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LT-15 Modifications - Manual Mill Conversion

Started by YellowHammer, October 11, 2011, 10:13:50 PM

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YellowHammer

I thought some folks would like to see what I added to my LT-15 manual saw to make it easier to use, and manipulate big logs, hands off.  Basically, I turned it from a manual to an automatic for not much cash.  Many of the logs I cut are big, beefy and at the diameter limit of the mill, about 28 inches.  Some of the ideas for the improvements came from information on this site and others, and some were originals, but all of them work in the real world because I use the saw frequently.  

I can only say good things about the LT-15 quality, as Woodmizer builds excellent mills.  Unfortunately I didn't have a lot of money to spend on an automatic mill, so figured I'd have a fine foundation with the LT-15 manual.  All told, converting the mill to an electric/hydraulic took only a fraction of what I would have spent otherwise, and it works like a charm.
 
I built a trailer under my LT-15 because I wanted to get it higher off the ground and didn't like leaving it out in the weather on wooden tracks.  Every time I set the mill on the ground, I didn't like its position, so I had to end up moving it, time after time, which got old fast.  I also wanted to be able to get it into the shop easily for fabrication and modification.  To build the foundation of the trailer I simply welded two 2"x6" inch steel tubing sub rails under the frame of the LT-15.  This makes the entire saw very stiff, and still keeps the frame dimension of the original LT-15.  It also allowed me to keep the LT-15 frame factory straight, and very stiff and strong.  I then welded axle brackets under the sub rails and added a trailer axle and tongue.  Having the LT-15 on a trailer gives me a good place to weld the claw and two plane clamp, without butchering up the actual mill itself.  I built fenders, but took them off after I ran my shins into them.  Also, I added an adjustable crank jack to each side opposite the tongue, and a conventional wheel dolly to the tongue.  So all I have to do to set up the mill is level it front to back and side to side with the three end jacks, then simply drop the jack stand legs to the ground and pin them.  I welded nuts from the threaded adjustable feet supplied with the LT-15 to the bottom of the home made jack stands, and simply spin the feet the get them to contact the ground.  So when I'm done, the mill is supported by eight sturdy jack stands.  This may seem like overkill, but I have some big logs.   Leveling all 8 would take a long time, but using the three adjustable jacks to initially level the mill and then just dropping the pinned jack stands makes things go pretty quick.  The two center jack stands are mounted where the log deck mounts to the frame.









I built a simple claw turner using a winch and pulley.  It's a 2,000 lb winch, with a double line pulley which gives it 4,000 pounds of turning force.  I have turned 28 inch oak logs with this turner, no problem.  I made the length of the claw arm as well as the lever arm adjustable so I could optimize it for the size log I'm sawing.  But now that I have it set right, I almost never adjust them.  A little tip is to not get the claw tips too sharp as this will cause it to hang into the log.  This modification was easy, but made a huge difference in handling big, heavy logs.





I added a winch operated shuttle clamp, which is basically a slider that moves forward and backward on a piece of 2 inch square tubing.  I got the idea from watching the shuttle move back and forth on a chain drive garage door opener.  I mounted a winch under the tubing on the trailer frame and use it like a windlass, with a pulley mounted on the opposite side. The cable ends are attached to either side of the shuttle and looped through and around the winch drum.  As the winch rotates one way, the shuttle moves toward the backstops, as the winch is reversed, the shuttle reverses direction.  With a 2,000 lb winch, I can clamp, or equally importantly, move the log to the backstops with a ton of force.  I never use the manual clamps anymore, and removed them some time ago.  This winch clamp is powerful and fast.  I could never go back to the old way of clamping. In itself, it saved me a huge amount of time and effort.





