Wooden Saw Mill

YellowHammer · December 27, 2012, 07:36:52 PM

Ain't that something. 8)
Of course a little orange paint would put the finishing touches on it.
YH

Magicman · December 27, 2012, 07:43:20 PM

Who'd ah thunk it. You took nothing and turned it into a way to possible square up a log into a cant and then build yourself a log cabin. Very innovative for sure.

lowpolyjoe · December 27, 2012, 08:47:49 PM

Wow - thanks for all the great feedback guys.

A rip chain (or grind) is something rattling around in my head... but i'm already $20 over budget so i dunno ;)

Throttle cable and fulcrum setup is a great idea. I had considered walking behind the head and pushing it while holding the throttle open with a small clamp or something... i rejected the idea as stupidity. Have to see if i can scrounge a throttle cable somewhere. I'll also try running less than full throttle next time i cut

Orange paint is a great idea too ;D

As a side note to this thread, my alternative plan was to take an old electric motor i had laying around and try to build a band-saw-mill with it. After a bunch of research, i decided the motor was probably too weak so i switched to work my plans around my chainsaw... which, ironically, is also pretty weak :D

Tom L · December 28, 2012, 07:50:48 AM

Joe, have you ever seen this guy, makes all his tools out of wood

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4jzl7lH75g&list=PLCE50CF6354B2BE06

he has one video of a wooden bandsaw.

Busy Beaver Lumber · December 28, 2012, 08:22:15 AM

Joe

Fred here, formerly from West Milford NJ. That chainsaw sled is awesome. Really like to see people come up with designs like that. Very impressive for something built from common 2 x 4's.

terrifictimbersllc · December 28, 2012, 09:10:44 AM

Well deserved slabs you have there, congratulations. 8) 8)

r.man · December 28, 2012, 09:35:40 AM

I think it is a great prototype. Lots of the old mills were mostly wood with steel bolted on for wear and strength. Don't be too in love with any part of your design if you think a change will improve it and keep tweaking it.

york · December 28, 2012, 09:41:30 AM

joe,i have a feeling this will not be your last sawmill.....

albert

fuzzybear · December 28, 2012, 01:44:21 PM

Joe,
look at procut saw mills. You could very easily build a better version based on some of the designs of this type mill. Most everything could be scounged from the scap pile, and be built out of wood. Early designs of big circle mills were built out of wood with only the blade and shafts themselves being metal.
You've shown you have a head on your shoulders and saw dust in your viens. Keep working at it and you can build a little mill that has some adjustment for cutting height.
For some one like you that only needs a mill for a few times this is awsome. Good job. and keep tinkering.
FB

mad murdock · December 28, 2012, 01:54:29 PM

Awesome piece of Yankee ingenuity!! Being comprised mostly of wood, modifications will be relatively easy, and soon you will have a nice hobby mill for really low $$! Great job on the video BTW, can't wait to see the next version!

Ianab · December 28, 2012, 02:54:48 PM

This is an old wooden sawmill that's in the Kauri Musuem here in NZ.

It's a sash saw, basically like a 2 man pit saw in a powered frame. Takes very little power to run, this was hooked to a ~4hp steam engine. Could be run off a water wheel or similar. OK the speed isn't fast, but it will gnaw it's way though a pretty big log given time.

Nothing hi-tech about this sort of mill. It worked 100 years ago, it would still work today.

Ian

lowpolyjoe · December 28, 2012, 11:34:34 PM

Tom L - I haven't seen that guy's videos. Good looking craftsmanship. But i did see two other people on YouTube who built a bandsaw out of wood. Great idea. I still might do that but i think the motor i salvaged from an old vacuum isn't going to have the guts to cut much.

Albert - i am worried i will somehow end up building and/or buying another mill

I'm really trying not to, since i barely have any wood to cut, nowhere to store it, and not enought free time to work on this hobby.

