homemade bandsaw mill, help

[gww]

Josh

Whew, lots going on over here... Any suggestions while i'm cut, chop, rebuilding??

Yes, take a couple of pictures and share them, and cut some strait boards and bragg about doing so.
Cheers
gww

[Ox]

My suggestion would be to put an anti-seize on every single nut and bolt combination on your mill.  This will ensure easier removal for future reference.  Plain old grease works too.  We used both on the farm every single time we had to take anything apart.  It sure made things easier for the future.

[mazdathumps]

GWW, you know, I try to do this, but always seem to fail to get the most important pictures or videos because I'm so involved in what i'm doing at the time... I will promise to do the best I can... Right now there isn't much to take pictures of - just some metal and holes drilled in it... I'm hoping to make everything removable/replaceable this time around as compared to just welding everything... Also, got the engine unpacked today and I think it will do it's job... The wiring diagram is worthless... Not sure what wires go where, but I'll figure it out and also stripped the solenoid threads with very little pressure but got that ironed out now...

OX, funny you say that about greasing, etc... I was just sitting here at work drawing up some notes with grease fittings and more solid bushings with grease fittings for my tensioner and alignment threaded rods... I'm re-drawing/redesigning the tensioner/alignment threaded rod seats also and adding grease fittings to those... Also, as stated before, I replaced a couple pillow block bearings with new ones... These are all grease able too... That's pretty much all the moving parts on this thing...

I'm still at the drawing board with the adjustable side of the blade guides... I've seen just a few other mills and the basic idea is the same, but I'm not a fabricator... My welds usually don't come out perfectly square, so I may have to actually take my time on these... The closer I weld them to square, the less adjustments on the guides I'll have to make...

[gww]

Josh
My guides are pretty level for the blade staying at the measurement of board cutting when moving them but they are not so good that the blade rides on them exactly the same.  When I cut a really wide log my blade rides probly close to a half inch forward on the guide but luckily it still gives enough support to keep the blade level during the cut and I tried my best.
Good luck
gww

[mazdathumps]

Well, maybe I'll be better off than I'm thinking I'll be. I'm not a real comfortable welder being self-taught sometimes my weld will draw the steel one way or the other and I'm learning, but doesn't change the fact that I'm self-taught.  Lol I'll get as close as possible and fine tune from there I guess

[Kbeitz]

Tack tack tack...  Then weld
Learn to use the weld to pull what your welding the way you
want it to go.

[Ox]

Exactly.  For square welding, you need to keep it square first.  Tacking does this.  Tack on one side, then the other.  What little it moved will be cancelled out by moving to the opposite side/end.  That massive amount of heat concentrated in a little tiny area does weird stuff sometimes.  For example, if I had a 12" piece that I needed to weld alongside/parallel to another identical piece I would like to see 6 tack welds before I continued.  This is just preference and maybe a little overdone, but my mill is also built square!

[mazdathumps]

I appreciate all the tips on welding... I've been through about 6 rolls of fluxcore wire so far since I bought the thing... I feel comfortable with it, but then realize things moved a hair by the end... I'll try more tacks before running my bead...

[Kbeitz]

You can also use line welding to bend metal to where you want it.
If you run a line of weld across the top of a steel plate like in the
drawing the ends will bow up.



 

[mazdathumps]

Aghhh. That bending must be what happened with my steel plate for my adjustment/tensioner.  It had a slight curve to it when I added my third pillow block bearing... I took a sledge hammer to the plate until my axle slid through all three bearings with ease. Water under the bridge, but at least now it's explained. Lol

[Ox]

That's also a way to straighten a warped frame (what K said).  I used heat on mine.  But beware - the first time it moves alot, second time maybe half that, then third time half again.  Doesn't move much the 4th or 5th time so ya better get it right the first time or two.  Hopefully you never have to straighten anything like that...

[mazdathumps]

I sure hope I don't have to... haha

[mazdathumps]

From a previous post of mine...

Also got the engine in today while at work... I've taken this time waiting on the guides and engine to rebuild a bit of the mill... I've pulled all the parts off.  Cut, grinded, welded, replaced, moved, replaced bearings, and painted again... Still got some work to do because a couple parts needed improvement from the beginning and I have to tackle this while I'm at it... It will be a few days or week before I get everything back in working order and new parts on... I figure, I've got the basics down NOW, so now I can fix all the "iffy" things I had to guess about from the beginning... I'm actually excited in making it ALL right and functional...

I forgot to add (for information purposes) that when I flipped the frame a while back, it placed my axles and all on top of the frame... While measuring for the blade guide construction, I realized that I didn't even have 6 inches of clearance between the blade and frame, so I had to cut and weld the alignment/tension stuff back to the bottom and re-drill and move the drive wheel to the bottom to get as much clearance as possible... I think it put me around 10 inches from blade to frame now... Just wanted to include this for future reference or to help someone else who might thumb through this post for help...

