Well now I did it. The sawmill build has begun.

[Darrel]

I'm not a mill builder but I have read many mill building threads on the Fotestry Forum and I don't recall ever seeing a any type of rollers on the bottom of the track.

[JRWoodchuck]

I run 2 wheels on the tail end of my mill. Never needed them though... From surplus center I believe they are called a Faultless Wheel.

[grouch]

I think you'd have to get really aggressive to knock that carriage off the track or else have unsuitable wheels.

The wheels on my HF mill have a round-bottom groove. The tracks have a square-cut top. This is a good combination for packing sawdust into the grooves, yet it has never gotten to the point where it came close to jumping the track. You can just make them out in one of the photos in this post.

[Crusarius]

I guess if I am going to do that I should just use a cheap polyurethane wheel. Lighter cheaper and less likely to rust

[Crusarius]

I was thinking V-groove rollers with either angle iron leg up or piece of 3/8" flat welded to 2x6 box. Decided against laying the angle legs down. When I drop something on the legs down angle it will deform the track and cause a high spot. which will more than likely leave a wave in my cut.

I think it was Ox that made me think about that.

[grouch]

Hot rolled angle comes with a nicely rounded edge. If HF hadn't cut it off square, it wouldn't pack the sawdust in so badly.

V-groove on the typical hot rolled edge (flatbar or angle) will work fine. If you turn the angle so the open side is down and ride on the corner, you're going to need some pretty wide V-grooves, I think.

[Crusarius]

Grouch that is what I decided not to do. the primary reason is the rollers will be rolling on the flat face of the angle. When I drop something on the edge it will bulge the spot the rollers are riding creating a bump in the track.

I still think V-groove rollers but thinking on the leg of the angle leaving it round.

[Ox]

Don't over think it.  These aren't laser cutter machines!  It's simple for the best results - take angle iron and lay it so it looks like an L.  Make your rollers ride on top of the L.  It's a rounded over edge.  If you're worried about packing sawdust into your wheels, put a piece of plastic there to scrape the track off ahead of the wheel.  Even if you happen to drop a steel tool on the edge of the track and ding it you won't notice the difference in the lumber.  It's just not an issue.  If you absolutely need to fix a ding, simply put a tack weld there and file it down or something.  Easy peasy.

You only need 4 rollers.  Gravity holds it on.  The only time you need to keep it forced down on the track is if you're transporting on a trailer, then just strap it down tight so it can't move or bounce.

I made mine as simple as possible so I can minimize breakdowns.  If you want a fancier machine all the power to you - it's your mill and your money!  :laugh: I'm here to help if you need simple and basic ideas.  Hopefully that's a help to you. 

[Crusarius]

I have been studying the pictures I took of your mill quite a bit lately. I am definitely over thinking a lot of stuff.

Today I started thinking about making some 3/4" threaded delrin rods to take up slop in the tube over tube connections for the blade adjust and the height adjust.

Sometimes I am way to critical about stuff. But I sure do like tight smooth operating tools and machinery.

[grouch]

Next you'll be making dovetail slides with gibs so you can machine the wood instead of milling it.  ;D


Give 'im another smack upside da haid, Ox.

[thecfarm]

like this.



 

This is made by Thomas in Brooks Maine.
Note the wheel,upper left. That metal in front of the wheel is just laid there to keep the head form moving when the wind is blowing.
A bunch more pictures in my gallery from past threads.
They have like an "L" that rides under the track to keep it from falling off. I was moving right along sawing and the next log was closer than I though and the head rode up in the air and off the track.So it's a good idea to have something under the rail to keep it in place.

[Crusarius]

Thanx cfarm that was my concern. hitting something and having it jump or doing something stupid and losing it. The head is going to be a lot heavier than I originally was hoping. not something that would be easy to put back on the tracks without equipment.

[Crusarius]

I can't tell but is that wheel V-groove or U-groove?

