homemade bandsaw mill, help

[Ox]

Your motto would do well if our out of control officials would follow it.  This country was founded on live and let live but somehow with all the bleeding hearts out there it's all switched around and upside down.  We would get along nicely as neighbors.  I'm sure you'll get to the rest of your mill build when time allows.  Food first, lumber later!  I need to get started on my seedlings as well...

[gww]

Man, the saw is cutting smooth.  I haven't sawed so maby an 8 or 9 inch cedar log isn't much of a test.  I still have problims with the cutting rails.  After squaring the bark off, my board were 3/4 if an inch narrower in the middle.  The boards for the length on thickness seem to be fairly consistant.  I would say my cutting rails must be making a long consistatnt U shape.  I haven't tried wide oak but I didn't narrow the guides to match the cut and am very happy with the fix that was provided here so far.
Thanks
gww

[InterMechanico]

An easy way to check if your rails are nice and straight is to run a piece of string from the top of one end of the rail to the top of the other end. Hold it tight and then look down its' length. If the rail's not straight, it will be clearly visible, because the string will be perfectly straight.

Julian

[gww]

Julian
Thanks for the tip.
gww

[Kbeitz]

Hello everyone... First post...
I wanted to commit of the problem of the blade being pushed or pulled.
If you ever watched a large electric motor belt drive a piece of machinery you can see what happens to the belt.
I doesn't matter how tight you make the belt the side thats being pulled will be striate.
the side that is pushed or returned flops all over the place.
If you look at things like mowing decks the idler pulley is always on the return side of the belt.
Thats whee all the slack is. A bandsaw blade would be no different.

[Joe Hillmann]

Not that you need to do anything about it if the saw runs good but you are running your blade speed around 7000-8000 feet per minute and ideally you want to be around 5500-6000.  On larger logs that MAY be an issue with the engine bogging down.  If it was mine I would leave it as it is unless it became an issue.

Also if you have problems with your belt slipping you can use idler pulleys to make it so the belt wraps more than half way around the one that is slipping.  That way you get more contact area.  I had to do that on my mill.

[gww]

kb

If you look at things like mowing decks the idler pulley is always on the return side of the belt.
Thats whee all the slack is. A bandsaw blade would be no different.

That figures.  It is working good so far on the very small stuff, I may have to look at it when I try bigger.  Thanks for the tip.

Joe

I knew when I built it it was a bit fast.  I thought I would try it using what I had without buying stuff to do it right.  It may end up being penny wise and dollar foolish.  I don't think I will have logs that go 20 inch so maby I will get buy with it.

Also if you have problems with your belt slipping you can use idler pulleys to make it so the belt wraps more than half way around the one that is slipping.  That way you get more contact area.  I had to do that on my mill.

I didn't want to buy the correct size pully which would accomplish what you are saying.  I figured the worst that could happen is I would have to buy it later and I would just have a funny looking idel pully that I payed $24 for that nothing goes to.  With kb's imput, it will no longer be as easy as buying a proper sized belt because the tension pully will still be on the feed side.

I am going to try it as it is on larger stock and am very happy with how it worked on the little cedar log I tried.  Mostly I have my fingers crossed. 

I did go out and use the string trick on the track and make the required adjustments.  Some day I am sure it will have to be made solid but I still can't wait to try it like it is.

I may have got that done but got something in my eye and have some really funny things happening from that situation and am pretty much down and out today.  The light from the computer is killing me and keeping one eye closed is not helping. 

Thanks for the help.
gww

[Magicman]

Hello Kbeitz, and Welcome to the Forestry Forum.  8)

Please add your location to your profile so that we will know.   ;D

[InterMechanico]

It sounds like you've gotten a little welders flash, GWW. Some time in a darkened room for you today. If it lasts more than 12 hours, or becomes very painful, you may need to see a doctor. In the future, make sure you wear a pair of safety glasses with UV-A/B protection as well as your welding mask.

cold wet cloth over your eyes will help too. Don't rub your eyes

[gww]

interm
I thought about that as I went to bed and something seemed to be in my left eye.  I got up the next day and worked half a day with no bad symtems.  Then last evening it got pretty bad and I dug around a bit and used a bunch of drops.  Today was really bad and besides tearing from the left eye I had a runny nose and slept all day.  My daoughter is a eye doc but lives 2.5 hours away and is having a baby in two days.  I thought about going to a doc, but they would probly just try and refer me to a specialist.  I am going to give it anouther day or two and then I will be visiting my new grand baby and I do hope to see that.  I haven't been to the doc in about 5 years (I am thankfull) and I hope time will bee enough.

I do weld with a harbor freight auto dark $29 dollar shield and the thought did cross my mind but one eye is definatly worse.  Mom said put milk in it. 

I hate going to the doc.  I did find the other sysmtems troubling.  Nose running, other eye and sleepyness.  I just took two shots of wisky and will hopefully sleep all night and be better in the morning.

I sit or slept all day with my eyes closed. 

