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mighty mite circular

Started by argyle1, November 06, 2008, 10:27:35 PM

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argyle1

I'm thinking about buying a mighty mite sawmill. It has 40 feet of track, but I'm a little sceptical of that beam staying true over that length. I'd be happy to hear if anyone can tell me about the accuracy of these mills and how support is from the company

DanG

The Mighty Mite is a good sawmill.  I wouldn't stress out about the beam holding up...it will.  It may suffer a little "track bounce" when the saw is out in the middle, if it doesn't have some sort of damping device, but that usually isn't severe.  If it is a working mill, you should be able to satisfy yourself with a test drive.  If it isn't up and running, I wouldn't be offering an awful lot for it.

I know nothing about the company or its current status.
"I don't feel like an old man.  I feel like a young man who has something wrong with him."  Dick Cavett
"Beat not thy sword into a plowshare, rather beat the sword of thine enemy into a plowshare."

bandmiller2

I know little of a mighty mite mill,I hope someone here owns or has operated one.The most important part of any circular mill is its foundation and resulting stability.All you need to do is support it better in the middle.Is it ment to be portable or a stationary mill??Argyle tell us more,unless its a modern mill of commercial value its not worth alot of money.How big is the blade.?? Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

DanG

Mighty Mites are kissing cousins to Mobile Dimension Saws.  The beam in question is suspended from each end of the mill, and the saw head rides along it, above the log.  The only weight ever placed on the beam is the weight of the saw head itself.
"I don't feel like an old man.  I feel like a young man who has something wrong with him."  Dick Cavett
"Beat not thy sword into a plowshare, rather beat the sword of thine enemy into a plowshare."

Ron Wenrich

Here's a picture of one:

http://www.briarrosefarm.com/sawmill.htm

40' seems like a lot of track.  Does the beam come apart?
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

DanG

Had to look real close to tell that isn't a MD.  Mighty Mite has also made some mills that look quite different, with larger engines and bigger beams, so it's a bit difficult to talk specifics without seeing a pic of the mill in question.

On the mill in the pic, the beam is built in sections so it can be shortened for transport.  Originally, these mills were made to be disassembled for transport, but most are trailer-mounted today.
"I don't feel like an old man.  I feel like a young man who has something wrong with him."  Dick Cavett
"Beat not thy sword into a plowshare, rather beat the sword of thine enemy into a plowshare."

Handy Andy

  If I'm correct, think Horselogger had one of those for a while.  You might send him a PM and check. 
My name's Jim, I like wood.

bandmiller2

40' feet of track is what threw me off ,no wonder its springy in the middle.Would center support interfere with the carrage.Mill must have been ordered by a timber framer or bridge builder,that would cut one long timber.Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

DanG

You can build a "track rider shoe" to stop the bounce if it gets too bad.  That is essentially a prop to put under the track beam so the saw can't pull it down.  That is only needed if you're cutting deep, like over 8 inches.
"I don't feel like an old man.  I feel like a young man who has something wrong with him."  Dick Cavett
"Beat not thy sword into a plowshare, rather beat the sword of thine enemy into a plowshare."

DKinWA

I'm also looking at Mighty Mite and there sure isn't much information to be found on the internet.  I called Mighty Mite and they are shipping mills out as fast as they can build them, but I'm going to go check them out when they have one of the circle mills ready to ship to a customer. 

bandmiller2

That mill must be madeup of bolted sections.I wonder if prestressed cable run through the center of the "radio"tower would stiffen it up.Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

DanG

Frank, there is a network of tensioning rods inside that "radio tower" that stiffens it up quite a bit.  It doesn't sag at all with the weight of the head, even out there in the middle.  The only time I have any problem at all with it is when making deep cuts on long logs.  What happens is that the teeth are moving upward, so they tend to pull the saw down.  There are only 6 teeth on the 30" blade, so one tooth exits the cut before the next one enters it, releasing the downward pressure and allowing the beam to spring back up, only to be pulled down by the next tooth.  Now the edger only cuts 4" deep, so after a couple of boards the edger shaft is on top of the bottom slab, and keeps the saw from pulling down, so the bounce goes away.  It's a little bit aggravating to have the bounce happening at all, but it is a real minor issue, and far from being a deal breaker.
"I don't feel like an old man.  I feel like a young man who has something wrong with him."  Dick Cavett
"Beat not thy sword into a plowshare, rather beat the sword of thine enemy into a plowshare."

bandmiller2

Thanks Dan,I've never seen that style mill their not too common up here in the northeast.I like the principal of of its operation, must also be very portable.Is blade tension a problem must they be hammered.??Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

sawmill_john

Hey Dan how are things?
The Mighty Mite & MDS are cousins, they split off and also make bandsaws, they recently moved from Portland Or, to Canby Or, but I haven't heard how they are doing, I know my father in-law used to sell they oil, earlier this year they hade just a handful of employees.  They tracks are simular to the MDS in that they bolt togather too achieve what ever lenght is required, the more track the more bounce, and the addition of some sort of track stabilizing device is required.

john

argyle1

thanks everyone. this mill is a "W" model which is mighty mite's biggest...the beam is much stronger than the lighter models and it bolts together in 10 foot sections, and it's powered by a cute little 100 hp turboed cummins. It will cut a 12x12 cant in one pass.
the saws are only about 30 0r 32 inch dia, so they would be hammered flat....no dish....I don't know what speed they run at.
its a 1994 model but only has 600 hrs

DanG

Wow Argyle!  That is an awesome mill.  If it's in good shape you should snap it up if you can.  I've seen pics of those big MMs, but have never seen one in person.  I know enough about this type of mill to say that if you're serious about sawing lots of dimension lumber from large logs, that's the mill to have.  Don't worry about the beam.  If it hasn't been damaged in some way, it will do the job, and with incredible accuracy.
"I don't feel like an old man.  I feel like a young man who has something wrong with him."  Dick Cavett
"Beat not thy sword into a plowshare, rather beat the sword of thine enemy into a plowshare."

JustCutIt

Old thread but do you know anyone currently operating the 12x12 100hp model? I would like to see one in person before I purchased

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