The Official VooDooChikin sawmill build thread!

[VooDooChikin04]

@tacks Y  thanks I'll take a look at it!

@thecfarm how many Jack's are in conjunction with those 6 support legs?

[thecfarm]

none. It was levered with a farm jack. I did not get the wheels with it or the tongue to trailer it. I do not plan on moving it either. 

[VooDooChikin04]

Well I got it!

Guy said it was on a 2015 fertilizer trailer, running the hydraulics. Said they only used the trailer 1-2times a year and then it would sit.  

I got the engine, fuel cell, hydraulic pump, hydraulic tank, and a large car battery.

The engine is also equipped with a remote throttle controller as well. 

Only took 9hour round trip.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Crusarius]

That is a good score. well worth it.

[VooDooChikin04]

The specs I found online say 60lb ft of torque. Should be better than my original 13hp Honda. Lol

I got one metal cutting blade out of the 4 I ordered last week. So now I can start cutting.  (Could use a cutoff wheel)

However this weekend we are having people over to celebrate my fiance's 1yr of nursing school under the belt! 

[VooDooChikin04]

Found this thing for sale at a trading post type shop.  Figured it would be handy to own.


 

[Crusarius]

nice. that will help on setup. after that probably not so much.

[VooDooChikin04]

I need some input on a couple things.

My idea is to go hydraulic on the movements of the mill.  Hydraulic motors to drive the acme rods for vertical movement, Hydraulic motor to drive the carriage down the bed, and probably hydraulic blade guide movement.  Also Id like to have a log loader, log turner, and leveler be hydraulic.  So that being said...  I have some options.

1: Run the hydraulic pump from the 36hp powerplant and then run my blade drive belts from a flywheel mounted pulley system.
2: Run the hydraulic pump from my 13hp honda seperately and put all power of the 36hp to the blade.

3: dont use hydraulics and bust my butt man handling the logs, and saw.  ..

opinions?

[Crusarius]

for head travel I would look at electric. 

especially if you want hydraulic drive blade.

Then again if hydraulic drive blade and carriage then when one slows the other will also. may work good for preventing waves.

[Nebraska]

FWIW,I like option 2, I'd put the power to the blade...Electric up and down on the carriage.

[VooDooChikin04]

I did not mean hydraulic blade drive...  blade drive will be by belt direct from the 36hp kohler.    

I meant carriage down the mill bed and back..  and saw head up/down.  I've seen some very cool setups using hydraulic for those two movements.  


my main concern is that I would be robbing too much power from the engine by also running the hydraulics from it. opposed to a separate engine driving the hydraulics.


@Crusarius 

I had planned on electric until I saw a build using hydraulic motor to run the acme rod to raise & lower the saw head.  It was excellent, tiny slow movements for precise measurements as well as fast so not waiting time to get where you need.

[Crusarius]

I like the idea of hydraulic raise and lower but for bed travel I would lean more towards electric. a 12 or 24 volt wheelchair motor will get you pretty close to what you would need. Just add a potentiometer to it and your infinitely adjustable.

I toyed with the idea of electric over hydraulic for log handling and just mount everything to the bed and use a battery. Set it up so when the head is in the home position it charges the battery. I have no idea how long a battery will last in that application but it may be worthwhile. Could always just run long wires to charge the battery constant.

Cheaper to run long wires than a bunch of hydraulic hoses or a second engine.

[VooDooChikin04]

dang guys its been close to 100 degrees more often then not these last couple weeks. hard to get motivation to go cut and weld in the heat.

[Walnut Beast]

Change your schedule up😳. Sleep 😴 from 10:30 am to 5:00 pm in the heat of the day and then work all night and in the morning while it’s cool.

[Iwawoodwork]

My 1985  Mitey Mite band mill has both hyd up-down for the saw head and hyd carriage back and forth , manufactured in Portland, Oregon, company still in  business. the hyd systems work great. There adjustment valves  on both systems for setting the flow/speed. Both systems operate off one pump and that is driven off the 18 hp Honda motor by a 3rd belt The main pulley has a 3 grove pulley, 2 belts for the saw and one for the hydraulic pump.

[tacks Y]

I would go hyd off the 36hp. 1 motor is enough, TK a one point ran 2. 

[VooDooChikin04]

Good point about the schedule change, thats something I actually might do!! 

@Iwawoodwork  would you mind detailing a little about how those functions are driven by hydraulics?  Hydro motors with chains? Hydro Rams?  Definitely curious.   

I was worried that driving the saw and the hydraulic pump would bog the engine down. But I like the idea of not having two engines mounted. 

Thanks guys!! 

[Iwawoodwork]

VooDoo,  the saw head lift is with a single ram pushing the head up but it has two lines to the cylinder so may be gravity or power down also. The feed system is a hydraulic motor with a sprocket that the chain (about size 40) serpentines up and over with an idler on each side, this is mounted at the base of the carriage. The one chain is  running along the outside of the inverted angle (v) track anchored at each end with threaded bolts so the chain tension can be adjusted. The newer saws are controlled with and electrical pendent to electrical over hydraulics, My saw being an early model is a manual lever control system.

[charles mann]

dang guys its been close to 100 degrees more often then not these last couple weeks. hard to get motivation to go cut and weld in the heat.

You aint kidding. I wouldnt come out of the house till after 12pm, so i could at least work in the shade, and still have some wind. I didnt get much accomplished on my mill, but got some done, which is better than nothing.