iDRY Vacuum Kilns

Sponsors:

12volt scissor jack for toeboards

Started by jpad_mi, February 10, 2007, 08:39:28 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

jpad_mi

Just an FYI for you guys building a mill or wanting to add toeboards to your manual mills. I was at Harbor Freight today and saw that they had a new product ; a 12volt powered scissor jack.

link to Harbor Freight scissor jack

I'm thinking it would make a pretty good powered toe-board / taper attachment. Just fabricate a roller for the top and mounting bracket for the mill. It comes with a prewired pendant switch and has clamps for the battery. This is the first time I'd seen one of these. It looked pretty slick.

BTW - the website says that the shipping weight is 50#. It has to be a misprint unless they ship it in a lead box. It couldn't have weighed more than 15#.
Jeff P. in Michigan

onionman

Looks interesting , so many things I want to try......

woodhick

I also seen this and was thinking of using one for the same thing.  I don't have enough valves for toeboards so was trying to decide on a different approach.   Thought about a bottle jack but seen these.  I am going to try one, will let you know.  Not sure how long the chinese motor on the jack will last but for $50 it worth a try.  I need to fab a roller setup first.
Woodmizer LT40 Super 42hp Kubota, and more heavy iron woodworking equipment than I have room for.

logwalker

Where are you getting the $50? The ad I see says $69. It looks like you could use them for roller toeboards on a LT40 andd leave the Hydraulics alone. I have extended my toeboards towards the main rail to pick up single boards for edging and I didn't want to mess with them. But I sure need some rollers to get beams off the ends. Thanks, Joe
Let's all be careful out there tomorrow. Lt40hd, 22' Kenworth Flatbed rollback dump, MM45B Mitsubishi trackhoe, Clark5000lb Forklift, Kubota L2850 tractor

Minnesota_boy

Quote from: logwalker on February 12, 2007, 01:50:26 AM
But I sure need some rollers to get beams off the ends.

You mean one like this?



Or maybe something to get it farther off the mill like a set of these?

I eat a high-fiber diet.  Lots of sawdust!

jerry-m

The 12 volt scissor jack is currently on sale for $49.99 through Feb 24th 07,,, At my local retail store, Longview, & Texarkana, Texas store as well as the Shreveport La. Store... May be the same price at any H.F. retail store...  This is a new item and one that I had looked at when it was first introduced but I was waiting for the sale price as most HF. items will be placed on sale sooner or later... So someone go ahead and buy it and let us know how it works ;D

Jerry
Jerry

bedway

Just thunking here,,,possible conversion of this jack to be used for the up/down of the saw head?,,,bedway

scsmith42

Bedway, I'm thinking of the same thing.  Mount a set of logdogs to the "top" plate on the jack, and them mount the jack to a slider on a frame cross rail, and you'd have a quick and easy way to align a log from side to side and also up and down.

I wonder if anybody makes something similar that is of higher quality than HF?

Scott
Peterson 10" WPF with 65' of track
Smith - Gallagher dedicated slabber
Tom's 3638D Baker band mill
and a mix of log handling heavy equipment.

bedway

My sawhead raises and lowers on acme threaded rod. I guess the two concerns would be would it have the required power and second the duty cycle. I would think when going from all the way down to the top would be the real test,,,,,,interesting,,,,,,,,,,bedway

brdmkr

What would be wrong with mounting a couple of heavy duty casters so you could raise the log and then turn the log while it is supported on the casters.  Seems that a couple of these near the bunks would really make log positioning on a swinger a little easier.
Lucas 618  Mahindra 4110, FEL and pallet forks, some cant hooks, and a dose of want-to

scsmith42

Brdmaker - I'm thinking the same thing...
Peterson 10" WPF with 65' of track
Smith - Gallagher dedicated slabber
Tom's 3638D Baker band mill
and a mix of log handling heavy equipment.

treebucker

Quote from: bedway on February 12, 2007, 01:55:05 PM
My sawhead raises and lowers on acme threaded rod. I guess the two concerns would be would it have the required power and second the duty cycle. I would think when going from all the way down to the top would be the real test,,,,,,interesting,,,,,,,,,,bedway
Quote from: scsmith42 on February 13, 2007, 11:21:15 AM
Brdmaker - I'm thinking the same thing...

Like you I have considered this idea. I never liked the idea of force-rolling a large log against the post in order to turn it. However, lifting the log up on rollers from below, turning it in place, then sitting it back down seems so much easier on the mill and operator.
As luck would have it, a company called Fabrik makes one. Here is a video showing their products in use.

I like Fabrik's idea but do not like the idea of having to debark a groove for the rollers. I feel like the idea could be best executed with even larger rollers (10-12") made from wider pneumatic tires. Larger rollers could handle rough surfaces easier (no debarking) and pneumatic tires would make a positive contribution to same. They do not show it on their web site but Fabrik says they are offering a chain model for portable band mills.

