New stops for the Hudson

justallan1 · March 04, 2014, 12:12:30 AM

I finally got a chance to put some decent Stops on my mill last week and what a difference! With the yellow clamp/stop assembly the stops would flex if you try to get a little heavy handed and the clamp part of it rides higher than the stop on anything but straight up, forcing the cant to roll out of square. Not no more. Plus the cant is WAY more solid. I just wish I would have done it sooner. Now I just need to lop off the original stops.

Allan

thecfarm · March 04, 2014, 07:58:12 AM

I have the stops that go into a tube as you do. My tubes are below my bunks,I have a small lip on the top of mine so I get grab on to the lip and raise the stop out of the tube.and mine will drop down into the tube and I saw right over them.

justallan1 · March 04, 2014, 08:15:38 AM

I found out yesterday that I want to weld caps on the tops and cut holes in the bottoms of the tubes they go into to get out sawdust or they won't bottom out. Live and learn. I'd planned on making a long set and a short set, but with the base the tracks sit on the long set will drop down to 1/2 inch and go high enough for anything that will fit on this mill.

Allan

MattJ · March 04, 2014, 08:32:06 AM

I'm going to copy this for sure. This would be much better. I also have a project in the works for a wheel based toe board/ log roller system for the HFE-21. I was making good progress this weekend cutting and welding, happily listening to some music in the shop until I realized I had made a tragic measuring mistake of the measure once cut once variety...after cutting and drilling a lot of metal. Had to go for a walk in the woods and chop some firewood after that. Once I fix that and have my prototype done I'll post some pics.

21incher · March 04, 2014, 08:46:43 AM

Nice job. I have not had the stops flex on my HFE-21. They seem fairly sturdy and accurate even when clamped high on a cant plus I like how they hit the guides and stop the saw so you can't destroy a blade. I use a 2 x4 to pry the cant tight against them before clamping on the first roll to get a good square second cut because the dogs do not have that much travel. I only have a couple of hours on my saw and will copy your idea if they start flexing over time.

21incher · March 04, 2014, 08:53:42 AM

Quote from: MattJ on March 04, 2014, 08:32:06 AM
I'm going to copy this for sure. This would be much better. I also have a project in the works for a wheel based toe board/ log roller system for the HFE-21. I was making good progress this weekend cutting and welding, happily listening to some music in the shop until I realized I had made a tragic measuring mistake of the measure once cut once variety...after cutting and drilling a lot of metal. Had to go for a walk in the woods and chop some firewood after that. Once I fix that and have my prototype done I'll post some pics.

I am also going to build a toe board /roller system that uses roller chain and sprockets for mine when I get a chance. I thought about wheels but don't think the frame would be strong enough to withstand too many logs crashing down on it unless I put brakes on the wheels. Post pics when you are done..

justallan1 · March 05, 2014, 01:24:06 AM

I'd seen these stops on other mills and felt that they'd be better for me, I just didn't realize how much so. I put them at the 4',6' and 10' spots on the track and may add 1 at the 14' later so I won't spend as much time wrestling logs to a certain spot so I can clamp it. I put the first 2 close together with the clamp between them so I can saw real short pieces safely.
I'm interested in seeing your ideas on your toe boards. So far I've been using scraps of wood under the log. ;D Something faster and easier is always welcome, for sure.

Allan

thecfarm · March 05, 2014, 07:59:44 AM

One more thing about those stops. When you are sawing your flitches or making 4 inch boards out of 6 inch boards,I put numbers on my stops so I know how high the stops are. I took off a ½ inch for each one. So if my stops has a 4 it's really 3½ inches to the blade.I put marks from 4 to 8 inches. No more guessing or wondering is that low either? And this way my flitches are more stable,because if I am sawing 6 inch boards and my stop is at 6,I know my log stop is supporting the flitches as high as the stop will go. Peace of mind with the marks.