Author Topic: 01 Frick questions (Read 1079 times)

NMFP · « **on:** November 25, 2011, 09:01:41 pm »

Hello Everyone:

Just purchased an 01 Frick wooden mill and wondered if anyone had any drawings or paperwork on installation and so forth? I didnt know if there was ever any kind of paper work that came with these mills years ago or not but thought I would check. Looking for some thoughts on building the tracks and so forth. The wood on this mill is rough but in ok shape, going to replace all of the wood and clean, paint and lubricate all of the metal parts as well.
Thanks so much in advance. Everyone here on the forum has been very helpful with everything I have ever asked questions about.

NMFP

Ron Wenrich · « **Reply #1 on:** November 25, 2011, 10:27:14 pm »

Lunstrum wrote the book on mill installation and operation. http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/misc/circsaw.pdf
Its good to look things over before you do an installation, as it answers many questions, and probably causes a few more.

I don't know of any specific booklets on Frick. http://fricksawmills.com/ is your source for parts, as they bought the rights to Frick mills.

I've seen lots of mill installations. I've worked on handmills as well as automatics. All of them have started at different angles to get to the same type of operation. Start with a good foundation, and the rest is pretty easy. You need a stable base and be able to tie it into the husk.

SCSawyer · « **Reply #2 on:** November 25, 2011, 10:27:40 pm »

Congrats, I just sold my old 0 frick mill, sure will miss it, just search the internet theres no shortage of frick info out there. Good luck

Don_Papenburg · « **Reply #3 on:** November 25, 2011, 11:14:52 pm »

I think it is Nation Builders books that I got my books onFrick sawmills One shows the layouts the other has parts and descriptions.

Woodchuck53 · « **Reply #4 on:** November 26, 2011, 08:41:38 am »

Morning. If the mill is intact where it is then pictures, pictures and a few more pictures. Measure everything to scale and transfer all to a large working sheet that you can have copies run off. Put a couple on the dash of the truck and leave them there. The one us use will surely get blown around and smudged. Z

I had used my mill as is for years and when I moved it to my place I took an old man's advice and am now passing it on to you. (Not that i am old or anything)

The rebuild is slow due to funds and other pressing matters like living so don't get in a rush. Paint everything and finish all mods before you mix welding with future sawdust of course. Enjoy the task and you will know everything you will need about your mill by doing this. And yes this is a great source for advice some even wanted. And we like pictures of (How I did it) We can all learn something. Have a great one, Chuck

NMFP · « **Reply #5 on:** November 26, 2011, 09:06:39 pm »

Thanks everyone!! Evereyone has been extremely helpful with my questions and thoughts. I always wanted to get back into sawing with a circular mill again and I think that is finally going to happen again. I will be posting pictures as the progress happens but probably wont be much until spring.

Thanks for all the help.

NMFP

bandmiller2 · « **Reply #6 on:** November 27, 2011, 08:19:40 am »

NMFP,somewhere on the net I've seen the factory plans for set up, tried to find them now and can't,they were on one of the old machinery forums.The two most important measurements are the elevation between the top of the knees and the arbor loose collar and the distance between the end of the knees and the saw.The distance from the end of the knees to the saw determins last board thickness.If you want to have a 1" last board clearance must be less than an inch to support the bottom of the board,I usally do between 5/8 to 3/4".the end of the knee must be high enough to clear the loose collar and arbor nut.Depeding on the mill and the courage of the sawyer many leave a 2" last board,thats your call.Frank C.

Ron Wenrich · « **Reply #7 on:** November 27, 2011, 11:07:02 am »

You might also want to consider the distance of the dogs from the headblocks. Sometimes they stick out over the end of the knees. I've clipped the ends of dogs that stick out a might bit too far. Mill alterations and wear could make a difference from mill to mill.

NMFP · « **Reply #8 on:** November 28, 2011, 07:58:40 pm »

Frank & Ron:

Thank you for the advice. These little things are what will make the process go better. By the way, do you know if the old Frick wooden frame mills were sold as plans or were they sold as complete units you installed yourself? I see many that are similar but yet, all have different configurations like they were modified at one point.
Also, does anyone know what size carriage was originally supposed to be on an 01 frick wooden husk mill? the one I have was extended to 18-19'. i was thinking of shortening it to make my mill more compact because if I need to say long material, I always have my band mill available for that.
Thanks guys and your help is appreciated.
Erich

bandmiller2 · « **Reply #9 on:** November 28, 2011, 08:34:02 pm »

Erich,I'd say most were sold with the wood complete,I have herd of mills for export that just had the metal parts to save freight.Local mill builders used southern yellow pine for its stability.I would say 16' is probibly the standard carriage legnth although in those days special orders didn't upset them.My carriage is 14' and its excepted to let logs overhang a couple of feet,so 18' is reasonable.If you have the room and the carriage track leave it long,nice to have the ability to cut long. Frank C.

