Author Topic: Bandsaws the way to go! (Read 2450 times)

fodenwagon · « **on:** November 25, 2009, 11:33:27 am »

Hi all as a new member on here, i've read through all the different topics and weighed up the pros and cons of different saws and i think a bandsaw is the way to go for me, (have just brought a vintage circular rack bench but thats a different story!)as im only starting out sawing as a hobby i dont want to splash out lots of cash on a new machine and am quite prepared to make my own,So wheres the best place to start, i've seen plans for sale on various internet sites for bandsaw plans,are they any good has anyone made one from these? did anyone find plans on the internet and copy them or is it best just to look through the gallerys for ideas and to make your own from scratch?

Cheers Duncan

Magicman · « **Reply #1 on:** November 25, 2009, 12:24:39 pm »

There is a "For Sale" forum here at FF. Scroll down and you'll find it.

Also the manufacturers listed on the left sell the best in the industry (IMO). Some have used mills that have been taken in on trade.

Another source is: / , Google, ebay, Craig's List.

Personally, I would buy a small mill rather than trying to "invent" my own. I'm not saying that you shouldn't/couldn't. I'm just saying that there are many things such as blade tension, blade alignment, blade speed, blade height adjustment, log loading, log turning, toe boards, engines, manual-hydraulic-electric, etc. that will have to addressed. Mill manufacrurers with many years of experience, have already addressed these issues.

fodenwagon · « **Reply #2 on:** November 25, 2009, 01:53:48 pm »

Thanks for the reply,unfortunatly here in the UK sawmills are not a "big thing" over with you in the states they are much more common,if we want timber sawn up over here we are more likely to load the timber and take it to a sawmill (which there are not many!) Hence why I'm keen to make my own, my normal hobbie is restoring Steam engine and vintage tractors so I think a mill wouldn't be too difficult to do

york · « **Reply #3 on:** November 25, 2009, 02:08:45 pm »

Duncan,

If you thinking build your own mill,better get on Cooks mailing list,can get very good parts from Cooks.....Bert

Magicman · « **Reply #4 on:** November 25, 2009, 04:23:05 pm »

Quote from: fodenwagon on November 25, 2009, 01:53:48 pm

unfortunatly here in the UK

I overlooked that part. Good luck with your build.....

fishpharmer · « **Reply #5 on:** November 25, 2009, 07:07:05 pm »

Quote from: york on November 25, 2009, 02:08:45 pm

Duncan,

If you thinking build your own mill,better get on Cooks mailing list,can get very good parts from Cooks.....Bert

Your absolutely right Bert. I built my own mill. It's part Cooks saw. Lets see, I have Cooks blades, pulleys, roller guides, bearings and alot of good advice from SA..(South Alabama).

southpaw · « **Reply #6 on:** November 25, 2009, 11:34:13 pm »

Duncan, check out Cooks Saws on the left, I believe they sell band wheels, bearings ect. to get started you build frame, head ect. I believe.

bandmiller2 · « **Reply #7 on:** November 26, 2009, 07:35:03 am »

Duncan,what's a circular rack bench??Spend some time going through old posts here alot on building mills and especially bandmills.A steam powered bandmill would be an interesting project,lets see a verticle boiler and a seat mounted on the carriage would be like a loco that slices boards.I share your love for steam Duncan,used to run a steam powered circular mill,now I have one of your 6 cyl Dagenham diesels running it fewer problems in freezing weather.I also built a bandmill,a very interesting project it works well.Ask us anything you'd like thats how we all learn.Frank C.

fodenwagon · « **Reply #8 on:** November 27, 2009, 06:03:15 am »

You prob call it something else but a circular rack bench has a fixed blade normally 4foot diameter and you put the timber on the movable bed and using a handle wind the wood onto the blade, normally driven by a steam traction engine flywheel and belt or off of a tractor pulley wheel, I hope that makes sense! I'll post a picture of one when I get home for you.
Cheers Duncan

shinnlinger · « **Reply #9 on:** November 27, 2009, 06:37:49 am »

Foden,

You may have seen the recent posts about the self built mill for $100. Although those guys leave a little something to be desired safety wise, the basis of their mills are simple and sound and perhaps something to look at if you just want a hobby mill. My mill uses trailer tires to turn the band. I would think if you had a good sturdy and level welding bench, the tools, skill and ingenuity, you could pull it off. It certainly has been done before....

Good luck.

Dave

bandmiller2 · « **Reply #10 on:** November 27, 2009, 07:08:50 am »

Duncan,your circular rack bench is what we call a handset circular mill only yours is manual feed.Usally our older mills were cable feed with a reversing belt setup to change direction.Your rack bench with the 4' blade will work the knickers off a bandmill especially if you put a power feed on it.Of course a bandmill will do the same only a little slower with less heavy machinery.Check out past posts theirs alot on building bandmills.As Shinn says rubber tire bandwheels are a viable option big "V" sheves are one of the most expensive parts of a bandmill.Frank C.

