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DIY Scrap Iron Bandsaw Mill

Started by RetiredTech, January 31, 2023, 06:38:35 PM

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RetiredTech

Hi Guys. I'm probably about 1/2 to 3/4 way through my DIY sawmill build. I've been collecting knowledge here, lurking in the shadows for some time. A big thankyou to everyone here, especially Gww, Pineywoods, Magicman, Ox, Kbeltz, LJohnsaw and so many others. Reading through all the work you've done convinced me that I could make this idea a reality.
  I decided I needed a small sawmill after a storm knocked down a lot of timber on our family property. I hated to see all that timber go to waste, but it was too much to use for firewood. I never could convince my wife that we needed to spend the money to buy a small mill so that left one option, build it from my scrap pile. I was finally able to retire and that gave me time to start the project, or so I thought...another story.
  Before I retired a friend at work gave me a small diesel kubota garden tractor. It was pretty much junk, but the motor ran great. I had a telescoping light tree off an old constuction genereator that I thought I might use as the frame and an old small northern toolhttps://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=position"> Note:Please read the Forestry Forum's postion on this company utility traier I could scavange the axle from.  
  Don't laugh, I don't have a workshop, or even a medium sized flat spot to work on so constuction has been a trial. All of our property is hills and hollows. I didn't have anything to build the track out of so I decided to start building the sawhead and carriage. Looking back that was a mistake. To anyone else out there building a mill on the side of a hill, my advice is to build the track and level it first, then build the mill on top of it.lol Here's a photo of my progess so far. I cut this board from an old slab I had cut out of one of the storm fallen trees several years ago with a chainsaw. I know, I need blade guards.



 
Philippians 4:8

Branson 4520R, EA Wicked Root Grapple, Dirt Dog Pallet Forks
Echo cs-450 & cs-620p , Husqvarna 136, Poulan Pro, and Black Max Chainsaws
Partially built bandsaw mill

Southside

It cuts straight lumber right? Good Job! 
Franklin buncher and skidder
JD Processor
Woodmizer LT Super 70 and LT35 sawmill, KD250 kiln, BMS 250 sharpener and setter
Riehl Edger
Woodmaster 725 and 4000 planner and moulder
Enough cows to ensure there is no spare time.
White Oak Meadows

RetiredTech

Thanks, It did cut better than I expected. I hope to get the blade guides installed next. I was very concerned that cutting the board would push the blade off the wheels, but the tracking held it in place pretty well.  
Philippians 4:8

Branson 4520R, EA Wicked Root Grapple, Dirt Dog Pallet Forks
Echo cs-450 & cs-620p , Husqvarna 136, Poulan Pro, and Black Max Chainsaws
Partially built bandsaw mill

Ljohnsaw

You cut a straight board without blade guides?  I'd call that an excellent build!
John Sawicky

Just North-East of Sacramento...

SkyTrak 9038, Ford 545D FEL, Davis Little Monster backhoe, Case 16+4 Trencher, Home Built 42" capacity/36" cut Bandmill up to 54' long - using it all to build a timber frame cabin.

Southside

Franklin buncher and skidder
JD Processor
Woodmizer LT Super 70 and LT35 sawmill, KD250 kiln, BMS 250 sharpener and setter
Riehl Edger
Woodmaster 725 and 4000 planner and moulder
Enough cows to ensure there is no spare time.
White Oak Meadows

RetiredTech

  Thanks guys, it surprised me too. I was expecting it to come out very wavy since there's 3 foot between where the blade is supported on the tires. The drive wheel tire is slightly out of round too. I'll need to get it trued up. There's plenty of small problems left to fix. Like my lift winch. I had originally intended to put the mill on timbers laying on the ground. But I think I like it up higher like it is now. But I'm not tall enough to reach the winch! My drive belt may be a size or two too long although it didn't seem to slip. My drive pulley behind the tire may not be for a B belt like I thought it was. The belt rides very high on it. It's very heavy to push so I ordered some new v-groove wheels with ball bearings to replace the roller bearing wheels I have now.....
  Speaking of my winch, has anyone had any luck adding a motor to a small worm drive winch like I have? Even if I could comfortably reach it, I'd really have to do some cranking to get to the top of a log.
Philippians 4:8

