another home built bandmill nearing completion

[EZ]

GF,
yes, your right about hyd being more reliable. The thing with a 12 volt would be alittle more simple to do. I want to put the locking dog in the middle of the frame and keep my two manual dogs on the ends. That way if something does happen to the mobil one, I can still finish the job. All the modifications that I've done or am doing I want to still have the manuals. As all of you know, there ain't nothing like breaking down in the middle of a job.
EZ

[Fla._Deadheader]

  That's why we used both. The electric will clamp. It's on a screw. It COULD be run with a drill, to finish the job. The Hydraulic cylinder can be raised and lowered manually, just to finish the job.

[Furby]

jpad_mi,
Here's the carriage lock on my mill. I made these from stuff I had laying around, rather then buy them from the manufacture (Don't look at the welds, first time welding. The welds don't hold anything anyways.   )
My mill sits on top of the frame and can jump off the track pretty easy. These locks hold the carriage tight to the track.

[Swede]

Looks like a very nice and low-weight mill.   Think I used too much iron for my loaders, I realy like the idea turning them 90* !
I don´t understand how you move your poles up and down, Mine is sliding up/down in biger tubes, 60x60mm (~2 5/16").

I painted Amerika-Sågen with Hammerite, dark blue, moving parts and safety items red. The rims are white so I have to paint 50 more details  white.  

I´ll take pictures but have no web camera. All my money is spent in hydraulics and iron right now. Have to use my old Cannon one more year.

Nice work!
Swede.

[jpad_mi]

Good idea for carriage clamps Furby. Real solid for travelling.

Swede - I've never heard of Hammerite paint??? Do you know the manufacturer? The posts pivot about an axle welded through the bottom of the tube. The axle is set in pillow block bearings. Probably overkill with the bearings but I wanted them to pivot easily; the three are tied together and I had planned them to be manual.

[Swede]

Thank You, Gilman. I have used Hammerite a lot, even rolled  low section of my old car with Hammerite. Need to do it again so the color there is the same as on my saw mill.

jpad_mi.; For me it looks like You turn the posts ACROSS the frame. Haven´t seen that before, but have seen Forestor Jacko turn them down ALONG the frame.

Made a little test with my log turner yesterday. As I said, the spring is too weak. There are two springs holding the hood open on my Scania 55 from 1962. Have to find another old Scania........  

Swede.

[jpad_mi]

Well, it's been over a year since I claimed that my mill was nearing completion. Due to other commitments at home, I didn't have a chance to work on the mill for about ten months. My brother and I were finally able to start working on it again around Labor Day of this year. Yesterday afternoon, we sawed up our first log! A 15" or 16" by 7ft cherry. It was pretty cool to finally see it work. We still have a few things to finish up before tearing it down to paint (I should have listened to you, GF; I want to saw wood more than paint now...).



Thanks again for all of the forum knowledge and advice! I still need to break out the FF Christmas* Contest peas for the celebration feast!

[Fla._Deadheader]

 Very nice job.  Congrats to you and yer helpers. 

[PawNature]

Had to re read first post I thought you said it raise a big ASH log.
Great Job

[Timburr]

You've finally made it Good one

What's it like milling your first log?.....it's bin a while for me. I can hardly remember.


Tim

[brdmkr]

I envy anyone who can do the kind of construction you have pulled together in your mill.  That is an awesome mill

[woodbowl]

What a good job you have done and a good looking mill to prove it! What type of feed did you finally settle on? Hydraulic or electric? I'm seeing a cable on the left side. Is that part of it or is it something else?

[jpad_mi]

We ended up going with hydraulic drive, and yes, the cable on the left side is the drive cable. It's anchored to the head assembly and has a couple of wraps around a large flatbelt pulley on the hydraulic motor.

PaPaw - we tested the log loaders with a big ash log, but didn't saw it because we didn't have the head assembly complete. We decided to start small when it came time to cut our maiden log ; the big ash was too intimidating 

Swede - did you ever finish your log turner? I'd like to see it and here how it works. 

[woodbowl]

It's anchored to the head assembly and has a couple of wraps around a large flatbelt pulley on the hydraulic motor.

Sure would like to see a close up shot of the flatbelt pully and wrap, and hydraulic motor set up. Is this motor 6 gpm also?

[jpad_mi]

The hydraulic motor is mounted at the rear of the trailer frame and the cable runs up to the front where is turns through two idler sheaves. Both loose ends of the cable are anchored to the carriage.  Here's a picture of the hydraulic motor and pulley before the cable was installed, I'll snap a couple of better pictures this weekend:



The hydraulic motor is a 23in^3/rev Char-Lynn, and the pulley is roughly 12inch diameter, which is what I could get cheap on eBay. I may end up going with a smaller drive pulley in the future; the gig back speed is a little too fast 

[woodbowl]

the gig back speed is a little too fast 

Looking forward to the other pics..............How do you gig back too fast? The faster you get back, the faster you get into the next board.

[Minnesota_boy]

You know you're giging back too fast when the carriage stops and the log don't. 

[Swede]

Swede - did you ever finish your log turner? I'd like to see it and here how it works.

Yes, I made the turner and it works well for most logs. Took a picture a few days ago turning 4pc.  4" boards. Finally I remembered to take my camera with me.
Takes a week or two before I´ve got the pictures.

Nice job at that mill! I like that dark blue, is it Hammerite? Hope You´ll paint moving parts red now. Same colors as the US flag.

A lesson in Swedish:
Amerika-Såg=An American Sawmill.
En Amerika-Såg= One American Sawmill.
Amerika-Sågen=The American Sawmill.

Swede.

[Swede]

Here is an old picture from my album. Changed the teeth some and it works better now.
The V-shaped thing is pulled/lifted by the cylinder you can see in left corner. The cylinder you see in the middle is pulling a plate with teeth. I have to follow the plate some with the level but two springs let the plate follow the log most of the way around. Look at the hole (110x20mm.) where the cylinder is bolted to the right of picture and You´ll understand. The cylinders stroke is 150 mm. but I can just press or pull the cylinder 20mm in each end of the stroke.
The springs are much stronger now. Took them from a hood on an old Volvo
Can even clamp down to 6"x6" or so before sawing the turner.  Then I have to use the manual clamps.

Swede.

[jpad_mi]

Swede,

that turner is an engineering marvel! I have looked at the picture for 5minutes and still can't figure out exactly how the thing works  I guess I'll need to wait a couple of weeks for your new pictures...

The mill hasn't been painted yet; still bare steel. You better check your monitor if it looks blue    The Hammerite paint you recommended doesn't appear to be available in the US. The parent company, ICI, does business in the US so I'll do a little more research to find out if I can get it.