Once I got the winch shuttle clamp working, I started thinking about a way to turn it into a 2 plane, like a Woodmizer.  So I added a vertical hydraulic cylinder to the shuttle, powered from a dump trailer DC motor hydraulic pump.  The two way hydraulic cylinder allows me to lift, clamp, and rotate some monster logs.  Instead of using conventional hydraulic valves, I wired a switch to the reversing solenoid on the pump head so I can apply pressure to either side of the hydraulic cylinder with the flip of a toggle.  Besides saving me lots of money not having to buy conventional hydraulic control valves, this allows me to only have the electric motor running for only a very short period of time so doesn't run down the batteries.  I wanted a very fast acting hydraulic cylinder, so used a hydraulic power steering cylinder.  Between this 2 plane clamp and the log claw, I can usually roll logs and flip cants without ever having to reach for the cant hook.  Also, since both devices have the strength to lift the ends of the logs into the air, I use these to level a tapered log by using one or the other to lift the narrow end off the bed to slide the leveling wedge under.

I also added manual hydraulic jack as a log leveler for the logs that wanted to fight me.



I added a second battery to power the hydraulic pump and winches, and connected them with an electrical cable to the on-board battery.  This allows the motor to recharge both batteries, and I have yet to run the batteries down after a full day of sawing. Using the smaller winches still gives me plenty of power, and don't just suck the batteries down.



I machined some aluminum rollers and added two of them to each backstop to help in rotating logs and to help prevent logs and clamps from climbing.  I also tied some of the backstops together with steel tubing and extensions under the rails and connected them to a hand lever at the end of the mill.  Using the lever, I can now raise and lower the backstops without having to move from the winch controls mounted at the end of the trailer.

I built some stainless steel rail caps for the bed rails.  This solved the problem of blue staining my oak from the bare steel rails of the LT-15.  It also makes rolling the logs and cants easier.



Like most folks, I added a second water valve because I hate reaching across the mill to the valve mounted on the water jug.




I built a simple, removable log deck by fabricating two "L" frames that slip into metal welded loops on the side on the mill.  This lets me use a front end loader to place logs on the deck without risking damage to the mill. Since the deck frame ends only slip into the brackets on the mill, I can flip them up and away when I want.  The way I look at it, every dent and warp in the log deck is one less that my LT-15 didn't get.  The picture is how the end on the log deck frame is about to be slipped into the loop on the mill


I hope folks find this info useful.  

YellowHammer
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

mikeb1079

thank  you very much yellowhammer.  i'm going to use your log turner idea for sure.  i've had a hunch i could use a winch for this purpose and you've done it.  i have a homebuilt mill and turning and clamping are my two least favorite parts.  thanks for taking the time to post your modifications.
8)
that's why you must play di drum...to blow the big guys mind!
homebuilt 16hp mill
99 wm superhydraulic w/42hp kubota

WDH

Yellowhammer, I am truly impressed by what you have done.  You have surely made a better mousetrap.  I have a LT15, and I can see the genius in your modifications.  I am definitely going to have to study on this.
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Bill Gaiche

YellowHammer, you have made some good mods to your mill. I have a turner on my homemade mill like yours and it works great. The clamp is a neat mod also. Hope your having fun making lumber more than ever. bg

mad murdock

Wow yellowhammer, those are some very spiffy upgrades you have fabbed on your mill.  Very nice, I like simple common sense engineering, your mods fit the bill.  Thanks for taking time to explain and share with us 8) 8) 8)
Turbosawmill M6 (now M8) Warrior Ultra liteweight, Granberg Alaskan III, lots of saws-gas powered and human powered :D

zopi

I am in awe....you are one heckuva craftsman...will be noodling through this for awhile...
Got Wood?
LT-15G GO chassis added.
WM sharpener and setter
And lots of junk.

taylorsmissbeehaven

That's good stuff Yellowhammer! Very creative. I love my lt 15 but turning big logs is a chore. It may take some time time for me to grasp all of that but can't wait to dive in. Thanks for the tips. Brian
Opportunity is missed by most because it shows up wearing bib overalls and looks like work.

Lud

Well done!  You are the kind of thinker, tinkerer, modifier, builder that makes the Forum so valuable to new and old members alike.

Manual millers around the globe will learn a lot from you.   Looking forward to your future contributions. 8)
Simplicity mill, Ford 1957 Golden Jubilee 841 Powermaster, 40x60 bankbarn, left-handed

JP135

Excellent. Been hoping you'd post what you've done with your LT15. Thanks for posting this.