Branson 4520R, EA Wicked Root Grapple, Dirt Dog Pallet Forks
Echo cs-450 & cs-620p , Husqvarna 136, Poulan Pro, and Black Max Chainsaws
Partially built bandsaw mill

Crusarius

Looks nice. I know I have been pretty impressed with the lumber I have been able to turn out on my homebuilt unit. I am sure you will be very happy. 

I would love to see some more detailed pictures. I always love seeing how other people tackle some of the issues I ran into.

Iwawoodwork

Retired,       I have seen photos of some one building a saw head lift by attaching a power source to the hand crank shaft of a boat type winch, they either used a wheelchair motor direct or an ATV winch with chain and sprocket. I can't recall if it was a build on FF of you tube. the system seemed to work.  

RetiredTech

Quote from: Crusarius on February 01, 2023, 09:25:24 AM
I would love to see some more detailed pictures. I always love seeing how other people tackle some of the issues I ran into.
I have some photos I took along the way. I'll try to post some as I find and organize them.
Philippians 4:8

Branson 4520R, EA Wicked Root Grapple, Dirt Dog Pallet Forks
Echo cs-450 & cs-620p , Husqvarna 136, Poulan Pro, and Black Max Chainsaws
Partially built bandsaw mill

RetiredTech

Quote from: Iwawoodwork on February 01, 2023, 12:44:03 PM
Retired,       I have seen photos of some one building a saw head lift by attaching a power source to the hand crank shaft of a boat type winch, they either used a wheelchair motor direct or an ATV winch with chain and sprocket. I can't recall if it was a build on FF of you tube. the system seemed to work.  
I'll try to find that. I was thinking about a treadmill motor I have, but the voltage is wrong. Wheelchair motors may be a better fit.
Philippians 4:8

Branson 4520R, EA Wicked Root Grapple, Dirt Dog Pallet Forks
Echo cs-450 & cs-620p , Husqvarna 136, Poulan Pro, and Black Max Chainsaws
Partially built bandsaw mill

RetiredTech

   I'm going to try to document some of the process that got me to this point in hopes that it might help someone else. Maybe they can avoid some of my mistakes. Disclaimer: I am not a welder and never professed to be. Also a good 4.5" grinder and a big pile of cutoff wheels are crucial to this project.

Pulley Build:
    I knew I wanted to use the axle from an old utility trailer. During the process I learned that the cast iron trailer spindles are not ground round on the outside. They only finish a small section where the wheel would ride on the front side. Mine were very out of round. Just something to be aware of. The trailer had four lug 8" wheels. I knew I didn't want to use the 8" wheels and the tires were rotten anyway so I decided I could use the wheels to mount the weld on pulley to the back side of one spindle. Unfortunately it didn't space the pulley out far enough to clear the tires I bought later so I cut a spacer out of wood to move the pulley out enough to clear the tires. I probably could have found wheels with a different offset, but I got a good deal on some 13" tires already mounted to 4 lug wheels. I knocked the wheel lugs out and used some bolts the in their place to mount the tires and pulley assembly. I ground a shallow taper on the inside of the bolt heads to help with alignment with the hub. Here's a photo history of the pulley build.

8" trailer wheel cut in half beside weld on pulley.













Turns out I didn't need to cut the wheel down the center. Should have cut to one side of the hub.








In order to weld the pulley from both sides it will be sandwiched between these two sections. The sections were welded together then the pulley welded from both sides. The pulley had to be cut with a jigsaw to fit around the inner lip of the wheel. You have measure to center the pulley, tack weld it, put it on the spindle and spin it to check that it's centered. If not cut the tack welds and start over.