[gww]

Josh
Since my guides have the bar they slide on go all the way across the front of the mill, My max cut depth is right around 7 and 3/4 inch.  I lost maby an inch in the way I installed them.  You will be happy for as much cut depth as you can get.  A lot of work for what you did but it will be better.  I only find two times that my cut dept might hurt me.  One is if I miss judge the first cut tapper of the log and the second is when I try to quarter saw boards.  I quarter saw by taking a slab as deep as I can cut it and turn the slab up on its side to get quarter sawn boards.  My target board is usually 8 inch wide and I can't quite get 8 inch with my cut depth.  The good thing is for what I do with the boards what I can get is just close enough to 8 inches to work.

You did a lot of work but I think you will be happy you did.
gww

Ps
I do very little quarter sawing cause it is hard to get logs big enough to get 8 inch boards and the logs that big are bigger then my equiptment to move them.  I have got it done a couple of times though and it is nice to be able too.

[mazdathumps]

I think I'll be glad I redid all this when it's done... I just want it cutting right and if it takes a rebuild, then that's what it takes. I'm not scared to work a little and I tend to do things the best I can, so I'm sure it will all be worth it once I'm cutting perfect boards. Ive never cut quarter sawn boards, so if i get a big enough tree i might try it

[Ljohnsaw]

Before I came to the conclusion that you whittle down a log to become the beam, I thought I needed the ability to cut a very thick cut/slab.  So, I made my depth of throat about 21"   I did this by hanging car hubs below the lower support of my saw head.

 
The box that makes up the saw head is 2"x2"x.120"? tube that was already made up into 4'x8' frames.  With minimal cutting, I made it into a 2'x2'x8' box.  The car hub are hung below and braced.  The blade adjustment is a little cludgey and would do it different if I did it again today.

[mazdathumps]

Very nice. That's deep. I have the ability to add spacers between my pillow block bearings and frame, so if I ever decided that this wasn't deep enough, I could go back and change it by just adding equal size spacers on each side. Most of the trees around my area are not very big. I'm happy to get an 18" log and that's big for around here. A hundred years ago, my property was at the bottom of the Suwannee river, so most of the woods around me are young relatively speaking...

[mazdathumps]

Making progress...

This is the frame after mounting the axles on the bottom... Tensioner/alignment setup back on and working also... I had to move the idle side right about 3/4" to keep the pulley from rubbing on the frame...


This is with the motor mount plate added... 1/4" steel plate over a welded 1x1 tube base... It held me on top of it, so it should hold my engine... I had to use a free float design due to the blade guide mounts which I have not built yet that will run about 1 inch from the back of the front frame... That will probably be this week...


This is with the motor mounted to check measurements and belt alignment and all... It is perfect!


Here is a bottom view of the motor mount... It looks simple, but it is solid...


Another view from the front...


These are just mock up pictures to check all my measurements... I think I will be very happy with this new and improved rebuild... With the motor mount finished, I should be working on the blade guides and belt tensioner this week... After that, I can button it all up, set my blade guides, and hopefully cut some good boards... GWW, I will be sure to level my blade front to back... I've already started on a homemade leveler like Cooks sells...  ;D

[gww]

Josh
Hey, thanks for the pictures and update.  I believe that the level blade will pay dividends and if your homemade blade checker make it quicker, then that might be the first thing you check rather then the last like me cause it is too hard.  I cut a tiny bit of wave at knots today but eventully tightend my drive belt and a few other adjustments, took the dremal and ground on the blade and am now back on track.  It only took me a week to cut my last log and I still haven't did the part I hate worst.  Stickering the last 12 boards.

I bet you like what the motor does for your cut, looks nice and if it is installed as you say "perfect",  Hey, perfect is good.

I am thinking you about have it wipped now so don't forget us when you cut a board.  You might have so much fun that you forget to bragg about it.  Hope not cause I would love an update.
Good luck
gww

[mazdathumps]

I'll keep the pictures coming... lol

I had so many people doubting me from the beginning of this build and said they didn't think I'd make it happen or I'd end up cutting my arm off... It's nice to have you guys cheering me on... Keeps me motivated... And even the 5hp wavy cuts, people were impressed... I can't wait until the whole thing is rebuilt and cuttin' lumber...

[Kbeitz]

With everyone watching it kinda makes you think that you gotta
get it done....

[mazdathumps]

Heck, I'm ready to be done with it, but I also want it done right, so that takes time sometimes. Haha. I work 40+ hours a week and have a family to keep up with... It consumes my free time, that's for sure, but it will be nice to cut nice lumber and boatds.

[Ox]

I've learned that the haters that keep knocking what you're doing are usually petty and jealous and wish they could do what you're doing.  They'll be the ones wanting free milling and welding in the future, too.  I hate people like this.  Don't let them bother you if you can help it.  Keep plugging along - you'll be making sawdust and working harder than ever and be wondering what was i thinking?  lol

[gww]

Quote from ox

you'll be making sawdust and working harder than ever and be wondering what was i thinking?

Aint that the truth.
Cheers
gww

[mazdathumps]

I don't let it bother me, but you're right. It will be the same people wanting something down the road...

Today, I've been making the slide rail for my blade guides. Using 2x2x0.25 for the slider and 1.5x1.5x0.125 for the rail... After what seems like endless hours of grinding the tube to slide freely in the other tube, I've got most of it sliding smoothly... One more peice to cut and grind away at then I can get to welding it onto the mill...

After that's done, I have the belt tensioner to tackle.  It has to squeeze in somewhere... Not quite sure where yet... lol