Log splitter hydraulics for sawmill lift

[Kurban]

Greetings to forestry forum members and guests,

I have been a lurker for some time and want to thank everyone for the valuable resource you put up here. I am in the process of building my first sawmill and would like to solicit some opinions as I have never seen a sawmill in person. I have access to plenty of metal scrap, a machine shop, welding and woodshop equipment. I am planning on using an ACME 1-5 rod set for the sawmill lift mechanism but have not decided on the specifics yet:

1) I have a permanent magnet Leeson Electric 90 Volt DC motor that is 1/2 HP or 3/4 HP. It has a 60:1 gear reducer. I was planning to use the gear reducer for a metal cutting bandsaw operation. Can I use the DC motor with a speed controller to power the rod driven lift mechanism?

2) I also have a transmission from a Troy Bilt walk behind vacuum with a reverse. Can I use that with a separate electric motor to lift the head?

3) I am not familiar with hydraulics so I was thinking that a viable alternative would be to use a cheap 5-ton hydraulic electric log splitter mechanism for the lift. Would that work? Obviously the lift has to be somehow centered to work but one can think of a way to do it...

Any feedback is appreciated.

Sal.

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

Sal....welcome buddy to the F.F.
I know absolutely nothing about building a mill but have much respect for those who have that talent.
I'll be watching your progress and you'll be able to learn a lot on here from those who have built theirs.
Good-Luck!
David

[Magicman]

Welcome to the Forestry Forum, Kurban.   

I'll have to confess that I am a sawmill user rather than a builder so I will defer to the experts.

[21incher]

Welcome to the forestry forum Kurban. It may help if you post some sketches of your ideas to give members something to kick around.

[Den-Den]

The DC motor would be my choice of those you listed (If you have power to run it).  If this is a mobile mill, electrical power may be an issue.

[Kurban]

The sawmill will be run by electric power. I will be installing a 3-phase 10 HP electric motor as the main source of power. I should rephrase one of the questions. Can I use the DC motor with a speed controller without the gear reducer? As an afterthought I was thinking the log splitter as an alternative and easy way of lifting the head. Have not made a final decision. I already have built the track. Just working on the head and have all the supplies. Just wandering the best way to lift the head...

Sal.

[StimW]

If you read the lift description in this add for plans to build your own on ebay- http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sawmill-Plans-to-build-a-heavy-duty-band-sawmill-to-cut-wood-for-lumber-/261365147773?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cda93a87d

They are using acme rods with a 12 V winch with chains between them.
Simple is always better.

[5quarter]

What's the rpm on the motor, 3450? with a 60:1 reduction, that's about one revolution a second. Pretty slow for the up /down. perhaps 2.5 or 3 times that would be good. A variable speed controller would be ideal for the fwd/rev, but not useful for the up/down. on the other hand, a hi/low (speed) option on the up/down would come in real handy. If you're not building a fully hydraulic mill, I would just stick with the acme screws. if you want to relieve some stress on the threads, you can incorporate a torsion spring at the top that will assist in the lift and Re-coil on the way down. Also, if you use the acme thread, use two nuts per rod on the sawhead. there is always a little play in acme rods, but by using two, you reduce the play significantly. also, with acme threads, be very generous with the ATF. Keep us posted

[bedway]

I also used a torsion spring on mine to carry most of the saw head weight.

[dboyt]

How do you plan to go from AC to 90VDC?  I've been thinking about a power head raise & lower and have concluded that a cheap 12V ATV winch is the best way to go because 12VDC is so easy to get.

The electric powered log splitter should work fine, and maybe you could use it to split the slabs for firewood, as well.  Start out by calculating the weight of the maximum size log you will be working with (do a search for "log weight calculator").  If your mill will be stationary, you can save yourself a lot of stress on the mill by building a log deck.  Depending on the size of the logs and how you move them, you may not need the lifter-- or use the lifter to load the log deck instead of the mill.

[Chop Shop]

If you are crafty and cheap (thats a good thing!), then watch craigslist for a FREE treadmill.

Nice brushless motor and speed controller.  And they NEVER have any use!!

[Kurban]

Nice suggestions, thank you all... I did order 6 acme nuts for the rods. I will be using one for the tensioning mechanism.  I am not planning to move the mill (it will be in my barn which is 64'x50') and I have a 4000 lb-forklift to handle the logs. I did however design a removable tow package just in case I need to ever move the mill.

I will look around for a tread mill motor but I need more specifics as to the best use for them. Are they AC or DC motors?

Sal.

[Hilltop366]

Welcome Kurban.

All the electric wood splitters I have seen don't stop when shutoff, they return to the start position, if so I don't think it would work.

[Den-Den]

Treadmill motors are DC (usually 90vdc), speed controllers are not hard to come by BUT they develop full power at about 5000 rpm and torque falls off a lot at low speed; you would need some serious speed reduction.