Circular sawmill power units

[D._Frederick]

I was wondering what you have seen, owned, or worked with for power plants on small circular saw mills with blades 36 inch or larger?

After WWII, there were a lot of different makes of engines used to power small sawmill. I remember one fellow had gotten a surplus engine from a troop carrier, it was a track machine with two large flat head V-8 Cadillac engines in it.
The engine didn't seem to have that much power, it would choke down in the cut fairly fast, but would really come back to speed in a hurry, with the exhaust pipes glowing red. The guy only used it one summer and had it worn out. It would go thru two 55 gallon barrels of gas a day.

[junkyard]

A couple of mills had surplus airplane engines, 9 cylinder rotary's from fighter planes.  Same problem with the gas.
I bought a well used portable that had a straight 8 buick on it  als a very well used Ireland with a 4 cylinder Lynn tractor engine.
Alot of mills used farm tractors. A couple were still on water power when I was young. There is still a water powered sash and blind running in Croghan.
                 Junkyard

[Jeff]

Recycled from one of my very early posts on the forum.

There is a local guy in our area that only drives, big front wheel drive Oldsmobile Toronados. When done driving them, he converts them to his power source for his mill.
He cuts them off right behind the dash and removes the fenders. He has a special rims made up that he mounts to run his flat belts. The large engines have plenty of umph, and he is able to use all of the cars controls. The one that he utilizes most is the Cruise control. It not only sets RPM, but acts as a governor, giving more power when the saw is working, just as the car would have needed it on uphill climbs.

The fellow is passed on now.

[maple flats]

I had two friends who partnered up to get an old belsaw going again. One of the guys was a lifelong mechanic who ate and breathed mopar. He cobbled up a drive from a dodge slant 6 and it worked fine. The mill was rather worn out and their fine work varied about 1/4" either way from what was desired. He never woried about the sloppy bearings but knew every trick even those not in the book to keep an engine going. I believe they wore out 2 or 3 engines but he had more. The mechanic is dead now, not sure what the other partner is doing to keep it going.

[Ron Wenrich]

I've seen mainly Detroit 471 or 671 used on most old handmills and some automatics here in PA.  There are a few Cummins diesels.  No one uses gas engines.

Those old Belsaws were set up to run on a PTO. 

[Sawyerfortyish]

I started out with a 70hp farm tractor then after about 5yrs bought a 471 detroit I ran that about 10 or 12 yrs. I could run it almost 2 months on 275 gal fuel. Now I run a 671 it powers my headsaw a hydraulic carrige drive a hydraulic pump for the log turner and live deck and a big cornell sawdust blower and still has power to burn. It eats about 275 gal of fuel a month,

[sawman]

 Like junkyard, many years ago dad bought a mill that had the straight 8 buick engine for the power unit.
Still have nightmares from that now and then.
                                                           

[dail_h]

   There were a lot of Case L, & LA gas eingines used around here,the first mill I sawed on had one.IH UD 6 through 24s were popuiartoo. The oddest rig I ever sawed with was a UD 9 with a UD 6 belted in tandem to a balance wheel. When the 6 took up the slack,you had better hold own. A Rube Goldberg affair for sure,but it sawed a lot of lumber. Detroits were popular with the bigger,more commercial mills.

[isassi]

The mill I grew up with used an Oliver 99 for power..flat belted to the mandrel..and it was only marginally enough torque to run a 48 inch blade in black walnut. Matter of fact, when sawing, as the load increased, you could see the tractor squat to the load and "back up" since it was pulling all it could. Most every mill aside from the ones seen at old engine shows (powered by steam) were pto or belt from a tractor. I use a gas 6 cylinder hercules, putting out 125hp @ 1950 rpm and turning a 52 inch blade @ 600 rpm. I have very little hesitation and it has no problem with maintaining speed in the cut. I am looking for a 471 or 671...or maybe even a cat power unit.

[thurlow]

At the Museum of Appalachia (Norris TN, about 15 miles N of Knoxville)  they've got an old mill which they power with a "G" John Deere with a flat belt during their "fall homecoming" in October; great fun...........

[Tremel]

We have an old 1948 6 cylinder White truck engine.  It's a smooth as can be.  Not too hard on fuel either.  We tried to power it with the farm tractors, but it would not handle the Oaks very well.  Also, the 2 cylinder john deeres are not as smooth.  We run a 50HP Frick Steam engine at our club on the 00 Frick mill.

[D._Frederick]

After WWII and through the fifties the guys that wanted to run a sawmill used any engine that they could get cheap. My father must have had sawdust for blood, if there was a sawmill within 50 miles of us we would go looking for it come Sunday.  Here is some make of engines that I have seen used to run sawmill equipment: Buda, Continental, Hercules, Murphy, Waukesha.

