The Official VooDooChikin sawmill build thread!

[RAYAR]

@RAYAR I recall someone mentioned how they use bronze bushings, maybe it was you lol.  I keep forgetting about that option.   My brain says that linear sleeves will be smoother and less friction as they also have oil seals on both sides to keep debris and dust out. BUT bronze bushings will cost less than shipping on linear sleeves lol.  So idk which route I want to take yet.

I don't recall if I mentioned the bronze bushings before. Mine appears to have bronze bushings mounted into metal tube sections that are welded to a piece of flat bar. They are mounted with two bolts each at the top and bottom of a section of 3" X 5" tube about 20" long. I don't have good pics of this specific area of my mill, will have to get some. My mill is currently set up in town about 1/2 hour away.

To lube, I just apply lube to the bars and run the head up and down a couple of times.

[VooDooChikin04]

@RAYAR its nice and smooth eh?

[RAYAR]

@RAYAR its nice and smooth eh?

It is very smooth, never noticed anything but.

[VooDooChikin04]

I looked a little bit online and really couldnt find an easy source of 1.25" ID flanged bronze bushings. Now I can have a friend machine me some but it'll easily run $80. They would probably be brass. 

OR

I found these on flea bay..  I can cut them in half and have a second set made.  They are 1.25" ID with graphite inserts.  $70.



 

OR

I can get 4 of these Thompson linear ball bushings for $160.



 

 

[JoshNZ]

I've made a few HDPE parts in my time, never seen it flow. It needs to be pressed when it's in that translucent soft state, it doesn't get any more liquidy than this without burning.

I've always made a piston type mold and pressed a puck, then turned the part out of that. It'd work pretty good for this I think.

Those linear bearings would work pretty nice too xD

[BtoVin83]

I think the Thompson bearings require a hardened shaft. If your chrome shaft is for hydraulic cylinders I don't think it is hard enough

[VooDooChikin04]

@BtoVin83   you may be onto something there.  This is hydraulic cylinder chrome shaft, and I believe they cut it with their horizontal bandsaw, so I'm assuming its not hardened.  The idea here is that those linear bearings would mar the shaft over time, wear through the chrome skin?  I'll need to look into that.  

If that is the case..   I may just have my friend turn up some brass, UHMW, or delrin bushings.

I put an email into the materials department from where I ordered the chrome shaft. Need to find out if it is Induction hardered chrome plated shaft or just chrome plated.   If it is the latter, then it is perfect for linear bearings.


I'm hooked on these dang linear bearings because I feel like they will be much more friction free than other methods.

[AllDodge]

Its hardened just not much more then grade 8 would be my thought.  You can cut grade 8 with a drill or saw just takes a bit more time, but not that much more

[Hilltop366]

Old MF harrows had wood bearings (lignum vitae), I wonder if a oil soaked hard wood would work?

[VooDooChikin04]

I have a wood working mallet from kings fine wood working on youtube. its made from lignum vitae. very cool wood.


I'm all about keeping it simple stupid.  If something is difficult and complex, then its going to have more failure points. When I build things its generally robust and simple to the point it lasts without issues.  Thats the goal here. I just enjoy discussing various options and hearing other opinions.

That said, i'll most likely go with some type of solid typical bushing material.  Actually as I type this I remember I have a box of UHMW bushings I used on my last offroad build for the control arm bushings.  Gonna go to the garage and check them out, i'll report back asap.


Here is the last buggy I built. 2003 fuel injected suzuki 600 engine. 6 speed. 15K rpm redline. would easily break 100mph. for scale, the rear tires are 25" diameter.  I sold it a few years back but have kept track of er,  8 years of hard punishment and hasnt skipped a beat.



GSXR 600 buggy by VooDooChikin - YouTube

[BtoVin83]

Call Thompson they will tell you if chrome shaft will work, just didn't want you to waste your money on something and find it doesn't work

[VooDooChikin04]

Well the bushings were not large enough, I was hopeful.  BUT I forgot how smooth UHMW is. I ran a chromed socket through it, and it was so smooth.  I think that may be the route I go.  Easy to replace as they wear, if need be.


 

[Crusarius]

nice buggy. I have been wanting to build mini baja cars for the whole family. I already have my rock crawler. To bad I have to drive so far to use it.

[Hilltop366]

The UHMW should make great bushings, I'm thinking one long bushing holder one each side with a bushing on each end and bolted on would be easier to align than four holders, could also add hyd cylinder wipers to help keep the bushings/rod clean.