Meadows Miller · « **Reply #11 on:** November 27, 2009, 08:08:04 am »

Gday

And welcome to the forum Foden

we havent seen a new foden truck around these parts for alooong time mid 70s i think but those Kiwi's still love em

Whats wrong with a Circular Mill Mate

Ive had a Rack/table top mill since i was 18 its been a bloody good machine to me

Frank they are alittle different to a handsett you only have a 18 to 24" gauge beside the saw for final sizeing and you line up the back half of the log to marks on the table when you are breaking down you just use your eye they are alittle tricky to edge wing boards on though Mate

Regards Chris

Bothy_Loon · « **Reply #12 on:** November 27, 2009, 03:58:08 pm »

Quote from: fodenwagon on November 27, 2009, 06:03:15 am

You prob call it something else but a circular rack bench has a fixed blade normally 4foot diameter and you put the timber on the movable bed and using a handle wind the wood onto the blade, normally driven by a steam traction engine flywheel and belt or off of a tractor pulley wheel, I hope that makes sense! I'll post a picture of one when I get home for you.
Cheers Duncan

Ahh you bring back some great memories! I started my sawmilling career on an old wooden rollered rack bench that had originally been driven from a water wheel. By the time I got to it it was on three phase electrics & had a 5ft sprung set blade on it.
I would love to see some pics of your saw.

bandmiller2 · « **Reply #13 on:** November 28, 2009, 07:01:50 am »

So a rack bench is like a big tablesaw with a roller top??Do you dog the log/cant down or does just its weight hold it??Sounds like it would require your complete attention to operate, are you near the blade??Question questions I'am having a hard time to picture it.Frank C.

Meadows Miller · « **Reply #14 on:** November 28, 2009, 07:27:36 am »

Gday

Frank They need your full att or you end up just sawing crappola mate

the fully manual ones where all the go for milling small H/wood and Pine in GB ,Europe ,NZ & Down here upto about 20 years ago

The new generation of the same thing is The Kara ,Laimet & the Slide tech table gauge hob and hyd they both same sawing princaple just the are alot less manualy involved

With getting close to the saw when holding say an edged 8" wide wing board verticle your hand will get within about a foot of the leading edge of the saw mate

resawing larger cants is abit better as you are usually workin about 3to4' from the gauge

regards Chris

fodenwagon · « **Reply #15 on:** November 28, 2009, 04:31:50 pm »

Hi all, sorry for the late reply, heres a picture of a Circular Rack bench, this one belongs to a friend of mine and was taken at our local steam show this year,it is being powered by a 7NHP Fowler Agricultural traction engine again owned by a friend of mine,as you can see you are working very close to a very large blade! This is a manual fed "Stenner" bench originally built all from wood, but rebuilt in steel,it has dog hooks that wing up from underneath to grab the wood to stop it moving.
i havnt worked out the photo uploader on here as it keeps crashing my Laptop! but i have a photo bucket account under the username of fodenwagon and its on the first page of that if you want to see it, but in the meantime i'll keep trying to upload onhere! think i have to update my browser!!

Please look through my other photos, nearly all steam vintage related, and some photos of a television shoe we did for the BBC called "Tess of the Durba'villes"

Cheers Duncan

dail_h · « **Reply #16 on:** November 28, 2009, 11:31:58 pm »

Hey Foden,
Soon as I saw that name,I knowed you' uz from Merry ol England,welcome. (Foden steam Wagons)Don't suppose ya got a coupla extra CS Listers laying about in the way over there do ya?

fodenwagon · « **Reply #17 on:** November 29, 2009, 08:51:54 am »

hopefully this will work! photo as promised.

Hello dail_h yes guilty as charged i am a foden geek! heres a photo of the wagon i crew on that we rebuilt 3 years ago,as for the listers im sorry but we only have one and that runs our bale elevator :-(

bandmiller2 · « **Reply #18 on:** November 29, 2009, 08:42:29 pm »

Duncan,do you recall the size of the cylinder of that traction engine and its running pressure.Did it seem to handle the mill with enough power.Really a shame but the war scrap drives took most of our old steam equipment.Do you fire it with coal or slabs?? Frank C.

fodenwagon · « **Reply #19 on:** November 30, 2009, 04:14:45 am »

The Fowler is a 7nhp,and runs most things on the belt with ease,from memory the piston size is 9 inches across and its working pressure is 160psi.
Dave(who owns it) mostly runs it on coal, but on occasions (such as sawing wood!) it uses all the timber off cuts from the bench to fire the boiler! saves on clearing up after!

cheers Duncan

bandmiller2 · « **Reply #20 on:** November 30, 2009, 07:35:16 am »

Thanks Duncan,next time you talk to Dave ask him if he has trouble keeping pressure up with wood.When you work them hard, the fireman is one busy lad firing with wood.I've found it quite hard to keep the pressure up with wood just wants to go so high then runs out of BTU's.Fella I know over here has a field marshal tractor one cyl. the one you start with a shotgun shell.German Lanz bulldogs are quite common.Frank C.

fodenwagon · « **Reply #21 on:** November 30, 2009, 09:42:24 am »

Quote from: bandmiller2 on November 30, 2009, 07:35:16 am

Thanks Duncan,next time you talk to Dave ask him if he has trouble keeping pressure up with wood.

Dave has no trouble at all, im normally the one running round fireing it and keping pressure !! he has the tough job of leaning on the regulator lever with pint of beer in hand!!:-)

bandmiller2 · « **Reply #22 on:** December 01, 2009, 07:31:58 am »

Duncan had to laugh hearing you talk of fireing the boiler.For a wile I ran my shingle mill with a 35hp gear reduction steam turbine just about all the old AB farquar boiler could handle.My friend,neighbor and fireman got no rest I could tell if the pressure dropped 2 lbs and I'd have to holler at him.Of course I was running reduced pressure 80lbs due the age of the boiler and my not wanting to meet St Peter just yet.When your working them every pound of steam is valuable.Frank C.

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Author Topic: Bandsaws the way to go! (Read 2450 times)