Any body see these engines in action?

[Sawyerfortyish]

The man that taught me to saw has a Buda.  Allis Charmers bought out Buda. Last I knew you could still get some parts from allis for buda. I was told to stay away from Waukesha they were hard to get parts for. Never heard of of a Murphy. Is he the one that was involved with the law? (Murphys Law) :D

[UNCLEBUCK]

 I am still waiting for somebody to teach me how to saw !  :D   I have seen a few auction bills for horse powered sawmills , team goes around in circles hooked to a pole which turns something at the end of the pole which runs a shaft under the ground way over to a sawblade .  Never seen it but thought you might all enjoy my high tech description ! ???

[rpg52]

Hi, still working on my first and only mill.  I have a ~'60's Foley-Belsaw I got from a guy who said he ran it with a Buick stationwagon.  Used the cruise control to run it.  He got it from a guy who ran it with a VW engine.  He said it was all balanced on tire rims, 2x10's and lots of shims. 
     I started out building a steel  8" channel frame on 3" pipe supports, set on concrete piers.  I'll be driving it with a 1946 Detroit 3-71, running through a Ford rear end (3.25:1) so it will run at ~600 rpm when the engine is at 1800 rpm.  It also has a 12kW generator head running off a pulley on the engine.  Still have to build the log deck & finish welding the carriage track and set up the carriage works to get it running.  Then I can start putting guards over drivelines, roofs over engines and tracks, an addition to the barn to store the lumber in, etc., etc.  Most involved, expensive, difficult and fun hobby I've ever had. 
     Just started a new obsession by getting a 6 hp, one cylinder, Indian-built, Listeroid diesel (knock-off copy of an English-made Lister engine) to provide elec. power without all the noise produced by the Detroit Diesel.  It will be mounted behind the Detroit on the same concrete foundation.  I still haven't cut a stick of wood, but having too much fun non-the-less.
Ray

[just_sawing]

The first mill I apprenticed on was ran by a model T engine the second was a 1923 Huber tractor with pistons that were as large as a 3 lb coffee can.

[Frank_Pender]

For my 52" mill I have a 200 hore power Allis Chalmbers  for power and it also runs a 35 CFM compressor for the kickers, rollers, log loaders and flippers.

[JimBuis]

Well......we need to get Buzz-sawyer in here.  He currently runs his big circle mill with a Buda.  He sure likes it and I was impressed.  That old motor powered right on through the cut without a whimper.  I thought it would be incredibly loud.  It wasn't!  I was standing right next to it while Buzz was cutting and it was really rather quiet.  Our old International Super M used to be a whole lot louder.

Come on Buzz jump in here.



Jim

Here's Buzz kneeling down next to his Buda.

[Kirk_Allen]

My Belsaw has a Olds 350 tied to a auto transmission and drive shaft that goes to a rear differential, which drives an axle that drives the blade.  It is controled with a common cruise control and maintains the needed RPM when the going gets tough.  The blade is a 48" but I want to upgrade that after seeing Buzz's monster  ;D

[Buzz-sawyer]

What else.....................

A Buda diesel 6 banger[/size]

[Frickman]

I've seen all kinds of motors hooked to mills over the years. Mostly I've run Detroit 4-71 and 6-71's. I've watched the mill run at Tremel's club. The old steam engine isn't a Detroit but it works pretty good.

[dail_h]

   I sure would like to get to saw behind a real steam engine. Every one of the real old time sawyers that I've ever talked to always talked about how "smooth" steam was. Like ta try it once before my time is up.

[sawguyver]

This is my 6 cylinder chrysler its putting out 40 hp at 2000 rpm that belt is 1/2" thick by 8" wide by about 18 feet long.

[TexasTimbers]

My manual circle came with a Mack front clip and tranny.
My hydraulic/electric mill has a Detroit 6-71.
I also have an Allison V12. Well, it's only a picture of one but I bet I made someones adrenaline go up a little ;D

[Dangerous_Dan]

Nobody's mentioned natural gas.
When I went to college (graduated in 1994) I worked on a farm that had a natural gas well.


His sawmill was powered by a 6 cylinder flathead truck engine converted to run on natural gas.


His gas well made less than 100 psi and the 2000 foot pipe to the mill could not supply the engine enough gas at full load. Farmer fix = install a 55 gal drum as an accumulator at the engine. It worked well but was a little nerve racking catching boards off that big spinning blade and having that rusty old drum right next to you looking like it's gunna blow up.  
I went back to visit this past summer and he has had a new gas well installed, he says it's over 1200 psi coming out of the ground.
The sawmill now has a MM converted to natural gas and no more 55 gal drum with the new well.


I can't remember the manufacturer of the mill but it's American ?something?