[grouch]

Be sure you have stops at each end of the track. That head and carriage act like a big sail and it will roll off the track even if you're not around. Somewhere on here a member tells of getting some injuries (bruises and strains, if I remember correctly) due to not having stops on the tracks.

[edit:]

A link in support of what thecfarm said above:

Sawmill head came off the rails while running.

[Ox]

That's one of them wheels that can ride on the angle iron either way you want - on the edge or on the v.

No need to make anything extra for wear on the tube-in-tube sliding for the up and down.  There's adjust blocks built in to the kit with threaded rods to adjust the mill head-to-carriage angle to get the blade parallel to the bed, lengthwise, before setting up your guides.

Trust me - everything is thought of.  It's a simple, rugged, well thought out design.  When one starts changing around a proven design there is usually hiccups involved and things get dragged out.  Change one thing and something else will be different and you may not catch it until the end of the build.  Then you might have to go all the way back again.  It's hard to tell if you haven't built several of that particular design so that you know it intimately.

Remember what I said?  About making some kind of sliding or rolling support for above the adjustable arm?  I still stand by that.  It's the only thing I'd change or add to the design and by doing this AFTER everything else is built will ensure you don't get wadded up in what I said in the previous paragraph.

[Ox]

The Linn Lumber mill has stops at the ends of the tracks so it can't roll off.

I once had a big wind come up and slammed the mill into a log I had on the deck.  Bent the hell out of the adjustable arm.  Now I wrap a short chain around the leg at the front so it can't roll around again.  With the tarp on it's like a big sail and it rolls easy.  That was that microburst at around 70 mph earlier this year that knocked out power here for around 4 days.

[Crusarius]

I was actually planning on putting a simple brake on the carriage that was connected to the throttle lever. that way when I let go of the throttle the brake grabs the rail. But I will also have solid stops at both ends. I would cry if after all my hard work the head rolled away.

[Crusarius]

Ox, I have not forgotten about the extra arm support.

I only bought the basic kit. so its just the saw head. I am doing the rest on my own.

[Kbeitz]

When I was building my mill I had my weld helmet on and my head rolled away.
i got trapped between my garage door and the head. The head broke out all the glass
on my garage door. This was before I had my stops put on. I was wondering what hit me.

[grouch]

When I was building my mill I had my weld helmet on and my head rolled away.
i got trapped between my garage door and the head. The head broke out all the glass
on my garage door. This was before I had my stops put on. I was wondering what hit me.

I've never had my head roll away or break things and don't think I want that particular experience. You wouldn't happen to be on speaking terms with Marie Antoinette, would you?


Just pickin' at you, Kbeitz. I read your comment completely out of context ("Recent posts") and had to do a triple take to figure out what you were talking about. Glad the old edger didn't behead you!

[Crusarius]

grouch thats the same way I read it

I should not laugh cause I have done stuff like that plenty of times.

I am definitely planning on a parking brake for the carriage when I let go of the throttle. Especially after demoing a norwood that was setup on a very slight angle and the wind kept blowing it up the incline then letting it slam back to home

[Kbeitz]

I now have a cable that pulls the carriage along.
It wont move unless the motor tell it to do so...

[thecfarm]

I think it's the "u" style. It's not sharp like a "v"

[Crusarius]

Kbeitz that is a future upgrade.

So what is the width of everyones beds? Do you ever wish you went wider. The plans show 41" for the rails but I am really thinking about making it 48" wide.

I keep thinking this would be real nice to double as my steel pickup trailer. Since the rails will be 24' long that just happens to be the length of the steel I get. if I make the bed 48" wide I can fit a 4x8 of whatever on it to. Any thoughts?

I am kinda worried that 48 may be a little annoying to stretch over during clamping and turning.

[thecfarm]

Yes,you could make it wide. But that might make more problems. Yes,you can saw wide,but do you have the equipment to turn those big logs?
I thought about a wide mill,came real close,than I thought about turning those big ones.  I sold my big trees to a sawmill.