YellowHammer

Folks, I really appreciate the compliments.  I'm always glad to be of help and maybe give ideas to people to use to modify their own rigs.  I enjoy reading about the member's experiences on this forum and am always learning new things.  The one thing about sawing is that you have plenty of time to think, and come up with ways to make things easier. 

I didn't mention that two other useful but simple improvements I made to the mill was the addition of a pointer on the manual setworks gear.  My LT-15 wasn't offered with one, and I had noticed that there was already a factory drilled and tapped hole on the front of the crank mechanism that wasn't being used. So I called up Woodmizer and after thinking it over with them, they sold me a pointer and wing bolt from another mill, I think it was a LT28 manual, for about $10 bucks.  It fit perfectly as shown in the picture, and really cuts down on my sawing mistakes.  Took about 2 minutes to install.



I also installed a black 4 inch pipe on the sawdust chute and reverse cut the bottom end on a bevel.  The pipe keeps a good bit of the sawdust out of my face, especially when the wind is blowing,  and when the pile on the ground gets too high, instead of plugging the end of the pipe while its dragging through the sawdust, the leading edge knocks the sawdust away and lays out the new dust on top with very little spray.  You can see it on some of the other photos.

I've got a few more ideas to add to the saw, I'll be glad to post them as I get them figured out.
 
YellowHammer
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

Burlkraft

That is one Super LT 15  8) 8)

Awesome job!!
Why not just 1 pain free day?

pineywoods

 8)  8)  8) I just love it when guys use their brain instead of their back. Excellent job yellowhammer. I would have used hydraulics instead of winches, but to each his own. Now if we could just come up with some way to handle edging them flitches......
1995 Wood Mizer LT 40, Liquid cooled kawasaki,homebuilt hydraulics. Homebuilt solar dry kiln.  Woodmaster 718 planner, Kubota M4700 with homemade forks and winch, stihl  028, 029, Ms390
100k bd ft club.Charter member of The Grumpy old Men

MotorSeven

YH...wow ....outstanding! You have given me some great ideas. Once the house is finished I have to add a log turner & clamp(s).
WoodMizer LT15 27' bed

kelLOGg

Modifying stuff to suit yourself is fun and rewarding, isn't it, YH? Nice work!
Bob
Cook's MP-32, 20HP, 20' (modified w/ power feed, up/down, loader/turner)
DH kiln, CatClaw setter and sharpener, tandem trailer, log arch, tractor, thumb tacks

YellowHammer

I also was worried the winches wouldn't be reliable but they are holding up great.  I put a lot of thought into making them work the way they were designed to be used, which is loaded for short periods of time on dead straight pulls.  I broke the clamp cable the first day, then realized that I had too much line on the drum so it was digging in, and had it tensioned too tight so it was being driven on the drum instead of finding it's way.   I've never had another cable or winch issue.

I have not had any winch related problems with with the log turner either, and it gets used for some near capacity loads.  I rigged it so I didn't have to cut off the factory swaged hook, left everything stock as it was designed to be used, and mounted the pulley to gain some mechanical advantage.  It's been working for almost 18 months of weekend milling with no breaks or malfunctions.  The cable still looks new.

I've sawn a lot of wood and they work great

YellowHammer



YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

Brad_bb

How thick are your stainless covers?  All you need now is a later sight.  Maybe one of those spinning ones to laser the whole side of the log?

Anything someone can design, I can sure figure out how to fix!
If I say it\\\\\\\'s going to take so long, multiply that by at least 3!

zopi

I am still in awe of this mill...worked on mi.e a bit last night..bloody fenders would not fit due to the location of the bed section ears...so I welded the frames at that point and cut the ear off...fenders fit...I should have welded the inside first...that first weld on the loader side is butt ugly...
Looking a the GO..it almost looks like they changed the length of the bed section...
One of those pointers is next up on the list...cutting oddball sizes repetitively requires too much skull sweat...
I love that clamp as much as I hate the stock ones...wm did great for production value on an entry level mill...but those clamps are aggravating..
Got Wood?
LT-15G GO chassis added.
WM sharpener and setter
And lots of junk.