Now, if I could also fix this with a hand pump mounted on outside of the rails for easy operation... Ok, I've checked the prices of new pumps and cylinders - ouch, but I found some on ebay that were more reasonable.
Last night I lay in bed looking up at the stars in the sky and
I thought to myself, "Where the heck is the ceiling?!" - Anon

Fla._Deadheader


I bought an electric hydraulic pump/reservoir off a forklift, on ebay, for $35.00
All truth passes through three stages:
   First, it is ridiculed;
   Second, it is violently opposed; and
   Third, it is accepted as self-evident.

-- Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

twobears

 those are made from floor model car jacks.

delbert

solodan

brdmkr- I thought exactly the same thing when I saw them, but I have also thought of using bottle jacks as well. Like treebucker, I think that you need to use pneumatic tires, to make turning easier.  I like Fabrik's ideas as well, but the system seems to be a little time consuming since it is all manual. :-\  I have gone over this so many times in my head ::) and I think the best solution for a swinger, is to build a bunk system that is similar to a band saw , with toe boards rollers a loader ect. and run the whole unit with an auxillay motor. However if you are not setting up permanently, it does not make much sense.  The thing that swingers lack is the ability to spin the log or a cant. Side to side is an easy adjustment on a swinger, just pick up one end frame and slide it to one side or the other. Taper is easy for us with a Lucas, I don't know about for a Peterson. ???

brdmkr

I have been thinking about a jack with rollers for a while now.  I was thinking of sticking with a solid metal caster with an 8 - 10 inch wheel.  I checked out those on the fabrik page, but they are too small to use with bark.  I was thinking that the larger ones would work better.  Is there some thinking behind the pneumatic (other than diameter) that you guys think would make them superior?

I have also been  thinking some about a more permanent setup for when I am working on my own place.  I think that having a deck at the same level of the bunks would offset the need for a loader.  If I could rig up something with rollers on a jack, that would make log turning much faster and easier.  What would be really nice would be a raised deck and bunk such that the bottom of the log is about a foot or so off of the ground.  That would make offloading much easier as well.

Now, all I have to do is find 3 more hours in a day and I should be able to get this done. :)

Lucas 618  Mahindra 4110, FEL and pallet forks, some cant hooks, and a dose of want-to

treebucker

brdmkr,
The steel rollers offer less friction on a smooth/hard surface. But on a bumpy/softer surface the give of a pneumatic wheel will work better. The wider/taller tire I suggested would deal with bumps/holes better.

Now if the tires were knobby and you could drive them with electric/hydraulic, you could lift/turn with the press of a button. smiley_grin
Last night I lay in bed looking up at the stars in the sky and
I thought to myself, "Where the heck is the ceiling?!" - Anon

Fla._Deadheader


Just how strong are these jacks, sideways ???  Logs do NOT want to stay where you put them, and, forward or backward movement might cripple them ???
All truth passes through three stages:
   First, it is ridiculed;
   Second, it is violently opposed; and
   Third, it is accepted as self-evident.

-- Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

Nate Surveyor

Now that jack may have some potential.

Hmmmm got me to thinkin' :P

N
I know less than I used to.

brdmkr

Quote from: treebucker on February 13, 2007, 01:31:04 PM
brdmkr,

Now if the tires were knobby and you could drive them with electric/hydraulic, you could lift/turn with the press of a button. smiley_grin

I suppose since I'll never get around to building the first set, I might as well dream about having  an automatic turner ;D

Lucas 618  Mahindra 4110, FEL and pallet forks, some cant hooks, and a dose of want-to

PineNut

My experience with scissors jacks for toe boards has not been all that good. If the load is centered over the jacks, it works fairly well. But when the load is off to one side, the jack has a tendency to tilt over. The scissors jacks on my Cooks Saw mill gave that problem. I have since removed them. May try them not fastened down but movable so they can be centered under the load. (These are manual jacks I have been using.)


logwalker

My thought was to use these electric jacks as an actuator for a set of rollers separate from the toeboards. The rollers would be hinged so the jack would not need to resist side loads. Just use for rolling cants off the end of the mill. What do you think? Joe
Let's all be careful out there tomorrow. Lt40hd, 22' Kenworth Flatbed rollback dump, MM45B Mitsubishi trackhoe, Clark5000lb Forklift, Kubota L2850 tractor

woodhick

Logwalker, I guess we were typing the same reply at the same time.  Any way I agree with what you are saying and that's my plan if I get time.
Woodmizer LT40 Super 42hp Kubota, and more heavy iron woodworking equipment than I have room for.

solodan

I really think that a bottle jack is a better option. A 20 ton air hydraulic bottle jack can be had for about the same price. Just plumb another line from the air compressor. 8)

woodhick

My original plan was to use a bottle jack (already bought two) on a roller setup and may still do that.  Air is not an option for me as I want mine to be portable.
Woodmizer LT40 Super 42hp Kubota, and more heavy iron woodworking equipment than I have room for.

Thank You Sponsors!