The Forestry Forum

General Forestry => Sawmills and Milling => Topic started by: hotbabehunter on May 21, 2016, 02:09:34 PM

Title: please help identify this portable band saw mill
Post by: hotbabehunter on May 21, 2016, 02:09:34 PM
-after 26 years of tree cutting, and wanting a saw mill, I finally found and bought an old used broken band saw mill that I could afford and thought I would want to operate.

--I was holding out/waiting for a woodmizer, diesel hydraulic, automatic, lt 40  or bigger. reality has it's ways of setting in, it was either this or waiting another 25 years? there was and is always something else with greater financial priority.

--can some knowledgeable people out there tell me what type/model/brand mill this is?  I need to buy some parts to make it operational again.

--any ideas where markings would be to identify? etc I can not believe that it does not have bolted on, or riveted aluminum plates with data on them, that I can find.   

--seems too professionally done/made to be home made.

--I live in south Carolina, in the united states, but it seems like many  of these portable saw mills get bought and shipped all over the world like the lucas saw mills

--maybe someone can recommend a person or company that would know how to identify this mill?

--everything might be found in an industrial supply store, but it sure would be nice, if some company already had the specs on each item and a few on the shelf.

(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/43129/sawmill_1.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1463853908)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/43129/saw_mill_12.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1463853600)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/43129/saw_mill_11.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1463853629)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/43129/saw_mill_9.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1463854080)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/43129/saw_mill_5.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1463853672)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/43129/saw_mill_2.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1463854029)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/43129/saw_mill_18.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1463893942)
Title: Re: please help identify this portable band saw mill
Post by: Satamax on May 21, 2016, 02:33:35 PM
an old oscar hudson 52 or something like this?
Title: Re: please help identify this portable band saw mill
Post by: Josh3760 on May 21, 2016, 02:57:20 PM
Looks home made.
Title: Re: please help identify this portable band saw mill
Post by: Nomad on May 21, 2016, 05:08:12 PM
     I don't believe that's a homemade mill, but I don't recognize it either.  The bandwheels are pretty distinctive.  That should identify it to anyone who knows what it is.
Title: Re: please help identify this portable band saw mill
Post by: lewis on May 21, 2016, 05:35:00 PM
it looks like it could be a old mity mite, they played with band mills for a time,they were pretty good mills
Title: Re: please help identify this portable band saw mill
Post by: 47sawdust on May 21, 2016, 05:42:20 PM
What part of the country are you in?It would help us make a guess.MightyMite still makes band mills and you are right.Lewis, it does look similar in an old sorta way.
Title: Re: please help identify this portable band saw mill
Post by: ozarkgem on May 21, 2016, 08:17:39 PM
Quote from: lewis on May 21, 2016, 05:35:00 PM
it looks like it could be a old mity mite, they played with band mills for a time,they were pretty good mills
My Mighty Mite looks nothing like this.
Title: Re: please help identify this portable band saw mill
Post by: Magicman on May 21, 2016, 08:49:30 PM
Welcome to the Forestry Forum, hotbabehunter.  I have no idea about your sawmill but adding your location to your profile could help with future questions.
Title: Re: please help identify this portable band saw mill
Post by: Chuck White on May 21, 2016, 08:52:18 PM
When I saw the first pic, the first thing that came to my mind was an early model Timber Harvester!

Probably wrong, but that's what I thought!
Title: Re: please help identify this portable band saw mill
Post by: woodmills1 on May 21, 2016, 10:21:08 PM
could it be a cook's?
Title: Re: please help identify this portable band saw mill
Post by: POSTON WIDEHEAD on May 21, 2016, 10:30:00 PM
I don't know....but you could find a Woodmizer 200 years from now and know who exactly made it.  :)
Title: Re: please help identify this portable band saw mill
Post by: Brad_S. on May 21, 2016, 11:15:56 PM
Quote from: Chuck White on May 21, 2016, 08:52:18 PM
When I saw the first pic, the first thing that came to my mind was an early model Timber Harvester!

Probably wrong, but that's what I thought!

TH snatched their machine design from Silva Saw or Silva Craft...something like that...which Baker later bought. It looked essentially the same throughout its production life so that saw is not a TH.
Title: Re: please help identify this portable band saw mill
Post by: Hiway40frank on May 22, 2016, 06:49:49 AM
Take a look around the trailer hitch. I know in NY if its road legal it has to have a stamp/nameplate identifying its make and specifications.
Title: Re: please help identify this portable band saw mill
Post by: 47sawdust on May 22, 2016, 08:39:38 AM
Send a picture to MightyMite.They could tell you right off.The backstop lever looks like an earlier version of what is on the MiniMite.
Title: Re: please help identify this portable band saw mill
Post by: scully on May 22, 2016, 08:56:32 AM

All hydralic ? Holy cow ! I wanna see this thing mill some lumber . !!
Title: Re: please help identify this portable band saw mill
Post by: york on May 22, 2016, 09:47:43 AM
That thing is home made-is not a TH.......
Title: Re: please help identify this portable band saw mill
Post by: Kbeitz on May 22, 2016, 09:53:08 AM
Might be an older Little Amercian saw.
Title: Re: please help identify this portable band saw mill
Post by: Cedar Eater on May 22, 2016, 09:29:01 PM
I'm thinking it's a kit. It looks very similar to these. http://www.linnlumber.com/page3.html
Title: Re: please help identify this portable band saw mill
Post by: 5quarter on May 22, 2016, 10:16:29 PM
definitely not a home brew, but it may be shop built...That is, built by a machine shop that normally fabs other things. That might explain the decals but no brand name.
Title: Re: please help identify this portable band saw mill
Post by: redbeard on May 23, 2016, 12:19:28 AM
Looks like it might be a proto design band mill of yet to be determined manufacturer.
Lots of shop time and thought goes into the proto type mill. It might have features on it that were never mass produced due to cost.
There's some proto woodmizers Lt 70 still  up n running from the 90s making boards in Oregon .
Title: Re: please help identify this portable band saw mill
Post by: Hilltop366 on May 23, 2016, 11:05:28 AM
No idea what it is but I bet you can get almost every replaceable part from an industrial supply store.