YellowHammer

The stainless rail covers are about 1/16 inch thick.  I'm not sure how long they'll last, but for now they seem to be holding up OK.
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

WDH

My mill is 2001 vintage.  However, I can slam/ram those cam clamps home with one push.  I guess that repetition has its value.  A manual mill is all about work, but then, work has never hurt a fellow, just makes you stronger ( this is a SD type comment for you old Forum members  :D).
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

zopi

Lol..yeah, but I don't WANT to work at Everything!
Got Wood?
LT-15G GO chassis added.
WM sharpener and setter
And lots of junk.

Coon

Zopi, if you think those LT15 clamps are a pain try the Norwood screw type..... they pith me off so much at times because they are so slow and cumbersome.  ::)  If I keep this mill for any length of time I will be doing some kind of mods be it either a cam type or a winch/hydraulic type like  YH has built.
Norwood Lumbermate 2000 w/Kohler,
Husqvarna, Stihl and, Jonsereds Saws

zopi

I can imagine...when I was shopping for a mill that was one of the things that put me off of norwood..the other was assembling the thing...I am not the most patient person in the world.
Got Wood?
LT-15G GO chassis added.
WM sharpener and setter
And lots of junk.

Coon

Well I got my mill sold for what I need to get out of it and then some, if I want, but I need to get some more cash saved up for a hydraulic mill....  There is a member whom I have been talking with that has a hydraulic LT40 that I may purchase if I can get the funding together......  ;D
Norwood Lumbermate 2000 w/Kohler,
Husqvarna, Stihl and, Jonsereds Saws

br549

I'm so glad you posted all this. I have a Norwood 2000. Most of what we have been sawing is 28 inch or so. It taxes me handling these by myself. Now that things have slowed down on making money there is no way of upgrading to a hydro mill.   You may have mentioned it but what kind of winch did you use? I have bought 2 of the 2000 pound Harbor Freight winches in the passed with short life.  To start with I will make your claw Turner and use a boat winch until I can get a 12 volt. Thanks again

Magicman

Hello br549 and Welcome to the Forestry Forum.  Do you also sell used cars  ???   :D
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

WmFritz

Welcome br549.

To the younger folks, here's what Magicman is referring to...  :D
Goes back a couple years.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9xhTomqDTzE&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D9xhTomqDTzE
~Bill

2012 Homebuilt Bandmill
1959 Detroit built Ferguson TO35

YellowHammer

I used el cheapo winches for this build and they had quite a bit of use on them and were working great when I eventually sold the mill.  The reason they lasted is that that useing a doubled claw turner rigging didn't load them very much even though it could turn big logs.
The cable hook goes to the mill frame on the right, and then the cable goes down around a snatch block pulley on the claw arm, back up to a pully on the frame next to the hook, and then to the winch.
You can just make out the doubled cable path in the picture.

Its important to mount a spring to the claw arms so that it keeps the claw against the log until it digs in.  You can see its mounted right in the crook of the elbow, and was about 6 inches long.

A hand winch would work too instead of electric, except it might be a little slow.
This rig easily turned some monster logs. If you look close in this picture,you can see the claw turner at the bottom of this big white oak, in position to begin rotating the log

YH
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

br549

Thanks for the quick reply. Seldom do I toss anything that can be used or could be added to another project. That's where I got the BR549 handle. A friend was hauling off an old boat that still had the hydraulic motor lift intact. That should work for the lift part of the sliding clamp. Still have the Harbor Freight winches. They just stopped working like maybe the switches died.  I have for a while thought of cables for movement but haven't taken time to figure it out. When I happened on this post my mouth dropped because you have already designed and worked out the bugs for me and others I would think. Since weather hasn't been friendly we've been doing some maintenance on sawmill. It has 23 horse Vanguard with centrifugal clutch that slipped since new. Found an electronic magnetic clutch and just swapped them. I don't know of anyone using electric clutches on band mills. Hope it's better . Oh also plan on linking the standards together with a lever on the operating side. Like everyone has before thinking all the standards are down out of the way and hit one. If you have any videos of your mill working please do pass it to me. I'd love to see your engineering in action. As I add these upgrades I'll try to post pictures as it comes to life.

