Linn Lumber 190A sawmill build

[OH_Varmntr]

September '21 I placed an order for a Linn Lumber 190A complete carriage kit, built, not assembled.  It arrived at the end of February, I've been chipping away at it, and here's where I'm at.

Unboxing.


Prepping and painting.


20' track.  3" square 3/16" wall tubing with 3/8" angle for the track rail.


Assembling carriage and dialing things in.


Hydraulic blade tensioning cylinder.

Working on bunks for a bit.


Mocking up to mount the motor.





Blade guarding.


Here's how it is now.  The bunks are painted and bolted back down but aren't shown in this picture.  We've got a forecast full of rain on the way but hopefully within the next week I'll have tested it and sawn a few boards.

[Walnut Beast]

Looks great 👍. Hard steady work pays off

[thecfarm]

And the plan for the lumber is?
You will like sawing!!!

[OH_Varmntr]

Looks great 👍. Hard steady work pays off

Thank you!

And the plan for the lumber is?
You will like sawing!!!

I own a 24 acre hardwood lot attached to my farm that I will be utilizing to provide lumber for buildings and smaller infrastructure used in animal husbandry.  I also have a woodworking hobby and burn wood to heat our home.   

[thecfarm]

That is a good use for trees. ;D

[Iwawoodwork]

Yes a good use of your wood and if you are a new sawyer you will be amazed at the amount of fire wood you will generate in both slabs and designer wood during the learning curve.  I was in the same place about 1 1/2 years ago but with Doug fir and new to sawing (still a newbie). I heat with wood and still have quite a few logs on the ground from the big snow 2 1/2 yrs ago and I bark the logs and burn the bark also.

[OH_Varmntr]

I've added a drive belt tensioner and need to work on it a bit.  I think it needs more tension to smooth out the power pulses from the single cylinder engine.

Tensioning pulley - YouTube

I did put a chunk of 6x6 on a bunk and did a test cut.  The rain has settled in here so that's it for now as far as testing goes I'm afraid.

Linn Lumber 190A test cut - YouTube

[Crusarius]

that looks nice. I like the way you did the bed with one exception. There is no physical catch holding the carriage to the rail. Hopefully this never becomes an issue for you but that was recently discussed in another build thread.

[fluidpowerpro]

I second the recommendation of adding a catch. I've tipped my small mill a few times and wouldn't ever want to have it happen with my larger mill. Plan for the unexpected.

[OH_Varmntr]

that looks nice. I like the way you did the bed with one exception. There is no physical catch holding the carriage to the rail. Hopefully this never becomes an issue for you but that was recently discussed in another build thread.

Thanks do you have a link to that thread?

I second the recommendation of adding a catch. I've tipped my small mill a few times and wouldn't ever want to have it happen with my larger mill. Plan for the unexpected.

I try to but honestly that thought never crossed my mind.

Thank you both, I have an idea in mind.

[Crusarius]

check out my signature. The link is there.

[OH_Varmntr]

Got it thanks.   My carriage has tabs welded on it that hang below the wheel flanges on the outside of the track rail.  It would be simple enough to add a tab to each corner held in place by the bolts that serve as the wheel axles.

[Crusarius]

I guess you do have some room to make a hook. It may not be a bad idea.

You can also check out my gallery for more pics that didn't make it into my build thread.

[OH_Varmntr]

I knocked a few things out prior to pulling it outside and getting poured on by a rainstorm.   :D 

It's ready for a test cut but the rain lately has made it so wet I'm afraid of getting the tractor stuck.

I closed up the track frame ends with plate and threaded them for 3/8" holes for eyebolts.

Added a oil drain hole to the motor mounting plate to facilitate cleaner oil changes in the future and changed the oil while I was at it.

Soldered a mounting tab for my lube dripping tube.

[DbltreeBelgians]

Very nice.
I can tell you've been bitten by the bug and have the same sawdust 
(man-glitter) addiction the rest of us here have.
Have fun and be safe.

