Pictures and Ideas for saw dust collection/removal and uses.

[vfauto]

:P I thought it might be helpful to some of us if you all could post pictures and ideas for collection/removal and uses of sawdust from a portable saw mill. 99% of the time it is stationary. I do not need to make the system portable, it can stay at the barn.Also what options are ther for using saw dust,can it be used for heat?

Thanks Frank

[bandmiller2]

Frank, sometimes simple trumps everything else.My bandmill is setup on a smooth concrete floor.The shute lays down a predictable row of dust behind the mill which I push into a pile with a snow pusher.If you have enough overhead you can attach a hose that will swing with the mills travel to a blower.Bandmill sawdust is finer and does not require as heavy duty blower as a circular mill.Some folks build a trough behind the mill with a belt conveyer on the bottom to carry the dust out. Frank C.

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

VFAUTO, This is what works best for me. A heavy canvas that lays beside the mill. When it gets full, I pull it out with my backhoe and dump it. It takes 5 minutes and the break from sawing to carry the dust off is relaxing.

And for recycling the sawdust, I have 3 piles. 1 pile rots and my Dad puts the sawdust in his Potato beds. The other pile I sale to a horse farm. They use it in their stalls.



  

  

  

  

  

 

[EZland]

I like your method, but my wife is not gong to let me by a Backhoe.  Well not yet.  lol

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

You can actually pull it with the lawn mower.  ;D

[paul case]

David,
I wonder about pulling that out with an 4 wheeler? Could you pull it back over the top and slip the tarp out of the pile? Not everyone has a nice loader like you and me ;D .

I have the $100 HF portable sawdust collector with 4'' flexible sewer pipe set up overhead, but the blower keeps giving out on me. It works ok when it is working but it would want to get a piece of bark hung up in the fins of the blower and vibrate a lot.

I would like to fix up something more robust like a blower from an old belt driven hammermill. Those were set up to blow chopped hay so I think they would just swallow the bark and go right on. I think you could turn it with a 2 or 3 hp motor.

PC

[paul case]

I guess the 4 wheeler would work so will your wife go for that or does she want to pull it out by hand? on second thought  use your pickup before you ask her to pull it out by hand.PC

[fishpharmer]

Here's a picture of the system Pineywood's came up with.  I took the picture during a nice visit with him a few years ago.


Paul Case, is this similar to your setup?

[paul case]

Well Sorta :(  PC

[mikeb1079]

since i live in the city i built my mill on a tandem axle trailer so that i can mill away from the neighbors.  when my sawdust pile gets to be too high i just drive er on down the highway!!   :D :D 8) 8)

sure get some funny looks sometimes   

[drobertson]

Hey fishpharmer, this is typical of the ones I have seen. And real close to what I plan on doing.  It works, for sure. Thanks for the pic.  the other one shown I suppose works too. Some folks may like to have some compost material.

[fishpharmer]

Thank Pineywoods, its his design. He's a clever chap .

I must admit, I like the simplicity of Poston's setup. 8)

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

David,
I wonder about pulling that out with an 4 wheeler? Could you pull it back over the top and slip the tarp out of the pile? Not everyone has a nice loader like you and me ;D .



PC

Yes, I have pulled it with the Kabota 4x4.....easy. But to answer your question, once I lift the sawdust skid up with the bucket, I slightly turn and drive forward and watch the sawdust dump right off. Then, drag it back to the mill. I never have to get off the backhoe, and I don't have a blower to get stopped up.

[beenthere]

since i live in the city i built my mill on a tandem axle trailer so that i can mill away from the neighbors.  when my sawdust pile gets to be too high i just drive er on down the highway!!   :D :D 8) 8)

sure get some funny looks sometimes   

Until the law gets you for littering, or not securing your 'load'.   
Apparently you have been lucky so far.  ;)

[Woodey]

The setup I have save me a lot of time moving sawdust. I use a 3 HP Grizzly Dust Collector (2300 CFM) with 4" drain pipe. I have a threaded swivel that moves back and forth to keep the drain pipe from binding. Also use a 10' flex hose. I have found that the shorter the flex hose the more suction power I have.   

  

 

[Satamax]

There's an invaluable page http://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/

I've made a cyclone for my ww tools after this. Push through design, to keep some oomph.

[vfauto]

Your pictures are not showing.

The setup I have save me a lot of time moving sawdust. I use a 3 HP Grizzly Dust Collector (2300 CFM) with 4" drain pipe. I have a threaded swivel that moves back and forth to keep the drain pipe from binding. Also use a 10' flex hose. I have found that the shorter the flex hose the more suction power I have. 

  

 

[caveman]

A couple of weeks ago while sawing PT utility poles (jmoore did a commendable job of finding metal-none hit), I placed a blue tarp on the ground under the sawdust chute.  After sawing two 16' poles, the tarp was bunched up like a hobo bag and dumped in a large can.  As long as you did not over load your tarp this would work well for a hobbiest.  For serious weekend warriors and stationary sawyers, Pineywood's setup seems to be the berries. A flexible end could be attached and used to fill wagons or trailers. We use the sawdust (not pt) for bedding the kids' show hogs.  Caveman

[Thehardway]

After you figure out how you want to collect it, it can be burned.  I local commercial sawmill uses sawdust and waste wood it to fire a boiler, the boiler drives a low pressure steam turbine which generates all the power for the mill operation and provides waste heat for the kiln operation.  A very efficient setup.  There are outdoor woodstoves that have feed systems for sawdust.  Sawdust contains a lot of power, especially if it is very fine, it can even be explosive so be careful. 

[Bandmill Bandit]

My system is pretty simple.



 

Depending on the job I either have a wheel barrow an FEL or a tote bag to dump the pails into.

Has been working real well for me.

[Jim_Rogers]

I use a bucket, also.

[wwsjr]

I have been using a 2HP 220V blower for about 6 yrs. Input from mill is 4" flex pipe, output is 4" PVC drainpipe. I blow the dust about 50' from mill where I can use my FEL bucket to move. I have replaced parts of flex a few times using splice and worm clamps.
I have Command Control so pipe is not in my way when sawing.

 

I used AC vent pipes for connection.

 

6" screw clamp on mill dust outlet.

[drobertson]

wwsjr, very nice! this is what I have seen.  and what I will do.  How does it work for you?

[Brucer]

I have a trench beside my mill, 10' wide and 1-1/2' deep, running the full length. When the wind is to my back, I raise the sawdust chute and let the sawdust blow out into the trench. When the wind is in my face, I drop the chute and sawdust piles up on the lip of the trench. I shovel this into the trench (or onto the pile) while the saw is cutting.

The sawdust piles up to a height of 4-1/2' or so before I have to shift it with the front end loader. I just shift it to a large pile near the entrance to the yard and local gardeners/livestock owners/mechanical shops come and help themselves.

I was just about to start moving it last month when a local farmer came by and saved me the trouble ;D.

[wwsjr]

The only problem I have had with the blower setup is sawing fresh cut cypress. The wet dust packs in the blower so I have had to remove the pipe and wheelbarrow the dust. I have not had any problem cutting pine, oak, cedar, popular. Overall a big time saver removing the dust.