marcusthgault

Wow YellowHammer, the well executed modifications of my dreams, if I owned a mill.
Makes me re-consider buying a newfangled all hydraulic mill ;D
Much more ownership satisfaction in modding a basic spec mill.
Cept "I" would never actually get round to the modding :-[
ps
br549
Do TimberKing not use electric blade drive clutchs?
regards,
Marcus
Theres nathing as wouldnay werk better fer been teighn asundry furst.

Po-Jo

Yh do you have a video anywhere of that log turner in action? that is very nice, awesome job . Got me to thinking! Trying to get my head around how it works

Sixacresand

Yellowhammer,  I always wanted to add all those things to my LT10, but don't have the skills, patience and know how to get it done.  Good job. 
"Sometimes you can make more hay with less equipment if you just use your head."  Tom, Forestry Forum.  Tenth year with a LT40 Woodmizer,

br549

Thanks for the quick reply. Seldom do I toss anything that can be used or could be added to another project. That's where I got the BR549 handle. A friend was hauling off an old boat that still had the hydraulic motor lift intact. That should work for the lift part of the sliding clamp. Still have the Harbor Freight winches. They just stopped working like maybe the switches died.  I have for a while thought of cables for movement but haven't taken time to figure it out. When I happened on this post my mouth dropped because you have already designed and worked out the bugs for me and others I would think. Since weather hasn't been friendly we've been doing some maintenance on sawmill. It has 23 horse Vanguard with centrifugal clutch that slipped since new. Found an electronic magnetic clutch and just swapped them. I don't know of anyone using electric clutches on band mills. Hope it's better . Oh also plan on linking the standards together with a lever on the operating side. Like everyone has before thinking all the standards are down out of the way and hit one. If you have any videos of your mill working please do pass it to me. I'd love to see your engineering in action. As I add these upgrades I'll try to post pictures as it comes to life.

YellowHammer

Sorry, I don't have any videos.  Here are a couple more pictures that might help show the cable routing.


  

 

Here's a picture of how I bolted the manual backstops together so they all pivoted together.  These were then run to a simple lever handle that I pulled to raise or drop all the backstops at once.  It worked great and saved me countless walking steps.  Real quick mod.



 
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

Po-Jo

yh do you have a pic of this?   

"I mounted a winch under the tubing on the trailer frame and use it like a windlass, with a pulley mounted on the opposite side. The cable ends are attached to either side of the shuttle and looped through and around the winch drum.  As the winch rotates one way, the shuttle moves toward the backstops, as the winch is reversed, the shuttle reverses direction."

timberjackrob

Wow!! Im glad this older thread was revived I would like to try the clamp on my lt28 I already have the turner with electric winch.
208 timberjack, woodmizer lt28,case 455 trackloader with gearmatic winch,massey 4710, ford f250s ford f700

YellowHammer

I built the shuttle clamp as a single removable unit that could potentially mount to any style of mill, instead of my old Lt15, and here are a couple pictures of it dismounted off the mill, and after I had removed the winch.  I put all the pics I have of my old mill in my gallery. 
I built the shuttle clamp as a completely independent and self supporting unit so that none of the 2,000 lbs of clamping force would be transferred to the mill rails so there would be no way to damage or bend the mill.   This first picture shows the assembly, just a short piece of square tubing sliding on another longer piece of square tubing serving as a rail. The 2,000 lb winch was mounted under the rail.  The winch cable is shown by the black cartoon line on the second photo, and you can see how it was wrapped around the winch drum a few times, and each end attached to the shuttle eye, much like a windlass.  In order to keep the cable from slipping on the drum, I passed it through a hole in the drum arbor.  So as the winch drum rotates one direction, it pulls the shuttle one way and clamps, when the winch is reversed, the drum rotates the other direction, pulls the shuttle the other direction and unclamps. The wear marks where the paint has been worn off the rail are easy to see, and show how the clamp moves back and forth on the rail.  I welded a piece of square tubing to the end of the rail to clamp against.  When clamping logs, and before I added the power up/down I would manually raise the sliding clamp head up or down and tighten a wing nut bolt to hold the clamp head in position.  When clamping cants, I would just loosen the wing nut bolt and the clamp head would fully drop to the correct height to just clear the blade for the lowest cuts.
 