Finished product. Remember I said I'm not a welder.



Philippians 4:8

Branson 4520R, EA Wicked Root Grapple, Dirt Dog Pallet Forks
Echo cs-450 & cs-620p , Husqvarna 136, Poulan Pro, and Black Max Chainsaws
Partially built bandsaw mill

RetiredTech

I found one more photo of the pulley on the rear of the spindle.




Philippians 4:8

Branson 4520R, EA Wicked Root Grapple, Dirt Dog Pallet Forks
Echo cs-450 & cs-620p , Husqvarna 136, Poulan Pro, and Black Max Chainsaws
Partially built bandsaw mill

Jack S

  This is how I modified my norwood with a HB winch.



 

 

Jack S

I then modified again with mobility scooter motors with complete variable speed. Both  the carriage and head.

 

Jack S

I do not recommend a treadmill motor as they are direct drive and the rpm would be to fast.
Here is my write up with pictures over on the Norwood site.

All the information you need is on my norwood thread in detail. sorry its against forum rules to post the source

RetiredTech

Quote from: Jack S on February 01, 2023, 07:33:55 PM
I do not recommend a treadmill motor as they are direct drive and the rpm would be to fast.
Here is my write up with pictures over on the Norwood site.

power feed and power up and down LM 29 | The Ultimate Portable Sawmills & Forestry Equipment Discussion Group for Modern Sawyers - Norwood Connect ? Norwood Sawmills' Online Forum
Thanks Jack, I am wanting to eventually add a power feed to the carriage too. I see that post is a couple years old. Is the motor that drives the carriage down the track holding up? It seems like that would be a pretty big job for those small motors, even with the gear reduction. I have a HF ATV winch I had thought about using to raise the head. I decided it would probably be too fast to get accurate measurements. I may have to revisit that decision. I may be able to use it to drive my worm gear winch if it's too fast on it's own.
Philippians 4:8

Branson 4520R, EA Wicked Root Grapple, Dirt Dog Pallet Forks
Echo cs-450 & cs-620p , Husqvarna 136, Poulan Pro, and Black Max Chainsaws
Partially built bandsaw mill

Crusarius

I was going to use a 1000 lb winch that I had but after playing with it I realized being right next to my head that thing is deafeningly loud! The noise would resonate through the entire carriage. 

I ended up using a wheelchair motor. I would like more power but I do not want to convert over to 24v.

I may still add a torsion spring for lift assist because the down speed is perfect.

Jack S

with  the motors I used on my norwood I have plenty of power. raising the head draws 14 amps descending  4 amps. The carriage draws average of 5 amps.

The speed controls work very  well but always do a soft start and stop (factory advised). this will eliminate any current draw when switching off and on.  it also stops the jerking and lunging effect.  relate this to how a elevator operates.

The total 0-100  percent variable speed is really nice when setting  the cutting depth as you can easily glid to your setpoint.

I've used this system  2 years now with total success  

The treadmill motors are working very well on my old delta wood lathe also

Jack S

As you see in a previous post picture I originally used a HB winch It had a good average speed but was difficult to home in on the setpoint.  You could still use it and control it with the $15 dollar speed controllers that I used.
I really like the scooter drive motor better 

All the information you need is on my norwood thread in detail. sorry its against forum rules to post the source

 

RetiredTech

Quote from: Jack S on February 02, 2023, 12:00:13 PM
As you see in a previous post picture I originally used a HB winch It had a good average speed but was difficult to home in on the setpoint.  You could still use it and control it with the $15 dollar speed controllers that I used.
I really like the scooter drive motor better

All the information you need is on my norwood thread in detail. sorry its against forum rules to post the source



Crusarius and Jack:
  I copied the information from the other site to my notes for later. I'll probably order the wheelchair motor for the head lift after I get all the basic build taken care of. My new ball bearing wheels came in and most of my control panel pieces are here also. Between the blade guides and everything else I'll be busy for a while. Right now I need some good weather so I can work outside.
 