Thanks for the tip on the sun glasses under the mask.
gww

[Magicman]

In the future, make sure you wear a pair of safety glasses with UV-A/B protection as well as your welding mask.

Note that he wasn't just suggesting "sunglasses".  There is a difference.

[InterMechanico]

interm
I thought about that as I went to bed and something seemed to be in my left eye.  I got up the next day and worked half a day with no bad symtems.  Then last evening it got pretty bad and I dug around a bit and used a bunch of drops.  Today was really bad and besides tearing from the left eye I had a runny nose and slept all day.  My daoughter is a eye doc but lives 2.5 hours away and is having a baby in two days.  I thought about going to a doc, but they would probly just try and refer me to a specialist.  I am going to give it anouther day or two and then I will be visiting my new grand baby and I do hope to see that.  I haven't been to the doc in about 5 years (I am thankfull) and I hope time will bee enough.

I do weld with a harbor freight auto dark $29 dollar shield and the thought did cross my mind but one eye is definatly worse.  Mom said put milk in it. 

I hate going to the doc.  I did find the other sysmtems troubling.  Nose running, other eye and sleepyness.  I just took two shots of wisky and will hopefully sleep all night and be better in the morning.

I sit or slept all day with my eyes closed. 

Thanks for the tip on the sun glasses under the mask.
gww

I hope your eyes feel much better in the morning. If you have something in there, you should try to flush it out with cool clean water. It's uncomfortable but it works.

The safety glasses do not need to be expensive or even tinted. They just need to have the UV A/B rating to prevent welders flash (and stuff getting into your eyes). I wear them all day at work. They were a annoying at first, but once I learned to stop touching them and scratching them, I forgot they were there.

SHHHH...... A little secret.... I'm also building a sawmill on the sneak. Don't tell anyone :D

[Ox]

I've found that a bottle of saline solution that is found in the contact lens care area of a drug store works great for flushing crap out of your eyes.  It isn't uncomfortable in the least tiny bit.  It's actually quite soothing for an irritated eye.  And it's cheap too!  You can either drip it in or squirt it forcefully.  Always works for me to get stuff out of my eyes.  I buy the big bottle.  Less than $5 last time I knew and it lasts for a long time.

[gww]

Thanks for the comments.  I am no means healed yet but this morning shows I may at least not be totaly incopassitated.

Thanks for the comments and suggestions.

SHHHH...... A little secret.... I'm also building a sawmill on the sneak. Don't tell anyone

Can't wait.
gww

[Kbeitz]

I bought this hand held USB microscope off E-bay.
It's great for seeing if you got something in your eye.
I was going to post a picture of what I use but  I get this message when trying to post a picture.
Selected album does not exist or you don't have permission to upload in this album

[gww]

k
If you read my first post you will see I also was having difficalty posting a pic.  I did figure it out by going from the attachment setting below the responce and then going to the open picture from here.  I then in the new window hit new folder.  Untill I typed the name of my new folder I could get nowhere.  After I made a new folder I hit download file and then brouse and it worked.  I didn't have to figure out how to resize my picture.  I hope the rubbish writen above helps in some way.

Thanks for the effort.  I still feal like something may be in my left eye but most of my troubles must have been from weld burn cause I am much better.  I was able to drive 3 hours and see my brand new grandbaby born today.  I couldn't have driven that far or at all just the day before.
Thanks
gww

[Magicman]

Congratulations on the "new" family addition.   

[InterMechanico]

Congratulations!

[gww]

Yes, I am excited about it.  I am already trying to teach her how to say " I like gandpa best".
Thanks
gww

[Ox]

Congratulations on the new family addition!  The sooner she knows Gramps knows all the better off everyone will be. :D  It sounds like you must have gotten flashed if your eye is getting better after a few days.  I hear after the first flash troubles your eyes will become more sensitive and take longer to heal afterwards.  Thankfully after dozens of accidental flashes I haven't had any troubles but I bet my day will come.  Or not.  Who knows?  Life is funny that way. 

[gww]

ox

I was surpized my troubles started on the day I had did no welding.  It had to be weld flash though cause nothing else really makes sense for taking out both eyes like that.  I hope I don't become more sensitive cause hounestly I am not the most careful of a guy. 

I agree that the sooner the grandkids all know I am smartest, the better it will be.

I am back home as of right now so time to find a log or a mushroom.
Thanks for the good wishes and hope your build is going well. (if I read the other post correctly)
gww

[buzywoodliff]

Congrats and best of luck on your mill

A friend of mine got flash burn too, hit her the day after welding...

[gww]

Buzzy
Thanks
gww

[Kbeitz]

I tried you picture upload procedure and now I get this message...

DO NOT USE THIS FACILITY FOR UPLOADING PHOTOS!

They dont make it easy posting picture on this fourm...

[Magicman]

Did you review this tutorial?  Pictures

If you are still having problems, then tell us where you are failing and someone will be happy to help.