  

 

I used the manually height adjusting shuttle clamp with the electric winch for quite some time before I added the hydraulic cylinder and hydraulic power pack for remote up/down.  That's why its a hybrid of winch and hydraulics, I didn't build it all at one time and used scavenged parts.  This addition turned it into a true two plane clamp, and allowed me to really manipulate logs and cants, very much like the two plane clamp on my LT-40.  Having a very sturdy and effective remote control clamp worked great, and I never used the manual clamps again, and took them off.

I hope this helps explain the setup
YH
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

AKday

New to the forum.  I was wondering if there was any chance of getting some rough dimension for the log turner? Doesn't have to be exact but something to get a guy started for fabbing something up? 

Magicman

Welcome to the Forestry Forum AKday.  This should get his attention: @YellowHammer
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

YellowHammer

Welcome, 
AKday, 
PM sent, I'll help where I can.
Robert
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

jb616

@Yellowhammer , I could use a set of those plans as well. I am really interested in the clamp as my manual clamp and handle get in the way of my lower blade guide unless I am really watching to make sure it will clear. I am trying to picture how the clamp is mounted in the mill. I will look over the pics again and increase their size to really check them out but any dimensions you have would be greatly appreciated for the clamp and the turner. 

Chuck White

~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

YellowHammer

Unfortunately I sold that mill a few years ago, so don't have any dimensions but here are some pictures.

 
The clamp cross tube is made from 2x2 square tubing and welded to two 6x6 flat plates which are bolted to the bed rails of the mill.  A sleeve is slid over the cross tube so it will slide from one side to the other.  Then another piece of 2x2 is welded perpendicular to that, in which a 1.5x1.5 square tube is inserted.  This is the upright of the clamp to which is welded the clamp tooth, which is just a flat piece of metal with a negative grind.  So now the 1.5 tubing will slide up and down, and the sleeve will traverse back and forth along the 2x2.  For the powered traverse I mounted a small electric winch to one side of the piece and a small pulley to the other.  I shortened and rewound the cable to serve as a windlass.  The winch turns one way and it pulls the clamp, the winch turns the other way, the clamp reverses. Here is the system with the winch dismounted, the black lines show how it operated.



To the upright I mounted a power steering hydraulic ram, which had enough force to lift and flip logs or cants.
It was a pretty easy build and was done with spare parts.  
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

Studdard

Thanks for all the infor.  I am like some of the others.... will need time to digest. .but I certainly want to incorporate some of your practical ideas esp...saving money.
Many thanks.  Studdard

YellowHammer

Thanks, the mods on this mill worked well and saved a lot of back ache.

Durf700
has recently told me that his very effective log turner idea was inspired by the winch claw log turner pictures on this topic.

looking at 7 year old Woodmizer LT15 in Sawmills and Milling

Actually, some of the most useful mods in this thread require the least amount of work.  Just being able to raise and lower all the side supports at once by pulling on a single lever was a great timesaver.

The little wheels on the backstops are a significant help, also.

 
That little log deck was a huge help, also.
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

Lostinmn

Nice mods!!  I think I hear the welder in the shop calling my name....

biggkidd

Great old thread lots of food for the ole noodle! 
Echo 330 T, Echo 510, Stihl Farm Boss, Dolmar 7900, Jinma 354 W/ FEL, & TPH Backhoe, 1969 M35A2,  1970 Cat D4
Building a Band Mill  :)

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