll get the sawdust out from under the mill, and out to a pile. Looking forward to getting some ideas from this thread. - Jason

[SPD748]

Ah, circle mill sawdust, something I've spent many hours trying to figure out. I suppose that in order to answer your question, we will need to know a little more about your setup. Pictures are great by the way. Anyway, what foundation do you have? Is there a pit underneath the saw? If so, how deep and wide? If there isn't a pit, do you have room to add one? Ok ok, take it from me whom learned the hard way, a pit eliminates so many issues with circle mills. If you don't have one and it's not to late to add one, make it happen. You'll appreciate the effort later. Back to your original question... a few more details will clear things up.

-lee

[Ron Wenrich]

Go to the link above.  We've covered a lot this before.  https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,58233.800.html

I've used all the methods, with and without a pit. 

[steamsawyer]

Hey Mike,

I think I have posted this on here somewhere before but here is a short video clip of what I have. It works well for me but the pit needs to be deeper. You can see that the dust builds up all over the place under the mill and I think that a deeper pit perhaps lined with roofing tin would allow the dust to slide to the bottom where the chain runs. I replaced the engine with a small Briggs & Stratton with a reduction gear to slow the chain down some, that way it doesn't throw the sawdust into the air so much where the wind blows it back in my face. One thing that helps is I can leave the chain running to move sawdust while the mill is not running. Also this is much quieter than a blower.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aBCr-yx4hQ


Alan

[dblair]

a chain may be the best method but it's certainly not the least expensive . I had an old auger and made the screw work for me under my blade .

  

 

[bandmiller2]

Like so many things it depends, a blower is easy but expensive, noisy dusty and requires a lot of power right off the top wile a conveyer is quiet usally cheap but requires a lot of fiddling to get right. Frank C.

[Joe Lallande]

Check out the sawdust blower for my Belsaw in my picture gallery.  It called a Garage Blower and I am not sure what the were used for, maybe to move air from around machines? I built a metal collection box for my blade with a rear opening and used 12" duct to blow the sawdust.  I have seen these blowers at junk yards.  Good luck.