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Purchased a Brand X Swingmill head, will build the rest

Started by sgschwend, June 10, 2010, 12:06:13 AM

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sgschwend

In looking at building a swing mill, I decided to start with a head and then build the rest of the mill myself.  The basic specs are 25 hp Kohler, 8.5" depth of cut.

The manufacture in near enough to me that I can drive to pickup the head and it will fit in my pickup truck.

I am going to build this sawmill in phases making the frame and the associated site work as the first step.  It is true that the mill will be operational as a manual mill at this point, but I have other ideas  planned.

Any and all ideas or comments or questions are welcome.  At some point I will have pictures to share.

Steve
Steve Gschwend

sjgschwend@gmail.com

Ron Wenrich

Let us know how that Brand X works out.  I've always liked their simplicity.
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

bandmiller2

Interesting project Steve,is the mill going to be stationary or mobile??I can just picture real long ways and a power feed carriage,possibly long timbers could be your nitch.Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

Captain

Jay Brand has the geometry all figured out, should work fine.  Don't discount the need to adjust your bed for the head to sit in as well.

Captain

LOGDOG

I was wondering what mill you were going to buy after having sold the MM. I think building your own tracks is a wise move especially if you're going to be stationary. Build them rigid and heavy for the fixed site. Wouldn't be complicated at all to have a log deck with a turner either - especially if you're handy in the fabrication dept. Looking forward to the pics.  ;D

sgschwend

Yes the mill bed will be stationary, I guess it would possible to set it on a portable one but that is currently not in the plan.

Captain, do you mean adjust the width of the bed rails? 

The plan is to be able to cut up to 35', most likely DF, the most common length is 16'.

Here is the design goal: the sawmill will be able to be operated from a work station. A few of the saw features will be operated by a miniature wireless remote (to support single operator, mostly offloading).  There will be no tether to the saw.  A safety interlock will protect against unwise saw swings.  The log deck will handle logs to produce a cant or finished boards by: tilt, horizontal alignment, rotation and dogging.

I would appreciated hearing about any feature you would like to have in your mill.  My design is focused at the above goal.
Steve Gschwend

sjgschwend@gmail.com

sgschwend

This weekend I popped over to Montana and pick up the mill.  I was able to do some practice sawing too.  I have ordered the steel for my table.

Observations:
The mill engine has a tachometer to helps the user push at the right speed.

There is an issue for this type of swing mill running over a bottom table: the saw can hit the table if the operator were to swing the saw while over the cross frame members and have the set-works below 5 inches.   Jay's rule is to never swing the saw while over a cross frame.

Good power (25 hp) cutting a decent feed speed, about 60 fpm for a 6 inch deep cut.

Even though you sharpen the blades by hand the sharpener is built into the mill, so that its setting are controlled, it can also be removed to protect it.

The head is heavy about 450 pounds.

The horizontal set-works are easy to use, he has this clever two stop clamp that is used for repeated indexing.

The mill has a metal roof.

The bottom table allows for log re-alignment for the cases where the side tapper is not correctly accounted for.  By removing the top slab the operator can see any log alignment error, to fix this just bump one end.



Steve Gschwend

sjgschwend@gmail.com

LOGDOG

Yep Steve, on my Peterson ASM I think the blade swung like 5.5" below it's flat position from horizontal to vertical. Believe it or not that's one mistake I never made while I owned the thing. That would be some kind of ugly "twang". Yikes. You learn to respect that circle saw bigtime. I made a portable log bunk that you can see in my gallery that was elevated and had spaces between the bunks that would allow me to swing that blade from horizontal to vertical if I needed to. With the ASM being autofeed though it was just as easy for me to run it forward or back a few feet with the throw of my feed lever and avoid any possibility of error.

scrout

Gotta love a guy that "pops" over to Montana.  Same distance as from Boston to Richmond....
I sent for the Brand X dvd, looks like a beefy setup that cuts a lot of lumber.
The owner himself on the dvd cuts pretty darn fast, I wouldn't want to off bear all day for that guy.
Interested in seeing your USA version of the ASM.
Will you incorporate a dragback feature as well?
At 35ft, you thinking timberframe beams, etc?
Any other reasons than overall length you went away from the MM, which was a very nice mill?

sgschwend

MM, is a great mill and does a nice job.  I think of it as a big, strong and dumb mill.  You got to do the thinking.  I really liked the horizontal fence, much like a table saw but the fence movement was up and down (really sped up the work that way).

I am setting up a 40' track with the new one.  Yes beams.  I would not be surprised if the small portable sawmill operators like us take that business over.