Brent

[OH_Varmntr]

Very nice.
I can tell you've been bitten by the bug and have the same sawdust
(man-glitter) addiction the rest of us here have.
Have fun and be safe.

Brent

Thanks Brent, where might you be in NW Ohio?  We are up by the toll road and the IN state line.  

[DbltreeBelgians]

Very nice.
I can tell you've been bitten by the bug and have the same sawdust
(man-glitter) addiction the rest of us here have.
Have fun and be safe.

Brent

Thanks Brent, where might you be in NW Ohio?  We are up by the toll road and the IN state line.  

Between Findlay and Bluffton. A couple mile outside the little village of Rawson 
Brent

[Cornerstone]

Your mill looks great. I'm currently building one very similar in design to the Linn Lumber mill. Thanks for all the excellent pics! The more the better.

[ladylake]

 A couple things I like..    A bronze block on the acme screws, will last a long time..  Guide rollers instead of those sandwich ones, make sure to set at 1/4" down pressure. On the downside, the angle iron track will wear out after a lot of use unless it's hardened good..  Steve

[OH_Varmntr]

Your mill looks great. I'm currently building one very similar in design to the Linn Lumber mill. Thanks for all the excellent pics! The more the better.

Thank you, if there are any specific pictures you'd like to see let me know.

A couple things I like..    A bronze block on the acme screws, will last a long time..  Guide rollers instead of those sandwich ones, make sure to set at 1/4" down pressure. On the downside, the angle iron track will wear out after a lot of use unless it's hardened good..  Steve

Steve, this is going to be a hobby mill that will probably see a few years of intermittent use and that's about it.  It could turn in to being used more regularly but who knows.

I won't be able to do anything with the mill for a few days then the weather will be the determining factor.  Inches of rain last week, woke up to snow this morning.  Spring is upon us!

[Cornerstone]

Thanks for offering any pictures that I might need! I do have a question in regard to the 3 tubes that slide inside each other in this pic. I'm fairly certain we are looking at the idle wheel (as opposed to the driven wheel). Is the smallest tube in the center just one of the 2 ways the blade cover is held on, or does it serve another purpose? I think the middle tube is the saw head frame portion that the tensioner is mounted to, and the largest outer tube is the sliding frame that the tensioner pushes against to tighten the belt.
Am I on target here?
In one of your videos on you tube you had a leaky cylinder, what was the fix on that? I bought the same tensioner from Linn Lumber and hoping to avoid using the wrong fluid or setting it up incorrectly.
Thanks man, Brian.

[Cornerstone]

Before you go to any trouble at all I discovered the DVD they sent with my order. It's looking like it's very thorough so I think it'll answer all my questions. I'm only up to the 3rd chapter in the video and wish I had bought this at the very start of the build. It's an excellent production.

Thanks!

Brian

[OH_Varmntr]

Thanks for offering any pictures that I might need! I do have a question in regard to the 3 tubes that slide inside each other in this pic. I'm fairly certain we are looking at the idle wheel (as opposed to the driven wheel). Is the smallest tube in the center just one of the 2 ways the blade cover is held on, or does it serve another purpose? I think the middle tube is the saw head frame portion that the tensioner is mounted to, and the largest outer tube is the sliding frame that the tensioner pushes against to tighten the belt.
Am I on target here?
In one of your videos on you tube you had a leaky cylinder, what was the fix on that? I bought the same tensioner from Linn Lumber and hoping to avoid using the wrong fluid or setting it up incorrectly.
Thanks man, Brian.

You are correct.  The smallest tube slides into the center piece about 2 inches and is bolted to the wheel cover and your other 2 assumptions are absolutely correct.

Yes, the leak was fixed.  I just tapped the 1/8" NPT a bit deeper and it sealed nicely.

[OH_Varmntr]

60" cant hooks came in today.  Beautiful handles, nicely made.  Going to try them out in the morning, looks like it will be a beautiful day tomorrow.
 

[Walnut Beast]

Looks good 👍