Ron Wenrich · « **Reply #10 on:** November 29, 2011, 06:38:25 am »

Most came with the wood installed. I've seen some where the paint was still on the wood, and the carriage and track wood matched. Looked to be factory.

I know one guy that actually put two carriages together to saw barn beams. He sawed up to 40'. There isn't any advantage to shortening the carriage. A lot depends on how many headblocks you have. For a carriage that length, you should have at least 4.

Our first mill was one that someone rewooded. He used Doug fir. Most any type of harder softwood will work, but you want it to be dry.

NMFP · « **Reply #11 on:** November 29, 2011, 11:07:08 am »

Ron:
This one has 3 head blocks so I am wondering what the optimal length carriage would be for this set up. I was thinking the distance between the 1st and 2nd should be 6' and then the distance between the 2nd and 3rd should be 8' but what are your thoughts? I would like to make everything as correct as possible during the rebuild process.
Thanks, NMFP

Dave_ · « **Reply #12 on:** November 29, 2011, 11:30:53 am »

Erich, watch Ebay. Frick manuals show up from time to time. In fact, there is a Frick 100th Anniversary Company History reprint on there right now.

Dave_ · « **Reply #13 on:** November 29, 2011, 12:04:19 pm »

In C.H. Wendel's book on sawmills, he shows a Frick O1 from a 1915 company catalog that came with a 25 ft. carriage and 65 ft ways.

Frickman · « **Reply #14 on:** November 29, 2011, 02:16:45 pm »

I'm currently running a steel Frick 01 I rebuilt from the ground up. I've run and been around Frick and Farquar mills all my life. Lunstrum's book and some common sense are all you need to install and run a Frick, there's not much to them. Just keep everything square, level, plumb and solid, set your lead, and go to work.

Most of the wood mills were sold complete, ready to run. Alot were rewooded over the years with whatever someone had on hand. I don't care too much for the wood mills, as ambient humidity seems to affect their accuracy somewhat. They're not as durable either. Most were sold on price though, they were significantly cheaper than steel mills. They're OK, I've owned and run them. I just prefer steel.

As far as carriage length goes, I've seen everything from ten footers to thirty footers. The longer ones are made of several shorter ones bolted together. My twenty footer is two tens bolted together. Longer is better in carriages. A longer carriage, with more sets of trucks on the track, helps to even out any variations in the track. Basically, it helps you saw straighter. As a rule of thumb the track is usually three times the length of the carriage. You can extend the track, and run a longer carriage, as long as you have enough grooves in your main carriage cable drive sheave to accomodate the extra travel. Shortening a mill, as you want to do, is pretty easy. Lengthening it can be a problem however.

Ron Wenrich · « **Reply #15 on:** November 29, 2011, 04:31:32 pm »

Quote from: NMFP on November 29, 2011, 11:07:08 am

Ron:
This one has 3 head blocks so I am wondering what the optimal length carriage would be for this set up. I was thinking the distance between the 1st and 2nd should be 6' and then the distance between the 2nd and 3rd should be 8' but what are your thoughts? I would like to make everything as correct as possible during the rebuild process.
Thanks, NMFP

You could always add a headblock. I have a 16' carriage and have 4 headblocks. Mine is setup with 6' ion the center 2 headblocks, and the front and back headblocks are another 4'. You don't want a log to hang out too far beyond the headblocks, as the logs will have a tendency to spring. With your setup, you would saw 8' logs on the front headblocks, 10' & 12' on the back headblocks, and 14'+ on all three.

Sprucegum · « **Reply #16 on:** November 29, 2011, 06:51:17 pm »

My headblocks are 8' apart - too far - I get a lot of bounce in a small cant. Some day I will rebuild and go with 6'.

NMFP · « **Reply #17 on:** November 30, 2011, 06:26:21 am »

I am thinking about locating a 4th headblock to install on the carriage to help out with longer logs. As far as species go for building the carriage and husk, I know many people have used southern pine and white oak but is there another prefered species to use as an alternative? I have white oak logs available but drying it will take time. Any suggestions there for alternatives?

york · « **Reply #18 on:** November 30, 2011, 07:16:15 am »

Hi,
i would be thinking about steel and how long is your "set shaft?"

Yes,four head-blocks is the way to go......bert

Ron Wenrich · « **Reply #19 on:** November 30, 2011, 10:20:49 am »

Anything that is dry. I've used Doug fir. It might be worthwhile to find someone that has reclaimed timbers. Maybe some old barn beams that you could resaw. But, I'd stay away from the lighter species like white pine.

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Author Topic: 01 Frick questions (Read 1079 times)