I will be looking at the drawback idea, I had it on the MM and was spoiled with it.  Presently the solution will be logs come in from one side and cut material will be stacked on skids for the forklift to move.  Normally I can cut about 2000 bf before I need to move a stack.
Steve Gschwend

sjgschwend@gmail.com

NWwoodsman

Everyone take note here.  I think this will be the way of things to come, everything comes full circle :). Bandmillers giving up there bands for the tried and true cicrler saw. :D
I think you'll enjoy your new found freedom.
Jason

LOGDOG

Quote from: NWwoodsman on June 15, 2010, 09:29:00 PM
Everyone take note here.  I think this will be the way of things to come, everything comes full circle :). Bandmillers giving up there bands for the tried and true cicrler saw. :D
I think you'll enjoy your new found freedom.
Jason

I'll take that bet.  ;D As a guy who left his bandsaw to try the ASM swing mill (circle saw) and realized what a mistake he made and went back to the bandsaw as fast as he could.

I still want Steve to do well with his Brand X mill though.  ;)

woodbowl

Good idea building your own track. What blade will you be using?
Full time custom sawing at the customers site since 1995.  WoodMizer LT40 Super Hyd.

sgschwend

It is a saw that has the same arbor size as a Lucas, but is built to Jay Brand's requirements by Simmons in Portland, Oregon.  Five or 6 tooth, and will cut up to a 8 1/2 deep.  The kerf is .230 inches. 
Steve Gschwend

sjgschwend@gmail.com

bandmiller2

Steve, Jay dosen't mind just selling just the head?? That seems a good way to set up a swing mill because the head is pretty much the whole ball of wax.If you wanted to go mobile you could probibly build a trailer,back it up to the stationary mill and roll the head on. Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

sgschwend

Jay tells me that about 25% of his customers buy just the head.  Freight on the frame/track cost too much.  It is less expensive to to pay a fabricator to make one locally.  No he doesn't mind at all, and his price discounts the total cost of the track (material and labor).

He does make a trailer option, but I really don't see it being that practical, you would want to take the axle off after each move.  There is a company in Kansas that make as axle that you can back up into.  It would make it feasible to do a relocate and then quickly get the frame back on the ground (where it belongs).
Steve Gschwend

sjgschwend@gmail.com

sgschwend

Well the current schedule the mill will be setup in two weeks.  Next week the foundation is being dug, the pour will be at the end of the week.  Then the frame will be fabricated in my shop then pieces moved onsite and assembled.

Can't wait, pictures are not far away now.
Steve Gschwend

sjgschwend@gmail.com

fishpharmer

Steve, I look forward to the pictures.  Glad to hear your getting closer to your goal.
Built my own band mill with the help of Forestry Forum. 
Lucas 618 with 50" slabber
WoodmizerLT-40 Super Hydraulic
Deere 5065E mfwd w/553 loader

The reason a lot of people do not recognize opportunity is because it usually goes around wearing overalls looking like hard work. --Tom A. Edison

woodsteach

Congratulations on the Brand X 8) 8) 8)

It is nice to add another to the ranks of X owners on the Forum.  I've had mine for 5 years and no complaints.

Good luck

woodsteach
Brand X Swing Mill, JD 317 Skidloader, MS460 & 290, the best family a guy could ever dream of...all provided by God up above.  (with help from our banker ; ) )

Meadows Miller

Gday

And a Big congrats on the new Mill Mate  ;) ;D ;D 8) 8) 8) Steve with the bed setup you can make it higher buy using timber say a 6x3" set into a bit of C section at each end to hold it vertical ;) to bring the bottom of the log/timber up high enough to save the blade hitting on the main mill frame you can make up a sett of bolt on dogs that fix to that for dogging and if you like add a stop at 1 1/2 above that that should keep you outa trouble Mate  ;) ;D ;D 8) 8)

Im looking forward to seeing pics when you have it set up Mate  ;) ;D ;D 8) 8) 8)


Regards Chris 
4TH Generation Timbergetter

sgschwend

Chris, I will look at that.

Some of your countrymen believe the trip hazard is unacceptable.  What do you think?  I will be decking inside the mill so I can set just about any step height.  I am assuming I would need some space for chips.
Steve Gschwend

sjgschwend@gmail.com

Meadows Miller

Gday

Steve I reckon if you dont keep your site tidy and your wkway clear any bloke will go butt up for sure Mate  :D :D :D ;) ;D and I dont see any dramas aslong as you dont go making the log beras as wide as the mill frame Mate  ;) Id just line the end of them up with where your saw comes to in the vert positon when the carriage is all the way to the left hand side that should leave you with a nice walk way prob about 2' wide (you could even go alitle wider say 3' as when you get into larger logs they dont take up a huge area on the beras anyway) and an edge to line you logs up against too at the same time  ;) and if your going off the deck 6 to 8" clearance should be fine Mate  ;) ;D ;D 8) 8)

Regars Chris
4TH Generation Timbergetter

sgschwend

Your idea of the wood parts on top of the steel would be a handy way to keep the blade from the steel.  In the short term I am going to use the log dogs that come with the mill which locate on the steel parts, but I could switch to the wood parts as soon as I have my hydraulic machine setup.  I also think the beams the log dogs mount to could be different that the other 3, not too likely that a swing would ever occur in the first 12' of  milling.

I should be getting the machine together in a week or two.  Setting up the concrete ribbon foundation now. Pics to follow.
Steve Gschwend

sjgschwend@gmail.com

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