Fuzzybear - thanks for the Procut reference. That setup would be ideal if i had a bigger saw with a longer bar. I originally hoped to secure the bar tip as well as the body of the chainsaw to ensure things stayed straight and level. Unfortunately i'm running 55cc saw with an 18" bar. I decided i couldn't give up the extra few inches needed for a clamp (or a threaded-rod-through-bolt) to secure the bar tip. My cuts today exercised every last millimeter of the bar. Two cuts had to be pry'd apart, cracking a small bit of unsawn log. If this saw ever dies i'll probably buy a giant monster - something completely impractical for the typical homeowner :D

Ian - I wish my project turned out looking more like that and less like random pile of junk. Oh well...

Today i did a fair bit of cutting. Made a few alterations of the mill. The cinderblock counterweight was probably the biggest improvement. Helped keep things level. I also ditched the hand crank drive system... i would need a much more sturdy crank and didn't feel like building or buying one. I was able to reach the saw's throttle with one hand and push the head with the other. I used a 2x4 spanning both sides of the mill to equally push each side. That helped reduce binding of the terribly fabricated wheel/castor system. No picnic pushing this thing while trying to hold the throttle... shelby's suggestion yesterday to run a throttle cable is really a great idea and i hope to add that eventually.

I cut a few of the logs i've been holding on to - most were very small. The video shows the only significant log i had left, though still small at maybe 15"-13". It was a lot of work but results were as good as i could have hoped and MUCH better than i expected 8)

My 'precision depth guide' was a piece of twine wrapped around a lag screw... all board thickness was eyeballed. I wanted a few thick boards and a few thin since i'm not sure what i'll end up doing with the lumber.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDw9gK30TUY

Take care everybody,
Joe

mad murdock · December 28, 2012, 11:44:59 PM

nice looking stack o boards Joe! You will be dreaming about better ways to saw logs, while you are sawing logs! every waking moment you will be thinking of improvements

I do believe you are smitten with the "curse".

shelbycharger400 · December 29, 2012, 09:55:37 AM

What are you running for chain to begin with on that saw? 3/8 or .325?

Im running 3/8 on my csm, but then again im using a 17hp kohler . Hp helps!

Somewhere on the forum, their is an article about circle mill sawing, its rather lengthy and It goes into shearing speeds of wood. It is around 6000 feet per minute,
but frozen was 4500 if I remember right.
My csm runs around that range. 3400 rpm engine, 2 to 1 step up pulley.
Now say, If I put a log on a few inches too long and run out of travel. I have slipped in a chain saw and finished out the cut. I have gotten REAL good at freehand ripping.

hackberry jake · December 29, 2012, 08:17:36 PM

The sawdust sickness will engulf your if you aren't careful. It looks like it already has a good hold.

Brad_bb · December 29, 2012, 08:53:16 PM

MacGuyver would be proud, as are we.
Are you using a rip chain yet. Interested to see if you notice a difference?
Are you putting any weight on your board stack to keep them from warping as they dry?

lowpolyjoe · December 30, 2012, 01:07:12 PM

I'm running a .325 microlite bar+chain. I forget the chain details but it's not a rip chain. I don't know if i'll ever get my hands on a rip chain. This one is cutting pretty well even tho i haven't been sharpening it consistently... surprisingly well, in fact.

I think i read in another thread that a rip chain may not necessarily cut faster but should leave a smoother face. Guess that would be nice but i've already wasted $100 trying to fix a $200 power washer >:( so the budget for my sawmill exploits is pretty low right now.

Regarding my stack - i just threw those boards up in a quick stack at the end of a busy day. It was dark out and my back was killing me so i didn't do a great job. I am hoping to cover and weight the boards to reduce deformation during drying but haven't had a chance yet. Of course, my luck, we got 5" of snow the day after my work and everything is covered now :( Maybe today i'll try to neaten things up a bit.

Schramm · December 30, 2012, 01:17:30 PM

Joe,

Looking good! I have not taken the jump into a mill yet either as I cannot decide which one to get. I think now that I am set on one of 3.

Good thinking on your part, if you cannot buy yet - IMPROVISE.