Jack:
  Did you get your chain and sprockets from the same source?
Philippians 4:8

Branson 4520R, EA Wicked Root Grapple, Dirt Dog Pallet Forks
Echo cs-450 & cs-620p , Husqvarna 136, Poulan Pro, and Black Max Chainsaws
Partially built bandsaw mill

RetiredTech

 Here are some more photos from the early part of the build. This is the old Kubota 1800 Garden Tractor that was the donor for the engine and fuel tank. The engine starts easy and runs good. It's a small 3 cylinder diesel. The glow plugs, generator and fuel pump work but the regulator is fried. I thought about using the dash board but it was in such bad shape I decided to go with new individual gauges and indicators.





The begining of the frame. 4" tube still has welded fittings from the light tree base. I've long ago lost count of how many 4.5" cutoff wheels I've used.





 The bottom of the frame is some 3" x 3/8" angle iron that used to be the top of an old clothes line. I should have let it stick out further in the front. That will end up biting me later.





Trying to decide how to mount the engine to the frame. Original rubber mounts were shot and probably wouldn't stand up to the constant side pressure from the drive belt. I decided a solid mount would be sufficient. There's actually less vibration with this engine than there would be with a single cylinder gas banger.




Philippians 4:8

Branson 4520R, EA Wicked Root Grapple, Dirt Dog Pallet Forks
Echo cs-450 & cs-620p , Husqvarna 136, Poulan Pro, and Black Max Chainsaws
Partially built bandsaw mill

Jack S

The chain and sprockets were purchased from an online ebay store. at 12 volts the carriage moves about 1 foot per second. when sawing pine I run 40-50 percent.

the head motor is direct drive when at full 12 volt power it is very close to what it would be with the hand crank.

Your build is looking really good by the way.


JRWoodchuck

I have a Kubota D662 3 cylinder diesel that came out of a lawn tractor as well it's a 19 hp and it's mounted directly to steel which hasn't been a problem for me. A friend of mine gave me a monster lawn mower that has a Kubota V1505 in it with hydraulics that some day the mill will be powered with which I'm real excited about!
Home built bandsaw mill still trying find the owners manual!

RetiredTech

Quote from: Jack S on February 03, 2023, 09:43:48 AM
The chain and sprockets were purchased from an online ebay store. at 12 volts the carriage moves about 1 foot per second. when sawing pine I run 40-50 percent.

the head motor is direct drive when at full 12 volt power it is very close to what it would be with the hand crank.

Your build is looking really good by the way.
Thanks for the compliment. It's pretty much a find a way to use what you have build. It ain't pretty, but I think it will get the job done.

Philippians 4:8

Branson 4520R, EA Wicked Root Grapple, Dirt Dog Pallet Forks
Echo cs-450 & cs-620p , Husqvarna 136, Poulan Pro, and Black Max Chainsaws
Partially built bandsaw mill

RetiredTech

Quote from: JRWoodchuck on February 03, 2023, 11:45:48 AM
I have a Kubota D662 3 cylinder diesel that came out of a lawn tractor as well it's a 19 hp and it's mounted directly to steel which hasn't been a problem for me. A friend of mine gave me a monster lawn mower that has a Kubota V1505 in it with hydraulics that some day the mill will be powered with which I'm real excited about!
Sounds like a good deal. More power is always better. I've seen different specs on the 662. Some say 16hp some say 19hp. Either way I think diesel is the way to go if you have it. Mine runs pretty smooth. I get more vibration from the wheels than the engine. I need to true and balance them.
Philippians 4:8

Branson 4520R, EA Wicked Root Grapple, Dirt Dog Pallet Forks
Echo cs-450 & cs-620p , Husqvarna 136, Poulan Pro, and Black Max Chainsaws
Partially built bandsaw mill

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