Nice work on the buggy!

[VooDooChikin04]

@Hilltop366  My thoughts exactly!!

@Crusarius  of course once I sold my buggy, we ended up moving out to the farm I grew up on and just 2 miles down the road are these awesome mini dune sand trails, and miles upon miles of zero maintenance field roads..   So I need another off roader, besides the little polaris 300 we have.

[RAYAR]

The UHMW should make great bushings, I'm thinking one long bushing holder one each side with a bushing on each end and bolted on would be easier to align than four holders, could also add hyd cylinder wipers to help keep the bushings/rod clean.

Mine appear to have been made as separate bushing mounts, but then joined by a tube to make them like a one piece bolted in place by two bolts at the top and two bolts at the bottom. Was in town yesterday and got a few pics. Mounting plates are actually metal bent into angles and welded to each side of tube at top and bottom. This is how mine has been done, very smooth up and down.


top of 3" X 5" tube - saw head bushing guide


 
guide mounting


 
3" X 5" tube - saw head guide mounting (four bolts)


 

[VooDooChikin04]

round tube with bushings and mounting plates is what my thoughts were, thanks for the photos!!

@RAYAR is your mills drivebelt also around the saw wheel? As in directly driving the saw wheel and acting as a tire.  looks that way in the photos.

[RAYAR]

round tube with bushings and mounting plates is what my thoughts were, thanks for the photos!!

@RAYAR is your mills drivebelt also around the saw wheel? As in directly driving the saw wheel and acting as a tire.  looks that way in the photos.

Yes it is and works just fine.



 

[VooDooChikin04]

Yea I had wanted to go that route for simplicity but I'm going to have to end up running a flywheel mounted shaft and don't want my engine backwards. 

[VooDooChikin04]

I spent a little more time on sketchup today.  I have a question before I move on to my backstops.

On this bed version I have the cross beams lifted 1.5" up from flush.  However, should I make them flush and then bolt on some stainless square tube?  (taking that reference from reading about green wood causing corrosion on the log bed and from Matt Cremona on youtube).

I do still plan to change the spacing of the cross beams or add two movable units to accomodate shorter logs.

Those 4 legs are stabilizers, I do plan to have atleast 6 jacks for leveling.



 

[Ljohnsaw]

What is the purpose of the corner stabilizers if you are going to have 6 jacks? 

With the bolt shown to hold the stabilizers, they just won't stay put.  If you put a log of any size on there, they will be like they are not even there - they WILL slip.  You need jacks (screw thread) that won't budge.

Making moveable bunks with that design will be a challenge.  You'd be better off to have permanent bunks but uneven spacing.  Just have a pair that are close (like 4 or 5'?) for small logs and then longer spacing for everything else.  You just work in the area that is needed.  I have six moveable bunks but rarely move them now that I have them set in a good pattern.

[JoshNZ]

I was gonna say that too, as easy as that idea is I just didn't like it so made jacks. You could have sliding tube with holes for a pin, and a little thread to take up the last of it, if it's going to stay put. Otherwise you prob want screw jacks.

I used pregalv tube instead of stainless on the bunks (I've read that can stain but not seen it yet) you could use mild steel tube with a folded stainless sheet riveted to it by the sides or something - i.e. inverted channel. Unless you can afford the stainless tube then sure. I think you want something there, or you'd be forever repainting your bunk frames

[VooDooChikin04]

I have looked at several designs that used out rigger legs like these in conjunction with jacks, I figured it was for extra support? 24' is a fairly long span. Idk what I'm doing lol.  

So the current floor plan is 24' long x 40" wide. The bunks are evenly spaced at 3' 10" on centers.   My idea for a movable bunk was to have some square stock welded between two of the bunks and add bunk that could slide across the stock as tracks, BUT just having a solid bunk in between two actually should be fine.

[doc henderson]

my bunks are 3 feet apart for the length of the mill.  I need an 8 foot log to span both toe boards, my turner, and my clamp.  an extra bunk in the area you might work a short log would be great.  the outriggers may decrease  the "surge" you get when changing direction of the carriage.  the pins on the 6 jacks have a little play and the whole mill moves a little with the inertia/momentum of the carriage.

[VooDooChikin04]

@doc henderson  thanks for reading my thoughts about movement in the jack mounts haha. I appreciate the insight from your experience!

I have seen some mill builds with outrigger legs going out at an angle as well. It makes sense to have something to stabilize, but I have zero first hand experience with any mill.