Rob

scully · December 30, 2012, 01:31:15 PM

Goodf Ol Red Green has a tear in his eye right now ! You done him proud ! I think what you did was genious ! After you started I noticed you had made a crank feed and my jaw hit the floor ! No doubt maybe a little tweaking as with anything and you realy have something worth while ! I am very excited for you ! Very cool indeed !

beenthere · December 30, 2012, 02:40:48 PM

Quotei've already wasted $100 trying to fix a $200 power washer

What do you use a power washer for?

lowpolyjoe · December 30, 2012, 07:20:26 PM

Thanks again for the support guys.

I walked around the yard today and tried to figure out what is left for me to mill.... not too much. Some of the pieces i was planning on cutting are more rotten and cracked than i remembered. Only one of them looks like it might worth having a run at. No cutting today - i don't like to work with snow on the ground and there's no rush. There's a HUGE (oak?) down at my sister's house. I might try to head up there one day and see if i can get grab some logs to play around with.

My power washer rant was unrelated to my recent milling hobby (although i did try to use it to clean a stump i dug out). I got a hand-me-down power washer and tried to fix some problems with it. Spent a bunch of money on tools and supplies. I thought i could fix it without buying the new head it really needs... no luck. So i'm out 1/2 the price of a new unit and it's still not working. So frustrating... At least i got to crack open a small engine and see how everything works (or doesn't work :D ).

dboyt · December 31, 2012, 01:59:26 PM

Very nice setup! I've got a feeling you'll find more trees. Every dead or blown-down tree you see, you'll be thinking about how to get it home so you can mill it. One question, though, how did you bend that ladder to match the curve in the log? I've been thinking about milling some curved logs, and it looks like you've got it figured out.

limbrat · December 31, 2012, 03:07:17 PM

Products of your thought, effort and trial and error. 8) way better than store bought.

lowpolyjoe · December 31, 2012, 11:50:27 PM

dboyt, you're absolutely right. i was running some errands today and saw several downed trees. all i could think about was how i might be able to grab a log here and a log there :D

i don't have a pickup but my honda element can probably cart some small stuff.

milling really is like a disease... i told myself i wouldn't do any work today, but around 3pm i couldn't think of anything else. i cut up a little rotting log i've had hanging around for a while. every piece of wood i see, i just have to know what it looks like inside now!

i think it's oak (although my identification skills are poor). it was MUCH harder to cut that the basswood and pine i've worked with so far. can anyone comment from these pics on whether these boards will be usable when they dry? obviously i would have to cut around the rotten/cracked areas, but i'm wondering if the rest of the wood will be useless too? the tree was dead for years, fell over about 1.5 years ago and i cut it into managable pieces and let it lay around.

good news is, i'm getting good at setup and tear-down. maybe 10 mins each. i store everything in my garage and cut in my back yard pretty close to the house. carrying that wooden head sucks - it weighs a ton - but i was up and cutting in no time 8)

Well.. about 10mins to go for 2012 here in NJ.... Happy New Years everbody!

lowpolyjoe · January 02, 2013, 07:17:52 AM

Quote from: dboyt on December 31, 2012, 01:59:26 PM
One question, though, how did you bend that ladder to match the curve in the log? I've been thinking about milling some curved logs, and it looks like you've got it figured out.

Oops... i think missed your question with my last reply. Unfortunately i don't have too much advice. The logs i've been working with have been relatively straight. In the video when i bring the boards close to the camera sometimes they look bent but that is an illusion due to the fish-eye camera lense effect. Maybe that is what you are seeing?

With regard to the small curvature in some logs i've dealt with. every log i put on this contraption gets special treatment as far as how i secure it for the cut. That essentially means i find an alignment that makes it fit within my narrow cut window (maybe 15" or 16" wide) and then i screw scraps of 2x4's to the sides of a wooden base i have sitting on the rungs of the ladder. The 2x4's press against the log at various points to hold it well enough for a cut. The system doesn't work so great and i still get log movement - i need to think on it some more. I might just need to use more 2x4's